Allusions from the story of the Seven Beggars, from the story of the fourth day [the Fourth Beggar] — he who boasted that he does not allow any hevel peh [breath of the mouth] to enter this world. And therefore the air of his world is entirely pure. And through this he is able to sustain everything. For the concept of hevel peh corresponds to what is explained in the aforementioned Torah regarding the voice and the crying-out — the aspect of the shofar — for the shofar is the hevel peh, the breath of the mouth. And the Fourth Beggar's power is that he controls this breath entirely, that no impure breath should enter the world. And this is the aspect of the tzadik who is the true merciful one — who, through his pure breath and his crying-out and his prayer, purifies the air of the entire world, sweetens all the dinim, and draws the makifin that are the aspect of nedarim. And through this the whole world is sustained — see there in the aforementioned Torah and in the story, and understand.

Translator's Summary

This massive halacha (36 sections), based on Likutay Moharan II:7 ("Ki Merachamam Yenahaigam" — "For He who has mercy on them shall lead them"), weaves together the entire cycle of the Yamim Nora'im and festivals through the lens of nedarim, revealing them all as expressions of a single spiritual dynamic.

Core Framework: A neder creates new Torah — new mitzvos from the permitted — by drawing makifin (transcendent surrounding lights) upon oneself. These makifin are generated through the crying-out to Hashem (= shofar), and are channeled primarily through the true tzadik/rachamam (= Moshe). The makifin surround and protect, sweetening judgments and nullifying prosecutions.

The Spies and Eretz Yisra'ail: The meraglim embodied the prosecution of the angels who said man cannot connect lower to upper. The tzadik refutes this by binding upper and lower realms — and this binding is the essence of Eretz Yisra'ail (the gate of heaven, Ya'akov's ladder). Anyone who slanders the tzadik or those who draw close to him repeats the sin of the meraglim.

And this is the aspect of Shabbos Nachamu after Tisha B’Av. For at first glance it is puzzling: before Tisha B’Av — which is before the essential destruction of the Temple — one mourns greatly over the exile and the destruction throughout all the days of Bein HaMetzarim. And on Tisha B’Av one mourns very greatly and does not don tefillin. Yet immediately after Tisha B’Av one ceases from mourning and does not observe any of the laws of Bein HaMetzarim — and moreover one is greatly consoled, for one begins immediately on the first Shabbos after Tisha B’Av to read the haftarah of Nachamu Nachamu ami [console, console My people] etc., and all seven Shabbosos of consolation until Rosh Hashanah. And the matter is puzzling at first glance, for it would have been fitting to observe some days of mourning after the completion of the destruction which was on Tisha B’Av — to mourn over the great depth of our troubles. And why did our Sages of blessed memory ordain the opposite?

This is why the third galus is so prolonged now — for the sake of clarifying the third Moach, clarifying the Aitz HaDa'as. This is accomplished essentially through Yaakov, the third of the Avos. The third Bais HaMikdash (which we await) will be built through him, as the Sages said. This is "V'hachut ham'shulash lo vim'hairah yinastaik" — "The threefold cord is not quickly broken" (Koheles 4). As it is collectively, so it is individually for every person: the essential birur is of the third Moach. This = reading Torah three times (three p'sukim specifically). This birur is impossible except through many ascents and descents (= ayil v'nafik). Therefore they decreed not to begin or end with fewer than three near a parashah break — because of those entering and leaving.

Based on LM I:35 (Ashrai HaAm)

Likutay Halachos

Orach Chaim – Volume 1

Introduction of the Author

An introduction from the author himself, the memory of the tzadik and holy one for a blessing, which he wrote with his own hand:

This time I will give thanks to Hashem, Who has helped me thus far. What can I say? For He spoke and He acted. "Who is like Hashem our G-d…" (Psalms 113:5), "He raises the destitute from the dust, from the refuse-heaps He lifts the pauper" (Psalms 113:7) — such as myself — to draw me close to a light so pure and radiant as this, the Light of lights, the most brilliant of brilliances. Who can recount his praises? Who can tell of his glory? And although it is known that all expressions of praise and acclaim have already been customarily written about anyone of note, nevertheless, one who examines his holy books with an eye of truth — and "the understanding one will increase his learning" (Proverbs 1:5) — who sets his contemplative eye upon these words of mine, which Hashem has graciously granted me through His power, which are explained in these books — he will understand and perceive and know that all the praises and accolades and declarations of greatness that I have written about him, of blessed memory, I have still not reached even the ankles of his praiseworthy glory. For his stature, his greatness, and his might are exalted beyond limit, beyond end — that which the mouth cannot speak and the heart cannot fathom. And the One who examines hearts knows that I know within myself how meager I am. For who am I that I have come this far — to compose books? Especially matters such as these, which stand at the very apex of the universe, which open a gateway for all who knock in teshuvah [repentance], who desire to emerge from darkness into light, to draw close to Hashem yisbarach, to bask in the light of life. And if indeed, now in these generations, composing books is not considered a matter of greatness or importance — and if only it should not be cause for derision, for mockery and scorn, as there are now so many who ridicule new books, and before they even come close to look at them to see whether they are good or bad, they scheme against them in advance with sly cunning and bundles upon bundles of mockery, and assign them derogatory names — [and what of the one who assigns a nickname to his fellow — he has no share in the World to Come (Bava Metzia 58b); one who assigns a derogatory name to a sefer that speaks words of Torah, words of the living G-d, etc. — how much more so! But it is not the place to elaborate on this here] — in any event, composing books is not considered a matter of greatness and importance in these times. But even so, upright and sincere individuals are found in every generation, even now, who walk in wholeness and confidence, and "in the company of scoffers they do not sit" (Psalms 1:1), upon whom words of truth shall drip, like cold water upon a weary soul; they shall seek like silver and search like hidden treasures for words of truth and righteousness, founded upon pedestals of fine gold, upon the words of our holy Rabbis, of blessed memory.

And I, in my lowliness, know that I have not attained this level — not in the slightest — to express my opinion even before the most unworthy and the most insignificant. But this I shall proclaim and not be ashamed, and the truth I shall declare and not conceal, and "at the head of the bustling throngs I shall call out, at the openings of the gates in the city, my words I shall speak" (Proverbs 1:21), and "I shall speak of Your testimonies before kings and not be ashamed" (Psalms 119:46). For just as I am small in my own eyes on account of myself — as the One who examines hearts knows — so too is my soul precious on account of the stature and holiness of the one who bestows upon me wisdom, understanding, and knowledge: he is the honor of my master, my teacher, the holy and awesome Rav, the Rav of truth, the memory of the tzadik for a blessing. And if I were to attempt to recount even a minuscule fraction of all that he has done for my soul, the entire earth would not suffice to contain all my words. "With what shall I come before Hashem, bow before the G-d on high?" (Micah 6:6). "You have done much, You, Hashem my G-d — Your wonders and Your thoughts toward us — there is none comparable to You; were I to declare and speak of them, they are too numerous to recount" (Psalms 40:6).

And behold, the nature of this book and its construction — the reader will see with his own eyes that it is entirely founded and arranged upon all the halachos [laws] in the four sections of the Shulchan Aruch. For so was I commanded from his holy mouth: to ponder and examine each and every halachah until Hashem would illuminate my eyes to produce some novel insight within them. And everything that Hashem yisbarach merited me to innovate within them — all of it is founded upon the foundational premises that I received from our Rebbe, the holy and awesome one, the memory of the tzadik and holy one for a blessing, which are explained in his holy books — namely, Likutay Moharan Volumes 1 and 2. And at times I extracted certain awesome foundational premises from the awesome tales that he told, which are explained in the book Sipuray Ma'asiyos. For even though the allusions of the tales are beyond our comprehension — for the waters have risen to become a river that cannot be crossed — nevertheless, Hashem yisbarach graciously grants a person knowledge, and He illuminated my eyes to find within them at times certain wondrous things, as the reader will see with his own eyes in Hilchos Tefillin, Halacha 5 and in Hilchos Birchos HaShachar, Halacha 3, and in other places. And at times I gathered certain foundational premises from Sefer HaAleph-Beis. And all the foundational premises that I extracted from the books of our Rebbe, of blessed memory, and all that Hashem yisbarach helped me to innovate within them — in all of them, Hashem illuminated my eyes to find them well-explained in the verses of Tanach and in the statements of our Sages, of blessed memory, in the Gemara and Midrashim, and in the books of the holy Zohar and the writings of the Arizal. Until Hashem illuminated my eyes to incorporate them in the manner of PaRDeS into the laws of the mitzvos, according to the order of their halachos as they are explained in the four sections of the Shulchan Aruch. And I have hoped to Hashem that your eyes will behold wonders in most places — "how great are the works of Hashem, exceedingly profound are His thoughts" (Psalms 92:6) — for through these matters explained in these books, every person will be able to understand and perceive from afar the great, awesome, and wondrous [dimensions of] each and every mitzvah, and each and every detailed law of a mitzvah, and even the laws between a person and his fellow, which are explained in Choshen Mishpat, which no one takes to heart to understand from them allusions and pathways for serving Hashem yisbarach. And through the kindness of Hashem, through these books, one will quench his soul that thirsts to hear the words of Hashem.

