bereishit 1/3

The first man’s sin came through an excess of light without contraction to make measures and vessels for the light. “Did God indeed say, ‘You shall not eat’?” etc. (3:1) This is the aspect of the first man’s sin. For the principal sin came through the aspect of an excess of light, which causes the breaking of vessels, Heaven forbid, note 42. And therefore the serpent’s counsel began through its coming to Chavah and saying to her, “Did God indeed say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” For it wished to mislead her through the commandments of the evil inclination, and asked her whether Hashem’s blessed command was not to eat from any tree of the garden: for certainly it is fitting for you not to eat, considering the great immensity of His blessed greatness and exaltedness. And how can you eat anything at all? And because it introduced such doubts into them—that it was fitting not to eat at all—although it did not accomplish its entire desire, it nevertheless accomplished a little. Through this Chavah answered it mistakenly and herself erred, saying, “We may eat from any tree of the garden, and from the Tree of Knowledge,” etc., “God said, ‘You shall not eat from it and shall not touch it,’” etc.; and they added to the command. And as soon as she added a little to the command, the deed of the SaM [Samael] immediately succeeded. For immediately, through the addition, she went beyond the measure and entered the aspect of excess light, which causes, etc. And through this [it] pushed her until she touched it. And through this they came to what they came to, and everything was only through the addition of the serpent and the woman, as above. And likewise, this was also the principal sin, as cited, for the first man gazed above his level, which was his principal sin, and through this he came to all his blemishes, note 43. (Halachos of Vows, Halacha 3)

Another aspect of the first man’s sin: there was a blemish in faith in the sages in the first man, in that he did not believe in himself, which is also an aspect of blemishing faith in the sages. The entire exile of Egypt came through the first man’s sin, as is known, for he blemished faith, as cited. And the principal blemish was in the aspect of faith in the sages. For although he was created alone and there were not yet sages in the world then, but only he himself, he nevertheless needed faith in the sages all the more—that is, to believe in himself. And as explained in the above teaching, when one does not believe in himself, this is an aspect of blemishing faith in the sages. And it is likewise explained in item 86 of Likutay, Part II, on the verse “From shortness of spirit and from hard labor.” For if a person believed in himself, that his soul is exceedingly, exceedingly lofty—for even the soul of the least of Israel is exceedingly lofty, and all worlds, upper and lower, depend upon him—certainly he would commit no transgression and cause no blemish—especially the first man, who was alone, with whom all faith in the sages was only in this aspect. For we need faith in the sages in all the aspects explained there: to believe in true tzaddikim, and to believe in one’s fellow, and to speak with him about fear of Heaven, in the aspect of “Then those who feared Hashem spoke, each to his fellow, and Hashem listened and heard, and it was written in a book,” etc. For in every one of Israel there is a good point that is an aspect of a tzaddik. And especially one must strengthen and exert oneself to believe in oneself, to believe that even one’s little service and occupation in Torah is exceedingly precious to Hashem, blessed be He; especially that one merited drawing close to true tzaddikim and upright people and believing in them, which is exceedingly, exceedingly precious to Hashem, blessed be He. For even if one believes in Hashem, blessed be He, and in the tzaddikim and his upright companions, who are all tzaddikim, but does not believe in himself—that is, does not believe that his faith in true sages, etc., is exceedingly, exceedingly precious—this too is a blemish in faith in the sages. And in another respect this blemish is worse than everything, since this affliction of a spreading lesion is found in several people who are somewhat upright and begin drawing close to people of truth, sages, and genuinely upright people. But they say of their companions: They are certainly upright and tzaddikim, but what does it help me? For I know my own deficiency in my soul, that I am full of sins, iniquities, and blemishes. And through this one falls, Heaven forbid, and becomes completely distant, Heaven forbid, and falls completely from faith in the sages, until many became opponents and disputants through this. Thus all his blemishing of faith in the sages comes through his not believing in himself. For whoever wishes to have pity on his life must beseech Hashem, blessed be He, until he becomes so strong in faith in the sages that he also believes in himself. That is, he should believe in the great power of the righteousness of the true tzaddikim, that they will certainly also repair him and raise him higher and higher, if he holds himself to cleave to them all his life. For his faith itself, that he believes in the tzaddikim and draws close to them, is exceedingly, exceedingly precious. For faith is only concerning a matter that one does not understand intellectually, as explained elsewhere. And therefore one must believe in oneself with faith. Although according to one’s intellect and knowledge of oneself one is very distant from Hashem, blessed be He, one must nevertheless believe with faith that even the few good points within oneself are exceedingly precious to Hashem, blessed be He; and as I understood all this from his holy conversation, of blessed memory. And [this applies] especially to the first man, who was alone in the world, whose entire faith in the sages depended on this, as above, and especially since all the first man’s blemish came through his wife Chavah, whom the serpent initially approached cunningly. For she should have believed the first man, that his words were true, that Hashem, blessed be He, had commanded not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. And the serpent introduced [filth] into her until she denied him and did not believe his words, thereby blemishing faith in the sages, and she was enticed by the serpent’s words. And afterward she brought about the introduction of denials even into the first man’s own heart. He fell in his understanding and did not believe in himself, in the immensity of his power and his standing, which was exceedingly lofty and exalted, until he ate from the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil. From then the serpent’s filth was drawn, from which came all the blemishes of the early generations, the generation of the Flood and the generation of the Dispersion, from which the exile of Egypt was drawn, as is known. And all the generations’ blemishes were through blemishing faith in the sages, as it is written, “He shall not turn by way of vineyards,” etc., and as explained elsewhere. (Halachos of Deposits and the Four Guardians, Halacha 5, item 7)

Another aspect of the first man’s sin: the first man’s sin was a matter of “forcing the hour.” And all sins are like this, for the evil inclination is present only for its hour. In this matter of the blemish of forcing the hour, many people, great and small, stumble, until the blemish touches even great and awesome tzaddikim, in the aspect of “For oppression makes a wise man foolish,” etc. For all the transgressions and blemishes of all sinners, may the Merciful One save us, are drawn only from the aspect of forcing the hour, of not wanting to wait. For the evil inclination is present only for its hour, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said. And had one waited some time, one would have merited in this world and the World to Come. And as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “Those same bedding sets that she spread for him in prohibition, she spread for him permissibly” (Menachos, folio 44a); and there are many such cases. And this was the principal sin and blemish of the first man: he did not wait with his marital union until Shabbos night. And not only this, but he wanted immediately to know all the knowledge hidden from him, which was the serpent’s principal enticement, as it is written, “And you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Thus he forced the hour in every aspect. And as it is written concerning the first man, “A fool’s anger becomes known that day,” as our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded this verse concerning the first man. And it is written, “One short of temper commits foolishness.” And even had he subdued his desire and not eaten from the Tree of Knowledge, etc., he would still have had to wait for Hashem’s salvation and pray with supplications until he apprehended what he was prepared to apprehend. And he went the opposite way: he did not subdue his desire and did not want to wait; moreover, he also wanted immediately to know and apprehend all the hidden knowledge, note 44. (Halachos of Robbery, Halacha 5, item 7)

Another aspect of the first man’s sin: the principal repair depended on the first man’s procreation, for he himself was created without an awakening from below; and this was the blemish, that he blemished procreation. The entire world principally depended upon the first man, upon his procreation. For the first man himself was created without isarusa dilisata—an awakening from below. And since he himself was created without an awakening from below, the glory is therefore not complete through him, for glory principally is the aspect of an awakening from below. And therefore glory principally reaches completeness when it rises from the lower beings who are distant from Him, blessed be He. And therefore His blessed glory principally depends upon this lowly corporeal world. For the more the worlds unfolded through the descending chain and became, as it were, more distant from the beginning of creation, when these worlds, distant, as it were, from Him, blessed be He, serve Him and magnify His blessed glory, this is His blessed glory principally. For glory principally comes from the distant ones. And all this is understood from the words of our Rabbi, of blessed memory—may I be the atonement of his resting place—in several places. For those close to Him, blessed be He, are in the aspect of unity with Him, and their service is not considered service, for it is considered as though He, blessed be He, as it were, serves Himself. And the principal service and glory are when those distant from Him, blessed be He, serve Him and magnify His blessed glory. For this purpose creation unfolded through various kinds of descending chains to this lowly world, in which all the glory of Hashem, blessed be He, depends. And therefore, through the first man, who was the work of His blessed hands, without any awakening from below at all, glory could not rise completely, since he was created by Him, blessed be He, Himself, without any awakening from below at all. Therefore he could not magnify His blessed glory completely, which is the world’s existence, the aspect of an awakening from below, since he himself was created without an awakening from below and was still in the aspect of unity with Him, blessed be He, for he was the work of His blessed hands, as above. And therefore the entire world depended on his procreation: if he had fathered children in holiness, then they would have magnified His blessed glory. For upon these children born through an awakening from below depends the principal glory, which is the aspect of an awakening from below. Since they are, as it were, more distant from Him, blessed be He, therefore, when they afterward serve Him, they magnify His blessed glory and are included in His blessed unity, which is His blessed glory principally. And therefore the first man’s principal blemish was that his marital union was improper, for he did not wait until Shabbos, as cited. For the principal glory, which is the sustenance of the entire world, for which all worlds were created, depends precisely upon procreation, for procreation is the aspect of an awakening from below. And therefore upon this person born through an awakening from below depends the principal glory, which is likewise the aspect of an awakening from below, as above. (Halachos of Honoring Father and Mother, Halacha 2)

