meta: {"file": "/data/tomer/Sefaria-Export/txt/Musar/Sefer Tomer Devorah/English/Rabbi Dr. David Mevorach Seidenberg, from Kabbalah and Ecology.txt"}
text: Sefer Tomer Devorah
  ספר תומר דבורה
  Rabbi Dr. David Mevorach Seidenberg, from "Kabbalah and Ecology"
  
  
  Sefer Tomer Devorah
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  [Concerning] the human being, it is proper/worthy/ra’uy that he should make himself  resemble /yitdameh his Possessor /qono, and then he will be [configured] in the secret of  the upper/exalted (supernal) form/tsurah, tselem and d’mut. For if he is alike in his body  and not in his actions, he makes the form [in which he was created] a lie. And they will  say of him: “A lovely form and (but) ugly deeds”. For the essence of the exalted/ `elyon  image and likeness is his actions. And what use would it be to him to be like the higher  form [in] the image of the structure of his limbs / d’mut tavnit eivarav, while in his  actions he does not make himself like his Creator? Therefore it is proper that he should  make [his actions] resemble the actions of Keter, the thirteen qualities of upper (divine)  compassion. 
  
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  [T]he thirteen qualities in which a human being may be like unto his Possessor (God) . . . are the qualities of higher mercies, and their gift/s’gulah is that just as a person would conduct himself below, so will he merit opening that higher/upper quality from above, truly . . . thus will he make [that quality] flow from above, and he causes that quality to shine in the world.
  
  
  
  
  
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  [It is good medicine for a person] to honor the creatures/nivra’im entirely/all of them, since he recognizes in them the exalted quality of the Creator / ma`alat haborei’ who “formed the human with wisdom” and so [it is with] all creatures – the wisdom of the One who forms /hayotser is in them, and he [can] see himself that they are so very very honored, for the One who forms [them] cares for all . . . And it is even evil in the eyes of the Holy One if they despise any creature/b’riyah of His creatures, and this is [why] it says: “How manifold/diverse are Your works / Mah rabu רבו ma`asekha” [Ps 104:24] – ... rabu [like] the language of “rav רב beyto / important in the house [of the king]” [Es 1:8] – very important. . . and it is worthy for a person to understand through them wisdom, and not despising/bizayon [ . . . ] 
  
  
  
  
  
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  ... This is the principle: [a person] should make life stream forth to all / yihyeh novei`a chayyim lakol.” 
  
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  ... Moreover, [a person’s] mercies/ compassion need to be distributed to all the creatures, not despising them and not destroying them, for so is the upper/highest wisdom distributed to all the creatures, silent and growing and moving and speaking.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  ... The Shekhinah does not come to him if he does not resemble/y’dumeh the upper reality / m’tsi’ut ha`elyon.”