For it is known that from the entire Torah, and all the laws and halachos in all sections of the Torah, one must extract eitzos [practical advice], pathways, and allusions to draw close to Him, yisbarach, in truth. As is explained in the words of our Rebbe, of blessed memory, in the Torah [teaching] "Chadi Rabbi Shimon" in siman 61 (Likutay Moharan I): that from all the studies a person learns, one must extract upright guidelines of conduct, etc. — see there. However, not every person merits this. And with the help of Hashem and His wondrous salvation, in these books I have opened a gate somewhat, to find true pathways in all the studies of the holy Torah. And in most places they are not merely in the manner of remez and drush alone; rather, this is truly the essence of the matter according to the esoteric intention of the mitzvah. And to explain these words of mine — multitudes of pages would not suffice to elaborate upon them. But the person who perceives in truth will understand my words somewhat, when he sets his heart well upon the matters stated in these books and in the books of our Rebbe.

And behold, although it may seem to the reader at a superficial glance, in several places where I have been lengthy in my discourse and doubled and tripled the matters in numerous places — know, my dear reader, that this too has come from Hashem of Hosts, "Who made His counsel wondrous and magnified His wisdom" (Isaiah 28:29). For the one who takes to heart to examine in truth the words of our Rebbe, of blessed memory — which are deeper than all depths in the world, and wider than the sea, to which there is no comparison — and then sets his heart well upon these words of mine, which Hashem has graciously enabled me to innovate and explain within them, he will understand well that given the extreme depth of these matters, I have still not fulfilled the obligation of explanation, even in the places where I have been very lengthy, all the more so in the other places where I have been brief. For know, that everything our Rebbe, of blessed memory, revealed consists of entirely novel foundational premises [even though they are all built and founded upon all the mitzvos of the Torah that have been received into our hands from long ago, nevertheless they are entirely novel foundational premises], and all of them are wondrous eitzos and pathways to draw close through them to Hashem yisbarach, each and every person from wherever he is. And the main intention is to fulfill them with peshitus [simplicity], just as they emerged from his mouth, with temimus [sincerity] and peshitus. However, due to the extreme materiality of our bodies and the dullness of our intellects, it is very hard and difficult to implant in a person's heart the temimus and peshitus of these matters. For every person's mind is inclined toward the wisdoms of the world, which for the most part warp the heart away from the point of truth in its truest sense, in peshitus and temimus. Especially since, in absolute truth, the temimus and peshitus of the words of our Rebbe, of blessed memory, are "deep, deep — exceedingly deep; deep, deep — who can fathom it?" (cf. Ecclesiastes 7:24). And in each and every matter that he, of blessed memory, revealed there are mountains upon mountains of halachos, wellsprings of the deep flowing forth in the valley and upon the mountain. For all his words are like an ever-flowing wellspring. As the reader will see, little by little, in the places where Hashem has graciously enabled me to find wondrous and awesome things — and the inner intentions of numerous mitzvos within a single teaching that our Rebbe, of blessed memory, revealed. For example, in the Torah [teaching] "Joy and gladness they shall attain, and sorrow and sighing shall flee" [in siman 23 of Likutay Moharan II], which is a single teaching: to snatch the sorrow and sighing into the joy, as explained there. And Hashem yisbarach helped me and illuminated my eyes to find, based on this foundational premise, very many wondrous things, as the reader will see in Even HaEzer at its beginning, and similarly in many other places. And nevertheless, the main intention is literally to strive to snatch the sorrow and sighing into the joy — that is, to transform all forms of sadness into joy, as explained there in its place. But this matter, in its simplicity — to endeavor to overcome all types of sadness and transform everything into joy — is very hard and difficult to implant in a person's heart. And Hashem yisbarach has helped me to expand the discourse on this, and to reveal and show that upon this depends the fulfillment of the entire Torah, for simchah [joy] is the point of the entire Torah and mitzvos, etc. And through expanding the discourse on this, one can perceive from afar the immense stature of simchah, and how very much one must strengthen himself to transform sadness into joy. And the gist of the intention is to merit to fulfill this advice in peshitus, and to beseech Hashem yisbarach to merit this.

And similarly with the other wondrous eitzos and pathways that he, of blessed memory, revealed — such as the Torah [teaching] "And where is the lamb for the burnt-offering?" in Likutay Moharan II, siman 12 — where the advice explained there is very deep. That is, the peshitus and temimus of this advice and pathway is very deep, and one must expand the discourse on this greatly, and speak of it in many expressions. And through the kindness of Hashem, He illuminated my eyes and I found that the pathway of this advice is alluded to in many places in the Torah, as explained in Hilchos Geviyas Chov MeHaYesomim, where the perceptive person can understand on his own one thing from another — that the entire Torah is filled with this pathway and advice. And similarly in the Torah [teaching] "Azamrah — I shall sing to my G-d with my remaining" in siman 282, which is cited in Hilchos Hashkamas HaBoker, Halacha 1. And similarly regarding the matter of ratzon [will/yearning] and longing for Hashem yisbarach — that in all these matters, one must speak extensively, until we merit to implant them in a person's heart to fulfill them in peshitus and temimus. For this is the essential thing: "it is not the study that is the main thing, but rather the deed" (Avos 1:17). Indeed, on account of all this, the necessity to be lengthy in most places — in order to explain the advice in peshitus, so that this study will lead to actual practice. And also on account of the novelties themselves, for the words of our Rebbe, of blessed memory, are very deep and wide. And in each and every Torah [teaching] there are numerous foundational premises, subjects, and wondrous novelties. In all the novelties that Hashem yisbarach opened my eyes to innovate within them — they are all bound and fastened with many connections to his awesome and holy words. And in every place where the discourse and the novelty I innovated with the help of Hashem yisbarach expands, in all of them one must return each time to all the parts of the Torah [teaching] that our Rebbe, of blessed memory, revealed — in all of them there are very many divisions and details. And as I heard from his holy mouth, of blessed memory, who said regarding my novelties: that no one understands them properly, because one needs to remember very well the words of his holy Torah, and to be fluent in all its chambers, and its details and fine points. And therefore, I was compelled in many places to be lengthy and to expand the discourse, and to repeat a single subject several times — perhaps the essence of the true intention will enter the heart of the reader, to know the novelty thoroughly. And the main thing is that through this, it should come to actual practice — to be aroused through this to fulfill the words of our Rebbe, of blessed memory, in peshitus; to fulfill the foundational premise that I extracted from the words of our Rebbe, of blessed memory, upon which I built that structure — "for exceedingly profound are His thoughts" (Psalms 92:6).

And this is clear and known to every perceptive person: that in all the places where one finds in holy books novelties and explanations at great length — whether in the Gemara, the commentary of Tosafos, or in the books of Kabbalah and PaRDeS [Peshat (literal), Remez (allusion), Drush (homiletic), Sod (esoteric)] — such as in the books of the Shach on Choshen Mishpat, or in the books of She'eilos U'Teshuvos in a very lengthy manner, or in the books of the Ari, of blessed memory, where each and every discourse expands and continues at great length, and for the most part, the discourse at the end is very much connected to the discourse from many pages earlier; and one who is well-versed in the writings of the Arizal understands that virtually the entire book Eitz Chaim and Pri Eitz Chaim are one great discourse — similarly, in all places that come at such length, Heaven forbid that the reader should become alarmed and afraid, wondering how it is possible to grasp in mind and intellect such a very long discourse. For regarding this it was said: "and the eyes of the fool are at the ends of the earth" (Proverbs 17:24), as Rashi explained there — see there. But the wise man says: "today I will learn a little, and tomorrow a little," etc., as explained there in the commentary of Rashi — see there. And this matter the youth especially need to know, and it is an obligation upon their teachers and rabbis to inform them of this, so that they should not be alarmed or afraid at all of a lengthy discourse or novelty. Rather, they should set their eyes and hearts upon it in order, little by little, and first connect one subject until they understand it somewhat, and afterwards proceed onward in order, gradually, from novelty to novelty, and from subject to subject, until they complete a column or a page. And so they should proceed, in order, each time from subject to subject, without alarm or confusion. And then they will arrive at their destination in peace, and will be able to understand even a very long discourse, even one who is not exceedingly accomplished. And I was compelled to mention this here, because in our books, praise G-d, length is very common in them in many places. Therefore, I have come to remind the reader that his thoughts should not alarm him; rather, he should proceed in order, gradually, from subject to subject, and then he will go confidently on his way. And then, if he sets his heart well, he will understand that all that appears to be lengthy discourse — it is all essential to the explanation of the matter. For in truth, in many places what seems like length is only at first glance, before one sets his heart to understand the matter well and precisely. But afterwards, when one looks further and further and sets his eyes and heart upon the matters stated there until one understands them well, then one sees that all the matters I have repeated several times — there is still much lacking, that which still would have needed to be explained further. For with the help of Hashem, in most places in these books there are very deep matters, for their foundations are upon the holy mountains, based upon the awesome foundational premises that our great, holy, and awesome Rebbe, the memory of the tzadik for a blessing, revealed. There is no measure and no limit to the depth contained therein, unto infinity without end, as each person will understand according to what he senses in his heart, whoever desires the truth in its truest sense. (And this is not the place to elaborate on this; a bit is explained in other places — see Chayay Moharan, entry: Ma'alas Toraso V'Sefarav, sections 340–391; Sichos HaRan 196–211 — see there.) And therefore, these novelties as well, which Hashem has graciously granted me, which are all built upon his holy words — in all of them there is depth, since all of them are like a commentary and explanation upon his holy words, of blessed memory. But in truth, I know within myself that I have still not touched upon his words even less than a drop in the sea.

