109. Two Kinds of Meat

I heard on Heshvan 20

We usually distinguish between two kinds of meat: beast meat and fish meat, and in both there are signs of Tuma’a [impurity]. The Torah gave us signs by which to know how to avoid them so as to not fall into the domain of Tuma’a in them.

In fish, it gives us the signs of fins and scales. When one sees these signs in fish, he knows how to be careful and not fall into the hands of Tuma’a. Snapir [fin] implies Soneh-Peh-Ohr [hating-mouth-light]. This refers to Malchut, called “mouth,” and all the lights come from her, which is discerned as faith.

When one sees that he is in the state of a taste of dust, at a time when one should believe, he knows for certain that he should correct his actions. This is called “Shechina [Divinity] in the dust,” and one should pray to raise the Shechina from the dust.

Kaskeset [scales] means that at a time of Snapir he is unable to work at all. But when he overcomes the Snapir, a question concerning Providence appears in his mind. This is called Kash [straw], and then he falls from his work. Later, he grows stronger and begins to work above reason, and another doubt concerning Providence appears in his mind.

It follows that he has two times Kash, which are Kas-Keset. Every time one overcomes above reason, he ascends and then he descends. Then one sees that he cannot overcome due to the proliferation of the doubts. In that state, one has no other choice but to cry out to the Creator, as it is written, “And the Children of Israel sighed from the work, and their cry came up unto God,” and He delivered them out of Egypt, meaning from all the troubles.

Our sages said a famous rule, that the Creator says, “He and I cannot dwell in the same abode,” since they are opposite from one another. This is so because there are two bodies in man—the inner body and the outer body. The spiritual sustenance dresses in the inner body, discerned as faith and bestowal, called “mind and heart.” And the outer body has the corporeal sustenance, which is knowing and receiving.

In the middle, between the inner body and the outer body, there is a middle body, which does not bear its own name. Rather, if one performs good deeds, the middle body clings to the inner body. If one does bad deeds, the middle body clings to the outer body. Thus, either one has corporeal sustenance or spiritual sustenance.

It follows that since there is oppositeness between the internal and the external, if the middle body clings to the inner body, it is considered the death of the outer body. And if it clings to the outer body, it is death to the inner body, since in that state, the choice is in the middle body: to continue adhering to Kedusha [holiness], or to the contrary.