Tree of Souls

by Howard Schwartz

  Sources:

  Hekhalot Rabbati, ed. by Wertheimer (Jerusalem, 1890), 6:3-7:2 (3b-4a); Beit ha-Midrash 5:167-168;Exodus Rabbah 45:6; Likutei Moharan 2:78.

  225. THE WINGS OF HEAVEN

  The wings of heaven are tied to the wings of the land, and the wings of the land are tied to the wings of heaven, and sealed with God’s name.

  This is an imaginative restatement of the primary kabbalistic principle that “as above, so below; as below, so above.”

  Sources:

  Midrash Konen in Beit ha-Midrash 2:25.

  226. THE PALACES OF HEAVEN

  The mysteries of the Torah are not only contemplated in this world, but also in the World to Come, for genuine scholars do not cease their studies when they die. The souls of the righteous, along with the angels, continue to study Torah in the heavenly Garden of Eden. There each of the patriarchs and matriarchs and great sages has his or her own palace, where they teach myriads of students beneath tranquil canopies. It is possible to sit in the classroom of Maimonides, as well as the classroom of Rashi, the great commentator. Those who ascend even higher in heaven arrive at the palace of Moses, where the Torah is taught from the very lips of Moses. And those who ascend to the very highest heaven reach the palace of Abraham. And Abraham’s mastery of the Torah is said to be so great that those who hear him weep tears of joy.

  One of the primary traditional rewards for the righteous souls who ascended to Paradise was the opportunity to study Torah with the greatest sages of all time, including the patriarchs and great talmudic masters. Some texts even describe the Messiah teaching Torah in his heavenly palace, and there are even texts in which God Himself teaches Torah to the souls of the righteous. See “The Ba’al Shem Tov Ascends on High,” p. 209, and “God Teaches Torah in the World to Come,” p. 271. See also “The Ocean of Tears,” a folktale about a journey to the palaces of heaven, in Reimagining the Bible, pp. 157-159.

  Sources:

  Seder Gan Eden (version B) in Beit ha-Midrash 3:131-140; Aderet Eliyahu 2:4; Sifram Shel Tzaddikim; oral tradition, as recounted by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach (1925-1994).

  227. WOMEN IN PARADISE

  There are six palaces in Paradise where the souls of the righteous women make their home. Each of these righteous women has a palace of her own. In each chamber there are beautiful canopies, with angels set over them, and every day they are crowned with the radiance of the Shekhinah.

  The first palace is ruled by Bitiah, Pharaoh’s daughter, who raised Moses as if he were her own son. She teaches the commandments of the Torah to the many thousands of myriads of pious women who are with her, and she serves as their queen. These women still maintain their human form, and they are clothed in garments of light, and there is great joy among them. Three times a day Bitiah goes to a place where there is a curtain, and bows before the image of Moses, saying, “Fortunate am I for drawing such a light out of the water.”

  The next palace is that of Serah bat Asher, who rules over thousands of myriads of righteous women. They busy themselves with praises of the Lord, and contemplate the commandments of the Torah. Three times a day Serah goes to a curtain and bows before the image of Joseph, saying, “Happy was the day on which I gave the good news about Joseph to my grandfather, Jacob.”

  The other palaces are presided over by Yocheved, the mother of Moses, Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Moses, and Deborah the prophetess. All day long the women are by themselves, as are the men, for there is a curtain spread out in Paradise that separates them. But every night they come together at midnight, for that is the hour of copulation. Then they cleave soul to soul and light to light, and the fruit of this union are the souls of those who become converts to Judaism.

  Hidden deep within these six palaces are the four hidden palaces of the matriarchs, Sarah, Rebecca, Leah, and Rachel. No one can imagine what joy and purity are found there, for no one has seen these palaces, or is permitted to reveal anything about them.

  The righteous women in these heavenly palaces are those who never had to suffer the pains of Gehenna. Their souls went directly to Paradise at the time of their deaths. Those whose sins require that they first be purified in Gehenna, Jewish hell, are not permitted in these palaces.

