Treasury of Awe (Oatzar HaYeerah) — Volume I

Wine has two aspects: when one does not merit, it is the aspect of forgetfulness [ shichechah ] — but when one merits, it is on the contrary in the aspect of memory [ zikaron ]. And then when the wine is in holiness — rising from the aspect of forgetfulness to the aspect of memory — which is the essential merit of memory in the place where forgetfulness applies, as stated above — therefore at that time the essential wholeness is specifically through wine. And this is the aspect of reciting Birchas ha-Mazon over wine — for through Birchas ha-Mazon one elevates the eating from the aspect of forgetfulness to the aspect of memory, which is the aspect of holy wine as above. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Blessings over Fruit, Law 3, sections 7, 9)

The three blessings of Birchas ha-Mazon correspond to the three Patriarchs who are revealed in the world to protect against judgment and darkness etc. — which is the aspect of the body — and to elevate the soul. And all of this is accomplished through the avira [air/atmosphere] of Eretz Yisrael which is drawn through Birchas ha-Mazon . And therefore Eretz Yisrael and Torah — which is the aspect of the soul, as above — are mentioned within it. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Blessings over Fruit, Law 3, section 9)

A person must not receive pleasure and delight from the physical substance of what he eats and drinks — rather he must elevate the pleasure and love garbed within that thing to its supernal root in holiness. For the supernal root of all loves and delights is the aspect of no'am ha-elyon [the supernal pleasantness/delight — the highest of all pleasures, the divine beauty and sweetness that emanates from G-d] — from which all the pleasantness of flavors and delights in every thing descend and flow, the aspect of: "How beautiful and how pleasant you are, O love with delights" [ mah yafis u'mah na'amis ahavah b'ta'anugim ] [Shir HaShirim 7:7]. And for this reason one must recite a blessing over every thing from which one wishes to derive benefit — for through the blessing one connects and elevates that thing to its root, to the aspect of no'am ha-elyon . For all the blessings, songs, and praises that one blesses and praises to His Name, blessed be He, are the aspect of no'am ha-elyon — the aspect of: "Sing to His Name, for He is pleasant" [ zameru lishmo ki na'im ] [Tehillim 135:3]; the aspect of: "for pleasantness befits praise" [ ki na'im nava tehillah ] [Tehillim 147:1]; the aspect of: "the pleasant singer of Israel" [ ne'im zemiros Yisrael ] [Shmuel II 23:1]. For it is impossible to cleave to the Creator, blessed be He, and to merit no'am ha-elyon — "to behold the pleasantness of Hashem" [ la'chazosin no'am Hashem ] [Tehillim 27:4] — except through the words of blessings, thanksgivings, prayers, songs, and praises. It turns out that all blessings are in the aspect of no'am ha-elyon — and therefore through the blessing one elevates and connects all loves and delights to their root, to the aspect of no'am ha-elyon . And therefore the essential Birchas ha-Mazon [which is from the Torah itself, and from which all other blessings are derived] is for Eretz Yisrael — for the essential flow of no'am ha-elyon is in Eretz Yisrael . Therefore the essential holiness of eating is in Eretz Yisrael — which is the aspect of all the commandments dependent upon the Land, which all relate to kinds of food. And through the blessing one recites over every thing, one draws the holiness of Eretz Yisrael — which is the aspect of no'am ha-elyon — which is the supernal holy root of all flavors, loves, and delights in the world, as above. And since the essential revelation of His glory, blessed be He, is through the flow of no'am ha-elyon (see within) — from this descends the fact that most of the honor that people show one another is through kinds of food and drink. Likewise in the language of our Rabbis of blessed memory: "a piece fit to be honored" [ chaticha hare'uyah lehiskabbed ] — because the abundance of no'am ha-elyon is garbed within them, through which the revelation of honor flows. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory established the rules of precedence in the blessings over fruit — according to the level and importance of the foods — for there resides all holy honor and importance. And therefore the seven species for which Eretz Yisrael is praised take precedence in blessing — because the abundance of no'am ha-elyon is most greatly garbed within them, and this is the essential praise of Eretz Yisrael — that the Torah praises her with the good fruits within her, as explained within. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Blessings over Fruit, Law 4, sections 1, 2, 3)

The essential rectification of eating in holiness is through tzedakah [charity]. Therefore one must separate funds for tzedakah before eating and invite a poor person to one's table — as explained in the holy books. And this is because through tzedakah one becomes a vessel to receive the flow of no'am ha-elyon — which is the essential rectification of eating: to connect the flavor and pleasantness of the food and drink to their root — to the aspect of no'am ha-elyon as above. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Blessings over Fruit, Law 4, section 9)

