(Numbers 33:1) The Midrash states that the journeys of the Children of Israel—that is, the journeys that the Children of Israel make from place to place—atone for ‘These are your gods, O Israel’ (Exodus 32:4), namely, the blemish of idolatry. Even when one does not actually serve idolatry, there is a blemish of idolatry, for a corruption of faith is also an aspect of idolatry. Thus it is brought in the name of the Baal Shem Tov concerning, ‘You will turn aside and serve other gods’ (Deuteronomy 11:16): immediately when one turns aside from Hashem, blessed be He, it is an aspect of idolatry. Through the journeys of Israel this is atoned.

As long as idolatry exists in the world, wrath exists in the world, as stated in the Sifri and brought by Rashi. When the blemish of idolatry is atoned as above, wrath is sweetened and compassion is drawn down. The principal compassion is in the aspect of, ‘May God Almighty grant you compassion’ (Genesis 43:14)—specifically ‘grant you’: Hashem, blessed be He, should grant the compassion to us and place the compassion in our hands. For with Him, blessed be He, it is possible that even a severe illness and all the sufferings are His compassion; certainly everything Hashem, blessed be He, does to a person—even severe sufferings—is only compassion. Nevertheless, we ask that He grant and place the compassion in our hands, for we do not understand His compassion and cannot receive that compassion of His. We ask that Hashem, blessed be He, place the compassion in our hands so that we ourselves may have compassion upon ourselves; for us compassion means simply to be healed from the illness and the like. The word Yisrael is therefore an acrostic for ‘May God Almighty grant you compassion,’ as stated above, for compassion is made through the journeys of the Children of Israel. (Likutay Moharan II, Torah 62)

There are fallen Torah teachings, which are an aspect of avira d’alma [the air of the world]. Yet because even within them there is good concealed—sparks of holiness from the Torah of truth—the good within them must be clarified and elevated to holiness, in the aspect of, ‘He found a pomegranate: he ate its interior and discarded its rind.’ From there are drawn all the wanderings of people, who are compelled to travel and to be wandering, displaced, and away from their homes. When a person wanders on the road, it is as though he is in the air of the world, for he is outside his fixed home. If he merits, he thereby clarifies the good concealed in those fallen Torah teachings, which are an aspect of the air of the world, and builds from them holy structures.

This is the secret of Israel’s journey through the wilderness with the Mishkan, the Ark, and the Tablets, where they were commanded all the Torah’s mitzvoas. It is a principle that a judgment is sweetened only in its root. Therefore, specifically through the Mishkan, the Ark, and the Tablets themselves wandering through the wilderness together with all Israel—an aspect of the air of the world—they repeatedly clarified and elevated the fallen Torah teachings to their root, until they were repaired and became true Torah. This is the aspect of all the holy Torah’s mitzvoas that they were commanded in the wilderness at the Tent of Meeting; each time, they merited them through clarifying and elevating fallen Torah teachings to their root.

Therefore all their journeys were written in the Torah, as it is written, ‘These are the journeys of the Children of Israel,’ for Torah was made from all their journeys. In every journey they thereby subdued the enemies and adversaries, who are in the aspect of those who oppose the truth. Through the journeys that they made through the wilderness with such holiness, while the Mishkan and the Ark traveled before them, they subdued all the klipoas that draw nurture from fallen Torah teachings, which are an aspect of the air of the world, and they clarified and elevated the good concealed there. Thus it is brought in the holy Zohar that through walking in the wilderness they trod upon the klipoas. This is as stated above: when the good within them is clarified, the klipoas fall and are nullified. (Oatzar HaYirah, Displacement 3; based on Likutay Halachos, Orach Chaim, Laws of Bircas HaMazon 1:5–6)

(Numbers 33:1) It is stated in Asarah Maamaros: ‘These are the journeys of the Children of Israel’ (Numbers 33:1)—because they sinned with ‘These are your gods, O Israel,’ the Children of Israel must journey. It follows that all a person’s journeys are caused by a corruption of faith, which is an aspect of idolatry. Had he believed with complete faith that the Holy One, blessed be He, can provide all his needs, he would not make any journey. Thus the journey is a corruption of faith, an aspect of idolatry.

