bereishit 1/4

Every person has the strength to withstand all the evil inclination’s temptations. He only needs to recognize the great strength he has. “And you shall rule over it” (4:7). In truth, every Israelite has a precious soul possessing great strength to withstand the evil inclination and its forces. For if a person lacked the strength to withstand the evil inclination, the Holy One, blessed be He, would not give him such an evil inclination, for the Holy One, blessed be He, does not deal tyrannically with His creatures. And as our master, of blessed memory, said, no one will have obstacles that he cannot withstand. And as it is written, “And its desire is toward you, and you shall rule over it”: if you wish, you will overcome it; see Rashi’s explanation there. One must therefore know and believe that certainly each and every Israelite, even the least of the least, possesses great strength to withstand his evil inclination. The principal cause of all the sins and desires in which a person is trapped, God forbid, is only the foolishness of not knowing his strength, etc., as explained in the words of our master, of blessed memory, in his delightful rhymed verses printed at the beginning of Likutay Moharan. And this is his wording: Be strong and let us strengthen ourselves, and do not be like the great elephant and the camel, etc. And all this is due to the foolishness of not knowing his strength, etc. And this is the aspect of what our master, of blessed memory, wrote in the above teaching “Sound” (Likutay Moharan II, teaching 8): the principal lust for sexual immorality, which encompasses all sins, may the Merciful One save us, derives only from constricted consciousness, etc.; see there. For the adversary overpowers him until he casts him into the aspect of constricted consciousness, God forbid: that is, his mind becomes diminished and his resolve weakened until he does not know his strength. And it seems to him that he cannot withstand this desire, for the main strength is in the heart, as our master, of blessed memory, wrote elsewhere. And someone whose heart is strong can use his strength to overcome all the desires in the world, and even lust for sexual immorality, as we have seen many righteous and upright people withstand the test. But the principal fall of all who fall into evil desires arises only from the aspect of constricted consciousness: that is, his mind is diminished until he does not know his strength. For the chief strength comes through the wisdom in the mind, for the letters of “wisdom” (חכמה) form “strength of MAH” (כח מה), and MAH (מה) has the numerical value of “man” (אדם). A person’s chief strength is wisdom, as it is written, “Wisdom gives the wise man more strength than ten rulers who were in the city” (Ecclesiastes 7). That is, the main strength to be bold as a leopard against all desires and temptations comes only through true wisdom, the aspect of expanded consciousness. For the mental faculties are the aspect of partitions spread against lust for sexual immorality, as explained in that teaching. The rule is that a person must strongly believe in his strength and know with complete faith that his intellect and mind certainly have the strength to withstand lust for sexual immorality, which is the root of the evil inclination. For the mind and intellect are the soul, as it is written, “And the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding,” as our master, of blessed memory, wrote elsewhere. And an Israelite’s soul—even that of the least of the least—can certainly stand against the entire world with its desires. For it is not the way of humility to belittle his strength and say that he lacks a lofty soul like the righteous and upright, as if he were unable to be an upright or righteous person. For such humility is forbidden and invalid humility; it is not humility at all, but constricted consciousness, from which one must distance oneself greatly, as our master, of blessed memory, wrote elsewhere. But on the contrary, everyone must tell himself that he has a very lofty soul, for the soul of the least of the least in Israel is very, very lofty. And he must tell himself that it is not fitting for him to be bound to desires, God forbid, all the more so—indeed, all the more so—to commit any transgression, God forbid. As it is written, “And his heart was elevated in the ways of God”: one must elevate his heart in the ways of God. For every Israelite is, at his root, very, very far from transgression, God forbid, as our master, of blessed memory, wrote in the teaching “For He Who has mercy on them shall lead them.” For every Israelite has great strength to stand against the entire world with its desires; but the main thing is to merit knowing his strength. Thus every Israelite truly has great strength, but not everyone merits knowing it. And to the extent each falls into constricted consciousness—that is, fails to know his strength—so does he fall into desires. (Blessing over Fragrance and Blessing of Thanksgiving, Halacha 4, item 1)

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.