Specifically “eikev,” the heel: when the enemies intensify until a person is beneath their heel and feet and they trample him underfoot. This is the aspect of “You caused men to ride over our head,” and so forth (Psalms 66:12), and the aspect of “to crush beneath His feet all the prisoners of the earth” (Lamentations 3:34). Thus it is written: “Who said to your soul, ‘Bow down so that we may pass,’ and you made your body like the earth,” and so forth (Isaiah 51:23). This is the aspect of the footsteps of Mashiach, when Israel is placed beneath their heels. Specifically then, one who directs his heart to hear these ordinances from there must know that everything comes from the judgment above, which clothed itself within them in order to return him to Hashem. This is: “It shall be, eikev—because—you heed these ordinances”; then, “Hashem your God shall keep for you the covenant and the kindness” (Deuteronomy 7:12). Hashem, blessed be He, will have compassion upon you for the sake of His covenant with our forefathers, for “Hashem listens to the needy and does not despise His prisoners” (Psalms 69:34).

This is “his hand was grasping Esav’s heel” (Genesis 25:26)—specifically the heel. When Esav intensifies at the end of the exile, in the footsteps of Mashiach, and seeks to trample Israel’s head with his heel, in the aspect of “he raised his heel against me” (Psalms 41:10), specifically then “his hand”—the aspect of emunah and prayer, the aspect of “his hands were emunah,” and so forth (Exodus 17:12), spread forth in prayer—grasps Esav’s heel and thereby casts him down and humbles him. For our power is only in the mouth: to grasp the craft of our forefathers and cry out to Him, blessed be He, from wherever one may be. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Non-Jewish Wine 4:25)

“Aikev,” the heel, is an aspect of the feet. When you bind the Torah so firmly within your heart that you hear it within the heels and feet—the aspect of money, which is called “feet.” Thus it is written: “and all the substance at their feet” (Deuteronomy 11:6), which our Sages, of blessed memory, interpreted as a person’s money, which places him upon his feet (Pesachim 119a). Then “Hashem your God shall keep for you the covenant and the kindness,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 7:12), for you will then possess vessels capable of receiving the kindness. The vessels are principally rectified when money is rectified, for within it are encompassed all the cravings for the appearance of this world.

The Torah therefore calls its teachings “ordinances,” as it is written: “It shall be, because you heed these ordinances,” and so forth. Mishpat, “ordinance” or “judgment,” can denote suffering, as Rashi explains in Isaiah, where mishpat bears three meanings, and so forth. The Torah is principally received through suffering: through it, a person closes his eyes to the appearance of this world and becomes incorporated into the One; from there he receives the ordinances of the Torah, as brought in Likutay Moharan I 65; see there. The Torah is therefore called mishpat.

This is “Hashem shall keep for you the covenant and the kindness that He swore to your forefathers” (Deuteronomy 7:12)—specifically “shall keep.” Hashem, blessed be He, will guard the kindness so that it is drawn upon us in a manner we can receive and so that an abundance of kindness will not harm us, God forbid. Although He already swore to our forefathers to deal kindly with us, it nevertheless cannot be received unless one fulfills “It shall be, because you heed,” as described above: hearing all the Torah’s ordinances within the feet, in the aspect of “My foot stands upon level ground” (Psalms 26:12)—that is, within money, which is called the feet. We must remain so strong in fulfilling the Torah and mitzvoas that money will not cause us, God forbid, to abandon their fulfillment.

The principal concern lies in the craving for money: that an abundance of wealth may cause a person to forget Hashem, blessed be He, as it is written, “Your silver and gold increase… your heart becomes proud, and you forget Hashem,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 8:13–14), and as it is written, “and Di Zahav” (Deuteronomy 1:1), as our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded. But if you merit hearing the Torah’s ordinances even within the aspect of heels and feet—that is, within money—then “Hashem shall keep the kindness for you”: no stranger will rule over it, and the abundance of kindness will not harm you, God forbid, for one who comes to purify himself is assisted. Since you strengthen yourself to remember Hashem even within money, Hashem will likewise guard the kindness for you, bestowing abundant kindness under great protection so that it will not harm you at all. This is the aspect of “May Hashem bless you”—with money; “and guard you”—from harmful forces (Numbers 6:24), so that worldly destroyers will not take hold of you through abundant wealth, God forbid. Specifically then, “He shall love you, bless you, and multiply you; He shall bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 7:13). He will bestow every good upon you, because through rectification of the vessels you will be able to receive the abundant flow of kindness. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Circumcision 5:12–14)

Holy awareness illuminates for those who dwell above the aspect of “Where?” and the aspect of “What have you perceived?” and illuminates for those who dwell below the aspect of “the whole earth is filled with His glory” (Isaiah 6:3), the aspect of “Awaken and sing, you who dwell in the dust” (Isaiah 26:19), for Hashem is with you, and so forth, as brought in Likutay Moharan II 7; see there. This is the aspect of judgment, the aspect of “For God is Judge; He lowers this one and raises that one,” and so forth (Psalms 75:8). This is “It shall be, because you heed these ordinances” (Deuteronomy 7:12): when a person is in the aspect of the heel and feet, having descended and fallen to the lowest level, which is the heel and feet. This applies both individually, to the particular person himself, and collectively, to the generations in the aspect of the footsteps of Mashiach, when the sitra achara intensifies exceedingly.

Then, if you heed these ordinances—the aspect of the awareness described above, which is the aspect of judgment—and know that Hashem is still with you, and so forth, the aspect of “You shall not fear them,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 7:18), then “Hashem your God shall keep for you the covenant and the kindness that He swore to your forefathers” (Deuteronomy 7:12). He promised them to give Eretz Yisrael to their descendants and to be their God. This is the aspect of the awareness described above, whose principal illumination is in Eretz Yisrael, where the worlds are principally integrated and interconnected—the higher beings below and the lower beings above.

Through this, “He shall bless you and multiply you; He shall bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, your grain,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 7:13): He will bestow upon you the blessing of wealth and livelihood in great abundance. Wealth and livelihood are principally drawn through the integration of the worlds, as brought in the teaching cited above. Wealth and livelihood are then drawn in the aspect of blessing, which is the illumination of ratzoan, the principal blessing. This is the aspect of “His land is blessed by Hashem,” and so forth, and “the favor of the One who dwelt in the bush” (Deuteronomy 33:13, 16), the aspect of “You open Your hand and satisfy every living thing with ratzoan” (Psalms 145:16).

The passage therefore begins in the plural: “It shall be, because you heed, guard, and perform them,” and so forth; afterward, in the promise, it speaks in the singular: “Hashem your God shall keep for you,” and so forth, and “He shall love you and bless you; He shall bless the fruit of your womb,” and so forth. The awareness described above is principally drawn through a collective. The worlds are principally integrated when many Jews join and gather together—at least ten—so that a sacred declaration may be recited, and so forth. But afterward, when the blessing of livelihood and wealth is drawn, it is drawn individually to every person according to what is fitting for him, in the aspect of “This Leviathan You formed to play with” (Psalms 104:26), as explained in the teaching cited above. This is the aspect of shechakim, the heavens where manna is ground, where livelihood is ground and divided among every person according to what is fitting for him.

This itself is the aspect of “and satisfies every living thing with ratzoan.” The principal blessing is when every person merits receiving his livelihood from Hashem, blessed be He, with goodwill, rejoices in his portion, and believes that this is His good will and that everything is for his benefit. Specifically through this livelihood he will merit receiving the extraordinary illumination of ratzoan, the aspect of “How abundant is Your goodness that You have hidden away for those who fear You” (Psalms 31:20). Only this is called wealth and livelihood.

A person may possess wealth, extensive property, and vessels of silver and gold, yet derive no satisfaction from his wealth. On the contrary, all his days may be filled with anger, pain, many illnesses, and fury arising from his numerous desires. He panics in pursuit of ever more wealth and bitterly envies magnates far richer than himself, and so forth, as commonly occurs, besides the other forms of anger and pain he experiences each day and almost every hour, which cannot be enumerated. This certainly is not wealth at all. Thus Koheles said: “A man to whom God gives wealth and property… but does not empower him to enjoy it… this too is vanity and a grievous illness” (Ecclesiastes 6:2); concerning him it is said, “wealth preserved for its owner to his detriment” (ibid. 5:12).

The principal wealth and livelihood therefore certainly exist when Hashem’s blessing rests upon one’s livelihood, in the aspect of “Hashem’s blessing makes one wealthy, and He adds no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 10:22). This is one who merits rejoicing in his portion and possessing strong trust that whatever is necessary for his livelihood and the support of his household and children, Hashem, blessed be He, will certainly bestow upon him at its proper time in the manner fitting for him. All this is attained through the awareness described above.

All these promises of blessed livelihood and wealth, attained through the awareness described above, are therefore stated in the singular: “He shall bless you and multiply you,” and so forth. The principal matter is that each person receive his allotted livelihood with love and goodwill and believe that this is his portion, drawn through that awareness. Only through this will he merit the illumination of ratzoan, and so forth. This is the principal matter, for through it he will merit his good portion in the World to Come, whose essence is the good ratzoan each person will attain, the aspect of “How abundant is Your goodness that You have hidden away for those who fear You.” All this is received by drawing near to the tzaddik, the aspect of Moshe, who illuminates within all Israel—even those who have descended exceedingly low—that “the whole earth is filled with His glory,” and so forth, continually strengthening them until he enables them to attain everything described above. Fortunate is one who truly holds fast to him.

This is what the Midrash teaches in this parsha concerning “Hashem your God shall keep,” and so forth, citing the verse “the faithful God,” and so forth (Devarim Rabbah 3:3). From the faithfulness of flesh and blood you may understand the faithfulness of the Holy One, blessed be He. The Midrash relates the incident of Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair: two se’ah of barley were forgotten in his possession, and he planted them each year until he made an entire granary from them, and so forth. It concludes that the blessings with which the Patriarchs were blessed are preserved for the future. It likewise states immediately beforehand: Israel asked Him, “When will You give us the reward for the mitzvoas we perform?” The Holy One, blessed be He, answered: “Of the fruits of the mitzvoas you perform, you eat now; but their reward I shall give you ba’eikev, at the end.” From where is this derived? “It shall be, eikev—because—you heed.”

All this concerns the principle described above: one must believe in Hashem, blessed be He, and rejoice in one’s portion, for this is certainly the portion due to him, as explained above. The principal abundant goodness is hidden away for the World to Come. A person merits it through that awareness, receiving his livelihood from there until he attains the illumination of ratzoan even in this world while eating, which is the principal blessing. Through this he will ultimately merit the principal reward, the abundant goodness hidden away, and so forth, for according to the manner in which a person attaches himself in this world, so it is there, and so forth. This is “Hashem your God shall keep for you,” and so forth, and “He shall bless you and multiply you”: He informs them that He will bestow livelihood upon them in the aspect of blessing described above—rejoicing in one’s portion. The principal reward, the abundant hidden goodness, is preserved for the future. This is “Hashem your God shall keep for you,” as explained in that Midrash. You must therefore rejoice in your portion and receive your livelihood with love and goodwill. All this is attained through the awareness described above, which is the aspect of judgment: “It shall be, because you heed these ordinances,” and so forth.