This is what is written concerning idolatry, ‘You shall say to it: “Go out!”’ (Isaiah 30:22). ‘Go out’ is an aspect of journeying and displacement. Through displacement one also repairs the displacement that one caused, as it were, Above, as it is written, ‘The covering is too narrow when one gathers oneself in it’ (Isaiah 28:20). Idolatry also prevents rain, as it is written, ‘You will serve other gods … and there will be no rain’ (Deuteronomy 11:16–17). When there is no rain there is no satiation; when there is no satiation there is no peace, as it is written, ‘The mountains shall bear peace for the people’ (Psalms 72:3), as Rashi explained. When there is no peace, one person does not help another, and each person must journey and wander from place to place for his livelihood. Exile also comes because of neglect of Torah, as it is written, ‘My people were exiled for lack of knowledge’ (Isaiah 5:13). Idolatry brings the withholding of rain; and when there is no flour, there is no Torah (Avos 3:17). (Likutay Moharan I, Torah 40)

(Numbers 33:1–2) All the wanderings and journeys of the Children of Israel are for the sake of clarifying the halachoas. The halachoas are in the aspect of the feet of holiness, the aspect of ‘the ways of the world’ (Habakkuk 3:6). As our Sages, of blessed memory, said, ‘Do not read it halichos [ways], but halachoas’ (Megillah 28b). The principal holy progress—walking and drawing near to Hashem, blessed be He—is through the holy halachoas of the Torah. Therefore it is written concerning the Torah scholars, ‘They were gathered at Your feet,’ and our Sages expounded: these are Torah scholars who wear out their feet traveling from city to city to engage in Torah. They therefore used to travel to distant yeshivos to study Torah, for the clarification of the halachoas is in the aspect of the feet.

It has already been explained that the essence of speech comes from the halachoas, which are the Oral Torah, and speech is called a foot, as it is written, ‘He called righteousness to his foot’ (Isaiah 41:2), and, ‘You shall speak righteousness’ (Psalms 58:2), as explained elsewhere. When a person studies not for its own sake, in order to exalt himself and provoke others, until the Oral Torah becomes for him a mouth with which to speak arrogantly and contemptuously against the tzaddik, this is an aspect of blemishing the feet. Damaged speech is called a ‘foot,’ as it is written, ‘He did not slander with his tongue’ (Psalms 15:3). Therefore tale-bearing and evil speech are expressed in language of walking, as it is written, ‘You shall not go as a talebearer among your people’ (Leviticus 19:16), as Rashi explained there.

Israel therefore had to displace themselves and make all the journeys through the wilderness in order to elevate, raise, and clarify all the halachoas that fell through the sin of Adam HaRishon and through the early generations that blemished the halachoas. The corruption began with Adam HaRishon’s sin. All the generations before the Giving of the Torah also blemished this by disputing with the tzaddikim of those generations, such as Noach and Mesushelach. In those generations all study was only oral; they engaged in study in the academy of Shem and Ever, and everyone whose heart was touched by fear of Hashem received from them upright ways to draw near to Him, blessed be He. But they were extremely few, and most of the world disputed with them because they distorted the words of the living God until a mouth was made for them with which to speak against the tzaddikim. It is known that the wicked of the early generations were great in wisdom and in the study of the Divine Names, and the like; but through their evil desires they stumbled in them, in the aspect of, ‘Sinners will stumble in them’ (Hosea 14:10), until a mouth was made for them with which to speak.

For this reason Israel walked in the wilderness for forty years and journeyed on foot from place to place, to clarify and elevate the halachoas from their fall through the great power of Moshe Rabbeinu. Therefore, as they traveled through the wilderness, they received the halachoas of the Torah each time according to what they merited to clarify. This is the aspect of, ‘Moshe wrote their departures according to their journeys by the word of Hashem.’ ‘Wrote’ is precise. When one merits clarifying the halachoas of the Oral Torah that have fallen, elevates them, and again makes halachoas from them, they must then be brought back into the Written Torah.

We see this among all the Sages of the Talmud, of blessed memory. They clarified all the halachoas and laws of the Oral Torah for us, and they exert themselves concerning every halachah to find it within the Written Torah, for there is no matter that is not alluded to in the Torah. Everything that they received orally and everything that they originated in Torah they were compelled to find in the Written Torah, whether by allusion, exposition, plain meaning, or the like. Thus they ask concerning every law and halachah, ‘From where do we derive this?’ Although they received the halachah orally, it must nevertheless be found in the Written Torah.

