The Song of Ha’azinu serves as a witness: “For it will not be forgotten from the mouth of his offspring” (Deuteronomy 31:21), even at the height of concealment within concealment, as it is written: “And I will surely conceal My face from them,” and so forth, and “This song will testify before him as a witness,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 31:18, 21). The entirety of this song is intended to recall and make known all the deeds of Hashem that He performed for us, and the wondrous and awesome things that He will yet perform for us, until ultimately He fulfills His will by restoring Eretz Yisrael to us together with all the forms of holiness and the splendor of the colors that shine there.

The song begins: “When the Most High apportioned the nations,” and so forth; “He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the Children of Yisrael, for Hashem’s portion is His people,” and so forth; “He made him ride upon the high places of the earth,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 32:8–13)—that is, Eretz Yisrael. It then proceeds through everything that has happened and everything that will happen to Yisrael throughout all times, until it concludes: “He will appease His land and His people” (Deuteronomy 32:43)—Hashem, blessed be He, will favor His land and His people, for they are one aspect.

Hashem, blessed be He, will complete all this through the true tzaddikim, all of whom are included within Moshe and whose words and deeds are filled with mysteries. Moshe made known beforehand the multitude of concealments that would arise—concealments within concealments, until it would become difficult to find absolute truth. Nevertheless, the true tzaddikim, who are the aspect of Moshe, will complete their task and make His Godliness known in the world, as it is written there: “See now that I, I am He; I put to death and I give life… and none can rescue from My hand” (Deuteronomy 32:39).

This is why he opened: “Give ear, heavens, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. May my teaching drop like rain; may my utterance flow like dew, like storm winds upon vegetation and like raindrops upon grass” (Deuteronomy 32:1–2). Know that my words are not simple; they are exceedingly profound and filled with deep mysteries, to the point that I call upon the heavens—the collectivity of those who dwell above—to give ear to what I will speak. All the more must every inhabitant of this earthly world hear and carefully understand the words of my mouth. My words appear like rain and dew, which seem to be simple water and moisture; in truth, however, they contain wondrous and awesome powers, for they cause innumerable kinds of plants and grasses to grow.

So it is with my words: although they appear simple, they are profound and filled with mysteries, and they possess the power to nurture and strengthen every individual and cause him to grow, until Hashem, blessed be He, takes pride and delight in each person with wondrous pride and delight. “For I will proclaim the Name of Hashem; ascribe greatness to our God” (Deuteronomy 32:3): know and believe that everything I speak and bring forth from my mouth is solely to proclaim the Name of Hashem and to magnify and sanctify His Name in the world. Through the true tzaddikim, the insights of their holy Torah, and their wondrous conversations, it is possible to understand the greatness of Hashem. “The Rock—perfect is His work” (Deuteronomy 32:4): He certainly acted, made, formed, and created everything with wondrous wisdom, as it is written: “You made them all with wisdom” (Psalms 104:24). Everything was created for the tzaddikim who perform His will, who know the mysteries of the world, until all their deeds and words are filled with mysteries; through them it is possible to understand the greatness of Hashem. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Presumptive Ownership of Movable Property 5:14)

Dew and rain are produced through Torah study, in the aspect of: “May my teaching drop like rain; may my utterance flow like dew” (Deuteronomy 32:2). The principal matter depends upon prayer, for all Torah study depends upon prayer, as Rabbeinu wrote (Likutay Moharan, Part I, Torah 8), in the aspect of: “A spring will issue from the House of Hashem” (Joel 4:18); see there. This is: “May my teaching drop like rain,” and so forth, and “For I will proclaim the Name of Hashem” (Deuteronomy 32:2–3): through prayer one merits the intellect with which to study Torah, and through this dew and rain are produced.

Rabbeinu teaches that through Torah study, when a person merits having his Torah ascend to the Shechinah, spiritual bounty and material bounty are produced from it—the aspect of the Torah’s right and left (Likutay Moharan, Part I, Torah 159). But when his Torah does not ascend to the Shechinah, although the nature of Torah is to rise, night intervenes and the forces of judgment strike it; what results may then be the dew of Torah or its opposite. See there carefully.