And Hashem, the G-d of truth, shall guide me in the path of truth, as the One who examines hearts knows what is hidden in my heart and my thought: that all my yearning is only for the point of truth. Blessed is our G-d Who has dealt bountifully with us and given us a Torah of truth. "These and more may He continue with us, and may He remember the kindnesses of the Patriarchs, and grant truth to Yaakov" (Micah 7:20). And may it be speedily fulfilled: "Truth shall sprout from the earth" (Psalms 85:12), until the throne of David shall be established in kindness, "and he shall sit upon it in truth" (Isaiah 16:5), speedily in our days, amen, so may it be His will.

The Laws of Rising in the Morning — Halacha 1

"One should muster the strength of a lion to rise in the morning for the service of his Creator, so that he should be the one who awakens the dawn."

Hagahah: "I have set Hashem before me always — this is a major principle of the Torah," etc.

For it is brought in the words of our Rebbe, of blessed memory (Likutay Moharan I, 282): when a person begins to search within himself and sees that he is very far from Hashem yisbarach, and he is full of sins and many blemishes, and it appears to him that he is far from good — then he must search and seek and find within himself some good. How is it possible that he has never done any good in all his days? And even though he sees that even the little good he did is full of wounds, for it is thoroughly mixed with much pesoles [impurity/waste] — even so, it is impossible that there is not some nekudah tovah [good point] within it, at the very least. And similarly, he should search and find within himself yet more good. And even though this good is also mixed with much pesoles, even so, at the very least there is some nekudah tovah within it. And so he should search and find within himself still more nekudos tovos [good points]. And through this — that he judges himself to the side of merit and finds within himself nekudos tovos still, even though he did what he did and blemished what he blemished — through this, he truly moves from the side of guilt and enters the side of merit in truth. And through this, he can merit teshuvah [repentance]. And this is the aspect of: "Yet a little while and there is no wicked one" (Psalms 37:10) — etc. Through that "yet a little" where he is not wicked, through this: "and you shall contemplate" — etc. See there. And through this, he can gladden himself, and then he can pray. And this is the aspect of: "Azamrah — I shall sing to my G-d with my odi [remaining]" (Psalms 146:2) — through the "yet a little" that he finds within himself, through this he can sing and give thanks to Hashem. And through this, nigunim [melodies] are fashioned, for the melodies are fashioned through sifting a good spirit from a despondent spirit, etc. And this is the meaning of "Azamrah" — precisely — an aspect of nigunim, etc. And similarly, one must judge others to the side of merit; even a complete rasha — one must search and find in him some nekudah tovah, etc. — see there. And whoever can accomplish this — to find a nekudah tovah even in the sinners of Israel — he can serve as a chazan and pray before the amud, etc. — see there. And know that each one of the tzadikim of the generation builds a Mishkan [Tabernacle], from which the schoolchildren receive the breath of their mouths which has no sin in it; for this reason they begin [their Torah study] from Vayikra, etc. — see there. And this tzadik, who can gather all the good found in each person, he knows all the aspects pertaining to this matter of the Mishkanos mentioned above that the tzadikim build, from which the schoolchildren receive the breath of their mouths which has no sin in it, etc. — see there, all of this well.

And this is the aspect of the awakening from sleep. For when a person sees that he is far from Hashem yisbarach, etc. — this is an aspect of sheinah [sleep], which is one-sixtieth of death. And when he searches and seeks and finds within himself some nekudah tovah still, and revives and gladdens himself and arouses himself to the service of Hashem yisbarach through this — this is the aspect of awakening from sleep. And this is the aspect of: "Hashem, how numerous are my tormentors, the many…" (Psalms 3:2) — etc. That is, the tormentors of the soul, which are the sins and blemishes of each person — for this is the primary tribulation of a person. And when they overpower the person, G-d forbid, then they seek to fell him entirely, G-d forbid — as if there is no longer any hope for him, G-d forbid. And this is: "Many say of my soul: there is no salvation for him through G-d, selah" (Psalms 3:3). And then he is in the aspect of sleep, as above. And this is: "I lay down and I slept" (Psalms 3:6) — for this is the aspect of sleep, as above. But in truth, a person is forbidden to despair of himself. And he must muster strength to awaken from his sleep through the bit of good he still finds within himself, as above. And this is: "I awoke, for Hashem supports me" (Psalms 3:6) — that I muster strength and awaken from my sleep, for I do not despair of myself yet, for Hashem supports me. For the nekudah tovah that a person finds within himself — this is an aspect of G-dliness, as it were. For all good comes from Him, yisbarach. For Oraysa and Yisrael and Kudsha Brich Hu are all one (Zohar III, 73a). It follows that when there is within a Jew some nekudah tovah — that is, some mitzvah or good deed — that good is in complete unity with Him, yisbarach. For "Hashem is good to all" (Psalms 145:9), and as it is written: "Taste and see that Hashem is good" (Psalms 34:9). For all the good found anywhere is entirely from Him, yisbarach. And this is: "for Hashem supports me" — that is, the nekudah tovah that I find within myself — which is an aspect of G-dliness, an aspect of "Hashem is good to all" — this is what supports me and awakens me from the sleep. And then: "I shall not fear the myriads of people who have set upon me all around" (Psalms 3:7) — for I no longer fear them, even though they are myriads upon myriads of blemishes and sins standing against me to fell me, G-d forbid. For since I find within myself yet some nekudah tovah, through this I awaken from the sleep, and through this I truly enter the side of merit, and through this I will merit teshuvah, etc., as above. For all the evil is repelled before the bit of good that one finds within himself, and through this he revives and lifts himself. For a little light dispels much darkness, as is known. And this is the aspect of: "I awoke, and I am still with You" (Psalms 139:18) — through the "od" [remaining], the "yet a little" that is mine — that is, the nekudah tovah, as above — the aspect of "Azamrah — I shall sing to my G-d with my odi" as above. And this is: "and my 'od' is with You" — that is, the "yet a little" of mine that is still with You, as above — through this, "I awoke," for this is the aspect of awakening from sleep, as above.

And this is the aspect of: "Awake, my glory! Awake, O nevel and kinor! I shall awaken the dawn!" (Psalms 57:9). That is, a person must arouse himself from his sleep and from his fallen state. And through what will he arouse himself? Through the nekudos tovos that he still finds within himself. And this is: "I shall awaken the dawn [shachar]" — for the nekudah tovah is in the aspect of shachar, in the aspect of: "I am black [shechorah] but comely, O daughters of Jerusalem" (Song of Songs 1:5). For since this nekudah is intermingled with much pesoles and with many blemishes that this person has committed, therefore it appears as though she is shechorah — for she lies in gloom and darkness, G-d forbid, within him. But when one judges himself to the side of merit and arouses and finds within himself the nekudah tovah, as above, then she declares: "I am black but comely — do not gaze upon me that I am swarthy," etc. — for the darkness is not from me, etc., as Rashi explained there. For the nekudah tovah itself that exists within a person — even within the sinners of Israel — is comely and beautiful exceedingly. Only the darkness covers over her. But when one arouses her, she declares: "I am black but comely — do not gaze upon me that I am swarthy" — for on my own account, I am comely exceedingly. And this is the aspect of what our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Midrash Shir HaShirim 1): "I am black" — through the deed of the [Golden] Calf; "and I am comely" — through the making of the Mishkan. That is, even though I have many sins and have become very distant from Him, yisbarach — and this is the aspect of the deed of the Calf, which encompasses all the sins in the world, for "anyone who acknowledges idolatry is as if he denies the entire Torah" (Chullin 5a) — even so: "I am comely through the making of the Mishkan" — that is, the aspect of the little bit of good that I still find within myself. For immediately after the deed of the Calf they were commanded regarding the work of the Mishkan, since Hashem yisbarach became appeased toward Israel through Moshe, who devoted his very life on their behalf and prayed for them. For Moshe was able to find a nekudah tovah even in the most lowly of the lowly, as is explained in the words of our Rebbe, of blessed memory, many times (Likutay Moharan I, 282; II, 8). And through this he was able to pray on their behalf, even when they had blemished the entire Torah through the deed of the Calf; nevertheless, he found nekudos tovos within them. And therefore Moshe said: "Why, Hashem, should Your anger flare against Your people?" (Exodus 32:11) — etc. For he found the good within them, and then the evil is completely repelled, as above. And therefore he said: "Why, Hashem, should Your anger flare against Your people?" — for the evil is not considered at all in comparison to the bit of good that is still within them. And Hashem yisbarach was appeased by him: "and Hashem relented regarding the evil" (Exodus 32:14), etc. And then Hashem yisbarach taught Moshe the order of prayer, and arranged before him the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy. And this is: "and He said: I shall cause all My goodness to pass before you" (Exodus 33:19) — etc. That He taught him and revealed to him all of His goodness, yisbarach, as it were — so that he should know that Hashem yisbarach is good to all, always, and one can awaken the good in the worst of the worst, and bring him to the side of merit, and return him in teshuvah. And this is the aspect of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, the aspect of: "Hashem, Hashem, G-d, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger" (Exodus 34:6) — etc. That Hashem yisbarach is full of mercy and good to all, and extends patience to the righteous and to the wicked alike. For He inclines toward chesed and judges everyone to the side of merit, and finds a nekudah tovah even in the sinners of Israel. And through this, He tips the scale to the side of merit, as above. And this is the aspect of: "He preserves chesed for thousands" (Exodus 34:7) — that the aspect of chesed, His inclining toward chesed, yisbarach, and judging to the side of merit, and finding a nekudah tovah, etc. — this chesed is preserved and sweetens for "thousands" — that is, even though there are thousands and myriads of blemishes that this person committed standing against it, even so, the little bit of good that is found through the chesed repels everything, as above. And through this: "He bears iniquity and transgression" (Exodus 34:7) — etc. For through this, one truly enters the side of merit, etc., as above.

