The Four Who Entered the Pardeis
This is the idea of what the Sages say (Pirkei Avos, 4:22), “Against your will, shall you live,” within the body, in order to draw Hashem’s Infinite Light down into “vessels” of different varieties, i.e., words of Torah and actions of Mitzvos.
This was also the difference amongst those Four who entered the Pardeis-Orchard of the inner secrets of Torah.
The word ‘Pardeis-orchard’ is an acronym for four levels of Torah interpretation ‘peshat, remez, drush, sod - simple meaning, hinted meaning, expounded meaning, hidden mystical meaning.’ Entering the Pardeis refers to entering the mystical dimension of the Torah, and through that, also the ability to ascend to the higher spiritual worlds.
In the Gemara (Chagiga 14b, in the Ein Yaakov version of the text) it describes four sages who used the mystical teachings to allow their souls to ascend to the higher spiritual worlds, Rabbi Shimon ben Azai, Rabbi Shimon Ben Zoma, Elisha ben Avuya, and Rabbi Akiva:
“Rabbi Shimon Ben Azai glimpsed at the great revelation of Hashem in the spiritual world and and died from intense yearning for Hashem. Rabbi Shimon Ben Zoma glimpsed and went insane, since the revelation was to too great for his mind to handle, and it overloaded. Elisha ben Avuya, known as “Acheir,” became a heretic because he could not understand how certain powerful angels seemed as though they worked independently of Hashem (when in fact, nothing exists or functions independently from Hashem). Only Rabbi Akiva entered in peace and exited in peace.”