This is the aspect of dew and rain. Material bounty is the aspect of rain, for all forms of bounty are termed “rain.” When the study ascends to the Shechinah—which is the aspect of emunah—rain is produced from it, and rain itself is the aspect of emunah, as Rabbeinu wrote elsewhere (Likutay Moharan, Part I, Torah 7). Therefore, in winter the principal time for Torah study is at night, for it was said: “Night was created only for study” (Eruvin 65a); and night is the aspect of emunah, as it is written: “And Your faithfulness in the nights” (Psalms 92:3).

The Torah studied at night is more readily able to ascend to the Shechinah, both from the person’s side and, as it were, from the side of the Shechinah. A person can nullify and attach himself to Hashem, blessed be He, at night more than by day, because the world then rests from its pursuit of this world, as Rabbeinu wrote (Likutay Moharan, Part I, Torah 52). The Shechinah is also near the person who studies at night and listens to his voice, as it is written: “Arise, sing at night at the beginning of the watches; pour out your heart like water before the countenance of Hashem” (Lamentations 2:19)—specifically “before the countenance of Hashem.” At night the Shechinah is in the lower worlds, and her principal resting place is with the person who studies then, in the aspect of: “Even the bird has found a home” (Psalms 84:4).

Therefore, in winter, when the Torah studied at night ascends to the Shechinah, which is the aspect of emunah, rain is produced from it, and in prayer we say, “Who brings down the rain.” In summer, however, the principal study is by day, for it was said: “Night was created only for sleep” (Eruvin 65a). By day, not every person merits having his study ascend to the Shechinah, for because of worldly preoccupation he cannot nullify himself so completely; moreover, the Shechinah is then in the upper worlds. Therefore, the study of the days principally produces dew, because of the forces of judgment at night that strike it; hence in summer we say, “Who brings down the dew.” (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Prayer 1)

None of the tzaddikim attained their level in completeness except through hisbodedus and prayer, by abundantly pleading before Hashem, blessed be He, that they merit fulfilling the Torah. For only through this is the sitra achra completely subdued.

At times the sitra achra can derive nurture from Torah by itself, God forbid, when it introduces into a person’s mind the intention to study Torah for an ulterior purpose. Likewise, the sitra achra can attach itself to prayer by itself, when it introduces into his mind the intention to pray solely for bodily needs. But when Torah and prayer are included together—when his entire prayer is that he fulfill the Torah, and his entire study is so that he may know how to make prayer from the Torah and thereby observe, perform, and fulfill it—then Torah and prayer are united in the ultimate unity. All workers of iniquity are dispersed, the sitra achra has no source of nurture, and, on the contrary, evil itself is transformed into good.

This is: “Give ear, heavens, and I will speak… May my teaching drop like rain,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 32:1–2), so that my words will certainly enter your ears. In the manner explained there by Rashi, the reason is: “For I will proclaim the Name of Hashem” (Deuteronomy 32:3)—I will call and pray in the Name of Hashem, making prayers from the Torah teachings. Through this, “May my teaching drop like rain; may my utterance flow like dew”: my words will enter your hearts like rain and dew, and you will merit fulfilling the Torah. For the principal fulfillment of the Torah comes through making prayers from Torah teachings.

The entire Song of Ha’azinu was stated so that at the end of days we might merit fulfilling the Torah, as it is written concerning this: “And I will surely conceal My face,” and so forth, and “This song will testify before him as a witness, for it will not be forgotten from the mouth of his offspring” (Deuteronomy 31:18, 21). The Song of Ha’azinu is the aspect of prayer, song, and melody—the aspect of the ten kinds of melody upon which King David, peace be upon him, founded the Book of Psalms. Through this song, Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, included the entire Torah within the aspect of song, which is prayer, and illuminated for us the path of making prayers from Torah teachings. Through this comes the principal fulfillment of the Torah at the end of days. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Rosh Chodesh 5:31; Otzar HaYirah, “Hisbodedus,” 17)

The Song of Ha’azinu encompasses everything that has happened to Yisrael and everything that is destined to happen to them, both collectively and individually, until the end. After all this, Hashem will ultimately not abandon His people, as it is written at the conclusion: “For Hashem will judge His people, when He sees that strength is gone,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 32:36).