Every person must be careful to recite the blessings over fruit with great kavanah [intention] — in order to be able to find the aspect of the lost objects [ aveidot ] mentioned above, which one must search for very carefully. For this is the entire purpose of the person who was created solely for this — to seek and search after the lost objects, which are the aspect of the fallen sparks mentioned above. And when one searches and seeks diligently, one will certainly find — as our Rabbis of blessed memory have said: "I have labored and not found — do not believe it" [Megillah 6b]. And the essential gathering of all the lost objects and their return to holiness is to return them to the holiness of Eretz Yisrael — as it is written: "Even if your dispersed are at the ends of the heavens…He will bring you to the Land etc." [Devarim 30:4–5], and as it is written: "And those who are lost in the land of Assyria…shall bow down to Hashem on the holy mountain in Jerusalem" [Yeshayahu 27:13]. Therefore the fruits of Eretz Yisrael — namely the seven species for which Eretz Yisrael is praised — take precedence in blessing. And likewise all blessings are derived from Birchas ha-Mazon , and the essential Birchas ha-Mazon is for Eretz Yisrael , as stated many times above. For this is the essential purpose of the blessing — to reveal the holiness of Eretz Yisrael , where the return of all lost objects to their place occurs, as above. And therefore every blessing that does not contain mention of [G-d's] Malchus [Kingship — Melech ha-olam ] is not a blessing [Berachos 40b] — for these lost objects are scattered and dispersed throughout the world. And through mentioning in the blessing "Melech ha-olam" — "King of the universe" — namely that His kingship rules over all and His dominion extends to all places, and no spark is ever lost or banished from Him — through this very declaration one is able to find the lost objects from whatever place they are in. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Blessings over Fruit, Law 5, sections 1, 2)

At every level there is the aspect of a klipah [husk] that precedes the fruit — namely, the koach ha-medameh [the faculty of imagination], the force of animality [ koach ha-behemiut ] — and one must subdue and break it. And this is accomplished through remembering and declaring the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He, through which they are subdued. And this is the matter of all the blessings of enjoyment before and after — for the essential intention of eating is to refine the holy sparks garbed within the mineral, vegetable, and animal [ domem, tzomayach, chai ] — to elevate them to the level of medaber [the speaking being, i.e., the human level]. Therefore one must bless before eating — for the blessing is the praise and the greatness of G-d, and through this the koach ha-medameh , which is the force of animality, is subdued. Then the soul [ nefesh ] and spark present there are able to rise from their level — which is mineral, vegetable, animal — to the level of the speaking being [ medaber ]. And afterward, when one eats — the food is distributed through the limbs. First the liver [ kaved ] is nourished, for there resides the nefesh ha-mis'avah [the desiring/appetitive soul] — and from there the liver actively nurses and feeds foolishness [ yenikas ha-kesilos ] into the person — which is the koach ha-medameh [the faculty of imagination]. And one must refine the food already eaten to elevate it from the liver to the brain — which is an ascent from level to level. And one must subdue the koach ha-medameh within the person himself a second time — which is the aspect of the blood in the liver — and elevate the vitality of the food to the brain. Therefore after eating one must bless again — reciting the after-blessing — in order to subdue the koach ha-medameh within the person himself a second time, so that the food can be refined and ascend to the brain as above. And therefore if the food has already been digested [ nitkayel ], one no longer recites an after-blessing — for there is no longer any need for refinement, since what was, was [ mah d'havah havah ]. And therefore over fragrance [ rei'ach ] one does not recite an after-blessing — for from fragrance the koach ha-medameh draws no sustenance at all, and it rises immediately to the brain. As our Rabbis of blessed memory stated: "Which is the thing from which the soul derives benefit but not the body? — this is fragrance" [Berachos 43b]. Therefore one needs only a first blessing before smelling — for then the fragrance is still garbed in a physical thing [ domem, tzomayach, chai ], which is the aspect of the force of animality. At that point one blesses over it in order to elevate it. But after smelling — it immediately ascends to the brain and the koach ha-medameh draws no sustenance from it — therefore no after-blessing is required. And therefore at Motza'ei Shabbos [Saturday night] one recites a blessing over spices [ besamim ] in order to strengthen the soul [ neshamah ] — for from the eating of Shabbos, the brain, which is the neshamah , is nourished first, and the liver is subdued then. But at Motza'ei Shabbos , when the dominion of the liver begins again — therefore the soul, which is the brain, is strengthened through the fragrance, which rises only to the brain, as above. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Blessings over Fragrance, Law 1, sections 1, 2)

