Rabbi Chayyim of Volozhyn: From the ‘Nefesh haChayyim’ – Is Sorcery A Contestation Of The Absolute?

VOLOZHINER, CHAIM, ‘Nephesh HaChaim’.
First edition. ff. (63),  4to. Vinograd, Vilna.
Vilna & Grodno: Partners Mann & Zimmel 1824.

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Today’s sharing from the Blue House of Via-HYGEIA, is chapter 12 from the third Gate, ‘Is Sorcery A Contestation Of The Absolute?’ from ‘Sefer haChayim‘ (The Soul of Life) by Rabbi Chayyim of Volozhin, in its French 1986 edition by Editions Verdier. French translation, presentation and commentary by professor Benjamin Gross, with a foreword by philosopher Emmanuel Levinas. From page 146 to 149. A Via-HYGEIA English translation from the French edition.

Here is what Emmanuel Levinas says about it in his foreword: ‘The ‘Sefer haChayim’, was published posthumously in 1824 in Vilna in Lithuania; it is one of the rare works of the so-called ‘rabbinic literature’, where is attempted a meditation upon the essence and the destiny of Judaism.  Despite its religious vocabulary-with coordinates and references exclusively Jewish-it opens numerous perspectives that interests Jewish life and consciousness; Judaism here also is delineated as a philosophical anthropology and theology, of an universal nature, expressed in a language without any prevention and without the particularisms of the untranslatable’.

As such, the ‘Sefer haChayim‘ can be considered a masterful introduction to Jewish mysticism. However, it is much more than that: It is a thoughtful and insightful guide for all the people who find themselves lost in our modern times. More to come soon.

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Before We Start

Here are two definitions of the words ‘magic‘ and ‘theurgy‘ given by late Charles Mopsik in his foreword of ‘Les Grands Textes de la Cabale, les rites qui font Dieu‘, Verdier, 1993, page 39:

‘We will restrict the word ‘magic‘ to the actions directed at a supernatural aim that are performed in a purpose foreign to the concerns and values of an established religion. Furthermore, we will ascribe the word ‘theurgy‘ to the actions that are in the frame of that religion and that are performed according to a system of thought pretending explaining, at least partially, their mode of efficiency.‘

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Third Gate-Chapter 12

Our Masters comment this verse, “Because YHVH is the Elohim, there aren’t any other.” (Deuteronomy 4, 3), in this following manner: ‘Rabbi Hannina says: ‘And this also includes sorcery.’ Because everything that involves acts of sorcery proceeds from the impure forces of the impure Merkaba. The art of sorcery, that the Sanhedrin had a clear understanding of, is about the knowledge of the names of impurity, the knowledge of the essence of the names of the forces of the impure Merkaba, through which the sorcerers perform their un-natural operations, when they conjure impure forces, in their positive aspect, so that they may spread a super-natural vital force, contrary to the order of the natural forces of the constellations. (See ‘Ets-Chayim, Sha’ar Qelipot Noga‘, 4, the beginning).

The Creator, the Master of the Everything, has indeed granted to these forces a level superior to the one given to the natural forces of the stars and of the constellations. They can act also in an opposite manner to the natural forces of the stars and of the constellations, such as it was established at the moment of the Creation. We know that the Creator had granted to each force and world the strength and the power to steer the force and the world of below, in diverse directions.

When affirming that: ‘Sorcery opposes the Heavenly Assembly‘, our Masters want to clarify that the impure forces, according to the rules decreed by God, can only influence the order of the forces of the ‘Assembly of the Stars and of the Constellations.’ They cannot add the slightest modification, in the workings of the saintly actions of the forces of the Merkaba. On the contrary, when we conjure them through the names of the saintly forces, they immediately cease any activity. ‘Those who have some experienced knowledge upon the ‘shells’, conjure them by the Names of the Most-Holy-One-Blessed-He-Be and cancel all of their charms & curses.’ (Again, see the text quote above of the ‘Ets-Chayim, Sha’ar Qelipot Noga‘, 4, the begining). The force does not come, God forbids, from their own root, ‘because there is nothing besides Him‘, the Master of all the forces. Truly, everything is filled with his simple Unity. ‘There is nothing besides Him‘: No real force, no impure force, no other force, no other world, no other creature. Hence, our Masters express this idea by saying: ‘There is nothing besides Him…including sorcery.’