This is why he opened his words: “For I will proclaim the Name of Hashem; ascribe greatness to our God” (Deuteronomy 32:3). Moshe said to Yisrael: Observe me and do likewise. Everything I attained in the world came through continually calling to Hashem; you too should do as I did, continually calling to Hashem, blessed be He, and ascribing greatness and honor to our God. As it is written: “Call upon Me on the day of distress; I will rescue you and you will honor Me” (Psalms 50:15). In this manner our Sages expounded the verse, “For I will proclaim the Name of Hashem; ascribe greatness to our God”: when I call to Hashem, respond after me, “Blessed is the Name of the glory of His kingship forever and ever” (Yoma 37a).

“Blessed is the Name of the glory of His kingship forever and ever”—even after all the sins and provocations with which each person provokes Him in every generation. For “the right hand of Hashem is exalted” (Psalms 118:16) forever, and “You are exalted forever, Hashem” (Psalms 92:9). Thus it is written in the song: “Corruption is not His” (Deuteronomy 32:5), which Onkelos renders, “not before Him”—no blemish reaches Him, blessed be He, as it is written: “I, Hashem, have not changed” (Malachi 3:6). Therefore, it is always possible to draw close to Him. As I heard from the mouth of our master, teacher, and Rebbe, of blessed memory, who said that even in the lowest pit it is possible to be near Him, blessed be He.

Moshe admonished concerning this at the beginning of the song. This is his principal intent in the holy song that encompasses everything, concerning which he said: “This song will testify before him as a witness, for it will not be forgotten from the mouth of his offspring” (Deuteronomy 31:21): they must continually strengthen themselves in Hashem, blessed be He, trust in His compassion, and always cry out and pray to Him, just as Moshe conducted himself all the days of his life, in the aspect of: “For I will proclaim the Name of Hashem; ascribe greatness to our God” (Deuteronomy 32:3).

He therefore first admonished them to listen carefully to his words: “Give ear, heavens,” and so forth; “May my teaching drop like rain; may my utterance flow like dew” (Deuteronomy 32:1–2). His words would enter their ears like rain and dew that descend drop by drop upon the earth, from which wondrous plants later grow. So too would his words enter their hearts like dew and rain, grow within them, and produce good fruit. One must listen carefully to these words of strengthening in Hashem, blessed be He, understanding one matter from another and discerning the allusions of the tzaddik—how very far one must carry continual strengthening.

Thus King David, peace be upon him, said: “I will instruct you and teach you the path in which you should walk; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Do not be like a horse or mule, without understanding” (Psalms 32:8–9). He first recounted his troubles: “When I was silent, my bones wasted away through my roaring all day… For this let every devout person pray to You at a time when You may be found; then the flood of many waters will not reach him. You are a shelter for me; You preserve me from distress; surround me forever with songs of deliverance” (Psalms 32:3–7). Our Sages expounded: “You sing before Me, and I will deliver you” (Midrash Tehillim 32). That is, one must strengthen himself continually in prayer and roaring to Hashem, blessed be He, in order to be saved from the flood of the many waters of this world. Pay no attention to any rejection, whether thoughts arising within you or rejections coming from others; understand the tzaddik’s words and allusion, and continually strengthen yourself in crying and roaring to Hashem, blessed be He. Moshe’s words must grow and produce fruit within your heart throughout all the days of your life. What are those words? “For I will proclaim the Name of Hashem; ascribe greatness to our God”—continually call to Hashem, blessed be He, forever and ever. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Orlah 4:16)

The principal rectification of every person comes through the rectification of judgment. Every person must regulate his affairs with judgment—that is, judge himself concerning everything. Every blemish, God forbid, is an aspect of corrupted judgment, when a person does not conduct himself according to the Torah’s judgment. The principal corruption comes through the evil forms of worldly wisdom that constitute a blemish of judgment: each person imagines that Hashem, blessed be He, does not deal with him according to upright and righteous judgment, and that He places before him trials he cannot withstand, such as lack of livelihood and the like.

In truth, one must believe that Hashem is righteous and His judgments are upright, and that He does not try any person with something he cannot withstand. Although according to his own understanding it is difficult for him to endure the matters passing over him, he must cast aside his intellect and wisdom and believe wholeheartedly that the ways and judgments of Hashem are upright. He certainly must pass through these particular circumstances in this world—whether Hashem, blessed be He, deals with him through wealth or poverty, or through the intensification of desires, thoughts, and the like. As our Sages, of blessed memory, said: Hillel obligates the poor, Rabbi Elazar ben Charsom obligates the wealthy, and Yosef obligates the wicked (Yoma 35b).

