Ki Seitzei - Chumash with Likutey Halachos

For even though one surely must conceal the great light — and especially when one attains very great and immense levels and perceptions — surely one must conceal and hide the light, for the world is not worthy of using them — nevertheless, they devise such stratagems and establish such rectifications and clothe the light in such wondrous garments and constrictions, that they illuminate even in those who are very small in stature, as above. And through this, they increase and go on, illuminating the light below more and more each and every day — in the aspect of "increasing each day." For "one elevates in holiness and does not diminish" (Berachos 28a). And one may ask: would it enter the mind to diminish holiness, G-d forbid? Rather, this is the aspect mentioned above: that there are tzadikim who are truly great in stature, yet from the intensity of their holiness, they cannot bear the world. And therefore, through the intensity of their holiness, they distance and push down, G-d forbid, certain people — because they are angry with them, because they cannot bear their unseemly deeds. But Hashem yisbarach does not desire this — for He is One who desires chesed — and He wants the tzadikim to have compassion upon Israel always and draw them close, even if they are as they are. And even if He Himself yisbarach is in great anger with them because of their evil deeds — He wants the tzadikim to pray for them and draw them close, as our Sages said regarding the verse: "And Moshe took the tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp" (Exodus 33:7) — because they sinned so greatly. Hashem yisbarach said: "I am in anger and you are in anger — if so, who will draw them close?" — etc. — as brought in the commentary of Rashi there. And similarly, we find with several prophets and tzadikim that Hashem yisbarach Himself complained before them and told them the greatness of His pain, as it were, that He has from the abundant sins of Israel — and when they strengthened His words and did not advocate well for Israel, He was very displeased with them. As we find with Hoshea the prophet (see Pesachim 87a), and with Eliyahu, who said: "I have been very zealous," etc. (I Kings 19:10) — and [Hashem] said to him: "And Elisha ben Shafat you shall anoint as a prophet in your place" (I Kings 19:16). And our Sages explained (Yalkut Shimoni, cited by Rashi): "I have no need for your prophecy — because you prosecute Israel." For Hashem yisbarach wants only that they should advocate for Israel and have compassion on Israel — even on the worst ones — to draw them all close to Him yisbarach, like Moshe Rabbeinu, alav hashalom, who gave his life for Israel and said: "And if not, erase me, please" (Exodus 32:32) — etc. And this is the aspect of "one elevates in holiness": the more one comes and ascends in holiness, more and more, and perceives the perception of G-dliness more — one must be elevating more and more souls. "And does not diminish" — that is, they should be careful not to be diminishing souls through the greatness of their holiness. That is, they should not reach a state of displeasure with Israel through the greatness of their holiness and their perception of Hashem yisbarach — that on account of this they cannot bear the worst ones, until they become angry with them, until they could push them down, G-d forbid. This is the aspect of "decreasing each day" that Beis Shammai said, as above. For this is not so — rather, one must "elevate in holiness and not diminish." For the more one reaches an ever-greater stature and an ever-greater perception, one must devise and create new constrictions with wondrous stratagems, until one can draw close more and more souls, and heal even the very, very worst and ill, as above. And all this is the aspect of the Chanukah light that is lit below ten tefachim. And therefore, one must increase each day, as above. And therefore the miracle of Chanukah was through the Kohanim. For the Kohen is the aspect of chesed, the aspect of Avraham. Through this, one cuts the Malchus from the four kingdoms and vivifies it from the light of the Face that illuminates during the Three Festivals, as above. And therefore, Chanukah is called by the name Chanukas [dedication of] the Beis HaMikdash, which took place in those days. For the essential light of the Face is in the Beis HaMikdash, where one ascends on the festivals to receive the light of the Face, as above. And this is the aspect of Chanukah — to vivify the Malchus from the light of the Face, in order to merit through this the perception of G-dliness — which is the essential kindling of the Chanukah light, as above.

But when one merits the aspect of Oneg Shabbos, then the brain is nourished first. That is, all one's intent in one's affairs is only for the sake of the brain and the da'as of holiness — for the sake of reaching the true, eternal tachlis. For one merits Emunas Chachamim — true Sages — who separated themselves from the desires of this world completely, with the utmost holiness and separateness. All their wisdom is only true wisdom — the wisdom of the Torah, the wisdoms of the World to Come: how to achieve and attain the eternal life of the World to Come. And all who believe in and draw close to them and their students, etc. — all their intent is for the sake of Heaven alone, in order to achieve through them some eternal hope for the World to Come. Therefore they are in the aspect of "the brain is nourished first," which is the aspect of Oneg Shabbos. For all their intent is only for the sake of the true tachlis, which is the true brain and da'as, as mentioned above. — 5 — And therefore the aspect of Shabbos is a great eitzah [strategy] against all the opposition and the confusions that a person has — both from himself and from others. For in all the desires and the confusions and the evil thoughts that pass over him, one must remember Shabbos, which is the aspect of bitul [self-nullification] toward the tachlis. As it is written: "Remember the day of Shabbos" (Exodus 20:8) — "remember it from the first day of the week". For Shabbos is the aspect of "sit and do not act" — the aspect of cessation and bitul. And this is a great eitzah: that in the midst of whatever passes over him, he should nullify himself for some time and remember the tachlis. For every person in the world can nullify himself and remember the tachlis — which is to be included in the Infinite Light, blessed be He. And it is impossible to explain this in writing, for it is to each person according to what he gauges in his heart. But at any rate, all of Yisrael believe that this is their essential tachlis and their eternal hope. And each one, according to where he is, in whatever passes over him — he can nullify himself in the midst of all the confusions and preoccupations. And this is the aspect of Shabbos, which is the aspect of cessation and bitul. And through this, all the troubling thoughts and all the wisdoms of vanity and falsehood are nullified. And one merits to conduct all one's affairs for the sake of the tachlis — in the aspect of "the brain is nourished first" — so that one's eating and all one's affairs are for the sake of the tachlis, which is the true brain and wisdom, etc.

We have already explained somewhat the matter of tzitzis according to this Torah in Hilchos Tzitzis, Halacha 5, where the matter of awakening from sleep and rising at chatzos is also explained. Here matters are stated and repeated due to new insights that were revealed in them.

All the tikkun of masa u'matan follows the above Torah. During business one does not engage in Torah — he is then a prastik [simple person]. All his vitality and sustenance comes from the great Tzaddik, who sometimes is also a "simple person" — through which he draws vitality from the sustenance of the world before Mattan Torah (= the Chesed Chinam = the hidden Torah = the Asarah Ma'amaros through which the world was created). Through these, all matters of derech eretz are accomplished — all crafts and business = the path to Eretz Yisrael. This is "Tov Torah im derech eretz, shey'gi'as sh'naihem mashkachas avon" — "Good is Torah with derech eretz, for the toil of both causes sin to be forgotten." One certainly needs both: Torah and derech eretz (= business or m'lachah) — to draw vitality from the Chesed Chinam (= the path to Eretz Yisrael) → silencing the mouths of all who contest the conquest of Eretz Yisrael (= the totality of kedushah), who say "Listim atem!" "The toil of both causes avon to be forgotten" — the avon = the Sitra Achra and k'lipah contesting whoever approaches kedushah (= conquering Eretz Yisrael). Every person who sanctifies and purifies himself through any mitzvah or holy matter — he conquers a portion of Eretz Yisrael, working on the path to Eretz Yisrael. Therefore the Sitra Achra wages war constantly: "Listim atem — how dare you enter our territory!" But by drawing the Chesed Chinam (= the Asarah Ma'amaros) → their mouths are stopped, their contest nullified. Therefore one must engage in both Torah and business → "the toil of both causes sin to be forgotten." Business alone is certainly nothing — one cannot draw Chesed Chinam through business alone to nullify the kitrug, only when one engages in Torah truly. As explained in the above Torah: the wicked cannot receive from this Chesed Chinam except through the great Tzaddik who engages in Torah truly — who receives from the Chesed Chinam during his pshitus and through this sustains all. The closer one is to Torah, the more Chesed Chinam flows to him. Likewise, Torah alone is also not completeness — even one deeply attached to Torah must nullify himself sometimes when necessary. Through his bitul (when he becomes completely simple) → he sustains himself from the path to Eretz Yisrael (= Chesed Chinam) → sustaining and maintaining all simple people engaged in m'lachah and business. All crafts and business in the world = accomplished and sustained only through the Tzaddikim, who draw Chesed Chinam during their pshitus. This resolves the apparent difficulty: the Tanna warns strongly to engage in derech eretz and m'lachah, yet we see many Tzaddikim and Talmidai Chachamim who do no m'lachah or business at all! But according to the above Torah, all is resolved well: even those Tzaddikim and T"C who do not do m'lachah — they inevitably nullify themselves sometimes when necessary. Then they are in the aspect of those engaged in m'lachah and business (= derech eretz). Through their bitul (when they become completely simple) → they sustain themselves from the path to Eretz Yisrael (= Chesed Chinam) → sustaining all simple people who engage in m'lachah and business. All derech eretz (= business and crafts of the entire world) is sustained only through them. Nevertheless, even though one must nullify himself and engage in business, the primary thing is Torah: "Aseh Soras'cha keva um'lacht'cha arai" — "Make your Torah permanent and your work secondary." The vitality of the bitul aspect (= Chesed Chinam sustaining the world before Mattan Torah) is only in the aspect of arai [temporary] = a temporary dwelling. The essential sustenance in a permanent way = only through Torah (= the essential sustenance of the world permanently). Before Yisrael received the Torah: "N'mogim eretz v'chol yosh'veha" — "The earth melts with all its inhabitants" — the world tottered like a temporary dwelling. The essential permanent sustenance = through the Torah: "Anochi tichanti amudeha Selah" — "I established its pillars forever" — said regarding Kabbalas HaTorah, when the world was solidified. This is the aspect of Sukkah — diras arai ba'inan [we require a temporary dwelling]. Sukkah = the Chesed Chinam — Sukkah = the aspect of very great and abundant chasadim drawn then. During Sukkos we draw the path to Eretz Yisrael (= the Chesed Chinam sustaining the world when one is idle from Torah). Therefore shiv'im parim [70 bulls] are offered on Sukkos for the 70 nations — giving them their minimal vitality (which flows from the Chesed Chinam = Sukkah).

And this is the aspect of: “If you lack da'as, what have you acquired? If you have acquired da'as, what do you lack?” — as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Nedarim 41a). For the essential da'as is to know that Hashem is G-d, there is nothing else besides Him, which is the da'as of the holy faith, in the aspect of “And I will betroth you to Me in faith, and you shall know Hashem” (Hoshea 2:22) — which is the da'as of the totality of the holy nation of Israel, believers the children of believers, who believe in Hashem and in Moshe His servant, and who fulfill the Torah, regarding which it is said: “And you shall observe and do them, for it is your wisdom and your understanding in the eyes of the nations,” etc.; “and they shall say: Surely, this great nation is a wise and understanding people” (Devarim 4:6), etc. For “all things are wearisome; a man cannot speak; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, and the ear is not filled with hearing,” etc. (Koheles 1:8). For whoever is drawn after the investigations and wisdoms of this world is always deficient. Since he does not connect all the wisdoms and the life-force to the Blessed Name, Who is the essential completeness — for there is no completeness except to the Blessed Name — and one who knows of Him, blessed be He — that is, through complete faith — is included in Him, blessed be He, and he too has all the completeness, as is explained in the words of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, elsewhere. But as soon as one stops one's ears and does not hear the essential direct voice, but only the returning voice that is drawn due to the contraction of the da'as, as mentioned above, which is the aspect of deficiency — therefore he is always full of deficiencies. And this is the aspect of all the deficiencies of the entire world, all of which are drawn from the deficiency of da'as. And the essential deficiency of da'as is the deficiency of faith. For one who has complete faith in the Blessed Name in perfection, and knows that everything is from the Blessed Name through His providence alone, “for G-d judges: this one He lowers and that one He raises” (Tehillim 75:8) — he lives a good life always. For whatever the Merciful One does is certainly for the good, and certainly His intention, blessed be He, is for good, as is explained in the words of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, in several places — that one who has complete faith in the Blessed Name lives a good life always; see there. And all the deficiencies are only from the deficiency of faith. And therefore the scholars and investigators — their lives are no life at all. For they are far from the Living G-d through their wisdom and investigation, which uproots them from their root, and they are always bound after the wisdoms that pursue nature, where it is full of deficiencies. For this world is full of deficiencies: anger and pains, and there is no person who fulfills his desire in this world. And in the end, what profit does he have from all his toil, etc.? And likewise all the other wisdoms, until the majority of them admit themselves that they know nothing. For it is thousands of years that they have been investigating the wisdom of astronomy, and recently one individual invented a new astronomy, as is known, and everyone accepted it with love. And in truth, it is a great foolishness for one who has a brain in his skull, as is explained in the opinion of those who oppose it. And either way, one of the opinions is false, and the scholars toiled in vain — either the earlier ones or the later ones — all their days, to discover the wisdom of astronomy, and they carried nothing away in their toil. For the later ones demolished the opinions of the earlier ones, and who knows how the truth actually stands? And in truth, it is neither according to the words of the one nor according to the words of the other. And likewise with the other wisdoms. And especially the wisdom of medicine, which appears at first glance to be for the benefit of the world, in order to save a person from his illness — but in truth, our eyes see how many thousands and tens of thousands of souls sank and died specifically through the doctors, as one sees tangibly every day. As Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, said, that the doctors kill countless souls. And they themselves admit that they have investigated the wisdoms of medicine so much that now they know nothing at all, and there is a great dispute among them, such that according to one, the other opinion kills the person, and according to the other it is the opposite, as is explained in our words regarding this. And if so, would that we had never known from the wisdom of medicine; certainly the inhabitants of the world would now be double in number. And similarly with the other wisdoms. And even if at times some good sprouts from one side through their wisdom, it is bad from another side. And even the side of good is a great evil, for in this world there is no good at all, and what profit does a person have when he invents a beautiful melody through the wisdom of music, over which he labored all his days, and in the end through this melody he is drawn after the desire of adultery, which kills a person both physically and spiritually, as is seen tangibly? For they go to their theaters and circuses that they call “theaters” and “comedies” and the like, and there males and females mingle without any distinction, and they hear songs of lust, and they do what they do, as is well known. And they cannot deny this, for they themselves know their own “holy” and “pure” thoughts that they have there, and what they do afterward — woe to them, woe to their souls. And in any case, they separate themselves from the path of life, from the path of our holy Torah that forbade this, as it is written: “And in their statutes you shall not walk” (Vayikra 18:3) — as Rashi explained there. And they waste days and the choicest time on such foolishness, and “the end of joy is sorrow” (Mishlei 14:13). And all the troubles and sufferings that they have all their days — they themselves know. For in truth, only the poor and the destitute, those of small intellect who are not familiar with the ways of the world, only they think that such people who follow the desires of their heart in these ways of the investigators that have been newly introduced, in our many sins, have the entire world and live at ease. But in truth, one who has a brain in his skull and is familiar with them and their ways knows the extreme bitterness of their lives — that they are full of anger and pains, yagon va'anachah, all their days. And they gnash their teeth constantly at the sincere, pious, and upright Chasidim, because they rejoice with true joy in the Blessed Name, and they have nachas and great joy on Shabbasos and Yamim Tovim and the like, at every time that we merit to remember the good that the Blessed Name has done for us, in that He separated us from these erring ones and placed our portion in life — to believe in Hashem and in Moshe His servant, in the Written Torah and the Oral Torah, and in the books of the Zohar and the Ari, of blessed memory, and the Ba'al Shem Tov, of blessed memory, etc. For they, all their days, have no true joy that reaches a fraction of a thousandth of the small amount of joy that the least of Israel has at the onset of Shabbos and the like. Rather, to the contrary, all their days are anger and pains, and they are always lacking the multitude of their desires, which are without end. For they want everything to be perfect for them: that the garment should be sewn exactly as they want, with all the details and particulars that they require, and that they should have several different garments that they consider essential — for this garment is needed in the morning when they arise from bed, and this one when going out to the marketplace, and this one at midday (and a garment for the grave they do not think about at all, etc.). And likewise regarding the shoes and their laces and the wooden forms upon which they are polished, and the like — the multitude of their needs that they consider essential, but not to us — which preoccupy their days. And whoever is wealthy lacks such necessities in great abundance, and especially regarding their dwellings and their household utensils, which they want to be according to wisdom, until through this their needs multiply exceedingly, until they are compelled to travel to distant places. And they, all their days, are wanderers and vagabonds; by day they do not rest, and by night they are not still. And because they want to have a beautiful house with all their utensils, for this reason they mostly sleep in villages and in the houses of gentiles, and they spend most of their days in the homes of others. And when they come to their own home, they are preoccupied with their vanities, until they do not know whether they are in their home or outside on the road. And in the end they become debtors, until it is common among them that many kill themselves with firearms or with a knife — they destroy themselves deliberately, due to the multitude of their desires that they pursued all their days and did not attain. And in truth, even the upright members of Israel need to wage a great war with their inclination so as not to pursue luxuries, and to be content with little as much as possible. For the more one wishes to fill his deficiency from this world, the more he still lacks, even more and more, as is seen tangibly. For even the necessities of a person that are most essential are also very many, and one needs to pray very much to the Blessed Name that the necessities should not distract him from the service of the Blessed Name. All the more so, one certainly does not need to pursue luxuries. And how much more so, how evil and bitter to the very soul are the ways of those who depart from the ways of Israel, who follow all their customs specifically in the ways of the nations, which uproot them from the World to Come with certainty — “for all who come to her do not return, and they do not attain the paths of life” (Mishlei 2:19). And also in this world they are full of very, very many great worries and sorrows beyond telling, and all their days are anger and many pains, and they have nothing with which to comfort themselves, since they are far from the Blessed Name and from the holiness of His Torah and mitzvos and the joy of Shabbos and Yom Tov. For the simple Jewish folk, even those who pursue commerce and are eager for wealth and have not broken the desires of this world and its vanities — nevertheless, since they have faith at least, and conduct themselves in the ways of our fathers of old, and do not follow the ways of their garments and customs, and do not educate their children in the study of their books and their languages, etc. — these people, even though they too have many worries from the multitude of their needs due to their lack of contentment as is proper, nevertheless they have some vitality and some joy on Shabbasos and Yamim Tovim and the like. And they hope to Hashem that He will do good for them in the future, and they think a little about their end, and they take comfort in what they give their children to Talmud Torah, and they endeavor that their children should walk in the straight path, the path of the Torah, the path of our fathers of old. How much more so the G-d-fearing and upright who are content with little, with the bare minimum of sustenance. And how much more so the truly true tzadikim who have turned their backs entirely on the desires of this world and its vanities, and bind themselves all the days of their lives to the Living G-d — they merit the essential true life, truly good life that has no deficiency at all.

And this is the aspect of: “If you lack da'as, what have you acquired? If you have acquired da'as, what do you lack?” — as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Nedarim 41a). For the essential da'as is to know that Hashem is G-d, there is nothing else besides Him, which is the da'as of the holy faith, in the aspect of “And I will betroth you to Me in faith, and you shall know Hashem” (Hoshea 2:22) — which is the da'as of the totality of the holy nation of Israel, believers the children of believers, who believe in Hashem and in Moshe His servant, and who fulfill the Torah, regarding which it is said: “And you shall observe and do them, for it is your wisdom and your understanding in the eyes of the nations,” etc.; “and they shall say: Surely, this great nation is a wise and understanding people” (Devarim 4:6), etc. For “all things are wearisome; a man cannot speak; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, and the ear is not filled with hearing,” etc. (Koheles 1:8). For whoever is drawn after the investigations and wisdoms of this world is always deficient. Since he does not connect all the wisdoms and the life-force to the Blessed Name, Who is the essential completeness — for there is no completeness except to the Blessed Name — and one who knows of Him, blessed be He — that is, through complete faith — is included in Him, blessed be He, and he too has all the completeness, as is explained in the words of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, elsewhere. But as soon as one stops one's ears and does not hear the essential direct voice, but only the returning voice that is drawn due to the contraction of the da'as, as mentioned above, which is the aspect of deficiency — therefore he is always full of deficiencies. And this is the aspect of all the deficiencies of the entire world, all of which are drawn from the deficiency of da'as. And the essential deficiency of da'as is the deficiency of faith. For one who has complete faith in the Blessed Name in perfection, and knows that everything is from the Blessed Name through His providence alone, “for G-d judges: this one He lowers and that one He raises” (Tehillim 75:8) — he lives a good life always. For whatever the Merciful One does is certainly for the good, and certainly His intention, blessed be He, is for good, as is explained in the words of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, in several places — that one who has complete faith in the Blessed Name lives a good life always; see there. And all the deficiencies are only from the deficiency of faith. And therefore the scholars and investigators — their lives are no life at all. For they are far from the Living G-d through their wisdom and investigation, which uproots them from their root, and they are always bound after the wisdoms that pursue nature, where it is full of deficiencies. For this world is full of deficiencies: anger and pains, and there is no person who fulfills his desire in this world. And in the end, what profit does he have from all his toil, etc.? And likewise all the other wisdoms, until the majority of them admit themselves that they know nothing. For it is thousands of years that they have been investigating the wisdom of astronomy, and recently one individual invented a new astronomy, as is known, and everyone accepted it with love. And in truth, it is a great foolishness for one who has a brain in his skull, as is explained in the opinion of those who oppose it. And either way, one of the opinions is false, and the scholars toiled in vain — either the earlier ones or the later ones — all their days, to discover the wisdom of astronomy, and they carried nothing away in their toil. For the later ones demolished the opinions of the earlier ones, and who knows how the truth actually stands? And in truth, it is neither according to the words of the one nor according to the words of the other. And likewise with the other wisdoms. And especially the wisdom of medicine, which appears at first glance to be for the benefit of the world, in order to save a person from his illness — but in truth, our eyes see how many thousands and tens of thousands of souls sank and died specifically through the doctors, as one sees tangibly every day. As Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, said, that the doctors kill countless souls. And they themselves admit that they have investigated the wisdoms of medicine so much that now they know nothing at all, and there is a great dispute among them, such that according to one, the other opinion kills the person, and according to the other it is the opposite, as is explained in our words regarding this. And if so, would that we had never known from the wisdom of medicine; certainly the inhabitants of the world would now be double in number. And similarly with the other wisdoms. And even if at times some good sprouts from one side through their wisdom, it is bad from another side. And even the side of good is a great evil, for in this world there is no good at all, and what profit does a person have when he invents a beautiful melody through the wisdom of music, over which he labored all his days, and in the end through this melody he is drawn after the desire of adultery, which kills a person both physically and spiritually, as is seen tangibly? For they go to their theaters and circuses that they call “theaters” and “comedies” and the like, and there males and females mingle without any distinction, and they hear songs of lust, and they do what they do, as is well known. And they cannot deny this, for they themselves know their own “holy” and “pure” thoughts that they have there, and what they do afterward — woe to them, woe to their souls. And in any case, they separate themselves from the path of life, from the path of our holy Torah that forbade this, as it is written: “And in their statutes you shall not walk” (Vayikra 18:3) — as Rashi explained there. And they waste days and the choicest time on such foolishness, and “the end of joy is sorrow” (Mishlei 14:13). And all the troubles and sufferings that they have all their days — they themselves know. For in truth, only the poor and the destitute, those of small intellect who are not familiar with the ways of the world, only they think that such people who follow the desires of their heart in these ways of the investigators that have been newly introduced, in our many sins, have the entire world and live at ease. But in truth, one who has a brain in his skull and is familiar with them and their ways knows the extreme bitterness of their lives — that they are full of anger and pains, yagon va'anachah, all their days. And they gnash their teeth constantly at the sincere, pious, and upright Chasidim, because they rejoice with true joy in the Blessed Name, and they have nachas and great joy on Shabbasos and Yamim Tovim and the like, at every time that we merit to remember the good that the Blessed Name has done for us, in that He separated us from these erring ones and placed our portion in life — to believe in Hashem and in Moshe His servant, in the Written Torah and the Oral Torah, and in the books of the Zohar and the Ari, of blessed memory, and the Ba'al Shem Tov, of blessed memory, etc. For they, all their days, have no true joy that reaches a fraction of a thousandth of the small amount of joy that the least of Israel has at the onset of Shabbos and the like. Rather, to the contrary, all their days are anger and pains, and they are always lacking the multitude of their desires, which are without end. For they want everything to be perfect for them: that the garment should be sewn exactly as they want, with all the details and particulars that they require, and that they should have several different garments that they consider essential — for this garment is needed in the morning when they arise from bed, and this one when going out to the marketplace, and this one at midday (and a garment for the grave they do not think about at all, etc.). And likewise regarding the shoes and their laces and the wooden forms upon which they are polished, and the like — the multitude of their needs that they consider essential, but not to us — which preoccupy their days. And whoever is wealthy lacks such necessities in great abundance, and especially regarding their dwellings and their household utensils, which they want to be according to wisdom, until through this their needs multiply exceedingly, until they are compelled to travel to distant places. And they, all their days, are wanderers and vagabonds; by day they do not rest, and by night they are not still. And because they want to have a beautiful house with all their utensils, for this reason they mostly sleep in villages and in the houses of gentiles, and they spend most of their days in the homes of others. And when they come to their own home, they are preoccupied with their vanities, until they do not know whether they are in their home or outside on the road. And in the end they become debtors, until it is common among them that many kill themselves with firearms or with a knife — they destroy themselves deliberately, due to the multitude of their desires that they pursued all their days and did not attain. And in truth, even the upright members of Israel need to wage a great war with their inclination so as not to pursue luxuries, and to be content with little as much as possible. For the more one wishes to fill his deficiency from this world, the more he still lacks, even more and more, as is seen tangibly. For even the necessities of a person that are most essential are also very many, and one needs to pray very much to the Blessed Name that the necessities should not distract him from the service of the Blessed Name. All the more so, one certainly does not need to pursue luxuries. And how much more so, how evil and bitter to the very soul are the ways of those who depart from the ways of Israel, who follow all their customs specifically in the ways of the nations, which uproot them from the World to Come with certainty — “for all who come to her do not return, and they do not attain the paths of life” (Mishlei 2:19). And also in this world they are full of very, very many great worries and sorrows beyond telling, and all their days are anger and many pains, and they have nothing with which to comfort themselves, since they are far from the Blessed Name and from the holiness of His Torah and mitzvos and the joy of Shabbos and Yom Tov. For the simple Jewish folk, even those who pursue commerce and are eager for wealth and have not broken the desires of this world and its vanities — nevertheless, since they have faith at least, and conduct themselves in the ways of our fathers of old, and do not follow the ways of their garments and customs, and do not educate their children in the study of their books and their languages, etc. — these people, even though they too have many worries from the multitude of their needs due to their lack of contentment as is proper, nevertheless they have some vitality and some joy on Shabbasos and Yamim Tovim and the like. And they hope to Hashem that He will do good for them in the future, and they think a little about their end, and they take comfort in what they give their children to Talmud Torah, and they endeavor that their children should walk in the straight path, the path of the Torah, the path of our fathers of old. How much more so the G-d-fearing and upright who are content with little, with the bare minimum of sustenance. And how much more so the truly true tzadikim who have turned their backs entirely on the desires of this world and its vanities, and bind themselves all the days of their lives to the Living G-d — they merit the essential true life, truly good life that has no deficiency at all.

And this is the aspect of: “If you lack da'as, what have you acquired? If you have acquired da'as, what do you lack?” — as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Nedarim 41a). For the essential da'as is to know that Hashem is G-d, there is nothing else besides Him, which is the da'as of the holy faith, in the aspect of “And I will betroth you to Me in faith, and you shall know Hashem” (Hoshea 2:22) — which is the da'as of the totality of the holy nation of Israel, believers the children of believers, who believe in Hashem and in Moshe His servant, and who fulfill the Torah, regarding which it is said: “And you shall observe and do them, for it is your wisdom and your understanding in the eyes of the nations,” etc.; “and they shall say: Surely, this great nation is a wise and understanding people” (Devarim 4:6), etc. For “all things are wearisome; a man cannot speak; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, and the ear is not filled with hearing,” etc. (Koheles 1:8). For whoever is drawn after the investigations and wisdoms of this world is always deficient. Since he does not connect all the wisdoms and the life-force to the Blessed Name, Who is the essential completeness — for there is no completeness except to the Blessed Name — and one who knows of Him, blessed be He — that is, through complete faith — is included in Him, blessed be He, and he too has all the completeness, as is explained in the words of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, elsewhere. But as soon as one stops one's ears and does not hear the essential direct voice, but only the returning voice that is drawn due to the contraction of the da'as, as mentioned above, which is the aspect of deficiency — therefore he is always full of deficiencies. And this is the aspect of all the deficiencies of the entire world, all of which are drawn from the deficiency of da'as. And the essential deficiency of da'as is the deficiency of faith. For one who has complete faith in the Blessed Name in perfection, and knows that everything is from the Blessed Name through His providence alone, “for G-d judges: this one He lowers and that one He raises” (Tehillim 75:8) — he lives a good life always. For whatever the Merciful One does is certainly for the good, and certainly His intention, blessed be He, is for good, as is explained in the words of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, in several places — that one who has complete faith in the Blessed Name lives a good life always; see there. And all the deficiencies are only from the deficiency of faith. And therefore the scholars and investigators — their lives are no life at all. For they are far from the Living G-d through their wisdom and investigation, which uproots them from their root, and they are always bound after the wisdoms that pursue nature, where it is full of deficiencies. For this world is full of deficiencies: anger and pains, and there is no person who fulfills his desire in this world. And in the end, what profit does he have from all his toil, etc.? And likewise all the other wisdoms, until the majority of them admit themselves that they know nothing. For it is thousands of years that they have been investigating the wisdom of astronomy, and recently one individual invented a new astronomy, as is known, and everyone accepted it with love. And in truth, it is a great foolishness for one who has a brain in his skull, as is explained in the opinion of those who oppose it. And either way, one of the opinions is false, and the scholars toiled in vain — either the earlier ones or the later ones — all their days, to discover the wisdom of astronomy, and they carried nothing away in their toil. For the later ones demolished the opinions of the earlier ones, and who knows how the truth actually stands? And in truth, it is neither according to the words of the one nor according to the words of the other. And likewise with the other wisdoms. And especially the wisdom of medicine, which appears at first glance to be for the benefit of the world, in order to save a person from his illness — but in truth, our eyes see how many thousands and tens of thousands of souls sank and died specifically through the doctors, as one sees tangibly every day. As Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, said, that the doctors kill countless souls. And they themselves admit that they have investigated the wisdoms of medicine so much that now they know nothing at all, and there is a great dispute among them, such that according to one, the other opinion kills the person, and according to the other it is the opposite, as is explained in our words regarding this. And if so, would that we had never known from the wisdom of medicine; certainly the inhabitants of the world would now be double in number. And similarly with the other wisdoms. And even if at times some good sprouts from one side through their wisdom, it is bad from another side. And even the side of good is a great evil, for in this world there is no good at all, and what profit does a person have when he invents a beautiful melody through the wisdom of music, over which he labored all his days, and in the end through this melody he is drawn after the desire of adultery, which kills a person both physically and spiritually, as is seen tangibly? For they go to their theaters and circuses that they call “theaters” and “comedies” and the like, and there males and females mingle without any distinction, and they hear songs of lust, and they do what they do, as is well known. And they cannot deny this, for they themselves know their own “holy” and “pure” thoughts that they have there, and what they do afterward — woe to them, woe to their souls. And in any case, they separate themselves from the path of life, from the path of our holy Torah that forbade this, as it is written: “And in their statutes you shall not walk” (Vayikra 18:3) — as Rashi explained there. And they waste days and the choicest time on such foolishness, and “the end of joy is sorrow” (Mishlei 14:13). And all the troubles and sufferings that they have all their days — they themselves know. For in truth, only the poor and the destitute, those of small intellect who are not familiar with the ways of the world, only they think that such people who follow the desires of their heart in these ways of the investigators that have been newly introduced, in our many sins, have the entire world and live at ease. But in truth, one who has a brain in his skull and is familiar with them and their ways knows the extreme bitterness of their lives — that they are full of anger and pains, yagon va'anachah, all their days. And they gnash their teeth constantly at the sincere, pious, and upright Chasidim, because they rejoice with true joy in the Blessed Name, and they have nachas and great joy on Shabbasos and Yamim Tovim and the like, at every time that we merit to remember the good that the Blessed Name has done for us, in that He separated us from these erring ones and placed our portion in life — to believe in Hashem and in Moshe His servant, in the Written Torah and the Oral Torah, and in the books of the Zohar and the Ari, of blessed memory, and the Ba'al Shem Tov, of blessed memory, etc. For they, all their days, have no true joy that reaches a fraction of a thousandth of the small amount of joy that the least of Israel has at the onset of Shabbos and the like. Rather, to the contrary, all their days are anger and pains, and they are always lacking the multitude of their desires, which are without end. For they want everything to be perfect for them: that the garment should be sewn exactly as they want, with all the details and particulars that they require, and that they should have several different garments that they consider essential — for this garment is needed in the morning when they arise from bed, and this one when going out to the marketplace, and this one at midday (and a garment for the grave they do not think about at all, etc.). And likewise regarding the shoes and their laces and the wooden forms upon which they are polished, and the like — the multitude of their needs that they consider essential, but not to us — which preoccupy their days. And whoever is wealthy lacks such necessities in great abundance, and especially regarding their dwellings and their household utensils, which they want to be according to wisdom, until through this their needs multiply exceedingly, until they are compelled to travel to distant places. And they, all their days, are wanderers and vagabonds; by day they do not rest, and by night they are not still. And because they want to have a beautiful house with all their utensils, for this reason they mostly sleep in villages and in the houses of gentiles, and they spend most of their days in the homes of others. And when they come to their own home, they are preoccupied with their vanities, until they do not know whether they are in their home or outside on the road. And in the end they become debtors, until it is common among them that many kill themselves with firearms or with a knife — they destroy themselves deliberately, due to the multitude of their desires that they pursued all their days and did not attain. And in truth, even the upright members of Israel need to wage a great war with their inclination so as not to pursue luxuries, and to be content with little as much as possible. For the more one wishes to fill his deficiency from this world, the more he still lacks, even more and more, as is seen tangibly. For even the necessities of a person that are most essential are also very many, and one needs to pray very much to the Blessed Name that the necessities should not distract him from the service of the Blessed Name. All the more so, one certainly does not need to pursue luxuries. And how much more so, how evil and bitter to the very soul are the ways of those who depart from the ways of Israel, who follow all their customs specifically in the ways of the nations, which uproot them from the World to Come with certainty — “for all who come to her do not return, and they do not attain the paths of life” (Mishlei 2:19). And also in this world they are full of very, very many great worries and sorrows beyond telling, and all their days are anger and many pains, and they have nothing with which to comfort themselves, since they are far from the Blessed Name and from the holiness of His Torah and mitzvos and the joy of Shabbos and Yom Tov. For the simple Jewish folk, even those who pursue commerce and are eager for wealth and have not broken the desires of this world and its vanities — nevertheless, since they have faith at least, and conduct themselves in the ways of our fathers of old, and do not follow the ways of their garments and customs, and do not educate their children in the study of their books and their languages, etc. — these people, even though they too have many worries from the multitude of their needs due to their lack of contentment as is proper, nevertheless they have some vitality and some joy on Shabbasos and Yamim Tovim and the like. And they hope to Hashem that He will do good for them in the future, and they think a little about their end, and they take comfort in what they give their children to Talmud Torah, and they endeavor that their children should walk in the straight path, the path of the Torah, the path of our fathers of old. How much more so the G-d-fearing and upright who are content with little, with the bare minimum of sustenance. And how much more so the truly true tzadikim who have turned their backs entirely on the desires of this world and its vanities, and bind themselves all the days of their lives to the Living G-d — they merit the essential true life, truly good life that has no deficiency at all.

And this is the aspect of: “If you lack da'as, what have you acquired? If you have acquired da'as, what do you lack?” — as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Nedarim 41a). For the essential da'as is to know that Hashem is G-d, there is nothing else besides Him, which is the da'as of the holy faith, in the aspect of “And I will betroth you to Me in faith, and you shall know Hashem” (Hoshea 2:22) — which is the da'as of the totality of the holy nation of Israel, believers the children of believers, who believe in Hashem and in Moshe His servant, and who fulfill the Torah, regarding which it is said: “And you shall observe and do them, for it is your wisdom and your understanding in the eyes of the nations,” etc.; “and they shall say: Surely, this great nation is a wise and understanding people” (Devarim 4:6), etc. For “all things are wearisome; a man cannot speak; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, and the ear is not filled with hearing,” etc. (Koheles 1:8). For whoever is drawn after the investigations and wisdoms of this world is always deficient. Since he does not connect all the wisdoms and the life-force to the Blessed Name, Who is the essential completeness — for there is no completeness except to the Blessed Name — and one who knows of Him, blessed be He — that is, through complete faith — is included in Him, blessed be He, and he too has all the completeness, as is explained in the words of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, elsewhere. But as soon as one stops one's ears and does not hear the essential direct voice, but only the returning voice that is drawn due to the contraction of the da'as, as mentioned above, which is the aspect of deficiency — therefore he is always full of deficiencies. And this is the aspect of all the deficiencies of the entire world, all of which are drawn from the deficiency of da'as. And the essential deficiency of da'as is the deficiency of faith. For one who has complete faith in the Blessed Name in perfection, and knows that everything is from the Blessed Name through His providence alone, “for G-d judges: this one He lowers and that one He raises” (Tehillim 75:8) — he lives a good life always. For whatever the Merciful One does is certainly for the good, and certainly His intention, blessed be He, is for good, as is explained in the words of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, in several places — that one who has complete faith in the Blessed Name lives a good life always; see there. And all the deficiencies are only from the deficiency of faith. And therefore the scholars and investigators — their lives are no life at all. For they are far from the Living G-d through their wisdom and investigation, which uproots them from their root, and they are always bound after the wisdoms that pursue nature, where it is full of deficiencies. For this world is full of deficiencies: anger and pains, and there is no person who fulfills his desire in this world. And in the end, what profit does he have from all his toil, etc.? And likewise all the other wisdoms, until the majority of them admit themselves that they know nothing. For it is thousands of years that they have been investigating the wisdom of astronomy, and recently one individual invented a new astronomy, as is known, and everyone accepted it with love. And in truth, it is a great foolishness for one who has a brain in his skull, as is explained in the opinion of those who oppose it. And either way, one of the opinions is false, and the scholars toiled in vain — either the earlier ones or the later ones — all their days, to discover the wisdom of astronomy, and they carried nothing away in their toil. For the later ones demolished the opinions of the earlier ones, and who knows how the truth actually stands? And in truth, it is neither according to the words of the one nor according to the words of the other. And likewise with the other wisdoms. And especially the wisdom of medicine, which appears at first glance to be for the benefit of the world, in order to save a person from his illness — but in truth, our eyes see how many thousands and tens of thousands of souls sank and died specifically through the doctors, as one sees tangibly every day. As Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, said, that the doctors kill countless souls. And they themselves admit that they have investigated the wisdoms of medicine so much that now they know nothing at all, and there is a great dispute among them, such that according to one, the other opinion kills the person, and according to the other it is the opposite, as is explained in our words regarding this. And if so, would that we had never known from the wisdom of medicine; certainly the inhabitants of the world would now be double in number. And similarly with the other wisdoms. And even if at times some good sprouts from one side through their wisdom, it is bad from another side. And even the side of good is a great evil, for in this world there is no good at all, and what profit does a person have when he invents a beautiful melody through the wisdom of music, over which he labored all his days, and in the end through this melody he is drawn after the desire of adultery, which kills a person both physically and spiritually, as is seen tangibly? For they go to their theaters and circuses that they call “theaters” and “comedies” and the like, and there males and females mingle without any distinction, and they hear songs of lust, and they do what they do, as is well known. And they cannot deny this, for they themselves know their own “holy” and “pure” thoughts that they have there, and what they do afterward — woe to them, woe to their souls. And in any case, they separate themselves from the path of life, from the path of our holy Torah that forbade this, as it is written: “And in their statutes you shall not walk” (Vayikra 18:3) — as Rashi explained there. And they waste days and the choicest time on such foolishness, and “the end of joy is sorrow” (Mishlei 14:13). And all the troubles and sufferings that they have all their days — they themselves know. For in truth, only the poor and the destitute, those of small intellect who are not familiar with the ways of the world, only they think that such people who follow the desires of their heart in these ways of the investigators that have been newly introduced, in our many sins, have the entire world and live at ease. But in truth, one who has a brain in his skull and is familiar with them and their ways knows the extreme bitterness of their lives — that they are full of anger and pains, yagon va'anachah, all their days. And they gnash their teeth constantly at the sincere, pious, and upright Chasidim, because they rejoice with true joy in the Blessed Name, and they have nachas and great joy on Shabbasos and Yamim Tovim and the like, at every time that we merit to remember the good that the Blessed Name has done for us, in that He separated us from these erring ones and placed our portion in life — to believe in Hashem and in Moshe His servant, in the Written Torah and the Oral Torah, and in the books of the Zohar and the Ari, of blessed memory, and the Ba'al Shem Tov, of blessed memory, etc. For they, all their days, have no true joy that reaches a fraction of a thousandth of the small amount of joy that the least of Israel has at the onset of Shabbos and the like. Rather, to the contrary, all their days are anger and pains, and they are always lacking the multitude of their desires, which are without end. For they want everything to be perfect for them: that the garment should be sewn exactly as they want, with all the details and particulars that they require, and that they should have several different garments that they consider essential — for this garment is needed in the morning when they arise from bed, and this one when going out to the marketplace, and this one at midday (and a garment for the grave they do not think about at all, etc.). And likewise regarding the shoes and their laces and the wooden forms upon which they are polished, and the like — the multitude of their needs that they consider essential, but not to us — which preoccupy their days. And whoever is wealthy lacks such necessities in great abundance, and especially regarding their dwellings and their household utensils, which they want to be according to wisdom, until through this their needs multiply exceedingly, until they are compelled to travel to distant places. And they, all their days, are wanderers and vagabonds; by day they do not rest, and by night they are not still. And because they want to have a beautiful house with all their utensils, for this reason they mostly sleep in villages and in the houses of gentiles, and they spend most of their days in the homes of others. And when they come to their own home, they are preoccupied with their vanities, until they do not know whether they are in their home or outside on the road. And in the end they become debtors, until it is common among them that many kill themselves with firearms or with a knife — they destroy themselves deliberately, due to the multitude of their desires that they pursued all their days and did not attain. And in truth, even the upright members of Israel need to wage a great war with their inclination so as not to pursue luxuries, and to be content with little as much as possible. For the more one wishes to fill his deficiency from this world, the more he still lacks, even more and more, as is seen tangibly. For even the necessities of a person that are most essential are also very many, and one needs to pray very much to the Blessed Name that the necessities should not distract him from the service of the Blessed Name. All the more so, one certainly does not need to pursue luxuries. And how much more so, how evil and bitter to the very soul are the ways of those who depart from the ways of Israel, who follow all their customs specifically in the ways of the nations, which uproot them from the World to Come with certainty — “for all who come to her do not return, and they do not attain the paths of life” (Mishlei 2:19). And also in this world they are full of very, very many great worries and sorrows beyond telling, and all their days are anger and many pains, and they have nothing with which to comfort themselves, since they are far from the Blessed Name and from the holiness of His Torah and mitzvos and the joy of Shabbos and Yom Tov. For the simple Jewish folk, even those who pursue commerce and are eager for wealth and have not broken the desires of this world and its vanities — nevertheless, since they have faith at least, and conduct themselves in the ways of our fathers of old, and do not follow the ways of their garments and customs, and do not educate their children in the study of their books and their languages, etc. — these people, even though they too have many worries from the multitude of their needs due to their lack of contentment as is proper, nevertheless they have some vitality and some joy on Shabbasos and Yamim Tovim and the like. And they hope to Hashem that He will do good for them in the future, and they think a little about their end, and they take comfort in what they give their children to Talmud Torah, and they endeavor that their children should walk in the straight path, the path of the Torah, the path of our fathers of old. How much more so the G-d-fearing and upright who are content with little, with the bare minimum of sustenance. And how much more so the truly true tzadikim who have turned their backs entirely on the desires of this world and its vanities, and bind themselves all the days of their lives to the Living G-d — they merit the essential true life, truly good life that has no deficiency at all.

And this is the aspect of: “If you lack da'as, what have you acquired? If you have acquired da'as, what do you lack?” — as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Nedarim 41a). For the essential da'as is to know that Hashem is G-d, there is nothing else besides Him, which is the da'as of the holy faith, in the aspect of “And I will betroth you to Me in faith, and you shall know Hashem” (Hoshea 2:22) — which is the da'as of the totality of the holy nation of Israel, believers the children of believers, who believe in Hashem and in Moshe His servant, and who fulfill the Torah, regarding which it is said: “And you shall observe and do them, for it is your wisdom and your understanding in the eyes of the nations,” etc.; “and they shall say: Surely, this great nation is a wise and understanding people” (Devarim 4:6), etc. For “all things are wearisome; a man cannot speak; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, and the ear is not filled with hearing,” etc. (Koheles 1:8). For whoever is drawn after the investigations and wisdoms of this world is always deficient. Since he does not connect all the wisdoms and the life-force to the Blessed Name, Who is the essential completeness — for there is no completeness except to the Blessed Name — and one who knows of Him, blessed be He — that is, through complete faith — is included in Him, blessed be He, and he too has all the completeness, as is explained in the words of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, elsewhere. But as soon as one stops one's ears and does not hear the essential direct voice, but only the returning voice that is drawn due to the contraction of the da'as, as mentioned above, which is the aspect of deficiency — therefore he is always full of deficiencies. And this is the aspect of all the deficiencies of the entire world, all of which are drawn from the deficiency of da'as. And the essential deficiency of da'as is the deficiency of faith. For one who has complete faith in the Blessed Name in perfection, and knows that everything is from the Blessed Name through His providence alone, “for G-d judges: this one He lowers and that one He raises” (Tehillim 75:8) — he lives a good life always. For whatever the Merciful One does is certainly for the good, and certainly His intention, blessed be He, is for good, as is explained in the words of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, in several places — that one who has complete faith in the Blessed Name lives a good life always; see there. And all the deficiencies are only from the deficiency of faith. And therefore the scholars and investigators — their lives are no life at all. For they are far from the Living G-d through their wisdom and investigation, which uproots them from their root, and they are always bound after the wisdoms that pursue nature, where it is full of deficiencies. For this world is full of deficiencies: anger and pains, and there is no person who fulfills his desire in this world. And in the end, what profit does he have from all his toil, etc.? And likewise all the other wisdoms, until the majority of them admit themselves that they know nothing. For it is thousands of years that they have been investigating the wisdom of astronomy, and recently one individual invented a new astronomy, as is known, and everyone accepted it with love. And in truth, it is a great foolishness for one who has a brain in his skull, as is explained in the opinion of those who oppose it. And either way, one of the opinions is false, and the scholars toiled in vain — either the earlier ones or the later ones — all their days, to discover the wisdom of astronomy, and they carried nothing away in their toil. For the later ones demolished the opinions of the earlier ones, and who knows how the truth actually stands? And in truth, it is neither according to the words of the one nor according to the words of the other. And likewise with the other wisdoms. And especially the wisdom of medicine, which appears at first glance to be for the benefit of the world, in order to save a person from his illness — but in truth, our eyes see how many thousands and tens of thousands of souls sank and died specifically through the doctors, as one sees tangibly every day. As Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, said, that the doctors kill countless souls. And they themselves admit that they have investigated the wisdoms of medicine so much that now they know nothing at all, and there is a great dispute among them, such that according to one, the other opinion kills the person, and according to the other it is the opposite, as is explained in our words regarding this. And if so, would that we had never known from the wisdom of medicine; certainly the inhabitants of the world would now be double in number. And similarly with the other wisdoms. And even if at times some good sprouts from one side through their wisdom, it is bad from another side. And even the side of good is a great evil, for in this world there is no good at all, and what profit does a person have when he invents a beautiful melody through the wisdom of music, over which he labored all his days, and in the end through this melody he is drawn after the desire of adultery, which kills a person both physically and spiritually, as is seen tangibly? For they go to their theaters and circuses that they call “theaters” and “comedies” and the like, and there males and females mingle without any distinction, and they hear songs of lust, and they do what they do, as is well known. And they cannot deny this, for they themselves know their own “holy” and “pure” thoughts that they have there, and what they do afterward — woe to them, woe to their souls. And in any case, they separate themselves from the path of life, from the path of our holy Torah that forbade this, as it is written: “And in their statutes you shall not walk” (Vayikra 18:3) — as Rashi explained there. And they waste days and the choicest time on such foolishness, and “the end of joy is sorrow” (Mishlei 14:13). And all the troubles and sufferings that they have all their days — they themselves know. For in truth, only the poor and the destitute, those of small intellect who are not familiar with the ways of the world, only they think that such people who follow the desires of their heart in these ways of the investigators that have been newly introduced, in our many sins, have the entire world and live at ease. But in truth, one who has a brain in his skull and is familiar with them and their ways knows the extreme bitterness of their lives — that they are full of anger and pains, yagon va'anachah, all their days. And they gnash their teeth constantly at the sincere, pious, and upright Chasidim, because they rejoice with true joy in the Blessed Name, and they have nachas and great joy on Shabbasos and Yamim Tovim and the like, at every time that we merit to remember the good that the Blessed Name has done for us, in that He separated us from these erring ones and placed our portion in life — to believe in Hashem and in Moshe His servant, in the Written Torah and the Oral Torah, and in the books of the Zohar and the Ari, of blessed memory, and the Ba'al Shem Tov, of blessed memory, etc. For they, all their days, have no true joy that reaches a fraction of a thousandth of the small amount of joy that the least of Israel has at the onset of Shabbos and the like. Rather, to the contrary, all their days are anger and pains, and they are always lacking the multitude of their desires, which are without end. For they want everything to be perfect for them: that the garment should be sewn exactly as they want, with all the details and particulars that they require, and that they should have several different garments that they consider essential — for this garment is needed in the morning when they arise from bed, and this one when going out to the marketplace, and this one at midday (and a garment for the grave they do not think about at all, etc.). And likewise regarding the shoes and their laces and the wooden forms upon which they are polished, and the like — the multitude of their needs that they consider essential, but not to us — which preoccupy their days. And whoever is wealthy lacks such necessities in great abundance, and especially regarding their dwellings and their household utensils, which they want to be according to wisdom, until through this their needs multiply exceedingly, until they are compelled to travel to distant places. And they, all their days, are wanderers and vagabonds; by day they do not rest, and by night they are not still. And because they want to have a beautiful house with all their utensils, for this reason they mostly sleep in villages and in the houses of gentiles, and they spend most of their days in the homes of others. And when they come to their own home, they are preoccupied with their vanities, until they do not know whether they are in their home or outside on the road. And in the end they become debtors, until it is common among them that many kill themselves with firearms or with a knife — they destroy themselves deliberately, due to the multitude of their desires that they pursued all their days and did not attain. And in truth, even the upright members of Israel need to wage a great war with their inclination so as not to pursue luxuries, and to be content with little as much as possible. For the more one wishes to fill his deficiency from this world, the more he still lacks, even more and more, as is seen tangibly. For even the necessities of a person that are most essential are also very many, and one needs to pray very much to the Blessed Name that the necessities should not distract him from the service of the Blessed Name. All the more so, one certainly does not need to pursue luxuries. And how much more so, how evil and bitter to the very soul are the ways of those who depart from the ways of Israel, who follow all their customs specifically in the ways of the nations, which uproot them from the World to Come with certainty — “for all who come to her do not return, and they do not attain the paths of life” (Mishlei 2:19). And also in this world they are full of very, very many great worries and sorrows beyond telling, and all their days are anger and many pains, and they have nothing with which to comfort themselves, since they are far from the Blessed Name and from the holiness of His Torah and mitzvos and the joy of Shabbos and Yom Tov. For the simple Jewish folk, even those who pursue commerce and are eager for wealth and have not broken the desires of this world and its vanities — nevertheless, since they have faith at least, and conduct themselves in the ways of our fathers of old, and do not follow the ways of their garments and customs, and do not educate their children in the study of their books and their languages, etc. — these people, even though they too have many worries from the multitude of their needs due to their lack of contentment as is proper, nevertheless they have some vitality and some joy on Shabbasos and Yamim Tovim and the like. And they hope to Hashem that He will do good for them in the future, and they think a little about their end, and they take comfort in what they give their children to Talmud Torah, and they endeavor that their children should walk in the straight path, the path of the Torah, the path of our fathers of old. How much more so the G-d-fearing and upright who are content with little, with the bare minimum of sustenance. And how much more so the truly true tzadikim who have turned their backs entirely on the desires of this world and its vanities, and bind themselves all the days of their lives to the Living G-d — they merit the essential true life, truly good life that has no deficiency at all.

And this is the aspect of “devarim harbeh” [“many things”] specifically — an allusion that this tikkun is drawn from the study of Torah for its own sake — that is, through much study of Gemara, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Whoever studies Torah for its own sake merits many things [devarim harbeh].” And through all of this one is able to eat the Korban Pesach, in the aspect of: “Upon matzos and bitter herbs shall they eat it” (Bamidbar 9:11). For the essential clarification of the voice in its completeness is the aspect of the korban, which comes from an animal that has a voice — but it is an animal voice. And through its being offered as a korban, one clarifies the voice from animal to man, from the aspect of the nations to Israel, from the aspect of wicked cantors and musicians to worthy and righteous musicians. And this is: “You shall not slaughter upon chametz the blood of My offering” (Shemos 34:25). For it is impossible to offer the Korban Pesach, which is the aspect of the clarification of the voice of holiness, as long as one has chametz in his house — which is the aspect of the voice of the Sitra Achra, for the air of the world that has not yet been clarified by us takes hold in it, as above.

And this is the aspect of “devarim harbeh” [“many things”] specifically — an allusion that this tikkun is drawn from the study of Torah for its own sake — that is, through much study of Gemara, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Whoever studies Torah for its own sake merits many things [devarim harbeh].” And through all of this one is able to eat the Korban Pesach, in the aspect of: “Upon matzos and bitter herbs shall they eat it” (Bamidbar 9:11). For the essential clarification of the voice in its completeness is the aspect of the korban, which comes from an animal that has a voice — but it is an animal voice. And through its being offered as a korban, one clarifies the voice from animal to man, from the aspect of the nations to Israel, from the aspect of wicked cantors and musicians to worthy and righteous musicians. And this is: “You shall not slaughter upon chametz the blood of My offering” (Shemos 34:25). For it is impossible to offer the Korban Pesach, which is the aspect of the clarification of the voice of holiness, as long as one has chametz in his house — which is the aspect of the voice of the Sitra Achra, for the air of the world that has not yet been clarified by us takes hold in it, as above.

And this is the aspect of “devarim harbeh” [“many things”] specifically — an allusion that this tikkun is drawn from the study of Torah for its own sake — that is, through much study of Gemara, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Whoever studies Torah for its own sake merits many things [devarim harbeh].” And through all of this one is able to eat the Korban Pesach, in the aspect of: “Upon matzos and bitter herbs shall they eat it” (Bamidbar 9:11). For the essential clarification of the voice in its completeness is the aspect of the korban, which comes from an animal that has a voice — but it is an animal voice. And through its being offered as a korban, one clarifies the voice from animal to man, from the aspect of the nations to Israel, from the aspect of wicked cantors and musicians to worthy and righteous musicians. And this is: “You shall not slaughter upon chametz the blood of My offering” (Shemos 34:25). For it is impossible to offer the Korban Pesach, which is the aspect of the clarification of the voice of holiness, as long as one has chametz in his house — which is the aspect of the voice of the Sitra Achra, for the air of the world that has not yet been clarified by us takes hold in it, as above.

And this is the aspect of “devarim harbeh” [“many things”] specifically — an allusion that this tikkun is drawn from the study of Torah for its own sake — that is, through much study of Gemara, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Whoever studies Torah for its own sake merits many things [devarim harbeh].” And through all of this one is able to eat the Korban Pesach, in the aspect of: “Upon matzos and bitter herbs shall they eat it” (Bamidbar 9:11). For the essential clarification of the voice in its completeness is the aspect of the korban, which comes from an animal that has a voice — but it is an animal voice. And through its being offered as a korban, one clarifies the voice from animal to man, from the aspect of the nations to Israel, from the aspect of wicked cantors and musicians to worthy and righteous musicians. And this is: “You shall not slaughter upon chametz the blood of My offering” (Shemos 34:25). For it is impossible to offer the Korban Pesach, which is the aspect of the clarification of the voice of holiness, as long as one has chametz in his house — which is the aspect of the voice of the Sitra Achra, for the air of the world that has not yet been clarified by us takes hold in it, as above.

And this is the aspect of “devarim harbeh” [“many things”] specifically — an allusion that this tikkun is drawn from the study of Torah for its own sake — that is, through much study of Gemara, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Whoever studies Torah for its own sake merits many things [devarim harbeh].” And through all of this one is able to eat the Korban Pesach, in the aspect of: “Upon matzos and bitter herbs shall they eat it” (Bamidbar 9:11). For the essential clarification of the voice in its completeness is the aspect of the korban, which comes from an animal that has a voice — but it is an animal voice. And through its being offered as a korban, one clarifies the voice from animal to man, from the aspect of the nations to Israel, from the aspect of wicked cantors and musicians to worthy and righteous musicians. And this is: “You shall not slaughter upon chametz the blood of My offering” (Shemos 34:25). For it is impossible to offer the Korban Pesach, which is the aspect of the clarification of the voice of holiness, as long as one has chametz in his house — which is the aspect of the voice of the Sitra Achra, for the air of the world that has not yet been clarified by us takes hold in it, as above.

This is Yosef — the tikkun of Pharaoh's dream. He counseled to preserve the plenty so the land would not be cut off by famine. His counsel: "let them gather all the food of these seven good years, and the food shall be stored" — as soon as any holy good is awakened upon a person, the aspect of Eretz Yisrael holiness from which all holiness derives, one should immediately do some holy deed through one's yearning — pray, learn, do a mitzvah. Make storehouses in one's mind to store all the good of the seven good years. A person has free will and power: when holy desire comes, to store and bind it in the depths of the mind, to take this desire in thought and remember it well — never to forget it. Since Yosef the tzadik informs in advance that evil days will come, wanting to make one forget all that good — the wise person understands to store well all the good of the seven good years: to bind the holy desire in thought, and determine that even when the heart becomes dulled by the chovlim's evil, one will strengthen oneself through remembering the first yearning. All the reshimos of earlier yearnings stored in the mind's depths will sustain one's soul in evil days — the seven famine years: "the food shall be stored for the land, for the seven famine years... and the land shall not be cut off by famine."