This is “You shall guard and perform them” (Deuteronomy 7:12), the aspect of what our Sages, of blessed memory, taught: whoever teaches Torah to another person’s child is considered as though he made him, as though he made the words of Torah, and as though he made himself. They derived this from the verse “and you shall perform them” (Sanhedrin 99b). This is the aspect of the holy awareness described above, whose principal perfection occurs when many Jews receive it and each person occupies himself with speaking to his fellow about yiras Shamayim and illuminating this awareness within him, and so forth. This is the aspect of “and you shall perform them,” and so forth. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Washing the Hands for a Meal and Breaking Bread 6:84–86)

Through every marital union, refinements are accomplished and souls are brought forth. Since these souls are refined from the klipoas, as is known, the sitra achara therefore takes hold of them. One must consequently exert great strength to conquer the evil inclination, whose principal force intensifies concerning this desire, because through this comes the principal refinement of souls from the klipoas—the aspect of converts, as is known. Guarding the covenant can therefore be attained only through the aspect of judgment: a person must judge himself extensively, practice hisbodedus continually, express his personal prayer before Hashem, blessed be He, and cry out abundantly to Hashem. All this is an aspect of judgment.

Through this, the heart’s enthusiasm—the aspect of fire—is aroused and burns away the evil that takes hold of those souls which must be refined through one’s union. The principal evil is the encompassing evil, sexual desire, which can be subdued only through the fire of judgment described above. This desire is an aspect of fire and is subdued through the fire of judgment: “For they emerged from the fire, and the fire shall consume them” (Ezekiel 15:7). This is “It shall be, because you heed these ordinances,” and so forth: by meriting rectification of judgment, “Hashem your God shall keep for you the covenant” (Deuteronomy 7:12). Through this one merits guarding the covenant, for Hashem Himself, blessed be He, will guard a person when he engages in judgment as described above. The principal holy marital union therefore occurs on Shabbos, for then evil is altogether nullified through rectification of judgment. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Collecting a Loan 3:10; following Otzar HaYirah, “Covenant,” 64)

When afflictions exist, God forbid—whether collective or individual—it is impossible to dance. When judgments exist, they are delivered to the emissaries of judgment, who are called “runners” (Zohar, Bereishis 43), and they correspond to the feet. The feet then become heavy because the bloods have spread there—that is, the judgments—for bloods are an aspect of judgments.

When the judgment is brought to birth, the bloods leave the feet. During childbirth, blood leaves from the woman’s legs, and her feet therefore become cold, as our Sages, of blessed memory, taught (Sotah 11b). Childbirth principally occurs through the bloods leaving the feet—that is, the judgments leaving the feet. Pregnancy is an aspect of judgment, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “At the time when You become filled with wrath against them like a pregnant woman” (Berachos 29b). Pregnancy is therefore an aspect of judgment, while birth is an aspect of sweetening judgment. At childbirth, the bloods leave the feet, and through this the birth principally occurs, as described above. See Likutay Moharan II 2 concerning this.

At a time of judgment and affliction, God forbid, it is therefore impossible to dance, for the feet cannot then be lifted. The feet are heavy when judgments intensify because the bloods, which are an aspect of judgments, are then drawn into the feet, as described above. But when the bloods—the judgments—leave the feet, meaning that the judgments are sweetened, the feet become light. Joy can then spread into them until the person dances from joy.

Judgment is sweetened when a person judges himself. Concerning everything he does, he must judge and evaluate himself: is it fitting for him to act this way? He must examine his deeds and rectify them properly according to the Torah’s law and judgment. By judging himself, a person sweetens and nullifies the judgment above, for when judgment exists below, judgment does not exist above. See the earlier discussion in teaching 15. Then, when judgment is sweetened, the bloods leave the feet and joy can spread into the feet until he merits dancing.

This is “It shall be, because your heel heeds” (Deuteronomy 7:12): vehayah, “it shall be,” denotes joy; eikev, “heel,” refers to the feet. To attain such joy that the heels—the feet—hear the joy, one must fulfill “these ordinances, and you shall guard and perform them”: guarding oneself to execute judgment and law upon oneself. Through this, the judgment above is nullified, as described above. Then “it shall be, because your heel heeds”: the joy will be heard within the feet, because the judgments have left them.

I further found that this is the aspect of “Hashem shall keep the covenant for you” (Deuteronomy 7:12). When you merit joy, Hashem Himself, blessed be He, will guard the covenant for you—that is, He will assist you in guarding the holy covenant. The covenant is principally blemished through sadness, as is known. Its blemish comes through the well-known klipa called Lilis because she continually wails, which is the aspect of sadness. Guarding the covenant is therefore principally attained through joy, for through joy one merits that Hashem Himself, blessed be He, will help him guard the holy covenant, as described above. (Likutay Moharan I 169)

The holiness of Eretz Yisrael must be conquered little by little. The evil within the destructive forces—the aspect of the klipoas and the seven nations that obstruct Eretz Yisrael—must be driven out little by little. We do not possess the power to rectify all those forces at once, nullifying their evil and incorporating the good within them into the supernal pleasantness that flows in Eretz Yisrael, the aspect of the mochin of Eretz Yisrael. Rather, the holiness of that pleasantness must be drawn forth little by little; according to the degree it is drawn, we merit rectifying the destructive forces each time. This is the aspect of “You will not be able to destroy them quickly” and “Little by little I shall drive them out before you,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 7:22; Exodus 23:30); see the full teaching.

This explains why Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, did not merit entering Eretz Yisrael. Because of the tremendous greatness of his level, had he entered Eretz Yisrael he would have received so abundant a flow of the supernal pleasantness that all the destructive forces would have required rectification. All the blemished mochin impaired from the sin of Adam HaRishon onward, together with the blemish of all the world’s sins—which are all aspects of destructive forces, the aspect of “we grievously sinned against You” (Isaiah 26:16)—would then have required rectification through Moshe Rabbeinu upon his entry into the Land.

The time for this had not yet arrived, for the rectification of all the destructive forces will not be completed until Mashiach comes and removes the spirit of impurity from the earth. Since they could not yet be rectified then, they might instead have caused even greater damage, God forbid. It was therefore impossible for Moshe to bring Israel into Eretz Yisrael; this could occur only through Yehoshua, whose level was lower than Moshe’s. Consequently, all the destructive forces were not aroused simultaneously with such intensity. Those few that were aroused, Yehoshua could rectify through the power and merit of Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him.

This also explains why people of lesser spiritual stature can enter Eretz Yisrael easily, without such intense obstacles, whereas the great tzaddikim encounter tremendous obstacles to entering Eretz Yisrael. Even in generations close to ours, Rav Rabbi Naftali and the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory, could not enter Eretz Yisrael. All this follows from the principle above. According to the degree that each person merits receiving the holiness of Eretz Yisrael—the flow of pleasantness—corresponding destructive forces come and fall before him to be rectified. The time had not yet arrived for the rectification of the forces that would have required repair through the holy entry of those great tzaddikim into Eretz Yisrael; they therefore could not come there. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Grace after Meals and Mayim Acharonim 4:7; following Otzar HaYirah, “Eretz Yisrael,” 17)

“He afflicted you and made you hungry” (Deuteronomy 8:3) is the aspect of the affliction of fasting, when one causes oneself to hunger. Our Sages, of blessed memory, likewise taught in the Midrash concerning “He afflicted you and made you hungry” that they fasted before eating the manna, in order to cleanse the food within their intestines. The manna is an aspect of holy eating, through which one merits uniting Kudsha Brich Hu and His Shechinah face to face. This can be attained only through fasting, as explained in Likutay Moharan I 62; see there. They therefore fasted before eating the manna.

Our Sages, of blessed memory, therefore said: the Torah was given only to those who ate the manna (Mechilta, Beshalach). The essence of Torah is the aspect of emunah, as it is written: “All Your mitzvoas are emunah” (Psalms 119:86). This cannot be attained unless one breaks the desire for food through fasting, until one merits holy eating, the aspect of manna, for the two depend upon one another. Through perfected emunah, one merits that one’s food becomes refined food, and so forth, as explained there in the teaching cited above—that is, holy eating. Conversely, the more a person breaks the desire for food through fasting and sanctifies his eating, the more he merits perfected emunah, as explained there; see there. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Forbidden Fat and Blood 4:11)

One who wishes to merit eternal life can attain it only through emunah. Emunah is attained through truth, in the aspect of righteousness when it is joined with truth, and so forth. That is, if a person wishes to look at absolute truth, he will understand that it is fitting for him to believe with true emunah in Hashem, in Moshe His servant, and in the true tzaddikim and upright people of every generation. The essence of truth certainly cannot be grasped by his limited understanding. On the contrary, the reverse appears true to him because he is so deeply immersed in his desires, in this world, and in honor and contentious victory. Yet if he inclines his mind toward absolute truth, turns his face somewhat away from the desires of this world, and sincerely directs his heart to consider his eternal purpose, Hashem will illuminate his eyes, and he will see and understand where the truth lies.

Emunah applies only to what one does not understand, for what one understands intellectually is not emunah. From where, then, can one come to emunah? Hashem, blessed be He, has compassion upon His people and illuminates the paths of emunah for Israel in such a way that they possess the power to choose truth and emunah if they desire. He does not, however, reveal the truth completely at the outset, so that free choice may exist. He illuminates the truth only partially, in a manner that gives the power to believe to one who wishes to look at absolute truth.

So it was at the beginning of Israel’s drawing near to Hashem, blessed be He, through Moshe Rabbeinu, who revealed His Godliness through all the awesome signs and wonders that Moshe performed before the eyes of all Israel. Through this they certainly possessed the power to believe, as it is written: “Israel saw… and they believed in Hashem and in Moshe His servant,” and so forth (Exodus 14:31). Nevertheless, He afterward left them room for error through various ways in which He conducted Himself toward them with His profound wisdom, so that they would have a trial and free choice. Thus, after the splitting of the Sea, they traveled three days in the wilderness and found no water, whereupon they complained greatly. The same occurred with the manna and the quail, and so forth, which He did not give them immediately.

Everything was for the sake of trial and free choice, as it is written: “He afflicted you, made you hungry, and fed you the manna,” and so forth, “in order to test you,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 8:3, 16). Therefore, many indeed stumbled and disputed with Hashem, blessed be He, and with Moshe. The upright and the tzaddikim believed in Hashem and Moshe, knowing that His ways, blessed be He, are certainly just. Hashem could certainly have given them the water and the manna, and so forth, immediately; everything He brought about with them was solely for the sake of free choice.