Through his wholeheartedness—casting himself into every kind of mud and mire for the sake of Hashem, blessed be He—the tzaddik attains the rectification of judgment at its root and apprehends the matter of “a righteous person who suffers and a wicked person who prospers,” as explained in the original discourse (Likutay Moharan, Part II, Torah 5). So too, when ordinary people cast aside all their wisdom and intellect and believe in Hashem, blessed be He, wholeheartedly, they attain the rectification of judgment: they do not question His judgments, blessed be He, and they strengthen themselves with all their might to withstand everything that passes over them and regulate their affairs with judgment.

Through wholeheartedness, the tzaddik binds them to the ways of wholeheartedness and raises them from the place into which they fell through corrupted judgment—even if they fell, God forbid, into the depths. If their inclination overpowers them with particular force, they must strengthen themselves all the more in the ways of wholeheartedness and cry out to Hashem, blessed be He, from the depths of the abyss, in the aspect of: “From the depths I called You, Hashem” (Psalms 130:1), until ultimately they merit emerging and ascending from the depth of their fall. Everything is through the power and merit of the tzaddik.

This is: “The Rock—perfect is His work”—the aspect of wholeheartedness; “for all His ways are justice”—the rectification of judgment through wholeheartedness (Deuteronomy 32:4). For Hashem, blessed be He, conducts Himself, as it were, in accordance with the way a person conducts himself, as it is written: “With a wholehearted man You act wholeheartedly… and with the crooked You act circuitously” (Psalms 18:26–27). Through this comes the principal rectification of judgment. This is: “A God of faithfulness and without injustice” (Deuteronomy 32:4).

Conversely, concerning one who does not conduct himself wholeheartedly, it is immediately stated: “He corrupted—lo” (Deuteronomy 32:5): he corrupted and damaged, transforming lo spelled with an alef, meaning “not,” into lo spelled with a vav, meaning “to him.” That which is said of Yisrael collectively, “For there is no divination in Yaakov” (Numbers 23:23), he has reversed upon himself until of him it is said, “For he has divination”—measure for measure. “His children—their blemish,” which Rashi explains: “They were His children, but the corruption they caused is their blemish” (Rashi on Deuteronomy 32:5). Had they walked wholeheartedly, they would have been called children of the Omnipresent; corrupting “no divination” and transforming it into “he has divination” is their blemish. For the opposite of wholeheartedness is being blemished: wholeheartedness denotes completeness, whereas a blemish is a deficiency. This is “a crooked and twisted generation” (Deuteronomy 32:5), the aspect of “with the crooked You act circuitously,” the opposite of “with a wholehearted man You act wholeheartedly” (Psalms 18:26–27). (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Damages 5:10; Otzar HaYirah, “Wholeheartedness,” 9)

The principal foundation upon which everything depends is to bind oneself to the tzaddik of the generation, accept his words in everything he says—small matters and great—and not deviate from his words to the right or left, God forbid. As our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Even if he tells you that right is left,” and so forth (Sifrei, Shoftim 154). One must cast aside all forms of cleverness and remove his own opinion as though he possesses no intellect apart from what he receives from the tzaddik and teacher of the generation. As long as his autonomous intellect remains with him, he is not complete and is not bound to the tzaddik.

At the time of receiving the Torah, Yisrael possessed great forms of wisdom, for in their days there were idolaters whose error was based upon extensive philosophies and investigations, as is known. Had Yisrael not cast those forms of wisdom away from themselves, they would not have received the Torah, for they could have denied everything, God forbid. Nothing Moshe Rabbeinu did with them—not even all the awesome signs and wonders he performed before their eyes—would have helped them; even now there are heretics who deny through the foolishness and error of their wisdom.

But Yisrael, a holy people, saw the truth, cast aside those forms of wisdom, and believed in Hashem and in Moshe His servant; through this they received the Torah. This is why Onkelos renders “a vile and unwise people” as “a people who received the Torah and did not act cleverly.” The essence of receiving the Torah came through their “not acting cleverly”—their casting away every form of autonomous cleverness.