For it is cited in the words of Rabbaynu in the discourse "Achavay lan mana d'lo shavya l'chavala" and so on, in §25 of Likutay, Part One — that the sitra achra (Other Side) is called the koach ha-medame (power of imagination), from which come all the desires and confusions and obstacles that obstruct the levels of holiness and so on — see there. And at every level and every level these imaginings are present — and when one wishes to ascend from level to level they are aroused and so on. And one must subdue and break them. And the essential means of subduing them is through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be His Name. And this is accomplished through giving charity to a deserving poor person — for through this the colors (gevonin) that are present in silver and gold are revealed. For the essential colors are found only among Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride (Yisroel asher b'cha espa'ar)" (Yeshayahu 49:3). Pride (hispa'arus) is the encompassing of all the colors and so on. And this is the aspect of: "For He has clothed me in garments of salvation (bigday yesha)" (Yeshayahu 61:10). "Yesha" — "salvation" — is the aspect of "yistaklutha," that all desire to behold it and so on — see there well. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of walking in their statutes. And one must distance oneself from them in all matters — so as not to resemble them in any matter whatsoever in the world. Even though in that particular matter there is no actual prohibition in and of itself — even so it is forbidden to resemble them in any manner in the world. And it is forbidden to dress in their garments and so on. For in this is encompassed the entire Torah in its totality. For in truth, Israel from their very selves — from their root — are utterly and completely distant from all sins, and no transgression is at all relevant to a Jewish man according to his holiness from his root. For Israel are the very essence of goodness (etzem ha-tov) and they are distant from evil in the ultimate distance at their root. And therefore the sitra achra has no grip or relevance to entice any one of Israel, heaven forfend — except only through the power of imagination (koach ha-medame). For the medame misleads a person — for it imagines one thing to be another thing — until it overturns, heaven forfend, and makes evil into good, darkness into light — as it is stated: "Those who make light into darkness and darkness into light, who make bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter and so on" (Yeshayahu 5:20). As one sees tangibly that the power of imagination misleads a person many times even in physical matters — for example, when a person sees something from afar, and especially at night, he imagines a piece of wood standing upright to be a person and is frightened of it — and similarly in many matters in which a person errs through the power of imagination. And exactly the same way, truly, in the matters of a person's opinions and character traits and desires — for in truth the Jewish man is himself utterly distant from all evil things and from all desires and evil character traits. And the essential stumbling of a person, heaven forfend, is only through the power of imagination — which is the sitra achra — which misleads the person and imagines one thing to be another thing, and leads him from thought to thought and from thought to thought, until it brings him to an improper thought, heaven forfend. And likewise to each and every person it brings him to that which it brings him — may the Merciful One protect us. And therefore the Torah has decreed upon us not to walk in their statutes and not to resemble them in any matter — not to resemble them, specifically — in order not to give power, heaven forfend, to the koach ha-medame. For the nations of the world are the evil of all desires and character traits, as is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, of blessed memory. And therefore when one resembles them in any matter — through this the medame is strengthened, heaven forfend — and one can come, heaven forfend, through this to their opinions and views — as it is written: "And they mingled with the nations and learned from their deeds" (Tehillim 106:35). For the essential grip of the sitra achra is in the medame, as above. And therefore one must distance oneself from them greatly, greatly in all matters. Rather, one must resemble in all matters and all customs and all garments the holy people Israel — for the essential grace and true glory and honor (hispa'arus ha-amitis) is found only among Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride" — who are encompassed in many colors (d'klulim bi-gvanin saggin) — and the garments of Israel are in the aspect of garments of salvation (bigday yesha) — the aspect of garments of glory (levushay ha-hispa'arus) — the aspect of "majesty and splendor You have clothed (hod v'hadar lavashta)" (Tehillim 104:1). For in them are all kinds of grace and all kinds of glory. And therefore one must dress specifically in the garments of Israel and resemble in every matter the ways of the true wise men and tzaddikim — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Cleave to Torah scholars (hiddabayk b'talmidei chachamim)" (Kesubos 111b). And as it is written: "One who walks with wise men will become wise (holaych es chachamim yechkam)" (Mishlai 13:20). For through resembling oneself in deeds and conduct to the ways of the true righteous ones — through this one merits to be encompassed within them. And in the end one will truly become like them. For the koach ha-medame is in the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil — the aspect of nogah — which is at times encompassed in the good, and at other times in the opposite. For it is in the aspect of imagination — and wherever it imagines itself, there it is encompassed. And the essential free choice (b'chirah) and trial (nisayon) of a person is through the koach ha-medame. And every person must strengthen himself to clarify (l'varayr) the koach ha-medame — to clarify the good within it so that it should be encompassed in holiness, and to cause the evil within it to fall. And therefore we are commanded to resemble our Creator, blessed be He — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Cleave to His attributes — just as He is merciful, so shall you be merciful, and so on" (Shabbos 133b). And likewise to resemble the Torah scholars and to associate with upright people — for through resembling oneself in character traits to the Blessed Lord and to the tzaddikim and to the truly upright people of the generation, through this one merits to become truly encompassed with them together in the Blessed Lord. For everything depends on the clarification of the medame — which is the essential trial and free choice. And this is the aspect of what is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, may his memory be a blessing, in the conversations of the Ranas (Sichot HaRan) — that through making oneself angry in prayer, through this one merits truly to pray with the warmth and burning enthusiasm of holiness. And likewise through making oneself act as if one is happy — through this one merits to true joy. And similarly in all matters and so on — see there. For this is the aspect of the clarification of the medame (biyur ha-medame) — that the medame is encompassed in holiness — for one imagines oneself to be in matters of holiness, even though at first one does not truly have that quality. Even so one imagines oneself and conducts oneself and accustoms oneself in these qualities and these upright ways of behavior of truly upright people — and through this one merits afterward to all the good truly. And one must be very strong in this matter and a great stubborn one (akshan gadol) — even though it seems to him that it has been a long time that he has been accustoming himself to this and he has still not merited to the good truly — even so, this too is good: that he imagines himself and accustoms himself to the good. For also it is impossible for a person to know truly when he merits to the good — for sometimes it appears to the person that he is very far from good, and this very thing is itself good. And likewise the opposite can be true. Therefore one is always obligated to attach oneself to upright and true people and to walk in their ways and to resemble their deeds — for this very thing is good: that he merits to associate with them — even if, heaven forfend, he would not merit to become like them. But in truth if he is strong, he will certainly merit to become like them and to be encompassed within them, as above. And this is what the Torah warned: "And you shall not show them favor (v'lo s'chanaym)" — you shall not give them grace — for it is forbidden to say "how beautiful is this non-Jew," and so on. For it is forbidden to glorify them in any matter at all. For the essential glory and the colors (gevonin) belong only to Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride." And when one glorifies and praises Israel, and magnifies and cherishes the grace and the ways of the holy people Israel — the chosen nation from all peoples — through this the colors and the glory of Israel are revealed. And through the revelation of the colors — which is the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — through this comes the essential subduing of the medame, as is explained there in the discourse cited above: that the essential subduing of the medame is through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — which comes through the revelation of the colors. And this is what Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, said: that through the joy by which one rejoices over having merited to be from the seed of Israel and to draw close to the true tzaddikim — through this one breaks the medame — which is the obstacles at every level of holiness and so on — see there. For through rejoicing oneself with the joy of Israel, over having merited to be from the seed of Israel — through this the grace and the glory and the colors of Israel are revealed. Which is the essential greatness of the Creator, blessed be He. And through the revelation of the Creator — through this the obstacles are subdued — which are the koach ha-medame. For in truth they are no obstacles at all — only they appear as obstacles, until it is hard to break them. But through glorifying and praising and cherishing the grace and the importance and the glory of Israel — and rejoicing oneself in this that "He did not make me a non-Jew (shelo asani goy)" — through this the glory of Israel is revealed — the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride" — which are the supernal colors — which are the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this comes the essential subduing of the medame, as above. And this is the aspect of the shekalim (half-shekels) — through which was the essential miracle of Purim. As our Sages of blessed memory said: "Wicked one! Our shekalim have already preceded yours" (Megillah 13b). And therefore on the first of Adar they announce about the shekalim. For the essential jealousy of Haman of Amalek against Israel was because of this: because Israel distance themselves in all matters from the conduct and the ways of the nations. And therefore he said: "Their laws are different from every other people" (Esther 3:8). For he was most particular and jealous about this: that they always intend to differ from the nations in all matters and to distance themselves from their customs. And therefore he said: "And ten thousand of silver and so on, I will weigh and so on" (Esther 3:9). For he wished to nullify, heaven forfend, the power of the shekalim of Israel — which are in the aspect of the revelation of the colors encompassed in silver and gold, as is explained in the discourse cited above. And therefore the Blessed Lord preceded the cure to the blow and preceded our shekalim to his shekalim, and commanded us to give on the first of Adar the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah (charity) — through which the supernal colors that are in silver and gold are revealed, as above. And through this comes the essential subduing of the medame and the kelipas (husks of impurity) — which are in the aspect of Haman-Amalek. For Amalek is in the aspect of the evil of the medame — for they would imagine themselves to be animals, as Rashi explained on the verse "from ox to sheep to animal" (I Shmuel 15:3): that the Amalekites would dress themselves up as animals, as above. And "animal" (behayma) is in the aspect of the koach ha-medame — which is the power of animality (koach ha-bahamisyus) — as is explained above in the discourse cited. And therefore the essential subduing of Haman-Amalek is through the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed and so on — which is the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this they are subdued, as above. And this is the aspect of the half-shekel (machatzis ha-shekel) — a contribution to God (trumah la-Hashem). For the aspect of the medame is the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil — the aspect of nogah — which is the essential scales and trial (matkala v'nisayon). In the aspect of "half" (machatzis) — for the person stands on the scale and the trial: half of him tipping one way and half tipping the other way — like the way of a scale — for it is a mixture of good and evil. And this is "machatzis ha-shekel" — "half-shekel" specifically. And every person must tip the scale toward the good — to raise the medame up to the Blessed Lord — in the aspect of "a half-shekel as a contribution to God." And this is accomplished through the giving of the half-shekel toward the communal sacrifices and toward the donation for the Mishkan (Tabernacle) — which is in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed, as above — and through this the medame is subdued. And then the evil within it falls and the good within it is encompassed in holiness. And therefore the shekalim were taken for the communal sacrifices and for the donation of the Mishkan — for the sacrifices (korbanos) are in the aspect of the breaking of the imagination (sh'viras ha-dimyon) — as Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, explained in the discourse cited above on the verse: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit (zivchei Elokim ruach nishbarah)" (Tehillim 51:19). And this is the aspect of the donation of the Mishkan — which is the aspect of the revelation of the colors — for all the supernal colors were encompassed in the Mishkan: silver and gold and blue (t'chelyas) and purple (argaman) and so on. And this is the aspect of "When you take a count of (ki sisa es rosh) the children of Israel" (Shmos 30:12). "Ki sisa" specifically — in the aspect of nesi'as rosh (elevation of the head) — that is, when they ascend from level to level, and one wishes to elevate Israel that they should ascend from level to level — then "each one shall give a ransom for his soul (kofer nafsho)" — that is, tzedakah — through which the obstacles at every level are subdued. For they come through the medame, as above. And then "and there shall not be among them a plague and so on" — for through this: that the colors are revealed through the shekalim — through this the medame and the kelipas are subdued — which are the sitra d'mosa (side of death) — and one merits to the holy intellect (seykhel d'kedushah) which is in the aspect of life. As it is written: "Wisdom sustains life (ha-chochma t'chayeh)" (Koheles 7:12). For the essential life is the intellect — which is eternal life. For the essential residue of a person after his death is only the attainment of the acquired intellect (seykhel ha-nikneh) — which one merits through the breaking of the imagination — as is explained there in the discourse cited, see there all of this well. And therefore the essential commandment of the shekalim was at the time when they were counting Israel — for the counting of Israel is in the aspect of nesi'as rosh — the aspect of ascent from level to level — in the discourse above. For when they ascend from level to level, then each and every one elevates his fellow. For the inwardness (p'nimiyus) of the lower one ascends to the higher one, and likewise the inwardness of the higher one ascends yet higher, and so upward and upward — as is explained there well, see there. And as Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, said then explicitly: that this is the aspect of haramah — ((in the Lashon Ashkenaz (German-Yiddish): heiben)) — what one lifts his fellow up and so on. And when they count Israel, then they include and lift up and elevate and link one to the other — for this is the essential aspect of the counting: to link them and join them one to the other — so that each one should ascend to the level of his fellow, and his fellow should ascend yet higher — and so upward and upward — so that they should be encompassed one within the other — so that the Shekhinah should rest upon them. And therefore the counting is called nesi'as rosh — as it is written: "When you take a count of (ki sisa es rosh) the children of Israel according to their number (lifkudayhem)" (Shmos 30:12). For through the counting their heads are elevated from level to level and so on, as above. And therefore at every time that Israel needed to ascend from level to level, they were counted. After that when the Mishkan was built and they wished to have the Shekhinah rest upon them, they were counted — as Rashi explained. For all of the above is in the aspect of ascent from level to level — in the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt (Yetzi'as Mitzrayim): when they ascended from the forty-nine gates of impurity (mem-tes sha'aray tumah) to the forty-nine gates of holiness (mem-tes sha'aray k'dushah). And likewise after the incident of the Golden Calf, when they needed to depart and ascend and purify themselves from this impurity and enter into holiness. And likewise afterward when the Mishkan was built and they needed to ascend to the high levels so that the Shekhinah would rest upon them — and therefore they counted them each time — which is the aspect of nesi'as rosh, as above. And when they ascend from level to level — then the medame is aroused even more, as above — which is the sitra d'mosa, heaven forfend, as above. And when they ascend from level to level — then the medame is aroused even more, as above — which is the sitra d'mosa, heaven forfend, as above. [Note: this sentence is written twice in the original — it is intentional.] Therefore at such times one must strengthen oneself even more to subdue the sitra d'mosa — which is the medame. And this is accomplished through the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed, as above. And this is the aspect of "ki sisa and so on, and each one shall give a ransom for his soul to God, and there shall not be among them a plague and so on," as above. "Each one who passes through the counting shall give a half-shekel in the sacred shekel. A half-shekel specifically," as above. And this is the aspect of: "When Adar enters, one increases in joy (mishenichnas Adar marbin b'simchah)" (Ta'anis 29a). For then one must subdue the kelipah of Haman-Amalek — which is the medame, as above. And therefore one must increase in joy — for one must greatly rejoice in the fact that we merited to be from the seed of Israel and "He did not make me a non-Jew" — and through this the grace and the glory of Israel are revealed: which is the revelation of the colors — which is the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this the medame is subdued and one merits to ascend to all the levels of holiness. Amen and Amen. And as is explained there at the end of the discourse cited above: that through the joy by which one rejoices in the Blessed Lord and in His tzaddikim and so on — through this the medame is subdued — which spreads itself through every level — and one ascends to the highest level and so on — see there. Halacha 3 Based on Likutay Moharan, Part 1, §64 — "Bo el Par'oh" (Come to Pharaoh) The matter of the prohibition of walking in the statutes of the nations, and the prohibition of divination and conjuring and sorcery. According to the Torah "Bo el Par'oh" (Come to Pharaoh), in §64 — see the entire Torah there well. And the general principle is this: There are questions and heresy (apikorsus) that are drawn from the kelipas that came into being through the shattering of the vessels (sh'viras ha-kaylim) — which came through an excess of light — and these are in the aspect of the surplus (mosorohs) and refuse (p'soles) of holiness, and likewise sorcery (kishuf) comes from the surplus and refuse, as is known. And these questions and heresies can be answered — for there are sparks and letters and so on that fell there and so on. But there are heresies and questions that are drawn from the empty space (chalal ha-panui) and so on — from which, as it were, He withdrew His Divinity and His wisdom — and so on — and these are the "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" and so on. And these questions cannot be answered in any way. And regarding them it is said: "All who come to her do not return" (Mishlai 2:19). For these questions cannot be answered in this world — for if they were answered the empty space would be nullified and there would be no place and existence for the world and so on. Therefore it is impossible to answer these questions now in any way whatsoever — except to strengthen oneself in complete emunah alone. And through this one passes over all the wisdoms and over the "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" — which are the questions mentioned above — and so on. See there all of this well. And it is known that the Blessed Lord gave us the entire Torah and all the commandments in order to merit complete emunah in Him, blessed be He — for this is the essential ultimate purpose — as it is written: "All Your commandments are emunah (kol mitzvosecha emunah)" (Tehillim 119:86). And as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Chavakuk came and established them all on one: and the tzaddik shall live by his emunah (v'tzaddik b'emunaso yichyeh)" (Makkos 24a; Chavakuk 2:4). And for this reason there are in the Torah both chukim (statutes) and mishpatim (civil laws) — the mishpatim being those commandments that reason somewhat obligates, which are called mishpatim. And the commandments upon which there is no reason at all, and the nations of the world take Israel to task asking what is the reason for this commandment — these are called chukim. And all these chukim and mishpatim the Blessed Lord gave us in order to merit to emunah — that is, in order to merit through this power to nullify two kinds of questions and heresy (apikorsus) mentioned above. For through the mishpatim — which are the commandments in which there is some intellect and reason — through this the questions that are drawn from the kelipas that came into being through the shattering of the vessels are nullified, as above. For there some intellect and letters are present — though they require great rectification and clarification (tikun u-biyur). And these kelipas are subdued and nullified through the aspect of the mishpatim of the Torah — in which there is intellect. But there are questions for which it is impossible to find any answer through intellect and to settle them, as above — for they are drawn from the empty space (chalal ha-panui), as above. And there it is forbidden to enter into them with any intellect at all — only to strengthen oneself in emunah alone, as above. And corresponding to this the Blessed Lord gave us the holy chukim — which are the commandments in which there is no reason at all — and we fulfill them through emunah alone. Through the power of these commandments emunah is strengthened within us and we have the power to drive out and nullify and expunge from among us all the questions and heresy drawn from the empty space where there is no intellect except in tremendous, wondrous concealment — which it is impossible in any way to understand in this world — and we must only strengthen ourselves in emunah alone, as above. And this emunah — to merit to strengthen oneself in complete emunah, to nullify the heresy mentioned above through emunah alone, as above — this we merit through the chukim that we observe: which are the commandments in which there is no reason at all — and we fulfill them through emunah alone, as above. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of the statutes of the nations (chukos ha-akum) and the prohibition of divination and conjuring and sorcery. For "this corresponds to that" (ze l'umas ze) — for just as in holiness there are in the holy Torah chukim and mishpatim in order to nullify the two kinds of heresy mentioned above — so likewise in the opposite: they have the statutes of the nations that have no reason at all — only they are drawn from the heresy of the empty space where there is no intellect and no reason at all — for they are in the aspect of "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" and so on. As is explained well in the Torah cited above — see there. And the Blessed Lord commanded us to distance ourselves from their statutes with all distances — as it is written: "And in their statutes you shall not walk." And as is cited in the Gemara and the Shulchan Arukh — that one must distance oneself from them in all movements and all garments — as is written in the Shulchan Arukh: "One does not resemble them and one does not wear their garments and so on" — for we must distance ourselves greatly from their statutes which are their ways of conduct that have no reason, so that, heaven forfend, the heresy and denial (k'firah) drawn from the empty space should not take hold among us. For there is no intellect there whatsoever and so on — and from there all their statutes are drawn, as above. And likewise the Torah forbade us to divine and take omens and practice sorcery — so that the kelipas that come from the surplus and from the shattering of the vessels should not be strengthened, heaven forfend. For from there comes all the wisdom of the diviners — from the refuse of holiness (p'soles ha-k'dushah) — as is explained in the Torah cited above. Therefore we must distance ourselves from both of them: from the diviner and so on — which are in the aspect of the kelipas of the shattering of the vessels and so on, as above — and likewise to distance ourselves from the statutes of the nations that are drawn from the aspect of the denials of the empty space, as above. For the Blessed Lord in His great mercy separated us from these wanderers and commanded us to distance ourselves from both of them. And He sanctified us with His holy commandments — in which there are chukim and mishpatim — through which we nullify and drive out the two kinds of heresy and questions and merit to true complete emunah. Amen. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of "not wearing their garments" — which is forbidden on account of the statute of the nations (chukkas ha-akum) — for all garments are drawn from the secret of the empty space (sod chalal ha-panui) — which is in the aspect of garments (levushin) — as is explained in the Torah cited above: that it is like "that silkworm (kamtza) whose garment is from itself and within itself." And from there all the garments in the world are drawn. And therefore Israel were commanded to sanctify their garments through the commandment of tzitzis — in which the entire Torah and all the commandments are dependent — as it is written: "So that you may remember and do all My commandments and so on" (Bamidbar 15:40). For through the sanctity of the garments — through the commandment of tzitzis — through this holy emunah is drawn upon us, to subdue and nullify the heresy that is drawn from the empty space — through the emunah that we believe that even there the Blessed Lord is hidden in wondrous concealment, and that the empty space itself came into being from His wisdom, blessed be He — like "that silkworm whose garment is from itself and within itself" — as is written in the Torah cited above. And therefore one must distance oneself from the garments of the nations — not to wear their garments on account of the statute of the nations. For their garments are drawn from the heresy of the empty space — from which all garments come, as above. But our garments are drawn from holy emunah — for we believe that even in the empty space the Blessed Lord is present in wondrous concealment — which is the aspect of "like that silkworm whose garment is from itself and within itself." And this emunah is the aspect of the tikun of the garments — the aspect of tzitzis — which is emunah, as is known. And as above in Hilchos Purim, Halacha 4, on the verse: "Mi ha-ish he-chofetz chayyim" — "Who is the man who desires life?" (Tehillim 34:13). Laws of Chukkas HaAkum — Halacha 4 is encompassed in Laws of Me'onayn u-Menachaysh, Halacha 2, and Halacha 5 is encompassed in Laws of Me'onayn u-Menachaysh, Halacha 3. Na Nach Nachma Nachman MeUman!

For it is cited in the words of Rabbaynu in the discourse "Achavay lan mana d'lo shavya l'chavala" and so on, in §25 of Likutay, Part One — that the sitra achra (Other Side) is called the koach ha-medame (power of imagination), from which come all the desires and confusions and obstacles that obstruct the levels of holiness and so on — see there. And at every level and every level these imaginings are present — and when one wishes to ascend from level to level they are aroused and so on. And one must subdue and break them. And the essential means of subduing them is through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be His Name. And this is accomplished through giving charity to a deserving poor person — for through this the colors (gevonin) that are present in silver and gold are revealed. For the essential colors are found only among Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride (Yisroel asher b'cha espa'ar)" (Yeshayahu 49:3). Pride (hispa'arus) is the encompassing of all the colors and so on. And this is the aspect of: "For He has clothed me in garments of salvation (bigday yesha)" (Yeshayahu 61:10). "Yesha" — "salvation" — is the aspect of "yistaklutha," that all desire to behold it and so on — see there well. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of walking in their statutes. And one must distance oneself from them in all matters — so as not to resemble them in any matter whatsoever in the world. Even though in that particular matter there is no actual prohibition in and of itself — even so it is forbidden to resemble them in any manner in the world. And it is forbidden to dress in their garments and so on. For in this is encompassed the entire Torah in its totality. For in truth, Israel from their very selves — from their root — are utterly and completely distant from all sins, and no transgression is at all relevant to a Jewish man according to his holiness from his root. For Israel are the very essence of goodness (etzem ha-tov) and they are distant from evil in the ultimate distance at their root. And therefore the sitra achra has no grip or relevance to entice any one of Israel, heaven forfend — except only through the power of imagination (koach ha-medame). For the medame misleads a person — for it imagines one thing to be another thing — until it overturns, heaven forfend, and makes evil into good, darkness into light — as it is stated: "Those who make light into darkness and darkness into light, who make bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter and so on" (Yeshayahu 5:20). As one sees tangibly that the power of imagination misleads a person many times even in physical matters — for example, when a person sees something from afar, and especially at night, he imagines a piece of wood standing upright to be a person and is frightened of it — and similarly in many matters in which a person errs through the power of imagination. And exactly the same way, truly, in the matters of a person's opinions and character traits and desires — for in truth the Jewish man is himself utterly distant from all evil things and from all desires and evil character traits. And the essential stumbling of a person, heaven forfend, is only through the power of imagination — which is the sitra achra — which misleads the person and imagines one thing to be another thing, and leads him from thought to thought and from thought to thought, until it brings him to an improper thought, heaven forfend. And likewise to each and every person it brings him to that which it brings him — may the Merciful One protect us. And therefore the Torah has decreed upon us not to walk in their statutes and not to resemble them in any matter — not to resemble them, specifically — in order not to give power, heaven forfend, to the koach ha-medame. For the nations of the world are the evil of all desires and character traits, as is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, of blessed memory. And therefore when one resembles them in any matter — through this the medame is strengthened, heaven forfend — and one can come, heaven forfend, through this to their opinions and views — as it is written: "And they mingled with the nations and learned from their deeds" (Tehillim 106:35). For the essential grip of the sitra achra is in the medame, as above. And therefore one must distance oneself from them greatly, greatly in all matters. Rather, one must resemble in all matters and all customs and all garments the holy people Israel — for the essential grace and true glory and honor (hispa'arus ha-amitis) is found only among Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride" — who are encompassed in many colors (d'klulim bi-gvanin saggin) — and the garments of Israel are in the aspect of garments of salvation (bigday yesha) — the aspect of garments of glory (levushay ha-hispa'arus) — the aspect of "majesty and splendor You have clothed (hod v'hadar lavashta)" (Tehillim 104:1). For in them are all kinds of grace and all kinds of glory. And therefore one must dress specifically in the garments of Israel and resemble in every matter the ways of the true wise men and tzaddikim — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Cleave to Torah scholars (hiddabayk b'talmidei chachamim)" (Kesubos 111b). And as it is written: "One who walks with wise men will become wise (holaych es chachamim yechkam)" (Mishlai 13:20). For through resembling oneself in deeds and conduct to the ways of the true righteous ones — through this one merits to be encompassed within them. And in the end one will truly become like them. For the koach ha-medame is in the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil — the aspect of nogah — which is at times encompassed in the good, and at other times in the opposite. For it is in the aspect of imagination — and wherever it imagines itself, there it is encompassed. And the essential free choice (b'chirah) and trial (nisayon) of a person is through the koach ha-medame. And every person must strengthen himself to clarify (l'varayr) the koach ha-medame — to clarify the good within it so that it should be encompassed in holiness, and to cause the evil within it to fall. And therefore we are commanded to resemble our Creator, blessed be He — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Cleave to His attributes — just as He is merciful, so shall you be merciful, and so on" (Shabbos 133b). And likewise to resemble the Torah scholars and to associate with upright people — for through resembling oneself in character traits to the Blessed Lord and to the tzaddikim and to the truly upright people of the generation, through this one merits to become truly encompassed with them together in the Blessed Lord. For everything depends on the clarification of the medame — which is the essential trial and free choice. And this is the aspect of what is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, may his memory be a blessing, in the conversations of the Ranas (Sichot HaRan) — that through making oneself angry in prayer, through this one merits truly to pray with the warmth and burning enthusiasm of holiness. And likewise through making oneself act as if one is happy — through this one merits to true joy. And similarly in all matters and so on — see there. For this is the aspect of the clarification of the medame (biyur ha-medame) — that the medame is encompassed in holiness — for one imagines oneself to be in matters of holiness, even though at first one does not truly have that quality. Even so one imagines oneself and conducts oneself and accustoms oneself in these qualities and these upright ways of behavior of truly upright people — and through this one merits afterward to all the good truly. And one must be very strong in this matter and a great stubborn one (akshan gadol) — even though it seems to him that it has been a long time that he has been accustoming himself to this and he has still not merited to the good truly — even so, this too is good: that he imagines himself and accustoms himself to the good. For also it is impossible for a person to know truly when he merits to the good — for sometimes it appears to the person that he is very far from good, and this very thing is itself good. And likewise the opposite can be true. Therefore one is always obligated to attach oneself to upright and true people and to walk in their ways and to resemble their deeds — for this very thing is good: that he merits to associate with them — even if, heaven forfend, he would not merit to become like them. But in truth if he is strong, he will certainly merit to become like them and to be encompassed within them, as above. And this is what the Torah warned: "And you shall not show them favor (v'lo s'chanaym)" — you shall not give them grace — for it is forbidden to say "how beautiful is this non-Jew," and so on. For it is forbidden to glorify them in any matter at all. For the essential glory and the colors (gevonin) belong only to Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride." And when one glorifies and praises Israel, and magnifies and cherishes the grace and the ways of the holy people Israel — the chosen nation from all peoples — through this the colors and the glory of Israel are revealed. And through the revelation of the colors — which is the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — through this comes the essential subduing of the medame, as is explained there in the discourse cited above: that the essential subduing of the medame is through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — which comes through the revelation of the colors. And this is what Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, said: that through the joy by which one rejoices over having merited to be from the seed of Israel and to draw close to the true tzaddikim — through this one breaks the medame — which is the obstacles at every level of holiness and so on — see there. For through rejoicing oneself with the joy of Israel, over having merited to be from the seed of Israel — through this the grace and the glory and the colors of Israel are revealed. Which is the essential greatness of the Creator, blessed be He. And through the revelation of the Creator — through this the obstacles are subdued — which are the koach ha-medame. For in truth they are no obstacles at all — only they appear as obstacles, until it is hard to break them. But through glorifying and praising and cherishing the grace and the importance and the glory of Israel — and rejoicing oneself in this that "He did not make me a non-Jew (shelo asani goy)" — through this the glory of Israel is revealed — the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride" — which are the supernal colors — which are the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this comes the essential subduing of the medame, as above. And this is the aspect of the shekalim (half-shekels) — through which was the essential miracle of Purim. As our Sages of blessed memory said: "Wicked one! Our shekalim have already preceded yours" (Megillah 13b). And therefore on the first of Adar they announce about the shekalim. For the essential jealousy of Haman of Amalek against Israel was because of this: because Israel distance themselves in all matters from the conduct and the ways of the nations. And therefore he said: "Their laws are different from every other people" (Esther 3:8). For he was most particular and jealous about this: that they always intend to differ from the nations in all matters and to distance themselves from their customs. And therefore he said: "And ten thousand of silver and so on, I will weigh and so on" (Esther 3:9). For he wished to nullify, heaven forfend, the power of the shekalim of Israel — which are in the aspect of the revelation of the colors encompassed in silver and gold, as is explained in the discourse cited above. And therefore the Blessed Lord preceded the cure to the blow and preceded our shekalim to his shekalim, and commanded us to give on the first of Adar the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah (charity) — through which the supernal colors that are in silver and gold are revealed, as above. And through this comes the essential subduing of the medame and the kelipas (husks of impurity) — which are in the aspect of Haman-Amalek. For Amalek is in the aspect of the evil of the medame — for they would imagine themselves to be animals, as Rashi explained on the verse "from ox to sheep to animal" (I Shmuel 15:3): that the Amalekites would dress themselves up as animals, as above. And "animal" (behayma) is in the aspect of the koach ha-medame — which is the power of animality (koach ha-bahamisyus) — as is explained above in the discourse cited. And therefore the essential subduing of Haman-Amalek is through the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed and so on — which is the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this they are subdued, as above. And this is the aspect of the half-shekel (machatzis ha-shekel) — a contribution to God (trumah la-Hashem). For the aspect of the medame is the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil — the aspect of nogah — which is the essential scales and trial (matkala v'nisayon). In the aspect of "half" (machatzis) — for the person stands on the scale and the trial: half of him tipping one way and half tipping the other way — like the way of a scale — for it is a mixture of good and evil. And this is "machatzis ha-shekel" — "half-shekel" specifically. And every person must tip the scale toward the good — to raise the medame up to the Blessed Lord — in the aspect of "a half-shekel as a contribution to God." And this is accomplished through the giving of the half-shekel toward the communal sacrifices and toward the donation for the Mishkan (Tabernacle) — which is in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed, as above — and through this the medame is subdued. And then the evil within it falls and the good within it is encompassed in holiness. And therefore the shekalim were taken for the communal sacrifices and for the donation of the Mishkan — for the sacrifices (korbanos) are in the aspect of the breaking of the imagination (sh'viras ha-dimyon) — as Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, explained in the discourse cited above on the verse: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit (zivchei Elokim ruach nishbarah)" (Tehillim 51:19). And this is the aspect of the donation of the Mishkan — which is the aspect of the revelation of the colors — for all the supernal colors were encompassed in the Mishkan: silver and gold and blue (t'chelyas) and purple (argaman) and so on. And this is the aspect of "When you take a count of (ki sisa es rosh) the children of Israel" (Shmos 30:12). "Ki sisa" specifically — in the aspect of nesi'as rosh (elevation of the head) — that is, when they ascend from level to level, and one wishes to elevate Israel that they should ascend from level to level — then "each one shall give a ransom for his soul (kofer nafsho)" — that is, tzedakah — through which the obstacles at every level are subdued. For they come through the medame, as above. And then "and there shall not be among them a plague and so on" — for through this: that the colors are revealed through the shekalim — through this the medame and the kelipas are subdued — which are the sitra d'mosa (side of death) — and one merits to the holy intellect (seykhel d'kedushah) which is in the aspect of life. As it is written: "Wisdom sustains life (ha-chochma t'chayeh)" (Koheles 7:12). For the essential life is the intellect — which is eternal life. For the essential residue of a person after his death is only the attainment of the acquired intellect (seykhel ha-nikneh) — which one merits through the breaking of the imagination — as is explained there in the discourse cited, see there all of this well. And therefore the essential commandment of the shekalim was at the time when they were counting Israel — for the counting of Israel is in the aspect of nesi'as rosh — the aspect of ascent from level to level — in the discourse above. For when they ascend from level to level, then each and every one elevates his fellow. For the inwardness (p'nimiyus) of the lower one ascends to the higher one, and likewise the inwardness of the higher one ascends yet higher, and so upward and upward — as is explained there well, see there. And as Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, said then explicitly: that this is the aspect of haramah — ((in the Lashon Ashkenaz (German-Yiddish): heiben)) — what one lifts his fellow up and so on. And when they count Israel, then they include and lift up and elevate and link one to the other — for this is the essential aspect of the counting: to link them and join them one to the other — so that each one should ascend to the level of his fellow, and his fellow should ascend yet higher — and so upward and upward — so that they should be encompassed one within the other — so that the Shekhinah should rest upon them. And therefore the counting is called nesi'as rosh — as it is written: "When you take a count of (ki sisa es rosh) the children of Israel according to their number (lifkudayhem)" (Shmos 30:12). For through the counting their heads are elevated from level to level and so on, as above. And therefore at every time that Israel needed to ascend from level to level, they were counted. After that when the Mishkan was built and they wished to have the Shekhinah rest upon them, they were counted — as Rashi explained. For all of the above is in the aspect of ascent from level to level — in the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt (Yetzi'as Mitzrayim): when they ascended from the forty-nine gates of impurity (mem-tes sha'aray tumah) to the forty-nine gates of holiness (mem-tes sha'aray k'dushah). And likewise after the incident of the Golden Calf, when they needed to depart and ascend and purify themselves from this impurity and enter into holiness. And likewise afterward when the Mishkan was built and they needed to ascend to the high levels so that the Shekhinah would rest upon them — and therefore they counted them each time — which is the aspect of nesi'as rosh, as above. And when they ascend from level to level — then the medame is aroused even more, as above — which is the sitra d'mosa, heaven forfend, as above. And when they ascend from level to level — then the medame is aroused even more, as above — which is the sitra d'mosa, heaven forfend, as above. [Note: this sentence is written twice in the original — it is intentional.] Therefore at such times one must strengthen oneself even more to subdue the sitra d'mosa — which is the medame. And this is accomplished through the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed, as above. And this is the aspect of "ki sisa and so on, and each one shall give a ransom for his soul to God, and there shall not be among them a plague and so on," as above. "Each one who passes through the counting shall give a half-shekel in the sacred shekel. A half-shekel specifically," as above. And this is the aspect of: "When Adar enters, one increases in joy (mishenichnas Adar marbin b'simchah)" (Ta'anis 29a). For then one must subdue the kelipah of Haman-Amalek — which is the medame, as above. And therefore one must increase in joy — for one must greatly rejoice in the fact that we merited to be from the seed of Israel and "He did not make me a non-Jew" — and through this the grace and the glory of Israel are revealed: which is the revelation of the colors — which is the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this the medame is subdued and one merits to ascend to all the levels of holiness. Amen and Amen. And as is explained there at the end of the discourse cited above: that through the joy by which one rejoices in the Blessed Lord and in His tzaddikim and so on — through this the medame is subdued — which spreads itself through every level — and one ascends to the highest level and so on — see there. Halacha 3 Based on Likutay Moharan, Part 1, §64 — "Bo el Par'oh" (Come to Pharaoh) The matter of the prohibition of walking in the statutes of the nations, and the prohibition of divination and conjuring and sorcery. According to the Torah "Bo el Par'oh" (Come to Pharaoh), in §64 — see the entire Torah there well. And the general principle is this: There are questions and heresy (apikorsus) that are drawn from the kelipas that came into being through the shattering of the vessels (sh'viras ha-kaylim) — which came through an excess of light — and these are in the aspect of the surplus (mosorohs) and refuse (p'soles) of holiness, and likewise sorcery (kishuf) comes from the surplus and refuse, as is known. And these questions and heresies can be answered — for there are sparks and letters and so on that fell there and so on. But there are heresies and questions that are drawn from the empty space (chalal ha-panui) and so on — from which, as it were, He withdrew His Divinity and His wisdom — and so on — and these are the "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" and so on. And these questions cannot be answered in any way. And regarding them it is said: "All who come to her do not return" (Mishlai 2:19). For these questions cannot be answered in this world — for if they were answered the empty space would be nullified and there would be no place and existence for the world and so on. Therefore it is impossible to answer these questions now in any way whatsoever — except to strengthen oneself in complete emunah alone. And through this one passes over all the wisdoms and over the "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" — which are the questions mentioned above — and so on. See there all of this well. And it is known that the Blessed Lord gave us the entire Torah and all the commandments in order to merit complete emunah in Him, blessed be He — for this is the essential ultimate purpose — as it is written: "All Your commandments are emunah (kol mitzvosecha emunah)" (Tehillim 119:86). And as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Chavakuk came and established them all on one: and the tzaddik shall live by his emunah (v'tzaddik b'emunaso yichyeh)" (Makkos 24a; Chavakuk 2:4). And for this reason there are in the Torah both chukim (statutes) and mishpatim (civil laws) — the mishpatim being those commandments that reason somewhat obligates, which are called mishpatim. And the commandments upon which there is no reason at all, and the nations of the world take Israel to task asking what is the reason for this commandment — these are called chukim. And all these chukim and mishpatim the Blessed Lord gave us in order to merit to emunah — that is, in order to merit through this power to nullify two kinds of questions and heresy (apikorsus) mentioned above. For through the mishpatim — which are the commandments in which there is some intellect and reason — through this the questions that are drawn from the kelipas that came into being through the shattering of the vessels are nullified, as above. For there some intellect and letters are present — though they require great rectification and clarification (tikun u-biyur). And these kelipas are subdued and nullified through the aspect of the mishpatim of the Torah — in which there is intellect. But there are questions for which it is impossible to find any answer through intellect and to settle them, as above — for they are drawn from the empty space (chalal ha-panui), as above. And there it is forbidden to enter into them with any intellect at all — only to strengthen oneself in emunah alone, as above. And corresponding to this the Blessed Lord gave us the holy chukim — which are the commandments in which there is no reason at all — and we fulfill them through emunah alone. Through the power of these commandments emunah is strengthened within us and we have the power to drive out and nullify and expunge from among us all the questions and heresy drawn from the empty space where there is no intellect except in tremendous, wondrous concealment — which it is impossible in any way to understand in this world — and we must only strengthen ourselves in emunah alone, as above. And this emunah — to merit to strengthen oneself in complete emunah, to nullify the heresy mentioned above through emunah alone, as above — this we merit through the chukim that we observe: which are the commandments in which there is no reason at all — and we fulfill them through emunah alone, as above. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of the statutes of the nations (chukos ha-akum) and the prohibition of divination and conjuring and sorcery. For "this corresponds to that" (ze l'umas ze) — for just as in holiness there are in the holy Torah chukim and mishpatim in order to nullify the two kinds of heresy mentioned above — so likewise in the opposite: they have the statutes of the nations that have no reason at all — only they are drawn from the heresy of the empty space where there is no intellect and no reason at all — for they are in the aspect of "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" and so on. As is explained well in the Torah cited above — see there. And the Blessed Lord commanded us to distance ourselves from their statutes with all distances — as it is written: "And in their statutes you shall not walk." And as is cited in the Gemara and the Shulchan Arukh — that one must distance oneself from them in all movements and all garments — as is written in the Shulchan Arukh: "One does not resemble them and one does not wear their garments and so on" — for we must distance ourselves greatly from their statutes which are their ways of conduct that have no reason, so that, heaven forfend, the heresy and denial (k'firah) drawn from the empty space should not take hold among us. For there is no intellect there whatsoever and so on — and from there all their statutes are drawn, as above. And likewise the Torah forbade us to divine and take omens and practice sorcery — so that the kelipas that come from the surplus and from the shattering of the vessels should not be strengthened, heaven forfend. For from there comes all the wisdom of the diviners — from the refuse of holiness (p'soles ha-k'dushah) — as is explained in the Torah cited above. Therefore we must distance ourselves from both of them: from the diviner and so on — which are in the aspect of the kelipas of the shattering of the vessels and so on, as above — and likewise to distance ourselves from the statutes of the nations that are drawn from the aspect of the denials of the empty space, as above. For the Blessed Lord in His great mercy separated us from these wanderers and commanded us to distance ourselves from both of them. And He sanctified us with His holy commandments — in which there are chukim and mishpatim — through which we nullify and drive out the two kinds of heresy and questions and merit to true complete emunah. Amen. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of "not wearing their garments" — which is forbidden on account of the statute of the nations (chukkas ha-akum) — for all garments are drawn from the secret of the empty space (sod chalal ha-panui) — which is in the aspect of garments (levushin) — as is explained in the Torah cited above: that it is like "that silkworm (kamtza) whose garment is from itself and within itself." And from there all the garments in the world are drawn. And therefore Israel were commanded to sanctify their garments through the commandment of tzitzis — in which the entire Torah and all the commandments are dependent — as it is written: "So that you may remember and do all My commandments and so on" (Bamidbar 15:40). For through the sanctity of the garments — through the commandment of tzitzis — through this holy emunah is drawn upon us, to subdue and nullify the heresy that is drawn from the empty space — through the emunah that we believe that even there the Blessed Lord is hidden in wondrous concealment, and that the empty space itself came into being from His wisdom, blessed be He — like "that silkworm whose garment is from itself and within itself" — as is written in the Torah cited above. And therefore one must distance oneself from the garments of the nations — not to wear their garments on account of the statute of the nations. For their garments are drawn from the heresy of the empty space — from which all garments come, as above. But our garments are drawn from holy emunah — for we believe that even in the empty space the Blessed Lord is present in wondrous concealment — which is the aspect of "like that silkworm whose garment is from itself and within itself." And this emunah is the aspect of the tikun of the garments — the aspect of tzitzis — which is emunah, as is known. And as above in Hilchos Purim, Halacha 4, on the verse: "Mi ha-ish he-chofetz chayyim" — "Who is the man who desires life?" (Tehillim 34:13). Laws of Chukkas HaAkum — Halacha 4 is encompassed in Laws of Me'onayn u-Menachaysh, Halacha 2, and Halacha 5 is encompassed in Laws of Me'onayn u-Menachaysh, Halacha 3. Na Nach Nachma Nachman MeUman!

For it is cited in the words of Rabbaynu in the discourse "Achavay lan mana d'lo shavya l'chavala" and so on, in §25 of Likutay, Part One — that the sitra achra (Other Side) is called the koach ha-medame (power of imagination), from which come all the desires and confusions and obstacles that obstruct the levels of holiness and so on — see there. And at every level and every level these imaginings are present — and when one wishes to ascend from level to level they are aroused and so on. And one must subdue and break them. And the essential means of subduing them is through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be His Name. And this is accomplished through giving charity to a deserving poor person — for through this the colors (gevonin) that are present in silver and gold are revealed. For the essential colors are found only among Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride (Yisroel asher b'cha espa'ar)" (Yeshayahu 49:3). Pride (hispa'arus) is the encompassing of all the colors and so on. And this is the aspect of: "For He has clothed me in garments of salvation (bigday yesha)" (Yeshayahu 61:10). "Yesha" — "salvation" — is the aspect of "yistaklutha," that all desire to behold it and so on — see there well. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of walking in their statutes. And one must distance oneself from them in all matters — so as not to resemble them in any matter whatsoever in the world. Even though in that particular matter there is no actual prohibition in and of itself — even so it is forbidden to resemble them in any manner in the world. And it is forbidden to dress in their garments and so on. For in this is encompassed the entire Torah in its totality. For in truth, Israel from their very selves — from their root — are utterly and completely distant from all sins, and no transgression is at all relevant to a Jewish man according to his holiness from his root. For Israel are the very essence of goodness (etzem ha-tov) and they are distant from evil in the ultimate distance at their root. And therefore the sitra achra has no grip or relevance to entice any one of Israel, heaven forfend — except only through the power of imagination (koach ha-medame). For the medame misleads a person — for it imagines one thing to be another thing — until it overturns, heaven forfend, and makes evil into good, darkness into light — as it is stated: "Those who make light into darkness and darkness into light, who make bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter and so on" (Yeshayahu 5:20). As one sees tangibly that the power of imagination misleads a person many times even in physical matters — for example, when a person sees something from afar, and especially at night, he imagines a piece of wood standing upright to be a person and is frightened of it — and similarly in many matters in which a person errs through the power of imagination. And exactly the same way, truly, in the matters of a person's opinions and character traits and desires — for in truth the Jewish man is himself utterly distant from all evil things and from all desires and evil character traits. And the essential stumbling of a person, heaven forfend, is only through the power of imagination — which is the sitra achra — which misleads the person and imagines one thing to be another thing, and leads him from thought to thought and from thought to thought, until it brings him to an improper thought, heaven forfend. And likewise to each and every person it brings him to that which it brings him — may the Merciful One protect us. And therefore the Torah has decreed upon us not to walk in their statutes and not to resemble them in any matter — not to resemble them, specifically — in order not to give power, heaven forfend, to the koach ha-medame. For the nations of the world are the evil of all desires and character traits, as is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, of blessed memory. And therefore when one resembles them in any matter — through this the medame is strengthened, heaven forfend — and one can come, heaven forfend, through this to their opinions and views — as it is written: "And they mingled with the nations and learned from their deeds" (Tehillim 106:35). For the essential grip of the sitra achra is in the medame, as above. And therefore one must distance oneself from them greatly, greatly in all matters. Rather, one must resemble in all matters and all customs and all garments the holy people Israel — for the essential grace and true glory and honor (hispa'arus ha-amitis) is found only among Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride" — who are encompassed in many colors (d'klulim bi-gvanin saggin) — and the garments of Israel are in the aspect of garments of salvation (bigday yesha) — the aspect of garments of glory (levushay ha-hispa'arus) — the aspect of "majesty and splendor You have clothed (hod v'hadar lavashta)" (Tehillim 104:1). For in them are all kinds of grace and all kinds of glory. And therefore one must dress specifically in the garments of Israel and resemble in every matter the ways of the true wise men and tzaddikim — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Cleave to Torah scholars (hiddabayk b'talmidei chachamim)" (Kesubos 111b). And as it is written: "One who walks with wise men will become wise (holaych es chachamim yechkam)" (Mishlai 13:20). For through resembling oneself in deeds and conduct to the ways of the true righteous ones — through this one merits to be encompassed within them. And in the end one will truly become like them. For the koach ha-medame is in the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil — the aspect of nogah — which is at times encompassed in the good, and at other times in the opposite. For it is in the aspect of imagination — and wherever it imagines itself, there it is encompassed. And the essential free choice (b'chirah) and trial (nisayon) of a person is through the koach ha-medame. And every person must strengthen himself to clarify (l'varayr) the koach ha-medame — to clarify the good within it so that it should be encompassed in holiness, and to cause the evil within it to fall. And therefore we are commanded to resemble our Creator, blessed be He — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Cleave to His attributes — just as He is merciful, so shall you be merciful, and so on" (Shabbos 133b). And likewise to resemble the Torah scholars and to associate with upright people — for through resembling oneself in character traits to the Blessed Lord and to the tzaddikim and to the truly upright people of the generation, through this one merits to become truly encompassed with them together in the Blessed Lord. For everything depends on the clarification of the medame — which is the essential trial and free choice. And this is the aspect of what is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, may his memory be a blessing, in the conversations of the Ranas (Sichot HaRan) — that through making oneself angry in prayer, through this one merits truly to pray with the warmth and burning enthusiasm of holiness. And likewise through making oneself act as if one is happy — through this one merits to true joy. And similarly in all matters and so on — see there. For this is the aspect of the clarification of the medame (biyur ha-medame) — that the medame is encompassed in holiness — for one imagines oneself to be in matters of holiness, even though at first one does not truly have that quality. Even so one imagines oneself and conducts oneself and accustoms oneself in these qualities and these upright ways of behavior of truly upright people — and through this one merits afterward to all the good truly. And one must be very strong in this matter and a great stubborn one (akshan gadol) — even though it seems to him that it has been a long time that he has been accustoming himself to this and he has still not merited to the good truly — even so, this too is good: that he imagines himself and accustoms himself to the good. For also it is impossible for a person to know truly when he merits to the good — for sometimes it appears to the person that he is very far from good, and this very thing is itself good. And likewise the opposite can be true. Therefore one is always obligated to attach oneself to upright and true people and to walk in their ways and to resemble their deeds — for this very thing is good: that he merits to associate with them — even if, heaven forfend, he would not merit to become like them. But in truth if he is strong, he will certainly merit to become like them and to be encompassed within them, as above. And this is what the Torah warned: "And you shall not show them favor (v'lo s'chanaym)" — you shall not give them grace — for it is forbidden to say "how beautiful is this non-Jew," and so on. For it is forbidden to glorify them in any matter at all. For the essential glory and the colors (gevonin) belong only to Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride." And when one glorifies and praises Israel, and magnifies and cherishes the grace and the ways of the holy people Israel — the chosen nation from all peoples — through this the colors and the glory of Israel are revealed. And through the revelation of the colors — which is the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — through this comes the essential subduing of the medame, as is explained there in the discourse cited above: that the essential subduing of the medame is through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — which comes through the revelation of the colors. And this is what Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, said: that through the joy by which one rejoices over having merited to be from the seed of Israel and to draw close to the true tzaddikim — through this one breaks the medame — which is the obstacles at every level of holiness and so on — see there. For through rejoicing oneself with the joy of Israel, over having merited to be from the seed of Israel — through this the grace and the glory and the colors of Israel are revealed. Which is the essential greatness of the Creator, blessed be He. And through the revelation of the Creator — through this the obstacles are subdued — which are the koach ha-medame. For in truth they are no obstacles at all — only they appear as obstacles, until it is hard to break them. But through glorifying and praising and cherishing the grace and the importance and the glory of Israel — and rejoicing oneself in this that "He did not make me a non-Jew (shelo asani goy)" — through this the glory of Israel is revealed — the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride" — which are the supernal colors — which are the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this comes the essential subduing of the medame, as above. And this is the aspect of the shekalim (half-shekels) — through which was the essential miracle of Purim. As our Sages of blessed memory said: "Wicked one! Our shekalim have already preceded yours" (Megillah 13b). And therefore on the first of Adar they announce about the shekalim. For the essential jealousy of Haman of Amalek against Israel was because of this: because Israel distance themselves in all matters from the conduct and the ways of the nations. And therefore he said: "Their laws are different from every other people" (Esther 3:8). For he was most particular and jealous about this: that they always intend to differ from the nations in all matters and to distance themselves from their customs. And therefore he said: "And ten thousand of silver and so on, I will weigh and so on" (Esther 3:9). For he wished to nullify, heaven forfend, the power of the shekalim of Israel — which are in the aspect of the revelation of the colors encompassed in silver and gold, as is explained in the discourse cited above. And therefore the Blessed Lord preceded the cure to the blow and preceded our shekalim to his shekalim, and commanded us to give on the first of Adar the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah (charity) — through which the supernal colors that are in silver and gold are revealed, as above. And through this comes the essential subduing of the medame and the kelipas (husks of impurity) — which are in the aspect of Haman-Amalek. For Amalek is in the aspect of the evil of the medame — for they would imagine themselves to be animals, as Rashi explained on the verse "from ox to sheep to animal" (I Shmuel 15:3): that the Amalekites would dress themselves up as animals, as above. And "animal" (behayma) is in the aspect of the koach ha-medame — which is the power of animality (koach ha-bahamisyus) — as is explained above in the discourse cited. And therefore the essential subduing of Haman-Amalek is through the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed and so on — which is the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this they are subdued, as above. And this is the aspect of the half-shekel (machatzis ha-shekel) — a contribution to God (trumah la-Hashem). For the aspect of the medame is the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil — the aspect of nogah — which is the essential scales and trial (matkala v'nisayon). In the aspect of "half" (machatzis) — for the person stands on the scale and the trial: half of him tipping one way and half tipping the other way — like the way of a scale — for it is a mixture of good and evil. And this is "machatzis ha-shekel" — "half-shekel" specifically. And every person must tip the scale toward the good — to raise the medame up to the Blessed Lord — in the aspect of "a half-shekel as a contribution to God." And this is accomplished through the giving of the half-shekel toward the communal sacrifices and toward the donation for the Mishkan (Tabernacle) — which is in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed, as above — and through this the medame is subdued. And then the evil within it falls and the good within it is encompassed in holiness. And therefore the shekalim were taken for the communal sacrifices and for the donation of the Mishkan — for the sacrifices (korbanos) are in the aspect of the breaking of the imagination (sh'viras ha-dimyon) — as Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, explained in the discourse cited above on the verse: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit (zivchei Elokim ruach nishbarah)" (Tehillim 51:19). And this is the aspect of the donation of the Mishkan — which is the aspect of the revelation of the colors — for all the supernal colors were encompassed in the Mishkan: silver and gold and blue (t'chelyas) and purple (argaman) and so on. And this is the aspect of "When you take a count of (ki sisa es rosh) the children of Israel" (Shmos 30:12). "Ki sisa" specifically — in the aspect of nesi'as rosh (elevation of the head) — that is, when they ascend from level to level, and one wishes to elevate Israel that they should ascend from level to level — then "each one shall give a ransom for his soul (kofer nafsho)" — that is, tzedakah — through which the obstacles at every level are subdued. For they come through the medame, as above. And then "and there shall not be among them a plague and so on" — for through this: that the colors are revealed through the shekalim — through this the medame and the kelipas are subdued — which are the sitra d'mosa (side of death) — and one merits to the holy intellect (seykhel d'kedushah) which is in the aspect of life. As it is written: "Wisdom sustains life (ha-chochma t'chayeh)" (Koheles 7:12). For the essential life is the intellect — which is eternal life. For the essential residue of a person after his death is only the attainment of the acquired intellect (seykhel ha-nikneh) — which one merits through the breaking of the imagination — as is explained there in the discourse cited, see there all of this well. And therefore the essential commandment of the shekalim was at the time when they were counting Israel — for the counting of Israel is in the aspect of nesi'as rosh — the aspect of ascent from level to level — in the discourse above. For when they ascend from level to level, then each and every one elevates his fellow. For the inwardness (p'nimiyus) of the lower one ascends to the higher one, and likewise the inwardness of the higher one ascends yet higher, and so upward and upward — as is explained there well, see there. And as Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, said then explicitly: that this is the aspect of haramah — ((in the Lashon Ashkenaz (German-Yiddish): heiben)) — what one lifts his fellow up and so on. And when they count Israel, then they include and lift up and elevate and link one to the other — for this is the essential aspect of the counting: to link them and join them one to the other — so that each one should ascend to the level of his fellow, and his fellow should ascend yet higher — and so upward and upward — so that they should be encompassed one within the other — so that the Shekhinah should rest upon them. And therefore the counting is called nesi'as rosh — as it is written: "When you take a count of (ki sisa es rosh) the children of Israel according to their number (lifkudayhem)" (Shmos 30:12). For through the counting their heads are elevated from level to level and so on, as above. And therefore at every time that Israel needed to ascend from level to level, they were counted. After that when the Mishkan was built and they wished to have the Shekhinah rest upon them, they were counted — as Rashi explained. For all of the above is in the aspect of ascent from level to level — in the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt (Yetzi'as Mitzrayim): when they ascended from the forty-nine gates of impurity (mem-tes sha'aray tumah) to the forty-nine gates of holiness (mem-tes sha'aray k'dushah). And likewise after the incident of the Golden Calf, when they needed to depart and ascend and purify themselves from this impurity and enter into holiness. And likewise afterward when the Mishkan was built and they needed to ascend to the high levels so that the Shekhinah would rest upon them — and therefore they counted them each time — which is the aspect of nesi'as rosh, as above. And when they ascend from level to level — then the medame is aroused even more, as above — which is the sitra d'mosa, heaven forfend, as above. And when they ascend from level to level — then the medame is aroused even more, as above — which is the sitra d'mosa, heaven forfend, as above. [Note: this sentence is written twice in the original — it is intentional.] Therefore at such times one must strengthen oneself even more to subdue the sitra d'mosa — which is the medame. And this is accomplished through the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed, as above. And this is the aspect of "ki sisa and so on, and each one shall give a ransom for his soul to God, and there shall not be among them a plague and so on," as above. "Each one who passes through the counting shall give a half-shekel in the sacred shekel. A half-shekel specifically," as above. And this is the aspect of: "When Adar enters, one increases in joy (mishenichnas Adar marbin b'simchah)" (Ta'anis 29a). For then one must subdue the kelipah of Haman-Amalek — which is the medame, as above. And therefore one must increase in joy — for one must greatly rejoice in the fact that we merited to be from the seed of Israel and "He did not make me a non-Jew" — and through this the grace and the glory of Israel are revealed: which is the revelation of the colors — which is the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this the medame is subdued and one merits to ascend to all the levels of holiness. Amen and Amen. And as is explained there at the end of the discourse cited above: that through the joy by which one rejoices in the Blessed Lord and in His tzaddikim and so on — through this the medame is subdued — which spreads itself through every level — and one ascends to the highest level and so on — see there. Halacha 3 Based on Likutay Moharan, Part 1, §64 — "Bo el Par'oh" (Come to Pharaoh) The matter of the prohibition of walking in the statutes of the nations, and the prohibition of divination and conjuring and sorcery. According to the Torah "Bo el Par'oh" (Come to Pharaoh), in §64 — see the entire Torah there well. And the general principle is this: There are questions and heresy (apikorsus) that are drawn from the kelipas that came into being through the shattering of the vessels (sh'viras ha-kaylim) — which came through an excess of light — and these are in the aspect of the surplus (mosorohs) and refuse (p'soles) of holiness, and likewise sorcery (kishuf) comes from the surplus and refuse, as is known. And these questions and heresies can be answered — for there are sparks and letters and so on that fell there and so on. But there are heresies and questions that are drawn from the empty space (chalal ha-panui) and so on — from which, as it were, He withdrew His Divinity and His wisdom — and so on — and these are the "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" and so on. And these questions cannot be answered in any way. And regarding them it is said: "All who come to her do not return" (Mishlai 2:19). For these questions cannot be answered in this world — for if they were answered the empty space would be nullified and there would be no place and existence for the world and so on. Therefore it is impossible to answer these questions now in any way whatsoever — except to strengthen oneself in complete emunah alone. And through this one passes over all the wisdoms and over the "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" — which are the questions mentioned above — and so on. See there all of this well. And it is known that the Blessed Lord gave us the entire Torah and all the commandments in order to merit complete emunah in Him, blessed be He — for this is the essential ultimate purpose — as it is written: "All Your commandments are emunah (kol mitzvosecha emunah)" (Tehillim 119:86). And as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Chavakuk came and established them all on one: and the tzaddik shall live by his emunah (v'tzaddik b'emunaso yichyeh)" (Makkos 24a; Chavakuk 2:4). And for this reason there are in the Torah both chukim (statutes) and mishpatim (civil laws) — the mishpatim being those commandments that reason somewhat obligates, which are called mishpatim. And the commandments upon which there is no reason at all, and the nations of the world take Israel to task asking what is the reason for this commandment — these are called chukim. And all these chukim and mishpatim the Blessed Lord gave us in order to merit to emunah — that is, in order to merit through this power to nullify two kinds of questions and heresy (apikorsus) mentioned above. For through the mishpatim — which are the commandments in which there is some intellect and reason — through this the questions that are drawn from the kelipas that came into being through the shattering of the vessels are nullified, as above. For there some intellect and letters are present — though they require great rectification and clarification (tikun u-biyur). And these kelipas are subdued and nullified through the aspect of the mishpatim of the Torah — in which there is intellect. But there are questions for which it is impossible to find any answer through intellect and to settle them, as above — for they are drawn from the empty space (chalal ha-panui), as above. And there it is forbidden to enter into them with any intellect at all — only to strengthen oneself in emunah alone, as above. And corresponding to this the Blessed Lord gave us the holy chukim — which are the commandments in which there is no reason at all — and we fulfill them through emunah alone. Through the power of these commandments emunah is strengthened within us and we have the power to drive out and nullify and expunge from among us all the questions and heresy drawn from the empty space where there is no intellect except in tremendous, wondrous concealment — which it is impossible in any way to understand in this world — and we must only strengthen ourselves in emunah alone, as above. And this emunah — to merit to strengthen oneself in complete emunah, to nullify the heresy mentioned above through emunah alone, as above — this we merit through the chukim that we observe: which are the commandments in which there is no reason at all — and we fulfill them through emunah alone, as above. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of the statutes of the nations (chukos ha-akum) and the prohibition of divination and conjuring and sorcery. For "this corresponds to that" (ze l'umas ze) — for just as in holiness there are in the holy Torah chukim and mishpatim in order to nullify the two kinds of heresy mentioned above — so likewise in the opposite: they have the statutes of the nations that have no reason at all — only they are drawn from the heresy of the empty space where there is no intellect and no reason at all — for they are in the aspect of "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" and so on. As is explained well in the Torah cited above — see there. And the Blessed Lord commanded us to distance ourselves from their statutes with all distances — as it is written: "And in their statutes you shall not walk." And as is cited in the Gemara and the Shulchan Arukh — that one must distance oneself from them in all movements and all garments — as is written in the Shulchan Arukh: "One does not resemble them and one does not wear their garments and so on" — for we must distance ourselves greatly from their statutes which are their ways of conduct that have no reason, so that, heaven forfend, the heresy and denial (k'firah) drawn from the empty space should not take hold among us. For there is no intellect there whatsoever and so on — and from there all their statutes are drawn, as above. And likewise the Torah forbade us to divine and take omens and practice sorcery — so that the kelipas that come from the surplus and from the shattering of the vessels should not be strengthened, heaven forfend. For from there comes all the wisdom of the diviners — from the refuse of holiness (p'soles ha-k'dushah) — as is explained in the Torah cited above. Therefore we must distance ourselves from both of them: from the diviner and so on — which are in the aspect of the kelipas of the shattering of the vessels and so on, as above — and likewise to distance ourselves from the statutes of the nations that are drawn from the aspect of the denials of the empty space, as above. For the Blessed Lord in His great mercy separated us from these wanderers and commanded us to distance ourselves from both of them. And He sanctified us with His holy commandments — in which there are chukim and mishpatim — through which we nullify and drive out the two kinds of heresy and questions and merit to true complete emunah. Amen. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of "not wearing their garments" — which is forbidden on account of the statute of the nations (chukkas ha-akum) — for all garments are drawn from the secret of the empty space (sod chalal ha-panui) — which is in the aspect of garments (levushin) — as is explained in the Torah cited above: that it is like "that silkworm (kamtza) whose garment is from itself and within itself." And from there all the garments in the world are drawn. And therefore Israel were commanded to sanctify their garments through the commandment of tzitzis — in which the entire Torah and all the commandments are dependent — as it is written: "So that you may remember and do all My commandments and so on" (Bamidbar 15:40). For through the sanctity of the garments — through the commandment of tzitzis — through this holy emunah is drawn upon us, to subdue and nullify the heresy that is drawn from the empty space — through the emunah that we believe that even there the Blessed Lord is hidden in wondrous concealment, and that the empty space itself came into being from His wisdom, blessed be He — like "that silkworm whose garment is from itself and within itself" — as is written in the Torah cited above. And therefore one must distance oneself from the garments of the nations — not to wear their garments on account of the statute of the nations. For their garments are drawn from the heresy of the empty space — from which all garments come, as above. But our garments are drawn from holy emunah — for we believe that even in the empty space the Blessed Lord is present in wondrous concealment — which is the aspect of "like that silkworm whose garment is from itself and within itself." And this emunah is the aspect of the tikun of the garments — the aspect of tzitzis — which is emunah, as is known. And as above in Hilchos Purim, Halacha 4, on the verse: "Mi ha-ish he-chofetz chayyim" — "Who is the man who desires life?" (Tehillim 34:13). Laws of Chukkas HaAkum — Halacha 4 is encompassed in Laws of Me'onayn u-Menachaysh, Halacha 2, and Halacha 5 is encompassed in Laws of Me'onayn u-Menachaysh, Halacha 3. Na Nach Nachma Nachman MeUman!