  Although Bitiah, the daughter of Pharaoh, was not Jewish, she still has been inducted into the Jewish pantheon of righteous women in Paradise. Indeed, she rules over the first of six palaces devoted to the souls of righteous women. Leviticus Rabbah 1:3 explains that her name means “daughter of God” (Bitiah). According to the Zohar, the other women who rule over these heavenly palaces are Yocheved, Miriam, Deborah, and the four matriarchs. The last have hidden palaces within the six heavenly palaces of the righteous women. Seder Gan Eden adds Hulda the prophetess and Abigail to the list of righteous women.

  For more on Serah bat Asher informing Jacob that Joseph was alive, see “Serah bat Asher,” p. 377.

  Sources:

  Zohar 3:167a-b; Shloyshe Sheorim; Sefer Ma’asei Adonai; Derekh Etz Hayim ve-Inyanei Gan Eden, appended to Sefer Ma’aneh Lashon 152; Derekh ha-Yashar le-Olam ha-Ba 25; Seder Gan Eden (version B) in Beit ha-Midrash 3:131-140.

  Studies:

  Voices of the Matriarchs by Chava Weissler, pp. 76-85.

  228. THE TENT OF THE SUN

  It is a journey of five hundred years between one firmament to another, and the sun makes this journey covered with a tent, as it is said, He placed in them a tent for the sun (Ps. 19:5).

  The sun rises in the east, riding forth in a chariot crowned as a bridegroom. Three letters of God’s Name are written upon the heart of the sun, and angels lead it. His fiery face looks down upon the earth in the summer, but in winter the face of the sun turns icy, and were it not for fire, nothing would be able to endure. Thus the sun runs his course across the heavens, and as he sets in the west, the sun bows down before God, saying: “Master of the universe, I have fulfilled all Your commands.”

  At the End of Days God will roll open the upper firmament, and then God will remove the tent from the sun. On that day God will make a tent for the righteous and hide them in it from the searing heat of the Day of Judgment.

  Just as there are sun myths in other traditions, so too are there sun myths in Judaism. Here the sun is personified and rides in a chariot led by angels, much as Apollo guides the chariot of the rising sun. There are some beautiful details, such as three letters of God’s Name written on the heart of the sun. The tent of the sun is elsewhere described as a sheath, as in Midrash Tanhuma, where it is said that “The sun is kept within its sheath, but during the Tammuz solstice, it emerges from its sheath to ripen fruits” (Midrash Tanhuma, Ve-Atah Tetzaveh 6). The purpose of this tent/sheath is to prevent the sun from incinerating the world: “The orb of the sun is kept within a sheath, in front of which there is a pool of water. When the sun comes out, God tempers its strength in the water, so that as it goes forth it will not incinerate the world” (Genesis Rabbah 6:6). The image of the sun’s chariot derives from 2 Kings 23:11: the chariots of the sun. The rolling open of the upper firmament derives from the passage, The heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll (Isa. 34:4). The tent of the sun is described (Y. A.Z. 3) as a pool of water set in front of the sun. When the sun comes forth, God diminishes the sun’s power by immersing it in the water, so that it will not go out and consume the world.

  The key images of this myth, including that of the tent of the sun and of the sun as a bridegroom grow out of Psalms 19:5-6: He placed them in a tent for the sun, who is like a groom coming forth from his chamber, like a hero, eager to run his course.

  Note that the descriptions of the angel Metatron portray him in terms that seem identical to the sun, suggesting that the myth of Metatron may well be a remnant of a sun myth in Judaism. See “The Metamorphosis and Enthronement of Enoch,” p. 156.

  Sources:

  Numbers Rabbah 12:4; Pesikta de-Rav Kahana Supplement 2:1; Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 6; Midrash Tehillim 19:13; Midrash Tehillim 19:13; Sefer ha-Zikhronot 34
; Zohar 1:9a.

  229. THE TENT OF HEAVEN

  Heaven is like a stretched-out tent, whose corners are low and whose center is high. The children of Adam sit under that tent and make their home there. The hooks of heaven are fastened to the waters of the ocean, and the edges of heaven are spread over the waters.

  This myth of the heavens forming a tent is based on the verse Who spread out the skies like gauze, stretched them out like a tent to dwell in (Isa. 40:22). Of course, the image of the tent is a resonant one in Judaism, where the 40 years the Israelites spent wandering in the desert, sleeping in tents, serve as an archetype of Jewish experience. The simple, primitive notion that the sky is a big tent also emphasizes the role of God in ruling over the entire world. It also suggests the idea that heaven and earth together form God’s palace, as stated in Isaiah 66:1, “The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool.” A similar notion is expressed in Habakkuk 3:3, His majesty fills the skies, His splendor fills the earth.