Naval is an acronym for nesivoas lev, “the pathways of the heart,” the collectivity of the Torah and true wisdom, before which all other forms of wisdom are nullified. Thus naval denotes the Torah, which is called “the fallen remnants of supernal wisdom” (Bereishis Rabbah 17:5). This resolves and explains Onkelos’s translation, which appears exceedingly wondrous and has perplexed everyone: what connection does the word naval have to receiving the Torah? Its meaning is now clearly understood.

The essence of divine service is to be “wholehearted and upright, fearing God and turning from evil” (Job 1:1), without any cleverness. King Shlomo, peace be upon him, after it is written of him, “He was wiser than every man” (I Kings 5:11), said: “For I am more brutish than a man, and I do not possess human understanding” (Proverbs 30:2). Asaph likewise said: “I was brutish and did not know; I was as beasts with You” (Psalms 73:22). It is also written: “There is no wisdom, understanding, or counsel against Hashem” (Proverbs 21:30). (Likutay Moharan, Part I, Torah 123)

Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, said that as long as any autonomous intellect remains within a person, he has not truly drawn close, as explained concerning the verse “a vile and unwise people”—“a people who received the Torah and did not act cleverly” (Likutay Moharan, Part I, Torah 123). The essence of receiving the Torah came only through their completely removing their own wisdom; had they insisted upon their own wisdom and intellect, they could not have received the Torah.

The entire intellect of the whole world—even that of the God-fearing and worthy—so long as they have not merited to break the desires of their hearts absolutely and completely, like thoroughly processed hide without the slightest remaining odor, is not yet true intellect at all. Their entire intellect is only the aspect of the imaginative faculty, which is the power of the body and of animality, since they have not yet completely divested their bodies of animality; their imaginative faculty has likewise not yet been fully clarified.

Therefore, their principal rectification for drawing close to Hashem, blessed be He, is through faith in the sages, in the aspect of: “They believed in Hashem and in Moshe His servant” (Exodus 14:31). That is, they must draw close to true tzaddikim, believe in them, and completely nullify their own opinion before them, as though they possessed no intellect at all. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Tefillin 5:35)

Forgetfulness is the aspect of the departure of daas, and there lies the principal hold of time. Memory, however, is the aspect of daas, through which time is nullified. Even with our limited intellect we can understand to some degree that in truth there is no time at all. It is plainly evident that time moves and surges, flying away like a passing shadow, until, from the flight of thought, one can almost perceive directly that time has no true existence; for where is all the world’s time?

The principal existence of time results only from forgetfulness. As days and years pass, the earlier days are forgotten; because of that forgetfulness, it appears as though a long span of time has elapsed. But when one clearly remembers everything that occurred from the beginning until now, and a day that passed many years ago stands before him now as though it were present, one thereby sees that there is no time at all.

Certainly, with our intellect it is impossible for us to understand this matter completely; we can attain only a passing glimmer. The general principle is that the principal existence of time results from our lack of intellect—from forgetfulness, which is the aspect of sleep and the departure of daas.

This is the admonition of Scripture: “Remember the days of the world; understand the years of generation after generation” (Deuteronomy 32:7). All the “days of the world and years of generation after generation,” which comprise time as a whole, must be elevated and bound to the aspect of binah and memory, which is above time. Through this one merits hearing the voice of holiness and subduing the voice of the sitra achra. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Rosh Hashanah 5; Otzar HaYirah, “Memory,” 8; see Likutay Moharan, Part II, Torah 79)

Parashas Ha’azinu is the song through which Moshe Rabbeinu assured that the Torah would not be forgotten, as it is written: “This song will testify before him as a witness, for it will not be forgotten from the mouth of his offspring” (Deuteronomy 31:21). Even at the ultimate degree of concealment, in the aspect of “And I will surely conceal” (Deuteronomy 31:18), the song will serve as a witness. It alludes to the fact that even when Yisrael is exceedingly distant from Hashem, blessed be He, at the ultimate degree of concealment, they are nevertheless near to Him, blessed be He, for good points still exist within them—even within the lowest among them.