For it is cited in the words of Rabbaynu in the discourse "Achavay lan mana d'lo shavya l'chavala" and so on, in §25 of Likutay, Part One — that the sitra achra (Other Side) is called the koach ha-medame (power of imagination), from which come all the desires and confusions and obstacles that obstruct the levels of holiness and so on — see there. And at every level and every level these imaginings are present — and when one wishes to ascend from level to level they are aroused and so on. And one must subdue and break them. And the essential means of subduing them is through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be His Name. And this is accomplished through giving charity to a deserving poor person — for through this the colors (gevonin) that are present in silver and gold are revealed. For the essential colors are found only among Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride (Yisroel asher b'cha espa'ar)" (Yeshayahu 49:3). Pride (hispa'arus) is the encompassing of all the colors and so on. And this is the aspect of: "For He has clothed me in garments of salvation (bigday yesha)" (Yeshayahu 61:10). "Yesha" — "salvation" — is the aspect of "yistaklutha," that all desire to behold it and so on — see there well. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of walking in their statutes. And one must distance oneself from them in all matters — so as not to resemble them in any matter whatsoever in the world. Even though in that particular matter there is no actual prohibition in and of itself — even so it is forbidden to resemble them in any manner in the world. And it is forbidden to dress in their garments and so on. For in this is encompassed the entire Torah in its totality. For in truth, Israel from their very selves — from their root — are utterly and completely distant from all sins, and no transgression is at all relevant to a Jewish man according to his holiness from his root. For Israel are the very essence of goodness (etzem ha-tov) and they are distant from evil in the ultimate distance at their root. And therefore the sitra achra has no grip or relevance to entice any one of Israel, heaven forfend — except only through the power of imagination (koach ha-medame). For the medame misleads a person — for it imagines one thing to be another thing — until it overturns, heaven forfend, and makes evil into good, darkness into light — as it is stated: "Those who make light into darkness and darkness into light, who make bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter and so on" (Yeshayahu 5:20). As one sees tangibly that the power of imagination misleads a person many times even in physical matters — for example, when a person sees something from afar, and especially at night, he imagines a piece of wood standing upright to be a person and is frightened of it — and similarly in many matters in which a person errs through the power of imagination. And exactly the same way, truly, in the matters of a person's opinions and character traits and desires — for in truth the Jewish man is himself utterly distant from all evil things and from all desires and evil character traits. And the essential stumbling of a person, heaven forfend, is only through the power of imagination — which is the sitra achra — which misleads the person and imagines one thing to be another thing, and leads him from thought to thought and from thought to thought, until it brings him to an improper thought, heaven forfend. And likewise to each and every person it brings him to that which it brings him — may the Merciful One protect us. And therefore the Torah has decreed upon us not to walk in their statutes and not to resemble them in any matter — not to resemble them, specifically — in order not to give power, heaven forfend, to the koach ha-medame. For the nations of the world are the evil of all desires and character traits, as is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, of blessed memory. And therefore when one resembles them in any matter — through this the medame is strengthened, heaven forfend — and one can come, heaven forfend, through this to their opinions and views — as it is written: "And they mingled with the nations and learned from their deeds" (Tehillim 106:35). For the essential grip of the sitra achra is in the medame, as above. And therefore one must distance oneself from them greatly, greatly in all matters. Rather, one must resemble in all matters and all customs and all garments the holy people Israel — for the essential grace and true glory and honor (hispa'arus ha-amitis) is found only among Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride" — who are encompassed in many colors (d'klulim bi-gvanin saggin) — and the garments of Israel are in the aspect of garments of salvation (bigday yesha) — the aspect of garments of glory (levushay ha-hispa'arus) — the aspect of "majesty and splendor You have clothed (hod v'hadar lavashta)" (Tehillim 104:1). For in them are all kinds of grace and all kinds of glory. And therefore one must dress specifically in the garments of Israel and resemble in every matter the ways of the true wise men and tzaddikim — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Cleave to Torah scholars (hiddabayk b'talmidei chachamim)" (Kesubos 111b). And as it is written: "One who walks with wise men will become wise (holaych es chachamim yechkam)" (Mishlai 13:20). For through resembling oneself in deeds and conduct to the ways of the true righteous ones — through this one merits to be encompassed within them. And in the end one will truly become like them. For the koach ha-medame is in the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil — the aspect of nogah — which is at times encompassed in the good, and at other times in the opposite. For it is in the aspect of imagination — and wherever it imagines itself, there it is encompassed. And the essential free choice (b'chirah) and trial (nisayon) of a person is through the koach ha-medame. And every person must strengthen himself to clarify (l'varayr) the koach ha-medame — to clarify the good within it so that it should be encompassed in holiness, and to cause the evil within it to fall. And therefore we are commanded to resemble our Creator, blessed be He — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Cleave to His attributes — just as He is merciful, so shall you be merciful, and so on" (Shabbos 133b). And likewise to resemble the Torah scholars and to associate with upright people — for through resembling oneself in character traits to the Blessed Lord and to the tzaddikim and to the truly upright people of the generation, through this one merits to become truly encompassed with them together in the Blessed Lord. For everything depends on the clarification of the medame — which is the essential trial and free choice. And this is the aspect of what is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, may his memory be a blessing, in the conversations of the Ranas (Sichot HaRan) — that through making oneself angry in prayer, through this one merits truly to pray with the warmth and burning enthusiasm of holiness. And likewise through making oneself act as if one is happy — through this one merits to true joy. And similarly in all matters and so on — see there. For this is the aspect of the clarification of the medame (biyur ha-medame) — that the medame is encompassed in holiness — for one imagines oneself to be in matters of holiness, even though at first one does not truly have that quality. Even so one imagines oneself and conducts oneself and accustoms oneself in these qualities and these upright ways of behavior of truly upright people — and through this one merits afterward to all the good truly. And one must be very strong in this matter and a great stubborn one (akshan gadol) — even though it seems to him that it has been a long time that he has been accustoming himself to this and he has still not merited to the good truly — even so, this too is good: that he imagines himself and accustoms himself to the good. For also it is impossible for a person to know truly when he merits to the good — for sometimes it appears to the person that he is very far from good, and this very thing is itself good. And likewise the opposite can be true. Therefore one is always obligated to attach oneself to upright and true people and to walk in their ways and to resemble their deeds — for this very thing is good: that he merits to associate with them — even if, heaven forfend, he would not merit to become like them. But in truth if he is strong, he will certainly merit to become like them and to be encompassed within them, as above. And this is what the Torah warned: "And you shall not show them favor (v'lo s'chanaym)" — you shall not give them grace — for it is forbidden to say "how beautiful is this non-Jew," and so on. For it is forbidden to glorify them in any matter at all. For the essential glory and the colors (gevonin) belong only to Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride." And when one glorifies and praises Israel, and magnifies and cherishes the grace and the ways of the holy people Israel — the chosen nation from all peoples — through this the colors and the glory of Israel are revealed. And through the revelation of the colors — which is the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — through this comes the essential subduing of the medame, as is explained there in the discourse cited above: that the essential subduing of the medame is through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — which comes through the revelation of the colors. And this is what Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, said: that through the joy by which one rejoices over having merited to be from the seed of Israel and to draw close to the true tzaddikim — through this one breaks the medame — which is the obstacles at every level of holiness and so on — see there. For through rejoicing oneself with the joy of Israel, over having merited to be from the seed of Israel — through this the grace and the glory and the colors of Israel are revealed. Which is the essential greatness of the Creator, blessed be He. And through the revelation of the Creator — through this the obstacles are subdued — which are the koach ha-medame. For in truth they are no obstacles at all — only they appear as obstacles, until it is hard to break them. But through glorifying and praising and cherishing the grace and the importance and the glory of Israel — and rejoicing oneself in this that "He did not make me a non-Jew (shelo asani goy)" — through this the glory of Israel is revealed — the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride" — which are the supernal colors — which are the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this comes the essential subduing of the medame, as above. And this is the aspect of the shekalim (half-shekels) — through which was the essential miracle of Purim. As our Sages of blessed memory said: "Wicked one! Our shekalim have already preceded yours" (Megillah 13b). And therefore on the first of Adar they announce about the shekalim. For the essential jealousy of Haman of Amalek against Israel was because of this: because Israel distance themselves in all matters from the conduct and the ways of the nations. And therefore he said: "Their laws are different from every other people" (Esther 3:8). For he was most particular and jealous about this: that they always intend to differ from the nations in all matters and to distance themselves from their customs. And therefore he said: "And ten thousand of silver and so on, I will weigh and so on" (Esther 3:9). For he wished to nullify, heaven forfend, the power of the shekalim of Israel — which are in the aspect of the revelation of the colors encompassed in silver and gold, as is explained in the discourse cited above. And therefore the Blessed Lord preceded the cure to the blow and preceded our shekalim to his shekalim, and commanded us to give on the first of Adar the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah (charity) — through which the supernal colors that are in silver and gold are revealed, as above. And through this comes the essential subduing of the medame and the kelipas (husks of impurity) — which are in the aspect of Haman-Amalek. For Amalek is in the aspect of the evil of the medame — for they would imagine themselves to be animals, as Rashi explained on the verse "from ox to sheep to animal" (I Shmuel 15:3): that the Amalekites would dress themselves up as animals, as above. And "animal" (behayma) is in the aspect of the koach ha-medame — which is the power of animality (koach ha-bahamisyus) — as is explained above in the discourse cited. And therefore the essential subduing of Haman-Amalek is through the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed and so on — which is the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this they are subdued, as above. And this is the aspect of the half-shekel (machatzis ha-shekel) — a contribution to God (trumah la-Hashem). For the aspect of the medame is the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil — the aspect of nogah — which is the essential scales and trial (matkala v'nisayon). In the aspect of "half" (machatzis) — for the person stands on the scale and the trial: half of him tipping one way and half tipping the other way — like the way of a scale — for it is a mixture of good and evil. And this is "machatzis ha-shekel" — "half-shekel" specifically. And every person must tip the scale toward the good — to raise the medame up to the Blessed Lord — in the aspect of "a half-shekel as a contribution to God." And this is accomplished through the giving of the half-shekel toward the communal sacrifices and toward the donation for the Mishkan (Tabernacle) — which is in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed, as above — and through this the medame is subdued. And then the evil within it falls and the good within it is encompassed in holiness. And therefore the shekalim were taken for the communal sacrifices and for the donation of the Mishkan — for the sacrifices (korbanos) are in the aspect of the breaking of the imagination (sh'viras ha-dimyon) — as Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, explained in the discourse cited above on the verse: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit (zivchei Elokim ruach nishbarah)" (Tehillim 51:19). And this is the aspect of the donation of the Mishkan — which is the aspect of the revelation of the colors — for all the supernal colors were encompassed in the Mishkan: silver and gold and blue (t'chelyas) and purple (argaman) and so on. And this is the aspect of "When you take a count of (ki sisa es rosh) the children of Israel" (Shmos 30:12). "Ki sisa" specifically — in the aspect of nesi'as rosh (elevation of the head) — that is, when they ascend from level to level, and one wishes to elevate Israel that they should ascend from level to level — then "each one shall give a ransom for his soul (kofer nafsho)" — that is, tzedakah — through which the obstacles at every level are subdued. For they come through the medame, as above. And then "and there shall not be among them a plague and so on" — for through this: that the colors are revealed through the shekalim — through this the medame and the kelipas are subdued — which are the sitra d'mosa (side of death) — and one merits to the holy intellect (seykhel d'kedushah) which is in the aspect of life. As it is written: "Wisdom sustains life (ha-chochma t'chayeh)" (Koheles 7:12). For the essential life is the intellect — which is eternal life. For the essential residue of a person after his death is only the attainment of the acquired intellect (seykhel ha-nikneh) — which one merits through the breaking of the imagination — as is explained there in the discourse cited, see there all of this well. And therefore the essential commandment of the shekalim was at the time when they were counting Israel — for the counting of Israel is in the aspect of nesi'as rosh — the aspect of ascent from level to level — in the discourse above. For when they ascend from level to level, then each and every one elevates his fellow. For the inwardness (p'nimiyus) of the lower one ascends to the higher one, and likewise the inwardness of the higher one ascends yet higher, and so upward and upward — as is explained there well, see there. And as Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, said then explicitly: that this is the aspect of haramah — ((in the Lashon Ashkenaz (German-Yiddish): heiben)) — what one lifts his fellow up and so on. And when they count Israel, then they include and lift up and elevate and link one to the other — for this is the essential aspect of the counting: to link them and join them one to the other — so that each one should ascend to the level of his fellow, and his fellow should ascend yet higher — and so upward and upward — so that they should be encompassed one within the other — so that the Shekhinah should rest upon them. And therefore the counting is called nesi'as rosh — as it is written: "When you take a count of (ki sisa es rosh) the children of Israel according to their number (lifkudayhem)" (Shmos 30:12). For through the counting their heads are elevated from level to level and so on, as above. And therefore at every time that Israel needed to ascend from level to level, they were counted. After that when the Mishkan was built and they wished to have the Shekhinah rest upon them, they were counted — as Rashi explained. For all of the above is in the aspect of ascent from level to level — in the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt (Yetzi'as Mitzrayim): when they ascended from the forty-nine gates of impurity (mem-tes sha'aray tumah) to the forty-nine gates of holiness (mem-tes sha'aray k'dushah). And likewise after the incident of the Golden Calf, when they needed to depart and ascend and purify themselves from this impurity and enter into holiness. And likewise afterward when the Mishkan was built and they needed to ascend to the high levels so that the Shekhinah would rest upon them — and therefore they counted them each time — which is the aspect of nesi'as rosh, as above. And when they ascend from level to level — then the medame is aroused even more, as above — which is the sitra d'mosa, heaven forfend, as above. And when they ascend from level to level — then the medame is aroused even more, as above — which is the sitra d'mosa, heaven forfend, as above. [Note: this sentence is written twice in the original — it is intentional.] Therefore at such times one must strengthen oneself even more to subdue the sitra d'mosa — which is the medame. And this is accomplished through the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed, as above. And this is the aspect of "ki sisa and so on, and each one shall give a ransom for his soul to God, and there shall not be among them a plague and so on," as above. "Each one who passes through the counting shall give a half-shekel in the sacred shekel. A half-shekel specifically," as above. And this is the aspect of: "When Adar enters, one increases in joy (mishenichnas Adar marbin b'simchah)" (Ta'anis 29a). For then one must subdue the kelipah of Haman-Amalek — which is the medame, as above. And therefore one must increase in joy — for one must greatly rejoice in the fact that we merited to be from the seed of Israel and "He did not make me a non-Jew" — and through this the grace and the glory of Israel are revealed: which is the revelation of the colors — which is the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this the medame is subdued and one merits to ascend to all the levels of holiness. Amen and Amen. And as is explained there at the end of the discourse cited above: that through the joy by which one rejoices in the Blessed Lord and in His tzaddikim and so on — through this the medame is subdued — which spreads itself through every level — and one ascends to the highest level and so on — see there. Halacha 3 Based on Likutay Moharan, Part 1, §64 — "Bo el Par'oh" (Come to Pharaoh) The matter of the prohibition of walking in the statutes of the nations, and the prohibition of divination and conjuring and sorcery. According to the Torah "Bo el Par'oh" (Come to Pharaoh), in §64 — see the entire Torah there well. And the general principle is this: There are questions and heresy (apikorsus) that are drawn from the kelipas that came into being through the shattering of the vessels (sh'viras ha-kaylim) — which came through an excess of light — and these are in the aspect of the surplus (mosorohs) and refuse (p'soles) of holiness, and likewise sorcery (kishuf) comes from the surplus and refuse, as is known. And these questions and heresies can be answered — for there are sparks and letters and so on that fell there and so on. But there are heresies and questions that are drawn from the empty space (chalal ha-panui) and so on — from which, as it were, He withdrew His Divinity and His wisdom — and so on — and these are the "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" and so on. And these questions cannot be answered in any way. And regarding them it is said: "All who come to her do not return" (Mishlai 2:19). For these questions cannot be answered in this world — for if they were answered the empty space would be nullified and there would be no place and existence for the world and so on. Therefore it is impossible to answer these questions now in any way whatsoever — except to strengthen oneself in complete emunah alone. And through this one passes over all the wisdoms and over the "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" — which are the questions mentioned above — and so on. See there all of this well. And it is known that the Blessed Lord gave us the entire Torah and all the commandments in order to merit complete emunah in Him, blessed be He — for this is the essential ultimate purpose — as it is written: "All Your commandments are emunah (kol mitzvosecha emunah)" (Tehillim 119:86). And as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Chavakuk came and established them all on one: and the tzaddik shall live by his emunah (v'tzaddik b'emunaso yichyeh)" (Makkos 24a; Chavakuk 2:4). And for this reason there are in the Torah both chukim (statutes) and mishpatim (civil laws) — the mishpatim being those commandments that reason somewhat obligates, which are called mishpatim. And the commandments upon which there is no reason at all, and the nations of the world take Israel to task asking what is the reason for this commandment — these are called chukim. And all these chukim and mishpatim the Blessed Lord gave us in order to merit to emunah — that is, in order to merit through this power to nullify two kinds of questions and heresy (apikorsus) mentioned above. For through the mishpatim — which are the commandments in which there is some intellect and reason — through this the questions that are drawn from the kelipas that came into being through the shattering of the vessels are nullified, as above. For there some intellect and letters are present — though they require great rectification and clarification (tikun u-biyur). And these kelipas are subdued and nullified through the aspect of the mishpatim of the Torah — in which there is intellect. But there are questions for which it is impossible to find any answer through intellect and to settle them, as above — for they are drawn from the empty space (chalal ha-panui), as above. And there it is forbidden to enter into them with any intellect at all — only to strengthen oneself in emunah alone, as above. And corresponding to this the Blessed Lord gave us the holy chukim — which are the commandments in which there is no reason at all — and we fulfill them through emunah alone. Through the power of these commandments emunah is strengthened within us and we have the power to drive out and nullify and expunge from among us all the questions and heresy drawn from the empty space where there is no intellect except in tremendous, wondrous concealment — which it is impossible in any way to understand in this world — and we must only strengthen ourselves in emunah alone, as above. And this emunah — to merit to strengthen oneself in complete emunah, to nullify the heresy mentioned above through emunah alone, as above — this we merit through the chukim that we observe: which are the commandments in which there is no reason at all — and we fulfill them through emunah alone, as above. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of the statutes of the nations (chukos ha-akum) and the prohibition of divination and conjuring and sorcery. For "this corresponds to that" (ze l'umas ze) — for just as in holiness there are in the holy Torah chukim and mishpatim in order to nullify the two kinds of heresy mentioned above — so likewise in the opposite: they have the statutes of the nations that have no reason at all — only they are drawn from the heresy of the empty space where there is no intellect and no reason at all — for they are in the aspect of "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" and so on. As is explained well in the Torah cited above — see there. And the Blessed Lord commanded us to distance ourselves from their statutes with all distances — as it is written: "And in their statutes you shall not walk." And as is cited in the Gemara and the Shulchan Arukh — that one must distance oneself from them in all movements and all garments — as is written in the Shulchan Arukh: "One does not resemble them and one does not wear their garments and so on" — for we must distance ourselves greatly from their statutes which are their ways of conduct that have no reason, so that, heaven forfend, the heresy and denial (k'firah) drawn from the empty space should not take hold among us. For there is no intellect there whatsoever and so on — and from there all their statutes are drawn, as above. And likewise the Torah forbade us to divine and take omens and practice sorcery — so that the kelipas that come from the surplus and from the shattering of the vessels should not be strengthened, heaven forfend. For from there comes all the wisdom of the diviners — from the refuse of holiness (p'soles ha-k'dushah) — as is explained in the Torah cited above. Therefore we must distance ourselves from both of them: from the diviner and so on — which are in the aspect of the kelipas of the shattering of the vessels and so on, as above — and likewise to distance ourselves from the statutes of the nations that are drawn from the aspect of the denials of the empty space, as above. For the Blessed Lord in His great mercy separated us from these wanderers and commanded us to distance ourselves from both of them. And He sanctified us with His holy commandments — in which there are chukim and mishpatim — through which we nullify and drive out the two kinds of heresy and questions and merit to true complete emunah. Amen. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of "not wearing their garments" — which is forbidden on account of the statute of the nations (chukkas ha-akum) — for all garments are drawn from the secret of the empty space (sod chalal ha-panui) — which is in the aspect of garments (levushin) — as is explained in the Torah cited above: that it is like "that silkworm (kamtza) whose garment is from itself and within itself." And from there all the garments in the world are drawn. And therefore Israel were commanded to sanctify their garments through the commandment of tzitzis — in which the entire Torah and all the commandments are dependent — as it is written: "So that you may remember and do all My commandments and so on" (Bamidbar 15:40). For through the sanctity of the garments — through the commandment of tzitzis — through this holy emunah is drawn upon us, to subdue and nullify the heresy that is drawn from the empty space — through the emunah that we believe that even there the Blessed Lord is hidden in wondrous concealment, and that the empty space itself came into being from His wisdom, blessed be He — like "that silkworm whose garment is from itself and within itself" — as is written in the Torah cited above. And therefore one must distance oneself from the garments of the nations — not to wear their garments on account of the statute of the nations. For their garments are drawn from the heresy of the empty space — from which all garments come, as above. But our garments are drawn from holy emunah — for we believe that even in the empty space the Blessed Lord is present in wondrous concealment — which is the aspect of "like that silkworm whose garment is from itself and within itself." And this emunah is the aspect of the tikun of the garments — the aspect of tzitzis — which is emunah, as is known. And as above in Hilchos Purim, Halacha 4, on the verse: "Mi ha-ish he-chofetz chayyim" — "Who is the man who desires life?" (Tehillim 34:13). Laws of Chukkas HaAkum — Halacha 4 is encompassed in Laws of Me'onayn u-Menachaysh, Halacha 2, and Halacha 5 is encompassed in Laws of Me'onayn u-Menachaysh, Halacha 3. Na Nach Nachma Nachman MeUman!

This is what our Sages said: "Four opened with 'af' [even/also]." They are: the Serpent, who said "even though G-d said," etc.; the Chief Baker, who said "I too, in my dream," etc.; the congregation of Korach, who said "even not to a land," etc.; and Haman, who said "even Esther did not bring," etc. All four of their evil views derived from the contamination of the Serpent — from the Serpent's counsel that deceived Adam — drawn from the fallen teachings mentioned above. Therefore they are four, corresponding to the four alafin. They blemished the alafin, and alef became af — the aspect of charon af [fierce anger], the severity of judgment. For the four alafin in holiness are the aspect of true Torah — great kindnesses, the aspect of "a Torah of kindness," as understood from the aforementioned Torah. But when they are blemished, kefiros and avodah zarah result — the aspect of din and charon af, as our Sages said: "whenever there is avodah zarah in the world, there is charon af in the world." Therefore all four opened with af — alef became af — for all blemished through the fallen Toros above. Through this they learned untrue teachings and false analogies.

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For it is cited in the words of Rabbaynu in the discourse "Achavay lan mana d'lo shavya l'chavala" and so on, in §25 of Likutay, Part One — that the sitra achra (Other Side) is called the koach ha-medame (power of imagination), from which come all the desires and confusions and obstacles that obstruct the levels of holiness and so on — see there. And at every level and every level these imaginings are present — and when one wishes to ascend from level to level they are aroused and so on. And one must subdue and break them. And the essential means of subduing them is through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be His Name. And this is accomplished through giving charity to a deserving poor person — for through this the colors (gevonin) that are present in silver and gold are revealed. For the essential colors are found only among Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride (Yisroel asher b'cha espa'ar)" (Yeshayahu 49:3). Pride (hispa'arus) is the encompassing of all the colors and so on. And this is the aspect of: "For He has clothed me in garments of salvation (bigday yesha)" (Yeshayahu 61:10). "Yesha" — "salvation" — is the aspect of "yistaklutha," that all desire to behold it and so on — see there well. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of walking in their statutes. And one must distance oneself from them in all matters — so as not to resemble them in any matter whatsoever in the world. Even though in that particular matter there is no actual prohibition in and of itself — even so it is forbidden to resemble them in any manner in the world. And it is forbidden to dress in their garments and so on. For in this is encompassed the entire Torah in its totality. For in truth, Israel from their very selves — from their root — are utterly and completely distant from all sins, and no transgression is at all relevant to a Jewish man according to his holiness from his root. For Israel are the very essence of goodness (etzem ha-tov) and they are distant from evil in the ultimate distance at their root. And therefore the sitra achra has no grip or relevance to entice any one of Israel, heaven forfend — except only through the power of imagination (koach ha-medame). For the medame misleads a person — for it imagines one thing to be another thing — until it overturns, heaven forfend, and makes evil into good, darkness into light — as it is stated: "Those who make light into darkness and darkness into light, who make bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter and so on" (Yeshayahu 5:20). As one sees tangibly that the power of imagination misleads a person many times even in physical matters — for example, when a person sees something from afar, and especially at night, he imagines a piece of wood standing upright to be a person and is frightened of it — and similarly in many matters in which a person errs through the power of imagination. And exactly the same way, truly, in the matters of a person's opinions and character traits and desires — for in truth the Jewish man is himself utterly distant from all evil things and from all desires and evil character traits. And the essential stumbling of a person, heaven forfend, is only through the power of imagination — which is the sitra achra — which misleads the person and imagines one thing to be another thing, and leads him from thought to thought and from thought to thought, until it brings him to an improper thought, heaven forfend. And likewise to each and every person it brings him to that which it brings him — may the Merciful One protect us. And therefore the Torah has decreed upon us not to walk in their statutes and not to resemble them in any matter — not to resemble them, specifically — in order not to give power, heaven forfend, to the koach ha-medame. For the nations of the world are the evil of all desires and character traits, as is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, of blessed memory. And therefore when one resembles them in any matter — through this the medame is strengthened, heaven forfend — and one can come, heaven forfend, through this to their opinions and views — as it is written: "And they mingled with the nations and learned from their deeds" (Tehillim 106:35). For the essential grip of the sitra achra is in the medame, as above. And therefore one must distance oneself from them greatly, greatly in all matters. Rather, one must resemble in all matters and all customs and all garments the holy people Israel — for the essential grace and true glory and honor (hispa'arus ha-amitis) is found only among Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride" — who are encompassed in many colors (d'klulim bi-gvanin saggin) — and the garments of Israel are in the aspect of garments of salvation (bigday yesha) — the aspect of garments of glory (levushay ha-hispa'arus) — the aspect of "majesty and splendor You have clothed (hod v'hadar lavashta)" (Tehillim 104:1). For in them are all kinds of grace and all kinds of glory. And therefore one must dress specifically in the garments of Israel and resemble in every matter the ways of the true wise men and tzaddikim — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Cleave to Torah scholars (hiddabayk b'talmidei chachamim)" (Kesubos 111b). And as it is written: "One who walks with wise men will become wise (holaych es chachamim yechkam)" (Mishlai 13:20). For through resembling oneself in deeds and conduct to the ways of the true righteous ones — through this one merits to be encompassed within them. And in the end one will truly become like them. For the koach ha-medame is in the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil — the aspect of nogah — which is at times encompassed in the good, and at other times in the opposite. For it is in the aspect of imagination — and wherever it imagines itself, there it is encompassed. And the essential free choice (b'chirah) and trial (nisayon) of a person is through the koach ha-medame. And every person must strengthen himself to clarify (l'varayr) the koach ha-medame — to clarify the good within it so that it should be encompassed in holiness, and to cause the evil within it to fall. And therefore we are commanded to resemble our Creator, blessed be He — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Cleave to His attributes — just as He is merciful, so shall you be merciful, and so on" (Shabbos 133b). And likewise to resemble the Torah scholars and to associate with upright people — for through resembling oneself in character traits to the Blessed Lord and to the tzaddikim and to the truly upright people of the generation, through this one merits to become truly encompassed with them together in the Blessed Lord. For everything depends on the clarification of the medame — which is the essential trial and free choice. And this is the aspect of what is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, may his memory be a blessing, in the conversations of the Ranas (Sichot HaRan) — that through making oneself angry in prayer, through this one merits truly to pray with the warmth and burning enthusiasm of holiness. And likewise through making oneself act as if one is happy — through this one merits to true joy. And similarly in all matters and so on — see there. For this is the aspect of the clarification of the medame (biyur ha-medame) — that the medame is encompassed in holiness — for one imagines oneself to be in matters of holiness, even though at first one does not truly have that quality. Even so one imagines oneself and conducts oneself and accustoms oneself in these qualities and these upright ways of behavior of truly upright people — and through this one merits afterward to all the good truly. And one must be very strong in this matter and a great stubborn one (akshan gadol) — even though it seems to him that it has been a long time that he has been accustoming himself to this and he has still not merited to the good truly — even so, this too is good: that he imagines himself and accustoms himself to the good. For also it is impossible for a person to know truly when he merits to the good — for sometimes it appears to the person that he is very far from good, and this very thing is itself good. And likewise the opposite can be true. Therefore one is always obligated to attach oneself to upright and true people and to walk in their ways and to resemble their deeds — for this very thing is good: that he merits to associate with them — even if, heaven forfend, he would not merit to become like them. But in truth if he is strong, he will certainly merit to become like them and to be encompassed within them, as above. And this is what the Torah warned: "And you shall not show them favor (v'lo s'chanaym)" — you shall not give them grace — for it is forbidden to say "how beautiful is this non-Jew," and so on. For it is forbidden to glorify them in any matter at all. For the essential glory and the colors (gevonin) belong only to Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride." And when one glorifies and praises Israel, and magnifies and cherishes the grace and the ways of the holy people Israel — the chosen nation from all peoples — through this the colors and the glory of Israel are revealed. And through the revelation of the colors — which is the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — through this comes the essential subduing of the medame, as is explained there in the discourse cited above: that the essential subduing of the medame is through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — which comes through the revelation of the colors. And this is what Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, said: that through the joy by which one rejoices over having merited to be from the seed of Israel and to draw close to the true tzaddikim — through this one breaks the medame — which is the obstacles at every level of holiness and so on — see there. For through rejoicing oneself with the joy of Israel, over having merited to be from the seed of Israel — through this the grace and the glory and the colors of Israel are revealed. Which is the essential greatness of the Creator, blessed be He. And through the revelation of the Creator — through this the obstacles are subdued — which are the koach ha-medame. For in truth they are no obstacles at all — only they appear as obstacles, until it is hard to break them. But through glorifying and praising and cherishing the grace and the importance and the glory of Israel — and rejoicing oneself in this that "He did not make me a non-Jew (shelo asani goy)" — through this the glory of Israel is revealed — the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride" — which are the supernal colors — which are the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this comes the essential subduing of the medame, as above. And this is the aspect of the shekalim (half-shekels) — through which was the essential miracle of Purim. As our Sages of blessed memory said: "Wicked one! Our shekalim have already preceded yours" (Megillah 13b). And therefore on the first of Adar they announce about the shekalim. For the essential jealousy of Haman of Amalek against Israel was because of this: because Israel distance themselves in all matters from the conduct and the ways of the nations. And therefore he said: "Their laws are different from every other people" (Esther 3:8). For he was most particular and jealous about this: that they always intend to differ from the nations in all matters and to distance themselves from their customs. And therefore he said: "And ten thousand of silver and so on, I will weigh and so on" (Esther 3:9). For he wished to nullify, heaven forfend, the power of the shekalim of Israel — which are in the aspect of the revelation of the colors encompassed in silver and gold, as is explained in the discourse cited above. And therefore the Blessed Lord preceded the cure to the blow and preceded our shekalim to his shekalim, and commanded us to give on the first of Adar the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah (charity) — through which the supernal colors that are in silver and gold are revealed, as above. And through this comes the essential subduing of the medame and the kelipas (husks of impurity) — which are in the aspect of Haman-Amalek. For Amalek is in the aspect of the evil of the medame — for they would imagine themselves to be animals, as Rashi explained on the verse "from ox to sheep to animal" (I Shmuel 15:3): that the Amalekites would dress themselves up as animals, as above. And "animal" (behayma) is in the aspect of the koach ha-medame — which is the power of animality (koach ha-bahamisyus) — as is explained above in the discourse cited. And therefore the essential subduing of Haman-Amalek is through the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed and so on — which is the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this they are subdued, as above. And this is the aspect of the half-shekel (machatzis ha-shekel) — a contribution to God (trumah la-Hashem). For the aspect of the medame is the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil — the aspect of nogah — which is the essential scales and trial (matkala v'nisayon). In the aspect of "half" (machatzis) — for the person stands on the scale and the trial: half of him tipping one way and half tipping the other way — like the way of a scale — for it is a mixture of good and evil. And this is "machatzis ha-shekel" — "half-shekel" specifically. And every person must tip the scale toward the good — to raise the medame up to the Blessed Lord — in the aspect of "a half-shekel as a contribution to God." And this is accomplished through the giving of the half-shekel toward the communal sacrifices and toward the donation for the Mishkan (Tabernacle) — which is in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed, as above — and through this the medame is subdued. And then the evil within it falls and the good within it is encompassed in holiness. And therefore the shekalim were taken for the communal sacrifices and for the donation of the Mishkan — for the sacrifices (korbanos) are in the aspect of the breaking of the imagination (sh'viras ha-dimyon) — as Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, explained in the discourse cited above on the verse: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit (zivchei Elokim ruach nishbarah)" (Tehillim 51:19). And this is the aspect of the donation of the Mishkan — which is the aspect of the revelation of the colors — for all the supernal colors were encompassed in the Mishkan: silver and gold and blue (t'chelyas) and purple (argaman) and so on. And this is the aspect of "When you take a count of (ki sisa es rosh) the children of Israel" (Shmos 30:12). "Ki sisa" specifically — in the aspect of nesi'as rosh (elevation of the head) — that is, when they ascend from level to level, and one wishes to elevate Israel that they should ascend from level to level — then "each one shall give a ransom for his soul (kofer nafsho)" — that is, tzedakah — through which the obstacles at every level are subdued. For they come through the medame, as above. And then "and there shall not be among them a plague and so on" — for through this: that the colors are revealed through the shekalim — through this the medame and the kelipas are subdued — which are the sitra d'mosa (side of death) — and one merits to the holy intellect (seykhel d'kedushah) which is in the aspect of life. As it is written: "Wisdom sustains life (ha-chochma t'chayeh)" (Koheles 7:12). For the essential life is the intellect — which is eternal life. For the essential residue of a person after his death is only the attainment of the acquired intellect (seykhel ha-nikneh) — which one merits through the breaking of the imagination — as is explained there in the discourse cited, see there all of this well. And therefore the essential commandment of the shekalim was at the time when they were counting Israel — for the counting of Israel is in the aspect of nesi'as rosh — the aspect of ascent from level to level — in the discourse above. For when they ascend from level to level, then each and every one elevates his fellow. For the inwardness (p'nimiyus) of the lower one ascends to the higher one, and likewise the inwardness of the higher one ascends yet higher, and so upward and upward — as is explained there well, see there. And as Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, said then explicitly: that this is the aspect of haramah — ((in the Lashon Ashkenaz (German-Yiddish): heiben)) — what one lifts his fellow up and so on. And when they count Israel, then they include and lift up and elevate and link one to the other — for this is the essential aspect of the counting: to link them and join them one to the other — so that each one should ascend to the level of his fellow, and his fellow should ascend yet higher — and so upward and upward — so that they should be encompassed one within the other — so that the Shekhinah should rest upon them. And therefore the counting is called nesi'as rosh — as it is written: "When you take a count of (ki sisa es rosh) the children of Israel according to their number (lifkudayhem)" (Shmos 30:12). For through the counting their heads are elevated from level to level and so on, as above. And therefore at every time that Israel needed to ascend from level to level, they were counted. After that when the Mishkan was built and they wished to have the Shekhinah rest upon them, they were counted — as Rashi explained. For all of the above is in the aspect of ascent from level to level — in the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt (Yetzi'as Mitzrayim): when they ascended from the forty-nine gates of impurity (mem-tes sha'aray tumah) to the forty-nine gates of holiness (mem-tes sha'aray k'dushah). And likewise after the incident of the Golden Calf, when they needed to depart and ascend and purify themselves from this impurity and enter into holiness. And likewise afterward when the Mishkan was built and they needed to ascend to the high levels so that the Shekhinah would rest upon them — and therefore they counted them each time — which is the aspect of nesi'as rosh, as above. And when they ascend from level to level — then the medame is aroused even more, as above — which is the sitra d'mosa, heaven forfend, as above. And when they ascend from level to level — then the medame is aroused even more, as above — which is the sitra d'mosa, heaven forfend, as above. [Note: this sentence is written twice in the original — it is intentional.] Therefore at such times one must strengthen oneself even more to subdue the sitra d'mosa — which is the medame. And this is accomplished through the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed, as above. And this is the aspect of "ki sisa and so on, and each one shall give a ransom for his soul to God, and there shall not be among them a plague and so on," as above. "Each one who passes through the counting shall give a half-shekel in the sacred shekel. A half-shekel specifically," as above. And this is the aspect of: "When Adar enters, one increases in joy (mishenichnas Adar marbin b'simchah)" (Ta'anis 29a). For then one must subdue the kelipah of Haman-Amalek — which is the medame, as above. And therefore one must increase in joy — for one must greatly rejoice in the fact that we merited to be from the seed of Israel and "He did not make me a non-Jew" — and through this the grace and the glory of Israel are revealed: which is the revelation of the colors — which is the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this the medame is subdued and one merits to ascend to all the levels of holiness. Amen and Amen. And as is explained there at the end of the discourse cited above: that through the joy by which one rejoices in the Blessed Lord and in His tzaddikim and so on — through this the medame is subdued — which spreads itself through every level — and one ascends to the highest level and so on — see there. Halacha 3 Based on Likutay Moharan, Part 1, §64 — "Bo el Par'oh" (Come to Pharaoh) The matter of the prohibition of walking in the statutes of the nations, and the prohibition of divination and conjuring and sorcery. According to the Torah "Bo el Par'oh" (Come to Pharaoh), in §64 — see the entire Torah there well. And the general principle is this: There are questions and heresy (apikorsus) that are drawn from the kelipas that came into being through the shattering of the vessels (sh'viras ha-kaylim) — which came through an excess of light — and these are in the aspect of the surplus (mosorohs) and refuse (p'soles) of holiness, and likewise sorcery (kishuf) comes from the surplus and refuse, as is known. And these questions and heresies can be answered — for there are sparks and letters and so on that fell there and so on. But there are heresies and questions that are drawn from the empty space (chalal ha-panui) and so on — from which, as it were, He withdrew His Divinity and His wisdom — and so on — and these are the "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" and so on. And these questions cannot be answered in any way. And regarding them it is said: "All who come to her do not return" (Mishlai 2:19). For these questions cannot be answered in this world — for if they were answered the empty space would be nullified and there would be no place and existence for the world and so on. Therefore it is impossible to answer these questions now in any way whatsoever — except to strengthen oneself in complete emunah alone. And through this one passes over all the wisdoms and over the "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" — which are the questions mentioned above — and so on. See there all of this well. And it is known that the Blessed Lord gave us the entire Torah and all the commandments in order to merit complete emunah in Him, blessed be He — for this is the essential ultimate purpose — as it is written: "All Your commandments are emunah (kol mitzvosecha emunah)" (Tehillim 119:86). And as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Chavakuk came and established them all on one: and the tzaddik shall live by his emunah (v'tzaddik b'emunaso yichyeh)" (Makkos 24a; Chavakuk 2:4). And for this reason there are in the Torah both chukim (statutes) and mishpatim (civil laws) — the mishpatim being those commandments that reason somewhat obligates, which are called mishpatim. And the commandments upon which there is no reason at all, and the nations of the world take Israel to task asking what is the reason for this commandment — these are called chukim. And all these chukim and mishpatim the Blessed Lord gave us in order to merit to emunah — that is, in order to merit through this power to nullify two kinds of questions and heresy (apikorsus) mentioned above. For through the mishpatim — which are the commandments in which there is some intellect and reason — through this the questions that are drawn from the kelipas that came into being through the shattering of the vessels are nullified, as above. For there some intellect and letters are present — though they require great rectification and clarification (tikun u-biyur). And these kelipas are subdued and nullified through the aspect of the mishpatim of the Torah — in which there is intellect. But there are questions for which it is impossible to find any answer through intellect and to settle them, as above — for they are drawn from the empty space (chalal ha-panui), as above. And there it is forbidden to enter into them with any intellect at all — only to strengthen oneself in emunah alone, as above. And corresponding to this the Blessed Lord gave us the holy chukim — which are the commandments in which there is no reason at all — and we fulfill them through emunah alone. Through the power of these commandments emunah is strengthened within us and we have the power to drive out and nullify and expunge from among us all the questions and heresy drawn from the empty space where there is no intellect except in tremendous, wondrous concealment — which it is impossible in any way to understand in this world — and we must only strengthen ourselves in emunah alone, as above. And this emunah — to merit to strengthen oneself in complete emunah, to nullify the heresy mentioned above through emunah alone, as above — this we merit through the chukim that we observe: which are the commandments in which there is no reason at all — and we fulfill them through emunah alone, as above. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of the statutes of the nations (chukos ha-akum) and the prohibition of divination and conjuring and sorcery. For "this corresponds to that" (ze l'umas ze) — for just as in holiness there are in the holy Torah chukim and mishpatim in order to nullify the two kinds of heresy mentioned above — so likewise in the opposite: they have the statutes of the nations that have no reason at all — only they are drawn from the heresy of the empty space where there is no intellect and no reason at all — for they are in the aspect of "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" and so on. As is explained well in the Torah cited above — see there. And the Blessed Lord commanded us to distance ourselves from their statutes with all distances — as it is written: "And in their statutes you shall not walk." And as is cited in the Gemara and the Shulchan Arukh — that one must distance oneself from them in all movements and all garments — as is written in the Shulchan Arukh: "One does not resemble them and one does not wear their garments and so on" — for we must distance ourselves greatly from their statutes which are their ways of conduct that have no reason, so that, heaven forfend, the heresy and denial (k'firah) drawn from the empty space should not take hold among us. For there is no intellect there whatsoever and so on — and from there all their statutes are drawn, as above. And likewise the Torah forbade us to divine and take omens and practice sorcery — so that the kelipas that come from the surplus and from the shattering of the vessels should not be strengthened, heaven forfend. For from there comes all the wisdom of the diviners — from the refuse of holiness (p'soles ha-k'dushah) — as is explained in the Torah cited above. Therefore we must distance ourselves from both of them: from the diviner and so on — which are in the aspect of the kelipas of the shattering of the vessels and so on, as above — and likewise to distance ourselves from the statutes of the nations that are drawn from the aspect of the denials of the empty space, as above. For the Blessed Lord in His great mercy separated us from these wanderers and commanded us to distance ourselves from both of them. And He sanctified us with His holy commandments — in which there are chukim and mishpatim — through which we nullify and drive out the two kinds of heresy and questions and merit to true complete emunah. Amen. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of "not wearing their garments" — which is forbidden on account of the statute of the nations (chukkas ha-akum) — for all garments are drawn from the secret of the empty space (sod chalal ha-panui) — which is in the aspect of garments (levushin) — as is explained in the Torah cited above: that it is like "that silkworm (kamtza) whose garment is from itself and within itself." And from there all the garments in the world are drawn. And therefore Israel were commanded to sanctify their garments through the commandment of tzitzis — in which the entire Torah and all the commandments are dependent — as it is written: "So that you may remember and do all My commandments and so on" (Bamidbar 15:40). For through the sanctity of the garments — through the commandment of tzitzis — through this holy emunah is drawn upon us, to subdue and nullify the heresy that is drawn from the empty space — through the emunah that we believe that even there the Blessed Lord is hidden in wondrous concealment, and that the empty space itself came into being from His wisdom, blessed be He — like "that silkworm whose garment is from itself and within itself" — as is written in the Torah cited above. And therefore one must distance oneself from the garments of the nations — not to wear their garments on account of the statute of the nations. For their garments are drawn from the heresy of the empty space — from which all garments come, as above. But our garments are drawn from holy emunah — for we believe that even in the empty space the Blessed Lord is present in wondrous concealment — which is the aspect of "like that silkworm whose garment is from itself and within itself." And this emunah is the aspect of the tikun of the garments — the aspect of tzitzis — which is emunah, as is known. And as above in Hilchos Purim, Halacha 4, on the verse: "Mi ha-ish he-chofetz chayyim" — "Who is the man who desires life?" (Tehillim 34:13). Laws of Chukkas HaAkum — Halacha 4 is encompassed in Laws of Me'onayn u-Menachaysh, Halacha 2, and Halacha 5 is encompassed in Laws of Me'onayn u-Menachaysh, Halacha 3. Na Nach Nachma Nachman MeUman!

And this is the aspect of Pesach. For it is known that the essential exile of Mitzrayim was to rectify the sin of Adam HaRishon, who blemished through the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil — on account of which was the essential exile. And the essential exile was due to the blemish of the blood that was blemished through his sin — the blood became intermingled, being the aspect of the five types of pure blood, etc. And through the sin of Adam HaRishon, good and evil became mixed, and the blood became intermingled. And from the blemish of the blood, Pharaoh and Mitzrayim would nurse — and this was the essential cause of the exile (as understood from the Writings). And the essential redemption was through the delight of the World to Come — for from there come all redemptions, and especially the redemption from Mitzrayim (as explained in the Zohar and the Writings: that from the side of the World to Come they went forth). And the essential redemption was through the aspect of halachos, which are themselves the delight of the World to Come. For the essential tikkun of the sin of Adam HaRishon — to clarify good from evil, upon which the redemption from Mitzrayim depended — is through the halachos. For through clarifying the ruling of the halachah, through this good is clarified from evil (as explained in the words of our Rebbe). And upon this their essential redemption depended. And this itself is the tikkun and clarification of the blood — for the halachos clarify between blood and blood, between impure blood and pure blood. And therefore the ruling of law is called halachah — which is the aspect of tahaluchos (the progression) of the blood that flows in proper order.

