24. The Pardes

Yesodei HaTorah 4:12

When a person contemplates these matters and comes to recognize the creations, the angels, the spheres, man, etc., causing him to appreciate God's wisdom, it will increase his love for God. This will cause both his soul and his flesh to long for God with love. He will then stand in awe when comparing our lowly and humble selves to the majestic and holy bodies, let alone to the pure forms that have no connection to physical matter. This person will then see himself as a vessel full of shame, empty of merit.

Yesodei HaTorah 4:13

The subjects discussed in these past four chapters concern five mitzvos that the Sages called "the Pardes" (the orchard) as in "Four people entered the Pardes..." (Chagigah 14b). Even though these four people were all great scholars and leaders of Israel, they did not all possess the capacity to fully comprehend these matters. The Rambam tells us that it is not appropriate for a person to "stroll in the Pardes" until he has "filled his belly with bread and meat." This refers to acquiring knowledge of what is permitted and what is prohibited, as well as other details of the mitzvos. The Sages referred to this as "a small matter," saying that Maaseh Merkava is "a great matter" and the debates of Abaye and Rava are "a small matter." Nevertheless, it is appropriate for a person to master these "smaller" subjects first, as they provide a person with intellectual grounding. They are also the great gift that God gave to facilitate stability in this world and the ability to obtain life in the Next World. They can be fully understood by both great people and humble people, men and women, of varying intellectual capabilities.