Another aspect of the first man’s sin: the first man wanted to understand with his own understanding what is impossible, and did not rely on faith, and this is a great blemish, note 45. For in truth it certainly would be fitting to cleave constantly to Hashem, blessed be He, without any interruption even for a moment, for He is our life and the length of our days. Yet one necessarily must sometimes cease, and this is the principal maintenance of understanding. For sometimes the cessation of Torah is its maintenance, etc. For it is impossible truly to cleave and draw close to Hashem, blessed be He, except through faith, which is the foundation of the whole entire Torah. As they said (Makkos 24), Chavakook came and established them upon one: “And a righteous man shall live through his faith.” And as it is written (Tehillim 119), “All Your commandments are faith.” And all worlds, all the emanated and the created and the formed and the made beings, all of them, stand only upon faith, as it is written (Tehillim 33), “And all His work is in faith.” And this is the secret of the matter of contraction explained at the beginning of Aitz Chaim. For when it arose in His blessed will to create the world, there was no place to create it, because everything was Ein Sof, the Infinite. And He was compelled, as it were, to contract and clear His Godliness until the vacant space was made, etc. And into there He drew all the lights and all the attributes, until He created all the worlds there, all of them, etc. And at first the vessels could not bear the light because of an excess of light. And because of this there was the breaking of vessels, from which the husks and the Other Side have their hold. And in each and every generation we occupy ourselves in refining and repairing this, etc., as all this is explained at the beginning of Aitz Chaim, note 46. And it is known that the beginning of contraction is the aspect of malchus, kingship. For although malchus is the final attribute, nevertheless, above, at the ultimate height, the principal beginning is from the aspect of malchus concealed in Ein Sof, as known to those who understand. From there contraction begins for the creation of the world, for the end of the deed is first in thought. In the aspect of “I am first and I am last,” etc.; “I” is the aspect of malchus, as is known. And as written there in the above verse, “Thus says Hashem, King of Israel and its Redeemer: I am first and I am last.” That is, the aspect of malchus, the aspect of the King of Israel, called “I,” is at the beginning and at the end, etc. And the principle is that the beginning of contraction is the aspect of malchus, and malchus is the aspect of faith, as is known. That is, for when Hashem, blessed be He, wanted to create the world, He considered in His primordial wisdom that it is impossible to apprehend Him, blessed be He, through any wisdom and through any intellect and through any understanding in the world. And therefore the worlds cannot exist through any attribute, for their principal existence is through knowing of Him, blessed be He, that He is great and sovereign, the root and source of all worlds, which is the principal purpose of all worlds, as stated in the holy Zohar: “So that they may know Him.” And in truth it is impossible to recognize Him and know of Him, blessed be He, through any attribute and any sefirah except through faith, which is the aspect of malchus, which is the beginning of contraction, through which all attributes and all worlds are principally revealed. For Hashem, blessed be He, saw that it is impossible to apprehend Him in any way through any intellect in the world, for “no thought grasps Him at all.” Therefore it was impossible to create the world until He contracted and cleared His blessed Godliness, as it were. That is, in His wondrous wisdom He contracted His wisdom so much that He removed wisdom and intellect entirely, until the place remained, as it were, empty of all intellectual conceptions and wisdoms that are the essence of His blessed Godliness. And nothing of intellect remained except the power of faith: He created a power within the worlds and created beings, that they should have intellect and understanding to believe in Him, blessed be He, without any intellect. And in truth this contraction is a great wonder, as cited elsewhere, for faith is a great wonder, as it is written (Yeshaya 25), “I will praise Your name, for You have done a wonder, counsels from afar, faith, faithfulness.” For faith is the wonders of the One perfect in knowledge. For in a matter understood intellectually there is no need to believe, and it is not called faith. And faith principally concerns what one does not understand intellectually. And if so, from where will one come to know to believe in this? But in truth this is the wonders of the One perfect in knowledge: in His great wisdom He created a power in man’s intellect, that he should have the power to contract and remove his understanding and believe with faith alone, through the power of the reshimu, the residual impression remaining in understanding, even after understanding withdraws. For although he himself does not see, his mazal, his supernal source, sees. For although he does not understand the matter intellectually, he nevertheless understands from afar that it is fitting for him to believe. For when one wants to look at truth, one clearly understands that one must believe. For one understands this oneself: it is impossible to understand the matter through any intellect; one must only believe with faith alone. And this is the aspect of “Tzedek, when truth joins with it, becomes faith.” That is, faith principally depends upon truth. That is, although one does not understand the matter intellectually at all, nevertheless, when one wishes to look at truth, one will understand from afar that it is fitting to believe in Hashem and in the tzaddikim, and the like. And the principle is that faith is the foundation of all the worlds, all of them, and the foundation of the whole entire Torah. For Hashem, blessed be He, as it were, could not begin to create any world until He first created the attribute of faith—that is, that there should be power in the intellect to believe in truth, although one does not understand it at all. And this is the principal aspect of the beginning of contraction, in which the vacant space remained: that is, He contracted His Godliness, as it were, which is intellect, for Hashem, blessed be He, is the essence of wisdom, as it were, as is known. And when He cleared the intellect from there, the place remained vacant, without intellect, and nothing remained there except the aspect of faith. That is, one believes in truth through faith alone, without any intellect and wisdom. And immediately when the contraction of the vacant space was made—that is, the aspect of faith, that there should be power to believe in Him, blessed be He, without any intellect—He immediately drew His blessed Godliness into that vacant space. These are the totality of the attributes and all the worlds, from the first point of creation, which is the beginning of emanation, to the final central point of this corporeal world. “And all His work is in faith,” as above. For afterward, when the attribute of faith, the beginning of contraction, came into being, there is then the power to reveal His blessed Godliness through contractions of intellect. These are the totality of all the attributes and sefiroas revealed within the contraction of the vacant space—that is, within holy faith. For this is a principle: through faith one afterward merits understanding the matter intellectually, as explained in the work abbreviated הא״ב. And as our Rabbi, of blessed memory, said concerning the verse “And his hands were faith until the sun came” (item 91), namely, as above, for at first it is impossible to understand intellectually, since everything is still the aspect of Ein Sof. For everything man does not understand is the aspect of Ein Sof, as explained in our Rabbi’s words, of blessed memory, in the discourse “A Seal Within a Seal” (item 22); see there. For although in the upper world and at the lower level, it is the aspect of contraction, but in the lower world it is the aspect of Ein Sof. For malchus of Yetzirah, the world of Formation, is the aspect of Ein Sof relative to keser of Asiyah, the world of Action, as is known and understood. And therefore, at first it is impossible for man to understand anything or any apprehension, for everything to him is the aspect of Ein Sof. And at first he must have complete faith without any intellect; and this is the aspect of contraction, as above. And then, when he is strong in his faith, then Hashem, blessed be He, illuminates his eyes, and afterward he understands the matter intellectually. This is the aspect of drawing the lights and attributes into the vacant space, into the contraction, which is the aspect of faith, as above. For faith is the contraction, vessel, and measure of all the attributes, which are all contractions of intellect from cause to effect, from upper intellect to lower intellect, to apprehend Him, blessed be He, through them. And none of them has power to reveal and generate any understanding or any apprehension of Him, blessed be He, except through faith alone, for faith is the vessel and contraction of them all. And this is the aspect of “No sefirah has permission,” etc., “to pour forth blessings apart from her” (Tikkunay Zohar, tikkun 4, folio 19)—namely, apart from the attribute of malchus, which is the aspect of faith. Precisely through her the understanding of the apprehension of His blessed Godliness is principally revealed. For at first one must precede with faith, which is the beginning of contraction, as above. And also even afterward, when one merits some understanding and apprehension being drawn, it is impossible to receive understanding except through holy faith. For it is forbidden to rely on intellect alone, and intellect cannot endure without faith. For “Do not inquire into what is beyond you,” etc.; for it is impossible to receive intellect except through several contractions, and all contractions are through faith, which is the root of all contractions, as above. And therefore it is forbidden to investigate above one’s level, in the aspect of “Do not inquire into what is beyond you,” etc., so that there should not be, Heaven forbid, the aspect of excess light causing the breaking of vessels. For when one pursues with one’s intellect to gaze at what one has no permission to gaze at, and does not want to rely on faith alone, one thereby blemishes faith. And then, because of the excess of the light of intellect, the vessel of faith is broken; and then faith is blemished and falls. And then understanding is entirely nullified, even what it had been possible to understand at first. For everything returned to the aspect of Ein Sof, since the vessel and contraction, which is faith, was broken, as above. And this is the aspect of the first man’s sin, his eating from the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, through which he again caused the aspect of the breaking of vessels, as cited. For it is stated that the first man blemished by gazing at what he had no permission to gaze at, namely, as above. For he should first have strengthened himself in complete faith, and he wanted to know precisely with his own understanding, which is the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, concerning which Hashem, blessed be He, warned him. For the Tree of Knowledge had this power: whoever eats from it, the evil inclination enters him, and he desires and pursues knowing and gazing at what he has no permission to gaze at, through which they cause the aspect of the breaking of vessels, Heaven forbid. That is, the vessel of faith is broken, since he does not want to rely on faith alone and wants precisely to know and understand without faith. Thus he strips understanding from faith. And when one strips understanding from faith, this is the aspect of the breaking of vessels. The death of the kings. For the vessels remained without lights and the lights without vessels, for faith is in the aspect of vessels, as above, and understanding is the aspect of lights, as above. And because of this—and the light was entirely nullified, for it returns to Ein Sof because it is without a vessel, and the vessels fell below, etc. (Halachos of Niddah, Halacha 2)