Anyone who wished to look at the truth could see plainly with his own eyes that it was fitting to believe in Hashem and Moshe, since they had witnessed such awesome signs and wonders and such a revelation of the Torah, and so forth. Even though several questions and perplexities could be raised concerning His conduct, in these matters one must cast aside his own intellect and believe, for it is impossible immediately to grasp the true wisdom of His conduct, blessed be He. But the complainers who sought a pretext disputed with Hashem, blessed be He, and with Moshe through such questions. Because of their desires, contentiousness, and pursuit of honor, they posed questions that could not be answered, and they refused to rely upon the emunah produced by looking at absolute truth. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Oaths 2:14)

The external disciplines of wisdom, through which heretical beliefs are drawn, are called “vomit and filth without a place.” Food sustains a person, and through it his face shines when he eats in holiness, as it is written: “He ate and drank, and his heart was glad” (Ruth 3:7), and as explained elsewhere (Likutay Moharan I 60). The principal vitality—the aspect of the illumination of the face received through food—comes through the food’s spirituality, the good within the food. This alone sustains a person, in the aspect of: “A person does not live by bread alone, but a person lives by everything that issues from the mouth of Hashem” (Deuteronomy 8:3).

The material component of the food, however, to which evil attaches itself, becomes absolute waste and is expelled. It is the aspect of the external disciplines of wisdom and heretical beliefs, which are the vomit and filth described above. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Rising in the Morning 4:9)

Israel’s eating is exceedingly precious, holy, and exalted, for holy eating is literally an aspect of Torah, in the aspect of “Your Torah is within my innards” (Psalms 40:9). Vitality is continually drawn from the Life of all life, but because of the abundance of light it can be received only through vessels formed by Torah study, and so forth, as explained in Teaching 56 (Likutay Moharan I). The principal vitality therefore comes through Torah, as it is written: “For it is your life,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 30:20). Through the Torah, which contains passages and orders, and so forth, one calls upon the Life of all life and draws vitality from Him—wisdom and awareness—in graduated and measured form. This is the principal source of life.

This itself is the aspect of holy eating, for vitality is drawn through eating, as is perceptible to the senses. Food thus possesses the power to sustain a person. This is because every food contains a power to draw and delimit vitality from the Life of all life into living creatures, and from there comes their principal life. All foods receive this power from the Torah. One must therefore eat in holiness according to the Torah, in the aspect of “Your Torah is within my innards” (Psalms 40:9). Specifically through the Torah’s mitzvoas is this power drawn into foods, enabling them to sustain the soul of every living being and to draw vitality from the Life of all life into all living creatures. This power is drawn only through Torah, by which one calls upon the Life of all life, as described above.

It is therefore forbidden to derive benefit from this world without a blessing. Through the blessing recited first, one calls upon the Creator, blessed be He—the Life of all life—Who created this item with the capacity to draw vitality. Now, through the blessing that we recite—“Blessed are You, Hashem,” and so forth, “Who brings forth bread,” and so forth, or “Who creates the fruit of the tree,” and so forth—we call upon the Creator, blessed be He, and draw vitality from Him, the Life of all life. Through the words of the blessing, vitality is drawn from Him into the food one wishes to eat. Specifically then does the food possess the power to sustain the person with holy vitality, which is the principal, genuine vitality.

The principal vitality and satiation therefore come through the blessing, in the aspect of: “You shall eat abundantly and be satisfied, and you shall praise the name of Hashem,” and so forth (Joel 2:26). The principal vitality by which food sustains a person comes through the blessing that Israel recites over everything they eat and enjoy. From there, the power descends even into all foods eaten by the nations or by animals, so that those foods sustain them, for everything is drawn from Israel, who fulfills the Torah, as is known. There is therefore a profound difference between the vitality Israel receives through eating with a blessing and according to the Torah, and the vitality of others. Israel receives genuine vitality, which is holy vitality; thus only Israel is truly called “living,” as it is written: “But you who cleave to Hashem your God are all alive,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 4:4).

The nations and the wicked, however, are called “dead” even during their lives, as our Sages, of blessed memory, taught. Their vitality is not genuine vitality at all, because they lack the power to draw vitality from the Life of all life in graduated and measured form. This is attained only when eating is conducted according to the Torah, as described above. This is the aspect of: “A tzaddik eats to satisfy his soul, but the belly of the wicked will lack” (Proverbs 13:25). The wicked lack the power properly to satisfy and sustain their souls, since they do not properly draw vitality from the Life of all life, which is possible only according to the Torah, as described above.

This is: “A person does not live by bread alone, but a person lives by everything that issues from the mouth of Hashem” (Deuteronomy 8:3). The principal vitality comes from “that which issues from the mouth of Hashem”: vitality is drawn from the Life of all life through the blessing, which is an aspect of that which issues from Hashem’s mouth. For an awakening below arouses an awakening above. When we recite the blessing with our mouths, the mouth of Hashem, as it were, is aroused to draw vitality through speech in graduated and measured form. Through this comes the principal vitality by which food possesses the power to sustain a person. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Kashering Vessels 3:1)

In truth, the principal vitality does not come through eating alone, but through “that which issues from the mouth of Hashem”—the aspect of the holy ruach of life, which is the aspect of that which issues from Hashem’s mouth, from which the outflowings of the ruach of life emerge. Specifically through this “a person shall live” (Deuteronomy 8:3): solely through the ruach of life that Hashem, blessed be He, drew into the food and endowed with the power to sustain the person does the person live.

The principal vitality therefore comes through the Torah, from which the outflowings of the ruach of life emerge. One must eat according to the Torah, in the aspect of “Your Torah is within my innards” (Psalms 40:9). Food, which is composed of the four elements, has no power to sustain a person except through the Torah, from which the outflowings of the ruach of life emerge. Through Torah, all four elements are refined and the evil is separated from the good. One then merits receiving the ruach of life from the Torah, which is the principal vitality, in the aspect of “A person lives by everything that issues from the mouth of Hashem” (Deuteronomy 8:3). (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Pesach 3:6)

Sometimes a person eats bread because of poverty, not because he lacks desire for other pleasures; if he possessed other foods, he would not eat bread alone. This is the praise of Eretz Yisrael: “A land in which you will eat bread not through poverty” (Deuteronomy 8:9). You will eat bread not because of poverty, but because the desire for food has been broken and nullified. (Likutay Moharan I 47)

When one merits receiving in completeness the bounty of Eretz Yisrael and of the tzaddik, he certainly lacks nothing. Concerning Eretz Yisrael it is written: “You will lack nothing in it” (Deuteronomy 8:9), for the bounty drawn from there contains no deficiency, since there Hashem commanded the blessing. This is the aspect of: “I shall pour out blessing for you beyond sufficiency” (Malachi 3:10), the opposite of the principle that a person dies without even half his desire in his possession—that is, he always feels a lack. The holy bounty of Eretz Yisrael, however, is a doubled bounty containing no deficiency, the aspect of blessing beyond sufficiency: your lips will wear out from saying, “Enough” (Shabbos 32b), for the bounty is doubled and multiplied beyond what one desires.

This is the aspect of the bounty of Shabbos, from which all six weekdays are blessed. It is the aspect of the double bread—the doubled bounty described above. Shabbos and Eretz Yisrael are one aspect, as arranged among the seven distinctions mentioned by our Sages, of blessed memory, in the Jerusalem Talmud: “between the holiness of Eretz Yisrael and outside the Land; between the seventh day and the six working days.” It follows that the tzaddik, from whom all the holiness of Eretz Yisrael is drawn, merits doubled bounty. This is the aspect of what is written concerning the tzaddikim: “Therefore, in their land they shall inherit a double portion” (Isaiah 61:7). “Double” is the aspect of doubled bounty, the aspect of the double bread. Thus, “Therefore, in their land, a double portion”—specifically “in their land,” because the principal aspect of doubled bounty is in Eretz Yisrael, and so forth.

This is what Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, wrote in the teaching “You Commanded Righteousness” (Likutay Moharan I 23): the desire for money is principally broken through the tzaddik, while one who disputes with the tzaddik falls into the desire for money, as explained there concerning the verse: “He drove the enemy away from before you and said, ‘Destroy’” (Deuteronomy 33:27). When a person binds himself to the tzaddik, he draws from him the aspect of doubled bounty, which is the opposite of the desire for money—the aspect of a person dying without even half his desire in his possession. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Grace after Meals and Mayim Acharonim 4:16)

The principal purpose of eating is for the sake of the soul, in the aspect of: “A tzaddik eats to satisfy his soul” (Proverbs 13:25). The soul should shine more intensely through the incorporation within it of the souls contained in the food that one eats in holiness and purity, reciting the blessing with proper intention. This is the principal purpose of eating: to elevate and illuminate the soul from within the body, and to elevate the soul, the Torah, and memory from within forgetfulness and the body, and so forth.

This is why the Torah especially warned concerning memory at the time of eating, as it is written: “Lest you eat and be satisfied,” and so forth; “your heart becomes proud and you forget,” and so forth; “You shall remember Hashem your God, for it is He Who gives you strength,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 8:12, 14, 18). At the time of eating one must exercise exceptional care that memory—which is an aspect of the soul and of Torah, and so forth—not be impaired, as brought in Likutay Moharan II 37. That is, one must not be drawn after the desirous body, nor allow the body—which is an aspect of forgetfulness—to gain strength through eating, God forbid.

On the contrary, one must subdue and nullify the body at the time of eating: breaking the desire of the body that craves food and eating only in holiness and purity, in the aspect of “A tzaddik eats to satisfy his soul” (Proverbs 13:25). Through eating, the soul, memory, and Torah should thereby be elevated more intensely, as one elevates the souls contained within the food. This is the aspect of “You shall remember Hashem your God,” cited above, which is stated in the context of eating. Through holy eating one merits memory, which is an aspect of the soul and of Torah. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Blessings over Fruit 3:5)

Through eating, the heart is strengthened; that is, the heart’s ardor intensifies. As is perceptible to the senses, the principal strengthening of the heart’s ardor comes through eating, which brings warmth and strength to the heart. Therefore, when eating is not conducted in holiness according to the Torah, the heart’s ardor intensifies through the eating, God forbid, and this can lead to two kinds of blemish, God forbid.

Sometimes eating brings the heart’s ardor toward bodily desire, God forbid, as it is written: “Yeshurun grew fat and kicked,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 32:15). At other times, through eating and drinking a person may burn toward Hashem, blessed be He, excessively and beyond proper measure. This is the aspect of: “Against the nobles of the Children of Israel He did not send forth His hand” (Exodus 24:11)—which implies that they deserved for a hand to be sent forth against them, as Rashi explains there. For “they perceived God, and they ate and drank” (ibid.): amid eating and drinking they gazed upon Him with a coarse heart, became inflamed toward Hashem beyond proper measure, and looked and peered beyond the permitted boundary into that for which they had no authorization.

