Gates of Holiness

Gate of Elijah the Prophet - picture by Devorie Zutler.

What is the Meaning of Life - Here is an extract of the book Gates of Holiness by Rabbi Chaim Vital:

Gates of Holiness

I have seen those who ascend - and they are few.

They long to rise, yet the ladder is hidden from their eyes.

They turn to the ancient books, seeking to discover the paths of life:

The way they should walk and the deeds they should perform

In order to elevate their soul to its supernal root and cleave to Him,

Blessed be He.

For He is the eternal perfection -

Like the prophets, whose entire lives were bound to their Creator.

Through that cleaving, the Holy Spirit rested upon them,

Instructing them where light dwells,

Illuminating their eyes in the mysteries of Torah, (the Five Books of Moses)

As King David, peace be upon him, prayed:

¨Uncover my eyes,

That I may behold wonders from Your Torah,¨

And guiding them along a straight path,

To walk toward the dwelling prepared

For them among the exalted.

After them came the pious ones,

Called ¨Perushim¨ (the Separated).

They sought to follow

In the footsteps of the prophets and in their paths,

To resemble them.

They dwelled in caves and deserts,

Separating themselves from the ways of mankind.

Some withdrew even within their homes,

Like those who wander the wilderness.

All day and all night, without pause,

They did not keep silent,

Praising their Creator through the study of Torah

And through the songs of King David,

Peace be upon him,

Which gladden the heart - until their thoughts cleaved,

With strength and fervent desire,

To the supernal lights.

They persisted in this all their days,

Until they attained the level of the Holy Spirit,

And they would prophecy without ceasing,

As Onkelos translates:

¨And they did not cease.¨

Yet although each was unlike the other,

The ways of their paths and their practices -

How these holy ones served the Blessed One -

Were not clearly set forth,

So that we might do likewise.

Therefore, the hearts have diminished,

And knowledge has declined,

In the generations that followed them.

Those endowed with the Holy Spirit have ceased;

They have departed to their rest,

Leaving us in sighing -

Thirsty and hungry.

Despair has taken root

In the hearts of people

From seeking this wondrous wisdom.

And if two or three grains are found

At the top of a branch -

One from a city and two from a family -

They seek water and there is none,

For all vision has been sealed.

For the manner of practice

Was not written in any book -

How to draw near

And enter within the inner sanctuary.

There are some who adjure angels

By the power of the holy names,

Hoping for light -

But behold, darkness.

For these are very lowly angels,

Appointed over the affairs of this world,

Composed of good and evil.

They themselves do not attain truth

Or the supernal lights,

And they reveal to such seekers

Mixed matters -

Good and evil,

Truth and falsehood -

Along with empty things concerning remedies,

The art of alchemy,

And practices of amulets and incantations.

And they have erred through wine

And gone astray through strong drink.

Would that their hearts were directed

To engage in Torah and mitzvot! (the Commandments of God)

Let them learn a lesson

From the four great sages of Israel

Who entered Pardes - (the four levels of interpretation of the Torah)

None emerged unharmed

Except that elder saint, Rabbi Akiva

(And even he - the ministering angels

Sought to push him away,

Had not the Holy One, blessed be He,

Helped him.)

He entered in peace

And departed in peace.

The truth is that they sought lofty levels,

Close to prophecy,

And therefore some were endangered.

But as for us -

Would that we might merit

Even a small measure of the Holy Spirit,

Such as the revelation of Elijah,

Of blessed memory,

Which many have attained, as is well known;

Or the revelations of the souls of the righteous,

As mentioned many times in the book of Tikkunim. (Rectifications)

Moreover, even in our own time

I have seen individuals who merited all this.

There are those whose soul,

Through great purification,

Becomes so refined

That it reveals itself to a person

And guides him in all his ways.

All these are near paths,

Attainable even in our time,

For those who are worthy of them.

However, great discernment

And many tests are required

To establish the truth -

Lest another spirit be with him,

Not pure.

All this will be explained in the third section,

In the eighth gate.

Therefore, the pressure within my spirit

Has compelled me to permit and to support

Those who separate themselves,

To guide them in the path they should walk.

For this reason, I have composed this work -

Small in size but great in quality -

For the enlightened, that they may shine.

I have called it Gates of Holiness.

In it, I will explain mysteries

Not grasped by those who came before us,

For I received them from the mouth of a holy man,

An angel of the Lord of Hosts - my teacher,

The Ari, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria,

Of blessed memory.

Since these are secrets of the world

And hidden mysteries,

I will reveal a handbreath

And conceal thousands of cubits.

I will open the gates of holiness only slightly,

Like the eye of a fine needle -

And whoever is worthy

Will merit to enter within.

And the good God will not withhold good

From those who walk in integrity.

I have divided it into four parts:

The first part concerns the path of piety and separation

That leads to the Holy Spirit,

And it is divided into six gates.

The second part concerns rebuke,

And the explanation of reward and punishment

For the positive commandments and the prohibitions,

And it is divided into eight gates.

The third part concerns the path

Of attaining the Holy Spirit itself,

And it is divided into eight gates.

The fourth part concerns the methods

Of the unifications themselves,

Through which the Holy Spirit is attained,

As I have examined, tested, and verified.

I will set forth their details in numbered form.

And this is the beginning,

With the help of God.

Gates of Holiness (Shaarei Kedusha) by Rabbi Chaim Vital - Introduction.