There was a blemish of haughtiness. “You will be like God, knowing good and evil” (3:5) The principal blemish was through haughtiness. As it is written, “You will be like God”—creators of worlds like Him, etc., as our Sages, of blessed memory, said. That is, the serpent introduced into them envy and haughtiness: to envy Him, blessed be He, and desire to become great like Him, to create worlds like Him. And through this he was expelled from the Garden of Eden, and death was decreed upon him for generations. For had he not sinned, he would have merited living the above eternal life in his body. That is, he would have merited, while still in his body, during his lifetime—he would have merited the true humility of Moshe Rabbainu in all the limbs, which are eternal life, and would not have needed to die at all. But because he blemished this, as above, through this he was expelled from the Garden of Eden: “And He stationed,” etc., “the cherubim,” etc., “to guard the way of the Tree of Life.” Therefore now it is impossible for man to merit the above aspect of eternal life with ultimate completeness except through death. He must necessarily first die and return to dust as he was, as it is written, “For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” That is, he cannot merit true humility, which is the aspect of dust, except through death, through returning to actual dust. And then he will entirely decay in dust, the body’s filth—which is the aspect of corporeality—will decay, and he will return to dust. And precisely then he will afterward merit, according to his deeds, arising in the resurrection of the dead, so that his true lowliness will be revived and he will live eternal life, as above. And even the exceedingly great tzaddikim, and even Moshe Rabbainu himself, was compelled to die, although he merited true humility during his lifetime. But he was compelled to die for Israel’s benefit, so that he could awaken, arouse, and raise in resurrection all Israel, within whom his humility is clothed, which is in the aspect of death with them, so that they must be revived in the aspect of the resurrection of the dead, as above. And for this Moshe was compelled to die, as cited in our Sages’ words, of blessed memory, the parable concerning one who lost, etc. (Halachos of Tefillin, Halacha 6, item 4)

“And the woman saw that it was good,” etc., “and that it was a desire to the eyes” (3:6) On Rosh Hashanah the first man was created. And his creation was principally so that he should cleave to the Tree of Life and immediately live the eternal life of the World to Come. But the SaM [Samael] and the serpent—their eyes were ill-disposed toward his greatness. As our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Sanhedrin 59b), the angels would roast meat for him and cool wine for him, etc. And through this they envied him until they provoked him and caused him to sin. And therefore the principal blemish reached the eyes, as it is written, “And the woman saw,” etc.—specifically “and she saw.” And it is written, “And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew,” etc.; and our Sages, of blessed memory, said that this was said concerning wisdom. But the evil eye takes hold in this wisdom, which is the wisdoms of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil. (Halachos of the Blessing upon Seeing, Halacha 5, item 18)

Through the sin of the Tree of Knowledge one must toil greatly to refine animal sustenance into human sustenance. “And you shall eat the grass of the field” (3:18) By eating from the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, the first man fell from the aspect of human sustenance to animal sustenance. For man’s defining characteristic is understanding, and he blemished understanding by eating from the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, and was drawn after animal desires, which are the aspect of the evil in the Tree of Knowledge. And through this he fell from human sustenance to animal sustenance. As it is written, “And you shall eat the grass of the field,” which is animal food. As our Sages, of blessed memory, said, the first man said, “Shall I and a donkey eat at one trough?” But Hashem, blessed be He, had compassion on him even then, and immediately told him, “By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread.” As our Sages, of blessed memory, said: When the Holy One, blessed be He, told the first man, “And you shall eat the grass of the field,” he trembled and said, “Shall I and a donkey eat at one trough?” Once he heard “By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread,” his understanding became settled. That is, through his sin he caused his fall into animal sustenance, as above, which is the aspect of “And you shall eat the grass of the field,” the aspect of “I and a donkey at one trough.” But Hashem, blessed be He, even when cursing him, had compassion on him and hinted that he had the power to repair the blemish. And He immediately told him, “By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread.” That is, you can return to draw from the aspect of human sustenance, which is the aspect of bread, but it will reach you through great exertion and toil, the aspect of “By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread.” Because of the sin, one must toil and exert oneself exceedingly much until one refines sustenance from the aspect of animal sustenance into human sustenance. This is the aspect of all grain having fallen into chaff and straw, which are the aspect of the husks covering the fruit, which are the aspect of animal sustenance. For chaff and straw are animal food, and so are coarse bran and fine bran. And precisely within them the wheat, which is human food, is clothed. And a person requires great exertion and toil before refining the wheat, which is human food, the aspect of human sustenance—before refining it from the aspect of animal sustenance, which is the chaff, straw, coarse bran, and fine bran. And everything is because the first man blemished and fell into animal sustenance, so that according to his sin it would have been fitting for him to draw only from animal sustenance. Only in Hashem’s compassion He granted him [the ability], so that he could refine human sustenance from animal sustenance. This is the aspect of man having power to refine food from chaff and straw and the other covering husks and refuse, which are all drawn from the blemish he caused, his falling into animal sustenance. But this requires great exertion, the aspect of “By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread,” as above. And as it is in corporeality, so it is in spirituality: each and every person must repent and make several repairs according to the blemishes he caused and his being drawn after the first man’s sin. He must occupy himself in repentance and repair before refining his sustenance from the aspect of animal sustenance into human sustenance. (Halachos of Buying and Selling, Halacha 4)

Eating involves much toil because, through eating, holy sparks fell in the first man’s sin. Therefore much toil is needed in it until it is fit for eating. “By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread” (3:19) Because the principal fall of the sparks came through the sin of eating, through the first man’s eating from the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, therefore exceedingly many refinements are required there. This is the matter of all the exertions through which one must exert oneself and toil greatly with the grain until it becomes bread. This is the aspect of “By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread”; and everything is in order to refine the sparks that fell and became greatly mixed there through the blemish of eating from the Tree of Knowledge. (Halachos of Breaking Bread, Halacha 5, item 3)

Before the sin man could apprehend the Torah’s inner dimension, but after the sin he became corporeal, and it was necessary for the Torah to clothe itself in corporeal garments. “And Hashem God made garments of skin for the man and his wife” (3:21) It is known that, from the first man’s sin, the Torah clothed itself in corporeal garments, in the aspect of “garments of skin,” as cited in all the books. For before the sin man could apprehend the Torah in its inner dimension, in the aspect of garments of light—oar spelled with an alef. But after the sin man’s understanding became corporeal, as it were, until he could apprehend the Torah only through corporeal garments, the aspect of garments of skin. And from there forgetfulness came. For forgetfulness principally comes from corporeality, since spirituality does not occupy space, but corporeality occupies space, and then there is forgetfulness, because he has no space in his brain to grasp everything. As all this is explained in item 110, on the verse “This book of the Torah shall not depart from your mouth”—[yamush is read as] an expression of tangible substance, for forgetfulness principally comes from tangible substance and corporeality, which occupies space; see there. And since then all places have become corporeal, until they are exceedingly distant from the aspect of the little containing the much, all the more so from the aspect of being entirely above space. For at first man dwelt in the Garden of Eden, where the Tree of Life is, as it is written, “And the Tree of Life in the midst of the garden.” This is the aspect of the above tree, which is the aspect of the Torah’s inner dimension, which is entirely above space. And man was holy, and his understanding was pure and exceedingly spiritual, and he dwelt in an exceedingly holy and pure place, namely, the Garden of Eden. Therefore, had he not eaten from the Tree of Knowledge, he could during his lifetime have raised all places and included [them] in the aspect of being above space, which is the Tree of Life that was near him there. But through his sin he was expelled from the Garden of Eden and descended to the corporeality of space. And even the Torah, for his benefit, was compelled to clothe itself in corporeal garments, in the aspect of garments of skin, so that he should have some grasp of it. And then he became distant from the Tree of Life, from the aspect of being above space. As it is written, “And Hashem God made garments of skin for the man and his wife, and clothed them,” which hints at the Torah’s garments, in which it clothed itself in the aspect of garments of skin, as cited and as above. And afterward the Torah immediately begins to speak of how he was expelled from the Garden of Eden so that he should not touch the Tree of Life. As it is written immediately there, “And Hashem God said, ‘Behold, the man,’” etc., “And Hashem God sent him away from the Garden of Eden to work the soil,” etc., “And He expelled the man and stationed east of the Garden of Eden the cherubim and the flame of the revolving sword, to guard the way of the Tree of Life.” For the one depends upon the other: he became distant from holiness, from the aspect of being above space, and even the Torah clothed itself in the aspect of garments of skin, which is the aspect of corporeality, the aspect of space. And therefore he became distant from the Garden of Eden, from the Tree of Life, which is above space. (Halachos of the Torah Scroll, Halacha 3, item 9)

From the flame of the revolving sword comes divided counsel: people do not know the right counsel for drawing close to the Holy One, blessed be He. “And He stationed east of the Garden of Eden, etc., and the flame of the revolving sword” (3:24). The division of counsel into two derives from the blemish of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, which is itself a blemish in faith in the sages (as stated above in our earlier discussion). For the chief division of counsel concerns serving God: the uncertainty people sometimes have about how to conduct themselves. And this derives from the blemish of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, through which good and evil became mixed until people do not know how to distinguish good from evil. And all these doubts, confusions, and divisions of counsel in serving God—all this is the aspect of the flame of the revolving sword guarding the way to the Tree of Life. For had the first man not eaten from the Tree of Knowledge, he would have known the right way to cleave constantly to God and to encompass the aspect of life, which is the aspect of the way to the Tree of Life. But because he sinned, ate from the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, and was expelled from the Garden of Eden, therefore God placed the flame of the revolving sword. From it come all the reversals and changes through which his mind turns from thought to thought and from counsel to counsel. For people do not know which way to draw close to the Tree of Life and attain eternal life. For all desire to fear Your name, yet every day a person’s evil inclination overpowers him, and were the Holy One, blessed be He, not to help him, etc. And like birds caught in a snare, so people are trapped. And certainly there is counsel wherever he may be—even if he is in whatever place he is, there too are counsels, strategies, and ways to get out. But a person does not fully know the straight counsel for rescuing his soul from the pit except through faith in the sages. For in truth, at the root of counsel everything is one. For at the root, everything is wholly good, wholly one; for there is no evil there at all. And division of counsel has no place there, since all is one and all is good. Only below, at the place where the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil has a hold, does the division of counsel into two arise. For since good and evil exist, there are two things, and counsel is needed to attach oneself to the good and distance oneself from the evil. And because of the first man’s sin—or, for each individual, because of his sins and iniquities—good and evil became mixed until he cannot distinguish the good path from its opposite. For there is a way that appears straight before a man, but its end is the ways of death (Proverbs 14). And from this comes divided counsel: a person does not know how to set counsel within his soul, to get out of the darkness in which his iniquities have trapped him and return from death to life, which is the aspect of the flame of the revolving sword guarding the way to the Tree of Life, as stated above. The true righteous man knows the counsel. And therefore one must draw close to him; books alone are not enough. But the true righteous man, who is the aspect of the Holy of Holies, the aspect of the all-encompassing higher intellect, the root of everything where everything is sweetened, knows all the ways and all the paths in the depths of darkness. For He knows what is in the darkness, etc. For there, at its root, evil turns into good, deliberate sins turn into merits, and everything is encompassed in one. And there counsel is completely whole, since it has not yet begun to divide at all. And he therefore knows how to draw counsel from there for each and every individual as he is, according to his place, his time, and his level. And this is the aspect of the virtues of drawing close to the righteous. For one must specifically draw close to them; and books alone do not suffice. For this is the chief aspect of the Oral Torah: what is received from the mouth of the true righteous man—things that it was not given to write, because they cannot be written at all. (Laws of the Booth, Halacha 7, item 3)