And then, when Hashem yisbarach became appeased by Moshe — through his finding good in all of Israel even after the deed of the Calf, as above — for Moshe was entirely good, in the aspect of: "and she saw him, that he was good" (Exodus 2:2), and therefore he always had the power to find the good in each person, even in the sinners of Israel, as above — through this, Hashem yisbarach was appeased, as above. And then He commanded them regarding the work of the Mishkan: that each one should bring the donation of his heart for the work of the Mishkan. For He was arousing the good within each person, and each one, according to the good he possessed, brought the donation of his good heart for the work of the Mishkan. For the Mishkan was built from all the good that was sifted and clarified from each individual of Israel. And this is the aspect of: "gold and silver and copper, and turquoise and purple and scarlet thread" (Exodus 25:3–4) — etc. — that each and every person brought according to the nekudah tovah that was his. For gold, silver, copper, and turquoise, etc. are aspects of the supernal colors, which are aspects of the good that exists within each Jew. And this is the aspect of: "Israel, in whom I take glory" (Isaiah 49:3) — that they are comprised of many colors — that is, the nekudos tovos that exist in each Jew. There is a nekudah tovah even in the most lowly among them, which his fellow does not possess, as is explained elsewhere (Likutay Moharan I, 34). And Hashem yisbarach takes glory in them, as above. And this is the aspect of the colors in the Beis HaMikdash and the Mishkan, the aspect of gold and silver, etc., that each one brought from the donation of his good heart. For there, all the nekudos tovos were gathered — which are the aspect of the supernal colors that exist in each Jew. And therefore, after the deed of the Calf, when Moshe needed to search and find the nekudos tovos in each Jew, as above — therefore at that time specifically they were commanded regarding the work of the Mishkan. For the Mishkan was built from this — from the nekudos tovos, as above. And this is: "I am black" — through the deed of the Calf; "and I am comely" — through the work of the Mishkan — that is, through the nekudos tovos that I find within myself, which are the aspect of the work of the Mishkan, as above. And similarly it is understood from the words of our Rebbe mentioned above: that through the good found in each Jew, the Mishkan is built. And therefore, he who can find all the good in Israel — who is the aspect of the chazan, as above — he knows all the aspects pertaining to the Mishkanos of each of the tzadikim mentioned above — see there. For the essential building of the Mishkan is through this — through the good mentioned above. And in this, the words of our Rebbe mentioned above are beautifully connected — see there well.

And this is: "Awake, my glory! Awake…" (Psalms 57:9) — etc. And through what can I awaken? Through "I shall awaken the dawn [shachar]" — through my arousing the shachar, that is, the nekudah tovah, which is the aspect of shachar, the aspect of "I am black [shechorah] but comely" — through this I can awaken from my sleep and from my fallen state, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of: "Awake, O nevel" — etc. For through this, nigunim are fashioned, the aspect of "Azamrah — I shall sing to my G-d with my odi" as above.

And this is alluded to in the words of the Shulchan Aruch: "One should muster the strength of a lion to rise in the morning for the service of his Creator" — that a person must muster strength and awaken from his sleep and from his fallen state. And through what will he awaken? Through "he should be the one who awakens the dawn [shachar]" — that is, as above: that he should awaken the nekudos tovos, which are aspects of shachar, the aspect of "I shall awaken the dawn" — and through this he will awaken from his sleep and his fallen state, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of: "to rise in the morning [baboker]" — for the essential awakening from the sleep mentioned above is through the aspect of "the morning of Avraham" (Zohar, Mikeitz 203a), the man of chesed. That is, through inclining toward chesed and judging himself to the side of merit, as above. And therefore Avraham used to convert converts — for he would incline toward chesed and find a nekudah tovah in each person, and through this he would draw everyone close to Hashem yisbarach, as above. And this is why the Hagahah is juxtaposed: "I have set Hashem before me always" — that is, I constantly place and set Hashem before my eyes. For even though I am far from Him, yisbarach, nevertheless, Hashem is before me always, in every place — for I find within myself a nekudah tovah, as above. And this is the meaning of the verse: "I have set Hashem before me always, for He is at my right hand, I shall not falter" (Psalms 16:8). That is, I constantly set Hashem before me, even in the lowest levels, G-d forbid. For "He is at my right hand, I shall not falter" — for through the aspect of the yamin, the aspect of Avraham, the aspect of chesed — through this I shall not falter, in the aspect of: "If I said, my foot has slipped — Your chesed, Hashem, supported me" (Psalms 94:18). For through the chesed — through inclining toward chesed and judging himself to the side of merit, and finding within himself some nekudah tovah still — through this he can find Hashem yisbarach always, and through this he will never falter. And this is: "When my troubling thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul" (Psalms 94:19) — that is, when the multitude of thoughts confuse me and seek to fell me, G-d forbid, through the multitude of blemishes, etc. — then "Your consolations delight my soul" — that is, that Hashem yisbarach consoles him through helping him find some nekudah tovah within himself. And this is his consolation, and through this he delights his soul, etc., as above.

It emerges that the essential aspect of the awakening from sleep is through the nekudos tovos that one finds within himself, even when he is, G-d forbid, in the very lowest level, etc., as above. And through this, nigunim are fashioned, etc., as above. For at night, which is the time of sleep, then the Shechinah performs berurim [clarifications/siftings], as is known. And this alludes to the above: that when the aspect of sleep overpowers a person, then he must seek and search to find within himself nekudos tovos, and through this he will awaken from his sleep, as above. And this is the aspect of: "I recall my melody in the night; with my heart I converse and my spirit searches" (Psalms 77:7) — that in the night and darkness, the aspect of sleep, then "with my heart I converse and my spirit searches" — that I search and seek the good spirit, the aspect of the nekudah tovah. And through this, nigunim are fashioned, as above, the aspect of "I recall my melody in the night." And through this — that one musters strength to awaken from his sleep through the nekudos tovos he finds within himself, as above — through this is the essential rectification of prayer. For the essential prayer is only when one merits to find within himself the nekudos tovos, in the aspect of "Azamrah — I shall sing to my G-d with my odi" as above. And this is the aspect of the order of the prayer service: that first we recite the Korbanos [sacrificial passages] and Ketores [incense passage], which are aspects of berurim — finding and sifting nekudos tovos even from the aspect of animality, from the very lowest level of asiyah, as is known. For this is the essential aspect of the korban — to elevate from animal to human. And this is the aspect of the Ketores, which included chelbonah [galbanum — a foul-smelling spice]. That is, one sifts and finds the good even in the sinners of Israel, in the aspect of chelbonah. And as our Sages, of blessed memory, derived from this (Kerisus 6b): "Any fast [prayer] in which the sinners of Israel do not participate, is not a [valid] fast [prayer]." For the essential prayer, in the aspect of Ketores, is through sifting and finding nekudos tovos even in the sinners of Israel in the aspect of chelbonah, as above. And this is the aspect of the eleven spices of the Ketores: that is, ten spices apart from chelbonah — this is the aspect of the ten types of melody, which are fashioned through sifting and finding the good within the sinners of Israel in the aspect of chelbonah, as above.

And when we recite the passage of the Korbanos, it is as if we have offered them, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: "Whoever engages in the Torah [study] of the olah-offering, it is as if he offered an olah" (Menachos 110a) — etc. For the essential rectification of the Korbanos is through the aspect of dibur [speech] — to elevate from domem [inanimate], tzomeiach [vegetative], chai [animate] to medaber [speaking]. For the nekudos tovos, when they ascend from where they ascend — from the lowest levels — the essential thing is that they should ascend to the level of dibur. For initially, when the good is not yet clarified and recognized — because the evil covers over it — then one is in the aspect of a mute who has no speech, in the aspect of: "I was mute with silence, I was still, [deprived] of good" (Psalms 39:3) — etc. And when one reveals the good, as above, then the essential revelation and elevation of the good is the aspect of dibur. And this is the aspect of: "My dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the concealment of the cliff" (Song of Songs 2:14) — this is the aspect of the nekudah tovah, which is the aspect of a faithful dove that is devoted to her mate and never abandons him, etc., as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Midrash Shir HaShirim 4). For the nekudah tovah within each person — even within the most lowly — is always attached to Hashem yisbarach, in every place that she is. And when she falls, G-d forbid, into the depths of the kelipos, which surround her from every side, in the aspect of "my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the concealment of the cliff" — in the ultimate concealment — then Hashem yisbarach says to her: "Show me your countenance, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet and your countenance is comely" (Song of Songs 2:14). For even though you are in "the concealment of the cliff," nevertheless, you yourself are exceedingly comely, in the aspect of "I am black but comely," as above. And therefore, reveal yourself and show your countenance, for you are still comely — for the nekudah tovah is always comely. And therefore: "Show me your countenance, let me hear your voice" — that is, reveal and discover the beauty of the nekudah tovah, and through this: "let me hear your voice" — for through this one merits dibur, for then one can speak, to give thanks and to praise Hashem yisbarach. For previously, he could not speak at all, as above. And this is the aspect of: "You who dwell in the gardens, companions listen for your voice — let me hear it!" (Song of Songs 8:13). And Rashi explained: "You who dwell in the gardens" — among the nations, etc. That is, the aspect of the nekudos tovos that dwell and lie among the nations — which are the evil desires and blemishes, etc. — which are the aspect of the nations of the world, as brought elsewhere (Likutay Moharan I, 36). And Hashem yisbarach yearns for their voice. And this is: "companions listen for your voice — let me hear it!" — for Hashem yisbarach yearns that the nekudos tovos be revealed and make their voices heard in song and praise to Hashem yisbarach, as above. And this is the aspect of the korban — that one elevates the nekudos tovos to the level of medaber, as above. And therefore, one who engages in the Torah [study] of the olah — it is as if he offered it, etc. For the essential rectification of the korban is through the aspect of dibur, as above.