But after Krias Yam Suf, when the Sitra Achra/Egyptians fell completely, and Israel had already been sanctified through the Sefirah days, meriting awe and faith — "the people feared Hashem and believed in Hashem" — perceiving at the Sea what they perceived — then they can rectify even the chametz. Therefore chametz is then permitted. But at the time of the Exodus, the essential elevation of avaidos was through His kindness, and the chametz's tikkun was not yet possible — the Sitra Achra clung to chametz enormously. Therefore chametz is forbidden b'val yaira'eh u'val yimatzai [not to be seen, not to be found]. § 8 — Bedikas Chametz: Searching with Candles = Searching for Avaidos This is bedikas chametz — one must search and hunt for chametz thoroughly to destroy it, searching by candlelight. Our Sages derived "finding" from "finding" and "searching" from "searching" and "searching" from "candle": one must search for chametz by candlelight specifically. They brought the verse: "the candle of Hashem is the soul of man, searching all the chambers of the belly." All this is for the tikkun of avaidos: the neshamah is called a candle that must search all the chambers of the belly — where all the desires of the wicked dwell: "the belly of the wicked shall want." There one must search for the avaidos: each person striving to break his desires for Hashem's sake — thereby searching for the avaidos in every chamber of the belly. This is bi'ur chametz — through searching with candles. The essential search is to destroy the chametz — the Sitra Achra from which all desires come. Then automatically all avaidos will be found. The essential thing is shev v'al ta'aseh [sit and refrain] — as Rabbainu zichrono livrachah used to say constantly: not to pursue one's evil desires, source of all avaidos. Then automatically all avaidos will be found. § 9 — Lechem Oni: The Bread of Affliction Where Avaidos Gather

For it is cited in the words of Rabbaynu in the discourse "Achavay lan mana d'lo shavya l'chavala" and so on, in §25 of Likutay, Part One — that the sitra achra (Other Side) is called the koach ha-medame (power of imagination), from which come all the desires and confusions and obstacles that obstruct the levels of holiness and so on — see there. And at every level and every level these imaginings are present — and when one wishes to ascend from level to level they are aroused and so on. And one must subdue and break them. And the essential means of subduing them is through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be His Name. And this is accomplished through giving charity to a deserving poor person — for through this the colors (gevonin) that are present in silver and gold are revealed. For the essential colors are found only among Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride (Yisroel asher b'cha espa'ar)" (Yeshayahu 49:3). Pride (hispa'arus) is the encompassing of all the colors and so on. And this is the aspect of: "For He has clothed me in garments of salvation (bigday yesha)" (Yeshayahu 61:10). "Yesha" — "salvation" — is the aspect of "yistaklutha," that all desire to behold it and so on — see there well. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of walking in their statutes. And one must distance oneself from them in all matters — so as not to resemble them in any matter whatsoever in the world. Even though in that particular matter there is no actual prohibition in and of itself — even so it is forbidden to resemble them in any manner in the world. And it is forbidden to dress in their garments and so on. For in this is encompassed the entire Torah in its totality. For in truth, Israel from their very selves — from their root — are utterly and completely distant from all sins, and no transgression is at all relevant to a Jewish man according to his holiness from his root. For Israel are the very essence of goodness (etzem ha-tov) and they are distant from evil in the ultimate distance at their root. And therefore the sitra achra has no grip or relevance to entice any one of Israel, heaven forfend — except only through the power of imagination (koach ha-medame). For the medame misleads a person — for it imagines one thing to be another thing — until it overturns, heaven forfend, and makes evil into good, darkness into light — as it is stated: "Those who make light into darkness and darkness into light, who make bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter and so on" (Yeshayahu 5:20). As one sees tangibly that the power of imagination misleads a person many times even in physical matters — for example, when a person sees something from afar, and especially at night, he imagines a piece of wood standing upright to be a person and is frightened of it — and similarly in many matters in which a person errs through the power of imagination. And exactly the same way, truly, in the matters of a person's opinions and character traits and desires — for in truth the Jewish man is himself utterly distant from all evil things and from all desires and evil character traits. And the essential stumbling of a person, heaven forfend, is only through the power of imagination — which is the sitra achra — which misleads the person and imagines one thing to be another thing, and leads him from thought to thought and from thought to thought, until it brings him to an improper thought, heaven forfend. And likewise to each and every person it brings him to that which it brings him — may the Merciful One protect us. And therefore the Torah has decreed upon us not to walk in their statutes and not to resemble them in any matter — not to resemble them, specifically — in order not to give power, heaven forfend, to the koach ha-medame. For the nations of the world are the evil of all desires and character traits, as is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, of blessed memory. And therefore when one resembles them in any matter — through this the medame is strengthened, heaven forfend — and one can come, heaven forfend, through this to their opinions and views — as it is written: "And they mingled with the nations and learned from their deeds" (Tehillim 106:35). For the essential grip of the sitra achra is in the medame, as above. And therefore one must distance oneself from them greatly, greatly in all matters. Rather, one must resemble in all matters and all customs and all garments the holy people Israel — for the essential grace and true glory and honor (hispa'arus ha-amitis) is found only among Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride" — who are encompassed in many colors (d'klulim bi-gvanin saggin) — and the garments of Israel are in the aspect of garments of salvation (bigday yesha) — the aspect of garments of glory (levushay ha-hispa'arus) — the aspect of "majesty and splendor You have clothed (hod v'hadar lavashta)" (Tehillim 104:1). For in them are all kinds of grace and all kinds of glory. And therefore one must dress specifically in the garments of Israel and resemble in every matter the ways of the true wise men and tzaddikim — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Cleave to Torah scholars (hiddabayk b'talmidei chachamim)" (Kesubos 111b). And as it is written: "One who walks with wise men will become wise (holaych es chachamim yechkam)" (Mishlai 13:20). For through resembling oneself in deeds and conduct to the ways of the true righteous ones — through this one merits to be encompassed within them. And in the end one will truly become like them. For the koach ha-medame is in the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil — the aspect of nogah — which is at times encompassed in the good, and at other times in the opposite. For it is in the aspect of imagination — and wherever it imagines itself, there it is encompassed. And the essential free choice (b'chirah) and trial (nisayon) of a person is through the koach ha-medame. And every person must strengthen himself to clarify (l'varayr) the koach ha-medame — to clarify the good within it so that it should be encompassed in holiness, and to cause the evil within it to fall. And therefore we are commanded to resemble our Creator, blessed be He — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Cleave to His attributes — just as He is merciful, so shall you be merciful, and so on" (Shabbos 133b). And likewise to resemble the Torah scholars and to associate with upright people — for through resembling oneself in character traits to the Blessed Lord and to the tzaddikim and to the truly upright people of the generation, through this one merits to become truly encompassed with them together in the Blessed Lord. For everything depends on the clarification of the medame — which is the essential trial and free choice. And this is the aspect of what is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, may his memory be a blessing, in the conversations of the Ranas (Sichot HaRan) — that through making oneself angry in prayer, through this one merits truly to pray with the warmth and burning enthusiasm of holiness. And likewise through making oneself act as if one is happy — through this one merits to true joy. And similarly in all matters and so on — see there. For this is the aspect of the clarification of the medame (biyur ha-medame) — that the medame is encompassed in holiness — for one imagines oneself to be in matters of holiness, even though at first one does not truly have that quality. Even so one imagines oneself and conducts oneself and accustoms oneself in these qualities and these upright ways of behavior of truly upright people — and through this one merits afterward to all the good truly. And one must be very strong in this matter and a great stubborn one (akshan gadol) — even though it seems to him that it has been a long time that he has been accustoming himself to this and he has still not merited to the good truly — even so, this too is good: that he imagines himself and accustoms himself to the good. For also it is impossible for a person to know truly when he merits to the good — for sometimes it appears to the person that he is very far from good, and this very thing is itself good. And likewise the opposite can be true. Therefore one is always obligated to attach oneself to upright and true people and to walk in their ways and to resemble their deeds — for this very thing is good: that he merits to associate with them — even if, heaven forfend, he would not merit to become like them. But in truth if he is strong, he will certainly merit to become like them and to be encompassed within them, as above. And this is what the Torah warned: "And you shall not show them favor (v'lo s'chanaym)" — you shall not give them grace — for it is forbidden to say "how beautiful is this non-Jew," and so on. For it is forbidden to glorify them in any matter at all. For the essential glory and the colors (gevonin) belong only to Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride." And when one glorifies and praises Israel, and magnifies and cherishes the grace and the ways of the holy people Israel — the chosen nation from all peoples — through this the colors and the glory of Israel are revealed. And through the revelation of the colors — which is the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — through this comes the essential subduing of the medame, as is explained there in the discourse cited above: that the essential subduing of the medame is through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — which comes through the revelation of the colors. And this is what Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, said: that through the joy by which one rejoices over having merited to be from the seed of Israel and to draw close to the true tzaddikim — through this one breaks the medame — which is the obstacles at every level of holiness and so on — see there. For through rejoicing oneself with the joy of Israel, over having merited to be from the seed of Israel — through this the grace and the glory and the colors of Israel are revealed. Which is the essential greatness of the Creator, blessed be He. And through the revelation of the Creator — through this the obstacles are subdued — which are the koach ha-medame. For in truth they are no obstacles at all — only they appear as obstacles, until it is hard to break them. But through glorifying and praising and cherishing the grace and the importance and the glory of Israel — and rejoicing oneself in this that "He did not make me a non-Jew (shelo asani goy)" — through this the glory of Israel is revealed — the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride" — which are the supernal colors — which are the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this comes the essential subduing of the medame, as above. And this is the aspect of the shekalim (half-shekels) — through which was the essential miracle of Purim. As our Sages of blessed memory said: "Wicked one! Our shekalim have already preceded yours" (Megillah 13b). And therefore on the first of Adar they announce about the shekalim. For the essential jealousy of Haman of Amalek against Israel was because of this: because Israel distance themselves in all matters from the conduct and the ways of the nations. And therefore he said: "Their laws are different from every other people" (Esther 3:8). For he was most particular and jealous about this: that they always intend to differ from the nations in all matters and to distance themselves from their customs. And therefore he said: "And ten thousand of silver and so on, I will weigh and so on" (Esther 3:9). For he wished to nullify, heaven forfend, the power of the shekalim of Israel — which are in the aspect of the revelation of the colors encompassed in silver and gold, as is explained in the discourse cited above. And therefore the Blessed Lord preceded the cure to the blow and preceded our shekalim to his shekalim, and commanded us to give on the first of Adar the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah (charity) — through which the supernal colors that are in silver and gold are revealed, as above. And through this comes the essential subduing of the medame and the kelipas (husks of impurity) — which are in the aspect of Haman-Amalek. For Amalek is in the aspect of the evil of the medame — for they would imagine themselves to be animals, as Rashi explained on the verse "from ox to sheep to animal" (I Shmuel 15:3): that the Amalekites would dress themselves up as animals, as above. And "animal" (behayma) is in the aspect of the koach ha-medame — which is the power of animality (koach ha-bahamisyus) — as is explained above in the discourse cited. And therefore the essential subduing of Haman-Amalek is through the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed and so on — which is the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this they are subdued, as above. And this is the aspect of the half-shekel (machatzis ha-shekel) — a contribution to God (trumah la-Hashem). For the aspect of the medame is the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil — the aspect of nogah — which is the essential scales and trial (matkala v'nisayon). In the aspect of "half" (machatzis) — for the person stands on the scale and the trial: half of him tipping one way and half tipping the other way — like the way of a scale — for it is a mixture of good and evil. And this is "machatzis ha-shekel" — "half-shekel" specifically. And every person must tip the scale toward the good — to raise the medame up to the Blessed Lord — in the aspect of "a half-shekel as a contribution to God." And this is accomplished through the giving of the half-shekel toward the communal sacrifices and toward the donation for the Mishkan (Tabernacle) — which is in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed, as above — and through this the medame is subdued. And then the evil within it falls and the good within it is encompassed in holiness. And therefore the shekalim were taken for the communal sacrifices and for the donation of the Mishkan — for the sacrifices (korbanos) are in the aspect of the breaking of the imagination (sh'viras ha-dimyon) — as Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, explained in the discourse cited above on the verse: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit (zivchei Elokim ruach nishbarah)" (Tehillim 51:19). And this is the aspect of the donation of the Mishkan — which is the aspect of the revelation of the colors — for all the supernal colors were encompassed in the Mishkan: silver and gold and blue (t'chelyas) and purple (argaman) and so on. And this is the aspect of "When you take a count of (ki sisa es rosh) the children of Israel" (Shmos 30:12). "Ki sisa" specifically — in the aspect of nesi'as rosh (elevation of the head) — that is, when they ascend from level to level, and one wishes to elevate Israel that they should ascend from level to level — then "each one shall give a ransom for his soul (kofer nafsho)" — that is, tzedakah — through which the obstacles at every level are subdued. For they come through the medame, as above. And then "and there shall not be among them a plague and so on" — for through this: that the colors are revealed through the shekalim — through this the medame and the kelipas are subdued — which are the sitra d'mosa (side of death) — and one merits to the holy intellect (seykhel d'kedushah) which is in the aspect of life. As it is written: "Wisdom sustains life (ha-chochma t'chayeh)" (Koheles 7:12). For the essential life is the intellect — which is eternal life. For the essential residue of a person after his death is only the attainment of the acquired intellect (seykhel ha-nikneh) — which one merits through the breaking of the imagination — as is explained there in the discourse cited, see there all of this well. And therefore the essential commandment of the shekalim was at the time when they were counting Israel — for the counting of Israel is in the aspect of nesi'as rosh — the aspect of ascent from level to level — in the discourse above. For when they ascend from level to level, then each and every one elevates his fellow. For the inwardness (p'nimiyus) of the lower one ascends to the higher one, and likewise the inwardness of the higher one ascends yet higher, and so upward and upward — as is explained there well, see there. And as Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, said then explicitly: that this is the aspect of haramah — ((in the Lashon Ashkenaz (German-Yiddish): heiben)) — what one lifts his fellow up and so on. And when they count Israel, then they include and lift up and elevate and link one to the other — for this is the essential aspect of the counting: to link them and join them one to the other — so that each one should ascend to the level of his fellow, and his fellow should ascend yet higher — and so upward and upward — so that they should be encompassed one within the other — so that the Shekhinah should rest upon them. And therefore the counting is called nesi'as rosh — as it is written: "When you take a count of (ki sisa es rosh) the children of Israel according to their number (lifkudayhem)" (Shmos 30:12). For through the counting their heads are elevated from level to level and so on, as above. And therefore at every time that Israel needed to ascend from level to level, they were counted. After that when the Mishkan was built and they wished to have the Shekhinah rest upon them, they were counted — as Rashi explained. For all of the above is in the aspect of ascent from level to level — in the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt (Yetzi'as Mitzrayim): when they ascended from the forty-nine gates of impurity (mem-tes sha'aray tumah) to the forty-nine gates of holiness (mem-tes sha'aray k'dushah). And likewise after the incident of the Golden Calf, when they needed to depart and ascend and purify themselves from this impurity and enter into holiness. And likewise afterward when the Mishkan was built and they needed to ascend to the high levels so that the Shekhinah would rest upon them — and therefore they counted them each time — which is the aspect of nesi'as rosh, as above. And when they ascend from level to level — then the medame is aroused even more, as above — which is the sitra d'mosa, heaven forfend, as above. And when they ascend from level to level — then the medame is aroused even more, as above — which is the sitra d'mosa, heaven forfend, as above. [Note: this sentence is written twice in the original — it is intentional.] Therefore at such times one must strengthen oneself even more to subdue the sitra d'mosa — which is the medame. And this is accomplished through the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed, as above. And this is the aspect of "ki sisa and so on, and each one shall give a ransom for his soul to God, and there shall not be among them a plague and so on," as above. "Each one who passes through the counting shall give a half-shekel in the sacred shekel. A half-shekel specifically," as above. And this is the aspect of: "When Adar enters, one increases in joy (mishenichnas Adar marbin b'simchah)" (Ta'anis 29a). For then one must subdue the kelipah of Haman-Amalek — which is the medame, as above. And therefore one must increase in joy — for one must greatly rejoice in the fact that we merited to be from the seed of Israel and "He did not make me a non-Jew" — and through this the grace and the glory of Israel are revealed: which is the revelation of the colors — which is the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this the medame is subdued and one merits to ascend to all the levels of holiness. Amen and Amen. And as is explained there at the end of the discourse cited above: that through the joy by which one rejoices in the Blessed Lord and in His tzaddikim and so on — through this the medame is subdued — which spreads itself through every level — and one ascends to the highest level and so on — see there. Halacha 3 Based on Likutay Moharan, Part 1, §64 — "Bo el Par'oh" (Come to Pharaoh) The matter of the prohibition of walking in the statutes of the nations, and the prohibition of divination and conjuring and sorcery. According to the Torah "Bo el Par'oh" (Come to Pharaoh), in §64 — see the entire Torah there well. And the general principle is this: There are questions and heresy (apikorsus) that are drawn from the kelipas that came into being through the shattering of the vessels (sh'viras ha-kaylim) — which came through an excess of light — and these are in the aspect of the surplus (mosorohs) and refuse (p'soles) of holiness, and likewise sorcery (kishuf) comes from the surplus and refuse, as is known. And these questions and heresies can be answered — for there are sparks and letters and so on that fell there and so on. But there are heresies and questions that are drawn from the empty space (chalal ha-panui) and so on — from which, as it were, He withdrew His Divinity and His wisdom — and so on — and these are the "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" and so on. And these questions cannot be answered in any way. And regarding them it is said: "All who come to her do not return" (Mishlai 2:19). For these questions cannot be answered in this world — for if they were answered the empty space would be nullified and there would be no place and existence for the world and so on. Therefore it is impossible to answer these questions now in any way whatsoever — except to strengthen oneself in complete emunah alone. And through this one passes over all the wisdoms and over the "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" — which are the questions mentioned above — and so on. See there all of this well. And it is known that the Blessed Lord gave us the entire Torah and all the commandments in order to merit complete emunah in Him, blessed be He — for this is the essential ultimate purpose — as it is written: "All Your commandments are emunah (kol mitzvosecha emunah)" (Tehillim 119:86). And as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Chavakuk came and established them all on one: and the tzaddik shall live by his emunah (v'tzaddik b'emunaso yichyeh)" (Makkos 24a; Chavakuk 2:4). And for this reason there are in the Torah both chukim (statutes) and mishpatim (civil laws) — the mishpatim being those commandments that reason somewhat obligates, which are called mishpatim. And the commandments upon which there is no reason at all, and the nations of the world take Israel to task asking what is the reason for this commandment — these are called chukim. And all these chukim and mishpatim the Blessed Lord gave us in order to merit to emunah — that is, in order to merit through this power to nullify two kinds of questions and heresy (apikorsus) mentioned above. For through the mishpatim — which are the commandments in which there is some intellect and reason — through this the questions that are drawn from the kelipas that came into being through the shattering of the vessels are nullified, as above. For there some intellect and letters are present — though they require great rectification and clarification (tikun u-biyur). And these kelipas are subdued and nullified through the aspect of the mishpatim of the Torah — in which there is intellect. But there are questions for which it is impossible to find any answer through intellect and to settle them, as above — for they are drawn from the empty space (chalal ha-panui), as above. And there it is forbidden to enter into them with any intellect at all — only to strengthen oneself in emunah alone, as above. And corresponding to this the Blessed Lord gave us the holy chukim — which are the commandments in which there is no reason at all — and we fulfill them through emunah alone. Through the power of these commandments emunah is strengthened within us and we have the power to drive out and nullify and expunge from among us all the questions and heresy drawn from the empty space where there is no intellect except in tremendous, wondrous concealment — which it is impossible in any way to understand in this world — and we must only strengthen ourselves in emunah alone, as above. And this emunah — to merit to strengthen oneself in complete emunah, to nullify the heresy mentioned above through emunah alone, as above — this we merit through the chukim that we observe: which are the commandments in which there is no reason at all — and we fulfill them through emunah alone, as above. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of the statutes of the nations (chukos ha-akum) and the prohibition of divination and conjuring and sorcery. For "this corresponds to that" (ze l'umas ze) — for just as in holiness there are in the holy Torah chukim and mishpatim in order to nullify the two kinds of heresy mentioned above — so likewise in the opposite: they have the statutes of the nations that have no reason at all — only they are drawn from the heresy of the empty space where there is no intellect and no reason at all — for they are in the aspect of "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" and so on. As is explained well in the Torah cited above — see there. And the Blessed Lord commanded us to distance ourselves from their statutes with all distances — as it is written: "And in their statutes you shall not walk." And as is cited in the Gemara and the Shulchan Arukh — that one must distance oneself from them in all movements and all garments — as is written in the Shulchan Arukh: "One does not resemble them and one does not wear their garments and so on" — for we must distance ourselves greatly from their statutes which are their ways of conduct that have no reason, so that, heaven forfend, the heresy and denial (k'firah) drawn from the empty space should not take hold among us. For there is no intellect there whatsoever and so on — and from there all their statutes are drawn, as above. And likewise the Torah forbade us to divine and take omens and practice sorcery — so that the kelipas that come from the surplus and from the shattering of the vessels should not be strengthened, heaven forfend. For from there comes all the wisdom of the diviners — from the refuse of holiness (p'soles ha-k'dushah) — as is explained in the Torah cited above. Therefore we must distance ourselves from both of them: from the diviner and so on — which are in the aspect of the kelipas of the shattering of the vessels and so on, as above — and likewise to distance ourselves from the statutes of the nations that are drawn from the aspect of the denials of the empty space, as above. For the Blessed Lord in His great mercy separated us from these wanderers and commanded us to distance ourselves from both of them. And He sanctified us with His holy commandments — in which there are chukim and mishpatim — through which we nullify and drive out the two kinds of heresy and questions and merit to true complete emunah. Amen. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of "not wearing their garments" — which is forbidden on account of the statute of the nations (chukkas ha-akum) — for all garments are drawn from the secret of the empty space (sod chalal ha-panui) — which is in the aspect of garments (levushin) — as is explained in the Torah cited above: that it is like "that silkworm (kamtza) whose garment is from itself and within itself." And from there all the garments in the world are drawn. And therefore Israel were commanded to sanctify their garments through the commandment of tzitzis — in which the entire Torah and all the commandments are dependent — as it is written: "So that you may remember and do all My commandments and so on" (Bamidbar 15:40). For through the sanctity of the garments — through the commandment of tzitzis — through this holy emunah is drawn upon us, to subdue and nullify the heresy that is drawn from the empty space — through the emunah that we believe that even there the Blessed Lord is hidden in wondrous concealment, and that the empty space itself came into being from His wisdom, blessed be He — like "that silkworm whose garment is from itself and within itself" — as is written in the Torah cited above. And therefore one must distance oneself from the garments of the nations — not to wear their garments on account of the statute of the nations. For their garments are drawn from the heresy of the empty space — from which all garments come, as above. But our garments are drawn from holy emunah — for we believe that even in the empty space the Blessed Lord is present in wondrous concealment — which is the aspect of "like that silkworm whose garment is from itself and within itself." And this emunah is the aspect of the tikun of the garments — the aspect of tzitzis — which is emunah, as is known. And as above in Hilchos Purim, Halacha 4, on the verse: "Mi ha-ish he-chofetz chayyim" — "Who is the man who desires life?" (Tehillim 34:13). Laws of Chukkas HaAkum — Halacha 4 is encompassed in Laws of Me'onayn u-Menachaysh, Halacha 2, and Halacha 5 is encompassed in Laws of Me'onayn u-Menachaysh, Halacha 3. Na Nach Nachma Nachman MeUman!

"When I see Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and stars You have established — what is man that You remember him?" All of this speaks of the moon's diminishment through the evil eye's provocation — which is itself the angels' complaint against man's creation and the giving of the Torah to the lowly. "When I see Your heavens... the moon and stars" — the moon that was diminished (therefore given stars to console her, as our Sages say). When I see the diminished moon caused by the complaint from the evil eye — I wonder: "what is man that You remember him [tizk'renu]?" — tizk'renu specifically: how is it possible to draw the memory upon man, that he should remember his eternal purpose for the World to Come, when the evil eye overpowers so greatly that the moon was forced to diminish?

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For it is cited in the words of Rabbaynu in the discourse "Achavay lan mana d'lo shavya l'chavala" and so on, in §25 of Likutay, Part One — that the sitra achra (Other Side) is called the koach ha-medame (power of imagination), from which come all the desires and confusions and obstacles that obstruct the levels of holiness and so on — see there. And at every level and every level these imaginings are present — and when one wishes to ascend from level to level they are aroused and so on. And one must subdue and break them. And the essential means of subduing them is through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be His Name. And this is accomplished through giving charity to a deserving poor person — for through this the colors (gevonin) that are present in silver and gold are revealed. For the essential colors are found only among Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride (Yisroel asher b'cha espa'ar)" (Yeshayahu 49:3). Pride (hispa'arus) is the encompassing of all the colors and so on. And this is the aspect of: "For He has clothed me in garments of salvation (bigday yesha)" (Yeshayahu 61:10). "Yesha" — "salvation" — is the aspect of "yistaklutha," that all desire to behold it and so on — see there well. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of walking in their statutes. And one must distance oneself from them in all matters — so as not to resemble them in any matter whatsoever in the world. Even though in that particular matter there is no actual prohibition in and of itself — even so it is forbidden to resemble them in any manner in the world. And it is forbidden to dress in their garments and so on. For in this is encompassed the entire Torah in its totality. For in truth, Israel from their very selves — from their root — are utterly and completely distant from all sins, and no transgression is at all relevant to a Jewish man according to his holiness from his root. For Israel are the very essence of goodness (etzem ha-tov) and they are distant from evil in the ultimate distance at their root. And therefore the sitra achra has no grip or relevance to entice any one of Israel, heaven forfend — except only through the power of imagination (koach ha-medame). For the medame misleads a person — for it imagines one thing to be another thing — until it overturns, heaven forfend, and makes evil into good, darkness into light — as it is stated: "Those who make light into darkness and darkness into light, who make bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter and so on" (Yeshayahu 5:20). As one sees tangibly that the power of imagination misleads a person many times even in physical matters — for example, when a person sees something from afar, and especially at night, he imagines a piece of wood standing upright to be a person and is frightened of it — and similarly in many matters in which a person errs through the power of imagination. And exactly the same way, truly, in the matters of a person's opinions and character traits and desires — for in truth the Jewish man is himself utterly distant from all evil things and from all desires and evil character traits. And the essential stumbling of a person, heaven forfend, is only through the power of imagination — which is the sitra achra — which misleads the person and imagines one thing to be another thing, and leads him from thought to thought and from thought to thought, until it brings him to an improper thought, heaven forfend. And likewise to each and every person it brings him to that which it brings him — may the Merciful One protect us. And therefore the Torah has decreed upon us not to walk in their statutes and not to resemble them in any matter — not to resemble them, specifically — in order not to give power, heaven forfend, to the koach ha-medame. For the nations of the world are the evil of all desires and character traits, as is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, of blessed memory. And therefore when one resembles them in any matter — through this the medame is strengthened, heaven forfend — and one can come, heaven forfend, through this to their opinions and views — as it is written: "And they mingled with the nations and learned from their deeds" (Tehillim 106:35). For the essential grip of the sitra achra is in the medame, as above. And therefore one must distance oneself from them greatly, greatly in all matters. Rather, one must resemble in all matters and all customs and all garments the holy people Israel — for the essential grace and true glory and honor (hispa'arus ha-amitis) is found only among Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride" — who are encompassed in many colors (d'klulim bi-gvanin saggin) — and the garments of Israel are in the aspect of garments of salvation (bigday yesha) — the aspect of garments of glory (levushay ha-hispa'arus) — the aspect of "majesty and splendor You have clothed (hod v'hadar lavashta)" (Tehillim 104:1). For in them are all kinds of grace and all kinds of glory. And therefore one must dress specifically in the garments of Israel and resemble in every matter the ways of the true wise men and tzaddikim — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Cleave to Torah scholars (hiddabayk b'talmidei chachamim)" (Kesubos 111b). And as it is written: "One who walks with wise men will become wise (holaych es chachamim yechkam)" (Mishlai 13:20). For through resembling oneself in deeds and conduct to the ways of the true righteous ones — through this one merits to be encompassed within them. And in the end one will truly become like them. For the koach ha-medame is in the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil — the aspect of nogah — which is at times encompassed in the good, and at other times in the opposite. For it is in the aspect of imagination — and wherever it imagines itself, there it is encompassed. And the essential free choice (b'chirah) and trial (nisayon) of a person is through the koach ha-medame. And every person must strengthen himself to clarify (l'varayr) the koach ha-medame — to clarify the good within it so that it should be encompassed in holiness, and to cause the evil within it to fall. And therefore we are commanded to resemble our Creator, blessed be He — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Cleave to His attributes — just as He is merciful, so shall you be merciful, and so on" (Shabbos 133b). And likewise to resemble the Torah scholars and to associate with upright people — for through resembling oneself in character traits to the Blessed Lord and to the tzaddikim and to the truly upright people of the generation, through this one merits to become truly encompassed with them together in the Blessed Lord. For everything depends on the clarification of the medame — which is the essential trial and free choice. And this is the aspect of what is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, may his memory be a blessing, in the conversations of the Ranas (Sichot HaRan) — that through making oneself angry in prayer, through this one merits truly to pray with the warmth and burning enthusiasm of holiness. And likewise through making oneself act as if one is happy — through this one merits to true joy. And similarly in all matters and so on — see there. For this is the aspect of the clarification of the medame (biyur ha-medame) — that the medame is encompassed in holiness — for one imagines oneself to be in matters of holiness, even though at first one does not truly have that quality. Even so one imagines oneself and conducts oneself and accustoms oneself in these qualities and these upright ways of behavior of truly upright people — and through this one merits afterward to all the good truly. And one must be very strong in this matter and a great stubborn one (akshan gadol) — even though it seems to him that it has been a long time that he has been accustoming himself to this and he has still not merited to the good truly — even so, this too is good: that he imagines himself and accustoms himself to the good. For also it is impossible for a person to know truly when he merits to the good — for sometimes it appears to the person that he is very far from good, and this very thing is itself good. And likewise the opposite can be true. Therefore one is always obligated to attach oneself to upright and true people and to walk in their ways and to resemble their deeds — for this very thing is good: that he merits to associate with them — even if, heaven forfend, he would not merit to become like them. But in truth if he is strong, he will certainly merit to become like them and to be encompassed within them, as above. And this is what the Torah warned: "And you shall not show them favor (v'lo s'chanaym)" — you shall not give them grace — for it is forbidden to say "how beautiful is this non-Jew," and so on. For it is forbidden to glorify them in any matter at all. For the essential glory and the colors (gevonin) belong only to Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride." And when one glorifies and praises Israel, and magnifies and cherishes the grace and the ways of the holy people Israel — the chosen nation from all peoples — through this the colors and the glory of Israel are revealed. And through the revelation of the colors — which is the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — through this comes the essential subduing of the medame, as is explained there in the discourse cited above: that the essential subduing of the medame is through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — which comes through the revelation of the colors. And this is what Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, said: that through the joy by which one rejoices over having merited to be from the seed of Israel and to draw close to the true tzaddikim — through this one breaks the medame — which is the obstacles at every level of holiness and so on — see there. For through rejoicing oneself with the joy of Israel, over having merited to be from the seed of Israel — through this the grace and the glory and the colors of Israel are revealed. Which is the essential greatness of the Creator, blessed be He. And through the revelation of the Creator — through this the obstacles are subdued — which are the koach ha-medame. For in truth they are no obstacles at all — only they appear as obstacles, until it is hard to break them. But through glorifying and praising and cherishing the grace and the importance and the glory of Israel — and rejoicing oneself in this that "He did not make me a non-Jew (shelo asani goy)" — through this the glory of Israel is revealed — the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride" — which are the supernal colors — which are the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this comes the essential subduing of the medame, as above. And this is the aspect of the shekalim (half-shekels) — through which was the essential miracle of Purim. As our Sages of blessed memory said: "Wicked one! Our shekalim have already preceded yours" (Megillah 13b). And therefore on the first of Adar they announce about the shekalim. For the essential jealousy of Haman of Amalek against Israel was because of this: because Israel distance themselves in all matters from the conduct and the ways of the nations. And therefore he said: "Their laws are different from every other people" (Esther 3:8). For he was most particular and jealous about this: that they always intend to differ from the nations in all matters and to distance themselves from their customs. And therefore he said: "And ten thousand of silver and so on, I will weigh and so on" (Esther 3:9). For he wished to nullify, heaven forfend, the power of the shekalim of Israel — which are in the aspect of the revelation of the colors encompassed in silver and gold, as is explained in the discourse cited above. And therefore the Blessed Lord preceded the cure to the blow and preceded our shekalim to his shekalim, and commanded us to give on the first of Adar the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah (charity) — through which the supernal colors that are in silver and gold are revealed, as above. And through this comes the essential subduing of the medame and the kelipas (husks of impurity) — which are in the aspect of Haman-Amalek. For Amalek is in the aspect of the evil of the medame — for they would imagine themselves to be animals, as Rashi explained on the verse "from ox to sheep to animal" (I Shmuel 15:3): that the Amalekites would dress themselves up as animals, as above. And "animal" (behayma) is in the aspect of the koach ha-medame — which is the power of animality (koach ha-bahamisyus) — as is explained above in the discourse cited. And therefore the essential subduing of Haman-Amalek is through the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed and so on — which is the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this they are subdued, as above. And this is the aspect of the half-shekel (machatzis ha-shekel) — a contribution to God (trumah la-Hashem). For the aspect of the medame is the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil — the aspect of nogah — which is the essential scales and trial (matkala v'nisayon). In the aspect of "half" (machatzis) — for the person stands on the scale and the trial: half of him tipping one way and half tipping the other way — like the way of a scale — for it is a mixture of good and evil. And this is "machatzis ha-shekel" — "half-shekel" specifically. And every person must tip the scale toward the good — to raise the medame up to the Blessed Lord — in the aspect of "a half-shekel as a contribution to God." And this is accomplished through the giving of the half-shekel toward the communal sacrifices and toward the donation for the Mishkan (Tabernacle) — which is in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed, as above — and through this the medame is subdued. And then the evil within it falls and the good within it is encompassed in holiness. And therefore the shekalim were taken for the communal sacrifices and for the donation of the Mishkan — for the sacrifices (korbanos) are in the aspect of the breaking of the imagination (sh'viras ha-dimyon) — as Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, explained in the discourse cited above on the verse: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit (zivchei Elokim ruach nishbarah)" (Tehillim 51:19). And this is the aspect of the donation of the Mishkan — which is the aspect of the revelation of the colors — for all the supernal colors were encompassed in the Mishkan: silver and gold and blue (t'chelyas) and purple (argaman) and so on. And this is the aspect of "When you take a count of (ki sisa es rosh) the children of Israel" (Shmos 30:12). "Ki sisa" specifically — in the aspect of nesi'as rosh (elevation of the head) — that is, when they ascend from level to level, and one wishes to elevate Israel that they should ascend from level to level — then "each one shall give a ransom for his soul (kofer nafsho)" — that is, tzedakah — through which the obstacles at every level are subdued. For they come through the medame, as above. And then "and there shall not be among them a plague and so on" — for through this: that the colors are revealed through the shekalim — through this the medame and the kelipas are subdued — which are the sitra d'mosa (side of death) — and one merits to the holy intellect (seykhel d'kedushah) which is in the aspect of life. As it is written: "Wisdom sustains life (ha-chochma t'chayeh)" (Koheles 7:12). For the essential life is the intellect — which is eternal life. For the essential residue of a person after his death is only the attainment of the acquired intellect (seykhel ha-nikneh) — which one merits through the breaking of the imagination — as is explained there in the discourse cited, see there all of this well. And therefore the essential commandment of the shekalim was at the time when they were counting Israel — for the counting of Israel is in the aspect of nesi'as rosh — the aspect of ascent from level to level — in the discourse above. For when they ascend from level to level, then each and every one elevates his fellow. For the inwardness (p'nimiyus) of the lower one ascends to the higher one, and likewise the inwardness of the higher one ascends yet higher, and so upward and upward — as is explained there well, see there. And as Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, said then explicitly: that this is the aspect of haramah — ((in the Lashon Ashkenaz (German-Yiddish): heiben)) — what one lifts his fellow up and so on. And when they count Israel, then they include and lift up and elevate and link one to the other — for this is the essential aspect of the counting: to link them and join them one to the other — so that each one should ascend to the level of his fellow, and his fellow should ascend yet higher — and so upward and upward — so that they should be encompassed one within the other — so that the Shekhinah should rest upon them. And therefore the counting is called nesi'as rosh — as it is written: "When you take a count of (ki sisa es rosh) the children of Israel according to their number (lifkudayhem)" (Shmos 30:12). For through the counting their heads are elevated from level to level and so on, as above. And therefore at every time that Israel needed to ascend from level to level, they were counted. After that when the Mishkan was built and they wished to have the Shekhinah rest upon them, they were counted — as Rashi explained. For all of the above is in the aspect of ascent from level to level — in the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt (Yetzi'as Mitzrayim): when they ascended from the forty-nine gates of impurity (mem-tes sha'aray tumah) to the forty-nine gates of holiness (mem-tes sha'aray k'dushah). And likewise after the incident of the Golden Calf, when they needed to depart and ascend and purify themselves from this impurity and enter into holiness. And likewise afterward when the Mishkan was built and they needed to ascend to the high levels so that the Shekhinah would rest upon them — and therefore they counted them each time — which is the aspect of nesi'as rosh, as above. And when they ascend from level to level — then the medame is aroused even more, as above — which is the sitra d'mosa, heaven forfend, as above. And when they ascend from level to level — then the medame is aroused even more, as above — which is the sitra d'mosa, heaven forfend, as above. [Note: this sentence is written twice in the original — it is intentional.] Therefore at such times one must strengthen oneself even more to subdue the sitra d'mosa — which is the medame. And this is accomplished through the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed, as above. And this is the aspect of "ki sisa and so on, and each one shall give a ransom for his soul to God, and there shall not be among them a plague and so on," as above. "Each one who passes through the counting shall give a half-shekel in the sacred shekel. A half-shekel specifically," as above. And this is the aspect of: "When Adar enters, one increases in joy (mishenichnas Adar marbin b'simchah)" (Ta'anis 29a). For then one must subdue the kelipah of Haman-Amalek — which is the medame, as above. And therefore one must increase in joy — for one must greatly rejoice in the fact that we merited to be from the seed of Israel and "He did not make me a non-Jew" — and through this the grace and the glory of Israel are revealed: which is the revelation of the colors — which is the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this the medame is subdued and one merits to ascend to all the levels of holiness. Amen and Amen. And as is explained there at the end of the discourse cited above: that through the joy by which one rejoices in the Blessed Lord and in His tzaddikim and so on — through this the medame is subdued — which spreads itself through every level — and one ascends to the highest level and so on — see there. Halacha 3 Based on Likutay Moharan, Part 1, §64 — "Bo el Par'oh" (Come to Pharaoh) The matter of the prohibition of walking in the statutes of the nations, and the prohibition of divination and conjuring and sorcery. According to the Torah "Bo el Par'oh" (Come to Pharaoh), in §64 — see the entire Torah there well. And the general principle is this: There are questions and heresy (apikorsus) that are drawn from the kelipas that came into being through the shattering of the vessels (sh'viras ha-kaylim) — which came through an excess of light — and these are in the aspect of the surplus (mosorohs) and refuse (p'soles) of holiness, and likewise sorcery (kishuf) comes from the surplus and refuse, as is known. And these questions and heresies can be answered — for there are sparks and letters and so on that fell there and so on. But there are heresies and questions that are drawn from the empty space (chalal ha-panui) and so on — from which, as it were, He withdrew His Divinity and His wisdom — and so on — and these are the "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" and so on. And these questions cannot be answered in any way. And regarding them it is said: "All who come to her do not return" (Mishlai 2:19). For these questions cannot be answered in this world — for if they were answered the empty space would be nullified and there would be no place and existence for the world and so on. Therefore it is impossible to answer these questions now in any way whatsoever — except to strengthen oneself in complete emunah alone. And through this one passes over all the wisdoms and over the "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" — which are the questions mentioned above — and so on. See there all of this well. And it is known that the Blessed Lord gave us the entire Torah and all the commandments in order to merit complete emunah in Him, blessed be He — for this is the essential ultimate purpose — as it is written: "All Your commandments are emunah (kol mitzvosecha emunah)" (Tehillim 119:86). And as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Chavakuk came and established them all on one: and the tzaddik shall live by his emunah (v'tzaddik b'emunaso yichyeh)" (Makkos 24a; Chavakuk 2:4). And for this reason there are in the Torah both chukim (statutes) and mishpatim (civil laws) — the mishpatim being those commandments that reason somewhat obligates, which are called mishpatim. And the commandments upon which there is no reason at all, and the nations of the world take Israel to task asking what is the reason for this commandment — these are called chukim. And all these chukim and mishpatim the Blessed Lord gave us in order to merit to emunah — that is, in order to merit through this power to nullify two kinds of questions and heresy (apikorsus) mentioned above. For through the mishpatim — which are the commandments in which there is some intellect and reason — through this the questions that are drawn from the kelipas that came into being through the shattering of the vessels are nullified, as above. For there some intellect and letters are present — though they require great rectification and clarification (tikun u-biyur). And these kelipas are subdued and nullified through the aspect of the mishpatim of the Torah — in which there is intellect. But there are questions for which it is impossible to find any answer through intellect and to settle them, as above — for they are drawn from the empty space (chalal ha-panui), as above. And there it is forbidden to enter into them with any intellect at all — only to strengthen oneself in emunah alone, as above. And corresponding to this the Blessed Lord gave us the holy chukim — which are the commandments in which there is no reason at all — and we fulfill them through emunah alone. Through the power of these commandments emunah is strengthened within us and we have the power to drive out and nullify and expunge from among us all the questions and heresy drawn from the empty space where there is no intellect except in tremendous, wondrous concealment — which it is impossible in any way to understand in this world — and we must only strengthen ourselves in emunah alone, as above. And this emunah — to merit to strengthen oneself in complete emunah, to nullify the heresy mentioned above through emunah alone, as above — this we merit through the chukim that we observe: which are the commandments in which there is no reason at all — and we fulfill them through emunah alone, as above. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of the statutes of the nations (chukos ha-akum) and the prohibition of divination and conjuring and sorcery. For "this corresponds to that" (ze l'umas ze) — for just as in holiness there are in the holy Torah chukim and mishpatim in order to nullify the two kinds of heresy mentioned above — so likewise in the opposite: they have the statutes of the nations that have no reason at all — only they are drawn from the heresy of the empty space where there is no intellect and no reason at all — for they are in the aspect of "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" and so on. As is explained well in the Torah cited above — see there. And the Blessed Lord commanded us to distance ourselves from their statutes with all distances — as it is written: "And in their statutes you shall not walk." And as is cited in the Gemara and the Shulchan Arukh — that one must distance oneself from them in all movements and all garments — as is written in the Shulchan Arukh: "One does not resemble them and one does not wear their garments and so on" — for we must distance ourselves greatly from their statutes which are their ways of conduct that have no reason, so that, heaven forfend, the heresy and denial (k'firah) drawn from the empty space should not take hold among us. For there is no intellect there whatsoever and so on — and from there all their statutes are drawn, as above. And likewise the Torah forbade us to divine and take omens and practice sorcery — so that the kelipas that come from the surplus and from the shattering of the vessels should not be strengthened, heaven forfend. For from there comes all the wisdom of the diviners — from the refuse of holiness (p'soles ha-k'dushah) — as is explained in the Torah cited above. Therefore we must distance ourselves from both of them: from the diviner and so on — which are in the aspect of the kelipas of the shattering of the vessels and so on, as above — and likewise to distance ourselves from the statutes of the nations that are drawn from the aspect of the denials of the empty space, as above. For the Blessed Lord in His great mercy separated us from these wanderers and commanded us to distance ourselves from both of them. And He sanctified us with His holy commandments — in which there are chukim and mishpatim — through which we nullify and drive out the two kinds of heresy and questions and merit to true complete emunah. Amen. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of "not wearing their garments" — which is forbidden on account of the statute of the nations (chukkas ha-akum) — for all garments are drawn from the secret of the empty space (sod chalal ha-panui) — which is in the aspect of garments (levushin) — as is explained in the Torah cited above: that it is like "that silkworm (kamtza) whose garment is from itself and within itself." And from there all the garments in the world are drawn. And therefore Israel were commanded to sanctify their garments through the commandment of tzitzis — in which the entire Torah and all the commandments are dependent — as it is written: "So that you may remember and do all My commandments and so on" (Bamidbar 15:40). For through the sanctity of the garments — through the commandment of tzitzis — through this holy emunah is drawn upon us, to subdue and nullify the heresy that is drawn from the empty space — through the emunah that we believe that even there the Blessed Lord is hidden in wondrous concealment, and that the empty space itself came into being from His wisdom, blessed be He — like "that silkworm whose garment is from itself and within itself" — as is written in the Torah cited above. And therefore one must distance oneself from the garments of the nations — not to wear their garments on account of the statute of the nations. For their garments are drawn from the heresy of the empty space — from which all garments come, as above. But our garments are drawn from holy emunah — for we believe that even in the empty space the Blessed Lord is present in wondrous concealment — which is the aspect of "like that silkworm whose garment is from itself and within itself." And this emunah is the aspect of the tikun of the garments — the aspect of tzitzis — which is emunah, as is known. And as above in Hilchos Purim, Halacha 4, on the verse: "Mi ha-ish he-chofetz chayyim" — "Who is the man who desires life?" (Tehillim 34:13). Laws of Chukkas HaAkum — Halacha 4 is encompassed in Laws of Me'onayn u-Menachaysh, Halacha 2, and Halacha 5 is encompassed in Laws of Me'onayn u-Menachaysh, Halacha 3. Na Nach Nachma Nachman MeUman!

For it is cited in the words of Rabbaynu in the discourse "Achavay lan mana d'lo shavya l'chavala" and so on, in §25 of Likutay, Part One — that the sitra achra (Other Side) is called the koach ha-medame (power of imagination), from which come all the desires and confusions and obstacles that obstruct the levels of holiness and so on — see there. And at every level and every level these imaginings are present — and when one wishes to ascend from level to level they are aroused and so on. And one must subdue and break them. And the essential means of subduing them is through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be His Name. And this is accomplished through giving charity to a deserving poor person — for through this the colors (gevonin) that are present in silver and gold are revealed. For the essential colors are found only among Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride (Yisroel asher b'cha espa'ar)" (Yeshayahu 49:3). Pride (hispa'arus) is the encompassing of all the colors and so on. And this is the aspect of: "For He has clothed me in garments of salvation (bigday yesha)" (Yeshayahu 61:10). "Yesha" — "salvation" — is the aspect of "yistaklutha," that all desire to behold it and so on — see there well. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of walking in their statutes. And one must distance oneself from them in all matters — so as not to resemble them in any matter whatsoever in the world. Even though in that particular matter there is no actual prohibition in and of itself — even so it is forbidden to resemble them in any manner in the world. And it is forbidden to dress in their garments and so on. For in this is encompassed the entire Torah in its totality. For in truth, Israel from their very selves — from their root — are utterly and completely distant from all sins, and no transgression is at all relevant to a Jewish man according to his holiness from his root. For Israel are the very essence of goodness (etzem ha-tov) and they are distant from evil in the ultimate distance at their root. And therefore the sitra achra has no grip or relevance to entice any one of Israel, heaven forfend — except only through the power of imagination (koach ha-medame). For the medame misleads a person — for it imagines one thing to be another thing — until it overturns, heaven forfend, and makes evil into good, darkness into light — as it is stated: "Those who make light into darkness and darkness into light, who make bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter and so on" (Yeshayahu 5:20). As one sees tangibly that the power of imagination misleads a person many times even in physical matters — for example, when a person sees something from afar, and especially at night, he imagines a piece of wood standing upright to be a person and is frightened of it — and similarly in many matters in which a person errs through the power of imagination. And exactly the same way, truly, in the matters of a person's opinions and character traits and desires — for in truth the Jewish man is himself utterly distant from all evil things and from all desires and evil character traits. And the essential stumbling of a person, heaven forfend, is only through the power of imagination — which is the sitra achra — which misleads the person and imagines one thing to be another thing, and leads him from thought to thought and from thought to thought, until it brings him to an improper thought, heaven forfend. And likewise to each and every person it brings him to that which it brings him — may the Merciful One protect us. And therefore the Torah has decreed upon us not to walk in their statutes and not to resemble them in any matter — not to resemble them, specifically — in order not to give power, heaven forfend, to the koach ha-medame. For the nations of the world are the evil of all desires and character traits, as is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, of blessed memory. And therefore when one resembles them in any matter — through this the medame is strengthened, heaven forfend — and one can come, heaven forfend, through this to their opinions and views — as it is written: "And they mingled with the nations and learned from their deeds" (Tehillim 106:35). For the essential grip of the sitra achra is in the medame, as above. And therefore one must distance oneself from them greatly, greatly in all matters. Rather, one must resemble in all matters and all customs and all garments the holy people Israel — for the essential grace and true glory and honor (hispa'arus ha-amitis) is found only among Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride" — who are encompassed in many colors (d'klulim bi-gvanin saggin) — and the garments of Israel are in the aspect of garments of salvation (bigday yesha) — the aspect of garments of glory (levushay ha-hispa'arus) — the aspect of "majesty and splendor You have clothed (hod v'hadar lavashta)" (Tehillim 104:1). For in them are all kinds of grace and all kinds of glory. And therefore one must dress specifically in the garments of Israel and resemble in every matter the ways of the true wise men and tzaddikim — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Cleave to Torah scholars (hiddabayk b'talmidei chachamim)" (Kesubos 111b). And as it is written: "One who walks with wise men will become wise (holaych es chachamim yechkam)" (Mishlai 13:20). For through resembling oneself in deeds and conduct to the ways of the true righteous ones — through this one merits to be encompassed within them. And in the end one will truly become like them. For the koach ha-medame is in the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil — the aspect of nogah — which is at times encompassed in the good, and at other times in the opposite. For it is in the aspect of imagination — and wherever it imagines itself, there it is encompassed. And the essential free choice (b'chirah) and trial (nisayon) of a person is through the koach ha-medame. And every person must strengthen himself to clarify (l'varayr) the koach ha-medame — to clarify the good within it so that it should be encompassed in holiness, and to cause the evil within it to fall. And therefore we are commanded to resemble our Creator, blessed be He — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Cleave to His attributes — just as He is merciful, so shall you be merciful, and so on" (Shabbos 133b). And likewise to resemble the Torah scholars and to associate with upright people — for through resembling oneself in character traits to the Blessed Lord and to the tzaddikim and to the truly upright people of the generation, through this one merits to become truly encompassed with them together in the Blessed Lord. For everything depends on the clarification of the medame — which is the essential trial and free choice. And this is the aspect of what is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, may his memory be a blessing, in the conversations of the Ranas (Sichot HaRan) — that through making oneself angry in prayer, through this one merits truly to pray with the warmth and burning enthusiasm of holiness. And likewise through making oneself act as if one is happy — through this one merits to true joy. And similarly in all matters and so on — see there. For this is the aspect of the clarification of the medame (biyur ha-medame) — that the medame is encompassed in holiness — for one imagines oneself to be in matters of holiness, even though at first one does not truly have that quality. Even so one imagines oneself and conducts oneself and accustoms oneself in these qualities and these upright ways of behavior of truly upright people — and through this one merits afterward to all the good truly. And one must be very strong in this matter and a great stubborn one (akshan gadol) — even though it seems to him that it has been a long time that he has been accustoming himself to this and he has still not merited to the good truly — even so, this too is good: that he imagines himself and accustoms himself to the good. For also it is impossible for a person to know truly when he merits to the good — for sometimes it appears to the person that he is very far from good, and this very thing is itself good. And likewise the opposite can be true. Therefore one is always obligated to attach oneself to upright and true people and to walk in their ways and to resemble their deeds — for this very thing is good: that he merits to associate with them — even if, heaven forfend, he would not merit to become like them. But in truth if he is strong, he will certainly merit to become like them and to be encompassed within them, as above. And this is what the Torah warned: "And you shall not show them favor (v'lo s'chanaym)" — you shall not give them grace — for it is forbidden to say "how beautiful is this non-Jew," and so on. For it is forbidden to glorify them in any matter at all. For the essential glory and the colors (gevonin) belong only to Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride." And when one glorifies and praises Israel, and magnifies and cherishes the grace and the ways of the holy people Israel — the chosen nation from all peoples — through this the colors and the glory of Israel are revealed. And through the revelation of the colors — which is the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — through this comes the essential subduing of the medame, as is explained there in the discourse cited above: that the essential subduing of the medame is through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — which comes through the revelation of the colors. And this is what Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, said: that through the joy by which one rejoices over having merited to be from the seed of Israel and to draw close to the true tzaddikim — through this one breaks the medame — which is the obstacles at every level of holiness and so on — see there. For through rejoicing oneself with the joy of Israel, over having merited to be from the seed of Israel — through this the grace and the glory and the colors of Israel are revealed. Which is the essential greatness of the Creator, blessed be He. And through the revelation of the Creator — through this the obstacles are subdued — which are the koach ha-medame. For in truth they are no obstacles at all — only they appear as obstacles, until it is hard to break them. But through glorifying and praising and cherishing the grace and the importance and the glory of Israel — and rejoicing oneself in this that "He did not make me a non-Jew (shelo asani goy)" — through this the glory of Israel is revealed — the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride" — which are the supernal colors — which are the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this comes the essential subduing of the medame, as above. And this is the aspect of the shekalim (half-shekels) — through which was the essential miracle of Purim. As our Sages of blessed memory said: "Wicked one! Our shekalim have already preceded yours" (Megillah 13b). And therefore on the first of Adar they announce about the shekalim. For the essential jealousy of Haman of Amalek against Israel was because of this: because Israel distance themselves in all matters from the conduct and the ways of the nations. And therefore he said: "Their laws are different from every other people" (Esther 3:8). For he was most particular and jealous about this: that they always intend to differ from the nations in all matters and to distance themselves from their customs. And therefore he said: "And ten thousand of silver and so on, I will weigh and so on" (Esther 3:9). For he wished to nullify, heaven forfend, the power of the shekalim of Israel — which are in the aspect of the revelation of the colors encompassed in silver and gold, as is explained in the discourse cited above. And therefore the Blessed Lord preceded the cure to the blow and preceded our shekalim to his shekalim, and commanded us to give on the first of Adar the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah (charity) — through which the supernal colors that are in silver and gold are revealed, as above. And through this comes the essential subduing of the medame and the kelipas (husks of impurity) — which are in the aspect of Haman-Amalek. For Amalek is in the aspect of the evil of the medame — for they would imagine themselves to be animals, as Rashi explained on the verse "from ox to sheep to animal" (I Shmuel 15:3): that the Amalekites would dress themselves up as animals, as above. And "animal" (behayma) is in the aspect of the koach ha-medame — which is the power of animality (koach ha-bahamisyus) — as is explained above in the discourse cited. And therefore the essential subduing of Haman-Amalek is through the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed and so on — which is the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this they are subdued, as above. And this is the aspect of the half-shekel (machatzis ha-shekel) — a contribution to God (trumah la-Hashem). For the aspect of the medame is the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil — the aspect of nogah — which is the essential scales and trial (matkala v'nisayon). In the aspect of "half" (machatzis) — for the person stands on the scale and the trial: half of him tipping one way and half tipping the other way — like the way of a scale — for it is a mixture of good and evil. And this is "machatzis ha-shekel" — "half-shekel" specifically. And every person must tip the scale toward the good — to raise the medame up to the Blessed Lord — in the aspect of "a half-shekel as a contribution to God." And this is accomplished through the giving of the half-shekel toward the communal sacrifices and toward the donation for the Mishkan (Tabernacle) — which is in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed, as above — and through this the medame is subdued. And then the evil within it falls and the good within it is encompassed in holiness. And therefore the shekalim were taken for the communal sacrifices and for the donation of the Mishkan — for the sacrifices (korbanos) are in the aspect of the breaking of the imagination (sh'viras ha-dimyon) — as Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, explained in the discourse cited above on the verse: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit (zivchei Elokim ruach nishbarah)" (Tehillim 51:19). And this is the aspect of the donation of the Mishkan — which is the aspect of the revelation of the colors — for all the supernal colors were encompassed in the Mishkan: silver and gold and blue (t'chelyas) and purple (argaman) and so on. And this is the aspect of "When you take a count of (ki sisa es rosh) the children of Israel" (Shmos 30:12). "Ki sisa" specifically — in the aspect of nesi'as rosh (elevation of the head) — that is, when they ascend from level to level, and one wishes to elevate Israel that they should ascend from level to level — then "each one shall give a ransom for his soul (kofer nafsho)" — that is, tzedakah — through which the obstacles at every level are subdued. For they come through the medame, as above. And then "and there shall not be among them a plague and so on" — for through this: that the colors are revealed through the shekalim — through this the medame and the kelipas are subdued — which are the sitra d'mosa (side of death) — and one merits to the holy intellect (seykhel d'kedushah) which is in the aspect of life. As it is written: "Wisdom sustains life (ha-chochma t'chayeh)" (Koheles 7:12). For the essential life is the intellect — which is eternal life. For the essential residue of a person after his death is only the attainment of the acquired intellect (seykhel ha-nikneh) — which one merits through the breaking of the imagination — as is explained there in the discourse cited, see there all of this well. And therefore the essential commandment of the shekalim was at the time when they were counting Israel — for the counting of Israel is in the aspect of nesi'as rosh — the aspect of ascent from level to level — in the discourse above. For when they ascend from level to level, then each and every one elevates his fellow. For the inwardness (p'nimiyus) of the lower one ascends to the higher one, and likewise the inwardness of the higher one ascends yet higher, and so upward and upward — as is explained there well, see there. And as Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, said then explicitly: that this is the aspect of haramah — ((in the Lashon Ashkenaz (German-Yiddish): heiben)) — what one lifts his fellow up and so on. And when they count Israel, then they include and lift up and elevate and link one to the other — for this is the essential aspect of the counting: to link them and join them one to the other — so that each one should ascend to the level of his fellow, and his fellow should ascend yet higher — and so upward and upward — so that they should be encompassed one within the other — so that the Shekhinah should rest upon them. And therefore the counting is called nesi'as rosh — as it is written: "When you take a count of (ki sisa es rosh) the children of Israel according to their number (lifkudayhem)" (Shmos 30:12). For through the counting their heads are elevated from level to level and so on, as above. And therefore at every time that Israel needed to ascend from level to level, they were counted. After that when the Mishkan was built and they wished to have the Shekhinah rest upon them, they were counted — as Rashi explained. For all of the above is in the aspect of ascent from level to level — in the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt (Yetzi'as Mitzrayim): when they ascended from the forty-nine gates of impurity (mem-tes sha'aray tumah) to the forty-nine gates of holiness (mem-tes sha'aray k'dushah). And likewise after the incident of the Golden Calf, when they needed to depart and ascend and purify themselves from this impurity and enter into holiness. And likewise afterward when the Mishkan was built and they needed to ascend to the high levels so that the Shekhinah would rest upon them — and therefore they counted them each time — which is the aspect of nesi'as rosh, as above. And when they ascend from level to level — then the medame is aroused even more, as above — which is the sitra d'mosa, heaven forfend, as above. And when they ascend from level to level — then the medame is aroused even more, as above — which is the sitra d'mosa, heaven forfend, as above. [Note: this sentence is written twice in the original — it is intentional.] Therefore at such times one must strengthen oneself even more to subdue the sitra d'mosa — which is the medame. And this is accomplished through the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed, as above. And this is the aspect of "ki sisa and so on, and each one shall give a ransom for his soul to God, and there shall not be among them a plague and so on," as above. "Each one who passes through the counting shall give a half-shekel in the sacred shekel. A half-shekel specifically," as above. And this is the aspect of: "When Adar enters, one increases in joy (mishenichnas Adar marbin b'simchah)" (Ta'anis 29a). For then one must subdue the kelipah of Haman-Amalek — which is the medame, as above. And therefore one must increase in joy — for one must greatly rejoice in the fact that we merited to be from the seed of Israel and "He did not make me a non-Jew" — and through this the grace and the glory of Israel are revealed: which is the revelation of the colors — which is the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this the medame is subdued and one merits to ascend to all the levels of holiness. Amen and Amen. And as is explained there at the end of the discourse cited above: that through the joy by which one rejoices in the Blessed Lord and in His tzaddikim and so on — through this the medame is subdued — which spreads itself through every level — and one ascends to the highest level and so on — see there. Halacha 3 Based on Likutay Moharan, Part 1, §64 — "Bo el Par'oh" (Come to Pharaoh) The matter of the prohibition of walking in the statutes of the nations, and the prohibition of divination and conjuring and sorcery. According to the Torah "Bo el Par'oh" (Come to Pharaoh), in §64 — see the entire Torah there well. And the general principle is this: There are questions and heresy (apikorsus) that are drawn from the kelipas that came into being through the shattering of the vessels (sh'viras ha-kaylim) — which came through an excess of light — and these are in the aspect of the surplus (mosorohs) and refuse (p'soles) of holiness, and likewise sorcery (kishuf) comes from the surplus and refuse, as is known. And these questions and heresies can be answered — for there are sparks and letters and so on that fell there and so on. But there are heresies and questions that are drawn from the empty space (chalal ha-panui) and so on — from which, as it were, He withdrew His Divinity and His wisdom — and so on — and these are the "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" and so on. And these questions cannot be answered in any way. And regarding them it is said: "All who come to her do not return" (Mishlai 2:19). For these questions cannot be answered in this world — for if they were answered the empty space would be nullified and there would be no place and existence for the world and so on. Therefore it is impossible to answer these questions now in any way whatsoever — except to strengthen oneself in complete emunah alone. And through this one passes over all the wisdoms and over the "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" — which are the questions mentioned above — and so on. See there all of this well. And it is known that the Blessed Lord gave us the entire Torah and all the commandments in order to merit complete emunah in Him, blessed be He — for this is the essential ultimate purpose — as it is written: "All Your commandments are emunah (kol mitzvosecha emunah)" (Tehillim 119:86). And as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Chavakuk came and established them all on one: and the tzaddik shall live by his emunah (v'tzaddik b'emunaso yichyeh)" (Makkos 24a; Chavakuk 2:4). And for this reason there are in the Torah both chukim (statutes) and mishpatim (civil laws) — the mishpatim being those commandments that reason somewhat obligates, which are called mishpatim. And the commandments upon which there is no reason at all, and the nations of the world take Israel to task asking what is the reason for this commandment — these are called chukim. And all these chukim and mishpatim the Blessed Lord gave us in order to merit to emunah — that is, in order to merit through this power to nullify two kinds of questions and heresy (apikorsus) mentioned above. For through the mishpatim — which are the commandments in which there is some intellect and reason — through this the questions that are drawn from the kelipas that came into being through the shattering of the vessels are nullified, as above. For there some intellect and letters are present — though they require great rectification and clarification (tikun u-biyur). And these kelipas are subdued and nullified through the aspect of the mishpatim of the Torah — in which there is intellect. But there are questions for which it is impossible to find any answer through intellect and to settle them, as above — for they are drawn from the empty space (chalal ha-panui), as above. And there it is forbidden to enter into them with any intellect at all — only to strengthen oneself in emunah alone, as above. And corresponding to this the Blessed Lord gave us the holy chukim — which are the commandments in which there is no reason at all — and we fulfill them through emunah alone. Through the power of these commandments emunah is strengthened within us and we have the power to drive out and nullify and expunge from among us all the questions and heresy drawn from the empty space where there is no intellect except in tremendous, wondrous concealment — which it is impossible in any way to understand in this world — and we must only strengthen ourselves in emunah alone, as above. And this emunah — to merit to strengthen oneself in complete emunah, to nullify the heresy mentioned above through emunah alone, as above — this we merit through the chukim that we observe: which are the commandments in which there is no reason at all — and we fulfill them through emunah alone, as above. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of the statutes of the nations (chukos ha-akum) and the prohibition of divination and conjuring and sorcery. For "this corresponds to that" (ze l'umas ze) — for just as in holiness there are in the holy Torah chukim and mishpatim in order to nullify the two kinds of heresy mentioned above — so likewise in the opposite: they have the statutes of the nations that have no reason at all — only they are drawn from the heresy of the empty space where there is no intellect and no reason at all — for they are in the aspect of "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" and so on. As is explained well in the Torah cited above — see there. And the Blessed Lord commanded us to distance ourselves from their statutes with all distances — as it is written: "And in their statutes you shall not walk." And as is cited in the Gemara and the Shulchan Arukh — that one must distance oneself from them in all movements and all garments — as is written in the Shulchan Arukh: "One does not resemble them and one does not wear their garments and so on" — for we must distance ourselves greatly from their statutes which are their ways of conduct that have no reason, so that, heaven forfend, the heresy and denial (k'firah) drawn from the empty space should not take hold among us. For there is no intellect there whatsoever and so on — and from there all their statutes are drawn, as above. And likewise the Torah forbade us to divine and take omens and practice sorcery — so that the kelipas that come from the surplus and from the shattering of the vessels should not be strengthened, heaven forfend. For from there comes all the wisdom of the diviners — from the refuse of holiness (p'soles ha-k'dushah) — as is explained in the Torah cited above. Therefore we must distance ourselves from both of them: from the diviner and so on — which are in the aspect of the kelipas of the shattering of the vessels and so on, as above — and likewise to distance ourselves from the statutes of the nations that are drawn from the aspect of the denials of the empty space, as above. For the Blessed Lord in His great mercy separated us from these wanderers and commanded us to distance ourselves from both of them. And He sanctified us with His holy commandments — in which there are chukim and mishpatim — through which we nullify and drive out the two kinds of heresy and questions and merit to true complete emunah. Amen. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of "not wearing their garments" — which is forbidden on account of the statute of the nations (chukkas ha-akum) — for all garments are drawn from the secret of the empty space (sod chalal ha-panui) — which is in the aspect of garments (levushin) — as is explained in the Torah cited above: that it is like "that silkworm (kamtza) whose garment is from itself and within itself." And from there all the garments in the world are drawn. And therefore Israel were commanded to sanctify their garments through the commandment of tzitzis — in which the entire Torah and all the commandments are dependent — as it is written: "So that you may remember and do all My commandments and so on" (Bamidbar 15:40). For through the sanctity of the garments — through the commandment of tzitzis — through this holy emunah is drawn upon us, to subdue and nullify the heresy that is drawn from the empty space — through the emunah that we believe that even there the Blessed Lord is hidden in wondrous concealment, and that the empty space itself came into being from His wisdom, blessed be He — like "that silkworm whose garment is from itself and within itself" — as is written in the Torah cited above. And therefore one must distance oneself from the garments of the nations — not to wear their garments on account of the statute of the nations. For their garments are drawn from the heresy of the empty space — from which all garments come, as above. But our garments are drawn from holy emunah — for we believe that even in the empty space the Blessed Lord is present in wondrous concealment — which is the aspect of "like that silkworm whose garment is from itself and within itself." And this emunah is the aspect of the tikun of the garments — the aspect of tzitzis — which is emunah, as is known. And as above in Hilchos Purim, Halacha 4, on the verse: "Mi ha-ish he-chofetz chayyim" — "Who is the man who desires life?" (Tehillim 34:13). Laws of Chukkas HaAkum — Halacha 4 is encompassed in Laws of Me'onayn u-Menachaysh, Halacha 2, and Halacha 5 is encompassed in Laws of Me'onayn u-Menachaysh, Halacha 3. Na Nach Nachma Nachman MeUman!

