By Rabbi Meir Pinto
Based on a live shiur delivered in the Yeshiva
We were recently blessed to open a new sanctuary of study: a Beit Midrash dedicated to Pnimiyut HaTorah—the inner, mystical dimensions of our holy Torah. This learning is dedicated L’iluy Nishmat Shaul Ben Masuda. May our efforts here serve as an elevation for his soul and a source of light for all of Am Yisrael.
The Three Layers of Torah
The Zohar teaches that the Torah is composed of three layers:
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The Garment (Malbush): These are the stories of the Torah—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the Exodus. While beautiful and necessary, they are only the outer layer.
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The Body (Guf): This is the Halacha (Law), the Gemara, the Mishna, and the Shulchan Aruch. This is the structural integrity of our lives.
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The Soul (Neshamah): This is Pnimiyut HaTorah—the secrets of the Arizal and the Zohar. Just as a body without a soul is a corpse, study of the “Body” of Torah without its “Soul” can become dry and rote.
Why Now? The End of Days
There has long been a debate about who should learn these secrets and at what age. The Shach famously mentions the age of 40, yet we see throughout history—from the Ramban to the Arizal and the Baal Shem Tov—that the light of Kabbalah has been increasingly revealed.
As the Rebbe of Komarno explained, we are in the era of Ikveita D’Meshicha (the footsteps of the Messiah). In this time, “concealed things become revealed.” Our generation faces spiritual challenges that previous generations could not imagine. To survive the darkness of the modern world, we need the strongest light available. We need the “Soul” of the Torah to keep our hearts alive and connected to Hashem.
Breaking the Barriers
The Rabbi addressed the common fears people have regarding Kabbalah:
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“I haven’t filled my belly with Gemara and Halacha yet.” While foundational knowledge is vital, one cannot wait until they are “perfect” to start connecting to the light. The inner Torah actually provides the motivation to learn Halacha more deeply.
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“I might make a mistake.” The Ramak (Rabbi Moshe Cordovero) explains that it is better to try and occasionally err in the pursuit of God than to never try at all and remain spiritually stagnant.
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The “Professor” Trap: We don’t learn Kabbalah to become “experts” or academic researchers. We learn to be Merkavah—a chariot for the Divine Presence. The goal is Dveikut (cleaving to Hashem), not intellectual pride.
The Power of “Unknowing”
As the Ben Ish Chai beautifully illustrated with his parable of the toy boat versus the king’s fleet: the more we learn, the more we realize how little we know. True wisdom leads to humility. When we study the secrets of the Sefirot and the Yichudim (Unifications), we aren’t just memorizing charts; we are learning how to unify our own actions, speech, and thoughts with the Creator.
We invite you to join us in this holy endeavor. Let us study the “Soul” of the Torah so that our own souls may shine.