And this is the aspect of: "the Kohanim at their service, and the Levi'im on their platform, and the Israelites at their post [ma'amad]" (Megillah 3a). For the essential rectification of the korban — which is to find and sift the nekudah tovah from within the pesoles, from the aspect of animality — is through the Kohen, the man of chesed. For through inclining toward chesed and judging to the side of merit, through this one finds nekudos tovos in all the lowest levels — and this is the aspect of the Korbanos, as above. And therefore, all the rectifications of the korban are performed through the Kohen, the man of chesed, who is the aspect of Avraham, as it is written: "You are a Kohen forever" (Psalms 110:4) — and as above. And through this, nigunim are fashioned, as above. And this is the aspect of: "the Levi'im on their platform" — who would conduct the singing on the platform at the time of the offering of the korban. For through the aspect of the korban performed by the Kohen, the man of chesed — which is the aspect of sifting and finding good through inclining toward chesed — through this, nigunim are fashioned, as above. And: "the Israelites at their post" — who would engage in Torah study — this is the aspect of dibur; for through this, the good is elevated to dibur, which is the essential elevation, as above. And therefore, the men of the ma'amad would read from Parashas Bereishis (Ta'anis 26a) and from Parashas Ha'azinu. For Ma'aseh Bereishis is essentially [accomplished] through the sifting of the good, in the aspect of: "and in His goodness, He renews each day, constantly, the act of Creation." And this is the aspect of "ki tov" [that it was good] stated throughout each of the six days of Creation. For before the rectification of Ma'aseh Bereishis, it is stated: "and the earth was tohu vavohu and darkness" (Genesis 1:2) — this is the aspect of the overpowering of the evil that covers over the good. And the rectification was through the aspect of: "and the spirit of G-d hovered" (Genesis 1:2) — "this is the spirit of Mashiach" (Bereishis Rabbah 2:4) — which is the aspect of the good. For all the nekudos tovos found in each Jew — this is an aspect of the radiance of Mashiach. For the essential good is Mashiach, the aspect of Moshe, in the aspect of: "And it shall be in the morning: if he will redeem you — good, he shall redeem" (Ruth 3:13). And through the aspect of the spirit of G-d, the good spirit, the aspect of the spirit of Mashiach — through this is the essential sustenance and building of the world. And through this — through the nekudos tovos found from within tohu vavohu and darkness — through this: "And G-d said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light" (Genesis 1:3). And then: "And G-d separated between the light and the darkness" (Genesis 1:4) — etc. For through the nekudah tovah, one truly enters the side of merit, and then the light is revealed, and the darkness is separated from the light, the evil from the good, etc. — as above. It emerges that the essential Ma'aseh Bereishis is through finding and sifting the nekudah tovah, as above. And this is the aspect of: "the form of the Mishkan corresponds to the form of the act of Creation" (cf. Introduction to Tikkunay Zohar) — for the Mishkan is also from the aspect of the good that is sifted, etc., as above. And therefore, the men of the ma'amad — who stood at the Korbanos — would engage in [reading] Ma'aseh Bereishis. For the korban is in the aspect of Ma'aseh Bereishis — which is the aspect of sifting the good, etc., as above. And therefore, the korban was performed in the Mishkan or in the Beis HaMikdash, for the Mishkan and the Beis HaMikdash are also built through the sifting of the good, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of: "this good mountain" (Deuteronomy 3:25) — which is said regarding the Beis HaMikdash. And this is the aspect of Parashas Ha'azinu that the men of the ma'amad would read. For Parashas Ha'azinu is the shirah about which Moshe Rabbeinu promised that through this song, the Torah would never be forgotten, as it is written: "And this song shall speak up" (Deuteronomy 31:21) — etc. That even in the ultimate concealment, in the aspect of "and I shall surely hide [haster astir]" (Deuteronomy 31:18), the song shall endure forever. For the song alludes to the fact that even if Israel are very distant from Hashem yisbarach, in the ultimate concealment — nevertheless, they are close to Him, yisbarach. For nekudos tovos are still found within them — even within the most lowly — as above. And this is the aspect of: "for the portion of Hashem is His people, Yaakov… He found him in a desert land" (Deuteronomy 32:9–10) — that even in a desert land and in tohu, one finds "the portion of Hashem is His people" — that is, the aspect of nekudos tovos, which are the aspect of "the portion of Hashem is His people," etc. And therefore, Parashas Ha'azinu is read over the Korbanos, as above. For this is why Parashas Ha'azinu is called a "song," as it is written: "And this song shall speak up" — etc. For from the nekudos tovos mentioned above, which are found in a desert land and in tohu, etc. — from this, a song and melody is fashioned, as above. And after the recitation of the Korbanos and Ketores — which are the aspect of sifting and finding nekudos tovos even in the very lowest levels, as above — afterwards, we recite Pesukay D'Zimrah. For through the nekudos tovos, nigunim are fashioned, the aspect of "Azamrah — I shall sing to my G-d with my odi" — "Azamrah" precisely, as above. And this is the aspect of Pesukay D'Zimrah, which are the aspect of the zemiros and nigunim that are fashioned through sifting and finding nekudos tovos in the lowest levels, as above. And therefore, within Pesukay D'Zimrah we recite the verse "Azamrah — I shall sing to my G-d with my odi" mentioned above — and as above.

And afterwards, we recite Birchos Krias Shema, and we bless Hashem yisbarach for the renewal of Ma'aseh Bereishis — that He renews in His goodness each day, constantly — this is the aspect of the work of the Mishkan, which was built from the good mentioned above, as above. For "the form of the Mishkan corresponds to the form of the act of Creation," as above. And there is the essential rectification of prayer, as it is written: "For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations — declares Hashem, G-d, Who gathers the dispersed of Israel" (Isaiah 56:7–8) — etc. For the essential building of the Beis HaMikdash is through Hashem yisbarach gathering the dispersed of Israel — through finding even in the dispersed and the lost, nekudos tovos, and gathering them into the holiness. And through this good that will be gathered at the time of the coming of the redeemer, speedily in our days — through this will be the building of the Beis HaMikdash, the aspect of "this good mountain," as above. And there is the essential rectification of prayer, as above. For the essential prayer is only through this — through the good that is found, as above. And therefore, before the prayer we recite Korbanos and Pesukay D'Zimrah — that is, we sift the nekudos tovos, etc. — and from this, nigunim and zemiros are fashioned, as above. And afterwards, we build from this a Mishkan, where the essential rectification of prayer takes place. And this is the aspect of Birchos Krias Shema, which are the aspect of the heichalos [celestial chambers] of holiness, the aspect of the Mishkan, the aspect of the Beis HaMikdash — for they are the heichalos of holiness. And therefore we say then: "and in His goodness, He renews each day, constantly, the act of Creation" — for "the form of the Mishkan corresponds to the form of the act of Creation," as above. And from there — from the aspect of the Mishkan — the schoolchildren receive the breath of their mouths that has no sin in it. And this is the aspect of Krias Shema, the aspect of: "And you shall teach them to your children" (Deuteronomy 6:7) — etc. — "and you shall teach them to your children, to speak of them" (Deuteronomy 11:19) — etc. For the essential aspect of Krias Shema is from the aspect of the good that was sifted, as above. And through this, Kudsha Brich Hu and the Shechinah are unified — through the ha'alas ma"n [raising of the feminine waters], that the Shechinah takes pride, as it were: "See with what kind of children I come before You." And all this is through finding nekudos tovos even in the sinners of Israel, for this is the aspect of the ha'alas ma"n — to raise the holiness from the deepest depths of the kelipos. And through this, [the Shechinah] takes even greater pride, for this is the essential honor of Hashem yisbarach, as our Rebbe, of blessed memory, wrote many times, as it is written in the Zohar (Yisro 67a): "When Yisro came — specifically then — the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, was elevated and glorified above and below." For specifically when the nekudos tovos that were lying very low are elevated and raised up, through this specifically the Shechinah takes pride, as it were, even more so. And through this, Kudsha Brich Hu and the Shechinah are unified, the aspect of "Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One" — as is known. And this is the aspect of: "and the Mishkan was one" (Exodus 26:6) — that all the nekudos tovos are subsumed within His unity, yisbarach. And then we begin to pray the Shemoneh Esreh, and we begin: "My L-rd, open my lips" (Psalms 51:17) — etc. For through all of the above, specifically, one is able to pray — through finding the good and making a Mishkan, etc., as above. And then one can open his mouth to speak, for this is the essential elevation of the good — that it should ascend to the level of dibur. And therefore we beseech for this: "My L-rd, open my lips" — etc.