From the flame of the revolving sword come all the exchanges and reversals that turn truth into falsehood and falsehood into truth. “And He stationed east of the Garden of Eden, etc., and the flame of the revolving sword” (3:24). The subject of the above-mentioned awesome story of the king’s son who was exchanged: because of this, the world thought he was the maidservant’s son. And through this the cruel one, the actual maidservant’s son, overpowered him and expelled him from his place. And this caused the true king’s son to become dejected until he came to evil things, etc., etc. This whole matter is clearly explained and well understood by anyone with a little understanding: This is the secret of the entire matter of Israel’s exile: they are expelled from their land and their place. And they are like a bird wandering from its nest, so is a man wandering from his place, and they are scattered among the nations. And kingship and government are in the nations’ hands, while Israel, through our many sins, are regarded as slaves and maidservants. All this derives from the above exchange of the king’s son who was exchanged, etc. This is the secret of the aspect of the Chambers of Exchanges, where souls are sometimes exchanged, as we heard explicitly from his holy mouth before he told that story. He first spoke about the Chambers of Exchanges, where souls are exchanged, God forbid, and afterward told that story about this matter. And he said that such an event had once occurred and began to tell the entire story until he finished it. Thus the above story of the king’s son who was exchanged derives from the aspect of the Chambers of Exchanges, etc. And this is the secret of all Israel’s exile and troubles, collectively and individually—what each and every person goes through. And the main thing is the soul’s exile and troubles: our exile among the peoples and our distance from our Father in heaven, etc. All this derives from the above exchange of the king’s son who was exchanged, which is the aspect of the Chambers of Exchanges. This derives from the first man’s sin in eating from the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil. Through it he caused the aspect of the flame of the revolving sword to grow stronger, God forbid. This is the aspect of the Chambers of Exchanges, the aspect of the changing of a staff into a snake and a snake into a staff, the aspect of souls held captive in the tikla [weighing balance] within the nogah shell, undergoing reincarnation, etc. And from there derives the aspect of the exchanges and substitutions in the world, where the Other Side’s chief hold lies, God forbid; and from there comes Israel’s principal exile, collectively and individually. And all this derives from the above exchange of the king’s son: the maidservant’s son took the kingdom for himself and expelled the king’s son, etc. And even among upright Israelites themselves there is contention and great confusion, until people do not know where the truth is. As our master, of blessed memory, said (in Likutay Moharan II, teaching 78), the adversary has now applied himself intensely to confusing the world, etc. And he introduced contention among the righteous and raised up many false famous leaders in the world. And he also introduced great contention among the true righteous, until no one knows where the truth is. One must therefore ask God, blessed be He, intensely to merit drawing close to true righteous men, etc.; see there. And all this derives and unfolds from the above exchange, from which come all the exchanges and changes in the world that seek to exchange truth for falsehood, God forbid, and falsehood for truth. And see the Zohar (Vayichi, folio 221) on the verse “the rose of the valleys,” concerning the flame of the revolving sword, from which come all the changes in the world, and further, see there. From there derive all the exchanges in the world that turn truth into falsehood and falsehood into truth, collectively, individually, and in the particulars of particulars, in every place and at every time. (Laws of the Morning Blessings, Halacha 3)

Disputes arise from the flame of the revolving sword, which causes the reversal and changing of opinions. “And He stationed east of the Garden of Eden, etc., and the flame of the revolving sword” (3:24). The main root of contention derives from the aspect of the flame of the revolving sword that guards the way to the Tree of Life, which is the aspect of changes and contention. And it is therefore called the flame of the “revolving” sword, because the mind turns and changes through many, many changes and differences of opinion, from which all contention comes. And as is understood from the Zohar, Vayichi, folio 221; see there on the verse “I am the lily of Sharon, the rose of the valleys,” what is written there: And then man changes into many forms, sometimes judgment, sometimes mercy, etc., and does not remain constantly in one of them, etc. And for this reason it is called the revolving sword: “revolving” from this side to that side, from good to evil, etc., from peace to battle. It turns in everything, etc.; see there. And it concludes there: Come and see, concerning the world to come it is written, “For as the days of the tree shall be the days of My people,” etc.; see there. Thus the flame of the revolving sword is the aspect of changing opinions and contention. And this is the chief barrier against coming to the Tree of Life, because through it people do not know the way to the Tree of Life, as stated above. For there, by the Tree of Life, there is the opposite of contention: for there is the wondrous peace that will exist in the future, for all the animals and birds dwell there together in peace and love, without any contention at all. (Laws of a Torah Scroll, Halacha 3, item 10)

9 [printed letter ט]. And see also the words of Rabbi Noson, of blessed memory, on this in Laws of Slaves, Halacha 2.

7 [printed letter ז]. Rashi wrote here: According to the order of the wording of the passage, it should have written “first day,” as it writes concerning the other days, second, third, fourth. Why did it write “one”? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, was alone in His world, for the angels were not created until the second day.

8 [printed letter ח]. Before this, Rabbi Noson, of blessed memory, explains there: “For it is very precious to Hashem, blessed be He, when changing actions are included in simple unity. And the more different and extremely distant an action is, when one merits to overcome and include it in simple unity, it is all the more precious. For this is His will, blessed be He: that specifically through the changing actions that are very distant, simple unity should be revealed.” See there.

13 [printed letters יג]. Shaaray Orah, of blessed memory, wrote (in the introduction): “Because Hashem, blessed be He, wished to give us merit, He created in the human body various hidden and revealed limbs, in the likeness of a sign for the work of the chariot. And if a person merits to purify one of his limbs, that limb becomes like a throne for the inward supernal thing called by that name: if an eye, an eye; if a hand, a hand; and likewise with everything else. How? For example, if one person is careful and guarded in what his eyes see, so that he does not look or gaze, and so on, at anything disgraceful, but only at what is Hashem’s holiness and service, that eye then becomes like a throne for what is called an eye above. And likewise with the hand, foot, and all the other limbs. And of this the Sages said, ‘The patriarchs are the chariot’; they did not say that each patriarch is the chariot, but ‘the patriarchs.’ How? Avraham our father, peace be upon him, took in purity the right side and the head of the right above, which is the attribute of kindness, and so on; Yitzchak took in purity the attribute of the left side, which is fear, and so on; and Yaakov took in purity the side of the middle line, and so on. Thus the three patriarchs were found to be a throne for the chariot, and so on. And when you grasp this, then you will succeed in your ways and then understand.” End of quotation. And Rabbi Noson, of blessed memory, wrote in Likutay Halachos (Laws of a Gift, Halacha 5, item 12): “Although these words of the holy Zohar rise to the heights of heaven, and as is understood to a small extent in the mystical intentions, yet one must know and believe this: His holy words were principally said to each individual person. For every Jew is a portion of Divinity from above and one of the souls of Israel included in the Congregation of Israel, about which the entire holy teaching is said. For just as all this is said of the whole Congregation of Israel, as the discerning person understands, so is it said of each individual Jew.” End of quotation.

16 [printed letters טז]. In the holy Zohar, the portion of Balak (page 187a): “A person’s hands are situated at the height of the world.”

17 [printed letters יז]. And as is explained there in Rabbi Noson’s words and below in the portion of Vayishlach, where he brings from the words of the Ari, of blessed memory, that this concerns the holy sparks being submerged within the kelipos, in the event of the breaking of the vessels; and the repair is through sifting and bringing the holy sparks out of the kelipos, and bringing the good out of the bad.

14 [printed letters יד]. In Shaar Ruach HaKoadesh, unification 21 (Jerusalem editions תשל״ז and תשכ״ב, page 57a–b), in Shaar HaYichudim, unification 3, unification 4 (page 16, column c), and in Pri Aitz Chaim, Gate of the Conduct of Study, the passage beginning “Before” (page 83b), the passage beginning “Intention” (there, column d), and this is his wording: “A person ought always to intend and regard himself as though he were a dwelling place and throne for holy Atzilus. For behold, it is written, ‘God created man in His image,’ and it is written, ‘In the image of God He made man’; and particularly while a person prays, and so on. And through this he may receive help from heaven and his prayer be accepted, for through this intention he can link all the worlds, and so on. And this is what he should intend: let him think of preparing his head as a throne for the name הוי״ה with kumutz [the vowel-pointing of keser]; and the brain of wisdom within him with the name הוי״ה pointed with patach [the pointing of wisdom]; and the brain of understanding within him with הוי״ה pointed with tzairai [the pointing of understanding]; and his right arm with segol [the pointing of kindness]; and his left arm with הוי״ה pointed with shva [the pointing of strength]; and so on, and so on.” End of quotation. And Darchey Tzedek, of blessed memory, wrote (item 26) in the name of Noam Elimelech, of blessed memory: “And even a thousand times a day, let him say this, for the body is greatly sanctified by it.” See there.