It is in this spirit that we may understand this story told in the Talmud: ‘One day, a woman went to pick up the dust from under the footsteps of Rabbi Hannina. He said to her: ‘Pick it up, but your plan cannot succeed, because it is written: ‘There is no other but Him.’ (Deuteronomy 4, 35). How is it possible? Did Rabbi Yohanan not state: ‘Why do we call it Keshafim: Sorceries? Because they oppose the Heavenly Assembly–For Rabbi Hannina, it is different because he had accumulated many merits.’ It is certain that Rabbi Haninna did not consider himself having enough confidence in the value of his own merits (study of the Torah and good deeds) to feel that he was protected enough against the evil influences of sorcery.

We ought to interpret this text in the lines of our preceding explanations. Truly, the forces of the impure Merkaba do not have any actions rooted in themselves, God forbid. But, God has placed their force above the natural forces of the stars and of the constellations. Hence, they have, indeed, the possibility to modify the natural order of the constellations. Without God, they are nothing, ab-so-lute void. This is why Rabbi Hannina has reacted like he did, not because he felt protected by the saintly merits of the study of the Torah or any of his many life deeds, but because he knew and thought with an unshakable certitude, ‘That there is no other than Him’, and that there was no other might than His. Therefore, he focused his saintly thought upon the Master of all forces, the Unique Master that fills all the worlds, without leaving any space for the rule and existence of any other might. It was then obvious that the charms & curses of the impure Mekaba, could not take hold upon him and he could declare with certitude: ‘There is no other than Him‘.

It is, indeed, a great and marvelous quality to be able to brush away and cancel the decrees and the influences of the stars, so that they may not have any influences upon us and do not interfere in any way upon our destiny. When we decide in our hearts that YHVH is the true Elohim, and that besides Him there are no other might, that all the worlds and Everything is filled but by His simple Unity, if we cancel mentally and that we do not bare any attention to any other force & will in the world, if we submit and attach the purity of our thoughts only to the Unique Master, Blessed-He-Be, God will, in turn, ensure that no other force, nor any might, may act against Him. Our Masters express the same idea when interpreting the order given by God to Moses: ‘Make a bronze snake, place it upon a shaft. Anyone who will be bitten, will see it and will live-on.’ (Numbers 21, 8): ‘Does the snake kill or he makes a person live again? But when Israel would turn their gaze towards the Most High and submit their hearts to their Father-Who-is-in-the-Heavens, they would be healed, otherwise they would be struck.’ (Mishna Rosh haShana 3, 8). We ought to understand: ‘When they looked towards the Most High, examining the concept of the bronze snake and its evil power and, at the same time, suppressed it mentally, and did not bare any  attention to its dreadful force, but truly submitted their hearts to their Father-Who-Is-in-the-Heavens, they were healed. This is the true manner to transmute the evil forces in their very roots. This should come clear to anyone who understands this.

Thus, this seems to be the meaning of this text from the Zohar: ‘The fourth commandment consists in knowing that YHVH is the Elohim, as it is written: ‘And you will know today, and you will bring back into your heart the certitude that YHVH is the Elohim, up in the Heavens, and on the earth below.’ (Deuteronomy, 4, 39): The name Elohim must be included in the Tetragram...’ When a person knows that everything is one and does not introduce any further divisions, then, even ‘the other side’ withdraws from the world and cannot reach it anymore.’ In this case, he can even utter orders, and it will be given to him to perform extra-ordinary actions, contrary to the order of the natural forces. Because this person submits the faith of the purity of his heart, in an act of  immutable truth, only to God; and for God, Bless-He-Be, everything at any moment is indifferent: to act within the flow of the established order or against. We find, in fact, that Rabbi Hannina ben Dosa acted according to his will, at any moment, contrary to the natural order. Here, we recall this saying: ‘The person who orders oil to burn, can also order vinegar to burn too.’ In fact, as we have just said, God decreets indifferently-one or the other-and it is this very power that he transmitted to him, as the numerous stories testify about him in the Talmud.

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