This is the aspect of the blemish of Nadav and Avihu, the aspect of “they entered the Sanctuary after drinking wine.” Their blemish was that they became inflamed beyond the proper measure, as it is written: “when they drew near before Hashem and died” (Leviticus 16:1). This is the aspect of: “Lest you eat and be satisfied… your heart becomes proud and you forget Hashem your God” (Deuteronomy 8:12, 14). Becoming inflamed and burning toward Hashem beyond proper measure is an aspect of pride of heart and coarseness. Through this, a person can stumble completely, God forbid, and become distant from Hashem, blessed be He—the aspect of “your heart becomes proud and you forget Hashem your God.” (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Terumah and Tithes 3:2)

Israel’s food must be eaten with exceedingly great holiness. When a person does not eat in holiness, his awareness of emunah in Divine providence is thereby impaired, and he falls into the error of a naturalistic understanding, God forbid. Thus it is written: “Lest you eat and be satisfied,” and so forth, “and you say in your heart: ‘My strength and the might of my hand produced this wealth for me’” (Deuteronomy 8:12, 17). That is, he attributes matters to nature, God forbid, as though his livelihood came through his own strength and the might of his hand, and he does not acknowledge Divine providence. Concerning this, the passage concludes: “You shall remember Hashem your God,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 8:18)—that everything comes solely through His providence, blessed be He.

Israel must therefore sanctify its food exceedingly. This is the aspect of the many mitzvoas connected with food and drink, and the aspect of: “You shall eat, be satisfied, and bless,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 8:10). One must bless Hashem after eating and know that everything comes from Him, solely through His providence, blessed be He. This is “for the good Land” (ibid.), for Eretz Yisrael is an aspect of Divine providence, as is known. When one believes that all livelihood comes from Hashem, blessed be He, solely through His providence and without any independent natural process whatsoever, this is the aspect of eating manna. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Washing the Hands in the Morning 2:70; following Otzar HaYirah, “Eating,” 1)

The principal purpose is humility, for the principal purpose is to recognize the Creator, blessed be He. It is impossible to know Him, blessed be He—which is the essence of eternal life—except through humility. Therefore, in the future, when people will live eternally and recognize and know Him, blessed be He, which is the principal delight of the World to Come, eternal life will principally consist of humility, as brought in Likutay Moharan II 72; see there. It is impossible to apprehend or know Him, blessed be He, unless one merits becoming truly an aspect of nothingness, in genuine, ultimate humility.

When a person eats, materiality and the sense of self are enlarged through the eating. When materiality and selfhood grow and multiply, the aspect of nothingness—the aspect of humility—can become concealed and diminished within him, God forbid. This is the Torah’s concern: “Lest you eat and be satisfied,” and so forth, “your heart becomes proud and you forget Hashem,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 8:12, 14). Through eating, materiality and selfhood are enlarged, and this can lead to arrogance and pride of heart, which are aspects of selfhood and the opposite of nothingness and humility. Through pride of heart, one can forget Him, blessed be He, for He can be known only through humility, the aspect of nothingness, as described above. Thus: “Lest you eat and be satisfied, your heart becomes proud and you forget,” and so forth.

Such eating is the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, through which Adam HaRishon caused a blemish, concerning which it was said: “On the day you eat from it, you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17). Through such eating, which produces coarseness and pride of heart and thereby causes one to forget Him, blessed be He, comes the aspect of death, God forbid—the opposite of eternal life. The essence of future eternal life is to know Him, blessed be He, and this life comes only through humility, as described above. Through coarseness, however, one cannot know Him, blessed be He. This is the aspect of death, since one does not know the Life of all life, blessed be He. One must therefore eat in holiness, in such a way that through the eating one merits humility, which is the essence of life. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Orlah 2:3)

“You shall remember Hashem your God, for it is He Who gives you strength to produce wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:18), which the Targum renders: “For it is He Who gives you counsel to acquire property.” In truth, anyone with understanding can perceive that all profit from every business transaction principally comes through the counsel Hashem, blessed be He, gives a person: what to trade, what to buy, and what to sell at the proper time. A person does not know through what he will earn. As long as he does not know the true counsel concerning what to trade, no action or effort will certainly benefit him; on the contrary, he may suffer a loss through conducting the transaction.

The essential matter is therefore the counsel: that a person merit having Hashem, blessed be He, place complete counsel within his heart, so that he knows what to trade in a manner that will yield profit. This counsel is drawn from Hashem alone and does not depend upon human effort at all. Only afterward, when one merits the counsel to know what to trade, must one conduct the enterprise that Hashem, blessed be He, arranges for him. The counsel to know what to trade—which is the essential matter—does not depend upon human effort at all, but solely upon bitachoan and emunah. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Deposits and the Four Types of Custodians 3:3)

Although a person should certainly burn exceedingly toward Hashem, blessed be He—and this is every person’s essential nature, for every Jew burns toward Hashem beyond measure—one must nevertheless be exceedingly careful to constrict this fervor and burning, lest the heart consume the entire body, God forbid, through excessive fervor toward Hashem. This is not His will, blessed be He, for Hashem desires the world’s continued existence. Many have stumbled and fallen completely through burning beyond proper measure. At times, even holy fervor beyond proper measure is an aspect of pride of heart and coarseness, through which one can stumble and become completely distant from Hashem, in the aspect of “your heart becomes proud and you forget,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 8:14). Many people stumble in this matter.

In truth, generally, when a person does not draw near to Hashem, blessed be He, and does not return in complete teshuvah—although the obstacle is the intensification of bodily desires—another major obstacle to drawing near to Hashem is excessive burning of the heart beyond proper measure. If any Jew who has not been infected with heresy and unbelief, God forbid, were asked whether he desires to return in teshuvah to Hashem, blessed be He, everyone would certainly answer unanimously that he desires it and has long yearned for it for days and years.

Likewise, if he were asked whether he is willing to do something for Hashem, blessed be He, in order thereby to return to Him—such as studying a folio of Gemara, giving a small coin to tzedakah, immersing in a mikveh, or similar acts that sanctify a person—he would certainly answer unequivocally that he is willing to do twice all these things, provided they would help him. Yet because it appears to him that none of this will help him in view of the immense number of his blemishes, and so forth, he does nothing at all—not even what lies within his ability and is easy for him to do.

All this results from the excessive burning of his heart. According to how he assesses within his heart His greatness, blessed be He, and how greatly he has sinned against Him, he imagines that he must sanctify himself with exceedingly intense holiness, remove himself entirely from this world, cast every worldly desire behind him, sanctify himself with every sanctification, fast extensively, and afflict himself with every form of mortification in the world. Because he cannot overcome himself to do all these things, he does not do even what he can. Some have become so discouraged that they do not study even one folio of Gemara or one chapter of Mishnah, because they know they must do exceedingly much; consequently, they do nothing.

Concerning this, Scripture warned: “Do not be excessively righteous” and “Do not be excessively wicked” (Ecclesiastes 7:16–17). Because he wishes to be excessively righteous as described above, he therefore becomes exceedingly wicked, God forbid. In truth, it would certainly be proper to sanctify oneself with every sanctification and turn one’s face entirely away from this world, and so forth. Nevertheless, if one cannot perform an entire mitzvah, should one therefore not perform even half a mitzvah? Whatever holy act a person performs for Hashem, blessed be He—even the smallest point—will certainly not be lost in the future. All the more so, generally, when he remains resolute and gradually accustoms himself to the paths of holiness, he will ultimately merit returning in complete teshuvah to Hashem as is proper. For there is no despair in the world at all, as explained elsewhere many times. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Terumah and Tithes 3:2; following Otzar HaYirah, “Awe and Divine Service,” 109)

In these times, the adversary has directed himself intensely against every individual, occupying him throughout his life with the burden of earning a livelihood, until it appears to him that he lacks time even to cry out properly to Hashem, blessed be He. All this results from deficient emunah: he does not strengthen himself to believe that “a man does not prevail through strength” (I Samuel 2:9), and that livelihood comes solely from Him, blessed be He. One person’s tremendous wealth and another’s severe poverty and privation all come solely from Him, blessed be He.

He knows how to arrange and conduct matters with every person according to that person’s free choice; this individual’s exercise of free choice occurs specifically through poverty. Even one who possesses only “bread of distress and water of affliction” (Isaiah 30:20) receives a great kindness from Him, blessed be He, for “Hashem is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds” (Psalms 145:17). Only because a person does not direct his heart toward all this does he remain so preoccupied. This derives from the fiftieth gate of impurity, from which it is exceedingly difficult to emerge, as explained elsewhere. It is harder to extract a person from the desire for money than from all other evil desires and traits. There lies the principal fall and descent of Knesses Yisrael, in the aspect of “she descended wondrously” (Lamentations 1:9).

The counsel for this is to recite many Psalms, supplications, and petitions, and to practice hisbodedus, and so forth. Through this one draws upon himself a radiance of Mashiach, when the holy counsels drawn from the fiftieth gate of holiness will be revealed, through which everything will be rectified. There is also another rectification for this: every day, recite the psalm “A Praise of David” (Psalms 145) with careful intention, in accordance with the teaching of our Sages, of blessed memory. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Kreyas Shima 5:15–16; following Otzar HaYirah, “Money and Livelihood,” 2–3)

Israel’s bounty descends through holiness because Israel believes in Hashem, blessed be He, and trusts in Him alone, directing its awareness and eyes solely toward Him, blessed be He, without any inclination toward another side, God forbid. Correspondingly, He watches over us with complete Divine providence, and the klipa has no nourishment from our bounty. The nations and the wicked unbelievers, however, do not believe completely in Hashem’s providence. They do not focus the eyes of their awareness exclusively upon Hashem, blessed be He; their vision is scattered toward the sides because they follow their deficient human understanding.

They cannot comprehend how Hashem, blessed be He, Who is so exalted and elevated, exercises individual providence over all lowly beings, as mentioned above. Through this they deny the entire Torah, may the Merciful One save us. From this come all the heresies and forms of idolatry of earlier generations, as well as all the errors of the unbelievers in these generations. All this is because human understanding cannot apprehend Him, blessed be He; this is possible only through emunah. The principal perfection of awareness is to know that His ways and conduct, blessed be He, cannot be understood or apprehended at all, and to rely solely upon the emunah transmitted to us by our holy forefathers and teachers. They completely broke their bodies until Hashem, blessed be He, revealed Himself to them, and they attained our complete emunah through prophecy and ruach hakoadesh, not through deficient human understanding.

Because the nations and unbelievers described above lack emunah and do not direct and focus their awareness to understand that His ways and conduct, blessed be He, cannot be comprehended, the eyes of their awareness cannot truly reach Him, blessed be He, Himself. Their vision is instead scattered toward the sides. This resembles one who wishes to see something in the distance but does not direct and focus his eyes upon it, looking instead from the side; his vision is thereby scattered, and he cannot see and bring the object before his eyes. In precisely the same way, they look from the side through their investigative methods, following distorted human understanding. Consequently, the eyes of their awareness cannot reach Him, blessed be He, Whose awareness is exceedingly exalted and elevated beyond ours, for “My thoughts are not your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8).