And this is the aspect of the donning of garments: that one must grasp the garment with the right side and always give precedence to the right over the left. For the essential matter depends upon the aspect of yamin — that is, through inclining toward chesed and finding within himself some nekudos tovos. And through this, one awakens from the sleep, as above. And through this, garments are fashioned — to clothe one's soul, which had been naked until now, throughout the time that the good was not yet revealed, when one was in the aspect of sleep. And this is the aspect of the blessing "Malbish Arumim" — Who clothes the naked — that we bless each morning, as is brought. For through the nekudos tovos that are revealed — which are the aspect of "Israel, in whom I take glory" (Isaiah 49:3) — for through them Hashem yisbarach takes glory, as it were, as above — through this, garments are fashioned, aspects of garments of splendor, garments of honor. And this is the aspect of tzitzis and tefillin, which are aspects of garments of the neshamah, the aspect of "ki hu kesusah levadah, hu simlaso le'oro — this refers to tzitzis and tefillin" (Zohar, Bereishis 23a) — which are fashioned from the nekudos tovos that are sifted during the night, in the aspect of the above, as understood from the sacred writings. It emerges that the essential aspect of garments — garments of splendor, the totality of the colors — is fashioned from the aspect of the nekudos tovos that are sifted, which are the aspect of the totality of the colors, as above. And therefore (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 2:4), one must give precedence to the right when donning garments, for all of this is drawn from the aspect of yamin — through inclining toward chesed, through which one finds nekudos tovos, etc. — and through this, garments are fashioned, as above.

And all the Birchos HaShachar [Morning Blessings] allude to this: that one praises Hashem yisbarach for having helped him find within himself nekudos tovos, so that he may awaken from his sleep and his fallen state. And this is the aspect of: "HaNosein LaSechvi Vinah" — Who gives the rooster understanding to distinguish between day and night — for the nekudah tovah is the aspect of day, and the evil is the aspect of night and darkness. And through finding the nekudos tovos, the evil is then separated, and then one distinguishes between day and night. And this is the aspect of: "Shelo Asani Goy" — Who has not made me a gentile — etc. For if he had not found within himself the nekudah tovah, he could have fallen completely, G-d forbid, and would have become a gentile, G-d forbid. And now, through having been awakened and strengthened — through the help of Hashem yisbarach to find within himself a nekudah tovah, as above — therefore he gives thanks and praises Hashem yisbarach: "Who has not made me a gentile." And this is the aspect of: "Pokei'ach Ivrim" — Who opens the eyes of the blind; "Matir Asurim" — Who releases the bound; "Zokeif Kefufim" — Who straightens the bent. For initially, during his sleep and his fallen state, he was in the aspect of a blind person groping in the dark, and he was literally in a prison-house, and he was bent over, etc. And now, through the nekudah tovah he found within himself — through Hashem opening his eyes — through this he is released from his bonds and straightened from his stoop, etc. For through this he truly merits to move from the side of guilt to the side of merit, and to return in teshuvah, as above. And similarly, all the other blessings allude to this. And this is why it concludes with: "HaNoisen LaYa'eif Ko'ach" — Who gives strength to the weary — that He gave him strength in the midst of his great weariness, so that he could yet awaken from his sleep. And this is: "HaMa'avir Sheinah Me'einai" — Who removes sleep from my eyes — etc. And all of this is through the chesed, as above. And this is why it concludes: "HaGomel Chasadim Tovim" — Who bestows good kindnesses — for everything is through the chesed, the aspect of "the morning of Avraham" (Zohar, Mikeitz 203a) — through inclining toward chesed, as above.

And this is the aspect of the Four Special Parshiyos. Parashas Shekalim — the aspect of tzedakah, for tzedakah is the aspect of "chesed to Avraham" (Micah 7:20), who performed charity and kindness with the entire world. For through this, one can find the nekudos tovos, as above. And this is the aspect of: "Righteousness calls him to its feet" (Isaiah 41:2) — that through tzedakah, one can call forth the good that has fallen to the lowest level, the aspect of raglayim [feet] — in the aspect of: "and she uncovered his feet and lay down" (Ruth 3:7). And similarly it is alluded to in the words of our Rebbe, of blessed memory, in another place (Likutay Moharan I, 17): that through tzedakah, one arouses the good that is hidden and concealed in places distant from Hashem yisbarach. And this is the aspect of Shekalim — the donations for the Mishkan. For the Mishkan was built from the aspect of the good that was gathered, etc., as above.

And afterwards, we read Parashas Zachor — the aspect of the war against Amalek. For through finding the good, as above, Amalek is subdued — which is the force of the sitra achra that overpowers, G-d forbid, to fell the weak of strength among Israel, as if there is no longer any hope for them, G-d forbid. In the aspect of: "and he cut off all the stragglers at your rear… and you were weary and exhausted" (Deuteronomy 25:18) — etc. That he seeks to cut off the stragglers — that is, the weak of strength — to fell them downward, G-d forbid. But when one merits to find within himself the nekudah tovah even during his fall, G-d forbid — through this, Amalek is subdued. And therefore, after Parashas Shekalim — which is the aspect of the arousal of the good, as above — we read Parashas Zachor, for through this, Amalek is subdued, as above.

And afterwards, we read Parashas Parah, which is the aspect of teshuvah, in the aspect of (Midrash Rabbah, Parashas Chukas): "Let the mother come and clean up after her child." For through the nekudos tovos that one finds, through this the evil is subdued — the aspect of Amalek — and through this one truly merits teshuvah, as above. And this is the aspect of (Zohar, Chukas 180b): "Red heifer — completely red — this is harsh judgment; unblemished — this is softened judgment." That is, when one is in the aspect of harsh judgment, where the evil is overpowering, G-d forbid — which is the aspect of harsh judgment, G-d forbid — then one must soften the judgment through finding within himself some nekudah tovah still. And this is the aspect of: "which has no blemish, upon which no yoke has come" (Numbers 19:2) — for the nekudah tovah is the aspect of a faithful dove that has no blemish, for she is comely and beautiful, in the aspect of "I am black but comely," etc., as above. And this is the aspect of: "it purifies the impure and renders impure the pure." For this quality — that one judges himself to the side of merit and finds within himself nekudos tovos — this quality purifies the impure and renders impure the pure. For one who is in the lowest level must specifically find merit within himself in order that he should not fall completely, G-d forbid, and his essential purification and teshuvah is through this specifically, as above. But one who is pure — if he considers himself to be on the level of good — he is certainly damaged by this, for he will fall into arrogance, G-d forbid. And as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: "Even if the entire world says to you 'you are a tzadik,' consider yourself as if you were a rasha." Therefore they said "as if a rasha" — and not an actual complete rasha, G-d forbid — for it is forbidden to consider oneself a complete rasha, G-d forbid. Rather, on the contrary: when it appears to him that he is a complete rasha, G-d forbid — and even if the truth is actually so, G-d forbid — even so, he must search and seek to find within himself a nekudah tovah, so that he should not be, G-d forbid, a complete rasha, as above. And through this he is purified and merits teshuvah, as above. And this is the aspect of "it purifies the impure and renders impure the pure," as above.

And afterwards, we read Parashas HaChodesh, for this is the aspect of Kiddush HaChodesh [sanctification of the New Moon], the aspect of the filling of the moon from its diminishment. For it is known that when Israel are, G-d forbid, in a diminished state, this is the aspect of the blemish of the moon, the grievance of the moon, from which all the blemishes and sins derive, G-d forbid. And therefore, when a Jew awakens and finds within himself a nekudah tovah, and through this returns in teshuvah, as above — this is the aspect of the filling of the moon from its diminishment, the aspect of Kiddush HaChodesh. For the essential Kiddush HaChodesh is through the above. For at the beginning of the month, when the moon is seen in order to sanctify it in the Beis Din [court], it is then very, very small and thin, and then it is merely in the aspect of a point — that is, the aspect of the nekudah tovah mentioned above, which is the aspect of "I am black but comely," etc., as above. That is, when the moon is at the ultimate state of diminishment at the end of the month, then all of Israel must search and seek it until they find witnesses who have seen some tiny point of the moon, and then they sanctify the month in Beis Din, which is the aspect of the rectification and filling of the moon. For through the aspect of a mere point — the aspect of the nekudah tovah that one merits to find at the ultimate state of diminishment — through this one is rectified and truly enters the side of merit, etc., as above — which is the aspect of the rectification and filling of the moon from its diminishment, etc., as above. And therefore the Beis Din and all of Israel say: "Mekudash, mekudash! [Sanctified, sanctified!]" (Rosh HaShanah 24a) — for through a mere point, one becomes sanctified, etc., as above, through judging to the side of merit. And this is the aspect that they all say "mekudash, mekudash" — that is, through their words they elevate the moon from the aspect of blemish and diminishment to the aspect of rectification and fullness, which is her sanctification — through the mere point of light they saw of the moon. And this is itself the above, for through the grievance of the moon, she was diminished, and then Hashem yisbarach gave her the stars to appease her, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Midrash Rabbah 10), and as Rashi brought. For the stars allude to the aspect of the nekudos tovos that are found within each and every Jew, through which they truly enter the side of merit when they are judged to the side of merit, as above. In the aspect of: "And those who bring the many to righteousness — like the stars" (Daniel 12:3) — etc. "Those who bring the many to righteousness" — that is, the tzadikim of the generation who judge everyone to the side of merit, and through this, even the sinners of Israel truly enter the side of merit, as above. And this is the aspect of the stars, the aspect of "and those who bring the many to righteousness — like the stars," as above. For the stars are in the aspect of points. For this verse — "and those who bring the many to righteousness" — speaks there, at the end of Daniel, about the above, as explained there: "Many shall be sifted and whitened and refined, and the wicked shall act wickedly" (Daniel 12:10) — etc. — "And the wise shall shine like the radiance of the firmament, and those who bring the many to righteousness — like the stars," etc. That is, in the ikvos d'Meshicha [the footsteps of Mashiach], at the end of the final era, when the sitra achra will intensify greatly, G-d forbid, as is known — then there will be an immense sifting and refining, in the aspect of "many shall be sifted and whitened and refined," etc. And then the essential rectification will be through the above — through "those who bring the many to righteousness" — that is, through the tzadikim who will judge everyone to the side of merit and find nekudos tovos even in the most lowly of the lowly. For this is the essential task of the tzadikim. And through this specifically, Mashiach will come speedily in our days, for this is the aspect of Mashiach, etc., as above. And this is: "And the wise shall shine… and those who bring the many to righteousness — like the stars," etc. For the essential rectification and redemption at the final end will be through this — through the aspect of the nekudos tovos mentioned above, which are the aspect of stars, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of: "Praise Him, all stars of light" (Psalms 148:3) — for through the nekudos tovos, which are the aspect of shining stars, through this one can give thanks and praise to Hashem, in the aspect of "Azamrah — I shall sing to my G-d with my odi," as above. And this is the aspect of what Hashem gave the moon the stars to appease her — for through the aspect of the stars, which are the aspect of the nekudos tovos, as above — through this, the blemish of the moon is rectified, as above.