This is the aspect of, ‘Moshe wrote their departures according to their journeys.’ Their departures and journeys, through which they elevated and clarified all the halachoas of the Oral Torah, were written by Moshe in the Written Torah. This teaches that he had the power to bring all the journeys, which are an aspect of clarifying the halachoas of the Oral Torah, into the Written Torah. This is the principal perfection: to unite and bind the Oral Torah with the Written Torah. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of the First Fleece 5:15)

All the journeys and wanderings of the entire year should be conducted with great holiness, in such a manner that they repair the blemish of faith in the sages, until holy books are written through them, in the aspect of, ‘Moshe wrote their departures according to their journeys by the word of Hashem’ (Numbers 33:2). A person’s principal intention in all his journeys and wanderings should be only to meet new people, speak with them about the true ultimate purpose, and engage with them in words of Torah with great love and peace, so that all will recognize the absolute truth and return to Hashem in truth. This is in the aspect of what our Sages, of blessed memory, said concerning, ‘They were gathered at Your feet; each bears Your utterances’ (Deuteronomy 33:3): these are Torah scholars who wear out their feet traveling from city to city and from place to place to engage in words of Torah. For only for this purpose does Hashem, blessed be He, arrange that a person must at times wear out his feet by walking and journeying, as explained in the source. (Oatzar HaYirah, Elul and Rosh Hashanah 189; based on Likutay Halachos, Choshen Mishpat, Laws of Deposits 5:19)

(Numbers 33:2) All the journeys of Israel come because of a corruption of faith, as Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, wrote concerning ‘These are the journeys of the Children of Israel’ (Likutay Moharan I, Torah 40). The journeys of the Children of Israel come because of ‘These are your gods, O Israel’ (Exodus 32:4)—the sin of the Golden Calf. The principal sin of the Golden Calf was a blemish of faith in the sages, for they said, ‘As for this man Moshe, we do not know…’ (Exodus 32:1), until they said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel.’ It appears as though they acknowledge God, but they say, ‘These are your gods.’ All this is an aspect of blemishing faith in the sages: they do not wish to follow the path of the true sages and tzaddikim, and claim that they themselves know the way of Hashem and the way of the Torah, until they come to complete heresy; some cast off the yoke entirely, as is tangibly evident in these generations.

Because of this come all the journeys and wanderings, both collectively and individually. This is the aspect of exile: Israel are exiled and displaced and have no resting place for the sole of their foot. Everything comes because of the corruption of faith, whose essence is faith in the sages, as stated above. In truth, however, Hashem’s intention is for good. All the displacement, exile, and journeys are so that each person will thereby remember himself and return in complete teshuvah for the blemish of faith in the sages. The journey then becomes atonement and repair for the blemish of faith in the sages, which includes all blemishes. Through his journeys a person raises and elevates to Hashem, blessed be He, all the places to which he comes, through the power of faith in the sages. This is understood from Rabbeinu’s words in several places and from the writings of the Arizal. It is the secret of all exiles collectively and of each person’s journeys individually, as may be understood from the intentions of the blessing, ‘Bring us in peace from the four corners of the earth,’ and from our discussion in the book of Stories concerning journeys; see there.

This is the aspect of what is written in Likutay Moharan II, Torah 76, that Israel are called ‘the children of the exile,’ whose Hebrew initials form, ‘He, too, shall remain for our God’ (Zechariah 9:7), and so forth; see there. It is likewise the meaning of Likutay Moharan II, Torah 56, that one who possesses a Jewish heart has a place wherever he comes. So it is in many places, and all is through the power of the true tzaddikim in whom he truly believes. Certainly an ordinary person, even if he is upright, does not possess the power to accomplish this by himself, particularly when he comes to places that are exceedingly distant from Hashem, blessed be He. Most of the inhabitants may be gentiles; even members of Hashem’s people who mingle among them learn from their deeds, as it is written, ‘They mingled among the nations and learned their deeds’ (Psalms 106:35). May Hashem forgive them and quickly return them to the truth. An upright person exiled and displaced among them would likewise lack the power to strengthen himself—much less to elevate that place also to Hashem, blessed be He, and His Torah—were it not for Hashem’s aid through the power of the true tzaddikim in whom he believes.