Therefore, Hashem, blessed be He, likewise does not draw His complete providence upon them. As it were, the bounty of providence is dispersed before reaching them, for “You cannot look upon wrongdoing” (Habakkuk 1:13). Although, in absolute truth, even all the livelihood of the nations comes solely from Him, blessed be He, through His providence, He delivers their bounty to the external forces, and they are sustained through demons and the klipoas. This is measure for measure, as explained in the full teaching. It is therefore forbidden to enter into partnership with them, because “you shall not mention the name of other gods” (Exodus 23:13). Their bounty is impure, for it descends through impurity and the sitra achara, which are the aspect of the name of other gods.

They deny His complete providence and make business and labor primary, saying that their own strength and the might of their hands produced their wealth, and so forth. This is an aspect of idolatry, the name of other gods. We must distance ourselves completely from their ways and believe that all our livelihood comes solely through His providence, blessed be He. All the business we conduct serves only to draw direct light and reflected light in order to strengthen the vessel to receive the bounty. For us, therefore, business is not primary. Emunah and bitachoan are primary, together with focusing our awareness to look solely toward Him, blessed be He, with great directness and rectitude. This focusing is an aspect of the Name of Hashem, and so forth. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Business Transactions 4:3–5; following Otzar HaYirah, “Money and Livelihood,” 11)

The principal blemish of the desire for money, which consumes a person’s days, is drawn from the blemish of the garments. Its root is deficient emunah: he does not believe that every matter contains extensive inwardness. He relies upon his own wisdom and cunning, as though he has already attained all wisdom and knows how to find and obtain money through these schemes and stratagems. Had he directed his heart toward the word of Hashem clothed within every matter and believed that everything occurs through individual Divine providence, he would know that although a person must conduct some enterprise for his livelihood, as it is written: “Hashem your God will bless you in all the work of your hand” (Deuteronomy 15:10), nevertheless, “There is no wisdom, understanding, or counsel against Hashem” (Proverbs 21:30).

For “neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the wilderness comes elevation,” and so forth (Psalms 75:7), and “a man does not prevail through strength” (I Samuel 2:9). Thus it is written: “You will say in your heart: ‘My strength and the might of my hand produced this wealth for me.’ You shall remember Hashem your God, for it is He Who gives you strength to produce wealth,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 8:17–18); the Targum renders this: “For it is He Who gives you counsel,” and so forth. Everything comes solely from Hashem, blessed be He. One must cast even the enterprise and means in which he engages entirely upon Hashem, as it is written: “Commit your deeds to Hashem,” and so forth (Proverbs 16:3), and: “Cast your burden upon Hashem,” and so forth (Psalms 55:23).

One must believe that the means and the enterprise itself contain profound mysteries: why Hashem, blessed be He, arranges for one person to earn his livelihood from this merchandise and in this place, while another earns from different merchandise—one from wheat, another from wax, and another from flax, and so forth. Everything comes from Hashem, and all these matters contain wondrous mysteries. He alone, blessed be He, knows the mysteries of the world and the concealed secrets of every living being, and knows how to sustain each person according to the root of his soul, his deeds, and his incarnations, and so forth. All these factors require him to earn his livelihood through these particular goods. Yet he possesses free choice, and the principal matter is emunah: to believe that none of his strategies will benefit him without Hashem, blessed be He, as it is written: “Unless Hashem builds the house, its builders labor upon it in vain,” and so forth (Psalms 127:1).

One must therefore engage in business with emunah, act according to the Torah, and not forget Hashem, blessed be He, during business dealings, God forbid. All the more certainly, one must not devise evil schemes and deceptions in order to touch another person’s money, God forbid, even the value of the smallest coin, for it will not succeed, as it is written: “A deceitful person will not roast his prey” (Proverbs 12:27). (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Presumptive Ownership of Movable Property 5:6)

In truth, livelihood is principally drawn only through bitachoan in Hashem, blessed be He, alone, for “neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the wilderness comes elevation,” and so forth (Psalms 75:7). Nevertheless, a person must engage in some enterprise and business in order to draw livelihood, as it is written: “Hashem your God will bless you in all the work of your hand” (Deuteronomy 15:10). This is in fact incomprehensible: why is any effort required for livelihood when bitachoan alone is primary? The principal purpose of all enterprises, however, is the refinement of the sparks from the aspect of the shattering of the vessels. This refinement is performed specifically through a human being, as is known. A person must therefore conduct some enterprise and exertion in order to refine the sparks, and through this he draws livelihood.

Nevertheless, bitachoan in Hashem, blessed be He, is certainly primary. The bounty of money and livelihood must be refined from two kinds of klipoas, which are drawn from two kinds of heresy. One aspect of heresy is drawn from the shattering of the vessels; there it is still possible to find some resolution or answer that nullifies the heresy. Another kind of heresy, however, is drawn from the vacant space and cannot be nullified by any intellectual argument whatsoever, but only through emunah. The klipoas drawn from the shattering of the vessels are refined through a human being, for this purpose humanity was created. But refinement of the bounty from the klipoas drawn from the vacant space does not depend upon human understanding. A person can perform no action, exercise of wisdom, or effort for this purpose; he can only trust in Hashem, blessed be He, alone and believe in Him with complete emunah, that He, blessed be He, will compassionately arrange his livelihood.

This is the aspect of: “Lest you eat and be satisfied,” and so forth, “and you say in your heart: ‘My strength and the might of my hand produced this wealth for me.’ You shall remember Hashem your God, for it is He Who gives you strength to produce wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:12, 17–18); the Targum renders this: “For it is He Who gives you counsel to acquire property.” In truth, the principal profit from all enterprises and business comes only through the good counsel that Hashem, blessed be He, arranges for a person: knowing what to trade and what to buy and sell at the proper time. A person does not know through what he will earn. As long as he does not know the true counsel concerning what to trade, no action or effort will certainly benefit him. On the contrary, specifically through conducting the business he may lose even more, as is often perceptible.

The counsel is therefore primary: that Hashem, blessed be He, place complete counsel within the person’s heart, so that he knows what to trade in a manner that yields profit. This counsel is drawn solely from Hashem, blessed be He, and does not depend upon human action at all. Only afterward, when one merits knowing the counsel concerning what to trade, must one exert himself and conduct the enterprise. This too is the aspect described above. The counsel to know what to trade is the aspect of refinement from the vacant space, as explained in the full teaching, and can be drawn only through emunah and bitachoan in Hashem alone. The exertion and the enterprise itself are the aspect of refinement from the shattering of the vessels, which is assigned to the person, as described above.

The Torah therefore warned a person not to deceive himself. Since he sees that he must conduct some enterprise and exertion for his livelihood, he may mistakenly say, God forbid: “My strength and the might of my hand produced this for me,” and so forth—that everything depends upon his action and effort, God forbid. He may imagine that even the counsel, which is the aspect of strength described above, the aspect of “for it is He Who gives you” according to the Targum, comes from himself, God forbid. In truth, however, everything comes solely from Hashem, blessed be He. The counsel is primary and is drawn only from Hashem Himself; through it come the principal profit and bounty. Hashem, blessed be He, Who gives him the counsel, could certainly have given him all the bounty directly without any exertion at all. He desires our service only so that we refine the sparks from the shattering of the vessels. Everything, however, comes solely through Him, blessed be He, in the aspect of “for it is He Who gives you strength to produce wealth,” as described above. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Deposits and the Four Types of Custodians 3:3; following Otzar HaYirah, “Money and Livelihood,” 176)

See the Midrash: through the sin of the calf you lost “we shall do”; preserve “we shall hear.” Before the moon’s complaint, the two luminaries were equal, for the sun and moon are aspects of Torah and prayer, the revealed and the concealed. Initially, even the concealed aspect could be attained easily. After the moon’s complaint, however, Hashem, blessed be He, told it: “Go and diminish yourself.” The principal blemish and diminution thus affect the revealed aspect, which is the aspect of the moon. The concealed was already concealed from the outset, and the blemish therefore does not affect it as strongly. On the contrary, because of its profound concealment, its light can still be received now. As explained elsewhere, at a time of blemish one draws nourishment specifically from an aspect of holiness that is exceedingly hidden and concealed, for the blemish does not reach there so strongly.

The principal blemish, however, is in the revealed aspect, which is the aspect of the moon, whose light became profoundly hidden and darkened. Consequently, even revealed matters are difficult for us to understand and attain; everything revealed is regarded as concealed from us and can be attained only through immense and repeated exertion. This encompasses Israel’s Divine service: through its service, Israel continually fills the moon’s deficiency, and the light that had been hidden from them is revealed. We must therefore exert ourselves and labor repeatedly, nullify ourselves, and cleave to Hashem, blessed be He, in complete self-nullification, until we merit attaining the aspect concealed from us, which is presently the aspect of “we shall hear.”

Hearing depends upon the heart and is an aspect of cleaving and self-nullification to the Infinite. At present nothing can be attained except through great exertion, in the aspect of actual self-nullification to the Infinite through abundant prayers and supplications. All this is the aspect of “we shall hear.” Through this, one transforms “we shall hear” into “we shall do”: one attains what had been concealed from oneself according to one’s level, until it becomes a revealed aspect for oneself, the aspect of “we shall do.” One then ascends from level to level, and so forth, until the tzaddikim merit what they merit, and so forth.

At present, a great interruption and heavily separating screen stand between one level and another. This is the aspect of the darkness produced by the moon’s diminution. A descent must therefore precede an ascent, and one must exert oneself greatly until breaking the klipa and darkness within the descent and transforming the descent into ascent. This is the aspect of what our Sages, of blessed memory, taught concerning the two crowns of “we shall do and we shall hear”: you lost “we shall do”; preserve “we shall hear.” Thus it is written: “Shima, Israel, you are crossing over,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 9:1). Through the sin of the calf they lost “we shall do,” the revealed aspect. Even the revealed became concealed from us, until we can presently do nothing except through the aspect of “we shall hear”: exerting ourselves greatly and offering abundant prayer and supplication to Hashem, blessed be He, until we nullify ourselves to the Infinite. Then we transform “we shall hear” into “we shall do,” and what had been concealed from us is revealed, continuing from level to level.

Fortunate is one who follows this path and exerts himself properly each time. For him, the moon’s diminution becomes an immense good, for specifically through it he merits what he merits. Fortunate is he, for descent is the ultimate purpose of ascent, and the reward accords with the suffering. Certainly, the more a person must exert himself in serving Hashem because of the light’s diminution and darkening, the more he afterward merits a doubled and multiplied reward, receiving an increasingly great and wondrous light.