The root of all created beings is the Word of G-d [ dvar Hashem ] — for "by the Word of Hashem the heavens were made etc." [Tehillim 33:6]. And through the blessing one recites before eating anything, through this the thing one eats or drinks is elevated and exalted to its supernal root, which is the Word of G-d. It turns out that when one eats with a blessing and with proper kavanah , one is eating from the High Table [ shulchan gavoha ] — from the aspect of the supernal root which is the Word of G-d, where all powers are included together. And afterward we recite an after-blessing — in order to draw back and bring down from the aspect of the Word of G-d all the powers we need into our body: such as healing or the like — each person according to what he needs. Even though it is nearly certain that he did not eat precisely what he needs according to medical wisdom — nevertheless, through the blessing which is the Word of G-d, where all powers are included together, one can draw down the healing powers and the like as needed through that food which one ate — even if it is not conducive to this according to the natural wisdom of medicine or the like. And since the essential variation of powers exists only in the aspect of the body — but the soul is in the aspect of a simple essence, the aspect of the Word of G-d, in which there is no variation of power whatsoever, G-d forbid — therefore over fragrance no after-blessing is required. For the essential purpose of the after-blessing is to draw back and bring those powers one needs into the body. And this is relevant to eating and drinking, from which the body benefits — and the body has a division of powers: sometimes it needs satiety, sometimes healing, sometimes one kind of remedy and sometimes another. But fragrance, whose powers do not flow into the body — which varies and divides in its powers — but rather nourishes the soul, which has no variation or division of powers whatsoever — therefore only a first blessing is needed: to elevate it from where it is garbed in a physical thing, to its supernal root which is the Word of G-d. But no after-blessing is needed — for it of itself gives life to the soul, which encompasses all powers together in the aspect of the Word of G-d, as above. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Blessings over Fragrance, Law 2, sections 2, 3, 4)

Through the first blessing one recites over every thing — revealing that Hashem, blessed be He, created that thing — through this the evil clinging to that thing is subdued and falls, and the good within it is raised and revealed: namely the holy sparks and the vitality within it ascend and are included in their root. And then the thing is fit for human eating. And afterward, after eating, one recites an after-blessing — for Hashem, blessed be He, has arranged for us this thing to nourish us and give life to our soul. And the essential satiety of the person — namely the satiety of the soul through the eating — the aspect of "the Tzadik eats to the satisfaction of his soul" [Mishlei 13:25] — comes only because the person eats in holiness and purity as is proper. Through this the sparks and souls hidden within the food ascend and are included within his soul — and through this a great radiance is added to his soul. Until one merits through this to come to the aspect of bitul [self-nullification] before the light of the Ein Sof, in the aspect of ratzo va-shov [rushing forth and returning — the oscillation of the soul between its longing to cleave to G-d and its return to serve Him in the world] . And this is the essential satiety of the soul of the Israelite man — the aspect of: "He shall satisfy your soul in brightness" [ v'hisbiya b'tzachtzachos nafshecha ] [Yeshayahu 58:11]. For the radiance of the aforementioned bitul is the aspect of the tzachtzachot [the brilliant, dazzling lights — the most intense radiance of holiness]. And this is the aspect of: "And they beheld G-d, and they ate and drank" [ vayechezu es ha-Elokim va-yochlu va-yishtu ] [Shemos 24:11] — for through eating and drinking in holiness as is proper, one merits to behold the pleasantness of Hashem. And this is the aspect of Birchas ha-Mazon and the after-blessing — through which comes the essential satiety as taught, namely to merit the aforementioned satiety of the soul. And therefore one then blesses ha-Tov v'ha-Meitiv — for this light of bitul is the aspect of the apprehension of the ultimate purpose of the World to Come — when everything will be blessed with ha-Tov v'ha-Meitiv , for there it is all one, all good. And through the bitul toward this ultimate purpose one merits joy — and this is the aspect of: "to eat and to drink and to rejoice and to see good" [Koheles 8:15] — namely to merit the aspect of bitul through eating. And this is the aspect of: "Taste and see that Hashem is good" [ ta'amu u're'u ki tov Hashem ] [Tehillim 34:9] — for there it is all good. And through this joy one merits to receive the Torah — and this is the aspect of: "The Torah was given only to the eaters of the manna" [Mechilta] — for such eating is literally the aspect of eating the manna, as explained within. And therefore Eretz Yisrael is mentioned in Birchas ha-Mazon — for the essential place of bitul and dveykus [cleaving to G-d] is in Eretz Yisrael . And this bitul and dveykus is the aspect of fragrance — the aspect of "like one who smells a scent" [ k'man d'arach rei'cha ] — in Eretz Yisrael , the fragrance of Gan Eden, the pleasure of the World to Come, the aspect of the vitality of the soul which comes only from fragrance. Therefore it was the custom to bring mugmar [incense or fragrant burning spices] after the meal — for this is the essential completion of the meal: to merit through it the radiance and impression [ reshimah ] of the aforementioned bitul , which is the aspect of fragrance — and for this reason the after-blessing is recited, as above. And therefore over fragrance itself no after-blessing is required — for it is itself the aspect of the vitality of the soul through the radiance and sparkling of the pleasantness and sweetness of bitul before the Ein Sof — like one who smells a scent, as above. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Blessings over Fragrance, Law 3)