This is the aspect of: “For Hashem’s portion is His people; Yaakov is the measure of His inheritance. He found him in a wilderness land,” and so forth (Deuteronomy 32:9–10). Even in a wilderness land, one finds “Hashem’s portion is His people”—the aspect of the good points, which are the aspect of Hashem’s portion, His people. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Rising in the Morning 1:8)

Moshe Rabbeinu principally stated the Song of Ha’azinu for the sake of the good that is subjugated among the nations and the sitra achra. He addressed it in the place where it is found so that it might return to its stature and root. Moshe foresaw to the end of all generations, when the good would be subjugated and hidden in exceedingly great concealment and obscurity, as it is now in the footsteps of Mashiach, as it is written: “And I will surely conceal My face on that day” (Deuteronomy 31:18). The good then exists in exceedingly great obscurity and concealment—concealment within concealment—until it almost appears, God forbid, as though there were no hope of awakening this good.

But Moshe Rabbeinu foresaw all this and stated this song so that through it the good would be awakened from the place where it is found, even at the end of these generations; it would remember its stature, return through teshuvah, and go back to its root. As it is written: “This song will testify before him as a witness, for it will not be forgotten from the mouth of his offspring” (Deuteronomy 31:21).

This is what is written in the Song of Ha’azinu: “He found him in a wilderness land, in desolation, a howling wasteland” (Deuteronomy 32:10)—the good that constitutes a portion of the souls of Yisrael is found in a wilderness land and desolation, subjugated among the idolaters and the sitra achra. “He surrounded him, gave him understanding”: the sitra achra surrounds it, builds over it, and encloses it behind numerous iron barriers. But Hashem, blessed be He, “devises thoughts so that no one banished from Him will remain banished” (II Samuel 14:14), and He devises means to awaken this good.

“He guarded him like the pupil of His eye”; “Like an eagle awakening its nest” (Deuteronomy 32:10–11): Hashem, blessed be He, in His compassion preserves and guards this good, and devises means to awaken it and remind it to return to its root. Moshe therefore began the song: “Give ear, heavens, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth” (Deuteronomy 32:1). Moshe Rabbeinu commanded and decreed that the heavens and earth give ear and carefully hear his holy words.

That is, the air would be refined into the aspect of tranquil and pure air (Likutay Moharan, Part I, Torah 17), so that his holy words would be clearly heard and neither an evil wind nor a storm wind would possess the power to confuse and mix the air. Everyone would be still and would give ear and carefully hear his words, so that the subjugated good might hear them, remember its great stature, and return to its root from the place where it is found—even at the end of these generations, from within exceedingly great obscurity and concealment, as it is now—in the aspect of: “This song will testify… for it will not be forgotten” (Deuteronomy 31:21). (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Forbidden Fats and Blood 3:2)

All exiles are designated by the name Mitzrayim, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said. The essence of exile is that the good of the souls of Yisrael is subjugated in exile under the power of the nations and the sitra achra; from this come all cravings and transgressions, may the Merciful One save us, as it is written: “They mingled among the nations and learned their deeds” (Psalms 106:35).

The essence of redemption is that the good subjugated in exile is made to hear of its own stature, so that, in the place where it is, it will hear the words of the tzaddik, until it awakens to return to its root. This is accomplished through charity, by which tranquil and pure air is produced, until even from afar the good hears all the holy words of the true tzaddik.

This is: “Give ear, heavens, and I will speak” (Deuteronomy 32:1)—so that a storm wind will not confuse the tzaddik’s words; “Ask your father and he will tell you” (Deuteronomy 32:7)—so that one will hear their words well. All this comes through “Like an eagle awakening its nest”: “the eagle—this is spirit”; the eagle is the aspect of a generous spirit, charity, and tranquil and pure air.

“Hovering over its young” (Deuteronomy 32:11): hovering is the gentle movement of the air, the aspect of tranquil and pure air. Through this, the tzaddik’s speech is heard at a distance throughout the world, in the aspect of “Give ear, heavens, and I will speak” (Deuteronomy 32:1).

Moshe said all this on the day of his passing, when he drew down this rectification, so that even after his passing his words would endure forever, as it is written: “This song will testify before him as a witness, for it will not be forgotten from the mouth of his offspring” (Deuteronomy 31:21). (Likutay Halachos, Laws of the Signs of Kosher Domesticated and Wild Animals 4:10; based on Otzar HaYirah, Pesach and Sefirah 98)

When Hashem, blessed be He, sends a person good things—children, wealth, and every good—there is one who thereby recognizes Hashem’s kindnesses toward him and awakens to draw close to Him through charity, good deeds, and the like.