This is also the aspect of what Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, said: “Shima, Israel: Hashem is our God; Hashem is One” (Deuteronomy 6:4)—specifically “Shima,” Israel. At present, because of the light’s diminution, one cannot be truly and completely incorporated into emunah in His unity, blessed be He—which is the aspect encompassing the entire Torah—except through the aspect of “we shall hear.” This is the aspect of “Shima, Israel”: one must hear and understand, cleave firmly to Him, blessed be He, and nullify oneself completely to the light of the Infinite. Then one can draw His oneness and unity, blessed be He, upon oneself. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of a Parapet and Protecting Life 4:6–7; following Otzar HaYirah, “Awe and Divine Service,” 168)[The copyist and editor states: See Otzar HaYirah, “Elul and Rosh Hashanah,” 168, and several other places, where the reverse apparently emerges: the sun is the aspect of Torah and the revealed, while the moon is the aspect of the concealed. Yet the Torah has seventy facets, and in truth everything converges upon one underlying meaning in the inward intent, for one who understands and examines it carefully.]

The world was principally created so that He should be known—that people should merit complete awareness, namely, knowledge of Him, blessed be He. This is the essential truth of awareness, and only this is called awareness, as it is written: “You shall know today and take to your heart that Hashem is God,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 4:39). The principal purpose of creation was thus to join the aspect of disorder to the aspect of order: to elevate all the worlds to their root, so that the aspect of disorder—which encompasses all the worlds—returns and becomes nullified before the aspect of order, which is awareness and knowledge of His Godliness. This is the principal ultimate purpose and the enduring remainder that will finally remain; everything else will become nullified before it.

This can be attained only in this world of action through performing the mitzvoas and fulfilling the Torah: joining and elevating all the worlds, which are the aspect of disorder, to their root, the aspect of order—the wisdom and awareness described above. The Torah in its entirety is encompassed within the hands, which are the instruments of action, in the aspect of “today, to perform them” (Deuteronomy 7:11). This is the aspect of: “the two Tablets of the Covenant upon my two hands” (Deuteronomy 9:15). The Torah in its entirety, the aspect of the two Tablets of the Covenant, is encompassed within the two hands, which are the instruments of action.

The hands extend every object to the place where it is required. Likewise, with respect to the worlds collectively, through the aspect of the hands—the instruments of action and the aspect encompassing the Torah—one takes all the worlds, which are the aspect of disorder, elevates them, and extends them toward Hashem, blessed be He, so that they become incorporated into their root in the aspect of order. The Zohar therefore relates (Midrash HaNe’elam, Vayeira, 99a) that when Rabbi Eliezer the Great departed, he raised his two hands and said: “Woe for the two Torahs that are departing from the world,” and so forth. The two hands are the aspect encompassing the Torah: the Written Torah and the Oral Torah. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Washing the Hands in the Morning 3:3)

Some people become profoundly discouraged, and because of this they then turn aside and rebel even more. All this is because it appears to them that they have already become so distant that hope is gone, as though everything has become permitted to them, God forbid—as though no awe of Hashem, blessed be He, remains in their place. Concerning this the prophet cries out in rebuke: “Will you not fear Me?” and so forth; “I placed sand as a boundary for the sea,” and so forth; “Though its waves roar, they cannot cross it” (Jeremiah 5:22). Even for the tumult of the roaring waves—which are the aspect of the forceful intensification of the sitra achara and the klipoas—He, blessed be He, establishes a boundary they cannot cross. Otherwise, they would completely destroy the world, God forbid.

Yet even within the forceful sitra achara, which draws its nourishment from the left, some aspect of the right is also present. This is the aspect of what is explained elsewhere: even within injustice there is something straight, for at least some boundary restrains the perpetrator of injustice. Likewise, every person possesses a boundary wherever he may be. He must continually remind himself of the awe of Hashem so that he does not cross the boundary entirely, God forbid. This is the aspect of what our Sages, of blessed memory, taught: today the evil inclination tells him, “Do this,” and so forth (Shabbos 105b).

The prophet therefore concludes: “This people has a wayward and rebellious heart; they turned aside and went away. They did not say in their hearts: ‘Let us now fear Hashem,’” and so forth (Jeremiah 5:23–24). Specifically, “they turned aside and went away”: after turning from the good and upright path, not only did they fail to remind themselves to return immediately, but each time they went still farther. Because of their discouragement they turn aside and rebel more, as described above, until they can leave the boundary entirely. This is: “They did not say in their hearts: ‘Let us now fear Hashem,’” for His awe, blessed be He, encompasses everything and establishes a boundary for everything, even the tumult of the sea’s waves, for “His sovereignty rules over all” (Psalms 103:19). (Likutay Halachos, Laws of the Firstborn of a Kosher Animal 4:15–16; following Otzar HaYirah, “Awe and Divine Service,” 106)

Our Sages, of blessed memory, asked: Is awe a small matter? Yes, relative to Moshe it is a small matter (Berachos 33b). This is perplexing. What did their answer accomplish by explaining that it was a small matter relative to Moshe? The difficulty remains concerning the statement: “What does Hashem ask of you?” and so forth (Deuteronomy 10:12). For us, awe is not a small matter; how does it help us that it is a small matter for him?

This verse, however, alludes to the illumination of ratzoan, which is the aspect of “what”—the aspect of “What does Hashem your God ask of you?” Through this one merits awe, as explained concerning this verse in the teaching “For He Who Has Compassion upon Them Will Lead Them” (Likutay Moharan II 7); see there. We have already written that every person can easily attain the illumination of ratzoan, which is the aspect of awe, as explained elsewhere, for ratzoan is always free. One must only remain strong, in the aspect of a man of valor, and so forth. These depend upon one another, for one cannot be strengthened, and so forth. Yet the point from which the process begins cannot be grasped. Principally, one cannot grasp from where the true tzaddikim, who are the aspect of Moshe, began.

We, however, already possess a firm foundation from which to begin, since Moshe Rabbeinu and all the true tzaddikim have already exerted themselves with such immense effort that they drew forth the awareness through which all strengthening occurs. Through this, the illumination of ratzoan is drawn; these depend upon one another, and so forth. Anyone who desires can therefore strengthen himself easily through the awareness they illuminated for us: “The whole earth is filled with His glory” (Isaiah 6:3), and “Awaken and sing, you who dwell in the dust” (Isaiah 26:19), and so forth. Through this one attains the illumination of ratzoan, and the more ratzoan grows, the more one is strengthened.

Moshe therefore correctly said: “And now, Israel, what does Hashem your God ask of you?” and so forth—specifically “and now.” That is: after I have already exerted myself with such efforts for your sake, as he discussed extensively in the preceding portions beginning with “These are the words,” describing the immense labors and hardships he endured for them; after he brought them out of Egypt, gave them the Torah amid such awesome signs, and illuminated such holy awareness for them, as it is written: “You were shown in order to know,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 4:35). Nevertheless, “while the King was at His table,” and so forth (Song of Songs 1:12), they sinned with the calf; and he prayed for them until Hashem, blessed be He, was reconciled with them, and so forth.

Since I labored and exerted myself so greatly for you—“and now, Israel,” specifically “and now,” since I am already present in the world—“what does Hashem your God ask of you except to fear,” which is a small matter relative to me. Although it is not a small matter for you because of your physicality, since it is a small matter for me and I have already begun on your behalf, you possess a firm foundation and a good beginning and can strengthen yourselves through me. Once you are strong, you will merit ratzoan, which is the aspect of “what” and the aspect of awe. Awe is therefore certainly a small matter for you as well, since it is a small matter for me. Through me, all of you can attain complete awe by means of the ratzoan that comes through strengthening, and so forth, for these depend upon one another. You already possess a firm foundation from which to begin, since I have attained what I have attained—although you cannot grasp at all from where my own beginning came. You, however, already have a powerful beginning and can therefore easily attain every good through me. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Redemption of the Firstborn 5:33)

“What does Hashem your God ask of you except to fear” (Deuteronomy 10:12), which is an aspect of prayer, the aspect of “A woman who fears Hashem—she shall be praised” (Proverbs 31:30). The principal strengthening comes through ratzoan. Whatever a person continually endures and whatever his present state—whatever it may be—he must at least strengthen himself with an exceedingly powerful ratzoan toward Hashem, blessed be He. He must at least yearn and long to return to Hashem from wherever he may be, for ultimately, what will remain of him? All the more so since the true tzaddikim have already revealed to us that good ratzoan itself is exceedingly precious and important. This is the aspect of the principal final purpose, the aspect of “How abundant is Your goodness,” and so forth (Psalms 31:20).

One must therefore strengthen himself continually, at every moment, with a powerful ratzoan toward Hashem, blessed be He, from wherever he may be. Through this he will arouse and strengthen himself to pray continually to Hashem and to recite many Psalms, supplications, and petitions, asking Hashem, blessed be He, to have compassion upon him and draw upon him the true compassion of the true leader, in the aspect of “For He Who has compassion upon them will lead them” (Isaiah 49:10), until he merits emerging from the ruach of folly, and so forth. In particular, he should engage extensively in hisbodedus—conversation and prayer between himself and his Creator—until “Pour out your heart like water before the presence of Hashem” (Lamentations 2:19), and until “Hashem looks forth and sees from heaven” (Lamentations 3:50). He will then illuminate holy awareness upon him to nullify the ruach of folly, until he emerges and returns from all sins and merits truly drawing near to Hashem, blessed be He. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Washing Hands for a Meal and Breaking Bread 6:51)

Our Sages, of blessed memory, taught: “And now” always denotes teshuvah. The essence of teshuvah and Divine service exists only in the aspect of “and now,” the aspect of “Today, if you heed His voice” (Psalms 95:7). A person should consider only the present hour and moment, without calculating at all from one day to another or from one hour to the next, for “you do not know what a day will bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1). This is the essence of length of days and genuine life attained through awe, in the aspect of “Awe of Hashem adds days” (Proverbs 10:27). This is the aspect of: “And now, Israel, what does Hashem your God ask of you except to fear,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 10:12), and it is written: “And now, Israel, heed the statutes,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 4:1).

Every Jew must seek to bind the present time and moment in which he stands to Hashem, blessed be He, and to elevate time into the aspect beyond time. This is attained only through Torah and prayer, principally through prayer, which is the aspect of ratzoan, yearning, and good longing for Hashem, blessed be He. Everyone requires this at every level: both great tzaddikim, who must continually ascend from one level to another, and all the more so those on exceedingly low levels, who must sustain themselves through the power of the true tzaddikim and solely through this aspect, the aspect of “And now, Israel,” and so forth.