For it is cited in the words of Rabbaynu in the discourse "Achavay lan mana d'lo shavya l'chavala" and so on, in §25 of Likutay, Part One — that the sitra achra (Other Side) is called the koach ha-medame (power of imagination), from which come all the desires and confusions and obstacles that obstruct the levels of holiness and so on — see there. And at every level and every level these imaginings are present — and when one wishes to ascend from level to level they are aroused and so on. And one must subdue and break them. And the essential means of subduing them is through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be His Name. And this is accomplished through giving charity to a deserving poor person — for through this the colors (gevonin) that are present in silver and gold are revealed. For the essential colors are found only among Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride (Yisroel asher b'cha espa'ar)" (Yeshayahu 49:3). Pride (hispa'arus) is the encompassing of all the colors and so on. And this is the aspect of: "For He has clothed me in garments of salvation (bigday yesha)" (Yeshayahu 61:10). "Yesha" — "salvation" — is the aspect of "yistaklutha," that all desire to behold it and so on — see there well. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of walking in their statutes. And one must distance oneself from them in all matters — so as not to resemble them in any matter whatsoever in the world. Even though in that particular matter there is no actual prohibition in and of itself — even so it is forbidden to resemble them in any manner in the world. And it is forbidden to dress in their garments and so on. For in this is encompassed the entire Torah in its totality. For in truth, Israel from their very selves — from their root — are utterly and completely distant from all sins, and no transgression is at all relevant to a Jewish man according to his holiness from his root. For Israel are the very essence of goodness (etzem ha-tov) and they are distant from evil in the ultimate distance at their root. And therefore the sitra achra has no grip or relevance to entice any one of Israel, heaven forfend — except only through the power of imagination (koach ha-medame). For the medame misleads a person — for it imagines one thing to be another thing — until it overturns, heaven forfend, and makes evil into good, darkness into light — as it is stated: "Those who make light into darkness and darkness into light, who make bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter and so on" (Yeshayahu 5:20). As one sees tangibly that the power of imagination misleads a person many times even in physical matters — for example, when a person sees something from afar, and especially at night, he imagines a piece of wood standing upright to be a person and is frightened of it — and similarly in many matters in which a person errs through the power of imagination. And exactly the same way, truly, in the matters of a person's opinions and character traits and desires — for in truth the Jewish man is himself utterly distant from all evil things and from all desires and evil character traits. And the essential stumbling of a person, heaven forfend, is only through the power of imagination — which is the sitra achra — which misleads the person and imagines one thing to be another thing, and leads him from thought to thought and from thought to thought, until it brings him to an improper thought, heaven forfend. And likewise to each and every person it brings him to that which it brings him — may the Merciful One protect us. And therefore the Torah has decreed upon us not to walk in their statutes and not to resemble them in any matter — not to resemble them, specifically — in order not to give power, heaven forfend, to the koach ha-medame. For the nations of the world are the evil of all desires and character traits, as is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, of blessed memory. And therefore when one resembles them in any matter — through this the medame is strengthened, heaven forfend — and one can come, heaven forfend, through this to their opinions and views — as it is written: "And they mingled with the nations and learned from their deeds" (Tehillim 106:35). For the essential grip of the sitra achra is in the medame, as above. And therefore one must distance oneself from them greatly, greatly in all matters. Rather, one must resemble in all matters and all customs and all garments the holy people Israel — for the essential grace and true glory and honor (hispa'arus ha-amitis) is found only among Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride" — who are encompassed in many colors (d'klulim bi-gvanin saggin) — and the garments of Israel are in the aspect of garments of salvation (bigday yesha) — the aspect of garments of glory (levushay ha-hispa'arus) — the aspect of "majesty and splendor You have clothed (hod v'hadar lavashta)" (Tehillim 104:1). For in them are all kinds of grace and all kinds of glory. And therefore one must dress specifically in the garments of Israel and resemble in every matter the ways of the true wise men and tzaddikim — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Cleave to Torah scholars (hiddabayk b'talmidei chachamim)" (Kesubos 111b). And as it is written: "One who walks with wise men will become wise (holaych es chachamim yechkam)" (Mishlai 13:20). For through resembling oneself in deeds and conduct to the ways of the true righteous ones — through this one merits to be encompassed within them. And in the end one will truly become like them. For the koach ha-medame is in the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil — the aspect of nogah — which is at times encompassed in the good, and at other times in the opposite. For it is in the aspect of imagination — and wherever it imagines itself, there it is encompassed. And the essential free choice (b'chirah) and trial (nisayon) of a person is through the koach ha-medame. And every person must strengthen himself to clarify (l'varayr) the koach ha-medame — to clarify the good within it so that it should be encompassed in holiness, and to cause the evil within it to fall. And therefore we are commanded to resemble our Creator, blessed be He — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Cleave to His attributes — just as He is merciful, so shall you be merciful, and so on" (Shabbos 133b). And likewise to resemble the Torah scholars and to associate with upright people — for through resembling oneself in character traits to the Blessed Lord and to the tzaddikim and to the truly upright people of the generation, through this one merits to become truly encompassed with them together in the Blessed Lord. For everything depends on the clarification of the medame — which is the essential trial and free choice. And this is the aspect of what is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, may his memory be a blessing, in the conversations of the Ranas (Sichot HaRan) — that through making oneself angry in prayer, through this one merits truly to pray with the warmth and burning enthusiasm of holiness. And likewise through making oneself act as if one is happy — through this one merits to true joy. And similarly in all matters and so on — see there. For this is the aspect of the clarification of the medame (biyur ha-medame) — that the medame is encompassed in holiness — for one imagines oneself to be in matters of holiness, even though at first one does not truly have that quality. Even so one imagines oneself and conducts oneself and accustoms oneself in these qualities and these upright ways of behavior of truly upright people — and through this one merits afterward to all the good truly. And one must be very strong in this matter and a great stubborn one (akshan gadol) — even though it seems to him that it has been a long time that he has been accustoming himself to this and he has still not merited to the good truly — even so, this too is good: that he imagines himself and accustoms himself to the good. For also it is impossible for a person to know truly when he merits to the good — for sometimes it appears to the person that he is very far from good, and this very thing is itself good. And likewise the opposite can be true. Therefore one is always obligated to attach oneself to upright and true people and to walk in their ways and to resemble their deeds — for this very thing is good: that he merits to associate with them — even if, heaven forfend, he would not merit to become like them. But in truth if he is strong, he will certainly merit to become like them and to be encompassed within them, as above. And this is what the Torah warned: "And you shall not show them favor (v'lo s'chanaym)" — you shall not give them grace — for it is forbidden to say "how beautiful is this non-Jew," and so on. For it is forbidden to glorify them in any matter at all. For the essential glory and the colors (gevonin) belong only to Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride." And when one glorifies and praises Israel, and magnifies and cherishes the grace and the ways of the holy people Israel — the chosen nation from all peoples — through this the colors and the glory of Israel are revealed. And through the revelation of the colors — which is the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — through this comes the essential subduing of the medame, as is explained there in the discourse cited above: that the essential subduing of the medame is through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — which comes through the revelation of the colors. And this is what Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, said: that through the joy by which one rejoices over having merited to be from the seed of Israel and to draw close to the true tzaddikim — through this one breaks the medame — which is the obstacles at every level of holiness and so on — see there. For through rejoicing oneself with the joy of Israel, over having merited to be from the seed of Israel — through this the grace and the glory and the colors of Israel are revealed. Which is the essential greatness of the Creator, blessed be He. And through the revelation of the Creator — through this the obstacles are subdued — which are the koach ha-medame. For in truth they are no obstacles at all — only they appear as obstacles, until it is hard to break them. But through glorifying and praising and cherishing the grace and the importance and the glory of Israel — and rejoicing oneself in this that "He did not make me a non-Jew (shelo asani goy)" — through this the glory of Israel is revealed — the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride" — which are the supernal colors — which are the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this comes the essential subduing of the medame, as above. And this is the aspect of the shekalim (half-shekels) — through which was the essential miracle of Purim. As our Sages of blessed memory said: "Wicked one! Our shekalim have already preceded yours" (Megillah 13b). And therefore on the first of Adar they announce about the shekalim. For the essential jealousy of Haman of Amalek against Israel was because of this: because Israel distance themselves in all matters from the conduct and the ways of the nations. And therefore he said: "Their laws are different from every other people" (Esther 3:8). For he was most particular and jealous about this: that they always intend to differ from the nations in all matters and to distance themselves from their customs. And therefore he said: "And ten thousand of silver and so on, I will weigh and so on" (Esther 3:9). For he wished to nullify, heaven forfend, the power of the shekalim of Israel — which are in the aspect of the revelation of the colors encompassed in silver and gold, as is explained in the discourse cited above. And therefore the Blessed Lord preceded the cure to the blow and preceded our shekalim to his shekalim, and commanded us to give on the first of Adar the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah (charity) — through which the supernal colors that are in silver and gold are revealed, as above. And through this comes the essential subduing of the medame and the kelipas (husks of impurity) — which are in the aspect of Haman-Amalek. For Amalek is in the aspect of the evil of the medame — for they would imagine themselves to be animals, as Rashi explained on the verse "from ox to sheep to animal" (I Shmuel 15:3): that the Amalekites would dress themselves up as animals, as above. And "animal" (behayma) is in the aspect of the koach ha-medame — which is the power of animality (koach ha-bahamisyus) — as is explained above in the discourse cited. And therefore the essential subduing of Haman-Amalek is through the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed and so on — which is the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this they are subdued, as above. And this is the aspect of the half-shekel (machatzis ha-shekel) — a contribution to God (trumah la-Hashem). For the aspect of the medame is the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil — the aspect of nogah — which is the essential scales and trial (matkala v'nisayon). In the aspect of "half" (machatzis) — for the person stands on the scale and the trial: half of him tipping one way and half tipping the other way — like the way of a scale — for it is a mixture of good and evil. And this is "machatzis ha-shekel" — "half-shekel" specifically. And every person must tip the scale toward the good — to raise the medame up to the Blessed Lord — in the aspect of "a half-shekel as a contribution to God." And this is accomplished through the giving of the half-shekel toward the communal sacrifices and toward the donation for the Mishkan (Tabernacle) — which is in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed, as above — and through this the medame is subdued. And then the evil within it falls and the good within it is encompassed in holiness. And therefore the shekalim were taken for the communal sacrifices and for the donation of the Mishkan — for the sacrifices (korbanos) are in the aspect of the breaking of the imagination (sh'viras ha-dimyon) — as Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, explained in the discourse cited above on the verse: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit (zivchei Elokim ruach nishbarah)" (Tehillim 51:19). And this is the aspect of the donation of the Mishkan — which is the aspect of the revelation of the colors — for all the supernal colors were encompassed in the Mishkan: silver and gold and blue (t'chelyas) and purple (argaman) and so on. And this is the aspect of "When you take a count of (ki sisa es rosh) the children of Israel" (Shmos 30:12). "Ki sisa" specifically — in the aspect of nesi'as rosh (elevation of the head) — that is, when they ascend from level to level, and one wishes to elevate Israel that they should ascend from level to level — then "each one shall give a ransom for his soul (kofer nafsho)" — that is, tzedakah — through which the obstacles at every level are subdued. For they come through the medame, as above. And then "and there shall not be among them a plague and so on" — for through this: that the colors are revealed through the shekalim — through this the medame and the kelipas are subdued — which are the sitra d'mosa (side of death) — and one merits to the holy intellect (seykhel d'kedushah) which is in the aspect of life. As it is written: "Wisdom sustains life (ha-chochma t'chayeh)" (Koheles 7:12). For the essential life is the intellect — which is eternal life. For the essential residue of a person after his death is only the attainment of the acquired intellect (seykhel ha-nikneh) — which one merits through the breaking of the imagination — as is explained there in the discourse cited, see there all of this well. And therefore the essential commandment of the shekalim was at the time when they were counting Israel — for the counting of Israel is in the aspect of nesi'as rosh — the aspect of ascent from level to level — in the discourse above. For when they ascend from level to level, then each and every one elevates his fellow. For the inwardness (p'nimiyus) of the lower one ascends to the higher one, and likewise the inwardness of the higher one ascends yet higher, and so upward and upward — as is explained there well, see there. And as Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, said then explicitly: that this is the aspect of haramah — ((in the Lashon Ashkenaz (German-Yiddish): heiben)) — what one lifts his fellow up and so on. And when they count Israel, then they include and lift up and elevate and link one to the other — for this is the essential aspect of the counting: to link them and join them one to the other — so that each one should ascend to the level of his fellow, and his fellow should ascend yet higher — and so upward and upward — so that they should be encompassed one within the other — so that the Shekhinah should rest upon them. And therefore the counting is called nesi'as rosh — as it is written: "When you take a count of (ki sisa es rosh) the children of Israel according to their number (lifkudayhem)" (Shmos 30:12). For through the counting their heads are elevated from level to level and so on, as above. And therefore at every time that Israel needed to ascend from level to level, they were counted. After that when the Mishkan was built and they wished to have the Shekhinah rest upon them, they were counted — as Rashi explained. For all of the above is in the aspect of ascent from level to level — in the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt (Yetzi'as Mitzrayim): when they ascended from the forty-nine gates of impurity (mem-tes sha'aray tumah) to the forty-nine gates of holiness (mem-tes sha'aray k'dushah). And likewise after the incident of the Golden Calf, when they needed to depart and ascend and purify themselves from this impurity and enter into holiness. And likewise afterward when the Mishkan was built and they needed to ascend to the high levels so that the Shekhinah would rest upon them — and therefore they counted them each time — which is the aspect of nesi'as rosh, as above. And when they ascend from level to level — then the medame is aroused even more, as above — which is the sitra d'mosa, heaven forfend, as above. And when they ascend from level to level — then the medame is aroused even more, as above — which is the sitra d'mosa, heaven forfend, as above. [Note: this sentence is written twice in the original — it is intentional.] Therefore at such times one must strengthen oneself even more to subdue the sitra d'mosa — which is the medame. And this is accomplished through the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed, as above. And this is the aspect of "ki sisa and so on, and each one shall give a ransom for his soul to God, and there shall not be among them a plague and so on," as above. "Each one who passes through the counting shall give a half-shekel in the sacred shekel. A half-shekel specifically," as above. And this is the aspect of: "When Adar enters, one increases in joy (mishenichnas Adar marbin b'simchah)" (Ta'anis 29a). For then one must subdue the kelipah of Haman-Amalek — which is the medame, as above. And therefore one must increase in joy — for one must greatly rejoice in the fact that we merited to be from the seed of Israel and "He did not make me a non-Jew" — and through this the grace and the glory of Israel are revealed: which is the revelation of the colors — which is the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this the medame is subdued and one merits to ascend to all the levels of holiness. Amen and Amen. And as is explained there at the end of the discourse cited above: that through the joy by which one rejoices in the Blessed Lord and in His tzaddikim and so on — through this the medame is subdued — which spreads itself through every level — and one ascends to the highest level and so on — see there. Halacha 3 Based on Likutay Moharan, Part 1, §64 — "Bo el Par'oh" (Come to Pharaoh) The matter of the prohibition of walking in the statutes of the nations, and the prohibition of divination and conjuring and sorcery. According to the Torah "Bo el Par'oh" (Come to Pharaoh), in §64 — see the entire Torah there well. And the general principle is this: There are questions and heresy (apikorsus) that are drawn from the kelipas that came into being through the shattering of the vessels (sh'viras ha-kaylim) — which came through an excess of light — and these are in the aspect of the surplus (mosorohs) and refuse (p'soles) of holiness, and likewise sorcery (kishuf) comes from the surplus and refuse, as is known. And these questions and heresies can be answered — for there are sparks and letters and so on that fell there and so on. But there are heresies and questions that are drawn from the empty space (chalal ha-panui) and so on — from which, as it were, He withdrew His Divinity and His wisdom — and so on — and these are the "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" and so on. And these questions cannot be answered in any way. And regarding them it is said: "All who come to her do not return" (Mishlai 2:19). For these questions cannot be answered in this world — for if they were answered the empty space would be nullified and there would be no place and existence for the world and so on. Therefore it is impossible to answer these questions now in any way whatsoever — except to strengthen oneself in complete emunah alone. And through this one passes over all the wisdoms and over the "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" — which are the questions mentioned above — and so on. See there all of this well. And it is known that the Blessed Lord gave us the entire Torah and all the commandments in order to merit complete emunah in Him, blessed be He — for this is the essential ultimate purpose — as it is written: "All Your commandments are emunah (kol mitzvosecha emunah)" (Tehillim 119:86). And as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Chavakuk came and established them all on one: and the tzaddik shall live by his emunah (v'tzaddik b'emunaso yichyeh)" (Makkos 24a; Chavakuk 2:4). And for this reason there are in the Torah both chukim (statutes) and mishpatim (civil laws) — the mishpatim being those commandments that reason somewhat obligates, which are called mishpatim. And the commandments upon which there is no reason at all, and the nations of the world take Israel to task asking what is the reason for this commandment — these are called chukim. And all these chukim and mishpatim the Blessed Lord gave us in order to merit to emunah — that is, in order to merit through this power to nullify two kinds of questions and heresy (apikorsus) mentioned above. For through the mishpatim — which are the commandments in which there is some intellect and reason — through this the questions that are drawn from the kelipas that came into being through the shattering of the vessels are nullified, as above. For there some intellect and letters are present — though they require great rectification and clarification (tikun u-biyur). And these kelipas are subdued and nullified through the aspect of the mishpatim of the Torah — in which there is intellect. But there are questions for which it is impossible to find any answer through intellect and to settle them, as above — for they are drawn from the empty space (chalal ha-panui), as above. And there it is forbidden to enter into them with any intellect at all — only to strengthen oneself in emunah alone, as above. And corresponding to this the Blessed Lord gave us the holy chukim — which are the commandments in which there is no reason at all — and we fulfill them through emunah alone. Through the power of these commandments emunah is strengthened within us and we have the power to drive out and nullify and expunge from among us all the questions and heresy drawn from the empty space where there is no intellect except in tremendous, wondrous concealment — which it is impossible in any way to understand in this world — and we must only strengthen ourselves in emunah alone, as above. And this emunah — to merit to strengthen oneself in complete emunah, to nullify the heresy mentioned above through emunah alone, as above — this we merit through the chukim that we observe: which are the commandments in which there is no reason at all — and we fulfill them through emunah alone, as above. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of the statutes of the nations (chukos ha-akum) and the prohibition of divination and conjuring and sorcery. For "this corresponds to that" (ze l'umas ze) — for just as in holiness there are in the holy Torah chukim and mishpatim in order to nullify the two kinds of heresy mentioned above — so likewise in the opposite: they have the statutes of the nations that have no reason at all — only they are drawn from the heresy of the empty space where there is no intellect and no reason at all — for they are in the aspect of "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" and so on. As is explained well in the Torah cited above — see there. And the Blessed Lord commanded us to distance ourselves from their statutes with all distances — as it is written: "And in their statutes you shall not walk." And as is cited in the Gemara and the Shulchan Arukh — that one must distance oneself from them in all movements and all garments — as is written in the Shulchan Arukh: "One does not resemble them and one does not wear their garments and so on" — for we must distance ourselves greatly from their statutes which are their ways of conduct that have no reason, so that, heaven forfend, the heresy and denial (k'firah) drawn from the empty space should not take hold among us. For there is no intellect there whatsoever and so on — and from there all their statutes are drawn, as above. And likewise the Torah forbade us to divine and take omens and practice sorcery — so that the kelipas that come from the surplus and from the shattering of the vessels should not be strengthened, heaven forfend. For from there comes all the wisdom of the diviners — from the refuse of holiness (p'soles ha-k'dushah) — as is explained in the Torah cited above. Therefore we must distance ourselves from both of them: from the diviner and so on — which are in the aspect of the kelipas of the shattering of the vessels and so on, as above — and likewise to distance ourselves from the statutes of the nations that are drawn from the aspect of the denials of the empty space, as above. For the Blessed Lord in His great mercy separated us from these wanderers and commanded us to distance ourselves from both of them. And He sanctified us with His holy commandments — in which there are chukim and mishpatim — through which we nullify and drive out the two kinds of heresy and questions and merit to true complete emunah. Amen. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of "not wearing their garments" — which is forbidden on account of the statute of the nations (chukkas ha-akum) — for all garments are drawn from the secret of the empty space (sod chalal ha-panui) — which is in the aspect of garments (levushin) — as is explained in the Torah cited above: that it is like "that silkworm (kamtza) whose garment is from itself and within itself." And from there all the garments in the world are drawn. And therefore Israel were commanded to sanctify their garments through the commandment of tzitzis — in which the entire Torah and all the commandments are dependent — as it is written: "So that you may remember and do all My commandments and so on" (Bamidbar 15:40). For through the sanctity of the garments — through the commandment of tzitzis — through this holy emunah is drawn upon us, to subdue and nullify the heresy that is drawn from the empty space — through the emunah that we believe that even there the Blessed Lord is hidden in wondrous concealment, and that the empty space itself came into being from His wisdom, blessed be He — like "that silkworm whose garment is from itself and within itself" — as is written in the Torah cited above. And therefore one must distance oneself from the garments of the nations — not to wear their garments on account of the statute of the nations. For their garments are drawn from the heresy of the empty space — from which all garments come, as above. But our garments are drawn from holy emunah — for we believe that even in the empty space the Blessed Lord is present in wondrous concealment — which is the aspect of "like that silkworm whose garment is from itself and within itself." And this emunah is the aspect of the tikun of the garments — the aspect of tzitzis — which is emunah, as is known. And as above in Hilchos Purim, Halacha 4, on the verse: "Mi ha-ish he-chofetz chayyim" — "Who is the man who desires life?" (Tehillim 34:13). Laws of Chukkas HaAkum — Halacha 4 is encompassed in Laws of Me'onayn u-Menachaysh, Halacha 2, and Halacha 5 is encompassed in Laws of Me'onayn u-Menachaysh, Halacha 3. Na Nach Nachma Nachman MeUman!

For it is cited in the words of Rabbaynu in the discourse "Achavay lan mana d'lo shavya l'chavala" and so on, in §25 of Likutay, Part One — that the sitra achra (Other Side) is called the koach ha-medame (power of imagination), from which come all the desires and confusions and obstacles that obstruct the levels of holiness and so on — see there. And at every level and every level these imaginings are present — and when one wishes to ascend from level to level they are aroused and so on. And one must subdue and break them. And the essential means of subduing them is through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be His Name. And this is accomplished through giving charity to a deserving poor person — for through this the colors (gevonin) that are present in silver and gold are revealed. For the essential colors are found only among Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride (Yisroel asher b'cha espa'ar)" (Yeshayahu 49:3). Pride (hispa'arus) is the encompassing of all the colors and so on. And this is the aspect of: "For He has clothed me in garments of salvation (bigday yesha)" (Yeshayahu 61:10). "Yesha" — "salvation" — is the aspect of "yistaklutha," that all desire to behold it and so on — see there well. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of walking in their statutes. And one must distance oneself from them in all matters — so as not to resemble them in any matter whatsoever in the world. Even though in that particular matter there is no actual prohibition in and of itself — even so it is forbidden to resemble them in any manner in the world. And it is forbidden to dress in their garments and so on. For in this is encompassed the entire Torah in its totality. For in truth, Israel from their very selves — from their root — are utterly and completely distant from all sins, and no transgression is at all relevant to a Jewish man according to his holiness from his root. For Israel are the very essence of goodness (etzem ha-tov) and they are distant from evil in the ultimate distance at their root. And therefore the sitra achra has no grip or relevance to entice any one of Israel, heaven forfend — except only through the power of imagination (koach ha-medame). For the medame misleads a person — for it imagines one thing to be another thing — until it overturns, heaven forfend, and makes evil into good, darkness into light — as it is stated: "Those who make light into darkness and darkness into light, who make bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter and so on" (Yeshayahu 5:20). As one sees tangibly that the power of imagination misleads a person many times even in physical matters — for example, when a person sees something from afar, and especially at night, he imagines a piece of wood standing upright to be a person and is frightened of it — and similarly in many matters in which a person errs through the power of imagination. And exactly the same way, truly, in the matters of a person's opinions and character traits and desires — for in truth the Jewish man is himself utterly distant from all evil things and from all desires and evil character traits. And the essential stumbling of a person, heaven forfend, is only through the power of imagination — which is the sitra achra — which misleads the person and imagines one thing to be another thing, and leads him from thought to thought and from thought to thought, until it brings him to an improper thought, heaven forfend. And likewise to each and every person it brings him to that which it brings him — may the Merciful One protect us. And therefore the Torah has decreed upon us not to walk in their statutes and not to resemble them in any matter — not to resemble them, specifically — in order not to give power, heaven forfend, to the koach ha-medame. For the nations of the world are the evil of all desires and character traits, as is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, of blessed memory. And therefore when one resembles them in any matter — through this the medame is strengthened, heaven forfend — and one can come, heaven forfend, through this to their opinions and views — as it is written: "And they mingled with the nations and learned from their deeds" (Tehillim 106:35). For the essential grip of the sitra achra is in the medame, as above. And therefore one must distance oneself from them greatly, greatly in all matters. Rather, one must resemble in all matters and all customs and all garments the holy people Israel — for the essential grace and true glory and honor (hispa'arus ha-amitis) is found only among Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride" — who are encompassed in many colors (d'klulim bi-gvanin saggin) — and the garments of Israel are in the aspect of garments of salvation (bigday yesha) — the aspect of garments of glory (levushay ha-hispa'arus) — the aspect of "majesty and splendor You have clothed (hod v'hadar lavashta)" (Tehillim 104:1). For in them are all kinds of grace and all kinds of glory. And therefore one must dress specifically in the garments of Israel and resemble in every matter the ways of the true wise men and tzaddikim — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Cleave to Torah scholars (hiddabayk b'talmidei chachamim)" (Kesubos 111b). And as it is written: "One who walks with wise men will become wise (holaych es chachamim yechkam)" (Mishlai 13:20). For through resembling oneself in deeds and conduct to the ways of the true righteous ones — through this one merits to be encompassed within them. And in the end one will truly become like them. For the koach ha-medame is in the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil — the aspect of nogah — which is at times encompassed in the good, and at other times in the opposite. For it is in the aspect of imagination — and wherever it imagines itself, there it is encompassed. And the essential free choice (b'chirah) and trial (nisayon) of a person is through the koach ha-medame. And every person must strengthen himself to clarify (l'varayr) the koach ha-medame — to clarify the good within it so that it should be encompassed in holiness, and to cause the evil within it to fall. And therefore we are commanded to resemble our Creator, blessed be He — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Cleave to His attributes — just as He is merciful, so shall you be merciful, and so on" (Shabbos 133b). And likewise to resemble the Torah scholars and to associate with upright people — for through resembling oneself in character traits to the Blessed Lord and to the tzaddikim and to the truly upright people of the generation, through this one merits to become truly encompassed with them together in the Blessed Lord. For everything depends on the clarification of the medame — which is the essential trial and free choice. And this is the aspect of what is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, may his memory be a blessing, in the conversations of the Ranas (Sichot HaRan) — that through making oneself angry in prayer, through this one merits truly to pray with the warmth and burning enthusiasm of holiness. And likewise through making oneself act as if one is happy — through this one merits to true joy. And similarly in all matters and so on — see there. For this is the aspect of the clarification of the medame (biyur ha-medame) — that the medame is encompassed in holiness — for one imagines oneself to be in matters of holiness, even though at first one does not truly have that quality. Even so one imagines oneself and conducts oneself and accustoms oneself in these qualities and these upright ways of behavior of truly upright people — and through this one merits afterward to all the good truly. And one must be very strong in this matter and a great stubborn one (akshan gadol) — even though it seems to him that it has been a long time that he has been accustoming himself to this and he has still not merited to the good truly — even so, this too is good: that he imagines himself and accustoms himself to the good. For also it is impossible for a person to know truly when he merits to the good — for sometimes it appears to the person that he is very far from good, and this very thing is itself good. And likewise the opposite can be true. Therefore one is always obligated to attach oneself to upright and true people and to walk in their ways and to resemble their deeds — for this very thing is good: that he merits to associate with them — even if, heaven forfend, he would not merit to become like them. But in truth if he is strong, he will certainly merit to become like them and to be encompassed within them, as above. And this is what the Torah warned: "And you shall not show them favor (v'lo s'chanaym)" — you shall not give them grace — for it is forbidden to say "how beautiful is this non-Jew," and so on. For it is forbidden to glorify them in any matter at all. For the essential glory and the colors (gevonin) belong only to Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride." And when one glorifies and praises Israel, and magnifies and cherishes the grace and the ways of the holy people Israel — the chosen nation from all peoples — through this the colors and the glory of Israel are revealed. And through the revelation of the colors — which is the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — through this comes the essential subduing of the medame, as is explained there in the discourse cited above: that the essential subduing of the medame is through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — which comes through the revelation of the colors. And this is what Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, said: that through the joy by which one rejoices over having merited to be from the seed of Israel and to draw close to the true tzaddikim — through this one breaks the medame — which is the obstacles at every level of holiness and so on — see there. For through rejoicing oneself with the joy of Israel, over having merited to be from the seed of Israel — through this the grace and the glory and the colors of Israel are revealed. Which is the essential greatness of the Creator, blessed be He. And through the revelation of the Creator — through this the obstacles are subdued — which are the koach ha-medame. For in truth they are no obstacles at all — only they appear as obstacles, until it is hard to break them. But through glorifying and praising and cherishing the grace and the importance and the glory of Israel — and rejoicing oneself in this that "He did not make me a non-Jew (shelo asani goy)" — through this the glory of Israel is revealed — the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride" — which are the supernal colors — which are the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this comes the essential subduing of the medame, as above. And this is the aspect of the shekalim (half-shekels) — through which was the essential miracle of Purim. As our Sages of blessed memory said: "Wicked one! Our shekalim have already preceded yours" (Megillah 13b). And therefore on the first of Adar they announce about the shekalim. For the essential jealousy of Haman of Amalek against Israel was because of this: because Israel distance themselves in all matters from the conduct and the ways of the nations. And therefore he said: "Their laws are different from every other people" (Esther 3:8). For he was most particular and jealous about this: that they always intend to differ from the nations in all matters and to distance themselves from their customs. And therefore he said: "And ten thousand of silver and so on, I will weigh and so on" (Esther 3:9). For he wished to nullify, heaven forfend, the power of the shekalim of Israel — which are in the aspect of the revelation of the colors encompassed in silver and gold, as is explained in the discourse cited above. And therefore the Blessed Lord preceded the cure to the blow and preceded our shekalim to his shekalim, and commanded us to give on the first of Adar the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah (charity) — through which the supernal colors that are in silver and gold are revealed, as above. And through this comes the essential subduing of the medame and the kelipas (husks of impurity) — which are in the aspect of Haman-Amalek. For Amalek is in the aspect of the evil of the medame — for they would imagine themselves to be animals, as Rashi explained on the verse "from ox to sheep to animal" (I Shmuel 15:3): that the Amalekites would dress themselves up as animals, as above. And "animal" (behayma) is in the aspect of the koach ha-medame — which is the power of animality (koach ha-bahamisyus) — as is explained above in the discourse cited. And therefore the essential subduing of Haman-Amalek is through the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed and so on — which is the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this they are subdued, as above. And this is the aspect of the half-shekel (machatzis ha-shekel) — a contribution to God (trumah la-Hashem). For the aspect of the medame is the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil — the aspect of nogah — which is the essential scales and trial (matkala v'nisayon). In the aspect of "half" (machatzis) — for the person stands on the scale and the trial: half of him tipping one way and half tipping the other way — like the way of a scale — for it is a mixture of good and evil. And this is "machatzis ha-shekel" — "half-shekel" specifically. And every person must tip the scale toward the good — to raise the medame up to the Blessed Lord — in the aspect of "a half-shekel as a contribution to God." And this is accomplished through the giving of the half-shekel toward the communal sacrifices and toward the donation for the Mishkan (Tabernacle) — which is in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed, as above — and through this the medame is subdued. And then the evil within it falls and the good within it is encompassed in holiness. And therefore the shekalim were taken for the communal sacrifices and for the donation of the Mishkan — for the sacrifices (korbanos) are in the aspect of the breaking of the imagination (sh'viras ha-dimyon) — as Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, explained in the discourse cited above on the verse: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit (zivchei Elokim ruach nishbarah)" (Tehillim 51:19). And this is the aspect of the donation of the Mishkan — which is the aspect of the revelation of the colors — for all the supernal colors were encompassed in the Mishkan: silver and gold and blue (t'chelyas) and purple (argaman) and so on. And this is the aspect of "When you take a count of (ki sisa es rosh) the children of Israel" (Shmos 30:12). "Ki sisa" specifically — in the aspect of nesi'as rosh (elevation of the head) — that is, when they ascend from level to level, and one wishes to elevate Israel that they should ascend from level to level — then "each one shall give a ransom for his soul (kofer nafsho)" — that is, tzedakah — through which the obstacles at every level are subdued. For they come through the medame, as above. And then "and there shall not be among them a plague and so on" — for through this: that the colors are revealed through the shekalim — through this the medame and the kelipas are subdued — which are the sitra d'mosa (side of death) — and one merits to the holy intellect (seykhel d'kedushah) which is in the aspect of life. As it is written: "Wisdom sustains life (ha-chochma t'chayeh)" (Koheles 7:12). For the essential life is the intellect — which is eternal life. For the essential residue of a person after his death is only the attainment of the acquired intellect (seykhel ha-nikneh) — which one merits through the breaking of the imagination — as is explained there in the discourse cited, see there all of this well. And therefore the essential commandment of the shekalim was at the time when they were counting Israel — for the counting of Israel is in the aspect of nesi'as rosh — the aspect of ascent from level to level — in the discourse above. For when they ascend from level to level, then each and every one elevates his fellow. For the inwardness (p'nimiyus) of the lower one ascends to the higher one, and likewise the inwardness of the higher one ascends yet higher, and so upward and upward — as is explained there well, see there. And as Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, said then explicitly: that this is the aspect of haramah — ((in the Lashon Ashkenaz (German-Yiddish): heiben)) — what one lifts his fellow up and so on. And when they count Israel, then they include and lift up and elevate and link one to the other — for this is the essential aspect of the counting: to link them and join them one to the other — so that each one should ascend to the level of his fellow, and his fellow should ascend yet higher — and so upward and upward — so that they should be encompassed one within the other — so that the Shekhinah should rest upon them. And therefore the counting is called nesi'as rosh — as it is written: "When you take a count of (ki sisa es rosh) the children of Israel according to their number (lifkudayhem)" (Shmos 30:12). For through the counting their heads are elevated from level to level and so on, as above. And therefore at every time that Israel needed to ascend from level to level, they were counted. After that when the Mishkan was built and they wished to have the Shekhinah rest upon them, they were counted — as Rashi explained. For all of the above is in the aspect of ascent from level to level — in the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt (Yetzi'as Mitzrayim): when they ascended from the forty-nine gates of impurity (mem-tes sha'aray tumah) to the forty-nine gates of holiness (mem-tes sha'aray k'dushah). And likewise after the incident of the Golden Calf, when they needed to depart and ascend and purify themselves from this impurity and enter into holiness. And likewise afterward when the Mishkan was built and they needed to ascend to the high levels so that the Shekhinah would rest upon them — and therefore they counted them each time — which is the aspect of nesi'as rosh, as above. And when they ascend from level to level — then the medame is aroused even more, as above — which is the sitra d'mosa, heaven forfend, as above. And when they ascend from level to level — then the medame is aroused even more, as above — which is the sitra d'mosa, heaven forfend, as above. [Note: this sentence is written twice in the original — it is intentional.] Therefore at such times one must strengthen oneself even more to subdue the sitra d'mosa — which is the medame. And this is accomplished through the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed, as above. And this is the aspect of "ki sisa and so on, and each one shall give a ransom for his soul to God, and there shall not be among them a plague and so on," as above. "Each one who passes through the counting shall give a half-shekel in the sacred shekel. A half-shekel specifically," as above. And this is the aspect of: "When Adar enters, one increases in joy (mishenichnas Adar marbin b'simchah)" (Ta'anis 29a). For then one must subdue the kelipah of Haman-Amalek — which is the medame, as above. And therefore one must increase in joy — for one must greatly rejoice in the fact that we merited to be from the seed of Israel and "He did not make me a non-Jew" — and through this the grace and the glory of Israel are revealed: which is the revelation of the colors — which is the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this the medame is subdued and one merits to ascend to all the levels of holiness. Amen and Amen. And as is explained there at the end of the discourse cited above: that through the joy by which one rejoices in the Blessed Lord and in His tzaddikim and so on — through this the medame is subdued — which spreads itself through every level — and one ascends to the highest level and so on — see there. Halacha 3 Based on Likutay Moharan, Part 1, §64 — "Bo el Par'oh" (Come to Pharaoh) The matter of the prohibition of walking in the statutes of the nations, and the prohibition of divination and conjuring and sorcery. According to the Torah "Bo el Par'oh" (Come to Pharaoh), in §64 — see the entire Torah there well. And the general principle is this: There are questions and heresy (apikorsus) that are drawn from the kelipas that came into being through the shattering of the vessels (sh'viras ha-kaylim) — which came through an excess of light — and these are in the aspect of the surplus (mosorohs) and refuse (p'soles) of holiness, and likewise sorcery (kishuf) comes from the surplus and refuse, as is known. And these questions and heresies can be answered — for there are sparks and letters and so on that fell there and so on. But there are heresies and questions that are drawn from the empty space (chalal ha-panui) and so on — from which, as it were, He withdrew His Divinity and His wisdom — and so on — and these are the "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" and so on. And these questions cannot be answered in any way. And regarding them it is said: "All who come to her do not return" (Mishlai 2:19). For these questions cannot be answered in this world — for if they were answered the empty space would be nullified and there would be no place and existence for the world and so on. Therefore it is impossible to answer these questions now in any way whatsoever — except to strengthen oneself in complete emunah alone. And through this one passes over all the wisdoms and over the "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" — which are the questions mentioned above — and so on. See there all of this well. And it is known that the Blessed Lord gave us the entire Torah and all the commandments in order to merit complete emunah in Him, blessed be He — for this is the essential ultimate purpose — as it is written: "All Your commandments are emunah (kol mitzvosecha emunah)" (Tehillim 119:86). And as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Chavakuk came and established them all on one: and the tzaddik shall live by his emunah (v'tzaddik b'emunaso yichyeh)" (Makkos 24a; Chavakuk 2:4). And for this reason there are in the Torah both chukim (statutes) and mishpatim (civil laws) — the mishpatim being those commandments that reason somewhat obligates, which are called mishpatim. And the commandments upon which there is no reason at all, and the nations of the world take Israel to task asking what is the reason for this commandment — these are called chukim. And all these chukim and mishpatim the Blessed Lord gave us in order to merit to emunah — that is, in order to merit through this power to nullify two kinds of questions and heresy (apikorsus) mentioned above. For through the mishpatim — which are the commandments in which there is some intellect and reason — through this the questions that are drawn from the kelipas that came into being through the shattering of the vessels are nullified, as above. For there some intellect and letters are present — though they require great rectification and clarification (tikun u-biyur). And these kelipas are subdued and nullified through the aspect of the mishpatim of the Torah — in which there is intellect. But there are questions for which it is impossible to find any answer through intellect and to settle them, as above — for they are drawn from the empty space (chalal ha-panui), as above. And there it is forbidden to enter into them with any intellect at all — only to strengthen oneself in emunah alone, as above. And corresponding to this the Blessed Lord gave us the holy chukim — which are the commandments in which there is no reason at all — and we fulfill them through emunah alone. Through the power of these commandments emunah is strengthened within us and we have the power to drive out and nullify and expunge from among us all the questions and heresy drawn from the empty space where there is no intellect except in tremendous, wondrous concealment — which it is impossible in any way to understand in this world — and we must only strengthen ourselves in emunah alone, as above. And this emunah — to merit to strengthen oneself in complete emunah, to nullify the heresy mentioned above through emunah alone, as above — this we merit through the chukim that we observe: which are the commandments in which there is no reason at all — and we fulfill them through emunah alone, as above. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of the statutes of the nations (chukos ha-akum) and the prohibition of divination and conjuring and sorcery. For "this corresponds to that" (ze l'umas ze) — for just as in holiness there are in the holy Torah chukim and mishpatim in order to nullify the two kinds of heresy mentioned above — so likewise in the opposite: they have the statutes of the nations that have no reason at all — only they are drawn from the heresy of the empty space where there is no intellect and no reason at all — for they are in the aspect of "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" and so on. As is explained well in the Torah cited above — see there. And the Blessed Lord commanded us to distance ourselves from their statutes with all distances — as it is written: "And in their statutes you shall not walk." And as is cited in the Gemara and the Shulchan Arukh — that one must distance oneself from them in all movements and all garments — as is written in the Shulchan Arukh: "One does not resemble them and one does not wear their garments and so on" — for we must distance ourselves greatly from their statutes which are their ways of conduct that have no reason, so that, heaven forfend, the heresy and denial (k'firah) drawn from the empty space should not take hold among us. For there is no intellect there whatsoever and so on — and from there all their statutes are drawn, as above. And likewise the Torah forbade us to divine and take omens and practice sorcery — so that the kelipas that come from the surplus and from the shattering of the vessels should not be strengthened, heaven forfend. For from there comes all the wisdom of the diviners — from the refuse of holiness (p'soles ha-k'dushah) — as is explained in the Torah cited above. Therefore we must distance ourselves from both of them: from the diviner and so on — which are in the aspect of the kelipas of the shattering of the vessels and so on, as above — and likewise to distance ourselves from the statutes of the nations that are drawn from the aspect of the denials of the empty space, as above. For the Blessed Lord in His great mercy separated us from these wanderers and commanded us to distance ourselves from both of them. And He sanctified us with His holy commandments — in which there are chukim and mishpatim — through which we nullify and drive out the two kinds of heresy and questions and merit to true complete emunah. Amen. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of "not wearing their garments" — which is forbidden on account of the statute of the nations (chukkas ha-akum) — for all garments are drawn from the secret of the empty space (sod chalal ha-panui) — which is in the aspect of garments (levushin) — as is explained in the Torah cited above: that it is like "that silkworm (kamtza) whose garment is from itself and within itself." And from there all the garments in the world are drawn. And therefore Israel were commanded to sanctify their garments through the commandment of tzitzis — in which the entire Torah and all the commandments are dependent — as it is written: "So that you may remember and do all My commandments and so on" (Bamidbar 15:40). For through the sanctity of the garments — through the commandment of tzitzis — through this holy emunah is drawn upon us, to subdue and nullify the heresy that is drawn from the empty space — through the emunah that we believe that even there the Blessed Lord is hidden in wondrous concealment, and that the empty space itself came into being from His wisdom, blessed be He — like "that silkworm whose garment is from itself and within itself" — as is written in the Torah cited above. And therefore one must distance oneself from the garments of the nations — not to wear their garments on account of the statute of the nations. For their garments are drawn from the heresy of the empty space — from which all garments come, as above. But our garments are drawn from holy emunah — for we believe that even in the empty space the Blessed Lord is present in wondrous concealment — which is the aspect of "like that silkworm whose garment is from itself and within itself." And this emunah is the aspect of the tikun of the garments — the aspect of tzitzis — which is emunah, as is known. And as above in Hilchos Purim, Halacha 4, on the verse: "Mi ha-ish he-chofetz chayyim" — "Who is the man who desires life?" (Tehillim 34:13). Laws of Chukkas HaAkum — Halacha 4 is encompassed in Laws of Me'onayn u-Menachaysh, Halacha 2, and Halacha 5 is encompassed in Laws of Me'onayn u-Menachaysh, Halacha 3. Na Nach Nachma Nachman MeUman!

For it is cited in the words of Rabbaynu in the discourse "Achavay lan mana d'lo shavya l'chavala" and so on, in §25 of Likutay, Part One — that the sitra achra (Other Side) is called the koach ha-medame (power of imagination), from which come all the desires and confusions and obstacles that obstruct the levels of holiness and so on — see there. And at every level and every level these imaginings are present — and when one wishes to ascend from level to level they are aroused and so on. And one must subdue and break them. And the essential means of subduing them is through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be His Name. And this is accomplished through giving charity to a deserving poor person — for through this the colors (gevonin) that are present in silver and gold are revealed. For the essential colors are found only among Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride (Yisroel asher b'cha espa'ar)" (Yeshayahu 49:3). Pride (hispa'arus) is the encompassing of all the colors and so on. And this is the aspect of: "For He has clothed me in garments of salvation (bigday yesha)" (Yeshayahu 61:10). "Yesha" — "salvation" — is the aspect of "yistaklutha," that all desire to behold it and so on — see there well. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of walking in their statutes. And one must distance oneself from them in all matters — so as not to resemble them in any matter whatsoever in the world. Even though in that particular matter there is no actual prohibition in and of itself — even so it is forbidden to resemble them in any manner in the world. And it is forbidden to dress in their garments and so on. For in this is encompassed the entire Torah in its totality. For in truth, Israel from their very selves — from their root — are utterly and completely distant from all sins, and no transgression is at all relevant to a Jewish man according to his holiness from his root. For Israel are the very essence of goodness (etzem ha-tov) and they are distant from evil in the ultimate distance at their root. And therefore the sitra achra has no grip or relevance to entice any one of Israel, heaven forfend — except only through the power of imagination (koach ha-medame). For the medame misleads a person — for it imagines one thing to be another thing — until it overturns, heaven forfend, and makes evil into good, darkness into light — as it is stated: "Those who make light into darkness and darkness into light, who make bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter and so on" (Yeshayahu 5:20). As one sees tangibly that the power of imagination misleads a person many times even in physical matters — for example, when a person sees something from afar, and especially at night, he imagines a piece of wood standing upright to be a person and is frightened of it — and similarly in many matters in which a person errs through the power of imagination. And exactly the same way, truly, in the matters of a person's opinions and character traits and desires — for in truth the Jewish man is himself utterly distant from all evil things and from all desires and evil character traits. And the essential stumbling of a person, heaven forfend, is only through the power of imagination — which is the sitra achra — which misleads the person and imagines one thing to be another thing, and leads him from thought to thought and from thought to thought, until it brings him to an improper thought, heaven forfend. And likewise to each and every person it brings him to that which it brings him — may the Merciful One protect us. And therefore the Torah has decreed upon us not to walk in their statutes and not to resemble them in any matter — not to resemble them, specifically — in order not to give power, heaven forfend, to the koach ha-medame. For the nations of the world are the evil of all desires and character traits, as is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, of blessed memory. And therefore when one resembles them in any matter — through this the medame is strengthened, heaven forfend — and one can come, heaven forfend, through this to their opinions and views — as it is written: "And they mingled with the nations and learned from their deeds" (Tehillim 106:35). For the essential grip of the sitra achra is in the medame, as above. And therefore one must distance oneself from them greatly, greatly in all matters. Rather, one must resemble in all matters and all customs and all garments the holy people Israel — for the essential grace and true glory and honor (hispa'arus ha-amitis) is found only among Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride" — who are encompassed in many colors (d'klulim bi-gvanin saggin) — and the garments of Israel are in the aspect of garments of salvation (bigday yesha) — the aspect of garments of glory (levushay ha-hispa'arus) — the aspect of "majesty and splendor You have clothed (hod v'hadar lavashta)" (Tehillim 104:1). For in them are all kinds of grace and all kinds of glory. And therefore one must dress specifically in the garments of Israel and resemble in every matter the ways of the true wise men and tzaddikim — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Cleave to Torah scholars (hiddabayk b'talmidei chachamim)" (Kesubos 111b). And as it is written: "One who walks with wise men will become wise (holaych es chachamim yechkam)" (Mishlai 13:20). For through resembling oneself in deeds and conduct to the ways of the true righteous ones — through this one merits to be encompassed within them. And in the end one will truly become like them. For the koach ha-medame is in the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil — the aspect of nogah — which is at times encompassed in the good, and at other times in the opposite. For it is in the aspect of imagination — and wherever it imagines itself, there it is encompassed. And the essential free choice (b'chirah) and trial (nisayon) of a person is through the koach ha-medame. And every person must strengthen himself to clarify (l'varayr) the koach ha-medame — to clarify the good within it so that it should be encompassed in holiness, and to cause the evil within it to fall. And therefore we are commanded to resemble our Creator, blessed be He — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Cleave to His attributes — just as He is merciful, so shall you be merciful, and so on" (Shabbos 133b). And likewise to resemble the Torah scholars and to associate with upright people — for through resembling oneself in character traits to the Blessed Lord and to the tzaddikim and to the truly upright people of the generation, through this one merits to become truly encompassed with them together in the Blessed Lord. For everything depends on the clarification of the medame — which is the essential trial and free choice. And this is the aspect of what is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, may his memory be a blessing, in the conversations of the Ranas (Sichot HaRan) — that through making oneself angry in prayer, through this one merits truly to pray with the warmth and burning enthusiasm of holiness. And likewise through making oneself act as if one is happy — through this one merits to true joy. And similarly in all matters and so on — see there. For this is the aspect of the clarification of the medame (biyur ha-medame) — that the medame is encompassed in holiness — for one imagines oneself to be in matters of holiness, even though at first one does not truly have that quality. Even so one imagines oneself and conducts oneself and accustoms oneself in these qualities and these upright ways of behavior of truly upright people — and through this one merits afterward to all the good truly. And one must be very strong in this matter and a great stubborn one (akshan gadol) — even though it seems to him that it has been a long time that he has been accustoming himself to this and he has still not merited to the good truly — even so, this too is good: that he imagines himself and accustoms himself to the good. For also it is impossible for a person to know truly when he merits to the good — for sometimes it appears to the person that he is very far from good, and this very thing is itself good. And likewise the opposite can be true. Therefore one is always obligated to attach oneself to upright and true people and to walk in their ways and to resemble their deeds — for this very thing is good: that he merits to associate with them — even if, heaven forfend, he would not merit to become like them. But in truth if he is strong, he will certainly merit to become like them and to be encompassed within them, as above. And this is what the Torah warned: "And you shall not show them favor (v'lo s'chanaym)" — you shall not give them grace — for it is forbidden to say "how beautiful is this non-Jew," and so on. For it is forbidden to glorify them in any matter at all. For the essential glory and the colors (gevonin) belong only to Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride." And when one glorifies and praises Israel, and magnifies and cherishes the grace and the ways of the holy people Israel — the chosen nation from all peoples — through this the colors and the glory of Israel are revealed. And through the revelation of the colors — which is the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — through this comes the essential subduing of the medame, as is explained there in the discourse cited above: that the essential subduing of the medame is through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — which comes through the revelation of the colors. And this is what Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, said: that through the joy by which one rejoices over having merited to be from the seed of Israel and to draw close to the true tzaddikim — through this one breaks the medame — which is the obstacles at every level of holiness and so on — see there. For through rejoicing oneself with the joy of Israel, over having merited to be from the seed of Israel — through this the grace and the glory and the colors of Israel are revealed. Which is the essential greatness of the Creator, blessed be He. And through the revelation of the Creator — through this the obstacles are subdued — which are the koach ha-medame. For in truth they are no obstacles at all — only they appear as obstacles, until it is hard to break them. But through glorifying and praising and cherishing the grace and the importance and the glory of Israel — and rejoicing oneself in this that "He did not make me a non-Jew (shelo asani goy)" — through this the glory of Israel is revealed — the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride" — which are the supernal colors — which are the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this comes the essential subduing of the medame, as above. And this is the aspect of the shekalim (half-shekels) — through which was the essential miracle of Purim. As our Sages of blessed memory said: "Wicked one! Our shekalim have already preceded yours" (Megillah 13b). And therefore on the first of Adar they announce about the shekalim. For the essential jealousy of Haman of Amalek against Israel was because of this: because Israel distance themselves in all matters from the conduct and the ways of the nations. And therefore he said: "Their laws are different from every other people" (Esther 3:8). For he was most particular and jealous about this: that they always intend to differ from the nations in all matters and to distance themselves from their customs. And therefore he said: "And ten thousand of silver and so on, I will weigh and so on" (Esther 3:9). For he wished to nullify, heaven forfend, the power of the shekalim of Israel — which are in the aspect of the revelation of the colors encompassed in silver and gold, as is explained in the discourse cited above. And therefore the Blessed Lord preceded the cure to the blow and preceded our shekalim to his shekalim, and commanded us to give on the first of Adar the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah (charity) — through which the supernal colors that are in silver and gold are revealed, as above. And through this comes the essential subduing of the medame and the kelipas (husks of impurity) — which are in the aspect of Haman-Amalek. For Amalek is in the aspect of the evil of the medame — for they would imagine themselves to be animals, as Rashi explained on the verse "from ox to sheep to animal" (I Shmuel 15:3): that the Amalekites would dress themselves up as animals, as above. And "animal" (behayma) is in the aspect of the koach ha-medame — which is the power of animality (koach ha-bahamisyus) — as is explained above in the discourse cited. And therefore the essential subduing of Haman-Amalek is through the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed and so on — which is the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this they are subdued, as above. And this is the aspect of the half-shekel (machatzis ha-shekel) — a contribution to God (trumah la-Hashem). For the aspect of the medame is the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil — the aspect of nogah — which is the essential scales and trial (matkala v'nisayon). In the aspect of "half" (machatzis) — for the person stands on the scale and the trial: half of him tipping one way and half tipping the other way — like the way of a scale — for it is a mixture of good and evil. And this is "machatzis ha-shekel" — "half-shekel" specifically. And every person must tip the scale toward the good — to raise the medame up to the Blessed Lord — in the aspect of "a half-shekel as a contribution to God." And this is accomplished through the giving of the half-shekel toward the communal sacrifices and toward the donation for the Mishkan (Tabernacle) — which is in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed, as above — and through this the medame is subdued. And then the evil within it falls and the good within it is encompassed in holiness. And therefore the shekalim were taken for the communal sacrifices and for the donation of the Mishkan — for the sacrifices (korbanos) are in the aspect of the breaking of the imagination (sh'viras ha-dimyon) — as Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, explained in the discourse cited above on the verse: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit (zivchei Elokim ruach nishbarah)" (Tehillim 51:19). And this is the aspect of the donation of the Mishkan — which is the aspect of the revelation of the colors — for all the supernal colors were encompassed in the Mishkan: silver and gold and blue (t'chelyas) and purple (argaman) and so on. And this is the aspect of "When you take a count of (ki sisa es rosh) the children of Israel" (Shmos 30:12). "Ki sisa" specifically — in the aspect of nesi'as rosh (elevation of the head) — that is, when they ascend from level to level, and one wishes to elevate Israel that they should ascend from level to level — then "each one shall give a ransom for his soul (kofer nafsho)" — that is, tzedakah — through which the obstacles at every level are subdued. For they come through the medame, as above. And then "and there shall not be among them a plague and so on" — for through this: that the colors are revealed through the shekalim — through this the medame and the kelipas are subdued — which are the sitra d'mosa (side of death) — and one merits to the holy intellect (seykhel d'kedushah) which is in the aspect of life. As it is written: "Wisdom sustains life (ha-chochma t'chayeh)" (Koheles 7:12). For the essential life is the intellect — which is eternal life. For the essential residue of a person after his death is only the attainment of the acquired intellect (seykhel ha-nikneh) — which one merits through the breaking of the imagination — as is explained there in the discourse cited, see there all of this well. And therefore the essential commandment of the shekalim was at the time when they were counting Israel — for the counting of Israel is in the aspect of nesi'as rosh — the aspect of ascent from level to level — in the discourse above. For when they ascend from level to level, then each and every one elevates his fellow. For the inwardness (p'nimiyus) of the lower one ascends to the higher one, and likewise the inwardness of the higher one ascends yet higher, and so upward and upward — as is explained there well, see there. And as Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, said then explicitly: that this is the aspect of haramah — ((in the Lashon Ashkenaz (German-Yiddish): heiben)) — what one lifts his fellow up and so on. And when they count Israel, then they include and lift up and elevate and link one to the other — for this is the essential aspect of the counting: to link them and join them one to the other — so that each one should ascend to the level of his fellow, and his fellow should ascend yet higher — and so upward and upward — so that they should be encompassed one within the other — so that the Shekhinah should rest upon them. And therefore the counting is called nesi'as rosh — as it is written: "When you take a count of (ki sisa es rosh) the children of Israel according to their number (lifkudayhem)" (Shmos 30:12). For through the counting their heads are elevated from level to level and so on, as above. And therefore at every time that Israel needed to ascend from level to level, they were counted. After that when the Mishkan was built and they wished to have the Shekhinah rest upon them, they were counted — as Rashi explained. For all of the above is in the aspect of ascent from level to level — in the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt (Yetzi'as Mitzrayim): when they ascended from the forty-nine gates of impurity (mem-tes sha'aray tumah) to the forty-nine gates of holiness (mem-tes sha'aray k'dushah). And likewise after the incident of the Golden Calf, when they needed to depart and ascend and purify themselves from this impurity and enter into holiness. And likewise afterward when the Mishkan was built and they needed to ascend to the high levels so that the Shekhinah would rest upon them — and therefore they counted them each time — which is the aspect of nesi'as rosh, as above. And when they ascend from level to level — then the medame is aroused even more, as above — which is the sitra d'mosa, heaven forfend, as above. And when they ascend from level to level — then the medame is aroused even more, as above — which is the sitra d'mosa, heaven forfend, as above. [Note: this sentence is written twice in the original — it is intentional.] Therefore at such times one must strengthen oneself even more to subdue the sitra d'mosa — which is the medame. And this is accomplished through the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed, as above. And this is the aspect of "ki sisa and so on, and each one shall give a ransom for his soul to God, and there shall not be among them a plague and so on," as above. "Each one who passes through the counting shall give a half-shekel in the sacred shekel. A half-shekel specifically," as above. And this is the aspect of: "When Adar enters, one increases in joy (mishenichnas Adar marbin b'simchah)" (Ta'anis 29a). For then one must subdue the kelipah of Haman-Amalek — which is the medame, as above. And therefore one must increase in joy — for one must greatly rejoice in the fact that we merited to be from the seed of Israel and "He did not make me a non-Jew" — and through this the grace and the glory of Israel are revealed: which is the revelation of the colors — which is the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this the medame is subdued and one merits to ascend to all the levels of holiness. Amen and Amen. And as is explained there at the end of the discourse cited above: that through the joy by which one rejoices in the Blessed Lord and in His tzaddikim and so on — through this the medame is subdued — which spreads itself through every level — and one ascends to the highest level and so on — see there. Halacha 3 Based on Likutay Moharan, Part 1, §64 — "Bo el Par'oh" (Come to Pharaoh) The matter of the prohibition of walking in the statutes of the nations, and the prohibition of divination and conjuring and sorcery. According to the Torah "Bo el Par'oh" (Come to Pharaoh), in §64 — see the entire Torah there well. And the general principle is this: There are questions and heresy (apikorsus) that are drawn from the kelipas that came into being through the shattering of the vessels (sh'viras ha-kaylim) — which came through an excess of light — and these are in the aspect of the surplus (mosorohs) and refuse (p'soles) of holiness, and likewise sorcery (kishuf) comes from the surplus and refuse, as is known. And these questions and heresies can be answered — for there are sparks and letters and so on that fell there and so on. But there are heresies and questions that are drawn from the empty space (chalal ha-panui) and so on — from which, as it were, He withdrew His Divinity and His wisdom — and so on — and these are the "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" and so on. And these questions cannot be answered in any way. And regarding them it is said: "All who come to her do not return" (Mishlai 2:19). For these questions cannot be answered in this world — for if they were answered the empty space would be nullified and there would be no place and existence for the world and so on. Therefore it is impossible to answer these questions now in any way whatsoever — except to strengthen oneself in complete emunah alone. And through this one passes over all the wisdoms and over the "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" — which are the questions mentioned above — and so on. See there all of this well. And it is known that the Blessed Lord gave us the entire Torah and all the commandments in order to merit complete emunah in Him, blessed be He — for this is the essential ultimate purpose — as it is written: "All Your commandments are emunah (kol mitzvosecha emunah)" (Tehillim 119:86). And as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Chavakuk came and established them all on one: and the tzaddik shall live by his emunah (v'tzaddik b'emunaso yichyeh)" (Makkos 24a; Chavakuk 2:4). And for this reason there are in the Torah both chukim (statutes) and mishpatim (civil laws) — the mishpatim being those commandments that reason somewhat obligates, which are called mishpatim. And the commandments upon which there is no reason at all, and the nations of the world take Israel to task asking what is the reason for this commandment — these are called chukim. And all these chukim and mishpatim the Blessed Lord gave us in order to merit to emunah — that is, in order to merit through this power to nullify two kinds of questions and heresy (apikorsus) mentioned above. For through the mishpatim — which are the commandments in which there is some intellect and reason — through this the questions that are drawn from the kelipas that came into being through the shattering of the vessels are nullified, as above. For there some intellect and letters are present — though they require great rectification and clarification (tikun u-biyur). And these kelipas are subdued and nullified through the aspect of the mishpatim of the Torah — in which there is intellect. But there are questions for which it is impossible to find any answer through intellect and to settle them, as above — for they are drawn from the empty space (chalal ha-panui), as above. And there it is forbidden to enter into them with any intellect at all — only to strengthen oneself in emunah alone, as above. And corresponding to this the Blessed Lord gave us the holy chukim — which are the commandments in which there is no reason at all — and we fulfill them through emunah alone. Through the power of these commandments emunah is strengthened within us and we have the power to drive out and nullify and expunge from among us all the questions and heresy drawn from the empty space where there is no intellect except in tremendous, wondrous concealment — which it is impossible in any way to understand in this world — and we must only strengthen ourselves in emunah alone, as above. And this emunah — to merit to strengthen oneself in complete emunah, to nullify the heresy mentioned above through emunah alone, as above — this we merit through the chukim that we observe: which are the commandments in which there is no reason at all — and we fulfill them through emunah alone, as above. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of the statutes of the nations (chukos ha-akum) and the prohibition of divination and conjuring and sorcery. For "this corresponds to that" (ze l'umas ze) — for just as in holiness there are in the holy Torah chukim and mishpatim in order to nullify the two kinds of heresy mentioned above — so likewise in the opposite: they have the statutes of the nations that have no reason at all — only they are drawn from the heresy of the empty space where there is no intellect and no reason at all — for they are in the aspect of "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" and so on. As is explained well in the Torah cited above — see there. And the Blessed Lord commanded us to distance ourselves from their statutes with all distances — as it is written: "And in their statutes you shall not walk." And as is cited in the Gemara and the Shulchan Arukh — that one must distance oneself from them in all movements and all garments — as is written in the Shulchan Arukh: "One does not resemble them and one does not wear their garments and so on" — for we must distance ourselves greatly from their statutes which are their ways of conduct that have no reason, so that, heaven forfend, the heresy and denial (k'firah) drawn from the empty space should not take hold among us. For there is no intellect there whatsoever and so on — and from there all their statutes are drawn, as above. And likewise the Torah forbade us to divine and take omens and practice sorcery — so that the kelipas that come from the surplus and from the shattering of the vessels should not be strengthened, heaven forfend. For from there comes all the wisdom of the diviners — from the refuse of holiness (p'soles ha-k'dushah) — as is explained in the Torah cited above. Therefore we must distance ourselves from both of them: from the diviner and so on — which are in the aspect of the kelipas of the shattering of the vessels and so on, as above — and likewise to distance ourselves from the statutes of the nations that are drawn from the aspect of the denials of the empty space, as above. For the Blessed Lord in His great mercy separated us from these wanderers and commanded us to distance ourselves from both of them. And He sanctified us with His holy commandments — in which there are chukim and mishpatim — through which we nullify and drive out the two kinds of heresy and questions and merit to true complete emunah. Amen. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of "not wearing their garments" — which is forbidden on account of the statute of the nations (chukkas ha-akum) — for all garments are drawn from the secret of the empty space (sod chalal ha-panui) — which is in the aspect of garments (levushin) — as is explained in the Torah cited above: that it is like "that silkworm (kamtza) whose garment is from itself and within itself." And from there all the garments in the world are drawn. And therefore Israel were commanded to sanctify their garments through the commandment of tzitzis — in which the entire Torah and all the commandments are dependent — as it is written: "So that you may remember and do all My commandments and so on" (Bamidbar 15:40). For through the sanctity of the garments — through the commandment of tzitzis — through this holy emunah is drawn upon us, to subdue and nullify the heresy that is drawn from the empty space — through the emunah that we believe that even there the Blessed Lord is hidden in wondrous concealment, and that the empty space itself came into being from His wisdom, blessed be He — like "that silkworm whose garment is from itself and within itself" — as is written in the Torah cited above. And therefore one must distance oneself from the garments of the nations — not to wear their garments on account of the statute of the nations. For their garments are drawn from the heresy of the empty space — from which all garments come, as above. But our garments are drawn from holy emunah — for we believe that even in the empty space the Blessed Lord is present in wondrous concealment — which is the aspect of "like that silkworm whose garment is from itself and within itself." And this emunah is the aspect of the tikun of the garments — the aspect of tzitzis — which is emunah, as is known. And as above in Hilchos Purim, Halacha 4, on the verse: "Mi ha-ish he-chofetz chayyim" — "Who is the man who desires life?" (Tehillim 34:13). Laws of Chukkas HaAkum — Halacha 4 is encompassed in Laws of Me'onayn u-Menachaysh, Halacha 2, and Halacha 5 is encompassed in Laws of Me'onayn u-Menachaysh, Halacha 3. Na Nach Nachma Nachman MeUman!