  Sources:

  Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 3; Midrash Konen in Beit ha-Midrash 2:33-34; Sefer ha-Zikhronot 1:6.

  230. THE CRYSTAL PALACE

  Led by the angel Michael, Enoch ascended on high, until they reached the heaven of heavens. There he saw a structure built of crystals, and between those crystals were tongues of living fire. Rivers full of living fire encircled that structure, and countless angels went in and out of that crystal palace, including Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. With them was the Ancient of Days. His head was white and pure like wool, as it is said, And the hair of His head was like pure wool (Dan. 7:9).

  Here Enoch ascends to the highest heaven, Aravot, and sees God, here identified as the Ancient of Days (alternately translated as “Antecedent of Time” or “Head of Days”), accompanied by the angels, entering a crystal structure that appears to be some kind of heavenly palace. We know that this figure is God because of the description of His hair, which is white and like pure wool. This is an often-echoed description of God from Daniel 7:9: And the hair of His head was like pure wool. This scene of God accompanied by the angels in heaven is reminiscent of God walking in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:8).

  Sources:

  1 Enoch 71:1-14

  231. THE CELESTIAL ACADEMY

  Not a day passes in which God does not teach a new law in the heavenly academy. Just as the souls of the holy sages each teach in their own heavenly palace, so God teaches in the Celestial Academy. It is said that God assigns the righteous a closer place to the divine glory than He does for the angels. And the angels are always asking them, “What has God taught you?”

  There are certain matters that must be left undecided until God comes and teaches the truth, for one day God will settle all unresolved questions of the Law. But God is not the only teacher in the Celestial Academy. Elijah and the Messiah also teach there. And until God delivers a final decision, it is Elijah’s task to settle all doubts on ritual and judicial matters. So too does the Messiah elucidate the words of the Torah, and point out where the Law has been misconstrued.

  After God has spoken, the sages of the Celestial Academy discuss God’s rulings, and sometimes debate them. Then who will settle the matter? On one occasion they decided that it should be Rabbah bar Nachmani, who was alive on earth at that time, for he was an expert on these laws. A messenger was sent for him, but the Angel of Death could not approach him, because he did not interrupt his studies for even a moment. Meanwhile, a wind blew that rustled the bushes, and he imagined it to be a troop of soldiers. “Let me die,” he cried out, “rather than be delivered into their hands.” As his soul took leave of this world, a heavenly voice called out, “Happy are you, O Rabbah bar Nachmani, whose soul has departed in purity.” At that time a letter fell from the sky to Pumbedita, upon which was written, “Rabbah bar Nachmani has been called up to the Celestial Academy.”

  Another visit to the Celestial Academy took place after the death of Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai. Rabbi Hiyya went to visit his grave and said: “Dust, be not proud, for Rabbi Shimon, the pillar of the world, will never waste away in you.” And Rabbi Hiyya wept, and when he left there he was still weeping.

  That is when Rabbi Hiyya began to fast so that he might be permitted to see Rabbi Shimon’s place in Paradise. After fasting for forty days, he dreamed that an angel came and told him he could not see Rabbi Shimon. Then Rabbi Hiyya continued to fast and weep for another forty days. And on the eightieth day Rabbi Hiyya dreamed that he saw Rabbi Shimon in Paradise. He was teaching while thousands listened, sages and angels alike. Then, in the dream, Rabbi Shimon said: “Let Rabbi Hiyya enter here, to see what awaits him in the World to Come.”

  That is when Rabbi Hiyya awoke, and when he opened his eyes, he saw a winged angel standing beside the bed, and he understood that it had been sent to bring him to Paradise. Then Rabbi Hiyya mounted the angel, and they ascended at once to the Celestial Academy. There Rabbi Hiyya saw Rabbi Shimon standing exactly as he had seen him in his dream, discussing the same point of the Law.