If such a person attempts to think extensively about what has happened to him and to worry about what will be, he can lose his sanity and become deranged, God forbid. His entire vitality and continued existence therefore lie solely in the aspect of “now” described above: continually seizing some time and moment in which to flee from evil and seize some good point, and doing so repeatedly, in the aspect of “Today, if you heed His voice,” cited above. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Gifts 5:69; following Otzar HaYirah, “Awe and Divine Service,” 138)

The principal perfection is awe. This is the essence of the giving of the Torah, which was given amid thunder, lightning, and an exceedingly powerful shofar blast, when “all the people trembled,” and so forth (Exodus 19:16), and tremendous dread and awe fell upon them. Thus it is written: “So that His awe shall be upon your faces, so that you will not sin” (Exodus 20:17). Nevertheless, the adversary afterward provoked them until he caused them to sin with the calf. They sought to draw upon themselves an exceedingly evil awe, an awe of the sitra achara, for idolatry is called “awe,” as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “There is an object of awe in such-and-such a place,” and similarly in many passages.

The rectification occurred during the final forty days, the days of ratzoan from Elul through Yom Kippur. These are days of awe and are called the Days of Awe. The principal rectification occurs on Rosh Hashanah, the first of the final ten days of the forty—the Ten Days of Teshuvah. On Rosh Hashanah, tremendous awe is drawn through the shofar, in the aspect of “Will a shofar be sounded in a city and the people not tremble?” (Amos 3:6), for this is then the awe of Yitzchak. Therefore, the prayer then begins: “And so, place Your fear… and Your dread… and they shall fear You,” and so forth, for the principal rectification occurs through awe.

On Rosh Hashanah, which is the principal holy sovereignty, the radiance of Mashiach is drawn and enthroned, in the aspect of “the flourishing of the horn of David Your servant,” and so forth. Mashiach is the very essence of exceedingly exalted awe, as it is written: “He will be imbued with awe of Hashem” (Isaiah 11:3). He will draw an exceedingly exalted and wondrous awe into the world, until everyone fulfills the Torah and never violates His covenant, as explained in several verses. Then the following will be fulfilled completely: “So that His awe shall be upon your faces, so that you will not sin” (Exodus 20:17).

Now, on Rosh Hashanah, we draw upon ourselves an illumination from this exalted awe through the power of the tzaddikim to whom we travel, and particularly through the tzaddikim who dwell in the dust, upon whose graves we prostrate ourselves on the eve of Rosh Hashanah. Every true tzaddik is an aspect of Moshe–Mashiach. In every generation he presently draws upon us such exalted and wondrous awe, so that from now on we all merit strengthening ourselves in Hashem, blessed be He, and never separating from Him in any manner in the world, God forbid. Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, began to draw this path during the final forty days, principally from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur, which completes those final forty days.

Therefore, in the Book of Deuteronomy, in Parshas Aikev, after recounting the final forty days—as it is written: “At that time Hashem said to me: Carve for yourself,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 10:1), and “I remained upon the mountain like the first days, forty days,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 10:10)—immediately following that passage he said: “And now, Israel, what does Hashem your God ask of you except to fear?” and so forth (Deuteronomy 10:12). During the final forty days he accomplished this: he drew forth wondrous awe, principally on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, when “And so, place Your fear,” and so forth, is recited. In every generation the tzaddikim draw this exalted and wondrous awe upon us. The complete rectification will principally occur through Mashiach, concerning whom it is stated: “He will be imbued with awe of Hashem,” as cited above. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of the Firstborn of a Kosher Animal 4:5)

At times Hashem, blessed be He, sends a person fears arising from suffering and similar things so that through them he will reflect and return to Him, blessed be He, and elevate all fallen fears to their root—that is, to fear Him, blessed be He. Fallen fears are principally elevated through awareness: knowing that everything comes from Him, blessed be He, and attributing nothing to nature or chance, God forbid. Whatever a person undergoes, he must believe and know that everything comes from Him, blessed be He, and return to Him to fear Him alone.

Through this he ascends from the category of an animal to that of a human being. As long as he does not elevate the fallen fears—that is, he fears the actual object that frightens him, such as a wild animal, robbers, blows, or suffering, God forbid—he is literally like an animal. An animal also experiences all these fears and terrors, as is plainly observable. What, then, is a human being’s advantage over an animal? The principal distinction is that a human possesses awareness to know and discern that there is a Master, Leader, Ruler, and Supervisor, blessed be He, from Whom everything comes. He sometimes sends all these fears upon a person so that the person will return to Him, blessed be He, as it is written: “He uncovers their ear for discipline and says that they must return from iniquity,” and so forth (Job 36:10).

When fear is elevated to awareness, thereby elevating a person from animal to human, this is the aspect of offerings. Afterward one merits proceeding from level to level and continually strengthening oneself in greater awe, until attaining exalted awe. One will then no longer need lower things—the fallen fears described above—to arouse awe. Instead, great awe will be aroused solely through intellectual contemplation of His exaltedness and greatness, blessed be He. One is then completely within the category of a human being. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of the Firstborn of a Kosher Animal 4:3–4; following Otzar HaYirah, “Awe and Divine Service,” 100)

A convert, who was initially a non-Jew from among the seventy nations, is a principal aspect of differentiated actions. The holy people Israel is called “one nation in the land” (II Samuel 7:23), and is therefore an aspect of simple unity in contrast with the seventy nations, for the Torah, Kudsha Brich Hu, and Israel are entirely one. Accordingly, the seventy persons of Yaakov’s household are called one “soul” (Genesis 46:27), while the six persons of Esav are called multiple “souls” (Genesis 36:6), as Rashi explains there. Because the nations did not accept the Torah, they are distant from simple unity and are therefore the principal aspect of differentiated actions.

When one of them comes and converts, this is the aspect of exceedingly distant, differentiated actions becoming incorporated into simple unity. Initially he was an aspect of an exceedingly differentiated action, as described above; now he desires to draw near to Hashem, blessed be He, the Simple One, and to be incorporated into Israel—“one nation in the land”—through whom all differentiated actions are principally incorporated into the Simple One. The more numerous the souls of Israel become, the more completely they are incorporated into simple unity. This is the greatness of the convert who converts, whom the Torah commanded us to draw near and love, as it is written: “You shall love the convert” (Deuteronomy 10:19). It is exceedingly precious to Hashem, blessed be He, when differentiated actions are incorporated into simple unity.

The more differentiated and distant an action is, the more precious it becomes when it overcomes its distance and is incorporated into simple unity. For this is His will, blessed be He: that simple unity be revealed specifically through exceedingly distant, differentiated actions. This is the aspect of the great stature of a baal teshuvah, concerning whom our Sages, of blessed memory, taught: in the place where baalay teshuvah stand, completely righteous people cannot stand (Berachos 34b). Initially, their sins made them exceedingly distant, which is the principal aspect of differentiated actions. Through every mitzvah one becomes incorporated into simple unity; conversely, through every blemish and sin, God forbid, one becomes distant from there and enters the world of separation, God forbid, which is the principal aspect of exceedingly distant, differentiated actions, as our Sages taught. When a person returns in teshuvah, simple unity is therefore revealed from within exceedingly distant, differentiated actions, and this is exceedingly precious to Hashem, blessed be He, as described above.

This applies particularly to the convert, who was exceedingly distant because he was not of Israelite descent at all. When he comes to convert and is incorporated into the holiness of Israel—the one nation—he is precious in the eyes of Hashem, blessed be He, because simple unity has been revealed from within distant, differentiated actions. The more differentiated the actions, the more precious it is to Him, blessed be He, when simple unity is revealed from them. This is the aspect of what is written in the holy Zohar and cited in the words of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory (Likutay Moharan I 10, 14): when Yisro came and said, “Now I know that Hashem is greater” (Exodus 18:11), the name of Kudsha Brich Hu was then exalted and honored above and below. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Unloading and Loading 4:3)

“You shall cleave to Him” (Deuteronomy 10:20), concerning which our Sages, of blessed memory, taught: cleave to Torah scholars (Kesubos 111b). As long as a person has not merited knowing who the true tzaddik is to whom he must draw near and cleave, he must believe in all the tzaddikim and cleave to all of them, even though they dispute with one another. He must not act like the mockers who say that since the tzaddikim dispute with one another, he listens to both sides and disputes with both. These are words of mockery that border upon heresy, may the Merciful One save us. The truth is precisely the reverse: he must believe in all of them and disregard entirely the disputes among them, since they all admonish him to fulfill Moshe’s Written and Oral Torah.

One must distance oneself completely only from heretical people who follow the paths of philosophical investigation, seek to turn people away from Moshe’s Torah, and teach external disciplines of wisdom, and so forth. But one must cleave to everyone who leads according to the Torah as transmitted by our holy Sages in the Gemara, the halachic authorities, and works of the God-fearing founded upon their holy words. This is the aspect of the second festival day observed in the diaspora. Just as we act stringently because of uncertainty and observe two festival days, so, because of uncertainty, one must draw near to all tzaddikim who follow the Torah; for the holiness of a festival is an aspect of the holiness of the tzaddik, as is known. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of the Minchah Prayer 6:12; following Otzar HaYirah, “Emunah,” 34; “Tzaddik,” 75)

Wherever a denial exists, an oath is imposed in order to clarify the truth. An oath is an aspect of binding and cleaving to Him, blessed be He, in the aspect of “You shall cleave to Him and swear by His Name” (Deuteronomy 10:20). This is the aspect of knowing Him, blessed be He, through which the principal cleaving occurs. It is an aspect of the delight of the World to Come, and through it truth shines, for the World to Come is the world of truth. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Deposits and the Four Types of Custodians 2; following Otzar HaYirah, “Vows and Oaths,” 24)

Through a vow and an oath one merits attaching one’s thought to the World to Come. This is the principal aspect of vows and oaths: they ascend to the aspect of the World to Come. This is the aspect of the annulment of vows on Yom Kippur, which is an aspect of the World to Come, where there is neither eating nor drinking, as is known.

This is the principal aspect of a vow and an oath: attaching one’s thought to the World to Come—that is, meriting understanding of the holy allusions contained in every thought, word, and action in this world. Everything consists solely of allusions through which one draws near to His service, blessed be He. This is the principal aspect of the feet of holiness clothed within this world. We see this most clearly through vows and oaths: through them we can make Torah and mitzvoas from everything in the world. Even a permitted and discretionary matter can be transformed through a vow or oath into a prohibition or an obligation, like the other matters of Torah and mitzvoas. All this is because everything in the world contains Divine vitality and holy allusions from the aspect of the World to Come.

This is the aspect of “You shall cleave to Him and swear by His Name” (Deuteronomy 10:20). A truthful oath made in order to spur oneself onward, and similar oaths, as our Sages, of blessed memory, taught, is an aspect of cleaving to Hashem, blessed be He—the aspect of attaching one’s thought to the World to Come. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Presumptive Ownership of Movable Property 2:4, 6; following Otzar HaYirah, “Vows,” 19)

This is the aspect of Shima and “It shall be, if you diligently heed,” which are acceptance of the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven and acceptance of the yoke of the mitzvoas. From these two aspects the 310 worlds are built. Their construction principally comes from the light of intellect and constriction. Specifically when these two aspects unite in ultimate unity, all spiritual apprehensions—the aspect of the 310 worlds—are produced through them.