For it is cited in the words of Rabbaynu in the discourse "Achavay lan mana d'lo shavya l'chavala" and so on, in §25 of Likutay, Part One — that the sitra achra (Other Side) is called the koach ha-medame (power of imagination), from which come all the desires and confusions and obstacles that obstruct the levels of holiness and so on — see there. And at every level and every level these imaginings are present — and when one wishes to ascend from level to level they are aroused and so on. And one must subdue and break them. And the essential means of subduing them is through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be His Name. And this is accomplished through giving charity to a deserving poor person — for through this the colors (gevonin) that are present in silver and gold are revealed. For the essential colors are found only among Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride (Yisroel asher b'cha espa'ar)" (Yeshayahu 49:3). Pride (hispa'arus) is the encompassing of all the colors and so on. And this is the aspect of: "For He has clothed me in garments of salvation (bigday yesha)" (Yeshayahu 61:10). "Yesha" — "salvation" — is the aspect of "yistaklutha," that all desire to behold it and so on — see there well. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of walking in their statutes. And one must distance oneself from them in all matters — so as not to resemble them in any matter whatsoever in the world. Even though in that particular matter there is no actual prohibition in and of itself — even so it is forbidden to resemble them in any manner in the world. And it is forbidden to dress in their garments and so on. For in this is encompassed the entire Torah in its totality. For in truth, Israel from their very selves — from their root — are utterly and completely distant from all sins, and no transgression is at all relevant to a Jewish man according to his holiness from his root. For Israel are the very essence of goodness (etzem ha-tov) and they are distant from evil in the ultimate distance at their root. And therefore the sitra achra has no grip or relevance to entice any one of Israel, heaven forfend — except only through the power of imagination (koach ha-medame). For the medame misleads a person — for it imagines one thing to be another thing — until it overturns, heaven forfend, and makes evil into good, darkness into light — as it is stated: "Those who make light into darkness and darkness into light, who make bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter and so on" (Yeshayahu 5:20). As one sees tangibly that the power of imagination misleads a person many times even in physical matters — for example, when a person sees something from afar, and especially at night, he imagines a piece of wood standing upright to be a person and is frightened of it — and similarly in many matters in which a person errs through the power of imagination. And exactly the same way, truly, in the matters of a person's opinions and character traits and desires — for in truth the Jewish man is himself utterly distant from all evil things and from all desires and evil character traits. And the essential stumbling of a person, heaven forfend, is only through the power of imagination — which is the sitra achra — which misleads the person and imagines one thing to be another thing, and leads him from thought to thought and from thought to thought, until it brings him to an improper thought, heaven forfend. And likewise to each and every person it brings him to that which it brings him — may the Merciful One protect us. And therefore the Torah has decreed upon us not to walk in their statutes and not to resemble them in any matter — not to resemble them, specifically — in order not to give power, heaven forfend, to the koach ha-medame. For the nations of the world are the evil of all desires and character traits, as is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, of blessed memory. And therefore when one resembles them in any matter — through this the medame is strengthened, heaven forfend — and one can come, heaven forfend, through this to their opinions and views — as it is written: "And they mingled with the nations and learned from their deeds" (Tehillim 106:35). For the essential grip of the sitra achra is in the medame, as above. And therefore one must distance oneself from them greatly, greatly in all matters. Rather, one must resemble in all matters and all customs and all garments the holy people Israel — for the essential grace and true glory and honor (hispa'arus ha-amitis) is found only among Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride" — who are encompassed in many colors (d'klulim bi-gvanin saggin) — and the garments of Israel are in the aspect of garments of salvation (bigday yesha) — the aspect of garments of glory (levushay ha-hispa'arus) — the aspect of "majesty and splendor You have clothed (hod v'hadar lavashta)" (Tehillim 104:1). For in them are all kinds of grace and all kinds of glory. And therefore one must dress specifically in the garments of Israel and resemble in every matter the ways of the true wise men and tzaddikim — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Cleave to Torah scholars (hiddabayk b'talmidei chachamim)" (Kesubos 111b). And as it is written: "One who walks with wise men will become wise (holaych es chachamim yechkam)" (Mishlai 13:20). For through resembling oneself in deeds and conduct to the ways of the true righteous ones — through this one merits to be encompassed within them. And in the end one will truly become like them. For the koach ha-medame is in the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil — the aspect of nogah — which is at times encompassed in the good, and at other times in the opposite. For it is in the aspect of imagination — and wherever it imagines itself, there it is encompassed. And the essential free choice (b'chirah) and trial (nisayon) of a person is through the koach ha-medame. And every person must strengthen himself to clarify (l'varayr) the koach ha-medame — to clarify the good within it so that it should be encompassed in holiness, and to cause the evil within it to fall. And therefore we are commanded to resemble our Creator, blessed be He — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Cleave to His attributes — just as He is merciful, so shall you be merciful, and so on" (Shabbos 133b). And likewise to resemble the Torah scholars and to associate with upright people — for through resembling oneself in character traits to the Blessed Lord and to the tzaddikim and to the truly upright people of the generation, through this one merits to become truly encompassed with them together in the Blessed Lord. For everything depends on the clarification of the medame — which is the essential trial and free choice. And this is the aspect of what is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, may his memory be a blessing, in the conversations of the Ranas (Sichot HaRan) — that through making oneself angry in prayer, through this one merits truly to pray with the warmth and burning enthusiasm of holiness. And likewise through making oneself act as if one is happy — through this one merits to true joy. And similarly in all matters and so on — see there. For this is the aspect of the clarification of the medame (biyur ha-medame) — that the medame is encompassed in holiness — for one imagines oneself to be in matters of holiness, even though at first one does not truly have that quality. Even so one imagines oneself and conducts oneself and accustoms oneself in these qualities and these upright ways of behavior of truly upright people — and through this one merits afterward to all the good truly. And one must be very strong in this matter and a great stubborn one (akshan gadol) — even though it seems to him that it has been a long time that he has been accustoming himself to this and he has still not merited to the good truly — even so, this too is good: that he imagines himself and accustoms himself to the good. For also it is impossible for a person to know truly when he merits to the good — for sometimes it appears to the person that he is very far from good, and this very thing is itself good. And likewise the opposite can be true. Therefore one is always obligated to attach oneself to upright and true people and to walk in their ways and to resemble their deeds — for this very thing is good: that he merits to associate with them — even if, heaven forfend, he would not merit to become like them. But in truth if he is strong, he will certainly merit to become like them and to be encompassed within them, as above. And this is what the Torah warned: "And you shall not show them favor (v'lo s'chanaym)" — you shall not give them grace — for it is forbidden to say "how beautiful is this non-Jew," and so on. For it is forbidden to glorify them in any matter at all. For the essential glory and the colors (gevonin) belong only to Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride." And when one glorifies and praises Israel, and magnifies and cherishes the grace and the ways of the holy people Israel — the chosen nation from all peoples — through this the colors and the glory of Israel are revealed. And through the revelation of the colors — which is the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — through this comes the essential subduing of the medame, as is explained there in the discourse cited above: that the essential subduing of the medame is through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — which comes through the revelation of the colors. And this is what Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, said: that through the joy by which one rejoices over having merited to be from the seed of Israel and to draw close to the true tzaddikim — through this one breaks the medame — which is the obstacles at every level of holiness and so on — see there. For through rejoicing oneself with the joy of Israel, over having merited to be from the seed of Israel — through this the grace and the glory and the colors of Israel are revealed. Which is the essential greatness of the Creator, blessed be He. And through the revelation of the Creator — through this the obstacles are subdued — which are the koach ha-medame. For in truth they are no obstacles at all — only they appear as obstacles, until it is hard to break them. But through glorifying and praising and cherishing the grace and the importance and the glory of Israel — and rejoicing oneself in this that "He did not make me a non-Jew (shelo asani goy)" — through this the glory of Israel is revealed — the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride" — which are the supernal colors — which are the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this comes the essential subduing of the medame, as above. And this is the aspect of the shekalim (half-shekels) — through which was the essential miracle of Purim. As our Sages of blessed memory said: "Wicked one! Our shekalim have already preceded yours" (Megillah 13b). And therefore on the first of Adar they announce about the shekalim. For the essential jealousy of Haman of Amalek against Israel was because of this: because Israel distance themselves in all matters from the conduct and the ways of the nations. And therefore he said: "Their laws are different from every other people" (Esther 3:8). For he was most particular and jealous about this: that they always intend to differ from the nations in all matters and to distance themselves from their customs. And therefore he said: "And ten thousand of silver and so on, I will weigh and so on" (Esther 3:9). For he wished to nullify, heaven forfend, the power of the shekalim of Israel — which are in the aspect of the revelation of the colors encompassed in silver and gold, as is explained in the discourse cited above. And therefore the Blessed Lord preceded the cure to the blow and preceded our shekalim to his shekalim, and commanded us to give on the first of Adar the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah (charity) — through which the supernal colors that are in silver and gold are revealed, as above. And through this comes the essential subduing of the medame and the kelipas (husks of impurity) — which are in the aspect of Haman-Amalek. For Amalek is in the aspect of the evil of the medame — for they would imagine themselves to be animals, as Rashi explained on the verse "from ox to sheep to animal" (I Shmuel 15:3): that the Amalekites would dress themselves up as animals, as above. And "animal" (behayma) is in the aspect of the koach ha-medame — which is the power of animality (koach ha-bahamisyus) — as is explained above in the discourse cited. And therefore the essential subduing of Haman-Amalek is through the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed and so on — which is the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this they are subdued, as above. And this is the aspect of the half-shekel (machatzis ha-shekel) — a contribution to God (trumah la-Hashem). For the aspect of the medame is the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil — the aspect of nogah — which is the essential scales and trial (matkala v'nisayon). In the aspect of "half" (machatzis) — for the person stands on the scale and the trial: half of him tipping one way and half tipping the other way — like the way of a scale — for it is a mixture of good and evil. And this is "machatzis ha-shekel" — "half-shekel" specifically. And every person must tip the scale toward the good — to raise the medame up to the Blessed Lord — in the aspect of "a half-shekel as a contribution to God." And this is accomplished through the giving of the half-shekel toward the communal sacrifices and toward the donation for the Mishkan (Tabernacle) — which is in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed, as above — and through this the medame is subdued. And then the evil within it falls and the good within it is encompassed in holiness. And therefore the shekalim were taken for the communal sacrifices and for the donation of the Mishkan — for the sacrifices (korbanos) are in the aspect of the breaking of the imagination (sh'viras ha-dimyon) — as Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, explained in the discourse cited above on the verse: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit (zivchei Elokim ruach nishbarah)" (Tehillim 51:19). And this is the aspect of the donation of the Mishkan — which is the aspect of the revelation of the colors — for all the supernal colors were encompassed in the Mishkan: silver and gold and blue (t'chelyas) and purple (argaman) and so on. And this is the aspect of "When you take a count of (ki sisa es rosh) the children of Israel" (Shmos 30:12). "Ki sisa" specifically — in the aspect of nesi'as rosh (elevation of the head) — that is, when they ascend from level to level, and one wishes to elevate Israel that they should ascend from level to level — then "each one shall give a ransom for his soul (kofer nafsho)" — that is, tzedakah — through which the obstacles at every level are subdued. For they come through the medame, as above. And then "and there shall not be among them a plague and so on" — for through this: that the colors are revealed through the shekalim — through this the medame and the kelipas are subdued — which are the sitra d'mosa (side of death) — and one merits to the holy intellect (seykhel d'kedushah) which is in the aspect of life. As it is written: "Wisdom sustains life (ha-chochma t'chayeh)" (Koheles 7:12). For the essential life is the intellect — which is eternal life. For the essential residue of a person after his death is only the attainment of the acquired intellect (seykhel ha-nikneh) — which one merits through the breaking of the imagination — as is explained there in the discourse cited, see there all of this well. And therefore the essential commandment of the shekalim was at the time when they were counting Israel — for the counting of Israel is in the aspect of nesi'as rosh — the aspect of ascent from level to level — in the discourse above. For when they ascend from level to level, then each and every one elevates his fellow. For the inwardness (p'nimiyus) of the lower one ascends to the higher one, and likewise the inwardness of the higher one ascends yet higher, and so upward and upward — as is explained there well, see there. And as Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, said then explicitly: that this is the aspect of haramah — ((in the Lashon Ashkenaz (German-Yiddish): heiben)) — what one lifts his fellow up and so on. And when they count Israel, then they include and lift up and elevate and link one to the other — for this is the essential aspect of the counting: to link them and join them one to the other — so that each one should ascend to the level of his fellow, and his fellow should ascend yet higher — and so upward and upward — so that they should be encompassed one within the other — so that the Shekhinah should rest upon them. And therefore the counting is called nesi'as rosh — as it is written: "When you take a count of (ki sisa es rosh) the children of Israel according to their number (lifkudayhem)" (Shmos 30:12). For through the counting their heads are elevated from level to level and so on, as above. And therefore at every time that Israel needed to ascend from level to level, they were counted. After that when the Mishkan was built and they wished to have the Shekhinah rest upon them, they were counted — as Rashi explained. For all of the above is in the aspect of ascent from level to level — in the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt (Yetzi'as Mitzrayim): when they ascended from the forty-nine gates of impurity (mem-tes sha'aray tumah) to the forty-nine gates of holiness (mem-tes sha'aray k'dushah). And likewise after the incident of the Golden Calf, when they needed to depart and ascend and purify themselves from this impurity and enter into holiness. And likewise afterward when the Mishkan was built and they needed to ascend to the high levels so that the Shekhinah would rest upon them — and therefore they counted them each time — which is the aspect of nesi'as rosh, as above. And when they ascend from level to level — then the medame is aroused even more, as above — which is the sitra d'mosa, heaven forfend, as above. And when they ascend from level to level — then the medame is aroused even more, as above — which is the sitra d'mosa, heaven forfend, as above. [Note: this sentence is written twice in the original — it is intentional.] Therefore at such times one must strengthen oneself even more to subdue the sitra d'mosa — which is the medame. And this is accomplished through the shekalim — which are in the aspect of tzedakah — through which the colors are revealed, as above. And this is the aspect of "ki sisa and so on, and each one shall give a ransom for his soul to God, and there shall not be among them a plague and so on," as above. "Each one who passes through the counting shall give a half-shekel in the sacred shekel. A half-shekel specifically," as above. And this is the aspect of: "When Adar enters, one increases in joy (mishenichnas Adar marbin b'simchah)" (Ta'anis 29a). For then one must subdue the kelipah of Haman-Amalek — which is the medame, as above. And therefore one must increase in joy — for one must greatly rejoice in the fact that we merited to be from the seed of Israel and "He did not make me a non-Jew" — and through this the grace and the glory of Israel are revealed: which is the revelation of the colors — which is the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this the medame is subdued and one merits to ascend to all the levels of holiness. Amen and Amen. And as is explained there at the end of the discourse cited above: that through the joy by which one rejoices in the Blessed Lord and in His tzaddikim and so on — through this the medame is subdued — which spreads itself through every level — and one ascends to the highest level and so on — see there. Halacha 3 Based on Likutay Moharan, Part 1, §64 — "Bo el Par'oh" (Come to Pharaoh) The matter of the prohibition of walking in the statutes of the nations, and the prohibition of divination and conjuring and sorcery. According to the Torah "Bo el Par'oh" (Come to Pharaoh), in §64 — see the entire Torah there well. And the general principle is this: There are questions and heresy (apikorsus) that are drawn from the kelipas that came into being through the shattering of the vessels (sh'viras ha-kaylim) — which came through an excess of light — and these are in the aspect of the surplus (mosorohs) and refuse (p'soles) of holiness, and likewise sorcery (kishuf) comes from the surplus and refuse, as is known. And these questions and heresies can be answered — for there are sparks and letters and so on that fell there and so on. But there are heresies and questions that are drawn from the empty space (chalal ha-panui) and so on — from which, as it were, He withdrew His Divinity and His wisdom — and so on — and these are the "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" and so on. And these questions cannot be answered in any way. And regarding them it is said: "All who come to her do not return" (Mishlai 2:19). For these questions cannot be answered in this world — for if they were answered the empty space would be nullified and there would be no place and existence for the world and so on. Therefore it is impossible to answer these questions now in any way whatsoever — except to strengthen oneself in complete emunah alone. And through this one passes over all the wisdoms and over the "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" — which are the questions mentioned above — and so on. See there all of this well. And it is known that the Blessed Lord gave us the entire Torah and all the commandments in order to merit complete emunah in Him, blessed be He — for this is the essential ultimate purpose — as it is written: "All Your commandments are emunah (kol mitzvosecha emunah)" (Tehillim 119:86). And as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Chavakuk came and established them all on one: and the tzaddik shall live by his emunah (v'tzaddik b'emunaso yichyeh)" (Makkos 24a; Chavakuk 2:4). And for this reason there are in the Torah both chukim (statutes) and mishpatim (civil laws) — the mishpatim being those commandments that reason somewhat obligates, which are called mishpatim. And the commandments upon which there is no reason at all, and the nations of the world take Israel to task asking what is the reason for this commandment — these are called chukim. And all these chukim and mishpatim the Blessed Lord gave us in order to merit to emunah — that is, in order to merit through this power to nullify two kinds of questions and heresy (apikorsus) mentioned above. For through the mishpatim — which are the commandments in which there is some intellect and reason — through this the questions that are drawn from the kelipas that came into being through the shattering of the vessels are nullified, as above. For there some intellect and letters are present — though they require great rectification and clarification (tikun u-biyur). And these kelipas are subdued and nullified through the aspect of the mishpatim of the Torah — in which there is intellect. But there are questions for which it is impossible to find any answer through intellect and to settle them, as above — for they are drawn from the empty space (chalal ha-panui), as above. And there it is forbidden to enter into them with any intellect at all — only to strengthen oneself in emunah alone, as above. And corresponding to this the Blessed Lord gave us the holy chukim — which are the commandments in which there is no reason at all — and we fulfill them through emunah alone. Through the power of these commandments emunah is strengthened within us and we have the power to drive out and nullify and expunge from among us all the questions and heresy drawn from the empty space where there is no intellect except in tremendous, wondrous concealment — which it is impossible in any way to understand in this world — and we must only strengthen ourselves in emunah alone, as above. And this emunah — to merit to strengthen oneself in complete emunah, to nullify the heresy mentioned above through emunah alone, as above — this we merit through the chukim that we observe: which are the commandments in which there is no reason at all — and we fulfill them through emunah alone, as above. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of the statutes of the nations (chukos ha-akum) and the prohibition of divination and conjuring and sorcery. For "this corresponds to that" (ze l'umas ze) — for just as in holiness there are in the holy Torah chukim and mishpatim in order to nullify the two kinds of heresy mentioned above — so likewise in the opposite: they have the statutes of the nations that have no reason at all — only they are drawn from the heresy of the empty space where there is no intellect and no reason at all — for they are in the aspect of "wisdoms that are not wisdoms" and so on. As is explained well in the Torah cited above — see there. And the Blessed Lord commanded us to distance ourselves from their statutes with all distances — as it is written: "And in their statutes you shall not walk." And as is cited in the Gemara and the Shulchan Arukh — that one must distance oneself from them in all movements and all garments — as is written in the Shulchan Arukh: "One does not resemble them and one does not wear their garments and so on" — for we must distance ourselves greatly from their statutes which are their ways of conduct that have no reason, so that, heaven forfend, the heresy and denial (k'firah) drawn from the empty space should not take hold among us. For there is no intellect there whatsoever and so on — and from there all their statutes are drawn, as above. And likewise the Torah forbade us to divine and take omens and practice sorcery — so that the kelipas that come from the surplus and from the shattering of the vessels should not be strengthened, heaven forfend. For from there comes all the wisdom of the diviners — from the refuse of holiness (p'soles ha-k'dushah) — as is explained in the Torah cited above. Therefore we must distance ourselves from both of them: from the diviner and so on — which are in the aspect of the kelipas of the shattering of the vessels and so on, as above — and likewise to distance ourselves from the statutes of the nations that are drawn from the aspect of the denials of the empty space, as above. For the Blessed Lord in His great mercy separated us from these wanderers and commanded us to distance ourselves from both of them. And He sanctified us with His holy commandments — in which there are chukim and mishpatim — through which we nullify and drive out the two kinds of heresy and questions and merit to true complete emunah. Amen. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of "not wearing their garments" — which is forbidden on account of the statute of the nations (chukkas ha-akum) — for all garments are drawn from the secret of the empty space (sod chalal ha-panui) — which is in the aspect of garments (levushin) — as is explained in the Torah cited above: that it is like "that silkworm (kamtza) whose garment is from itself and within itself." And from there all the garments in the world are drawn. And therefore Israel were commanded to sanctify their garments through the commandment of tzitzis — in which the entire Torah and all the commandments are dependent — as it is written: "So that you may remember and do all My commandments and so on" (Bamidbar 15:40). For through the sanctity of the garments — through the commandment of tzitzis — through this holy emunah is drawn upon us, to subdue and nullify the heresy that is drawn from the empty space — through the emunah that we believe that even there the Blessed Lord is hidden in wondrous concealment, and that the empty space itself came into being from His wisdom, blessed be He — like "that silkworm whose garment is from itself and within itself" — as is written in the Torah cited above. And therefore one must distance oneself from the garments of the nations — not to wear their garments on account of the statute of the nations. For their garments are drawn from the heresy of the empty space — from which all garments come, as above. But our garments are drawn from holy emunah — for we believe that even in the empty space the Blessed Lord is present in wondrous concealment — which is the aspect of "like that silkworm whose garment is from itself and within itself." And this emunah is the aspect of the tikun of the garments — the aspect of tzitzis — which is emunah, as is known. And as above in Hilchos Purim, Halacha 4, on the verse: "Mi ha-ish he-chofetz chayyim" — "Who is the man who desires life?" (Tehillim 34:13). Laws of Chukkas HaAkum — Halacha 4 is encompassed in Laws of Me'onayn u-Menachaysh, Halacha 2, and Halacha 5 is encompassed in Laws of Me'onayn u-Menachaysh, Halacha 3. Na Nach Nachma Nachman MeUman!

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And for this one needs much prayer and supplication, in the aspect of "for this let every pious one pray to You at the time of finding." "At the time of finding" specifically, as mentioned above. For this is the primary hisbodedus and conversation between oneself and one's Creator, about which Rabbeinu of blessed memory warned us greatly. For one must always strengthen oneself to increase in conversation between oneself and one's Creator — for the way of a person who wants to engage in this is that it always seems to him that now he cannot speak, and he does not know what to speak, and his heart is very sealed etc. — as is known to everyone who enters into this. And all this is because at every time the charafos lev, sh'viras lev, intensify and want to hide and conceal from him the light of his holy nekudah that pertains to his heart at that time. Therefore it seems to him that at that time he cannot speak. But in truth it is a complete falsehood, and it is only the work of the adversary. For if he says so, it will seem so to him always — that now he has no heart to speak — and he will never speak, G-d forbid. But in truth he must strengthen himself and know and believe that certainly there is no time in the world when he cannot bind himself to the nekudah that pertains to his heart at that time. Therefore he must strive greatly to speak whatever he can, and to seek and search through his words for his holy nekudah. And if he strengthens himself and forces himself to open his mouth against his will, to speak always — certainly Hashem, blessed be He, will help him and open his mouth and heart, until he will always merit binding himself to the nekudah that pertains to his heart at that time, through which everything will be rectified, as mentioned above. And there is still much to speak about this, but it is impossible to explain things like these well. And one who truly desires will understand a little from these words of ours, and will strengthen himself in hisbodedus and conversation between himself and his Creator and with his friends and his Rav, always, however it may be. ☰ Hebrew § 7 And this is the aspect of the generality of the entire Torah: to illuminate the light of the holy nekudah, as mentioned above. And therefore most of the mitzvos of the Torah are dependent on time and season. For one must receive the light of the nekudah according to the time and season: for example, on weekdays one receives the nekudah through tefillin; on Shabbos and Yom Tov through the holiness of the day itself; on Pesach through eating matzah and the four cups etc.; on Sukkos through sukkah and lulav; on Rosh Hashanah through shofar etc. And similarly at other holy seasons. And similarly, even the mitzvos that apply at all times — certainly no day is like another and no person is like another. For on this day Hashem, blessed be He, arranges for him the mitzvah of visiting the sick; on this day the mitzvah of clothing the naked; on another day hosting a bride; and similarly. And no person is like another — as we have seen with all the tzadikim and G-d-fearing people who came before us: this one engaged more in Torah, this one more in tefilah, this one was more careful with this mitzvah and this one with another. And as our Sages of blessed memory said: "In what was your father most careful?" And as is brought in the writings of the Ari z"l regarding this. And everything is according to the nekudah that pertains to one's heart at that time, as mentioned above. And similarly, the study of each day is not like the next — for on this day one studies here, and tomorrow in another place, or in a different book further on, or in a completely different book. And this is the aspect of the shir shel yom [song of the day] — for each and every day has its own special song, according to the holy nekudah that pertains to the hearts of the children of Israel collectively on that day. For there are many aspects in this matter, both collectively for Israel and individually, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the sidros of the Torah [weekly Torah portions] — that each week a different seder is read from the Torah. And also the seder is divided into seven parashiyos, corresponding to the seven days of the week — all in order to receive each week and each day the light of the nekudah that pertains to one's heart at that particular time specifically, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of "Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night expresses knowledge" (Psalms 19:3). For everything is according to the time and season — and accordingly, speech is drawn from Above. And each person must strive and strengthen himself to speak the words according to the time, in order to bind himself to the nekudah that pertains to his heart at that time, as mentioned above. ☰ Hebrew § 8 And this is the aspect of "My unformed substance Your eyes saw, and in Your book they were all written — the days that were formed, and for it (v'lo) one among them" (Psalms 139:16). "V'lo echad bahem" — this is Shabbos, which is the primary holy nekudah, in the aspect of "an eternal covenant between Me and the children of Israel; it is a sign forever" (Exodus 31:17) etc. And this nekudah illuminates in all the days and in all people, in the aspect of "my unformed substance Your eyes saw" etc. — which are the generality of all people in all generations, as our Sages of blessed memory said on this verse: "This teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, showed Adam Harishon every generation and its expounders" etc. And all people in all the days that they are alive must receive the light of the nekudah according to the day — which is the aspect of "the days that were formed, and for it one among them." For in truth the essential nekudah is one — only the light that each person receives from it is according to the person and according to the day. But the ultimate goal of all the nekudos is one — to recognize the One and Unique One, in the aspect of "Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad," which is the primary nekudah, as mentioned above. And this is: "I will bless Hashem at every time; His praise is always in my mouth" (Psalms 34:2). And this is: "Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your Name forever and ever" (Psalms 145:2). For at every time and every day one must bless and praise Hashem, blessed be He, and lay out one's conversation before Him — for at every time and every day, at whatever level one is, there is an aspect of a holy nekudah that pertains to one's heart at that particular time specifically, and one must bind oneself to that nekudah, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of "And I beseeched (va'eschanan) Hashem at that time, saying" (Deuteronomy 3:23). "At that time" specifically. For Moshe merited this: that his prayer and supplication was always in the aspect of "at that time," as mentioned above — for Moshe is the all-inclusive nekudah that includes all the nekudos of all people and of all times and seasons. And therefore he merited that he always directed his prayer "at that time" — to bind himself to the nekudah that pertained to his heart at that time, as mentioned above. [This section pertains to what was said above.] ☰ Hebrew § 9 And Yosef, who is the aspect of the tzadik, the aspect of the aforementioned nekudah — therefore it is said of him, "for he is the son of his old age (ben zekunim)" (Genesis 37:3). For the nekudah in completeness illuminates through the aspect of the zakain of kedushah — that is, when it illuminates through the aspect of the three Avos, from father to son to grandson, as mentioned above. And therefore Yosef, who is the aspect of the light of the nekudah in completeness, is called ben zekunim, as mentioned above. Translator's Summary Based on LM I:34 ("V'atem tih'yu li mamleches kohanim"). Core concept: the nekudah (holy point) in every Jew, and the three modes of receiving/illuminating it: (1) from the tzadik/Rav (nekudah klaliyus), (2) from friends/fellows (nekudas hachaveirim, "umekablin dein min dein"), (3) from within oneself (minei u'vei, through hisbodedus). Light of the nekudah illuminates from mouth → heart (pi yedaber chachmos → v'hagus libi tevunos), nullifying the charafos/sheviros (fallen loves/desires from sh'viras keilim) that rest upon the heart. §1: Summary of LM I:34. Three nekudos: tzadik, chaveirim, minei u'vei. Through dibur → nekudah illuminates to heart → charafos nullified → ahavah kedoshah revealed. §2: Talmud Torah b'feh malei = illuminating nekudah through speech to heart. Purpose: lavo lidei ma'aseh. Torah = tavlin for yetzer hara (whose power = ahavas ra'os from sh'viras keilim). "Imru bilvavechem" / "Koshrem al libecha" / "B'ficha uvilvavecha la'asoso." §3: V'hodatam l'vanecha v'livnai vanecha = three nekudos. Self-study = minei u'vei. Son = nekudas hachaveirim ("tovim hashnayim"). Grandson = chut hameshulash → nekudas haRav/zakain. Three Avos: Avraham (minei u'vei, first in world), Yitzchak (tovim hashnayim), Yaakov (chut hameshulash → mittaso shleimah). Before completion: Yishmael/Eisav = cherpah/sh'virah from malchin kadma'in. Three generations of TC = nekudah in all three aspects = Torah endures. §4: Precedence to sons because nekudah drawn from father through birth (zera Yisrael from Avraham). Shalsheles hayuchasin. Nekudah = bris = tzadik yesod olam = channel of all neshamos. All Yisrael are nimolim = tzadikim ("V'amech kulam tzadikim"). But zuhamas hanachash/sh'viras keilim hides nekudah at birth → father must rectify by speaking Torah with son. §5: Kri'as Shema = or hanekudah = emunah ("kol mitzvosecha emunah," "v'tzadik be'emunaso yichyeh"). "V'hayu hadevarim" = nekudah klaliyus (Moshe). "V'shinantam l'vanecha" = nekudas hachaveirim. "V'dibarta bam" = minei u'vei. §6: "B'shivtecha b'veisecha" etc. = bind oneself to the nekudah shayach l'libo ba'eis hazos — at every time, in every situation. Even in descent. "L'eis m'tzo" = finding the nekudah according to the time. This is the ikkar of hisbodedus: always speak, even when it seems impossible, for the charafos lev want to conceal the nekudah. Force open the mouth → Hashem will help. §7: Most mitzvos are time-bound because nekudah received according to the time: tefillin on weekdays, kedusha of Shabbos/YT, matzah/lulav/shofar at their times. Even non-time-bound mitzvos vary by day and person ("Avicha b'mai zahir tfei?"). Shir shel yom, weekly sidros, "yom l'yom yabia omer." §8: "Golmi ra'u einecha" — Hashem showed Adam all generations. "V'lo echad bahem" = Shabbos = ikkar hanekudah. Essential nekudah is one; light differs per person and day but tachlis = echad = "Shema Yisrael." "Avarcha es Hashem b'chol eis" / "B'chol yom avarecheka." "Va'eschanan el Hashem ba'eis hahi" — Moshe = nekudah klaliyus, always prayed "ba'eis hahi." §9: Yosef = tzadik = nekudah. Called "ben zekunim" — for nekudah in completeness illuminates through the zakain/three Avos chain (father → son → grandson). document.querySelectorAll('.hebrew-toggle').forEach(btn => { btn.addEventListener('click', function() { const block = this.nextElementSibling; if (block && block.classList.contains('hebrew-block')) block.classList.toggle('visible');

Oas 4 And this is the aspect of what is found in the Midrash: “I am black but beautiful” (Shir HaShirim 1:5) — “I am black” during the weekdays, “but beautiful” on Shabbos. For this verse “I am black but beautiful” alludes to the holy path of “Azamra” mentioned above, and as is explained among us in Hilchos Hashkamas HaBoker, Halacha 1 (see there) — that the souls of Yisrael say to the nations and the Sitra Achra who want to make them fall, chas v’shalom, by showing them their ugly deeds. And then Yisrael respond to them: “I am black but beautiful.” It is true that I am black with my bad deeds, but “beautiful am I” with the good points of the mitzvos and good deeds that are still found in me — as Rashi explains there: “I am black” with my deeds, “but beautiful” with the deeds of my forefathers. And even among my own deeds there are some that are beautiful — if I have the sin of the Golden Calf, I have against it the merit of receiving the Torah. This is as above, for this is the holy path of “Azamra l’Elokai b’odi” that our master, our teacher and our rebbe, of blessed memory, revealed. But this holy path — its essential illumination is drawn through the holiness of Shabbos, which is the aspect of the holiness of the true Tzaddik, as above. And this is what is found in the Midrash on this verse: “I am black” with my deeds, “but beautiful” with the deeds of my forefathers; “I am black” all the days of the week, “but beautiful” on Shabbos. And there it further enumerates many more: “I am black” in Mitzrayim, “but beautiful” in Mitzrayim; “I am black” in Mitzrayim — “they rebelled against Me,” etc.; “but beautiful” in Mitzrayim — with the blood of the Pesach offering and the blood of circumcision, as is written, “And I passed over you and I saw you wallowing in your bloods, and I said to you: ‘In your blood, live!’” (Yechezkel 16:6) — this is the blood of the Pesach, “and I said to you,” etc. — this is the blood of the circumcision. “I am black” at the Sea, as is said, “They rebelled at the Sea,” etc. (Tehillim 106:7). “But beautiful” at the Sea, as is said, “This is my G-d and I will beautify Him,” etc. (Shemos 15:2). And so it enumerates there many more instances where they sinned greatly, yet in that very place they also merited much good. And all of this is the aspect of the aforementioned holy path of “Azamra l’Elokai b’odi,” as above.

And for this one needs much prayer and supplication, in the aspect of "for this let every pious one pray to You at the time of finding." "At the time of finding" specifically, as mentioned above. For this is the primary hisbodedus and conversation between oneself and one's Creator, about which Rabbeinu of blessed memory warned us greatly. For one must always strengthen oneself to increase in conversation between oneself and one's Creator — for the way of a person who wants to engage in this is that it always seems to him that now he cannot speak, and he does not know what to speak, and his heart is very sealed etc. — as is known to everyone who enters into this. And all this is because at every time the charafos lev, sh'viras lev, intensify and want to hide and conceal from him the light of his holy nekudah that pertains to his heart at that time. Therefore it seems to him that at that time he cannot speak. But in truth it is a complete falsehood, and it is only the work of the adversary. For if he says so, it will seem so to him always — that now he has no heart to speak — and he will never speak, G-d forbid. But in truth he must strengthen himself and know and believe that certainly there is no time in the world when he cannot bind himself to the nekudah that pertains to his heart at that time. Therefore he must strive greatly to speak whatever he can, and to seek and search through his words for his holy nekudah. And if he strengthens himself and forces himself to open his mouth against his will, to speak always — certainly Hashem, blessed be He, will help him and open his mouth and heart, until he will always merit binding himself to the nekudah that pertains to his heart at that time, through which everything will be rectified, as mentioned above. And there is still much to speak about this, but it is impossible to explain things like these well. And one who truly desires will understand a little from these words of ours, and will strengthen himself in hisbodedus and conversation between himself and his Creator and with his friends and his Rav, always, however it may be. ☰ Hebrew § 7 And this is the aspect of the generality of the entire Torah: to illuminate the light of the holy nekudah, as mentioned above. And therefore most of the mitzvos of the Torah are dependent on time and season. For one must receive the light of the nekudah according to the time and season: for example, on weekdays one receives the nekudah through tefillin; on Shabbos and Yom Tov through the holiness of the day itself; on Pesach through eating matzah and the four cups etc.; on Sukkos through sukkah and lulav; on Rosh Hashanah through shofar etc. And similarly at other holy seasons. And similarly, even the mitzvos that apply at all times — certainly no day is like another and no person is like another. For on this day Hashem, blessed be He, arranges for him the mitzvah of visiting the sick; on this day the mitzvah of clothing the naked; on another day hosting a bride; and similarly. And no person is like another — as we have seen with all the tzadikim and G-d-fearing people who came before us: this one engaged more in Torah, this one more in tefilah, this one was more careful with this mitzvah and this one with another. And as our Sages of blessed memory said: "In what was your father most careful?" And as is brought in the writings of the Ari z"l regarding this. And everything is according to the nekudah that pertains to one's heart at that time, as mentioned above. And similarly, the study of each day is not like the next — for on this day one studies here, and tomorrow in another place, or in a different book further on, or in a completely different book. And this is the aspect of the shir shel yom [song of the day] — for each and every day has its own special song, according to the holy nekudah that pertains to the hearts of the children of Israel collectively on that day. For there are many aspects in this matter, both collectively for Israel and individually, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the sidros of the Torah [weekly Torah portions] — that each week a different seder is read from the Torah. And also the seder is divided into seven parashiyos, corresponding to the seven days of the week — all in order to receive each week and each day the light of the nekudah that pertains to one's heart at that particular time specifically, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of "Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night expresses knowledge" (Psalms 19:3). For everything is according to the time and season — and accordingly, speech is drawn from Above. And each person must strive and strengthen himself to speak the words according to the time, in order to bind himself to the nekudah that pertains to his heart at that time, as mentioned above. ☰ Hebrew § 8 And this is the aspect of "My unformed substance Your eyes saw, and in Your book they were all written — the days that were formed, and for it (v'lo) one among them" (Psalms 139:16). "V'lo echad bahem" — this is Shabbos, which is the primary holy nekudah, in the aspect of "an eternal covenant between Me and the children of Israel; it is a sign forever" (Exodus 31:17) etc. And this nekudah illuminates in all the days and in all people, in the aspect of "my unformed substance Your eyes saw" etc. — which are the generality of all people in all generations, as our Sages of blessed memory said on this verse: "This teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, showed Adam Harishon every generation and its expounders" etc. And all people in all the days that they are alive must receive the light of the nekudah according to the day — which is the aspect of "the days that were formed, and for it one among them." For in truth the essential nekudah is one — only the light that each person receives from it is according to the person and according to the day. But the ultimate goal of all the nekudos is one — to recognize the One and Unique One, in the aspect of "Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad," which is the primary nekudah, as mentioned above. And this is: "I will bless Hashem at every time; His praise is always in my mouth" (Psalms 34:2). And this is: "Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your Name forever and ever" (Psalms 145:2). For at every time and every day one must bless and praise Hashem, blessed be He, and lay out one's conversation before Him — for at every time and every day, at whatever level one is, there is an aspect of a holy nekudah that pertains to one's heart at that particular time specifically, and one must bind oneself to that nekudah, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of "And I beseeched (va'eschanan) Hashem at that time, saying" (Deuteronomy 3:23). "At that time" specifically. For Moshe merited this: that his prayer and supplication was always in the aspect of "at that time," as mentioned above — for Moshe is the all-inclusive nekudah that includes all the nekudos of all people and of all times and seasons. And therefore he merited that he always directed his prayer "at that time" — to bind himself to the nekudah that pertained to his heart at that time, as mentioned above. [This section pertains to what was said above.] ☰ Hebrew § 9 And Yosef, who is the aspect of the tzadik, the aspect of the aforementioned nekudah — therefore it is said of him, "for he is the son of his old age (ben zekunim)" (Genesis 37:3). For the nekudah in completeness illuminates through the aspect of the zakain of kedushah — that is, when it illuminates through the aspect of the three Avos, from father to son to grandson, as mentioned above. And therefore Yosef, who is the aspect of the light of the nekudah in completeness, is called ben zekunim, as mentioned above. Translator's Summary Based on LM I:34 ("V'atem tih'yu li mamleches kohanim"). Core concept: the nekudah (holy point) in every Jew, and the three modes of receiving/illuminating it: (1) from the tzadik/Rav (nekudah klaliyus), (2) from friends/fellows (nekudas hachaveirim, "umekablin dein min dein"), (3) from within oneself (minei u'vei, through hisbodedus). Light of the nekudah illuminates from mouth → heart (pi yedaber chachmos → v'hagus libi tevunos), nullifying the charafos/sheviros (fallen loves/desires from sh'viras keilim) that rest upon the heart. §1: Summary of LM I:34. Three nekudos: tzadik, chaveirim, minei u'vei. Through dibur → nekudah illuminates to heart → charafos nullified → ahavah kedoshah revealed. §2: Talmud Torah b'feh malei = illuminating nekudah through speech to heart. Purpose: lavo lidei ma'aseh. Torah = tavlin for yetzer hara (whose power = ahavas ra'os from sh'viras keilim). "Imru bilvavechem" / "Koshrem al libecha" / "B'ficha uvilvavecha la'asoso." §3: V'hodatam l'vanecha v'livnai vanecha = three nekudos. Self-study = minei u'vei. Son = nekudas hachaveirim ("tovim hashnayim"). Grandson = chut hameshulash → nekudas haRav/zakain. Three Avos: Avraham (minei u'vei, first in world), Yitzchak (tovim hashnayim), Yaakov (chut hameshulash → mittaso shleimah). Before completion: Yishmael/Eisav = cherpah/sh'virah from malchin kadma'in. Three generations of TC = nekudah in all three aspects = Torah endures. §4: Precedence to sons because nekudah drawn from father through birth (zera Yisrael from Avraham). Shalsheles hayuchasin. Nekudah = bris = tzadik yesod olam = channel of all neshamos. All Yisrael are nimolim = tzadikim ("V'amech kulam tzadikim"). But zuhamas hanachash/sh'viras keilim hides nekudah at birth → father must rectify by speaking Torah with son. §5: Kri'as Shema = or hanekudah = emunah ("kol mitzvosecha emunah," "v'tzadik be'emunaso yichyeh"). "V'hayu hadevarim" = nekudah klaliyus (Moshe). "V'shinantam l'vanecha" = nekudas hachaveirim. "V'dibarta bam" = minei u'vei. §6: "B'shivtecha b'veisecha" etc. = bind oneself to the nekudah shayach l'libo ba'eis hazos — at every time, in every situation. Even in descent. "L'eis m'tzo" = finding the nekudah according to the time. This is the ikkar of hisbodedus: always speak, even when it seems impossible, for the charafos lev want to conceal the nekudah. Force open the mouth → Hashem will help. §7: Most mitzvos are time-bound because nekudah received according to the time: tefillin on weekdays, kedusha of Shabbos/YT, matzah/lulav/shofar at their times. Even non-time-bound mitzvos vary by day and person ("Avicha b'mai zahir tfei?"). Shir shel yom, weekly sidros, "yom l'yom yabia omer." §8: "Golmi ra'u einecha" — Hashem showed Adam all generations. "V'lo echad bahem" = Shabbos = ikkar hanekudah. Essential nekudah is one; light differs per person and day but tachlis = echad = "Shema Yisrael." "Avarcha es Hashem b'chol eis" / "B'chol yom avarecheka." "Va'eschanan el Hashem ba'eis hahi" — Moshe = nekudah klaliyus, always prayed "ba'eis hahi." §9: Yosef = tzadik = nekudah. Called "ben zekunim" — for nekudah in completeness illuminates through the zakain/three Avos chain (father → son → grandson). document.querySelectorAll('.hebrew-toggle').forEach(btn => { btn.addEventListener('click', function() { const block = this.nextElementSibling; if (block && block.classList.contains('hebrew-block')) block.classList.toggle('visible');