There is also, God forbid, the reverse, in the aspect of “Yeshurun grew fat and kicked” (Deuteronomy 32:15): prosperity itself leads him to rebel. The same is true in the opposite direction. When Hashem, blessed be He, tests and chastens a person with suffering and troubles, God forbid, His intention is certainly only for good, so that through this the person will remember to return to Him, blessed be He, as it is written: “He says that they must return from iniquity” (Job 36:10).

Yet because of the immense power of free choice, there are times when, on the contrary, troubles cause one’s heart to become even more estranged from Hashem, blessed be He, God forbid. Thus both goodness and suffering can awaken a person to draw close, while the power of choice remains in the person’s hands as to how he receives them. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Crossbreeding Animals 4:4, 6)

The principal rectification of teshuvah comes through the perfection of counsel. In truth, all desire to fear Your Name and yearn to return to Hashem, blessed be He, but they do not know complete counsel for how to return from the darkness in which each person has been ensnared according to his particular aspect.

In truth, the principal rectification of counsel is needed only in the service of Hashem. All the wisdom and counsel in the world that do not serve to bring a person close to Hashem, blessed be He, and to attain eternal life are not counsel at all; all the more so when they cause one to become distant from Hashem, blessed be He, may the Merciful One save us. Of such counsels it is said: “For they are a nation bereft of counsel” (Deuteronomy 32:28), and: “There is no wisdom, no understanding, and no counsel against Hashem” (Proverbs 21:30). Wisdom, understanding, and counsel that oppose Hashem’s will are not called wisdom or counsel at all.

One who has even a little intelligence in his head ought to understand on his own that the principal counsels and strategies every person must consider concern how to be saved from the lowest pit and from beneath it. This is especially so when one sees the magnitude of the groaning in this world, which is filled with sorrows, where all one’s days are anger and pain and one’s end is to return to dust. “What advantage does a person gain from all his toil?” (Ecclesiastes 3:9).

Surely it would have been fitting for all the sages of the nations of the world to assemble together and devise true thoughts, wisdom, strategies, and counsel: What is the purpose of this world? For what was the human being created? And how can one avoid consuming days and years upon the thoughts and strategies of this world? This is what Avraham Avinu and all the holy patriarchs did.

Especially now, when we have already merited to receive the holy Torah, which comprises 613 holy counsels, it is surely fitting that we devote all our wisdom and understanding solely to fulfilling the words of the holy Torah with simplicity and wholeheartedness. This is the greatest wisdom of all, and it is the principal perfection of true counsel, through which one merits to fulfill the Torah.

King David, peace be upon him, therefore opened his book: “Fortunate is the man who did not walk in the counsel of the wicked” (Psalms 1:1). The essential thing is to remain utterly distant from the counsel of the wicked and always to devise counsel only for how to serve Hashem in truth and fulfill the Torah, which is called “counsel and resourcefulness” (Job 12:13), in the aspect of the Torah’s 613 counsels. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Sukkah 7:2; based on Otzar HaYirah, Counsel 17)

In truth, one who possesses even a little understanding can comprehend that time is nothing. The past is no longer, the future is not yet, and the present is like the blink of an eye. It follows that a person’s essential time is only the brief moment in which he stands: the past has already passed and is gone, while regarding the future, who knows whether it will be and what it will bring forth? At present he possesses only this moment.

By this path, every person, from whatever place he may be—even from the very lowest pit, may the Merciful One save us—can attach himself to Hashem, blessed be He, at any moment he desires. This is: “See now that I, I am He” (Deuteronomy 32:39)—specifically “now.” Through this aspect of “now,” one can see that “I, I am He,” and at every time and moment begin to bind himself and cleave to Hashem, blessed be He, in the aspect of “and to Him shall you cleave” (Deuteronomy 13:5).

Such matters cannot be adequately explained orally, all the more so in writing; each person must grasp them according to what his heart can estimate. One must be exceedingly careful to fulfill what is written: “Go, My people, enter your chambers and close your doors behind you; hide for a brief moment until the wrath passes” (Isaiah 26:20). The essential thing is to conceal oneself within the brief moment in which one now stands, and in that moment to leap over whatever must be leaped over.