Shima is acceptance of His unity, blessed be He: believing that He is one, singular, and unique. The entire first passage of Shima is stated in the singular, alluding to the essential light of true intellect, which is entirely one. But “It shall be, if you diligently heed” is stated in the plural. This alludes to the constrictions of intellect, where differences of understanding begin, for each person receives the intellect of apprehending His Godliness, blessed be He, according to what his heart can conceive. Thus: “It shall be, if you diligently heed,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 11:13). “Shima” is the aspect of the essential intellect, the aspect of “Shima, Israel: Hashem is our God; Hashem is One” (Deuteronomy 6:4), the root of the essential intellect. “You heed,” in the plural, means that every person hears and receives this light of true intellect according to the constrictions within his own awareness, according to what his heart can conceive. The entire second passage likewise continues in the plural: “to love Hashem your God and serve Him with all your hearts,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 11:13).

Therefore, specifically in this passage He warns: “Guard yourselves lest your hearts be seduced” after idolatry (Deuteronomy 11:16), which is the aspect of dispute, the aspect of “their heart is divided” (Hosea 10:2). Thus our Sages, of blessed memory, said: I wonder whether this house will not become idolatry, because there was dispute there, as cited in the words of our master and teacher, of blessed memory (Likutay Moharan I 251). When intellect enters the constrictions, it necessarily divides into four directions, and every person apprehends according to what his heart can conceive. From this emerges the root of dispute. One must therefore exercise exceptional care there to avoid complete dispute, God forbid, which is the aspect of idolatry.

This is: “Place these words of Mine upon your hearts,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 11:18). Place upon your hearts these words with which I warn you concerning emunah in His unity, blessed be He, and acceptance of His mitzvoas—each person receiving them according to the measure within his heart. Although the measure in every person’s heart differs from and is divided from that of his fellow, do not thereby turn to another side, God forbid, toward complete dispute and idolatry, God forbid. Instead, receive and place these words of Mine upon your hearts: continually return to the source of unity, knowing and believing that all differences of opinion, every dispute, and all constrictions return to one place, for everything is drawn from Him, blessed be He.

Therefore, concerning affixing the mezuzah, the passage concludes in the singular: “You shall write them upon the doorposts of your house,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 11:20). A house is the gathering place of everything. The principal rectification of the house through the mezuzah is for the house to become an aspect of domestic peace: the gathering and assembly of all differing opinions together, so that all are incorporated into unity and peace. This is the aspect of “Let your house be a meeting place for the Sages” (Avos 1:4). A meeting place is where Sages gather and assemble to consider the rectification of the polity and similar matters. Each states his opinion according to his understanding; afterward they decide among all the opinions and establish enactments. The house of every Jew must be such a meeting place for the Sages: peace among Sages who differ in their opinions must be drawn into his house, for all their opinions serve the eternal rectification of the world. His house will be built through this aspect—the decision and peace among disputing positions.

This is: “So that your days may increase,” and so forth, “upon the land that Hashem swore to your forefathers to give to them, like the days of the heavens over the earth” (Deuteronomy 11:21). This verse principally concerns the reward of the World to Come, as our Sages, of blessed memory, taught: Scripture does not say “to give to you,” but “to give to them”—from here the resurrection of the dead is derived from the Torah (Sanhedrin 90b). “Upon the land” is the holy soil, the land of life. “Like the days of the heavens over the earth” is the aspect of the 310 worlds the tzaddikim will merit in the future, which are built from intellect and constriction, the aspects of heaven and earth. Heaven is the aspect of intellect, and earth is the aspect of constriction, as understood elsewhere. Every one of the 310 worlds is built specifically from the two together; a world cannot be built from only one aspect. From heaven and earth—from intellect and constriction—a world is built, until the 310 worlds are formed, constituting the receptacle of the tzaddikim’s future reward. This verse concludes the two passages placed in the mezuzah, for the principal aspect of mezuzah is to draw and remember the World to Come—the 310 worlds that are the aspects of heaven and earth. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Mezuzah 4:4, 6)

Our Sages, of blessed memory, taught that a person is forbidden to eat before feeding his animal, as it is stated: “I shall provide grass in your field for your animal,” and only afterward, “and you shall eat and be satisfied” (Deuteronomy 11:15; Berachos 40a). A person must certainly feed his animal first, before he eats, so that he returns and gives the animal its own food and bounty. He thereby demonstrates that he has no hold, God forbid, upon the bounty of the animals, for he returns its bounty to it and gives it its food before he himself eats.

Specifically then may he himself eat, for he is now sustained from the bounty of a human being, having already returned the animal’s bounty to the animal by fulfilling the Torah’s mitzvah and giving the animal its food first. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Buying and Selling 4:20)

The Hebrew word eisev, “grass,” forms an acrostic for “He makes peace in His heights” (Job 25:2). Besadecha, “in your field,” connotes subduing and breaking. When a person feels hunger and the desire for food overcomes him, he should know that he has enemies, in accordance with the teaching of our Sages, of blessed memory, concerning “He establishes peace at your borders” (Psalms 147:14). One who has companions below is known to have companions above (Sanhedrin 103b). He must therefore subdue and break his animality that desires to eat, for hunger principally belongs to the animalistic aspect.

The Midrash likewise teaches (Bereishis Rabbah 63) concerning “When willful sin comes, disgrace follows” (Proverbs 11:2): this is the disgrace of hunger, as it is written: “You will no longer bear the disgrace of famine among the nations” (Ezekiel 36:30). It follows that dispute—the humiliation people direct at a person—comes through the aspect of hunger. This hunger, the aspect of dispute and disgrace, is an aspect of orlah, as it is written: “For it is a disgrace to us” (Genesis 34:14). Orlah consists of three klipoas surrounding the covenant of peace. When the orlah is broken, the covenant of peace is revealed; when there is peace below, the person has peace above in His heights. When peace exists above, great satiation is revealed and multiplied in the world, as it is written concerning Yosef: “Give us seed so that we may live” (Genesis 47:19).

Another explanation: “I shall provide grass” alludes to children, as it is written: “Your offspring will be like the grass of the earth” (Job 5:25). “In your field for your animal”—when will you have living and enduring children? When your marital union is conducted in holiness and you break your desirous soul, namely, the animal soul, so that it appears to you as though a demon compelled you (Nedarim 20b). This is besadecha, “in your field,” understood as shed, “a demon.” Through this you will have enduring children, for the death of children results from souls oppressed within the scale, as is known. The scale—that is, klipas noagah—is close to the animal soul, as brought in Mishnas Chassidim, Tractate HaHarkavah.

The marital union should also principally occur on Shabbos night, when she is incorporated into holiness and all workers of iniquity separate from her. This is: “You shall eat and be satisfied” (Deuteronomy 11:15), an allusion to Shabbos, when satiation occurs and from which the six weekdays are blessed. (Likutay Moharan I 39)

Honor, which is an aspect of sovereignty, is principally rectified through tzedakah; through this, tzedek, “justice,” is transformed into tzedakah. The principal intention in building a house should therefore be to bring worthy poor people into it and to make it a gathering place for Sages, as our Sages, of blessed memory, taught: “Let your house be open wide, and let poor people be members of your household” (Avos 1:5); “Let your house be a meeting place for the Sages” (Avos 1:4). Through this, honor is complete and possesses a face; the house, which is an aspect of honor, then becomes an aspect of a holy house.

But when a person builds a house, God forbid, for arrogance and his own honor, concerning this it is stated: “Woe to one who builds his house without justice” (Jeremiah 22:13). When honor lacks a face and honor—the aspect of a house—is held by brazen people who pursue their own honor, not only does sovereignty fail to ascend from justice to tzedakah, but the aspect of justice itself is also impaired, since the sitra achara draws nourishment from it, God forbid. This is the aspect of “who builds his house without justice,” and the aspect of “in the place of justice, there was wickedness” (Ecclesiastes 3:16), God forbid. Thus: “Woe to one who builds his house without justice… who makes his fellow work without payment” (Jeremiah 22:13), the aspect of brazen people who gratuitously dominate a poor people.

This is the aspect of the Divine Name Shaddai written upon the mezuzah. This Name is an aspect of the tzaddik, as is known, and therefore an aspect of tzedakah, the aspect of “the tzaddik is gracious and gives” (Psalms 37:21). Through tzedakah, honor is elevated away from the brazen. This is the aspect of elevating sovereignty from “her feet descend to death” (Proverbs 5:5), God forbid, and returning it to those who understand knowledge; honor then possesses a face. This is the principal rectification of the holy house, which is rectified through the mitzvah of mezuzah, as described above.

This is what our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded: mezuzos can be read as zaz maves, “death moves away.” This is the aspect of “Tzedakah saves from death” (Proverbs 10:2), for through it sovereignty is elevated from justice to tzedakah. This is the aspect of “So that your days may increase,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 11:21), which is stated concerning mezuzah. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Mezuzah 3:5–8; following Otzar HaYirah, “Home and Outside,” 10)

Our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded concerning the resurrection of the dead: Scripture does not say “to give to you,” but “to give to them”—from here the resurrection of the dead is derived from the Torah (Sanhedrin 90b). The resurrection of the dead will principally occur in Eretz Yisrael, as our Sages taught (Kesubos 111a). This is: “So that your days may increase,” and so forth, specifically “upon the land” (Deuteronomy 11:21)—Eretz Yisrael, where the resurrection of the dead principally occurs. The resurrection of the dead is genuine humility, when a person makes himself like dust and earth, in the aspect of “Awaken and sing, you who dwell in the dust” (Isaiah 26:19)—one who made himself a neighbor to the dust during his lifetime.

This is attained specifically through the soil of Eretz Yisrael. Although the aspect of dust is a great virtue—making oneself like dust and becoming genuinely humble, which is greater than everything, for humility is the greatest of all—it has already been explained that one must nevertheless not become lazy, what is called a shlimazalnik, and so forth, for humility is the principal vitality, and so forth. There is also the opposite: the aspect of the dust of the sitra achara, where the sitra achara principally takes hold and the serpent bites, the aspect of “dust shall be the serpent’s food” (Isaiah 65:25). This is the aspect of sadness and laziness, as explained elsewhere (Likutay Moharan I 189), and is the opposite of “Do you see a man diligent in his work?” (Proverbs 22:29).

This is the aspect of the soil outside Eretz Yisrael, which is impure soil. As our Sages, of blessed memory, taught, when Israel dwells upon its land, a kohen is forbidden to leave for outside the Land because of the concern arising from the many dead buried there. The side of death takes hold there more strongly; this is the aspect of sadness and laziness—invalid humility that is actually an aspect of arrogance. Every person must therefore sanctify himself with the aspect of the holy soil of Eretz Yisrael, where the resurrection of the dead principally occurs, which is genuine humility. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Tefillin 6:10)