Translated by Boruch Merkur
(Continued from last issue)
3. Now, when we delve into the matter, it is readily understood that indeed [it is not just a possible outcome that all souls will cleave to their Divine source in Olam HaBa] it must be this way.
To quote the words of Eimek HaMelech (Shaar Tikkunei HaT’shuva, Ch. 3, end), since it is not widely available: “‘Now, children, listen to me, I shall teach you fear of G-d.’ His sacred love is with us, Children of the Living G-d. Why does He go to such extents for the wicked people, who ceaselessly anger Him. There are two answers to this question. The first answer is that … although they are totally wicked … they have sparks of holiness within them … for they are ‘the branch of My planting’ … Indeed, a soul is part of the Divine; it is eternal … The souls are the impression of the light of G-d’s essence, and ‘one who inhales deeply exhales from his depths’ … The second reason is that [they are] ‘the deeds of My hands that I may be glorified’ … He is the Holy One and His handiwork is alive and lives forever, eternally; it cannot be annulled, etc.
“The latter is the result of the prayer of Avrohom Avinu, alav ha’shalom … The Holy One showed Avrohom Gehinom, as well as the persecution wrought by [Gentile] kingdoms [upon the Jewish people throughout history], by means of which ‘all these lost ones will be purified and cleansed’ … for His mercy upon all Creation is never exhausted.”
To the same effect, the author of Emek HaMelech writes in Chapter 31 of Shaar Olam HaTohu.
Also, in Shaar Ava (Ch. 46, end) he writes: “‘The banished are not cast from Him.’ Why does He go to such lengths [for the wicked]? The Holy One Himself built worlds and destroyed them in order for there to be good and evil in the world. Wickedness abounded to such an extent that these souls ended up inheriting Gehinom … Since it was G-d Who brought harmful forces into existence, He descends to the pit and lifts them up and brings them out … and they go higher and higher until they eventually, after much time, are counted among the tzaddikim, etc.”
And in Midrash Shmuel (Meseches Avos, beg.), in elucidating the Mishna “All Jews have a portion, etc.,” he writes:
“Olam HaBa mentioned here is Olam HaT’chiya. G-d will not bear the souls of the wicked [to remain in their state of depravity]. After a lengthy process of refinement, the soul ends up being pure. Then it is placed in the environs of the tzaddikim … Similarly with regard to all souls, until all of them are corrected … Thus it is written, ‘Your nation is comprised entirely of tzaddikim,’ meaning that they will necessarily become tzaddikim, for ‘He devises means whereby the banished are not cast from Him.’”
Similarly in Alshich, Parshas Shmini:
“The foundation of the above notion is Likkutei HaShas of the Arizal, Meseches Avos, where he writes: ‘All Jews have a portion in Olam HaBa’ … It is just that this soul corrected itself in a short duration of time, whereas another soul takes a long time. However, the destiny of each soul is to be counted among the tzaddikim. For this reason, the
Alm-ghty, goes to the trouble, as it were, of dealing with wicked souls such as these, for the sake of correcting them … Why does He do so? Because they are ‘the branch of My planting,’ [the handiwork of G-d, Who is eternal and] Whose deeds are eternal, they are the impression of the light of G-d’s essence, and ‘one who inhales deeply exhales from his depths.’”
Also look carefully into Ramban’s Shaar HaG’mul (cited below), where he writes: “The soul, which is Supernal, cannot be annihilated or lost, etc.”
(To be continued be”H)