"If he has faith and fear of Hashem, his horn will grow higher and higher" – The Holy Rav Mendel of Shklov
Innovations in Kabbalah from the holy handwriting of the great Kabbalist Rav Menachem Mendel of Shklov, one of the foremost students of the Vilna Gaon and one of the early founders of the settlement in Eretz Yisrael.
This is a page from his work "Tmunat HaOtiot" (The Image of the Letters), where he explains and interprets the Hebrew letters according to the secrets of Kabbalah. On this page, he elaborates on the images of the letters Resh (ר) and Shin (ש).
The innovations in this page were printed in his writings in Volume 2, beginning from page 241, in the middle of the passage "and the point is concealed…" until page 243.
Excerpt from his words on this page: "If he has faith and fear of Hashem, in secret, and a good heart that is always joyful, he will be uplifted… he will enjoy the fruits of this world, and his horn will remain strong for the World to Come, growing higher and higher."
"And if, G-d forbid, he thinks that he himself is doing something through his strength, his wisdom, his understanding, or his righteousness, that is all as nothing, and he falls into the abyss."
The manuscript before us contains 74 lines, all written in the author’s handwriting (with notes on both sides of the page, also in the author’s handwriting).
Some of the manuscripts of his works were printed only in recent years based on a manuscript found in the genizah in the Mea Shearim neighborhood in Jerusalem, after being considered lost for many years!
Rav Menachem Mendel of Shklov was one of the greatest students of the Vilna Gaon and one of the few who transcribed his teachings. He served the Vilna Gaon for almost two years before the Gaon’s passing, receiving much from him in both revealed and hidden Torah. He is mentioned in the list of the select students remembered by the Gaon’s family in the introduction to his commentary.
In 1808, Rav Menachem Mendel moved to Eretz Yisrael, initially settling in the Galil and later in Jerusalem, where he worked tirelessly to rebuild the "Churvat Rabbi Yehuda HaChassid" and redeem it from the Arabs. He was among the founders of the Ashkenazi community in Jerusalem.
Rav Menachem Mendel edited and brought to print several letters of his master, the Vilna Gaon, including Mishlei (Proverbs) with the Gaon’s commentary, the Gaon’s explanation of the Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim, the Gaon’s commentary on Sefer Yetzirah, and other various writings.
He was a bridge between the great Kabbalists of his time and later generations, as the Chassidic Rebbes also later acknowledged him as a holy figure. His work Menahem Tzion was first printed in 1885 in Premishlan, and the title page reads: "From the Rav… Rav Menachem Mendel zt"l, whose resting place is honored in the holy city of Tiberias." The printers and approvers, most of whom were descendants of the Holy Rebbe of Sanz, mistakenly attributed the work to the Rebbe of Vitebsk. In the introduction, the printers share that the manuscript was on the desk of the Holy Debreciner Rebbe, and he learned from it with great affection every day!
