The Kabbalah Unveiled — S. L. MacGregor Mathers (from Knorr von Rosenroth's Latin) (1887)
The text is shown on its own: no facing layer is held for this issue.
20. Rabbi Abba arose from his seat behind him, and
Rabbi Eleazar his son sat down.
21. He said unto him, “ Arise, 0 my son, for another shall sit in that seat; * and Rabbi Eleazar arose.
2 2. Rabbi Schimeon covered himself and sat down; and he commenced, and said Ps. cxv. 17: “ ‘ The dead shall not praise IH, Yah , nor all they who go down into silence !
23. “ ‘ The dead shall not praise Yah ; ’ so it is certain that it is assuredly those who are called dead ; for He, God, the most Holy One — may He be blessed ! — is called the Living One, and is Himself commemorated among those who are called living, and not with those who are called dead.
24. “And the end of this text runneth thus: ‘Nor all they who go down into silence ; ’ for all they who go down into silence remain in Gehenna.
25. “There is another reason appertaining to those who are called living, for God the most Holy One — may He be blessed ! — desireth their glory.”
26. Rabbi Schimeon said: “How different is this occasion from that of the former conclave ! For into a certain conclave * came He, the most Holy and Blessed God, and His Chariot.
27. “ Now verily He, the Holy One, is here — may He
* Meaning that the Greater Holy Assembly had been as it were the reflection of the conclave of the Sephiroth above. The word used for “chariot ” is not Mercavah, but BethVch.
KABBALAH.
be blessed — and He hath approached with those Just who are in the Garden of Eden,* which did not . occur in the former conclave.
28. “And God, the Most Holy One — may He be blessed — more promoteth the glory of the Just than His own glory.
29. “ As it is written concerning Jeroboam, who sacrificed unto and served other gods, and yet God, the Most Holy One — may He be blessed ! — waited for him.
30. “ But because he stretched forth his hand against
Iddo the prophet, his hand became withered.
31. “For it is written, 1 Kings xiii. 4 : c And his hand became withered, &c. ’ Here it is not written that it was because he served other gods, but because he extended his hand against Iddo the prophet, &c.
32. “Now, therefore, God the Most Holy One — may He be blessed ! — promoteth their glory (t.c., that of the Just), and they all come with Him.”
33. He said: “Verily, Bav Hamenuna the elder is here, and around him are seventy Just represented in his circle, of whom certain shine with the splendour of the Ancient and Most Holy One, the Concealed with all Concealments.
33. t “He, I say, cometh, in order that with joy he may hear those words which I shall speak.”
34. And when he had sat down he said : “ Assuredly here a seat hath been set aside for RabbiBenchasBen Yair.”
3 5 . The companions who were there trembled greatly, and they arose, and sat down in the lowest part of the house ; but Babbi Eleazar and Babbi Abba (still sat ) before Babbi Schimeon.
36. Babbi Schimeon said : “In the former Assembly we acted thus, namely, that all the companions spoke, and I also with them, by turns.
* I.e., The Paradise above.
+ In the original both this and the foregoing section, apparently by an oversight, have the Dumber 33 attached to them.
THE LESSER HOLY ASSEMBLY .
3 7. u Now I shall speak alone, and let all hear my words, superiors and inferiors : blessed be my portion this day!”
3 8. Rabbi Schimeon commenced, and said, Cant. vii. 1 o :
“ ‘ I am my beloved’s, and his desire is towards me.’
39. “ As long as I have been bound unto this world in one link with God, the Most Holy One — may he be blessed ! — have I been bound, and therefore now is His desire towards me.
40. “For He Himself and His whole holy company come, so that with joy they may hear the concealed words, and the praise of Him, the Most Holy Ancient One, the Concealed with all Concealments.
41. “ And He separateth Himself ever more and more ; He is separated from all things, neither yet doth He altogether separate Himself, seeing that unto Himself all things adhere, and that He Himself adhereth unto all ; HVA, Hoa , He Himself is all ; He the Most Holy Ancient of all Ancients, the Concealed with all Concealments.
42. u He hath been formed, and yet as it were He hath not been formed. He hath been conformed, so that He may sustain all things ; yet is He not formed, seeing that He is not discovered.
43. “When He is conformed He produceth nine Lights, which shine forth from Him, from His conformation.