Therefore, when a person is on the road—especially a distant road, and particularly when displaced among places of this kind, may the Merciful One save us—he must strengthen himself greatly in faith in the sages and return in complete teshuvah for having blemished faith in the sages. Through this he repairs the blemish of faith in the sages, and many holy books are added to the Torah. Through this the Torah is perfected in the aspect of the stone Tablets, the Foundation Stone, and the Holy of Holies. Through this all the judgments in the world are sweetened by the aspect of the supernal wisdom, the comprehensive intellect, which is an aspect of the Holy of Holies and an aspect of the inclusion of all souls together in the true tzaddik, who is the comprehensive sage, in the aspect of, “We are dependent upon love.” Through this itself, all the places to which he was exiled and dispersed ascend to their place and root, the point of the Foundation Stone from which the world was founded.

This is the meaning of, ‘Moshe wrote their departures according to their journeys by the word of Hashem.’ ‘Wrote’ is precise. Through the immensity of his power, Moshe Rabbeinu brought Israel to such teshuvah for the blemish of faith in the sages that he wrote all Israel’s journeys within the holy Torah scroll. Thus he made a Torah scroll from Israel’s journeys and perfected the Torah scroll even further; this is the principal repair of the journeys. All this came through the repair of the Mishkan that Moshe made, where the Ark stood in the Holy of Holies with the stone Tablets. The holy Ark traveled before them, with the kohanim and Levites surrounding it, and all Israel traveled behind it and attached their thoughts to the Ark and Tablets—the place where all wills are fixed. During their journeys they were included in the aspect of the Holy of Holies, the aspect of the stone Tablets, through the Ark that traveled before them. Therefore the Ark preceded them, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, for the principal repair of the journeys came through it.

Through this they merited that a Torah scroll was made from all their journeys. All the places through which they journeyed were included in the Torah in the aspect of the Holy of Holies. This is, ‘Moshe wrote their departures according to their journeys’ (Numbers 33:2)—specifically ‘wrote.’ Moshe wrote their departures according to their journeys by the word of Hashem, ‘and these were their journeys according to their departures.’ ‘Their departures’ is the aspect of exile and displacement, an aspect of going forth into exile, which is drawn through blemishing faith in the sages. This is an aspect of blemishing idolatry, concerning which it is written, ‘You shall say to it: “Go out!”’ (Isaiah 30:22), as Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, wrote.

When they merit returning in teshuvah as above, the displacement becomes a repair. This is an aspect of journeying: ‘Arise, journey before the people’ (Deuteronomy 10:11); ‘When the Ark journeyed’ (Numbers 10:35); and ‘the journeys of the Children of Israel.’ Rashi explained that even the place of rest is called a journey, for journeying with the holiness of the Ark is an aspect of rest. Through it the displacement is repaired and included within the principal rest and inheritance, which is the Holy of Holies. This is ‘their departures according to their journeys.’ Afterward Scripture reverses the order: ‘their journeys according to their departures.’ This is the actual process. At first the displacement is an aspect of ‘their departures,’ going forth into exile; but they must take care to return in teshuvah until the departure into exile is included in the aspect of ‘their journeys,’ the aspect of ‘When the Ark journeyed,’ and is included in the Holy of Holies.

Then repair and sweetening are drawn from the Holy of Holies, from the aspect of the comprehensive intellect, through which all constrictions and judgments are sweetened and repaired. This is the principal repair of the wanderings that had been in the aspect of ‘their departures,’ going forth into exile. Thus, ‘These were their journeys according to their departures’: ‘their journeys,’ the aspect of the journeys of the Children of Israel and ‘When the Ark journeyed,’ repair and sweeten ‘their departures’ in exile. By Moshe’s writing their departures according to their journeys, Torah was made from them and they were included in their root, the Holy of Holies. From there—from the aspect of their journeys and ‘When the Ark journeyed’ (Numbers 10:35)—repair and sweetening were drawn. Their journeys with the Ark repaired all their departures, all their going forth and displacement in exile. All constrictions and judgments were nullified, and everything was elevated to Hashem, blessed be He, in the aspect of, ‘He, too, shall remain for our God’ (Zechariah 9:7). (Likutay Halachos, Laws of Deposits 5:19, 20, 23)