And this is the aspect of: "At about midnight I go out into the midst of Egypt" (Exodus 11:4) — "at about midnight" specifically. For at midnight, the nekudah tovah is aroused, in the aspect of the north wind that blows upon the harp of David, as above. And therefore the good spirit, the nekudah tovah, is drawn from the tzafon [north] specifically — for "from the north the evil shall open forth" (Jeremiah 1:14) — and from there specifically the good spirit is drawn. The nekudah tovah comes from tzafon specifically, and from there specifically is drawn the north wind, the good spirit, that blows upon the harp of David and makes music. For this is the essential quality of the good that emerges from within the very force of the evil and the sitra achra, as above. And through this specifically, nigunim are fashioned, as above. And as is brought in the sacred writings: that the advantage of the light comes specifically from the darkness, as is known. For at midnight, then the Shechinah, as it were, is at the ultimate state of diminishment, as is known. And then she is in the aspect of a mere point. And then there is the intensification of sleep. And then specifically, each person in whose heart the fear of Hashem stirs must muster very great strength to awaken from the sleep. And this is the aspect of awakening from the very force of the sleep and the sitra achra through a mere nekudah tovah, etc., as above. And then is the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt, as above. And this is the aspect of Pesach — that Hashem yisbarach had mercy and skipped over the houses of the Children of Israel when He smote Egypt. And this is the aspect of Hashem yisbarach, in His mercy, gathering and rescuing the nekudos tovos — which are aspects of Israel, aspects of "My son, My firstborn, Israel" (Exodus 4:22) — from among the firstborn of Egypt, from within the force of the sitra achra. For this was the essential redemption from Egypt, as above. And therefore, the first to reveal the secret of chatzos was our father Avraham, peace be upon him, at the time he waged war against the kings and rescued Lot, as it is written: "And he divided against them at night" (Genesis 14:15) — etc. For the essential aspect of chatzos — that is, to break the force of sleep, to break the night and the darkness through the nekudah tovah, as above — this is accomplished only through the aspect of Avraham, the man of chesed, through inclining toward chesed, as above. For Avraham pursued the kings in order to rescue Lot, on account of the nekudah tovah within Lot. And therefore, even though Lot was wicked, Avraham devoted his very life on his behalf to rescue him — on account of the nekudah tovah within him. For from him came Ruth, from whom came David-Mashiach, who is the root of the nekudah tovah, as above. And therefore the primary intention of the kings was to kill Lot, for the entire intention of the sitra achra is to overpower the aspect of the nekudah tovah, G-d forbid. But Hashem will not abandon her into their hands, and He gave power to the aspect of Avraham, the aspect of chesed, to rescue Lot through the nekudah tovah within him. And through this, he slew the kings — for through judging to the side of merit and finding the nekudah tovah even within the wicked, through this the sitra achra is subdued. For the evil is repelled before the bit of good, as above.

And this is the meaning of what is written in the Zohar Chadash — "You who dwell in the gardens" — etc. — regarding the matter of rising at midnight. See there. And it explains there: "You who dwell in the gardens" — in the disgrace and filth of this lowly world, etc. — see there. That is, as above: that even though a person is in the lowest level, in disgrace and filth — nevertheless, Hashem yisbarach and the angels and the souls of the tzadikim in Gan Eden listen attentively to his voice, in the aspect of "companions listen for your voice." And this is itself the aspect of rising at midnight, as above. And see above, where I brought this verse — "You who dwell in the gardens" — which was said regarding the nekudah that exists within each person, which lies wherever it lies — see there. And now, according to the words of the Zohar Chadash mentioned above, the matter is beautifully explained.

And this is the aspect of how our Sages, of blessed memory, delved deeply into the matter of the knowledge of how to determine exactly when midnight falls, as it is brought in Berachos (3a): "And David — did he know exactly when midnight was? After all, Moshe did not know!" etc. Rather, David had a harp suspended, etc. That is, for the essential redemption — both in a general sense and in the particular sense of the redemption of the soul of each and every person — depends upon this knowledge and perception: to accurately gauge the point of midnight. That is, when the force of sleep intensifies upon the Jewish soul and seeks to fell him completely, G-d forbid, through the multitude of his sins and his failings — until he is nearly, nearly about to fall completely, may the Merciful One save us — then specifically, Hashem yisbarach will shine upon him in His kindness, so that he will remind himself of the nekudos tovos within him and revive himself, as above. And this is the aspect of rising at midnight, when the Shechinah — which is the collective of the souls of Israel — is at the ultimate state of diminishment. And then she cries out in a bitter voice to Hashem yisbarach, in the aspect of: "As a hart yearns" (Psalms 42:2) — etc.; in the aspect of: "A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping" (Jeremiah 31:14) — etc. And then Hashem yisbarach arouses His mercy and extends a thread of chesed, etc., as is understood from all this in the sacred writings. And all this occurs with every individual Jew at every time — that whenever the aspect of the sleep mentioned above intensifies upon him, until he nearly, nearly [falls], may the Merciful One save us — then specifically, he must search for his nekudah tovah, as above, in the aspect of: "If I said, my foot has slipped — Your chesed, Hashem, supported me. When my troubling thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul" (Psalms 94:18–19). For all this is the aspect of the holy teaching of Azamrah mentioned above: that specifically when one reaches in his perception an utter state of diminishment, may the Merciful One save us — to the point where he is about to say "my foot has slipped," G-d forbid — then specifically, the kindness of Hashem will support him, through the above — to awaken him from his sleep and return him. And this is the aspect of literally rising at midnight — that then is the ultimate state of diminishment, and then specifically is the aspect of the awakening from sleep, which is the aspect of awakening from one's fall through the aspect of "Azamrah — I shall sing to my G-d with my odi," as above. And upon this depends the redemption, both generally and particularly, as above. And therefore, the first redemption was at midnight specifically. And similarly, the final redemption — which we await speedily in our days — will be through the aspect of chatzos, through the upright and G-d-fearing who rise every night at midnight. For through this, they draw upon themselves the aspect of the holiness of midnight, when a great chesed is aroused. And through this, they merit to draw upon themselves always the aspect of the awakening from the sleep of midnight — to draw upon themselves this aspect always. That is, at every time that they seek to cast upon them sleep and a very great diminishment — even if they cast them down as they cast them down, G-d forbid — even if what happened to them happened — even so, he will always awaken specifically from within the force of the diminishment, in the aspect of rising at midnight mentioned above. That is, through the aspect of the "yet a little" bit of good that he finds within himself, etc., as above.

And therefore Moshe did not yet know how to accurately determine exactly when midnight was, for it was still before the giving of the Torah, and there was not yet the arousal from below, for there were not yet enough tzadikim who rose at midnight and engaged in Torah — because it was before the giving of the Torah. And therefore it was difficult to accurately gauge the point of midnight. And even according to the opinion that Moshe also knew — nevertheless, he was not able to speak about it to such an extent, and he was still apprehensive lest they err, etc. For he was not yet able to draw this illumination into a revealed state, because it was before the giving of the Torah. But David — he knew, for a harp was suspended above his bed. And the power of the harp is drawn from the Torah, as is brought in the words of our master, our teacher, our Rebbe, of blessed memory. For the harp of David had five strings, corresponding to the Five Books of the Torah, and it would awaken him from his sleep until he knew how to accurately determine the exact hour and point of midnight. For David is the aspect of Mashiach, who constantly engages in the rectification of the souls of Israel, to awaken them from their sleep through the above — through the nekudos tovos he finds in each one, and he teaches each one and illuminates in his heart, so that he can search and seek and find within himself nekudos tovos always, in order to awaken him from his sleep and his fall, so that he should not fall completely, G-d forbid. And the main thing is to gauge accurately the time when he is nearly, nearly about to fall, G-d forbid — then specifically, [Hashem] will shine upon him in His kindness to save him and to awaken him, in the aspect of: "Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down" (Psalms 37:24) — etc.; in the aspect of: "[The wicked one] watches… Hashem will not abandon him into his hand" (Psalms 37:32–33); in the aspect of: "For He will see that the power is gone, and there is nothing retained or remaining… and He will say… See now that I, I am He" (Deuteronomy 32:36–39) — etc. And all this is through the power of the Torah that we have already received through Moshe Rabbeinu and through all the tzadikim who have been until now, who have explained to us the pathways of the Torah well.