In this way one tempers the burning wrath, from which comes the aspect of a scorpion’s bite, God forbid—the thoughts that harass and confuse a person at every moment—and merits to find the true good that can be found in each and every moment. This is also: “For His anger lasts but a moment; life is in His favor. Weeping may lodge for the evening, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (Psalms 30:6).

It is subsequently explained further how greatly people err by immersing their thoughts in the coming time and the future, for a person does not know at all what a day will bring forth, in the aspect of: “I said in my serenity, ‘I shall never falter’ … You concealed Your face; I became terrified” (Psalms 30:7–8).

Therefore there is no counsel or strategy other than: “To You, Hashem, I call, and to my Lord I plead” (Psalms 30:9)—to increase one’s supplications before Hashem, blessed be He, and to offer prayer before trouble arrives; not to burden one’s thought at all, but always to rejoice in Him, in the aspect of “You girded me with joy” (Psalms 30:12), and: “For in Him our heart will rejoice, because we trusted in His holy Name” (Psalms 33:21).

A person must know well that at present he possesses only the moment in which he stands, and he must bind himself now to Hashem, blessed be He. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Gifts 5:63, 69–71; based on Otzar HaYirah, Fear and Divine Service 139)

Every member of Yisrael possesses an aspect of a spirit from above and a spirit from below, corresponding to potential and actuality. The essential vitality of every person consists in the spirit from below drawing and receiving vitality, through holiness, from the spirit from above.

The tzaddik ascends continually from level to level and receives vitality from an ever higher aspect. The spirit from above then descends and the spirit from below becomes united with it; through this he departs from that level, rises to a still higher level, and again merits to receive vitality from the spirit from above that belongs to the higher level.

Even at the actual time of his death, the tzaddik does not depart from the world entirely, God forbid. Within every person’s body there remains in concealment a wondrous vitality, the aspect of havla de-garmei, through which he receives his punishment and reward. But in an ordinary person—and especially one who caused damage, committed transgressions, and died without teshuvah—this vitality is uprooted from its source and cannot unite the nefesh with the ruach. This is the aspect of spiritual excision, God forbid, and constitutes the essence of his punishment.

Even one who is not liable to spiritual excision, if he has not been properly refined, must endure much exertion and bitterness before he merits to return and bind this vitality to its root. The tzaddik, however—and especially the supremely elevated tzaddik who has refined himself completely—does not die at all, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “The righteous, even in their death, are called alive” (Berachos 18a). Even after his passing, his vitality is holy and unified; his havla de-garmei is incorporated within the essential vitality of his holy body, and his entire vitality is bound and unified exceedingly high above.

The tzaddik then engages in rectifying the souls of Yisrael even more than during his lifetime, because he continually rises to levels so lofty, wondrous, and exalted that he can rectify everything. One who caused damage cannot be rectified through the vitality of the same level reached by his defect; his rectification must necessarily be drawn down from a higher place. This is the essence of the rectification of teshuvah: the rectification is drawn from the highest place, until even one who has caused such extensive damage can be repaired.

Especially now, in these generations, a person cannot be rectified except through the power of the tzaddikim who dwell in the dust. When people come to their holy graves and strive there to return in complete teshuvah, they draw from there a twofold illumination from an exceedingly lofty and mighty aspect, until even the person himself can be rectified just as he is.

This is: “For He will see that power is gone, and none is secured or assisted” (Deuteronomy 32:36), which was said concerning the end of this final and bitter exile, when troubles are renewed with great force, may the Merciful One save us, and there is no one to stand on our behalf. We have no one upon whom to rely other than our Father in heaven and the power of the merit of the tzaddikim who dwell in the dust. It therefore concludes there: “See now that I, I am He” (Deuteronomy 32:39)—specifically “I, I,” twice, corresponding to this twofold illumination. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Kashering Utensils 4:7–8; based on Otzar HaYirah, Life 23)

Through the holiness of Eretz Yisrael one merits forgiveness of sins, in the aspect of “He will atone for His land and His people” (Deuteronomy 32:43)—specifically “His land.” Through His land, the aspect of Eretz Yisrael, holy ground, His people are granted atonement.

The holiness of the Land awakens Hashem’s compassion, so that He looks upon each person mercifully according to his place and remembers that we are earth and dust and that we have descended into so material a place. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of a Guarantor 5:37)