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Shaarei Kedusha
Gates of Holiness

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Shaarei Kedusha
Gates of Holiness
By Chaim Vital
Translated by Yaron Ever Hadani
Integral edition in English, Hebrew and Aramaic
E-mail: info@everburninglight.org
WWW: http://www.everburninglight.org

Publisher: Providence University
First edition, 2006
First Reprint, 2007
ISBN: 1-897352-04-2
Copyright © 2006 by Fabrizio Lanza, ULC-ITALIA
ULC-ITALIA
Via C.A. Colombo 20/F, 34074 Monfalcone (GO)
Tel.: +39-(0)481-412574
All rights reserved for every country. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without
the prior permission of the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America.

Shaarei Kedusha – Gates of Holiness v
Index of contents
Index of contents v
Preface ix
The Gates of Holiness ( השודק ירעש)
Introduction 1
Part 1 5
The first Gate 5
Explanation of the fault that was caused by the
transgression of the Mitzvot (תווצמ, Precepts) 5
The second Gate 10
That deals with the continuous fault, due to improper
conduct 10
The third Gate 15
It explains the virtues of the righteous (קידצ, Tzadik,
Chasidic Rabbi) and the virtues of the pious (דיסח,
Chasid), and it teaches how a person can obtain them
15
The fourth Gate 21
It explains in details the Virtue of the Tzadik 21
The fifth Gate 27
A brief explanation of the Chasid Virtue, an
explanation that will always be before your eyes 27
The sixth Gate 30
It includes a brief summary of all the previous gates
and explains how the Chasid should conduct his life in
order to prevent his own downfall 30

vi Shaarei Kedusha – Gates of Holiness
Part 2 37
The first Gate 37
Reproofs 37
The second Gate 41
Reproofs of discipline of our Sages of blessed memory
41
The third Gate 43
The fourth Gate 49
The punishment for bad character traits and the
reward for good character traits 49
The fifth Gate 65
The punishment for those who possess forbidden
character traits 65
The sixth Gate 75
The punishment for those who transgress the negative
Mitzvot 75
The Seventh Gate 78
Of the observance of positive Mitzvot and of good
conduct 78
The eighth Gate 85
It is called the gate of repentance, and it is divided
into three parts 85
Part 3 93
The understanding of the Ruach Ha-Kodesh ( שדוקה חור,
divine inspiration) 93
The first Gate 93

Shaarei Kedusha – Gates of Holiness vii
Of the nature of the worlds; a brief introduction for
the understanding of the nature of prophecy 93
The second Gate 98
It deals with the nature of man 98
The third Gate 111
Of the prophecy impeders 111
The fourth Gate 114
Of the prophecy stipulations 114
The fifth Gate 116
Of the prophecy quality and concerns 116
The sixth Gate 121
Of the prophecy levels 121
The seventh Gate 127
A guide to Ruach Ha-Kodesh שדוקה ( חור,
divine
inspiration) in our times 127
The eighth Gate 130
A brief explanation concerning the sanctification in
our time 130
Part 4 133
Instructions for the attainment of Ruach Ha-Kodesh 133
The original text in Hebrew 134
המדקה 134
א רעש א קלח
135
ב רעש א קלח
137
ג רעש א קלח
140

viii Shaarei Kedusha – Gates of Holiness
ד רעש א קלח
141
ה רעש א קלח
143
ו רעש א קלח
144
א רעש ב קלח
147
ב רעש ב קלח
148
ג רעש ב קלח
149
ד רעש ב קלח
153
ה רעש ב קלח
160
ו רעש ב קלח
163
ז רעש ב קלח
164
ח רעש ב קלח
167
א רעש ג קלח
170
ב רעש ג קלח
172
ג רעש ג קלח
177
ד רעש ג קלח
178
ה רעש ג קלח
179
ו רעש ג קלח
181
ז רעש ג קלח
184
ח רעש ג קלח
185
א רעש ד קלח
186
Glossary of kabbalistic terms 187

Shaarei Kedusha – Gates of Holiness ix
Preface
Shaarei Kedusha is an inspirational work by Rabbi Chaim
Vital (1543-1620), the foremost disciple of The Ari. It
contains instruction and exhortations for a life of utmost
holiness, which will ultimately elevate the person to the
point where he will be worthy of Divine Inspiration (Ruach
Ha-Kodesh).
While most know Vital only for the theosophical Kabbalah
of The Ari, he was a real scholar, well versed in every
science of his time. Few know that he was also well versed
in prophetic Kabbalah, and Shaarei Kedusha is the proof.
Shaarei Kedusha goes beyond the simple theories, and
gives practical instruction concerning the ways to
experience the divine and bond with God. However, Vital
saw that this knowledge was potentially explosive, since
there are ways to force the Divine Inspiration to come upon
us, even if we are not worthy of it. Thus, he carefully
bound these teachings to the existing Jewish law and
customs.
The result is a book of four parts. The first two parts
attempt to form the character of the aspirant who desires to
ascend to God. They deal extensively with the Mitzvot
(Precepts). The third part explains the basics of Kabbalah,
the Sefirot, the upper worlds, the levels of prophecy. It’s a
great introduction to Kabbalah, even for beginners. The
fourth part deals with the practical ways to bond with God
and contains the most hidden secrets.
Due to the nature of the fourth part, it has always been an
issue of contrasting opinion for the rabbinical institutions.
Some regard it as the most inspired and holy writing, some

x Shaarei Kedusha – Gates of Holiness
shiver with horror, as they feel it might violate the law and
consider it as a poor writing.
Respectful of the tradition, we will here omit the fourth
part, which was published only recently for the first time in
history in Ktavim Chadashim (The New Writings). We will
publish its translation separately.
A special thanks to Talib Din for his support in editing this
book and making it ready for the print.
Fabrizio Lanza