15 [printed letters טו]. And in Likutay Halachos (Laws of Sabbath Boundaries, Halacha 2): “With each and every step, he uproots his stature from place to place. And as I understood from the conversation of our Rabbi, may his light shine, with each step a person takes from place to place, he enters different worlds each time.” End of quotation. It says in Agra DiPirka (section 81): “Let a person incline himself [printed ירכין] to make his ears a chariot for the name ס״ג (63): אזן, spelled with a vav, has the numerical value 63 with the inclusive unit, or האז״ן has the numerical value 63; the reason for adding the he is known to the discerning. Perhaps at night, when his soul goes forth, he will merit to hear spiritual hearing and supernal mysteries. And let him intend his eyes to be a chariot for five names הוי״ה, having the numerical value עי״ן (eye); and through this he will merit spiritual vision.” Mikdash Melech, in the name of our master the Rabbi (the portion of Lech Lecha, page 74a). And he further wrote: “Let him intend to make his heart a chariot for the thirty-two paths of wisdom, so that his heart may be open to know the mysteries of Torah.” End of quotation. And likewise the brain, understanding and knowledge in all the limbs: ע״ב and קס״א have the numerical value רג״ל. The right hand: הוי״ה אלהינ״ו הוי״ה, fourteen letters; and likewise the name א״ל, kindness, the right, and הוי״ה pointed with segol. The left hand: כוז״ו במוכס״ז כוז״ו, and the name אלהי״ם, and הוי״ה pointed with shva, and the like. “Give to a wise person and he will become wiser still”: when he moves any limb of his limbs, how good it is to intend the names indicated in that limb, and then Hashem, blessed be He, will guard him. End of quotation. [Source-reading note: the printed full-vav ear-word claim is 63 with an inclusive unit; the spelling אוזן totals 64, or 65 with that unit. The alternative printed האזן totals 63. The source’s numbers are retained, not corrected.]

10 [printed letter י]. Biraishis Rabbah (8:7): Rabbi Yehoshua of Sichnin said in the name of Rabbi Shmuel: He took counsel with the souls of the tzaddikim, as it is written (Chronicles I, 4), “They are the potters and those dwelling among the plantations and the enclosure, with the king in his work,” and so on. “With the king in his work they dwelt”: with the King, King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, dwelt the souls of the tzaddikim with whom the Holy One, blessed be He, took counsel and created the world. End of quotation. And also in Rus Rabbah (2:3). The Ari, of blessed memory, wrote in Likutay Torah (the portion of Biraishis): “He took counsel with the souls of the tzaddikim [חו: unclear printed token], since the creation of man is a liability, as our Sages of blessed memory said: it would have been better for him not to have been created. And one cannot impose a liability upon a person in his absence. He therefore took counsel with them first and said: Let us make man with your permission and with your consent.” End of quotation. And the author of Migaleh Amukos, of blessed memory (on ואתחנן, exposition 74), wrote that these are the initials of נעשה: נ'מלך ע'ם ש'מאי ה'ילל—“He took counsel with Shamai and Hillel,” who comprise the totality of the tzaddikim. See there. And see also Shaaray Tzedek by Rabbi Kenig [printed initials: הגר״ג], of blessed memory, section 10 (page 106), which brings, in the name of Rabbi Avraham Shternhartz, of blessed memory, from what occurred with our holy Rabbi in the cave of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai at מירון, that our holy Rabbi said: “I am the one who stood as guarantor before the Holy One, blessed be He, before the worlds were created, for all the souls of the holy seed of Israel; and I undertook to bring them back at the end of days to the service of their Master.” End of quotation. See there. And even now, after creation, they undertake guarantees. See the holy Zohar, the portion of Balak (page 187b): “It is His will that, for one of these, life should be held in pledge [יתמשכן ליה חיין],” and so on, “and the Holy One, blessed be He, is his guarantor, and He finds a guarantor below who agrees to his guarantee together with the holy King.” End of quotation. And there in the holy Zohar (page 205a), Rabbi Yosi related, after returning to life through his young son’s weeping and prayer, what then occurred above in heaven: “Three hundred thousand of their benches in the heavenly academy shook; and they all stood before the holy King, and pleaded for mercy for me, and stood as guarantors for me.” End of quotation.

11 [printed letters יא]. And see לשם שבו ואחלמה, of blessed memory (הדע״ה, part 2, page 20a): “When the Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘Let us make man,’ they said, ‘What is man, that You know him?—for he will sin before You.’ And the plea of the holy Divine Presence was that man should not be blamed so much, for his inclination overpowered him.” End of quotation. [And as explained in Yoma, page 20, at the beginning of side a, in Rashi: “‘Sin crouches at the entrance’: ‘the evil inclination makes him sin against his will.’”].

12 [printed letters יב]. לשם שבו ואחלמה, of blessed memory, wrote (הדע״ה, part 2, page 94b): “It cannot now be repaired except specifically through Mashiach, who will be Moshe himself. And as it is written, ‘What was is what will be’—the initials [of מה שהיה הוא שיהיה] spell Moshe. And he will be clothed in Mashiach son of Dovid, and rise still higher than he was initially, and repair everything through him. Until the time of Mashiach’s coming, however, it cannot now be repaired except through all Israel together, or through one all-inclusive person, such as the first man, Moshe, and Mashiach.” End of quotation. And Leshem further wrote there (page 100b): “Now, until the future time of repair—the dominion of binah, whose light will begin from the coming of Mashiach onward—it is impossible in almost any way to restore everything lost through sin, may the Merciful One save us, to the level before the sin. None merited this except what occurred with Yehudah and Tamar, meaning Er and Onan, who were repaired in Peretz and Zerach: and indeed they returned and were born from Yehudah himself, and this was through the Holy One, blessed be He. And as written in Sotah 10b: a heavenly voice came forth and said, ‘From Me came forth these concealed matters.’ And see the holy Zohar, Mishpatim, page 104, on the verse ‘Yehudah, your brothers will acknowledge you.’ And King Dovid, peace be upon him, also merited this. And this is what is said of him: ‘The utterance of the man raised up’—who established the yoke of repentance, as written in Moed Katan 16b. Apart from them, however, no person in the world merited this, and as the Vilna Gaon explains all this at length in the Tikunim, tikun 58. But until the time of repair, it is impossible in almost any way for anyone who descended through sin from his previous level, may the Merciful One save us, to return and come to his original level, and as the Vilna Gaon wrote in tikun 58; see there. And the reason is based on what we have said. And understand very well, for I cannot explain more now. And the general rule is that, although the sin itself is atoned for immediately through repentance, for someone whose sin caused him to descend from his level, may the Merciful One save us, his repentance does not help him in this respect now, but specifically in the future to come. However, not all sins, and not for every person, does sin cause a descent of level, Heaven forbid. For all this is from the mystery of the supreme thought, which one has no permission to question, for it was not revealed to any creature. And as the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe Rabbainu, peace be upon him: ‘Be silent; thus it arose in thought before Me’—which is from the mystery of the world of points and chaos, and as stated above, branch 18. And see there in our words and understand that every descent of level caused by sin, may the Merciful One save us, which cannot now be restored, is included in the mystery of ‘awesome in His dealings with mankind.’” End of quotation.

18. Ramchal of blessed memory wrote (Adir BaMarom, p. 30): And know that the animals in the first man’s time, before the sin, were at the levels of human beings now. And this is the mystery of “We are like donkeys, but not like the donkey of Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair.” End of quotation. And there (p. 33), he wrote: Certainly, if man descended, the animals also descended; and they are the animals of today. However, some animals remained at the levels of those of the first man, and namely, Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair’s donkey and others like it. End of quotation. And these are the words of the Toras Chaim of blessed memory (portion of Vayishlach, p. 362): Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair’s donkey did not eat anything untithed because it remained among the animals from before the sin of the Tree of Knowledge. End of quotation. (And see Avos DiRabbi Noson, end of chapter 8: Just as the early righteous ones were pious, so their animals were pious like them. End of quotation.)

19. Ramchal of blessed memory wrote in Misilas Yisharim (chapter 1): The Holy One, blessed be He, placed man in a place containing many things that distance him from Him, blessed be He—and these are precisely the material desires. If he is drawn after them, then he grows ever more distant from the true good. End of quotation.

20. The author of Leshem Shivo ViAchlamah of blessed memory wrote (Book of Explanations on Aitz Chaim, part 2, folio 55a): What constitutes all the praise and distinction of man, who merited all this? It consists in his existence being inclusive of, and perfectly formed from, everything above and below, while he sits in the hidden recess of the level, where the wicked walk around. And among them he is like a rose among thorns, and the whole world is continually against him. And not only this: even after the preciousness of the rock from which he was hewn, whose stock is in holy seed, because of the great mixture of evil within good resulting from the sin of the Tree of Knowledge, man thereby emerges from the womb in sin and is conceived in iniquity. And within him lies in ambush the inclination of his heart, evil from his youth; and it strengthens and renews itself against him every day, and gives his soul no rest even for a single moment, and he is continually besieged, distressed, and subjected to great trials. End of quotation.

21. And Rabbi Noson of blessed memory likewise wrote in Afternoon Prayer (Halacha 7, item 90): Although the blessed God creates and sustains everything—for He creates the fruit of the tree, the fruit of the earth, and all kinds of plants in the world—He nevertheless created the world with such an arrangement that man necessarily must plow and sow the land and garden; and afterwards, He brings down rain upon them from heaven. And through this specifically, the fruits and all the plants grow. And all this is because everything in the world—everything was created for man, who possesses free choice. His principal greatness comes from the aforementioned aspect—the aspect of awakening from below, which depends specifically upon man, who possesses free choice, for whom everything was created. And therefore, all things in the world—everything requires man to engage in rectifying them, as our Rabbis of blessed memory said concerning the verse, “Which God created to do,” etc. (as brought in our discussion of this elsewhere). End of quotation.