And therefore David knew exactly when midnight was, through the harp mentioned above. For he was a skilled musician (I Samuel 16:16). For this entire holy teaching — to search for the good and to revive oneself through it — all of this is the aspect of holy nigunim that issue from the harp of David, the aspect of "Azamrah" specifically, as above — the aspect of "Awake… O nevel and kinor! I shall awaken the dawn" — as above. And through this, David merited to know how to accurately determine the point of midnight mentioned above, upon which the final redemption depends — both collectively and individually, for every Jewish soul — for David is Mashiach, through whom the final redemption will come, which is the complete redemption after which there will be no more exile. And the main thing is through the aspect of the zemiros and nigunim mentioned above, in the aspect of: "the anointed of the G-d of Yaakov, and the sweet singer of Israel" (II Samuel 23:1) — that is, through the aspect of Azamrah mentioned above. Speedily in our days, amen.

And understand these matters well, for it is impossible to explain everything. Rather, each person, according to what passes over him all the days of his life — in the days of his youth and in the days of his old age — can revive himself always through all of these words of ours, which explain somewhat the truth of the advice and the holy teaching of "Azamrah — I shall sing to my G-d with my odi" — about which our master, our teacher, our Rebbe, of blessed memory, urged us very, very much to follow. Fortunate is he who grasps hold of it.

And likewise now, Israel sometimes comes to places that were distant from holiness, and they want to conquer the place and sanctify it with the holiness of Israel, which is the aspect of Eretz Yisroel. And the Sitra Achara would be able to say “You are robbers,” etc. But through believing and revealing that Hashem, blessed be He, created the world, they no longer have any opening of the mouth. For everything is ours — for the world was created for our sake — and by His will He gave it to them, and by His will He took it and gave it to us, etc. See there, all of this, well.

§2

For the essential guarding is from the aspect of the mazikay alma [damaging forces of the world], from which are drawn all the thefts, all the losses, all the unavoidable circumstances, and all types of damages in the world. And the essential guarding is through the Torah, as it is written: “Counsel will guard you” [m’zimah tishmor alecha] (Mishlai 2:11). And it is written:

“When you lie down, it will guard you” [b’shochb’cha tishmor alecha] (Mishlai 6:22). For the essential power of the damaging forces of the world to cause harm and loss, G–d forbid, is only through the matter explained above in the Torah teaching mentioned above — that is, through what they say “You are robbers” [listim atem]. For the k’lipos, which are the damaging forces of the world, say that, G–d forbid, everything belongs to them. For this is a principle: the shell [k’lipah] precedes the fruit. And therefore all the bestowals of abundance in the world all pass first through the k’lipos — because of necessity the shell must precede the fruit. (And as is explained in the Torah teaching “Tik’u Emunah,” in Likutay Tinyana siman 5 — that when the abundance comes to the world, it passes through the spirits [shaidim], etc. — see there.)

And therefore all things need birur [clarification/refinement] — to refine them from their grasp. And when the thing comes to the hand of a person, as long as he does not properly refine it according to the Torah, they say “You are robbers, who conquered something that does not belong to you” — because initially the thing was in their domain, as above. And then they are able to incite and damage that thing, G–d forbid, through some theft or loss or unavoidable circumstance, or the like.

And therefore the essential guarding from them is through the holy Torah. For the Torah is entirely emunah, as it is written: “All Your commandments are emunah” (Tehillim 119:86). That is, through the Torah one reveals the holy emunah that Hashem, blessed be He, created everything and everything is in His domain alone, as it is written: “In the beginning, G–d created the heavens and the earth” (Beraishis 1:1). And since we reveal that He, blessed be He, created everything, the k’lipos no longer have any opening of the mouth to say “You are robbers” and to damage through this, G–d forbid. For we answer them: He created it; by His will He gave it to them, and by His will He took it from them and gave it to us.

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And this is: "For the ways of Hashem are straight — the righteous walk in them" etc. For the ways of Hashem, which are the ways of teshuvah, are the aspect of "If I ascend to the heavens, there You are; and if I make my bed in She'ol, behold You are there" etc. — which means strengthening oneself at all times through the power of the Tzadik, the aspect of Shabbos etc., as mentioned above. Therefore, those who are included in the Tzadik — all of whom are called tzadikim on his account — they walk with the ways of Hashem along both paths. For whether in ascent or in descent, even in all manner of descents in the world, they walk in His ways. For they know through the Tzadik that there is the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos — through which there is no despair in the world at all, and one can always walk in His ways.

And this is the aspect of Yom HaKipurim, when the Malchus ascends above Ze'ir Anpin, to Ima Ila'ah [the Supernal Mother, i.e. Binah], and is nourished there from supernal voices — which is a spiritual sustenance, the aspect of fasting. For on Yom HaKipurim one does not eat or drink, because the nourishment on that day is entirely spiritual, drawn from the supernal source of Binah. And this is the aspect of the makifin, which are in Binah, the aspect of nedarim, as mentioned above. And through this spiritual nourishment, all the sins are atoned for and the Malchus is elevated and connected to the upper realms.

And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said that the angels see whether his table is set and his candle is lit etc. — then they bless him, etc. That is, they see whether one properly fulfills Oneg Shabbos. And certainly one is worthy of the blessing from the mouths of the angels, for all their vitality and power is through the rectification of the "hands" etc. — which is the aspect of Oneg Shabbos, as mentioned above.

— 2 —

And this is the aspect of the Kiddush of Shabbos, through which is the essential drawing of the sanctity of Shabbos upon oneself. For kodesh [holiness] is Chochmah [Wisdom], as is brought — the aspect of "the beginning of wisdom" (Psalms 111:10) — and every reishis [beginning] is kodesh. That is, through the Kiddush one ascends to the aspect of reishis Chochmah — the root of Wisdom where the Sages are rooted — which is the aspect of Pli'os Chochmah [Wonders of Wisdom], the aspect of the neder. Through this one merits Emunas Chachamim, through which the lights of the Avos sparkle in him, through which one merits the sanctity of Shabbos, which is Oneg Shabbos, as mentioned above.

§3: HaZan = Chesed. HaAretz = hachnasas orchim/holiness of Eretz Yisrael. Boneh Yerushalayim = Bais HaMikdash = baisa bain shamaya l'ar'a = permanence of true Torah. HaTov V'HaMaitiv = sorting good from misnagdim (slain of Baitar).

Section 18 [source ois yod-tes]

And this is the aspect of Yom Kippur — when the completion of the rectification of the seal of holiness is achieved (as stated in that Torah) — which is through making converts and penitents and elevating them from the seal [of impurity] to the seal of holiness, etc. And therefore at the entry of Yom Kippur one says: “In the session of the celestial court and in the session of the earthly court, with the permission of the Omnipresent and with the permission of the congregation, we hereby permit praying together with the transgressors [avaryanim]” [Kol Nidray]. That is: to elevate the transgressors — [in] the aspect of converts — to include them within the sanctity of prayer. All of this is accomplished through the holy yeshivos of Israel, which engage in gathering the portions of faith and assembling all the faithful of the earth to dwell with them, etc., as above — for they arouse the celestial court as well to engage in this rectification, to raise all the transgressors to holiness. This is the primary aspect of the rectification of the seal of holiness — the aspect of: “if you extract the precious from the worthless,” as stated there in that Torah.

And this is the aspect of the secret of the scapegoat sent to Azazel — this is the aspect of the drop of Esav and Yishmael which must be expelled — which is the primary rectification of judgment, as stated there. And this is what is brought in the holy books: that the scapegoat is in the secret of: “Behold, Esav my brother is a hairy man [ish sa’ir]” — as is brought. That is, as above.

And therefore it is 2,000 amos — two alafin [thousands]. For alef is peleh [wonder]. And they are two alafin — the aspect of wonders upon wonders [pil’ay p’la’os]. For the aitzos of now are the aspect of wonders, the aspect of “odeh shimcha ki asisa peleh, aitzos mairachok,” etc. (Y’shayahu 25:1). But the aitzos of the future are the aspect of wonders upon wonders, the aspect of “od’cha al ki nora’os niflaisi, nifla’im ma’asecha, v’nafshi yoda’as m’od” (T’hilim 139:14).

“Nifla’im ma’asecha” — this is the aspect of the works of Hashem that were created in the six days of creation. These are the totality of creation, which is entirely wonders of the Creator. For in every detail of creation there are very great wonders. And these wonders, which are the aspect of the totality of creation — the aspect of “nifla’im ma’asecha” — this is the aspect of the aitzos drawn through this, meaning the aitzos drawn through drawing spiritual G-dliness into the constrictions of the weekdays, which are the aspect of the 39 labors, the totality of the creation created during the six days of creation, which is entirely wonders. But Dovid HaMelech, alav ha’shalom, who is Mashiach — as is written, “m’shi’ach Elokay Ya’akov” (Sh’muel II 23:1) — praises Hashem, yisbarach, regarding the ultimate end, when wonders upon wonders will be revealed through him — which are the deep aitzos, mentioned above.

SheHechiyanu v'kiy'manu v'higi'anu — these three expressions correspond to the three aspects of differences: man, place, and time. SheHechiyanu [Who has kept us alive] — the vitality from nullifying differences in man (= the essential vitality when soul and body are joined). V'kiy'manu [and sustained us] — the aspect of differences in place (= "sustained" alludes to the place upon which all the world's inhabitants stand and are sustained). V'higi'anu laz'man hazeh [and brought us to this time] — the aspect of differences in time. All differences are encompassed and nullified into one Will through Jews who love each other, encompassed in the Simple Unity through this.

The blessing concludes with laz'man hazeh [to this time], mentioning time specifically — because the essential differences are the aspect of nature, which operates by Hashem's will through the celestial spheres (= time). The essential tikun: nullifying all the differing desires of each person, encompassing them together in love, in Hashem (= the mitzvah of loving Israel) — for which we bless upon seeing a beloved fellow Jew. Since all differences in the world derive from nature (= the spheres = time), time is mentioned specifically.