Fragrance is a very lofty level — for it is the vitality of the soul, as our Rabbis of blessed memory have stated [Berachos 43b]. For it is the aspect of the pleasure of the World to Come, the fragrance of Gan Eden. For good fragrance is the aspect of the radiance and impression [ reshimah ] of bitul before the light of the Ein Sof, blessed be He, in the aspect of ratzo va-shov [rushing forth and returning] — wherein one feels the pleasantness and sweetness of cleaving to and nullifying oneself before the Ein Sof, blessed be He, through the radiance and impression, in the aspect of a good fragrance. For "no thought can grasp Him at all" [ leis machashavah tefisa beih klal ] [Tikkunei Zohar, Introduction] — only like one who smells a scent. And this is the essential ultimate purpose of a person's avodah [divine service] in this world — to merit the aspect of the aforementioned bitul in the aspect of ratzo va-shov : that one should know of Hashem, blessed be He, through the impression of the bitul . And this is the essential pleasure of the World to Come. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Blessings over Fragrance, Law 4, section 1)

Every thing in the world has a beginning and an ultimate purpose [ tachlis ] — and the essential is the ultimate purpose. For Hashem, blessed be He, did not create anything in vain, G-d forbid. Rather every thing in the world — mineral, vegetable, animal, and speaking being — all of it, whatever it may be, must come to the good ultimate purpose: namely, at the time of the future renewal of the world [ chidush ha-olam shel le'asid ], when all things of the world will be included in the root of their vitality — and then each thing will ascend and come to its eternal ultimate purpose. And the essential ascent of all things will be through the human being — for whose sake everything was created, as is known. And through the vitality that a person receives from any thing in holiness, purity, and with blessing with proper kavanah — according to the law of our holy Torah — through this he elevates that thing to its root. And through this the thing will come to its ultimate purpose at the time of the future renewal of the world. Therefore over everything one eats and drinks one must recite a first blessing and an after-blessing — and all of this is in order to reveal the faith in the renewal of the world [ emunás chidush ha-olam ]. Only that in the first blessing one reveals the faith in the renewal of this world — which is the matter of the blessing one recites to Hashem, blessed be He, for having created this thing: "fruit of the ground" or "fruit of the tree" or "Who brings forth bread from the earth." And after eating — when the end of the thing one ate has already arrived, for it has already passed and ceased to exist in the world — then the essential blessing is that one blesses for the vitality received from this food, so that through this blessing the vitality of the thing one ate will ascend to its ultimate purpose and root at the time of the future renewal of the world — when the rectification of all things in the world will be completed, as is known. And for this reason the after-blessing for most foods is boreh nefashos — the aspect of the future renewal of the world, which is the world of souls [ olam ha-neshamos v'ha-nefashos ]. And for this reason over bread — from which the essential vitality comes — Birchas ha-Mazon is recited, and Eretz Yisrael is mentioned within it, as it is written: "upon the good land etc." [Devarim 8:10] — for the future renewal of the world is in the aspect of Eretz Yisrael . And therefore the after-blessing is more important than the first blessing — for Birchas ha-Mazon is from the Torah [ d'oraisa ] — for certainly the future renewal of the world is more important than the present creation of the world, since everything was created only for the ultimate future purpose. And therefore over fragrance no after-blessing is required — for the entire essence of fragrance is drawn from the aspect of the future renewal of the world. For through the sound [ kol ] of the song that will awaken in the future, through this all the fragrances of Gan Eden are nurtured and grow great [ gedeilim ], as explained within. Therefore fragrance is the vitality of the soul, as our Rabbis of blessed memory have stated — for it is drawn from the aspect of the future renewal of the world, which is the world of souls. And all the longing of the soul, its vitality, and its delights come only from there. Therefore no after-blessing is required over fragrance to reveal faith in the future renewal of the world — since the entire essence of fragrance is drawn only from there. (Likutay Halachos, Halachos of Blessings over Fragrance, Law 4, sections 11, 12)