22. In Midrash Rabbah, Beraishis (section 1, item 1): Rabbi Hoshaya Rabbah opened (Mishlay 8), “And I was with Him as amon, and I was a delight day by day,” etc. Another interpretation: amon—artisan. The Torah says: I was the instrument of craftsmanship of the Holy One, blessed be He. In the ordinary way of the world, when a king of flesh and blood builds a palace, he does not build it according to his own knowledge, but according to an artisan’s knowledge. And the artisan does not build it according to his own knowledge, but has plans and notebooks to know how he makes rooms, how he makes small doorways. So the Holy One, blessed be He, looked into the Torah and created the world. And the Torah said, “In the beginning God created”; “beginning” means only Torah, as you say (Mishlay 8), “Hashem acquired me as the beginning of His way.” End of quotation.

23. See Degel Machanay Efrayim (Chayey Sarah, “And I came today to the spring”): It is known that every Israelite must believe with complete faith that the Holy One, blessed be He, continually renews the work of creation every day. Now, it is known that the initial creation of the world, being from nothingness, took place through the holy Torah, as it is written, “In the beginning”—meaning, with the Torah, called “beginning,” God created the heavens, etc. That is, through the Torah the blessed God created everything: the heavens and all that is upon them, the earth and all that is upon it. And the two occurrences of את include [these], for everything was created through the Torah. And therefore, the renewal by which the Holy One, blessed be He, renews every day what He created in the six days of creation, each day in its day, must also be through the Torah. And that is, through the Torah’s renewal every day, the Holy One, blessed be He, renews the creation of each and every day. And that is, the whole world was created only for Israel, and the world’s renewal likewise depends upon [what is done] through Israel, whose conduct accords with the Torah, both through performing the Torah’s mitzvos and through studying the Torah. And there are many levels, for “One higher than the high watches, and higher ones are above them.” And according to the intention and understanding in their Torah study and performance of its mitzvos, so is the matter of the world’s renewal that they awaken through their acts, both mitzvos and study. End of quotation.

24. And in Laws of Damages (Halacha 4, item 2), our teacher, Rabbi Noson of blessed memory, wrote: Every person must believe with complete faith that everything that passes over him every day, and at every time, and at every hour, from the day of his birth until the day of his death, all of it consists only of turnings [of events] from Him, blessed be He, so that he should merit attainments of Divinity, to know and recognize Him, blessed be He. For he was created only for this, and there is no other ultimate purpose beyond it. As written in the holy Zohar and brought several times in our words, creation was principally “so that they should know Him.” And this is the principal general rule of the entire Torah, and the general rule of all the intentions of all the holy mitzvos. End of quotation.

25. our teacher, Rabbi Chaim Vital of blessed memory, wrote in the introduction to the Gate of the Commandments: When one prays before Him, blessed be He, for some request among the requests, such as sustenance, wealth, children, and the like, one should not pray for one’s own sake, because one needs to ask that request, but to fulfill His commandment, blessed be He, in that we were commanded to pray to Him in our troubles, to declare that He is our God and we are His people and servants, and our eyes depend upon Him like servants’ eyes upon their masters’ hand. And we have no help except from Him, blessed be He, and one should place all one’s trust upon Him. End of quotation. And see Ramban of blessed memory, objections to the Book of Commandments, positive commandment 5.

26. It is explained here that the principal rectification of the vessel effected by man is prayer, for rain did not descend until man came and prayed concerning it. And the Ari of blessed memory likewise wrote in Olas Tamid (folio 5a, and in Pri Aitz Chaim, Gate of Prayer, chapter 7): “It is effected through the prayers and commandments of those below in this world, etc. For through man’s commandments in this world, and particularly within the particular, through prayers—for they are the principal thing and root of all this, and nothing is greater in this matter than prayer—and therefore our Rabbis of blessed memory called prayers ‘things that stand at the height of the world.’” End of quotation. And our teacher, Rabbi Noson of blessed memory, mentions this in Laws of Prayer (Halacha 4): “The principal rectification of all the fallen attributes is through prayer, as explained in the writings: the principal rectification and clarification of all the attributes comes specifically through prayer.” End of quotation. And in Tikunay Zohar, rectification 21 (folio 42), it is brought: “I encountered many camps that were coming from the battle of the serpent; and they are camps of angels that descend, girded to receive prayers.” And the author of Yafeh Shaah of blessed memory explained there in Shaas Ratzon: “‘I encountered many camps’—these are the vessels of Atzilus that descend; ‘that were coming’—in their ascent at the time of prayer; ‘from the battle of the serpent’—for the clarification is a great battle; ‘and they are camps of angels that descend, girded to receive prayers’—for the principal clarification is effected through prayer.” End of quotation.

27. In the Gate of the Statements of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, portion of Kedoshim, at length. And there, in the portion of Titzaveh, and this is part of his wording there: Had the first man not transgressed His commandment, blessed be He, he would have possessed the power to subdue the kelipos [husks] that, etc., through his commandments and good deeds, etc.; and then the kelipos would have been entirely nullified from the world, etc. See there at length.

28. Concerning what the Ari of blessed memory wrote at the beginning of Aitz Chaim (Circles and Uprightness, chapter 1), “And after its turning back to what it was,” the Leshem of blessed memory wrote in his explanations there: However, it will not be nullified, God forbid; rather, all bodies and vessels will be refined, and all materiality and thickness will be nullified, and every body will be transformed into a soul. And they will likewise ascend from elevation to elevation until all are united with one another and everything becomes one in Him, and Hashem will be one and His name one. See there. And his words at the beginning of the Book of Principles (folio 1b), concerning the hymn “Master of the world, who reigned,” etc., “And after everything is ended, He alone, awesome, will reign”: The intention is not that existence be entirely nullified, God forbid, for only impurity will be nullified, etc. And all matter and physicality will likewise be refined, etc.; and likewise each one will ascend from elevation to elevation, each lower one to the level of the higher one, and the levels will be included within one another to become all one, up to the kingship of the light of the Infinite, for all will be included within it, etc. And therefore, when His own light shines without limit throughout all existence in its entirety, so that everything returns to Him at the ultimate end, indeed, it was well said concerning this, “And after everything is ended, He alone, awesome, will reign.” End of quotation; see there. And see the book Bitzais HaShemesh, concerning the siddur of the Rashash (intentions of counting the Omer), section of studies, section 11, note 11 there, and what else he cites there concerning this.

29. From the expression of nullification: “What” are we? “What” is our life?

30. Rabbi Noson of blessed memory likewise wrote in Laws of a Deposit (Halacha 3, item 21): One must know a preliminary principle familiar to those who understand the writings of the Ari of blessed memory and the innovations of our master of blessed memory: within every world, every level, and every person, there is the entire aspect of the cascading descent of all the worlds. Therefore, this aspect of the contraction of the vacant space is within every world, every person, and every level. Before the light of knowledge, which is vitality, descends from world to world, etc., it is in the aspect of the Infinite, and an aspect of contraction of the vacant space is needed for this, as at the beginning of creation. Afterwards, the light is drawn in the manner of a line, etc., as it were, for every person at every level contains [aspects] of all the worlds. What is in the whole is in the particular. Through this, one can understand a little from afar, as explained by many, many warnings at the beginning of Aitz Chaim and the beginning of the Idra Rabbah: no understanding of this at all is possible except for someone who nullifies his intellect and, where he does not understand, attributes it to the deficiency of his human knowledge. Then he can understand a little of much and see from afar the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He, whose understanding is beyond investigation. End of quotation. There, in item 10, he wrote: And the whole matter of contraction, breaking, and rectification is found within each person. And whoever has a heart to understand can understand a little of this matter within each person. End of quotation. And in Laws of Washing Hands, Halacha 6, item 45: It is known that all the mysteries of the Kabbalah are alluded to within man, who is the aspect of the image of God. End of quotation. And the author of Kerem Shlomo of blessed memory wrote in his explanation of the Gate of the Points, chapter 3: “It is known that the whole entirety of the worlds, from beginning to end, is alluded to within every person. Everything that takes place in the world—that is, within these kings and in their rectification—also takes place within man, as the master of blessed memory wrote all this in several places.” End of quotation. And the author provisionally read as מהד״א פיררא of blessed memory [one of the sages of the academy of our master the Rashash of blessed memory, the Bais El academy in Jerusalem] wrote in his book Holy Garments That Are Aharon’s (Alphabet of Principles, item 1): “Man includes all the worlds from beginning to end, from Atik to the kingship at the end of all levels, inclusive. Accordingly, one must rectify and understand all the expositions of the master Rabbi Chaim Vital, may his merit protect us, from beginning to end: from the circles of Adam Kadmon and its linear configuration, to the circles and linear configuration of the feminine configuration, and all the particulars—how they are established within man himself, who also includes everything. Through this, the master’s expositions will be properly established, all intentions will be correct, and it will not be a commandment of people learned by rote, etc.” End of quotation. And in Likutay Halachos (Inheritances, Halacha 4, item 5), he wrote: See the writings of the Ari of blessed memory, where the ways of his holy mysteries, etc., are explained. All these things are now explained according to our way, in the simple way of practical service and action. In truth, everything is one, for the inward intention of the Ari of blessed memory is also to bring about action. End of quotation.

31. In the books Emek HaMelech and Shever Yosef. And see the book “They Will Fear You with the Sun,” branch 9, concerning these awesome worlds.