Zevulun supported the tzaddik Yissachar, who engaged in Torah, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said. This is the principal repair of the desire for money, for Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, explained that the principal repair of the desire for money is charity. Zevulun is therefore an aspect of repairing the desire for money. Zevulun is buried at Tzidon on the border of Eretz Yisrael, in the aspect of, ‘His flank shall be toward Tzidon’ (Genesis 49:13), for his end is at Tzidon, which is the border of Eretz Yisrael. This alludes to the fact that through the aspect of Zevulun—that is, through repairing the desire for money—one merits entering Eretz Yisrael.

This means that one seeks and searches for the tzaddik. Through this one merits being saved from the search and pursuit of the sitra achra, which is the search and pursuit of money; and through this one merits Eretz Yisrael. For Eretz Yisrael is merited principally through the tzaddik, in the aspect of, ‘The tzaddikim shall inherit the land’ (Psalms 37:29). A person cannot merit Eretz Yisrael except through true tzaddikim. This is the aspect of the princes whom Moshe appointed to give the Land as an inheritance to Israel, as it is written, ‘These are the men … who shall take possession of the Land’ (Numbers 34:17–18). One can merit Eretz Yisrael only through true tzaddikim, through whom one merits faith in the renewal of the world, which is an aspect of Eretz Yisrael.

Zevulun is therefore the aspect of one who draws near to the true tzaddik, serves him with body, soul, and money, and provides all his needs, just as Zevulun toiled in commerce in order to support Yissachar, who engaged in Torah. Such a person merits coming to Eretz Yisrael. Zevulun consequently stands at the border of Eretz Yisrael, for specifically through the aspect of Zevulun—one who draws near to the true tzaddik—a person merits entering and coming to Eretz Yisrael. (Likutay Halachos, Orach Chaim, Laws of the Blessing over Fragrance 4:43)

The passage of Shima Yisrael (Deuteronomy 6:4–9), which is the foundation of faith, contains forty-eight words. Corresponding to them are the forty-eight cities of the kohanim and Levites: six cities of refuge, corresponding to the six words of ‘Shima Yisrael’; and ‘in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities’ (Numbers 35:6), corresponding to the forty-two words from Ve’ahavta through the end of the passage, as brought in the teachings. These forty-eight cities absorb and save from the sitra d’mosa [the side of death]. The accidental killer must therefore flee there, for faith is the essence of life, whereas heresies are the side of death. Thus the forty-eight cities of the Levites, which are in the aspect of Shima and Ve’ahavta—the principal drawing down of faith—absorb and protect from the side of death and save the killer from death.

Through these forty-eight cities inhabited by the kohanim and Levites, the holy Torah specifically showed us that a person must journey to the tzaddikim and those who accompany them, principally to merit faith, which is the essence of life, and to be saved from the side of death, which consists of heresies. Complete faith is received only through true tzaddikim and those who accompany them, who are in the aspect of the kohanim and Levites. A kohen is an aspect of the tzaddik and true rav, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said concerning, ‘The lips of a kohen…’ (Malachi 2:7): if the rav resembles an angel, and so forth. The Levites are in the aspect of those who attach themselves to and accompany the tzaddikim, in the aspect of, ‘They shall be joined to you and serve you’ (Numbers 18:2).

One who has stumbled in whatever way and wishes to have compassion upon his life and save his soul from eternal death must flee, escape, and come to their cities. Specifically there he will be saved from all evil. It is like the killer who stumbled as he did and strengthened the side of death: his sole salvation is to flee to the forty-eight cities of the kohanim and Levites; there he will be saved from the side of death, as stated above. (Oatzar HaYirah, Faith 48; based on Likutay Halachos, Orach Chaim, Laws of Techumin 5:28)

Parashas Masei teaches that journeys and displacement can become a path of teshuvah and clarification. Through faith in the sages, Torah, and the tzaddik, fallen places and halachos are elevated to their root; the journey becomes Torah, rest, and preparation for faith, Eretz Yisrael, and life.

Blemish of faith → exile and displacement → teshuvah and faith in the sages → clarification and elevation of places and halachos → Torah, rest, Eretz Yisrael, and life