And for this one needs much prayer and supplication, in the aspect of "for this let every pious one pray to You at the time of finding." "At the time of finding" specifically, as mentioned above. For this is the primary hisbodedus and conversation between oneself and one's Creator, about which Rabbeinu of blessed memory warned us greatly. For one must always strengthen oneself to increase in conversation between oneself and one's Creator — for the way of a person who wants to engage in this is that it always seems to him that now he cannot speak, and he does not know what to speak, and his heart is very sealed etc. — as is known to everyone who enters into this. And all this is because at every time the charafos lev, sh'viras lev, intensify and want to hide and conceal from him the light of his holy nekudah that pertains to his heart at that time. Therefore it seems to him that at that time he cannot speak. But in truth it is a complete falsehood, and it is only the work of the adversary. For if he says so, it will seem so to him always — that now he has no heart to speak — and he will never speak, G-d forbid. But in truth he must strengthen himself and know and believe that certainly there is no time in the world when he cannot bind himself to the nekudah that pertains to his heart at that time. Therefore he must strive greatly to speak whatever he can, and to seek and search through his words for his holy nekudah. And if he strengthens himself and forces himself to open his mouth against his will, to speak always — certainly Hashem, blessed be He, will help him and open his mouth and heart, until he will always merit binding himself to the nekudah that pertains to his heart at that time, through which everything will be rectified, as mentioned above. And there is still much to speak about this, but it is impossible to explain things like these well. And one who truly desires will understand a little from these words of ours, and will strengthen himself in hisbodedus and conversation between himself and his Creator and with his friends and his Rav, always, however it may be. ☰ Hebrew § 7 And this is the aspect of the generality of the entire Torah: to illuminate the light of the holy nekudah, as mentioned above. And therefore most of the mitzvos of the Torah are dependent on time and season. For one must receive the light of the nekudah according to the time and season: for example, on weekdays one receives the nekudah through tefillin; on Shabbos and Yom Tov through the holiness of the day itself; on Pesach through eating matzah and the four cups etc.; on Sukkos through sukkah and lulav; on Rosh Hashanah through shofar etc. And similarly at other holy seasons. And similarly, even the mitzvos that apply at all times — certainly no day is like another and no person is like another. For on this day Hashem, blessed be He, arranges for him the mitzvah of visiting the sick; on this day the mitzvah of clothing the naked; on another day hosting a bride; and similarly. And no person is like another — as we have seen with all the tzadikim and G-d-fearing people who came before us: this one engaged more in Torah, this one more in tefilah, this one was more careful with this mitzvah and this one with another. And as our Sages of blessed memory said: "In what was your father most careful?" And as is brought in the writings of the Ari z"l regarding this. And everything is according to the nekudah that pertains to one's heart at that time, as mentioned above. And similarly, the study of each day is not like the next — for on this day one studies here, and tomorrow in another place, or in a different book further on, or in a completely different book. And this is the aspect of the shir shel yom [song of the day] — for each and every day has its own special song, according to the holy nekudah that pertains to the hearts of the children of Israel collectively on that day. For there are many aspects in this matter, both collectively for Israel and individually, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the sidros of the Torah [weekly Torah portions] — that each week a different seder is read from the Torah. And also the seder is divided into seven parashiyos, corresponding to the seven days of the week — all in order to receive each week and each day the light of the nekudah that pertains to one's heart at that particular time specifically, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of "Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night expresses knowledge" (Psalms 19:3). For everything is according to the time and season — and accordingly, speech is drawn from Above. And each person must strive and strengthen himself to speak the words according to the time, in order to bind himself to the nekudah that pertains to his heart at that time, as mentioned above. ☰ Hebrew § 8 And this is the aspect of "My unformed substance Your eyes saw, and in Your book they were all written — the days that were formed, and for it (v'lo) one among them" (Psalms 139:16). "V'lo echad bahem" — this is Shabbos, which is the primary holy nekudah, in the aspect of "an eternal covenant between Me and the children of Israel; it is a sign forever" (Exodus 31:17) etc. And this nekudah illuminates in all the days and in all people, in the aspect of "my unformed substance Your eyes saw" etc. — which are the generality of all people in all generations, as our Sages of blessed memory said on this verse: "This teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, showed Adam Harishon every generation and its expounders" etc. And all people in all the days that they are alive must receive the light of the nekudah according to the day — which is the aspect of "the days that were formed, and for it one among them." For in truth the essential nekudah is one — only the light that each person receives from it is according to the person and according to the day. But the ultimate goal of all the nekudos is one — to recognize the One and Unique One, in the aspect of "Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad," which is the primary nekudah, as mentioned above. And this is: "I will bless Hashem at every time; His praise is always in my mouth" (Psalms 34:2). And this is: "Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your Name forever and ever" (Psalms 145:2). For at every time and every day one must bless and praise Hashem, blessed be He, and lay out one's conversation before Him — for at every time and every day, at whatever level one is, there is an aspect of a holy nekudah that pertains to one's heart at that particular time specifically, and one must bind oneself to that nekudah, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of "And I beseeched (va'eschanan) Hashem at that time, saying" (Deuteronomy 3:23). "At that time" specifically. For Moshe merited this: that his prayer and supplication was always in the aspect of "at that time," as mentioned above — for Moshe is the all-inclusive nekudah that includes all the nekudos of all people and of all times and seasons. And therefore he merited that he always directed his prayer "at that time" — to bind himself to the nekudah that pertained to his heart at that time, as mentioned above. [This section pertains to what was said above.] ☰ Hebrew § 9 And Yosef, who is the aspect of the tzadik, the aspect of the aforementioned nekudah — therefore it is said of him, "for he is the son of his old age (ben zekunim)" (Genesis 37:3). For the nekudah in completeness illuminates through the aspect of the zakain of kedushah — that is, when it illuminates through the aspect of the three Avos, from father to son to grandson, as mentioned above. And therefore Yosef, who is the aspect of the light of the nekudah in completeness, is called ben zekunim, as mentioned above. Translator's Summary Based on LM I:34 ("V'atem tih'yu li mamleches kohanim"). Core concept: the nekudah (holy point) in every Jew, and the three modes of receiving/illuminating it: (1) from the tzadik/Rav (nekudah klaliyus), (2) from friends/fellows (nekudas hachaveirim, "umekablin dein min dein"), (3) from within oneself (minei u'vei, through hisbodedus). Light of the nekudah illuminates from mouth → heart (pi yedaber chachmos → v'hagus libi tevunos), nullifying the charafos/sheviros (fallen loves/desires from sh'viras keilim) that rest upon the heart. §1: Summary of LM I:34. Three nekudos: tzadik, chaveirim, minei u'vei. Through dibur → nekudah illuminates to heart → charafos nullified → ahavah kedoshah revealed. §2: Talmud Torah b'feh malei = illuminating nekudah through speech to heart. Purpose: lavo lidei ma'aseh. Torah = tavlin for yetzer hara (whose power = ahavas ra'os from sh'viras keilim). "Imru bilvavechem" / "Koshrem al libecha" / "B'ficha uvilvavecha la'asoso." §3: V'hodatam l'vanecha v'livnai vanecha = three nekudos. Self-study = minei u'vei. Son = nekudas hachaveirim ("tovim hashnayim"). Grandson = chut hameshulash → nekudas haRav/zakain. Three Avos: Avraham (minei u'vei, first in world), Yitzchak (tovim hashnayim), Yaakov (chut hameshulash → mittaso shleimah). Before completion: Yishmael/Eisav = cherpah/sh'virah from malchin kadma'in. Three generations of TC = nekudah in all three aspects = Torah endures. §4: Precedence to sons because nekudah drawn from father through birth (zera Yisrael from Avraham). Shalsheles hayuchasin. Nekudah = bris = tzadik yesod olam = channel of all neshamos. All Yisrael are nimolim = tzadikim ("V'amech kulam tzadikim"). But zuhamas hanachash/sh'viras keilim hides nekudah at birth → father must rectify by speaking Torah with son. §5: Kri'as Shema = or hanekudah = emunah ("kol mitzvosecha emunah," "v'tzadik be'emunaso yichyeh"). "V'hayu hadevarim" = nekudah klaliyus (Moshe). "V'shinantam l'vanecha" = nekudas hachaveirim. "V'dibarta bam" = minei u'vei. §6: "B'shivtecha b'veisecha" etc. = bind oneself to the nekudah shayach l'libo ba'eis hazos — at every time, in every situation. Even in descent. "L'eis m'tzo" = finding the nekudah according to the time. This is the ikkar of hisbodedus: always speak, even when it seems impossible, for the charafos lev want to conceal the nekudah. Force open the mouth → Hashem will help. §7: Most mitzvos are time-bound because nekudah received according to the time: tefillin on weekdays, kedusha of Shabbos/YT, matzah/lulav/shofar at their times. Even non-time-bound mitzvos vary by day and person ("Avicha b'mai zahir tfei?"). Shir shel yom, weekly sidros, "yom l'yom yabia omer." §8: "Golmi ra'u einecha" — Hashem showed Adam all generations. "V'lo echad bahem" = Shabbos = ikkar hanekudah. Essential nekudah is one; light differs per person and day but tachlis = echad = "Shema Yisrael." "Avarcha es Hashem b'chol eis" / "B'chol yom avarecheka." "Va'eschanan el Hashem ba'eis hahi" — Moshe = nekudah klaliyus, always prayed "ba'eis hahi." §9: Yosef = tzadik = nekudah. Called "ben zekunim" — for nekudah in completeness illuminates through the zakain/three Avos chain (father → son → grandson). document.querySelectorAll('.hebrew-toggle').forEach(btn => { btn.addEventListener('click', function() { const block = this.nextElementSibling; if (block && block.classList.contains('hebrew-block')) block.classList.toggle('visible');

And for this one needs much prayer and supplication, in the aspect of "for this let every pious one pray to You at the time of finding." "At the time of finding" specifically, as mentioned above. For this is the primary hisbodedus and conversation between oneself and one's Creator, about which Rabbeinu of blessed memory warned us greatly. For one must always strengthen oneself to increase in conversation between oneself and one's Creator — for the way of a person who wants to engage in this is that it always seems to him that now he cannot speak, and he does not know what to speak, and his heart is very sealed etc. — as is known to everyone who enters into this. And all this is because at every time the charafos lev, sh'viras lev, intensify and want to hide and conceal from him the light of his holy nekudah that pertains to his heart at that time. Therefore it seems to him that at that time he cannot speak. But in truth it is a complete falsehood, and it is only the work of the adversary. For if he says so, it will seem so to him always — that now he has no heart to speak — and he will never speak, G-d forbid. But in truth he must strengthen himself and know and believe that certainly there is no time in the world when he cannot bind himself to the nekudah that pertains to his heart at that time. Therefore he must strive greatly to speak whatever he can, and to seek and search through his words for his holy nekudah. And if he strengthens himself and forces himself to open his mouth against his will, to speak always — certainly Hashem, blessed be He, will help him and open his mouth and heart, until he will always merit binding himself to the nekudah that pertains to his heart at that time, through which everything will be rectified, as mentioned above. And there is still much to speak about this, but it is impossible to explain things like these well. And one who truly desires will understand a little from these words of ours, and will strengthen himself in hisbodedus and conversation between himself and his Creator and with his friends and his Rav, always, however it may be. ☰ Hebrew § 7 And this is the aspect of the generality of the entire Torah: to illuminate the light of the holy nekudah, as mentioned above. And therefore most of the mitzvos of the Torah are dependent on time and season. For one must receive the light of the nekudah according to the time and season: for example, on weekdays one receives the nekudah through tefillin; on Shabbos and Yom Tov through the holiness of the day itself; on Pesach through eating matzah and the four cups etc.; on Sukkos through sukkah and lulav; on Rosh Hashanah through shofar etc. And similarly at other holy seasons. And similarly, even the mitzvos that apply at all times — certainly no day is like another and no person is like another. For on this day Hashem, blessed be He, arranges for him the mitzvah of visiting the sick; on this day the mitzvah of clothing the naked; on another day hosting a bride; and similarly. And no person is like another — as we have seen with all the tzadikim and G-d-fearing people who came before us: this one engaged more in Torah, this one more in tefilah, this one was more careful with this mitzvah and this one with another. And as our Sages of blessed memory said: "In what was your father most careful?" And as is brought in the writings of the Ari z"l regarding this. And everything is according to the nekudah that pertains to one's heart at that time, as mentioned above. And similarly, the study of each day is not like the next — for on this day one studies here, and tomorrow in another place, or in a different book further on, or in a completely different book. And this is the aspect of the shir shel yom [song of the day] — for each and every day has its own special song, according to the holy nekudah that pertains to the hearts of the children of Israel collectively on that day. For there are many aspects in this matter, both collectively for Israel and individually, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the sidros of the Torah [weekly Torah portions] — that each week a different seder is read from the Torah. And also the seder is divided into seven parashiyos, corresponding to the seven days of the week — all in order to receive each week and each day the light of the nekudah that pertains to one's heart at that particular time specifically, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of "Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night expresses knowledge" (Psalms 19:3). For everything is according to the time and season — and accordingly, speech is drawn from Above. And each person must strive and strengthen himself to speak the words according to the time, in order to bind himself to the nekudah that pertains to his heart at that time, as mentioned above. ☰ Hebrew § 8 And this is the aspect of "My unformed substance Your eyes saw, and in Your book they were all written — the days that were formed, and for it (v'lo) one among them" (Psalms 139:16). "V'lo echad bahem" — this is Shabbos, which is the primary holy nekudah, in the aspect of "an eternal covenant between Me and the children of Israel; it is a sign forever" (Exodus 31:17) etc. And this nekudah illuminates in all the days and in all people, in the aspect of "my unformed substance Your eyes saw" etc. — which are the generality of all people in all generations, as our Sages of blessed memory said on this verse: "This teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, showed Adam Harishon every generation and its expounders" etc. And all people in all the days that they are alive must receive the light of the nekudah according to the day — which is the aspect of "the days that were formed, and for it one among them." For in truth the essential nekudah is one — only the light that each person receives from it is according to the person and according to the day. But the ultimate goal of all the nekudos is one — to recognize the One and Unique One, in the aspect of "Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad," which is the primary nekudah, as mentioned above. And this is: "I will bless Hashem at every time; His praise is always in my mouth" (Psalms 34:2). And this is: "Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your Name forever and ever" (Psalms 145:2). For at every time and every day one must bless and praise Hashem, blessed be He, and lay out one's conversation before Him — for at every time and every day, at whatever level one is, there is an aspect of a holy nekudah that pertains to one's heart at that particular time specifically, and one must bind oneself to that nekudah, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of "And I beseeched (va'eschanan) Hashem at that time, saying" (Deuteronomy 3:23). "At that time" specifically. For Moshe merited this: that his prayer and supplication was always in the aspect of "at that time," as mentioned above — for Moshe is the all-inclusive nekudah that includes all the nekudos of all people and of all times and seasons. And therefore he merited that he always directed his prayer "at that time" — to bind himself to the nekudah that pertained to his heart at that time, as mentioned above. [This section pertains to what was said above.] ☰ Hebrew § 9 And Yosef, who is the aspect of the tzadik, the aspect of the aforementioned nekudah — therefore it is said of him, "for he is the son of his old age (ben zekunim)" (Genesis 37:3). For the nekudah in completeness illuminates through the aspect of the zakain of kedushah — that is, when it illuminates through the aspect of the three Avos, from father to son to grandson, as mentioned above. And therefore Yosef, who is the aspect of the light of the nekudah in completeness, is called ben zekunim, as mentioned above. Translator's Summary Based on LM I:34 ("V'atem tih'yu li mamleches kohanim"). Core concept: the nekudah (holy point) in every Jew, and the three modes of receiving/illuminating it: (1) from the tzadik/Rav (nekudah klaliyus), (2) from friends/fellows (nekudas hachaveirim, "umekablin dein min dein"), (3) from within oneself (minei u'vei, through hisbodedus). Light of the nekudah illuminates from mouth → heart (pi yedaber chachmos → v'hagus libi tevunos), nullifying the charafos/sheviros (fallen loves/desires from sh'viras keilim) that rest upon the heart. §1: Summary of LM I:34. Three nekudos: tzadik, chaveirim, minei u'vei. Through dibur → nekudah illuminates to heart → charafos nullified → ahavah kedoshah revealed. §2: Talmud Torah b'feh malei = illuminating nekudah through speech to heart. Purpose: lavo lidei ma'aseh. Torah = tavlin for yetzer hara (whose power = ahavas ra'os from sh'viras keilim). "Imru bilvavechem" / "Koshrem al libecha" / "B'ficha uvilvavecha la'asoso." §3: V'hodatam l'vanecha v'livnai vanecha = three nekudos. Self-study = minei u'vei. Son = nekudas hachaveirim ("tovim hashnayim"). Grandson = chut hameshulash → nekudas haRav/zakain. Three Avos: Avraham (minei u'vei, first in world), Yitzchak (tovim hashnayim), Yaakov (chut hameshulash → mittaso shleimah). Before completion: Yishmael/Eisav = cherpah/sh'virah from malchin kadma'in. Three generations of TC = nekudah in all three aspects = Torah endures. §4: Precedence to sons because nekudah drawn from father through birth (zera Yisrael from Avraham). Shalsheles hayuchasin. Nekudah = bris = tzadik yesod olam = channel of all neshamos. All Yisrael are nimolim = tzadikim ("V'amech kulam tzadikim"). But zuhamas hanachash/sh'viras keilim hides nekudah at birth → father must rectify by speaking Torah with son. §5: Kri'as Shema = or hanekudah = emunah ("kol mitzvosecha emunah," "v'tzadik be'emunaso yichyeh"). "V'hayu hadevarim" = nekudah klaliyus (Moshe). "V'shinantam l'vanecha" = nekudas hachaveirim. "V'dibarta bam" = minei u'vei. §6: "B'shivtecha b'veisecha" etc. = bind oneself to the nekudah shayach l'libo ba'eis hazos — at every time, in every situation. Even in descent. "L'eis m'tzo" = finding the nekudah according to the time. This is the ikkar of hisbodedus: always speak, even when it seems impossible, for the charafos lev want to conceal the nekudah. Force open the mouth → Hashem will help. §7: Most mitzvos are time-bound because nekudah received according to the time: tefillin on weekdays, kedusha of Shabbos/YT, matzah/lulav/shofar at their times. Even non-time-bound mitzvos vary by day and person ("Avicha b'mai zahir tfei?"). Shir shel yom, weekly sidros, "yom l'yom yabia omer." §8: "Golmi ra'u einecha" — Hashem showed Adam all generations. "V'lo echad bahem" = Shabbos = ikkar hanekudah. Essential nekudah is one; light differs per person and day but tachlis = echad = "Shema Yisrael." "Avarcha es Hashem b'chol eis" / "B'chol yom avarecheka." "Va'eschanan el Hashem ba'eis hahi" — Moshe = nekudah klaliyus, always prayed "ba'eis hahi." §9: Yosef = tzadik = nekudah. Called "ben zekunim" — for nekudah in completeness illuminates through the zakain/three Avos chain (father → son → grandson). document.querySelectorAll('.hebrew-toggle').forEach(btn => { btn.addEventListener('click', function() { const block = this.nextElementSibling; if (block && block.classList.contains('hebrew-block')) block.classList.toggle('visible');

And also because the primary thing is to bind oneself to the nekudah that pertains to one's heart at that time — and this is the aspect of mishpat. For mishpat is amuda d'emtza'isa [the middle pillar] — that is, one directs the mishpat and does not incline to the right or the left, but rather directs oneself to bind oneself to the nekudah that pertains to one's heart then, at that particular time specifically. In the aspect of "to execute the mishpat of His servant and the mishpat of His people Israel, the matter of each day in its day (d'var yom b'yomo)" (I Kings 8:59). "The matter of each day in its day" specifically — that is, as mentioned above: to direct the mishpat to bind oneself to the nekudah that pertains to one's heart on that day, as mentioned above. For there in that verse it speaks of tefilah and conversation between oneself and one's Creator, as it is written there at the beginning of the verse: "And let these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before Hashem, be near to Hashem our G-d day and night, to execute the mishpat of His servant" etc. "The matter of each day in its day" — that is, as mentioned above: that all the words and supplications that one makes before Hashem, blessed be He, should be in the aspect of mishpat, d'var yom b'yomo — to bind oneself at every time to the nekudah that pertains to one's heart on that day, as mentioned above. And this is what is written there: "to incline our hearts to Him, to walk in all His ways" (I Kings 8:58) etc. For through the aspect of mishpat, the aspect of the aforementioned nekudah — through this one merits inclining the heart to Hashem, blessed be He, as mentioned above. And the connection of the verses is in the manner of "he teaches and then explains": at first one asks to "incline our hearts to Him" etc., and then he explains through what one merits this: through "and let these words of mine with which I have made supplication be near" etc. — that one should merit such hisbodedus that one's words should be close to Hashem, blessed be He, until He draws upon us the aspect of mishpat, the aspect of the aforementioned nekudah that pertains to our heart at that time — the aspect of d'var yom b'yomo. And through this one merits "to incline our hearts to Him, to walk in all His ways," as mentioned above. And this is: "Fortunate are those who guard mishpat" — who guard and direct the mishpat to bind oneself at every time to the nekudah that pertains to one's heart at that time, as mentioned above. This one merits through "doing tzedakah at every time," as mentioned above. ☰ Hebrew § 13 For the primary coming-into-being of time (hishavus hazman) is through tzedakah and chesed, as is explained in the Story of the Seven Beggars, in the story of the Third Day; see there the entire story of the Third Day. It is explained there that the primary coming-into-being of time is through chasadim shel emes [true kindnesses]. Therefore, through tzedakah, which is the aspect of chasadim shel emes — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Tzedakah is repaid only according to the chesed in it, as it says, 'Sow for yourselves for tzedakah and reap according to chesed'" (Hosea 10:12) — therefore through tzedakah, time comes into being. Therefore through it one can bind oneself to the nekudah that pertains to one's heart at that time and moment — since all time comes into being through it, as mentioned above. And see in the aforementioned story of the Third Day, and you will find in it some allusions based on the aforementioned Torah. For it is explained there that there is a Heart of the World that cries out constantly to a Spring etc.; see there well this wondrous and awesome matter. And the matter in brief: there is a Spring that stands upon the mountain etc., and there is a Heart of the World that stands at the edge of the world. And this Heart cries out constantly to the Spring with intense longing etc., and also the Spring longs for the Heart. And this Heart has two weaknesses: one from the intensity of the longing and crying out — that it cries and longs constantly for the Spring; and the other from the sun that pursues it and burns it — because it longs and wants to go and draw close to the Spring. And there is no rest for the Heart except when the great bird comes and spreads its wings over it and shields it from the sun — then it has some respite. And also then, at the time of respite, it gazes also toward the Spring and yearns for it. But since it yearns for it so much, why does it not go and draw close to the Spring? But etc. And this Spring has no time etc. And the general principle: the primary sustaining of the Spring and the Heart in the world is through the K'vad Peh [the one who is "heavy of mouth"] mentioned above — who in truth possesses complete perfection of speech in the utmost completeness, only that he is called k'vad peh because he is heavy of mouth regarding speaking words that are not praises to Hashem, blessed be He. But in truth he possesses an awesome and exalted completeness of speech — for when he begins to speak his songs and riddles etc., they contain all wisdoms, such that there is no creature in the world that would not want to hear him. And this K'vad Peh goes and gathers all the chasadim shel emes and brings them to the Ish Chesed HaEmes [the Man of True Kindness] — and through this, time comes into being. And then he gives a day to the Heart, and the Heart gives the day to the Spring etc. And when this day travels and comes from where it comes — then it comes with wondrous riddles and songs, and everything is according to the day. For there are differences between the days — for there is the first day of the week and the second day etc. And similarly there is Rosh Chodesh and Yamim Tovim and Yom HaKippurim etc.; see there all this well. And although "no person can come to dry land to show this interpretation" — for exceedingly deep are His thoughts in the stories that he told, especially in this awesome story of the Seven Beggars, about which he said that it surpasses them all. And there is no single word in it that does not contain an awesome and exalted intention etc. — nevertheless, whatever allusions we are able to find, we are obligated to toil and find. For things spoken through ruach hakodesh, especially at such an exalted level, bear everything — all words of truth that one finds in them, each according to his understanding. And behold, in this story is explained somewhat the matter of the aforementioned Torah, which speaks of the binding of the heart to the nekudah — upon which depends the rectification of the worlds. For through the binding of the heart to the nekudah, the sh'virah is rectified — which is the rectification of everything. And this is the aspect of the aforementioned story: the Heart cries out constantly to the Spring etc. For the Spring is the root of all good nekudos, as is explained there in the aforementioned Torah — that the nekudah is the aspect of chochmah, a spring (ma'ayan); see there. And therefore the Heart cries out constantly to the Spring — for the primary rectification of the Heart, which is the rectification of the entire world, is through the nekudah, which is the aspect of the Spring, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the weakness that the Heart has because the sun pursues and burns it — this alludes to the heat of the yetzer hara and the desires, which are the fallen loves, which are the charafos lev, sh'viras lev. They pursue the holy heart of the Jewish person and want to burn it, G-d forbid. For all the desires and preoccupations of this world and its confusions — all are called "under the sun (tachas hashemesh)," as is explained throughout the book of Koheles many times, as it is written there, "What profit is there for a person in all his toil that he toils under the sun?" (Ecclesiastes 1:3). And it is written, "who has not seen the evil deed that is done under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 4:3) — that it refers to all the evil deeds done in the world as being done "under the sun." For all the desires and all evil deeds and confusions — all are under time. For above time, there is no hold at all for evil deeds. And the primary marker of time is through the sun, which is the head of all the heavenly bodies through which Hashem, blessed be He, directs time — and therefore all time is called "under the sun." And there specifically is where what happens in the world happens: where each person is tested and refined — whether he will stand against the evil deeds done under the sun. And this holy and awesome Heart mentioned above — even though in truth it is completely clean of all the evil deeds done under the sun, for it speaks of a holy and exalted Heart, as is understood there — nevertheless, the blemishes of the pursuit of this world by other people of the world affect it, which is the aspect of the evil deeds done under the sun. In the aspect of "Indeed, our sicknesses he bore" (Isaiah 53:4), in the aspect of "he was wounded for our transgressions" etc. And this Heart cries out constantly to the Spring with awesome cries and intense longing — for from there is its vitality, as mentioned above. And also this longing and crying out to the Spring is considered a weakness — because it is beyond measure. But the primary rest of the Heart is when the great bird comes and spreads its wings, and then it has respite from the sun. And also then the Heart gazes and longs toward the Spring etc.; see there. And this matter can be alluded to based on what is explained in the Torah "V'yitein oz l'malko" (Torah 78); see there what is explained there regarding the immensity of the greatness of holy speech (dibur dikedushah), which is the primary vitality. And this is the aspect of: "Were it not for the wings of the lungs (kanfei re'ah) that fan upon the heart, the heart would burn the entire body." It is explained there that sometimes the heart burns for Hashem, blessed be He, exceedingly — but it is beyond measure, to the point that it could burn the entire body. But through speech of Torah and tefilah, this heat is cooled so that it should not be beyond measure. And similarly the reverse: sometimes, G-d forbid, a person burns toward the desires of this world so much that it too could burn the entire body, G-d forbid. But through speech of Torah and tefilah, this fire too is cooled. And this is the aspect of "Were it not for the wings of the lungs that fan upon the heart" etc. For the wings of the lungs are the Torah, and they fan upon the heart to save it from both aforementioned conflagrations. And the wings of the lungs — which are the words of Torah and tefilah, called "wings" (as is explained elsewhere) — this is the aspect of the wings of the great bird in the aforementioned story. And as is explained in the Tikunim regarding the aforementioned matter, where it says "were it not for the wings of the lungs that fan upon the heart, the heart would burn the entire body" — and it brings on this the verse: "And the keruvim spread their wings over the kapores" (Exodus 25:20) — "kaparta — this is the heart"; see there.

And also because the primary thing is to bind oneself to the nekudah that pertains to one's heart at that time — and this is the aspect of mishpat. For mishpat is amuda d'emtza'isa [the middle pillar] — that is, one directs the mishpat and does not incline to the right or the left, but rather directs oneself to bind oneself to the nekudah that pertains to one's heart then, at that particular time specifically. In the aspect of "to execute the mishpat of His servant and the mishpat of His people Israel, the matter of each day in its day (d'var yom b'yomo)" (I Kings 8:59). "The matter of each day in its day" specifically — that is, as mentioned above: to direct the mishpat to bind oneself to the nekudah that pertains to one's heart on that day, as mentioned above. For there in that verse it speaks of tefilah and conversation between oneself and one's Creator, as it is written there at the beginning of the verse: "And let these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before Hashem, be near to Hashem our G-d day and night, to execute the mishpat of His servant" etc. "The matter of each day in its day" — that is, as mentioned above: that all the words and supplications that one makes before Hashem, blessed be He, should be in the aspect of mishpat, d'var yom b'yomo — to bind oneself at every time to the nekudah that pertains to one's heart on that day, as mentioned above. And this is what is written there: "to incline our hearts to Him, to walk in all His ways" (I Kings 8:58) etc. For through the aspect of mishpat, the aspect of the aforementioned nekudah — through this one merits inclining the heart to Hashem, blessed be He, as mentioned above. And the connection of the verses is in the manner of "he teaches and then explains": at first one asks to "incline our hearts to Him" etc., and then he explains through what one merits this: through "and let these words of mine with which I have made supplication be near" etc. — that one should merit such hisbodedus that one's words should be close to Hashem, blessed be He, until He draws upon us the aspect of mishpat, the aspect of the aforementioned nekudah that pertains to our heart at that time — the aspect of d'var yom b'yomo. And through this one merits "to incline our hearts to Him, to walk in all His ways," as mentioned above. And this is: "Fortunate are those who guard mishpat" — who guard and direct the mishpat to bind oneself at every time to the nekudah that pertains to one's heart at that time, as mentioned above. This one merits through "doing tzedakah at every time," as mentioned above. ☰ Hebrew § 13 For the primary coming-into-being of time (hishavus hazman) is through tzedakah and chesed, as is explained in the Story of the Seven Beggars, in the story of the Third Day; see there the entire story of the Third Day. It is explained there that the primary coming-into-being of time is through chasadim shel emes [true kindnesses]. Therefore, through tzedakah, which is the aspect of chasadim shel emes — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Tzedakah is repaid only according to the chesed in it, as it says, 'Sow for yourselves for tzedakah and reap according to chesed'" (Hosea 10:12) — therefore through tzedakah, time comes into being. Therefore through it one can bind oneself to the nekudah that pertains to one's heart at that time and moment — since all time comes into being through it, as mentioned above. And see in the aforementioned story of the Third Day, and you will find in it some allusions based on the aforementioned Torah. For it is explained there that there is a Heart of the World that cries out constantly to a Spring etc.; see there well this wondrous and awesome matter. And the matter in brief: there is a Spring that stands upon the mountain etc., and there is a Heart of the World that stands at the edge of the world. And this Heart cries out constantly to the Spring with intense longing etc., and also the Spring longs for the Heart. And this Heart has two weaknesses: one from the intensity of the longing and crying out — that it cries and longs constantly for the Spring; and the other from the sun that pursues it and burns it — because it longs and wants to go and draw close to the Spring. And there is no rest for the Heart except when the great bird comes and spreads its wings over it and shields it from the sun — then it has some respite. And also then, at the time of respite, it gazes also toward the Spring and yearns for it. But since it yearns for it so much, why does it not go and draw close to the Spring? But etc. And this Spring has no time etc. And the general principle: the primary sustaining of the Spring and the Heart in the world is through the K'vad Peh [the one who is "heavy of mouth"] mentioned above — who in truth possesses complete perfection of speech in the utmost completeness, only that he is called k'vad peh because he is heavy of mouth regarding speaking words that are not praises to Hashem, blessed be He. But in truth he possesses an awesome and exalted completeness of speech — for when he begins to speak his songs and riddles etc., they contain all wisdoms, such that there is no creature in the world that would not want to hear him. And this K'vad Peh goes and gathers all the chasadim shel emes and brings them to the Ish Chesed HaEmes [the Man of True Kindness] — and through this, time comes into being. And then he gives a day to the Heart, and the Heart gives the day to the Spring etc. And when this day travels and comes from where it comes — then it comes with wondrous riddles and songs, and everything is according to the day. For there are differences between the days — for there is the first day of the week and the second day etc. And similarly there is Rosh Chodesh and Yamim Tovim and Yom HaKippurim etc.; see there all this well. And although "no person can come to dry land to show this interpretation" — for exceedingly deep are His thoughts in the stories that he told, especially in this awesome story of the Seven Beggars, about which he said that it surpasses them all. And there is no single word in it that does not contain an awesome and exalted intention etc. — nevertheless, whatever allusions we are able to find, we are obligated to toil and find. For things spoken through ruach hakodesh, especially at such an exalted level, bear everything — all words of truth that one finds in them, each according to his understanding. And behold, in this story is explained somewhat the matter of the aforementioned Torah, which speaks of the binding of the heart to the nekudah — upon which depends the rectification of the worlds. For through the binding of the heart to the nekudah, the sh'virah is rectified — which is the rectification of everything. And this is the aspect of the aforementioned story: the Heart cries out constantly to the Spring etc. For the Spring is the root of all good nekudos, as is explained there in the aforementioned Torah — that the nekudah is the aspect of chochmah, a spring (ma'ayan); see there. And therefore the Heart cries out constantly to the Spring — for the primary rectification of the Heart, which is the rectification of the entire world, is through the nekudah, which is the aspect of the Spring, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the weakness that the Heart has because the sun pursues and burns it — this alludes to the heat of the yetzer hara and the desires, which are the fallen loves, which are the charafos lev, sh'viras lev. They pursue the holy heart of the Jewish person and want to burn it, G-d forbid. For all the desires and preoccupations of this world and its confusions — all are called "under the sun (tachas hashemesh)," as is explained throughout the book of Koheles many times, as it is written there, "What profit is there for a person in all his toil that he toils under the sun?" (Ecclesiastes 1:3). And it is written, "who has not seen the evil deed that is done under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 4:3) — that it refers to all the evil deeds done in the world as being done "under the sun." For all the desires and all evil deeds and confusions — all are under time. For above time, there is no hold at all for evil deeds. And the primary marker of time is through the sun, which is the head of all the heavenly bodies through which Hashem, blessed be He, directs time — and therefore all time is called "under the sun." And there specifically is where what happens in the world happens: where each person is tested and refined — whether he will stand against the evil deeds done under the sun. And this holy and awesome Heart mentioned above — even though in truth it is completely clean of all the evil deeds done under the sun, for it speaks of a holy and exalted Heart, as is understood there — nevertheless, the blemishes of the pursuit of this world by other people of the world affect it, which is the aspect of the evil deeds done under the sun. In the aspect of "Indeed, our sicknesses he bore" (Isaiah 53:4), in the aspect of "he was wounded for our transgressions" etc. And this Heart cries out constantly to the Spring with awesome cries and intense longing — for from there is its vitality, as mentioned above. And also this longing and crying out to the Spring is considered a weakness — because it is beyond measure. But the primary rest of the Heart is when the great bird comes and spreads its wings, and then it has respite from the sun. And also then the Heart gazes and longs toward the Spring etc.; see there. And this matter can be alluded to based on what is explained in the Torah "V'yitein oz l'malko" (Torah 78); see there what is explained there regarding the immensity of the greatness of holy speech (dibur dikedushah), which is the primary vitality. And this is the aspect of: "Were it not for the wings of the lungs (kanfei re'ah) that fan upon the heart, the heart would burn the entire body." It is explained there that sometimes the heart burns for Hashem, blessed be He, exceedingly — but it is beyond measure, to the point that it could burn the entire body. But through speech of Torah and tefilah, this heat is cooled so that it should not be beyond measure. And similarly the reverse: sometimes, G-d forbid, a person burns toward the desires of this world so much that it too could burn the entire body, G-d forbid. But through speech of Torah and tefilah, this fire too is cooled. And this is the aspect of "Were it not for the wings of the lungs that fan upon the heart" etc. For the wings of the lungs are the Torah, and they fan upon the heart to save it from both aforementioned conflagrations. And the wings of the lungs — which are the words of Torah and tefilah, called "wings" (as is explained elsewhere) — this is the aspect of the wings of the great bird in the aforementioned story. And as is explained in the Tikunim regarding the aforementioned matter, where it says "were it not for the wings of the lungs that fan upon the heart, the heart would burn the entire body" — and it brings on this the verse: "And the keruvim spread their wings over the kapores" (Exodus 25:20) — "kaparta — this is the heart"; see there.

Yoreh Daya Hilchos Talmud Torah 3 Based on Likutay Moharan I:12 ("T'hilah l'David")

Yoreh Daya Hilchos Talmud Torah 3 Based on Likutay Moharan I:12 ("T'hilah l'David")

Based on Likutay Moharan I:57 ("Vayehi mikaitz — Hashem Elokai gadalta me'od") ☰ Hebrew – Intro Just as it is a mitzvah to teach one's son, so too it is a mitzvah to teach one's grandson, as it says, "And you shall make them known to your sons and your sons' sons" etc. Based on the ma'amar "Vayehi mikaitz — Hashem Elokai gadalta me'od" etc., in the first volume of the Likutay, Torah 57; see there the entire ma'amar. And the general principle: one must guard the zikaron [memory/remembrance] very much — that is, l'adbaka machashavta b'alma d'asei [to attach one's thought to the World to Come] etc. And in order to guard the zikaron, one must guard oneself from falling into the aspect of ra ayin [the evil eye/stinginess/jealousy], which is the death of the nefesh, which is the aspect of shikchah [forgetfulness] etc. And one must also guard the eye from the power of the medameh [the imaginative faculty]. And even one who is not of evil eye must guard himself from this etc. And the power of the medameh comes through the sin of lashon hara [evil speech]. For the power of the medameh is the power of animality — that is, animalistic desires etc. And this power of the medameh was created on erev Shabbos at twilight (bein hashmashos), before the day became sanctified etc. And therefore it rests upon those who study halachos etc. And therefore, when they innovate in the Torah, their innovation is pleasant and accepted — for their innovations are drawn from the power of the medameh etc. However, the evil outweighs the good, and therefore their innovations cause harm to livelihood (parnasah) etc. And to subdue the power of the medameh is through the aspect of yad [hand] — that is, the aspect of simchah [joy], which is the aspect of musical instruments that are played with the hand. Through this, nevuah rests upon the nevi'im etc. For melody with musical instruments — this is the aspect of clarifying the good spirit, the spirit of nevuah, from the evil spirit, from the spirit of sadness etc.; see there all this well. And Avshalom, who had an evil eye — for his eye was evil toward the greatness of his father — therefore he blemished the zikaron as mentioned above; therefore he did not leave behind a male son (ben zachar). And therefore the Egyptians, who are the aspect of the medameh, the aspect of Par'oh etc. — therefore they decreed against the males specifically, which is the aspect of zikaron that is blemished through the power of the medameh, which is the aspect of Par'oh and Egypt. Therefore they decreed, "Every son that is born, into the river you shall cast him" (Exodus 1:22) etc. And Yosef subdues the medameh etc., in the aspect of "And Yosef shall place his hand upon your eyes" (Genesis 46:4) etc. See there all this well. ☰ Hebrew § 1 And this is the aspect of "And you shall make them known to your sons and your sons' sons." The Torah warned us to teach our sons Torah. And the primary obligation is only to learn with the male son (ben zachar) alone — for with his daughter it is forbidden to learn, as our Sages of blessed memory said. Only with the male son is there an obligation to learn Torah with him. For the Torah is the aspect of the aforementioned zikaron — that is, l'adbaka machashavta b'alma d'asei, which is the essence of the Torah. For the entire purpose of the giving of the Torah and its mitzvos to us is only for this — that is, for the sake of the World to Come, so that we should merit and live and inherit the World to Come. For "the reward of Torah and mitzvos in this world — there is none" — only for the World to Come, which is a world that is entirely good and long. It turns out that everyone who engages in Torah and mitzvos is attaching his thought to alma d'asei, which is the aspect of the aforementioned zikaron. And therefore the Torah warned us very much not to forget any of the words of the Torah, as it is written, "Lest you forget the things that your eyes saw etc. the day you stood before Hashem your G-d at Chorev" (Deuteronomy 4:9-10). And as it is written, "And you shall remember all the mitzvos of Hashem" (Numbers 15:39) etc. For the primary thing is the zikaron, which is the aspect of l'adbaka machashavta b'alma d'asei — through which comes the primary fulfillment of the Torah and mitzvos. For when one guards the zikaron well and attaches his thought to alma d'asei and remembers well alma d'asei, he will certainly not be drawn after the desires of his heart. And he will certainly engage only in Torah and mitzvos all his days. And therefore one must learn Torah with the male son specifically. For the male son is the aspect of zikaron as mentioned above — for Avshalom did not leave a male son because of this: because he blemished the zikaron. It turns out that a male son is the aspect of zikaron. Therefore his father must learn Torah with him — for the Torah is the aspect of the aforementioned zikaron. And his father must introduce and make known the Torah, which is the aspect of zikaron — the aspect of l'adbaka machashavta b'alma d'asei — to make this known to his male son, who is also the aspect of zikaron, as mentioned above. ☰ Hebrew § 2 And therefore, even though this obligation is incumbent upon every single Jew — to teach Torah to students, even those who are not his sons, as our Sages of blessed memory said, and as is explained there in the Shulchan Aruch — even so, upon his father the obligation rests most to make known the Torah to his son and his grandson, as it is written, "And you shall make them known to your sons and your sons' sons." For upon his father the obligation rests to clarify and purify the da'as of his son — to bring him out from the power of the medameh and to bring him to the zikaron of kedushah that one merits through the subduing of the medameh, as mentioned above. For this obligation of birur hamedameh — through which one merits the aforementioned zikaron — this obligation rests upon his father most of all. And for this reason a person is greatly warned to sanctify himself at the time of marital relations — to subdue the power of the medameh, which is the animalistic desires, and to clarify the good spirit from the broken spirit, from the spirit of sadness. For the tikun habris [rectification of the covenant] is the aspect of ruach [spirit], as Rabbeinu of blessed memory wrote elsewhere, in the aspect of "and the spirit of no man rose up anymore" (Joshua 2:11) — which is the aspect of Yosef who guarded the bris, about whom it is said, "a man in whom is the spirit of G-d" (Genesis 41:38). And therefore the primary birur hamedameh is through Yosef, who is the aspect of sh'miras habris [guarding the covenant]. And when one guards the bris and subdues the animalistic desires, which are the aspect of the medameh, then one merits zikaron, which is the aspect of a ben zachar, as mentioned above. For then one merits drawing a neshamah from sitra didchura [the male side], which is the aspect of zikaron that is made through birur hamedameh and the subduing of the power of the medameh, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of: "One who wants his children to be males should gladden his wife with a matter of mitzvah." Simchah is the aspect of the subduing of the medameh, which is the aspect of the spirit of sadness, as is explained in the aforementioned ma'amar. For simchah is the aspect of tikun habris. And therefore through this one merits male children — for through the rectification of the medameh, one merits zikaron, which is the aspect of a ben zachar, as mentioned above. And therefore the primary time for marital relations is at night after chatzos [midnight]. For at night is the time of the deposits of the spirits (pikdonos haruchos), and then one clarifies the good spirit from the evil spirit — which is the aspect of a holy union to clarify the good from the evil. And the primary is after chatzos, when the harp of David awakens and plays — which is the aspect of subduing the medameh, the aspect of clarifying the good spirit from the evil spirit, from the spirit of sadness. In the aspect of "I recall my melody at night; with my heart I commune, and my spirit searches" (Psalms 77:7), as is explained at the end of the aforementioned ma'amar; see there. And therefore the primary union is on leil Shabbos [Friday night]. For on Shabbos the medameh is subdued — for it was created on erev Shabbos at twilight and the day became sanctified upon it — and then "all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered" (Psalms 92:10). For it rests upon those who study halachos, which are the aspect of the six orders of Mishnah — the aspect of asur and mutar, kasher and pasul, tamei and tahor — which are the aspect of the six weekdays, as is known. And there is the primary hold of the medameh — that is, in the evil that is mixed in there, which is the aspect of asur and tamei etc. And therefore one needs great exertion during the six weekdays to clarify the good from the evil, the kasher from the pasul, the tahor from the tamei etc. — in order to subdue the medameh etc. And "one who toiled on erev Shabbos shall eat on Shabbos" (as our Sages of blessed memory said; see there). For through this one merits the kedushah of Shabbos, when the medameh is completely nullified — for then, on Shabbos, "all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered." For on Shabbos there is no dominion whatsoever for the power of the medameh — for it rests only upon those who study halachos, which are the aspect of the six weekdays, as mentioned above. But on Shabbos it has no hold whatsoever — for then it is entirely holy, entirely good. And therefore the primary union is on leil Shabbos specifically — for then one can merit zikaron, which is the aspect of a ben zachar, as mentioned above. ☰ Hebrew § 3 And this is the aspect of zikaron that is spoken of in connection with Shabbos, as it is written, "Remember (zachor) the day of Shabbos to sanctify it" (Exodus 20:8). "Zachor" specifically. Shabbos, which is the subduing of the medameh, is the aspect of zikaron — the aspect of l'adbaka machashavta b'alma d'asei, as mentioned above. For Shabbos is a semblance of the World to Come.

And therefore at first he only overpowered those of weak strength, whom the cloud expelled — and they were unable to guard themselves from his evil eye. And this is: "And Amalek came and fought with Israel in Refidim" (Exodus 17:8). And our Sages of blessed memory expounded: "b'rifyon yadayim" [with weakness of hands]. This is the aspect of the weakness of the hands, through which the medameh is subdued — and then the evil eye is also subdued. For the ra ayin overpowers through the power of the medameh, which is also a blemish of the eyes. And through the aspect of the yad, the medameh is subdued and the ra ayin is subdued. And therefore Amalek came upon them through the weakness of hands, as mentioned above. And this is: "And it was, when Moshe raised his hand, Israel prevailed" (Exodus 17:11) etc. "His hand" specifically. For Moshe was able to raise his hand — to clarify through this the good from the medameh and to subdue the evil — through which the ra ayin falls of its own accord. For the primary sustenance of the ra ayin, which is complete evil, is through the medameh in which good and evil are mixed — which is the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the aspect of Nogah, as is known. And when one merits through the aspect of the yad — the aspect of simchah — to subdue the evil in the medameh and to clarify and elevate and raise the good in it to kedushah, through this the completely evil klipos, which are the aspect of ra ayin — complete evil — they fall completely. And this is the aspect of the downfall of Amalek — who is the ra ayin — through the raising of the hand of Moshe, who was the master of all the prophets, who merited the aspaklaria hame'irah [luminous lens]. And all this is the aspect of subduing the medameh through the yad — through which one merits true nevuah, in the aspect of "as Hashem spoke by the hand of Moshe." "By the hand" specifically, as is explained all this in the aforementioned ma'amar. And this is the aspect of the remembrance of yetzias Mitzrayim. For Par'oh and Egypt are the aspect of the power of the medameh, as is explained in the aforementioned ma'amar. And therefore, since they left Egypt and Par'oh and subdued the medameh, and they took the bones of Yosef with them — through which is the primary subduing of the medameh — and afterwards Amalek, who is the ra ayin, came upon them, and they merited subduing and breaking him as well — therefore afterwards they merited Kabbalas HaTorah, which is the aspect of zikaron, the aspect of l'adbaka machashavta b'alma d'asei. For this is the primary purpose of the giving of the Torah and the mitzvos: to merit the life of the World to Come, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the remembrance of the standing at Har Sinai, in the aspect of "Remember the day that you stood before Hashem your G-d at Chorev — lest you forget the things that your eyes saw." "That your eyes saw" specifically, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the remembrance of Shabbos, in the aspect of "Remember the day of Shabbos to sanctify it." For Shabbos is the aspect of alma d'asei, which is the primary zikaron, as mentioned above. ☰ Hebrew § 6 And this is the aspect of what the wicked forget their name after their death. For a person's name is the primary zikaron, in the aspect of "For Your Name and for Your remembrance is the desire of the soul" (Isaiah 26:8). For the primary remembrance of a person after his death is his name alone — for nothing remains of him except his name alone, which is his vitality, in the aspect of "a living soul (nefesh chayah) — that is his name" (Genesis 2:19, as per Midrash). For the name is the nefesh and the vitality of the person, as mentioned above. And it is the primary endurance and remembrance of the person after his death, in the aspect of "and his name shall not be erased from Israel" (Deuteronomy 25:6). For the name is the aspect of zikaron, in the aspect of "This is My Name and this is My remembrance" (Exodus 3:15) etc. And Amalek, who blemished the zikaron through his evil eye — who was jealous of Israel for guarding the zikaron and attaching their thought to alma d'asei, and placing all their toil and effort and service and yearning and longing and desire only for alma d'asei — and he was jealous of them for this and wanted to fight them to weaken, G-d forbid, this aspect of zikaron. And therefore we were commanded to remember the deed of Amalek, as mentioned above. Therefore it is said regarding Amalek: "You have erased their name forever and ever" (Psalms 9:6). For since he blemished the zikaron of kedushah, his name and memory will be erased forever and ever. And therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, swore that "His Name is not complete" etc. until the memory of Amalek is erased. For as long as the memory of Amalek is not completely erased, as it were, the Name is not complete — for the Name is the aspect of zikaron, which is not completed except through the erasing of Amalek, who is the blemish of the zikaron, as mentioned above. And therefore the wicked person, who went during his life after the desires of this world and did not guard the zikaron in this world — l'adbaka machashavta b'alma d'asei — therefore his punishment is measure for measure: he forgets his name after his death, which is the primary blemish of the zikaron, which is the aspect of the name, as mentioned above. But one who merited zikaron and remembered well in this world his end, and attached his thought constantly to alma d'asei — through this his memory and name remain for all generations, and he certainly remembers his name. For he merited zikaron even in his lifetime — for the name is the aspect of zikaron, in the aspect of "This is My Name and this is My remembrance, for all generations", as mentioned above. Translator's Summary Based on LM I:57 ("Vayehi mikaitz — Hashem Elokai gadalta me'od"). Core theme: Zikaron (memory/remembrance) = l'adbaka machashavta b'alma d'asei (attaching thought to the World to Come). Two enemies of zikaron: (1) ra ayin (evil eye), (2) koach hamedameh (power of the imaginative faculty). Subduing the medameh = through yad (hand) = simchah = musical instruments = birur ruach tovah from ruach ra'ah. Intro: Summary of LM I:57. Medameh created erev Shabbos bein hashmashos. Lashon hara → medameh. Avshalom = ra ayin → no ben zachar. Par'oh/Mitzrayim = medameh → decreed on males (= zikaron). Yosef subdues medameh. §1: Must teach Torah to male son specifically. Ben zachar = zikaron. Torah = zikaron = l'adbaka machashavta b'alma d'asei. Entire purpose of Torah/mitzvos = olam haba. §2: Father's obligation: clarify son's da'as from medameh → zikaron dikedushah. Must sanctify self at time of tashmish. Tikun habris = ruach = Yosef. Simchah → subdues medameh → male children. Primary zivug at night after chatzos (kinor shel David). Primary zivug on leil Shabbos: Shabbos = medameh subdued completely (created bein hashmashos; rests on shoneh halachos = 6 weekdays; on Shabbos = kulo kodesh). §3: "Zachor es yom haShabbos" = zikaron. "Zachreihu me'echad b'Shabbos" = remember olam haba (= Shabbos) during weekdays (= olam hazeh). Shabbos = tikun ha'einayim (shin-bas = 3 colors of eye + bas ayin). Large step → takes 1/500th eyesight → restored by Kiddush. Kiddush cup → set eyes on it. Yayin = gematria ayin. Kiddush = 70 words (ayin taivin) = tikun ha'ayin → zikaron. §4: Beirur achar beirur: orlah (ra ayin/complete evil) → milah (mem-lamed = 70 = ayin = tov ayin). Priah → birur hamedameh (thin skin = medameh covering bas ayin/atarah). Tippas Eisav v'Yishmael = trein ananin dimchasyan al einin. Avraham → Yishmael, Yitzchak → Eisav, Yaakov → mittaso shleimah. Father/son/grandson = Avraham/Yitzchak/Yaakov. "Asher ra'u einecha" = pgam ha'einayim → shikchah. TC + son TC + grandson TC: when they SEE each other = tikun ha'einayim = tikun hazikaron in completeness. §5: Five remembrances: (1) Ma'aseh Miriam = subduing medameh (from lashon hara). (2) Ma'aseh Amalek = subduing ra ayin. Ananai hakavod protected from Amalek's evil eye; after they departed → Amalek came. "B'Refidim" = b'rifyon yadayim. Moshe raised his hand → clarifies medameh → ra ayin falls. Aspaklaria hame'irah. "B'yad Moshe." (3) Yetzias Mitzrayim = subduing medameh (Par'oh/Mitzrayim) + atzmos Yosef → then defeated Amalek → Kabbalas HaTorah. (4) Ma'amad Har Sinai = "asher ra'u einecha." (5) Shabbos = alma d'asei. §6: Shem ha'adam = ikkar hazikaron. "Nefesh chayah hu shemo." Rasha → forgets name after death (measure for measure: didn't guard zikaron). Tzadik → name/memory endures. Amalek → "sh'mam machisa" → Name not complete until zeicher Amalek erased. "Zeh shmi v'zeh zichri l'dor dor." document.querySelectorAll('.hebrew-toggle').forEach(btn => { btn.addEventListener('click', function() { const block = this.nextElementSibling; if (block && block.classList.contains('hebrew-block')) block.classList.toggle('visible');