33. Based on the teaching “And Boaz Said to Ruth,” in teaching 65; study the entire teaching there carefully. And the principle is that a person must always look toward the ultimate end, which is entirely good, entirely one, where all suffering and all troubles in the world are nullified, for everything is for the good. However, it is impossible to look toward this ultimate end except by completely closing the eyes to the sight of this world, etc. And therefore, it is ingrained in the human soul that, when there is great suffering, God forbid, one closes and shuts one’s eyes very forcefully, etc., in order to flee toward the ultimate end, etc.; study all this there carefully. But afterwards, when one returns from the nullification, the suffering again intensifies, more than at first, like two people fighting one another, when one sees, etc. Afterwards, however, the suffering is cooled and nullified through the Torah drawn through the suffering, through nullifying oneself toward the ultimate end. Through this, the radiance of the impression shines into the mental faculties, and one receives Torah through joy, which is a vessel for receiving Torah. Through this, one quenches the thirst of the soul, which is an aspect of suffering, in the aspect of “Ho, everyone who thirsts, go to water,” etc.; study all this there thoroughly. And then one can pray properly and make one out of the whole prayer, etc., etc.; study there carefully. End of Rabbi Noson’s words at the beginning of the Halacha. And on this basis he continues his words here concerning the verse.

34. As the Ari of blessed memory wrote in Aitz Chaim (Gate 9, chapter two): And you already know that the concealment of the light and its covering are the actuality of its rectification. End of quotation. And there, in Gate 13, at the beginning of chapter two, and elsewhere. And in Reasons for the Commandments, at the beginning of the section Kedoshim, the Ari of blessed memory wrote: And I have already informed you concerning the supernal rectifications that they are all screens and partitions, so that the lower beings can receive the great light and their eyes not become dim, and like one looking into the light of the sun. Thus the diminution of illumination is, on the contrary, its rectification. End of quotation. And these are the words of the Vilna Gaon of blessed memory in Sifra DiTzniusa (chapter 1, folio 2c): “And all the rectifications are by way of apertures and hairs, so that the light is diminished and contracted, so that it emerges in subtlety and clothing. And this is the principal rectification: that the light be diminished so that the lower beings can receive the light; and this was likewise the intention in the contraction of the light.” End of quotation.

32. And see also below concerning the verse, “And whatever the man calls it, a living soul—that is its name.” And in Laws of Washing Hands for a Meal (Halacha 4), Rabbi Noson of blessed memory wrote: This is the aspect of what our master of blessed memory wrote in the new Alphabet Book, Righteous Person, teaching 20: through mentioning the names of the righteous, one can bring renewal into the work of creation—that is, change nature. For it is explained in the aforementioned teaching “Sound [the Shofar]—Rebuke” that every righteous person possesses the aspect of a spirit of prophecy, the holy spirit. Through this, the imagination of all those drawing close to him is clarified. And through this, they attain faith in the renewal of the world. And through this faith, there will be the world’s renewal in the future, when the world will be governed in the aspect of the Land of Israel—that is, through providence and wonders beyond nature. See all this there carefully. And therefore, by mentioning the names of the righteous, through this, they awaken their impression, as our master of blessed memory wrote elsewhere (teaching 248, Likutay, part 1): by telling of righteous ones, their impression is awakened. And therefore, by mentioning their names, the power of the impression of their good deeds is awakened. And the principal power of the good deeds of the righteous is that through their good deeds they merited the aspect of the holy spirit, and through it drew faith in the renewal of the world, as stated above. Therefore, by mentioning their names, one certainly can bring change into the work of creation—that is, change nature. For mentioning the righteous ones’ names awakens the power of their holy spirit and draws faith in the renewal of the world into the world. Through this, an illumination is drawn from the world’s future renewal, which will occur through this, as stated above, through which the world will be governed by providence and wonders beyond nature. And therefore, through this one certainly can change nature. And this is what our master of blessed memory wrote: one must write down for oneself the names of the righteous as a remembrance (as written in the old Alphabet Book, Righteous Person, teaching 19): whoever esteems Hashem, blessed be He, should write for himself in a book the names of the righteous and the Tannaim and the God-fearing as a remembrance. For their names must be written as a remembrance, because the principal power of the righteous, who reveal faith in the world’s renewal as stated above, is through their clarifying the faculty of imagination through the aspect of their holy spirit, their spirit of prophecy. As explained there in the aforementioned teaching: for the principal faith comes through the clarification of the imagination, as stated above. And therefore, the righteous ones’ names must be written in a book as a remembrance, for writing is for remembrance, as it is written, “Write this as a remembrance in a book.” And memory is in the faculty of imagination, as our master of blessed memory wrote elsewhere. And the name is the aspect of remembrance, as it is written, “For Your name and Your remembrance is the soul’s desire” (Yeshaya 26), and as it is written, “This is My name forever, and this is My remembrance from generation to generation.” And it is written, “Hashem, Your name is forever; Hashem, Your remembrance from generation to generation.” Therefore, through the names of the righteous, which are an aspect of remembrance, an aspect of “The remembrance of a righteous person is for a blessing”—for the principal remembrance remaining from all the righteous is their holy name, their remembrance remaining in the world for a blessing—therefore, through mentioning their holy names, in whose names His blessed name is shared, through this, they clarify the imagination. For the holy name is an aspect of remembrance, which is in the aspect of the imagination. Therefore the imagination is clarified through the remembrance of the holy names of the righteous, whose entire service is to clarify the imagination. And so forth, as stated above. And therefore mentioning their names is especially conducive to this, for their name itself is an aspect of clarifying the imagination: their name is an aspect of rectifying memory, which is the rectification of the imagination, where memory is, as stated above. And therefore their names must be written specifically in a book, for writing is for remembrance; in the aspect of “Write this as a remembrance in a book,” through which the imagination is clarified, as stated above. And therefore all the words of the prophets must be written in a book, for all twenty-four books of the prophets are an aspect of the Written Torah, which it is forbidden to recite by heart. For prophecy is the clarification of the imagination, as stated above, and therefore they must specifically be written. For writing is an aspect of remembrance, which is an aspect of clarifying the imagination, as stated above. This is the aspect of writing the names of the righteous as a remembrance, for all this is an aspect of clarifying the imagination, which is clarified through the merit and power of the righteous, as stated above. Through this, one merits faith in the renewal of the world, through which one changes nature, as stated above. End of quotation.

35. The Ramchal of blessed memory wrote (Adir BaMarom, end of page 29): When man was created, there was no impurity in him at all, and he had only to elevate the worlds to the higher level—that is, to complete the rectification that the Emanator, blessed be His name, began. And then the evil inclination would have been rectified and all evil would have returned to good, as will occur at the end of the rectification. For the light of holiness would prevail, and the rectification of “Brightness [nogah] will be like light” would take place, for all creation would remain in holiness without any impurity whatsoever. And this is why Adam, the first man, was not commanded in the 613 commandments, for this is the mystery of service below in the mystery of Zeir Anpin. But Adam’s way was not thus: it was to attain the holiness coming to him with great intensification until the day of Shabbos, and it would have been sufficient for him not to obstruct it. And then the abundance of holiness would sanctify him completely, so that even the aspect of the evil inclination would be very good, and the world would be rectified immediately. End of quotation. And the author of the Tanya of blessed memory wrote in Torah Or (Beraishis, folio 5, column 4): What was His blessed intention initially, when man did not know good and evil at all? Since evil exists in the world, then how would the clarifications be clarified, which must be done through man? But the matter is that then it would have been in an entirely different manner, not through warfare, but in the manner of what is written: “And He placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it”—these are the 248 positive commandments, to draw the light of the Infinite into the Garden of Eden. And through the abundance of the revelation of light, the sparks of holiness that fell and became mixed into evil would automatically ascend and become included within the higher lights that man would draw, like a candle before a torch. For if the torch is small, then a candle near it can be included within it; and if it is moved a little farther away, it will not be included within it, because the torch is small. But if the torch is large, then, even though the candle is far away, it will become included within it. And this is like the time when the Holy Temple stood—for our Sages of blessed memory said: Israel was exiled only so that converts would be added to them, etc. The sparks would automatically be included like a candle before a torch, etc. And had the Holy Temple continued thus longer, they would all have been clarified through this. And as it is written (Tzefanya 3), “Then I will turn to the peoples a pure language,” etc.; “And nations will walk toward your light.” And this would likewise have been man’s condition had he not sinned: he was entirely holy, for his body too was taken from the place of the altar, and from it his 248 limbs were made, [he being] included in oil, etc. And he would stand in the Garden of Eden, and there he would add lights, and the shells would automatically be exhausted through the sparks of holiness being exhausted from them. But the matter would have been without warfare. End of quotation.

36. In Responsa Torah Lishmuh (attributed to the Ben Ish Chai of blessed memory), section 470, he wrote: And know that, through our mentioning their names over every holy matter that we perform and that we study, their merit will thereby be awakened, and power will be drawn to us from the ordered intentions that they received and that they would intend in every commandment, prayer, and engagement in Torah. End of quotation.

37. Our holy master mentions the matter of the names of the righteous in Sefer HaMidos (Righteous Person, part two, item 20): Through mentioning the names of the righteous, one can bring a change in the work of creation—that is, change nature. End of quotation. And in Yimay Moharnat (part two, item 17): Truly, mentioning the names of the righteous is a very, very wondrous and awesome matter, and greatly assists in the service of Hashem, blessed be He, as has already been explained somewhat concerning this. And there are still words for my God to explain the greatness of the virtue of mentioning the names of the righteous, and its place is not here. End of quotation. And see above, concerning the verse “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created,” and what is brought there.