  All at once there was a heavenly voice saying, “Make way for King Messiah, who is coming to Rabbi Shimon’s academy.” And all of the righteous stood and made a path for the Messiah. Just then the Messiah saw Rabbi Hiyya and said: “Who brought this mortal here?” Rabbi Shimon replied: “This is Rabbi Hiyya, who is the light of the lamp of the Torah.” And the Messiah said: “Then let him be gathered here.” “No,” said Rabbi Shimon, “Let him be given more time.” When the Messiah heard the words of Rabbi Shimon, he nodded in assent, and at that moment the winged angel brought Rabbi Hiyya back to this world. And an instant later he found himself alone in his room, and he could not stop shaking.

  Just as there are earthly academies where the Torah is studied and the laws are debated, so is there said to be a Celestial Academy, where God creates and teaches new laws every day. This notion is an interesting one, in that it suggests the ever-expanding nature of the Torah. The fact that it is God who is doing the teaching gives the seal of approval to this open-ended approach to Torah. This rabbinic myth can be seen to serve as a self-justification, arguing the correctness of this approach.

  The proof that God teaches on high is found in the verse Hear attentively the sound of His voice, and the meditation that comes forth from His mouth (Job 37:2). Genesis Rabbah 49:2 explains that “meditation” refers to the Torah, as in the verse But you shall meditate therein day and night (Josh. 1:8). According to Genesis Rabbah, these are the laws of the Torah that even Abraham was said to know.

  Since the Torah was not given until the time of Moses, rabbis were frustrated that the earlier patriarchs did not know the Torah. This was so difficult to accept that there are various legends about how they received the Torah anyway, such as the chain of legends about the Book of Raziel, which is a clear mask for the Torah. But there is another notion, that there were certain laws of the Torah that Abraham knew, since, for example, he followed the laws of circumcision. How did Abraham learn these laws? This myth from Genesis Rabbah suggests that he somehow learned them directly from God, as these are the same laws that God teaches in heaven. In some fashion, which is not described, Abraham was privy to these teachings.

  Rabbah bar Nachmani receives an invitation from heaven to resolve a debate in the Celestial Academy. The Angel of Death is sent as a messenger to bring him, but is unable to do so because he never stops studying the Torah. This reflects the tradition that the Angel of Death cannot take a man while he is studying Torah. A similar story is told about King David and the Angel of Death, in which the angel had to create a diversion to lure David away from his studies, so that he could take his soul.

  Unlike Rabbah bar Nachmani, Rabbi Hiyya, disciple of Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai, is determined to go to the Celestial Academy even though he does not have an invitation. Rabbi Hiyya fasts to achieve something that is not permitted to the living—to see Shimon bar Yohai’s place in Paradise. This tale confirms the taboo of a human entering into Paradise, which finds its model in the tale of the
ascent of Moses into heaven to receive the Torah. The angels sought to cast him out of Paradise, for none of the living are permitted there (B. Shab. 88b). See “The Ascent of Moses,” p. 261. For another account of a journey into Paradise by one of the living, see “Rabbi Joshua ben Levi and the Angel of Death,” p. 207.

  The account of Rabbi Hiyya’s efforts to travel to the Celestial Academy, from the Zohar, may have been inspired by a talmudic myth concerning Rabbi Hiyya found in B. Bava Metzia 85b. Here one rabbi sees another whose eyes appeared as though they had been burnt. He asks him what has happened, and the rabbi explains that he asked Elijah to show him the souls of departed rabbis as they ascend to the Celestial Academy. Elijah agreed that he could look upon all except for the carriage of Rabbi Hiyya. How would he recognize Rabbi Hiyya’s carriage? All would be accompanied by angels when they ascend except Rabbi Hiyya’s, which ascends on its own. But the rabbi disobeyed and did gaze upon Rabbi Hiyya’s carriage, and at that instant two fiery streams came forth, which blinded him. The next day this rabbi prostrated himself on the grave of Rabbi Hiyya, and his sight was healed.

  Sources:

  B. Bava Metzia 86a; B. Avodah Zarah 18; Genesis Rabbah 49:2, 68:5; Zohar 1:4a-4b.

  232. WHERE HEAVEN AND EARTH MEET

  In his desert travels, Rabbah bar Bar Hannah met a Bedouin, who offered to show him where heaven and earth meet. They went there, and found the Wheel of Heaven, which contained many windows. Rabbah took his bread basket and placed it in one of the windows of heaven. Then he prayed the afternoon prayer.