38. The Ari of blessed memory wrote in Aitz Chaim (Gate 39, chapter 3): When he named all the living creatures, they too were clarified. And there, the author of Raglay Ahavuh of blessed memory wrote (volume 2, page 378): For he knew how to clarify and rectify the power and vitality of the soul of all the living creatures, each in its own aspect. And this is what is written: “a living soul”—that is, its soul and vitality. In Noam Elimelech, section Lech Lechuh (opening words “Or one may say, and Avram passed through the land”), he wrote: This is what Scripture says: “And whatever the man calls it, a living soul—that is its name.” That is its name in the upper world, in the root belonging to that creature or that animal. For Adam, the first man, intended to call them by these names that have this root in the upper world. End of quotation. The disciple of the author of the Tanya, designated מהר״א הלוי, of blessed memory, wrote in Avodas HaLevi (section Beraishis): Therefore it says, “And He brought [them] to the man to see what he would call it”—that is, man drew to each and every particular the revelation of Godliness according to its root, which it has from above, as it were. For in every particular there is a profound intention, according to what arose in His primordial will. And this is “And whatever the man calls it, a living soul—that is its name”: that is, what Adam drew to all the souls of living beings was its revelation as in its root. See there. In Leshem Shevo ViAchlamuh (HaDe’uh, part 2, exposition 3, branch 20): The complete rectification and clarification accomplished for all the souls of the living creatures —this was indeed accomplished through Adam, the first man, and it was through the naming of the names that he called each of them. And as it is written: “And the man called names to all the animals, and to the birds of the heavens, and to every creature of the field.” For by naming the names, he connected them to their upper root and united them above, and as written in the introduction to Zohar Beraishis, folio 2, end of side a, and likewise in Tikunim, Tikun 49 and Tikun 57; see there. And through this, much light and holiness were drawn upon them from their upper root in the Holy of Holies, and through this they were clarified and emerged from evil entirely. End of quotation.

39. In Sichos HaRan (item 80): People have power to obstruct and entice a person, distancing him from serving the Creator and from true tzaddikim, more than the evil inclination. For the evil inclination has ability only according to its power, according to the aspect of the evil inclination from whatever world it belongs to. But man is a totality comprising all worlds; and therefore obstacles from people are greater than obstacles from the evil inclination. End of quotation.

40. Leshem Shevo V’achlamah wrote in Sefer HaKlalim (beginning of principle 16): Wherever the light of Ein Sof shines, behold, all forces of separation, opposites, and distances are nullified and cease, for they all came forth only from Him, and He unifies everything. And in the world of chaos, in which the revelation of the light of Ein Sof was lacking in them, they therefore emerged separately, and all the corruptions resulted from this. End of quotation. And likewise, the author of Tanya, of blessed memory, also explained this in Torah Or, the portion Vayeshev, on the verse “And behold, we were binding sheaves”; and after him his son, [the author of] Toras Chaim, of blessed memory, explained it well.

41. This is Rashi’s wording here: “And they were not ashamed, because they did not know the way of modesty to distinguish between good and evil. Although understanding was given to him to name things, the evil inclination was not put into him until they ate from the tree and the evil inclination entered him.”

42. As explained in Aitz Chaim, Gate 9, chapter 5; Gate 10, chapter 5; and there, Gate 11, chapter 1: one of the reasons for the breaking of the vessels was the abundance of light, which the vessels could not contain.

43. And see further below, in the portion “And I pleaded”, on the verse “You shall not add,” for further words of Rabbi Noson on this.

44. And in Halachos of Plaintiff and Defendant (Halacha 3, item 2), Rabbi Noson, of blessed memory, wrote: All sins and blemishes are principally drawn from hastening to take something before its time, and not overcoming one’s desire to wait until its time comes permissibly. As our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “By your name they will call you; and in your place they will seat you; and of what is yours they will give you,” etc. And therefore the principal first sin, which is the first man’s sin, was only his not waiting with his marital union until Shabbos. And therefore sins are called boser, unripe fruit, fruit that has not yet ripened, as it is written, “Fathers eat unripe fruit.” For the principal sin comes from taking something not at its time. And in truth, the principal time to attain the taste of the true good is only in the future to come. And fortunate is one who waits, restrains his desire throughout all the days of this world, closes his eyes entirely to the sights of this world, and waits for the eternal good. As it is written, “Therefore wait for Me, for the day I rise to witness.” For he will certainly merit the true delight, the eternal delight. But even in this world there are things whose principal prohibition is that one does not wait. And if one waits until its time comes, one will receive it permissibly. And as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Menachos 44a), “Those same bedding sets that she spread for him in prohibition, she spread for him permissibly.” End of quotation.

45. According to the discourse “Rabbi Yochanan Relates,” item 16, for it is impossible for the tzaddik’s thought constantly to range through supernal wisdoms, etc., for sometimes the cessation of Torah is its maintenance, etc. And it is explained there that the principal reason the tzaddik must sometimes cease his cleaving is the clouds covering the eyes, which are Aisav and Yishmael, so that these clouds should not, Heaven forbid, overpower his eyes and his wisdom be entirely nullified, Heaven forbid. And then, when he ceases his cleaving, his eyes then shine like the moon, etc. But through the two messiahs, whose springs will spread outward, and a pure language will be turned to them all, then “And the light of the moon shall be like the light of the sun” will be fulfilled. And then he will not need to cease his cleaving. Study all this carefully there.

46. And it is explained further below, at the end of the portion Vayishlach (“And these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom”).

47. In Tikunay Zohar, Tikun 70, folio 138b; in the holy Zohar, Biraishis, folio 37b. And see also Leshem Shevo VeAchlamah, of blessed memory (HaDeah, part 2, folio 38a), who explained this matter of their length of days as follows: The duration of each and every day of the six days of creation followed an entirely different order from what it is now. And those days were exceedingly great and long, beyond any measure or comparison with our days, etc. And behold, this is the secret of what was said in the Tikunim, at the end of Tikun 70: many years and length of days come from Arich Anpin, while few days and years come from Zeir Anpin. The intention of what is said, “length of days,” is simply that until the Flood the entire condition of the whole world also followed a single order; see Biraishis Rabbah, chapter 34, section 11, the beginning of chapter 36, and there chapter 28, end of section ר׳ [printed designation]. And the duration of their days and hours was also much longer than now. And just as they lived many years, so the duration of each day was also longer. And although it was not as with the first man before the sin, but nevertheless, behold, their days were much longer than they are now. End of quotation; see there.

1 [printed letter א]. And in Laws of Shaving (Halacha 4, item 11), Rabbi Noson, of blessed memory, wrote: “Even now there are various things that people know clearly to be so, although they do not understand by any intellect how such a thing can come about; for this is true of all creation. And as the investigators themselves acknowledge, deficient understanding is no proof that something is impossible—that the thing is certainly impossible because they do not understand it intellectually. For we see various things which, had we not seen them with our eyes, we certainly could not have understood intellectually in any way; and nevertheless, we see that they are so. And similarly, they bring the example of someone born in a desolate wilderness who had never seen male and female. If he were told that his coming into the world and all his vitality came through a putrid drop that was in a person’s womb for nine months, shut and enclosed, and so on, he would certainly deny the matter and mock it greatly: how could so strange a thing possibly exist? And so on. And nevertheless, we see that it is so. And no intellect necessitates any of the things in the world; certainly, no intellect can comprehend how so great a tree comes from one seed, with so many fruits growing from it for many years. And each and every fruit has many seeds, and from each and every seed one can plant more such trees. And likewise with all the details of creation, as Dovid said: ‘How many are Your works, Hashem,’ and so on, ‘How great are Your works, Hashem.’” End of quotation.

2 [printed letter ב]. Before this, Rabbi Noson, of blessed memory, explains, on the basis of teaching 280, that in all business dealings and every matter of worldly affairs His Divinity, blessed be He, is clothed in everything. And in everything one does, one must contemplate the Divinity within that thing; thereby one repairs it. And he explains there that this is why the judges are called “Eloakim”: those who come before them are people who damaged this matter, acted falsely, and did not engage with the Divine light within each thing. And the judges, who restore the matter to truth and to Torah, reveal the Divinity of that thing brought before them. (This is brought below in the portion of Mishpatim: “It shall come before the judges [ha-Eloakim].”) And Rabbi Noson explains there that this is why there are three judges: every matter has three parts—action, speech, and thought. And on this basis Rabbi Noson, of blessed memory, proceeds to explain here.

3 [printed letter ג]. As explained in the Ari’s writings, the repair of the works of creation was the repair of the breaking of the vessels, through the new light of MAH. And see below, the end of the portion of Vayishlach.

4 [printed letter ד]. The word מרחפת consists of מ״ת (“dead”) and רפ״ח (288): the 288 holy sparks that died in the breaking [of the vessels].

5 [printed letter ה]. This is the light of the new name MAH that emerges from the forehead of Adam Kadmon. This is explained in Aitz Chaim, gate 10.

6 [printed letter ו]. See Degel Machaneh Ephraim here in this portion, in the name of the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory, explaining the Sages’ statement that He arose and hid it for the tzaddikim in the future to come: it is hidden in the Torah, and the tzaddikim see by it. And see also Yoasher Divray Emes, item 3; and this is also brought in books of the disciples of the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid, of blessed memory. And see לשם שבו ואחלמה (Sefer HaKlalim, principle 18, branch 8, item 4), who wrote: “Its root [that of the hidden light] is also concealed and hidden in the soul of each and every tzaddik, even in this world, as written in the holy Zohar, the portion of Terumah: ‘For the completion of the repair of this spirit and the spirits of the tzaddikim in this world,’ and so on. And see the Vilna Gaon on this, in the Tikunim, tikun 54, page 106, the end of column c. And in any event, in the souls of the tzaddikim the first light of the work of creation—of which it is said, ‘And God saw the light, that it was good’—is forever concealed and hidden. And this is what is said: ‘Say of the tzaddik that he is good.’ However, it is only concealed within them—that is, in their souls. And they now use only the concentrated essence of its light, little by little, according to the level of each tzaddik.” End of quotation.