And afterward she immerses in a mikveh of water. And the mikveh is the aspect of olam ha-ba (the World to Come), which is the aspect of Binah. For in olam ha-ba it is written: "ki simalei ha-aretz de'ah es Hashem ka-mayim la-yam mechasim" ("for the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of Hashem as waters cover the sea") — which is the aspect of mikveh. As explained above in the Halachos of Salting and in the Halachos of Immersing Vessels, see there. That is: through the seven clean days — which are in the aspect of the revelation of Chesed comprised of seven days — through this she is cut from the Four Kingdoms, as mentioned. And then she enters the mikveh, which is the aspect of Binah l'va — and through this she rises to the light of the Countenance, as brought in the said discourse — that through the aspect of Binah l'va one rises to the light of the Countenance, see there. And likewise it is stated that through the mikveh one merits the light of the Countenance. And likewise the rectifications of Malchus mentioned are alluded to in the mikveh itself. For the waters of the mikveh are the aspect of waters of Chasadim (the waters of lovingkindness) — through which she is cut from the Sitra Achra, as mentioned. And the waters must be on the earth specifically — for the earth is the aspect of the feet (raglin), as it is written (Yeshayahu 66): "v'ha-aretz hadom raglai" ("and the earth is the footstool of My feet") — which is the aspect of rebuke, as mentioned. And there Chesed is revealed — which is the waters of the mikveh, as mentioned. And she must be covered and concealed inside the mikveh — in the aspect of olam ha-ba, where all things are covered and concealed, in the aspect of "ayin lo ra'asah" etc. ("eye has not seen"). As brought above in the said Halachos. And through this one receives the light of the Countenance — through the aspect of Binah, which is the aspect of the mikveh, as mentioned. For the mikveh is the aspect of Supernal Chesed and great Da'as, as brought elsewhere in Siman 56 — and Da'as is the light of the Countenance, as it is written: "chochmas adam ta'ir panav" ("a man's wisdom illumines his face"). Therefore the measure of the mikveh is forty se'ah — this is the aspect of Binah, as the Sages said (Avos, Chapter 5): "ben arba'im l'vinah" ("at forty, one attains understanding"). Therefore its measurement is one amah by one amah by a height of three amos. And only then does it have the power to bring the menstruant woman from impurity to purity. For the essential rectification and ascent of Malchus is through the aspect of the feet (raglin), as mentioned — which is the aspect of rebuke — for that is where her essential building comes from. And this is the aspect of the Three Festivals — for then is her ascent to the light of the Countenance. Therefore they are called by the name of "feet" (raglin), for the essential ascent [of Malchus] is through the aspect of feet, as mentioned. And this is the aspect of the Three Festivals — for the totality of the feet is three, the aspect of Netzach, Hod, Yesod. That is: through the going up on the pilgrimage festival (aliyah l'regel) by walking with one's feet, through this very walking of the feet one rises to the aspect of the feet — which is the aspect of rebuke. For through the pilgrimage festival there was a great arousal to the service of Hashem the Blessed — for they would arouse one another through their very journeying. As we find regarding Elkanah, of whom it is written: "va-ya'al ha-ish ha-hu mei-iro mi-yamim yamimah" ("and that man went up from his city year by year"). And the Sages of blessed memory said: the road by which he went up one year he would not go up the next, in order to arouse the world and rebuke them to make the pilgrimage. And through this — that they were walking to make the pilgrimage, which is the aspect of rebuke as mentioned — through this Chesed is revealed, as mentioned. And this is: "mah yafu fe'amayich ba-ne'alim bas nadiv" ("how beautiful are your feet in sandals, O noble's daughter") — which Rashi explained regarding their going up on the pilgrimage by foot. And this is "noble's daughter" (bas nadiv) — for through this Chesed is revealed, which is the aspect of Avraham who is called "nadiv" (generous). And this is "daughter of a generous one" (bas nadiv) — for through this Malchus rises through Chesed of Avraham. And then she is in the aspect of "bas hadayah lo l'Avraham" ("Avraham had a daughter") — as is explained there. And through this they went up to see the face of Hashem — which is the aspect of its ascent to the light of the Countenance, as mentioned. And this is the aspect of the measurement of the mikveh: one amah by one amah by a height of three amos. This is the aspect of the Three Festivals — from which the essential beginning of her ascent comes, as mentioned. And this is the aspect of one amah by one amah — this is the aspect of Tzaddik Yesod Olam, who comprises all three festivals and is called by the name amah, as our Rebbe (may his light shine) said in Siman 63 — that this is the aspect of an amah of six handbreadths (tefachim), see there. And the essential rectification [of Malchus] is through him, as it is written: "yihalmeini tzaddik Chesed v'yochicheini" ("let the righteous one strike me with Chesed and rebuke me"). For the essential rebuke — the aspect of feet through which [Malchus] is rectified — is through the aspect of the Tzaddik, who comprises all three festivals, as mentioned. Also, the height of three amos alludes to the three ascents [Malchus] must make. For the beginning of her rectification is through rebuke, which is the aspect of feet. This is the aspect of ascending to Netzach, Hod, Yesod. And there Chesed is revealed. This is the aspect of ascending to Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferes. And through this she ascends to the light of the Countenance. This is the aspect of ascending to Chochmah, Binah, Da'as — which is the light of the Countenance. And Elkanah, who was very careful to fulfill the commandment of the pilgrimage festival in its proper form, as mentioned, and who would rebuke the children of Israel as mentioned — therefore he merited to beget a son who began to elevate Malchus. For Shmuel began to elevate Malchus — for he merited to anoint the first kings of Israel: Shaul and David. And therefore the essential [existence of] the kingdom of Shaul was dependent on wiping out Amalek — for Shaul the king, who was the first king of Israel and from whom began the ascent of Malchus to holiness, was therefore compelled to wipe out the memory of Amalek, who comprises the Four Kingdoms, as mentioned. And because he was not careful in this and left Agag king of Amalek alive, therefore his kingdom was cut off. For the essential sustaining of Malchus depends on wiping out Amalek, as mentioned. And this is what Shmuel said: "Osi shalach Hashem limashchacha l'melech al Yisrael v'atah lech v'hikisa es Amalek" etc. ("Hashem sent me to anoint you as king over Israel — now go and smite Amalek"). For one depends on the other — since you have been anointed as king over Israel, you must wipe out the memory of Amalek, as mentioned. And therefore Shaul was commanded at the beginning of his reign: "shivas yamim tochal ad bo'i eilecha" ("you shall wait seven days until I come to you"). For because he was the first king, and at that time was the beginning of the ascent of Malchus, therefore he needed to wait seven days — in the aspect of the seven clean days, as mentioned. And because he was not careful in this, therefore from then on his kingdom began to be cut off. And this is what the Sages of blessed memory specified and said: that his kingdom was cut off because he transgressed the words of a prophet — specifically "the words of a prophet". For a king must especially fulfill the words of a prophet, as the Sages of blessed memory said in the passage on the king (Parashas HaMelech) — that he must not transgress even the commandment of the prophet. For the essential sustaining of Malchus depends on the prophets, who are the aspect of feet — and from there is the building of Malchus, as mentioned. And therefore a bride must count seven clean days — even if she has not seen [blood]. For because this is the beginning of her ascent — for before she marries she is not complete, and then they draw sustenance from her, as brought in the discourse "Gezalah" (Siman 69) on the topic of a consecrated woman (kedashah), see there. And therefore before the wedding, when her rectification and ascent begins, she must count seven clean days — like the menstruant woman, as mentioned. And then she receives the seven blessings (sheva brachos) and enters the bridal canopy (chuppah). For the seven blessings are the aspect of Chesed comprised of seven, as mentioned. And through them she is cut from them [the impure forces] and rises to the light of the Countenance — through the chuppah, which is the aspect of Binah, olam ha-ba. As the Sages said: "L'asid kol tzaddik nichveh mei-chupaso" etc. And as brought in our Rebbe's words (may his light shine) in the discourse "B'Ha'aloscha" (Siman 21), see there: that through the chuppah one receives the light of the Countenance during the seven days of the wedding feast, see there. And this is what the Sages of blessed memory said: "kallah b'lo berakhah asurah k'niddah" ("a bride without blessing is forbidden like a menstruant") — as mentioned. For as long as she has not received the seven blessings, she has not been cut and separated from them, as mentioned. Therefore she is in the aspect of menstruant, as mentioned. And this is what the Sages specified as the measure of a ketam (stain) [for menstrual impurity]: a stain the size of thirty-six hairs — for Malchus is in the aspect of hairs, as is explained there. And the measure is three by three lentils, each [lentil] with four hairs — see the Shulchan Aruch. For Malchus comprises three by three — which are the nine sefiros — for it is the tenth and comprises them all. And it is the aspect of four (dalet), which comprises four worlds, as is explained there. And in each world it comprises the nine mentioned. Therefore they are thirty-six hairs — for "zeh l'umas zeh asah ha-Elokim" ("God made this corresponding to this") (Koheles 7:14), as is known. And a standard woman's cycle (veset) is thirty days — each month. For she is in the aspect of the moon (levanah), which is the aspect of Malchus that wanes each month. And therefore it is forbidden to consecrate the new month before seven days have passed over it — in the aspect of the seven clean days mentioned. For the waning of the moon is the aspect of their dominion — for the essential power of the [impure forces] comes through the diminishment and blemish of the moon, as is known. And when it begins to wax — this is the aspect of its purification, as is brought: that it renews itself and purifies itself like a woman to her husband. Therefore one must wait seven [days] — in the aspect of seven clean days, as mentioned. Niddah, Halacha 2 "V'hizartem es bnei Yisrael mi-tum'asam" etc. — from here [we learn] that one must separate close to the expected time of her cycle (veset). It is written: "v'el ishah b'nidas tum'asah lo sikrav" etc. Based on the discourse "Rabbi Yochanan Mishta'i" (Siman 16): that it is impossible for a tzaddik to have his mind continuously wandering in the supernal wisdoms, etc. For sometimes the suspension of Torah is itself its fulfillment (betulah shel Torah zohu kiyumah), etc. And it is explained there that the essential reason the tzaddik must sometimes suspend his attachment [to Hashem] is on account of the "clouds that cover the eyes" (ananin d'mechasyin al einin) — which are Eisav and Yishmael — so that these clouds should not overpower his eyes and his wisdom be entirely nullified, God forbid. And then when he suspends his attachment, his eyes shine like the moon, etc. But through the two Mashiachs, who will spread their springs outward, and it will be transformed for all to a clear language — then it will be fulfilled: "v'hayah or ha-levanah k'or ha-chamah" ("and the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun"). And then he will not need to suspend his attachment, see all this there well. For in truth it is certainly fitting to be attached to Hashem the Blessed without any interruption at all — for He is our life and the length of our days. But it is necessary to sometimes be suspended — and this is the essential sustaining of Da'as. For sometimes the suspension of Torah is itself its fulfillment, etc. For it is impossible to attach oneself and draw close to Hashem the Blessed in truth except through Emunah — which is the foundation of the entire Torah. As the Sages said (Makkos 24): "Chavakuk came and established them all on one principle: v'tzaddik be'emunaso yichyeh" ("the righteous shall live by his faith"). And as it is written (Tehillim 119): "kol mitzvosecha emunah" ("all Your commandments are faith"). And all the worlds — all the Emanated, Created, Formed, and Made — all stand only on Emunah, as it is written (Tehillim 33): "v'chol ma'aseihu be-emunah" ("and all His works are with faithfulness"). For when it arose in His will, blessed be He, to create the world, there was no place to create it — for everything was infinite (Ein Sof). And it was necessary, so to speak, to contract and vacate His divinity until the vacated void (chalal ha-panui) came to be, etc. And there He drew all the lights and all the midos until He created all the worlds there, etc. And at first the vessels could not bear the light due to the profusion of light — and because of this came the Breaking of the Vessels, from which comes the grip of the Kelippos and Sitra Achra. And in every generation we labor to clarify and rectify this, etc., as all this is explained in the Etz Chaim at its beginning. And it is known that the beginning of the contraction (tzimtzum) is the aspect of Malchus. For even though Malchus is the last attribute, even so at the highest level, in the ultimate heights, the essential beginning is from the aspect of Malchus concealed in the Ein Sof — as is known to those who understand. From there is the beginning of the contraction for the sake of creation. For "sof ma'aseh b'machashavah techilah" ("the end of the deed is first in thought") — in the aspect of "Ani rishon v'Ani acharon" etc. ("I am first and I am last"). "Ani" is the aspect of Malchus, as is known. And as it is written there in that verse: "Ko amar Hashem Melech Yisrael v'go'alo Ani rishon v'Ani acharon" ("So says Hashem, King of Israel and his Redeemer: I am first and I am last"). That is: the aspect of Malchus, the aspect of "King of Israel" which is called Ani — it is at the beginning and the end, etc. The general principle: the beginning of the contraction is the aspect of Malchus, and Malchus is the aspect of Emunah, as is known. That is: when Hashem the Blessed wished to create the world, He looked with His primordial wisdom and saw that it is impossible to attain Him, blessed be He, through any wisdom or any intellect or any understanding in the world. And therefore it is impossible for the worlds to be sustained through any attribute — for their essential sustaining is through knowing of Him, blessed be He, that He is great and the Master, the root and source of all worlds. This is the essential ultimate purpose of all the worlds, as is stated in the holy Zohar: "bigin d'yishtamoda'in lei" ("in order that they may know Him"). And in truth it is impossible to recognize Him or know of Him, blessed be He, through any attribute or any sefirah — except through Emunah, which is the aspect of Malchus, which is the beginning of the contraction. Through it is the essential revelation of all the midos and all the worlds. For Hashem the Blessed saw that it is impossible to attain Him in any way through any intellect in the world — for "leis machshavah tafisa bei klal" ("no thought can grasp Him at all"). Therefore it was not possible to create the world until He contracted and vacated His divinity, blessed be He — that is, in His wondrous wisdom He contracted His wisdom so much that He entirely removed wisdom and intellect, until the place remained, as it were, vacated of all the intellectuality and wisdoms that are the very essence of His divinity, blessed be He. And only the power of Emunah remained — [for] He created a power in the worlds and beings: that they would have intellect and da'as to believe in Him, blessed be He, without any intellect. And in truth this contraction is a great wonder, as is brought elsewhere — for Emunah is a great wonder, as it is written (Yeshayahu 25): "odeh shimcha ki asisa fele etzos merachok emunah amein" ("I shall thank Your name, for You have made wondrous, far-reaching counsel — faithful Amen"). For Emunah is the wonders of the One Perfect in Knowledge — for regarding a matter that one understands with intellect there is no need to believe and it is not called Emunah. The essential Emunah is in what one does not understand with intellect. And if so — from where will one know to believe in this? But in truth it is the wonders of the One Perfect in Knowledge who created in His great wisdom a power in human intellect: that one should have the power to contract and set aside one's understanding and believe with Emunah alone — through the power of the reshimu (residual impression) that remains in Da'as even after the withdrawal of Da'as. For "af al pi de'ihu lo chazei, mazalei chazei" ("even though he himself does not see, his [higher] aspect sees"). For even though one does not understand the matter with one's intellect, even so one understands from afar that it is proper to believe. For when one wishes to look at the truth, one understands clearly that one must believe — for one understands this by oneself: that it is impossible to understand the matter with any intellect, only one must believe with Emunah alone. And this is the aspect of: "tzedek kad is'chabrat bah emes is'avidas emunah" — that the essential Emunah depends on truth. That is: even though one does not understand the matter with one's intellect at all, even so when one wishes to look at the truth, one will understand from afar that it is proper to believe in Hashem and in the true tzaddikim, and the like. And the general principle is that Emunah is the foundation of all the worlds and the foundation of the entire Torah. For Hashem the Blessed could not, as it were, begin to create any world until He first created the attribute of Emunah — namely, that there would be a power in the intellect to believe in the truth, even without understanding it at all. And this is the essential aspect of the beginning of the contraction — the vacated void that remained. That is: He contracted His divinity, as it were — which is the intellect. For Hashem the Blessed is, as it were, the very essence of wisdom, as is known. And when He vacated the intellect from there, the place remained vacated without intellect — and nothing remained there except the aspect of Emunah. That is: one believes with Emunah alone in the truth without any intellect or wisdom. And as soon as the contraction of the vacated void was made — that is, the aspect of Emunah that there would be a power to believe in Him, blessed be He, without any intellect — immediately He drew His divinity into that vacated void: all the midos in total and all the worlds from the beginning of the point of creation — which is the beginning of Emanation — to the end of the central point of this physical world. And "v'chol ma'aseihu be-emunah" — as mentioned. For afterward, when the attribute of Emunah came into being — which is the beginning of the contraction — then there is power to reveal His divinity, blessed be He, through the contractions of the intellect from cause to effect, from higher intellect to lower intellect — to attain Him thereby. And they all have no power to reveal and give birth to any knowledge or any comprehension of Him, blessed be He, except through Emunah alone. For Emunah is the vessel and contraction of all of them. And this is the aspect of "d'leis reshus l'shum sefirah" etc. "l'arkah berochin bar minah" ("no sefirah has permission to bestow blessings except through it") — that is, except through the attribute of Malchus, which is the aspect of Emunah. For through it specifically comes the essential revelation of the knowledge of attaining His divinity, blessed be He — for at the beginning one must first precede with Emunah, which is the beginning of the contraction, as mentioned. And even afterward — when one merits to have some knowledge and comprehension drawn — it is impossible to receive Da'as except through holy Emunah. For it is forbidden to rely on intellect alone, and there is no sustaining of the intellect without Emunah. For "be'mufla mimcha al sidrosh" etc. ("seek not what is too wondrous for you") — for it is impossible to receive the intellect except through many contractions, and all the contractions are through Emunah, which is the root of all contractions, as mentioned. And therefore it is forbidden to inquire above one's level — the aspect of "be'mufla mimcha al sidrosh" etc. — so that there not be, God forbid, the aspect of profusion of light causing the breaking of vessels. For when one's intellect rushes to gaze at what one has no permission [to gaze at], and one does not wish to rely on Emunah alone — one has thereby blemished Emunah. And then, due to the profusion of the light of the intellect, the vessel of Emunah is broken, and then Emunah is damaged and falls. And then Da'as is nullified entirely — even what it was previously possible to understand — for everything returns to the aspect of Ein Sof, since the vessel and contraction — which is Emunah — is broken, as mentioned. And this is the aspect of the sin of Adam the First, who ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. For through this he caused again the aspect of the Breaking of the Vessels, as is brought. For it is stated that Adam the First blemished by gazing at what he had no permission [to gaze at] — namely as mentioned. For he should have first strengthened himself with perfect Emunah, but he wished to know with his knowledge specifically — and this is the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil about which Hashem the Blessed warned him. For the Tree of Knowledge had this power: that whoever would eat of it, the evil inclination would enter him and he would desire to pursue and know and gaze at what he had no permission [to gaze at]. Through this they cause the aspect of Breaking of the Vessels, God forbid. That is: the vessel of Emunah is broken — since one does not wish to rely on Emunah alone, but wishes to know and understand specifically without Emunah. It turns out that one strips Da'as from Emunah. And when one strips Da'as from Emunah — this is the aspect of Breaking of the Vessels, the death of the Kings. For the vessels remain without lights and the lights without vessels. For Emunah is in the aspect of vessels, as mentioned, and Da'as is in the aspect of lights, as mentioned. And because of this the light is entirely nullified — for it returns to Ein Sof since it is without a vessel. And the vessels fell below, etc. And the summary of the matter is that the essential thing is Emunah in simplicity — to believe in Hashem the Blessed without any inquiries and without any wisdoms at all. And when one merits to be strong in one's Emunah for days and years, and serves Hashem the Blessed in simplicity without any wisdoms — only with Emunah and wholeheartedness — then if one merits, Hashem the Blessed will have compassion and open for one the paths of intellect, and one will be able to attain and understand a little of His knowledge, blessed be He. And even afterward, when one merits some knowledge and comprehension, one must set a boundary for one's knowledge not to gaze above at what one has no permission [to gaze at] — for "be'mufla mimcha al sidrosh" etc. — only to rely on Emunah alone. For the Emunah that precedes the comprehension is the aspect of the initial contraction of the vacated void that was before Creation — through which all the vessels and all the midos are made, as is known. These are the essential drawing and revelation of all the midos and sefiros and worlds. And even when the light is drawn into the vessels — that is, when Da'as is drawn into Emunah — one must set a limit to receive the light gradually. That is: not to gaze above one's level — more than what one's vessel can bear, more than in accordance with the strength of one's Emunah, which is one's vessel, as mentioned. For then, God forbid, profusion of light causes Breaking of Vessels — and Da'as is entirely withdrawn, and Emunah is entirely broken, and one can come to heresy (apikorsus), God forbid. For one must always strengthen oneself in Emunah, which is the foundation and sustaining of all the worlds. And Emunah is at the beginning and at the end and in the middle — in the aspect of "Ani rishon v'Ani acharon u-mibil'adai ein Elokim" ("I am first and I am last, and besides Me there is no God"). "Ani" is the aspect of Emunah, which is the aspect of Malchus, as mentioned — which is the aspect of beginning, end, and middle. And without Emunah it is impossible to know Hashem the Blessed — in the aspect of "u-mibil'adai ein Elokim", as mentioned. Now, one who is so strong in Emunah that he afterward merits to understand with intellect and draws the light of the intellect into Emunah — this is the aspect of the union of the Holy One blessed be He and His Shechinah (yichud kudsha brich hu u'Shechintei). For the Holy One blessed be He is the aspect of wisdom and intellect, so to speak, and the Shechinah is the aspect of Malchus and Emunah, as mentioned. And when Emunah unites with the intellect — this is the aspect of the union of the Holy One and His Shechinah. And this is the essential sustaining and completion of all the worlds. And through this are born new intellects in the aspect of conception, suckling, and [mature] intellects (ibur, yenikah u-mochin). That is: through the intellect illuminating into Emunah, one thereby merits to give birth and reveal new comprehensions of knowledge of His exaltedness, blessed be He and blessed be His name. And this is the essential aspect of the deveikus (attachment) that Israel must have to Hashem the Blessed — the aspect of the joining of Knesses Yisrael with her Beloved. For all of Israel — who are the aspect of Knesses Yisrael — are believers the children of believers (ma'aminim bnei ma'aminim). For the root of their souls is from Emunah. And when Hashem the Blessed shines His face to them and they see and attain some comprehension and knowledge and recognition of His divinity, blessed be His name — then Emunah unites with Da'as. This is the aspect of the union of the Holy One and His Shechinah. For through the arousal below, the arousal reaches above — in all the worlds above and above — and in all the worlds above, Emunah is joined with the holy Da'as, so to speak. And this is the aspect of the attachment of Israel to Hashem the Blessed — the aspect of the commandment "u'vo sidbak" ("and to Him shall you cleave"). And even though this deveikus is very precious, even so it is impossible to be constantly attached — for it is impossible for the holy Emunah to constantly receive from holy Da'as. For the "clouds covering the eyes" (ananin d'mechasyin al einin) — which are Eisav and Yishmael, the Kelippos coming from the impurity of the serpent, from the sin of Adam the First, from the Breaking of the Vessels — would overpower, God forbid. For every time one needs to make a holy unification, which is the aspect of deveikus as mentioned, one must first arouse the initial contraction from which comes the drawing of drops of holy Da'as to reveal comprehensions of His divinity, blessed be He. For it is impossible to draw any Da'as except through the initial contraction. And even though through the Breaking the vessels were broken and the lights returned to their place and the contraction was nullified, so to speak — even so it certainly was not entirely nullified, for the reshimu (residual impression) remains, as is known. And therefore every time one needs to reveal His divinity, blessed be He — namely to draw Da'as into Emunah, which is the aspect of unification and union, as mentioned — one must arouse the initial contraction. And therefore one must clarify the clarifications from the Broken Vessels. For through them one can arouse and renew the first contraction — by returning and elevating the broken vessels to their place, whose root is from the first contraction. And because the Sitra Achra and Kelippos cling very greatly to these broken vessels, therefore one must be a very great warrior and hero — whoever wishes to engage in this, to make unifications and to unite the midos — so that heresies should not overpower him. These are the Kelippos called "other gods" (elohim acherim) — the aspect of heresies that cling to the broken vessels. And these are themselves the "clouds covering the eyes" mentioned. Therefore one must guard from them greatly. And even one who is a warrior and knows how to guard himself from them — even so it is impossible for him to be constantly attached without the "clouds covering the eyes" — the heresies — overpowering, God forbid. That is, the Kelippos clinging to the broken vessels that one labors to clarify through the deveikus and unification, as mentioned. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of Niddah. For even in the spiritual union and unifications of the midos, one must guard greatly from the grip of the Kelippos and heresies that come from the Broken Vessels — how much more so in the physical union. For even though the union of Israel is very precious — and through it the souls of Israel are born, and it is the first commandment in the Torah, and through the arousal below the arousal goes above — and one who merits that one's union be in holiness as is fitting, then through this the union of the Holy One and His Shechinah is made. As the Sages of blessed memory said (Sotah 17): "ish v'ishah zachu — Shechinah shruya beineihem" ("a man and woman who merit — the Shechinah dwells between them"). Even so, even one whose union is with great holiness — it is forbidden to be frequent in this, as the Sages of blessed memory said: that Israel should not be frequent, etc. For the arousal of union is from the northern side (tzafon), from which comes the grip of the Sitra Achra, as is known. For in every union one must arouse the initial contraction and clarify the clarifications from the broken vessels in which the Kelippos are gripped. And therefore it is stated in the holy Zohar that the arousal of union must necessarily come from the evil inclination (yetzer hara), whose grip is in the Breaking of Vessels, as mentioned. Rather, Israel with the power of their great strength have the power to subdue their inclination and transform everything to holiness as is fitting. But it is forbidden to be frequent, God forbid — lest the "clouds covering the eyes," the Kelippos, etc., overpower, as mentioned. And all this one must guard and separate — even from the permissible, as mentioned.

Hilchos Pesach The Matter of Pesach and the Exodus from Egypt in Every Person and at Every Time And the Matter of Eating Matzah and the Prohibition of Chametz

Our Sages said: "'To Hashem is the earth and its fullness' — before the berachah. 'And the earth He gave to mankind' — after the berachah." After the berachah: "the earth He gave" — the aspect of "the power of His works... to give them the inheritance" — through the berachah we acquire the world that Hashem gave us. This is Eretz Yisrael itself. Before the berachah: "to Hashem is the earth and its fullness, the world [taivail]" — Rashi: Eretz Yisrael and other lands. After: simply "the earth" — wherever "earth" [eretz] is written without qualification, it is Eretz Yisrael, as Rabbainu writes and as is common in our Sages' words. After the berachah, when it is revealed that Hashem created everything and gives it to whom He wills — then "the earth He gave to mankind" — simply "the earth" = Eretz Yisrael — everything becomes Eretz Yisrael. Before the berachah there is distinction between Eretz Yisrael and other lands. Through the berachah, Eretz Yisrael is made everywhere. Also, Rabbainu writes: the essential Eretz Yisrael is through Hashem's eyes of providence gazing there constantly: "the eyes of Hashem your G-d are constantly upon it." From this, Eretz Yisrael holiness is drawn — through the his'pa'arus Hashem takes in Israel, forming tefillin/mochin, becoming "eyes" through which He gazes — making Eretz Yisrael (see LM II:40). The berachah accomplishes this: when we bless, praise, and glorify Him, He takes pride in us — "you have declared Hashem, and Hashem has declared you" — we glorify Him, He glorifies us — "Israel, in whom I take pride." Through this, Eretz Yisrael holiness is made.

And then one merits the aspect of the mikveh of water. And this is the aspect of the first rinsing. And afterward it must be left to rest in its salt, as above. And that is the completion of the rectification — which is the final rinsing. For "one who comes to purify himself is helped" — and they say to him: "Wait" (as is cited in the words of Rabbainu, may his light shine, Siman 6). For it is impossible to enter into teshuvah all at once — and one must wait and tarry and endure much shedding of blood [shfikas damim], in order to subdue the evil blood in the left ventricle of the heart that was strengthened through his sins. [Hebrew — §2] And this is the aspect of the waiting period

For “the Torah and the Holy One, blessed is He, and Israel are all one,” and therefore the seventy souls of the house of Yaakov are called one nefesh [soul], while the six souls of Aisav are called nefashos [souls] in the plural, as Rashi explained there — for they are far from unity and simplicity, because they did not receive the Torah. And therefore they are the essential aspect of the diverse activities. And when one of them comes and converts, this is the aspect of the very remote diverse activities being included within the achdus ha’pashut. For initially he was in the aspect of a very changed activity, as mentioned above. And now he wants to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, to the One Who is Simple, and to be included among Israel, “one nation in the land,” through whom is the essential inclusion of all the diverse activities within the achdus ha’pashut. For all the souls of Israel, the more they increase, the more they are included within the achdus ha’pashut, as mentioned above. And this is the great level of the convert who converts, about whom the Torah warned to draw him close and to love him, as it is written (Deuteronomy 10:19): “And you shall love the convert.” For this is very precious in the eyes of Hashem, may He be blessed, when the diverse activities are included within the achdus ha’pashut. And the more the activity is changed and remote, when it merits to overcome and be included in the achdus ha’pashut, the more precious it is. For this is His will, may He be blessed: that specifically through the very remote and changed activities, the achdus ha’pashut should be revealed. This is the aspect of the great level of the ba’al teshuvah [penitent] that our Sages of blessed memory spoke of: “In the place where ba’alay teshuvah stand, completely righteous people cannot stand” (Berachos 34b). For because they were initially very far through their sins — which is the essential aspect of the diverse activities, for through each sin, G–d forbid, one distances oneself from there to the alma d’feruda [world of separation], G–d forbid, which is the essential aspect of the very remote changed activities, as our Sages of blessed memory said — and therefore when one returns in teshuvah, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the very remote and changed activities, which is very precious in the eyes of Hashem, may He be blessed, as mentioned above. And all the more so the convert, who was even more remote because he is not at all of the seed of Israel. Therefore when he comes to convert and is included in the holiness of Israel, “one nation in the land,” it is precious in the eyes of Hashem, may He be blessed, because the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from the very remote changed activities, which is very precious in the eyes of Hashem, may He be blessed. And the more changed and remote the activities, the more precious it is in His eyes, may He be blessed, when the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from there, as mentioned above.

For the beginning of the descent of the seventy souls of the house of Yaakov to Egypt was through the honor of Yosef, as it is written: "tell my father all my glory in Egypt, and hurry and bring my father down here" — "tell all my glory" precisely, for it was specifically through the honor that their souls were drawn and descended there, as explained above. And since Yosef rectified and raised the honor at that time, through this they descended there and did not descend there in chains — for it was through the honor of the side of holiness, not through the increased power of the honor and kingship of the sitra achra from the beginning. Rather, from the beginning they descended there with honor, through the honor of Yosef, etc., as above. Through this they were able to endure through all the days of their being there in Egypt in exile. For even though afterward the Egyptians grew stronger and subjugated them in heavy exile, since the rectification and completion of the honor that was blemished through the sin of Adam the first man was not yet complete — the Egyptians and the sitra achra therefore grew stronger to magnify their own honor and subjugated Israel in exile — nonetheless they were able to endure, since Yosef had already begun to rectify and raise the honor, through which the sitra achra did not have so much power to overpower them. And as is cited in the books: the primary endurance of Israel in Egypt in the days of exile was through Yosef, who had first subdued the sitra achra there — and without this they could not have stood against the intensity of their impurity in the days of exile, until they would not have been able to come out from there. And all through the rectification of honor that Yosef merited through the test — which is the rectification of the souls of Israel — as above. And likewise through this they merited to come out from there, as it is written: "and Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him," etc., as above. For the coffin of Yosef, which is the aspect of the grave of the righteous, there is the primary honor, in the aspect of "the glory of Hashem shall gather you in," etc., and this holy honor went before them, and all the souls of Israel were drawn after this honor and came out from there in life and in peace, as above. And this is the aspect of the Clouds of Glory that went always before the camp of Israel, as it is written: "the pillar of cloud did not depart by day, etc., before the people" — for the holy honor, the aspect of the Clouds of Glory, went before the camp of Israel always, and they were drawn and went after the honor which is their root, and through this was the primary redemption, as above. And this is why the taking up of the bones of Yosef is juxtaposed to the Clouds of Glory at the beginning of the portion of Beshalach — as it is written: "and Moshe took the bones of Yosef, etc., and they journeyed from Sukkos, etc., and Hashem went before them by day in a pillar of cloud," etc. That is, as above — for even the verse "and they journeyed from Sukkos" alludes to the Clouds of Glory, which are the aspect of Sukkos [booths], as is known. And therefore the first journey when Israel left Egypt was from Ramses to Sukkos — for the name carries the meaning, to indicate that immediately upon their departure they were drawn after the aspect of Sukkos — which is the mitzvah of Sukkah, the aspect of the Clouds of Glory. And this is the aspect of the clouds of honor, which is the aspect of holy honor — through which was the primary going out, as above. Section 14 And therefore Yosef merited to strengthen the seven years of plenty over the seven years of famine — for famine is the aspect of the desire for eating: one is hungry to eat and has no satiation in his innards, as is explained in the words of Rabbainu of blessed memory elsewhere, that famine is the aspect of the desire for eating. And it is drawn from the blemish of the sin of Adam the first man, which is the aspect of the blemish of the desire for eating, as above — through which the famine in the world was drawn, for the earth was cursed on account of him: "in toil shall you eat it," etc. It follows that famine is the aspect of the blemish of the desire for eating, which is the blemish of the honor. And therefore it was specifically through the famine that it came about that our ancestors descended to Egypt, as it is written: "and the famine was heavy in the land, and Yaakov said to his sons," etc. For the primary Egyptian exile was through the blemish of honor, as above, which is the aspect of famine, as above. But Hashem blessed be He in His mercy sent the remedy before the affliction — "He sent a man before them" — and Yosef the righteous was sent before them, and through his test he merited to raise the honor from the sitra achra and subdued the honor of the sitra achra. And through this he merited to strengthen the seven years of plenty over the seven years of famine — which is the aspect of the rectification of the honor, the aspect of "the righteous one eats to satisfy his soul" mentioned in the Torah above — which is the aspect of "the satisfied one sleeps and no evil shall visit him" — for through the aspect of "the righteous eats to satisfy his soul" — the aspect of the rectification of the desire for eating, the aspect of the seven years of plenty — through this there is no appointment or visitation for evil and the sitra achra, as is explained there — see there. And through this Israel was able to endure in Egypt against their impurity, as above. And through this they merited to come out from there through the holiness of his bones, which is the aspect of the holiness of the grave of the righteous, as above.

For the beginning of the descent of the seventy souls of the house of Yaakov to Egypt was through the honor of Yosef, as it is written: "tell my father all my glory in Egypt, and hurry and bring my father down here" — "tell all my glory" precisely, for it was specifically through the honor that their souls were drawn and descended there, as explained above. And since Yosef rectified and raised the honor at that time, through this they descended there and did not descend there in chains — for it was through the honor of the side of holiness, not through the increased power of the honor and kingship of the sitra achra from the beginning. Rather, from the beginning they descended there with honor, through the honor of Yosef, etc., as above. Through this they were able to endure through all the days of their being there in Egypt in exile. For even though afterward the Egyptians grew stronger and subjugated them in heavy exile, since the rectification and completion of the honor that was blemished through the sin of Adam the first man was not yet complete — the Egyptians and the sitra achra therefore grew stronger to magnify their own honor and subjugated Israel in exile — nonetheless they were able to endure, since Yosef had already begun to rectify and raise the honor, through which the sitra achra did not have so much power to overpower them. And as is cited in the books: the primary endurance of Israel in Egypt in the days of exile was through Yosef, who had first subdued the sitra achra there — and without this they could not have stood against the intensity of their impurity in the days of exile, until they would not have been able to come out from there. And all through the rectification of honor that Yosef merited through the test — which is the rectification of the souls of Israel — as above. And likewise through this they merited to come out from there, as it is written: "and Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him," etc., as above. For the coffin of Yosef, which is the aspect of the grave of the righteous, there is the primary honor, in the aspect of "the glory of Hashem shall gather you in," etc., and this holy honor went before them, and all the souls of Israel were drawn after this honor and came out from there in life and in peace, as above. And this is the aspect of the Clouds of Glory that went always before the camp of Israel, as it is written: "the pillar of cloud did not depart by day, etc., before the people" — for the holy honor, the aspect of the Clouds of Glory, went before the camp of Israel always, and they were drawn and went after the honor which is their root, and through this was the primary redemption, as above. And this is why the taking up of the bones of Yosef is juxtaposed to the Clouds of Glory at the beginning of the portion of Beshalach — as it is written: "and Moshe took the bones of Yosef, etc., and they journeyed from Sukkos, etc., and Hashem went before them by day in a pillar of cloud," etc. That is, as above — for even the verse "and they journeyed from Sukkos" alludes to the Clouds of Glory, which are the aspect of Sukkos [booths], as is known. And therefore the first journey when Israel left Egypt was from Ramses to Sukkos — for the name carries the meaning, to indicate that immediately upon their departure they were drawn after the aspect of Sukkos — which is the mitzvah of Sukkah, the aspect of the Clouds of Glory. And this is the aspect of the clouds of honor, which is the aspect of holy honor — through which was the primary going out, as above. Section 14 And therefore Yosef merited to strengthen the seven years of plenty over the seven years of famine — for famine is the aspect of the desire for eating: one is hungry to eat and has no satiation in his innards, as is explained in the words of Rabbainu of blessed memory elsewhere, that famine is the aspect of the desire for eating. And it is drawn from the blemish of the sin of Adam the first man, which is the aspect of the blemish of the desire for eating, as above — through which the famine in the world was drawn, for the earth was cursed on account of him: "in toil shall you eat it," etc. It follows that famine is the aspect of the blemish of the desire for eating, which is the blemish of the honor. And therefore it was specifically through the famine that it came about that our ancestors descended to Egypt, as it is written: "and the famine was heavy in the land, and Yaakov said to his sons," etc. For the primary Egyptian exile was through the blemish of honor, as above, which is the aspect of famine, as above. But Hashem blessed be He in His mercy sent the remedy before the affliction — "He sent a man before them" — and Yosef the righteous was sent before them, and through his test he merited to raise the honor from the sitra achra and subdued the honor of the sitra achra. And through this he merited to strengthen the seven years of plenty over the seven years of famine — which is the aspect of the rectification of the honor, the aspect of "the righteous one eats to satisfy his soul" mentioned in the Torah above — which is the aspect of "the satisfied one sleeps and no evil shall visit him" — for through the aspect of "the righteous eats to satisfy his soul" — the aspect of the rectification of the desire for eating, the aspect of the seven years of plenty — through this there is no appointment or visitation for evil and the sitra achra, as is explained there — see there. And through this Israel was able to endure in Egypt against their impurity, as above. And through this they merited to come out from there through the holiness of his bones, which is the aspect of the holiness of the grave of the righteous, as above.

For the beginning of the descent of the seventy souls of the house of Yaakov to Egypt was through the honor of Yosef, as it is written: "tell my father all my glory in Egypt, and hurry and bring my father down here" — "tell all my glory" precisely, for it was specifically through the honor that their souls were drawn and descended there, as explained above. And since Yosef rectified and raised the honor at that time, through this they descended there and did not descend there in chains — for it was through the honor of the side of holiness, not through the increased power of the honor and kingship of the sitra achra from the beginning. Rather, from the beginning they descended there with honor, through the honor of Yosef, etc., as above. Through this they were able to endure through all the days of their being there in Egypt in exile. For even though afterward the Egyptians grew stronger and subjugated them in heavy exile, since the rectification and completion of the honor that was blemished through the sin of Adam the first man was not yet complete — the Egyptians and the sitra achra therefore grew stronger to magnify their own honor and subjugated Israel in exile — nonetheless they were able to endure, since Yosef had already begun to rectify and raise the honor, through which the sitra achra did not have so much power to overpower them. And as is cited in the books: the primary endurance of Israel in Egypt in the days of exile was through Yosef, who had first subdued the sitra achra there — and without this they could not have stood against the intensity of their impurity in the days of exile, until they would not have been able to come out from there. And all through the rectification of honor that Yosef merited through the test — which is the rectification of the souls of Israel — as above. And likewise through this they merited to come out from there, as it is written: "and Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him," etc., as above. For the coffin of Yosef, which is the aspect of the grave of the righteous, there is the primary honor, in the aspect of "the glory of Hashem shall gather you in," etc., and this holy honor went before them, and all the souls of Israel were drawn after this honor and came out from there in life and in peace, as above. And this is the aspect of the Clouds of Glory that went always before the camp of Israel, as it is written: "the pillar of cloud did not depart by day, etc., before the people" — for the holy honor, the aspect of the Clouds of Glory, went before the camp of Israel always, and they were drawn and went after the honor which is their root, and through this was the primary redemption, as above. And this is why the taking up of the bones of Yosef is juxtaposed to the Clouds of Glory at the beginning of the portion of Beshalach — as it is written: "and Moshe took the bones of Yosef, etc., and they journeyed from Sukkos, etc., and Hashem went before them by day in a pillar of cloud," etc. That is, as above — for even the verse "and they journeyed from Sukkos" alludes to the Clouds of Glory, which are the aspect of Sukkos [booths], as is known. And therefore the first journey when Israel left Egypt was from Ramses to Sukkos — for the name carries the meaning, to indicate that immediately upon their departure they were drawn after the aspect of Sukkos — which is the mitzvah of Sukkah, the aspect of the Clouds of Glory. And this is the aspect of the clouds of honor, which is the aspect of holy honor — through which was the primary going out, as above. Section 14 And therefore Yosef merited to strengthen the seven years of plenty over the seven years of famine — for famine is the aspect of the desire for eating: one is hungry to eat and has no satiation in his innards, as is explained in the words of Rabbainu of blessed memory elsewhere, that famine is the aspect of the desire for eating. And it is drawn from the blemish of the sin of Adam the first man, which is the aspect of the blemish of the desire for eating, as above — through which the famine in the world was drawn, for the earth was cursed on account of him: "in toil shall you eat it," etc. It follows that famine is the aspect of the blemish of the desire for eating, which is the blemish of the honor. And therefore it was specifically through the famine that it came about that our ancestors descended to Egypt, as it is written: "and the famine was heavy in the land, and Yaakov said to his sons," etc. For the primary Egyptian exile was through the blemish of honor, as above, which is the aspect of famine, as above. But Hashem blessed be He in His mercy sent the remedy before the affliction — "He sent a man before them" — and Yosef the righteous was sent before them, and through his test he merited to raise the honor from the sitra achra and subdued the honor of the sitra achra. And through this he merited to strengthen the seven years of plenty over the seven years of famine — which is the aspect of the rectification of the honor, the aspect of "the righteous one eats to satisfy his soul" mentioned in the Torah above — which is the aspect of "the satisfied one sleeps and no evil shall visit him" — for through the aspect of "the righteous eats to satisfy his soul" — the aspect of the rectification of the desire for eating, the aspect of the seven years of plenty — through this there is no appointment or visitation for evil and the sitra achra, as is explained there — see there. And through this Israel was able to endure in Egypt against their impurity, as above. And through this they merited to come out from there through the holiness of his bones, which is the aspect of the holiness of the grave of the righteous, as above.

For the beginning of the descent of the seventy souls of the house of Yaakov to Egypt was through the honor of Yosef, as it is written: "tell my father all my glory in Egypt, and hurry and bring my father down here" — "tell all my glory" precisely, for it was specifically through the honor that their souls were drawn and descended there, as explained above. And since Yosef rectified and raised the honor at that time, through this they descended there and did not descend there in chains — for it was through the honor of the side of holiness, not through the increased power of the honor and kingship of the sitra achra from the beginning. Rather, from the beginning they descended there with honor, through the honor of Yosef, etc., as above. Through this they were able to endure through all the days of their being there in Egypt in exile. For even though afterward the Egyptians grew stronger and subjugated them in heavy exile, since the rectification and completion of the honor that was blemished through the sin of Adam the first man was not yet complete — the Egyptians and the sitra achra therefore grew stronger to magnify their own honor and subjugated Israel in exile — nonetheless they were able to endure, since Yosef had already begun to rectify and raise the honor, through which the sitra achra did not have so much power to overpower them. And as is cited in the books: the primary endurance of Israel in Egypt in the days of exile was through Yosef, who had first subdued the sitra achra there — and without this they could not have stood against the intensity of their impurity in the days of exile, until they would not have been able to come out from there. And all through the rectification of honor that Yosef merited through the test — which is the rectification of the souls of Israel — as above. And likewise through this they merited to come out from there, as it is written: "and Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him," etc., as above. For the coffin of Yosef, which is the aspect of the grave of the righteous, there is the primary honor, in the aspect of "the glory of Hashem shall gather you in," etc., and this holy honor went before them, and all the souls of Israel were drawn after this honor and came out from there in life and in peace, as above. And this is the aspect of the Clouds of Glory that went always before the camp of Israel, as it is written: "the pillar of cloud did not depart by day, etc., before the people" — for the holy honor, the aspect of the Clouds of Glory, went before the camp of Israel always, and they were drawn and went after the honor which is their root, and through this was the primary redemption, as above. And this is why the taking up of the bones of Yosef is juxtaposed to the Clouds of Glory at the beginning of the portion of Beshalach — as it is written: "and Moshe took the bones of Yosef, etc., and they journeyed from Sukkos, etc., and Hashem went before them by day in a pillar of cloud," etc. That is, as above — for even the verse "and they journeyed from Sukkos" alludes to the Clouds of Glory, which are the aspect of Sukkos [booths], as is known. And therefore the first journey when Israel left Egypt was from Ramses to Sukkos — for the name carries the meaning, to indicate that immediately upon their departure they were drawn after the aspect of Sukkos — which is the mitzvah of Sukkah, the aspect of the Clouds of Glory. And this is the aspect of the clouds of honor, which is the aspect of holy honor — through which was the primary going out, as above. Section 14 And therefore Yosef merited to strengthen the seven years of plenty over the seven years of famine — for famine is the aspect of the desire for eating: one is hungry to eat and has no satiation in his innards, as is explained in the words of Rabbainu of blessed memory elsewhere, that famine is the aspect of the desire for eating. And it is drawn from the blemish of the sin of Adam the first man, which is the aspect of the blemish of the desire for eating, as above — through which the famine in the world was drawn, for the earth was cursed on account of him: "in toil shall you eat it," etc. It follows that famine is the aspect of the blemish of the desire for eating, which is the blemish of the honor. And therefore it was specifically through the famine that it came about that our ancestors descended to Egypt, as it is written: "and the famine was heavy in the land, and Yaakov said to his sons," etc. For the primary Egyptian exile was through the blemish of honor, as above, which is the aspect of famine, as above. But Hashem blessed be He in His mercy sent the remedy before the affliction — "He sent a man before them" — and Yosef the righteous was sent before them, and through his test he merited to raise the honor from the sitra achra and subdued the honor of the sitra achra. And through this he merited to strengthen the seven years of plenty over the seven years of famine — which is the aspect of the rectification of the honor, the aspect of "the righteous one eats to satisfy his soul" mentioned in the Torah above — which is the aspect of "the satisfied one sleeps and no evil shall visit him" — for through the aspect of "the righteous eats to satisfy his soul" — the aspect of the rectification of the desire for eating, the aspect of the seven years of plenty — through this there is no appointment or visitation for evil and the sitra achra, as is explained there — see there. And through this Israel was able to endure in Egypt against their impurity, as above. And through this they merited to come out from there through the holiness of his bones, which is the aspect of the holiness of the grave of the righteous, as above.

For the beginning of the descent of the seventy souls of the house of Yaakov to Egypt was through the honor of Yosef, as it is written: "tell my father all my glory in Egypt, and hurry and bring my father down here" — "tell all my glory" precisely, for it was specifically through the honor that their souls were drawn and descended there, as explained above. And since Yosef rectified and raised the honor at that time, through this they descended there and did not descend there in chains — for it was through the honor of the side of holiness, not through the increased power of the honor and kingship of the sitra achra from the beginning. Rather, from the beginning they descended there with honor, through the honor of Yosef, etc., as above. Through this they were able to endure through all the days of their being there in Egypt in exile. For even though afterward the Egyptians grew stronger and subjugated them in heavy exile, since the rectification and completion of the honor that was blemished through the sin of Adam the first man was not yet complete — the Egyptians and the sitra achra therefore grew stronger to magnify their own honor and subjugated Israel in exile — nonetheless they were able to endure, since Yosef had already begun to rectify and raise the honor, through which the sitra achra did not have so much power to overpower them. And as is cited in the books: the primary endurance of Israel in Egypt in the days of exile was through Yosef, who had first subdued the sitra achra there — and without this they could not have stood against the intensity of their impurity in the days of exile, until they would not have been able to come out from there. And all through the rectification of honor that Yosef merited through the test — which is the rectification of the souls of Israel — as above. And likewise through this they merited to come out from there, as it is written: "and Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him," etc., as above. For the coffin of Yosef, which is the aspect of the grave of the righteous, there is the primary honor, in the aspect of "the glory of Hashem shall gather you in," etc., and this holy honor went before them, and all the souls of Israel were drawn after this honor and came out from there in life and in peace, as above. And this is the aspect of the Clouds of Glory that went always before the camp of Israel, as it is written: "the pillar of cloud did not depart by day, etc., before the people" — for the holy honor, the aspect of the Clouds of Glory, went before the camp of Israel always, and they were drawn and went after the honor which is their root, and through this was the primary redemption, as above. And this is why the taking up of the bones of Yosef is juxtaposed to the Clouds of Glory at the beginning of the portion of Beshalach — as it is written: "and Moshe took the bones of Yosef, etc., and they journeyed from Sukkos, etc., and Hashem went before them by day in a pillar of cloud," etc. That is, as above — for even the verse "and they journeyed from Sukkos" alludes to the Clouds of Glory, which are the aspect of Sukkos [booths], as is known. And therefore the first journey when Israel left Egypt was from Ramses to Sukkos — for the name carries the meaning, to indicate that immediately upon their departure they were drawn after the aspect of Sukkos — which is the mitzvah of Sukkah, the aspect of the Clouds of Glory. And this is the aspect of the clouds of honor, which is the aspect of holy honor — through which was the primary going out, as above. Section 14 And therefore Yosef merited to strengthen the seven years of plenty over the seven years of famine — for famine is the aspect of the desire for eating: one is hungry to eat and has no satiation in his innards, as is explained in the words of Rabbainu of blessed memory elsewhere, that famine is the aspect of the desire for eating. And it is drawn from the blemish of the sin of Adam the first man, which is the aspect of the blemish of the desire for eating, as above — through which the famine in the world was drawn, for the earth was cursed on account of him: "in toil shall you eat it," etc. It follows that famine is the aspect of the blemish of the desire for eating, which is the blemish of the honor. And therefore it was specifically through the famine that it came about that our ancestors descended to Egypt, as it is written: "and the famine was heavy in the land, and Yaakov said to his sons," etc. For the primary Egyptian exile was through the blemish of honor, as above, which is the aspect of famine, as above. But Hashem blessed be He in His mercy sent the remedy before the affliction — "He sent a man before them" — and Yosef the righteous was sent before them, and through his test he merited to raise the honor from the sitra achra and subdued the honor of the sitra achra. And through this he merited to strengthen the seven years of plenty over the seven years of famine — which is the aspect of the rectification of the honor, the aspect of "the righteous one eats to satisfy his soul" mentioned in the Torah above — which is the aspect of "the satisfied one sleeps and no evil shall visit him" — for through the aspect of "the righteous eats to satisfy his soul" — the aspect of the rectification of the desire for eating, the aspect of the seven years of plenty — through this there is no appointment or visitation for evil and the sitra achra, as is explained there — see there. And through this Israel was able to endure in Egypt against their impurity, as above. And through this they merited to come out from there through the holiness of his bones, which is the aspect of the holiness of the grave of the righteous, as above.

And therefore Amalaik, who blemishes all of this — His Name, may He be blessed, and His throne are not complete until the memory of Amalaik is blotted out. For the essential repair of the throne in fullness is through the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut, etc., which is drawn through the abundance of generations, in the aspect of “Your throne, from generation to generation.” And Amalaik, who blemishes all of this — therefore the war of Hashem against Amalaik is “from generation to generation,” precisely. And this is: “For a hand is upon the throne of Hashem — Hashem’s war against Amalaik, from generation to generation” — that His throne, as it were, is not complete until He wins His war against Amalaik in every generation. And then it will be fulfilled: “And Hashem shall sit forever, having established His throne for judgment” (Psalms 9:8) — that the Name will be complete and the throne will be complete, as Rashi explains. For the throne will be completed through the upright ones of every generation, in the aspect of “Your throne, from generation to generation,” as above. §28 And the wise person who desires truth can understand in his heart, according to our words, the immensity of the war in every generation — and in particular, what is done with him in that generation in which he lives. For the essential war with each and every individual in particular is the overpowering of the flooding of the bloods, from which come all the troubles in body, soul, and money. For the essential troubles are the overpowering of the desires and evil traits that embitter a person’s life and bring him to what they bring him, G–d forbid — and from there come all the sufferings in body, money, and children, etc., G–d forbid. And at the time of the intensification of the troubles, one does not know at all what to do, and the bloods flood upon the heart — like one who seeks counsel and strategy to emerge from the trouble, as is explained at the beginning of the Torah mentioned above. And afterward, Hashem, may He be blessed, in His mercy brings him out of the trouble — for Hashem, may He be blessed, performs revealed and hidden miracles and wonders with every person, every single day, as above. And as it is written: “The wicked watches the righteous,” etc. (Psalms 37:32). And as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Every day,” etc. — “and were the Holy One, blessed be He, not helping him,” etc. — for “Hashem will not abandon him in his hand” (Psalms 37:33). And as it is written: “He rescues the poor from one who is stronger than him,” etc. (Psalms 35:10). And all the salvations and miracles are all through the power of the tzaddikay emes, who instill in us the ability to cry out and to raise our eyes at every moment to Hashem, may He be blessed — which is the essential glory of Him, may He be blessed, as it is written: “Call upon Me on the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me” (Psalms 50:15). But even though Hashem, may He be blessed, does many kindnesses and miracles and wonders with us every day and at every time, in every generation, and with each individual in particular — even so, the Sitra Achra, the aspect of Amalaik, constantly undermines, slandering and accusing and inciting and provoking each and every person. For he is the Satan, he is the inciter, he is the accuser, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “He descends and incites,” etc. And as is brought in the holy Zohar regarding the war of Amalaik: “The battle is above and below” — that is, as above; and understand. And therefore one must walk very, very much with the counsel mentioned above — to look at every moment at the immensity of the expanses and salvations and wonders that He has already done with us, etc., as above, and to find expanses even within the troubles themselves, as above. And through this, one will be accustomed always to give praise and thanksgiving to Him, may He be blessed, for everything that “until here He has helped us” with His immense wonders. And as it is written: “I have awakened, and I am still with You” (Psalms 139:18) — and as Rashi explains: “I have come to the end of all the generations, and I am still with You” — that is, even now, in these latter days, which is the aspect of the end of all the generations, even now “I am still with You” — that there is still in each and every one of us the aspect of “yet a little, and there is no wicked one,” etc. (Psalms 37:10) — which is the aspect of “I will sing to my G–d while I yet live (‘b’odi’),” etc. — that one must walk in this very much, as he, of blessed memory, warned us. And the main thing is to give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, for this always, and especially in a time of trouble, G–d forbid — that precisely then one should strengthen himself to pay attention, to look at the wondrous true and eternal salvations that Hashem, may He be blessed, has already performed for him, etc. And through the aspect of todah/halachah, etc. — through this, one will merit that truth will illuminate, etc., until one draws the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — through which the trouble is nullified. And through this, the aspect of todah grows, etc., as above — and so it cycles around for the good, etc., as above. And if the opposition, the aspect of Amalaik, returns and intensifies — the choice is in his hand to return and strengthen himself through all the above. And as soon as he sets his heart to this, Hashem, may He be blessed, will help him in this greatly — for “the kindnesses of Hashem have not ceased,” etc. (Lamentations 3:22). And so each time, until he merits, through His mercy, may He be blessed, and through the power of the tzaddikay emes, to win the war — and then he will merit todah in fullness, which is the essential delight of the World to Come. Fortunate is he! And there will be fulfilled in him: “Fortunate is the person whose strength is in You” (Psalms 84:6), etc. For one needs boldness and immense strengthening and great stubbornness beyond measure — whoever desires to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed. And the essential strengthening is through all the above; and understand well, very well. §29 And regarding yibum and chalitzah that we mentioned above, we did not explain it well, for this is not the place for it. And this is: “And she shall remove his shoe from upon his foot” (Deuteronomy 25:9) — for there the soul of the deceased is bound, as is brought. For the essential blemish is in the legs (raglayim) — where the bloods need to flow in their proper order when one merits holadah. And this one who did not merit to leave seed blemished in this — and therefore: “She shall remove his shoe from upon his foot” — “his foot” precisely. And therefore the halachos are called “the goings (halichos) of the world” (Habakkuk 3:6) — for the essential fullness of the halachah is that one should merit through it to walk (lailaich) in it, to draw close through it to Hashem, may He be blessed, to His service — the aspect of “the goings of the world” — that one should merit to remain standing in holiness forever and ever. For the world in general is called the aspect of “legs” relative to Him, may He be blessed, as it is written: “And the earth is My footstool” (Isaiah 66:1). And the woman and the money, where the essential overpowering of the pe’ulos mishtanos takes place, are called “his legs,” as is explained elsewhere. And this is: “The heavens are My throne and the earth is My footstool; what house will you build for Me?” etc. (Isaiah 66:1). For the essential repair of His throne in the heavens is precisely through “the earth, My footstool” — through the legs, which are the very lowest levels, where the essential abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos resides — when they are included in His unity, may He be blessed, in the aspect of: “Hashem in the heavens has established His throne, and His sovereignty rules over all” (Psalms 103:19). For precisely when they know that His sovereignty rules over all, and all the pe’ulos mishtanos are from Him, may He be blessed — then precisely “in the heavens He has established His throne,” as above. And this is the aspect of the Mishkan and the Bais HaMikdash, the aspect of: “Exalt Hashem our G–d and prostrate yourselves at His footstool,” etc. (Psalms 99:5). And this is the aspect of what is brought in the writings [of the Ari z”l] — that the essential completion of the repair will be when it is fulfilled: “And His feet shall stand on that day,” etc. (Zechariah 14:4), in the aspect of “until the feet reach the feet” — that is, as above. And therefore the essential repair is through all the above, which is the aspect of todah/halachah, the aspect of “the goings of the world,” the aspect of the repair of the legs, as above. Apotropos [Laws of Guardianship] §30 And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said in the Mishnah: “A guardian (apotropos) whom the father of orphans appointed does not swear; one whom the beis din appointed does swear” (Gittin 52a). For it has already been explained — the matter of inheritance that belongs to children: the begetting of children is drawn through the money of holiness of the tom’chay Oraysa, from which comes all the money in the world, as above. For the essential obligation to leave children is only for this purpose — so that the children who were born through the halachos that were born through the tom’chay Oraysa, from which come all the births in the world, as above, should draw all the repairs that are drawn through the halachos, which are the aspect of todah/hoda’ah — which is to illuminate truth in the world and to complete the speech, until they merit to reveal the achdus ha’pashut from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos — which are the children of the seed of Israel who have multiplied in the world. For the more the seed of Israel multiplies, among whom there is great divergence of opinions, as above — and when they are all included in one da’as and unify His Name, may He be blessed — through this, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed even more from within very many diverse activities, which is the essential preciousness of the holiness of the enlargement of His glory, may He be blessed, as above. And this is the aspect of what the children say Kaddish after the death of their father and mother. For this person who has departed — his entire purpose is to merit a portion of the World to Come. And the essential delight of the World to Come is todah/hoda’ah, as above, through which the holiness of the holy Shabbos is drawn, which is the aspect of the World to Come, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed, etc. — for the sake of all of which man comes to this world. And therefore, after his death, when he needs to come to this — to the aspect of the delight of the World to Come, which is to give thanks and praise to His Name, may He be blessed, as above — therefore the children say Kaddish after him, which is not a prayer for the deceased but rather a wondrous and awesome praise and thanksgiving to Hashem, may He be blessed, as is brought. For Kaddish includes all kinds of praises and blessings and thanksgivings, etc. — for it is an exceedingly wondrous and awesome praise that “shatters all bars of iron,” as is brought in the holy Zohar. And as we say: “May He be blessed and praised and glorified and exalted,” etc. — “Blessed is He, above all blessings and songs and praises,” etc. And therefore we say Kaddish after all the blessings and thanksgivings, and similarly after all the halachos that are studied — for it is the pillar between world and world, as is brought. For Kaddish includes all the thanksgivings and songs and praises and elevates them all to their supernal root, higher and higher, unto the Infinite. And therefore this departed one, whose entire repair is that the parts of good within him should be gathered — according to what he merited to do good in the world, the entire purpose of which is hoda’ah, which is the delight of the World to Come, and he now needs to come to this, that he should have some portion in the delight of the World to Come, which is hoda’ah, as above — therefore his children say Kaddish after him, which is the totality of all the thanksgivings and songs and praises, etc., and elevates them all, as above. And therefore, through this precisely, the children give their father merit for the World to Come — for praise and thanksgiving, this is the entire delight of the World to Come, as above. And therefore the essential thing is that the children specifically should say Kaddish — for his essential repair is through his children specifically, whom he merited to beget in the world and to multiply the seed of Israel, all of whom engage all their days in thanksgivings and blessings. For every single Jew says every day many blessings and thanksgivings, as our Sages of blessed memory established for us — to say blessings and thanksgivings over every matter in the world, and especially in the morning and evening at the time of prayer — for hoda’ah is the entire delight of the World to Come, as above. And through this, all the repairs mentioned above are accomplished, until one merits to reveal the achdus ha’pashut from the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos — which is accomplished through the abundance of children that he merited to beget, through todah/halachah, as above. Therefore the children specifically say Kaddish, which is the totality of all the thanksgivings — in order to elevate all the blessings and thanksgivings that this departed one merited to engage in during his lifetime. For the essential repair is through the children who were born through this — for through them specifically, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed even more from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos, which is the essential completion of the fullness of the repair, as above. And therefore each person must, during his lifetime, before he departs from the world, command his children and arrange the order of the division of his possessions and money to his children. For the essential root of money and its repair is according to what he merited to support true talmidai chachamim, through whom halachos are born, from which come all the births of children, as above. And every single Jew has a portion in this according to his level. And therefore he must arrange, according to his level, the order of the division of his money to his children after him — that each one should receive his portion properly, according to the root of his portion above in the tom’chay Oraysa who birth halachos, from which come all his births — through which comes the entire repair of the departed one. For todah/halachah and tom’chay Oraysa and the births of children are all one aspect, as is explained in the Torah mentioned above — and everything depends upon each other. And this is the entire purpose and repair of the departed one for the World to Come, as above — for through all of this, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed, etc., as above. And therefore he must appoint a guardian (apotropos) himself during his lifetime. For the guardian appointed over the orphans, who is in the aspect of “father of orphans,” must be appointed by the mouth of the father of the children himself — in order that he arrange his inheritance according to the mind of the father himself, according to what he drew upon himself the aspect of todah/hoda’ah/halachah, according to what he merited with his money to be among the tom’chay Oraysa — which is the entire repair of the money, from which come the births of children, etc., as above. §31 And therefore a guardian whom the father of orphans appointed does not swear — for he is not suspected of falsehood, for truth surely illuminates in him, as is explained there in the Torah mentioned above — that through todah/halachah, truth illuminates, etc. And therefore, since the owner of the inheritance himself appointed him as guardian, truth surely illuminates in him in this matter. For since the departed one, the owner of the inheritance himself, appointed him as guardian according to his own mind, according to his level, according to what he merited to clarify his money so as to have a portion among the tom’chay Oraysa — which is the essential repair of the inheritance and the money from which come all the children, as above — therefore, surely, according to his level, truth illuminates, etc. For through the aspect of todah/halachah, the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, the aspect of the births of children — through all of this, truth illuminates, in the aspect of “Grant truth to Yaakov, kindness to Avraham,” etc. (Micah 7:20). And therefore this guardian is not suspected of falsehood and is trusted without an oath at all, since the father of the children himself appointed him according to his level, according to his portion in the delight of the World to Come, which is the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, etc., as above. But if he did not merit to appoint a guardian himself, to transmit by himself to the guardian the order of his inheritance according to his level, etc., as above — then the beis din must be the “father of orphans” and appoint the guardian. For only the beis din has the power for this, for the beis din illuminates truth — for before them are all the halachos of all the laws and judgments of the Torah, through which truth illuminates, as above. For this is the essence of the beis din — that they should know all the halachos and judge with true and righteous judgments. And therefore the beis din must be three, the aspect of the three lines of truth mentioned above. But the beis din cannot clarify the truth of each individual except through the oath — as it is written: “The owner of the house shall approach the judges for an oath” (Exodus 22:7). For as soon as they come to court, this is because there is a denial between them, and all denials are drawn from the flooding of the bloods mentioned above, from the aspect of “men of blood hate the innocent” (Proverbs 29:10), as is brought there in the Torah mentioned above; see there. For all of this is the aspect of the blemish of todah/halachah, the blemish of the money of holiness, which is in the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa who birth halachos — for he denies his fellow, which is the opposite of all of this. Therefore the beis din cannot clarify except through the oath. For an oath is the aspect of binding, as is brought — the aspect of the illumination of the three lines of truth within the fourfold speech, which is the aspect of the seven days of creation, as is brought elsewhere. This is the aspect of shevuah [oath], from the word sheva [seven] — the aspect of the binding of the weekdays to the seventh day, which is Shabbos, which is “an eternal covenant between Me and the children of Israel,” etc. (Exodus 31:17). For Shabbos is “the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He,” the aspect of “the Torah is the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He” — and this is the aspect of the oath, which is in the Name and with holding an object, which is the Torah. For when there is a denial, which is the blemish of truth, the beis din cannot illuminate truth except through the oath, which includes all the repairs of truth — which is the illumination of the three lines of truth within the fourfold speech, etc. And therefore, since the departed one did not merit to appoint a guardian himself and did not illuminate by himself the aspect of truth that he merited to clarify, according to his portion, in todah/halachah in the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, as above, until the beis din was compelled to involve themselves in appointing a guardian — therefore he requires an oath. For when truth is not clarified in fullness and the beis din needs to clarify it, they cannot clarify it except through the oath, etc., as above. §32 And this is the aspect of: “For I have known him, in order that he command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of Hashem, to do tzedakah and justice” (Genesis 18:19). For the essential bequest that a person must command his children and his household after him is that they should keep the way of Hashem, to do tzedakah and justice — tzedakah and justice precisely. That is, that they should give tzedakah to true talmidai chachamim who birth halachos, which are the judgments of the Torah. And this is the aspect of tzedakah and justice — that is, tzedakah to true talmidai chachamim, through whom the judicial halachos of the Torah are born and revealed — which is the essential repair of the money of this departed one who labored for it during his lifetime, whose entire repair is when the money comes to true talmidai chachamim from whom halachos are born, which are the aspect of todah/hoda’ah, the delight of the World to Come — and to this he must now enter, that he should have a portion in the delight of the World to Come, as above. §33 And this is: “Truth and the judgment of peace, judge in your gates” (Zechariah 8:16). For the judges must judge truth in order to merit through this peace — that all should be included in one da’as, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc., as above. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said: “Whoever judges a true judgment to its truth becomes a partner with the Holy One, blessed be He, in the act of creation” (Shabbos 10a) — as it is written: “And it was evening and it was morning, one day” (Genesis 1:5), etc. For it is written “one day” and not “the first day” — to teach that the Holy One, blessed be He, was alone in His world. That is, to teach that all the divergences in creation, which are the aspect of “and it was evening and it was morning” — which includes all the divergences in the world, for the divergence between day and night, between light and darkness, is the greatest of all divergences (and as we say in the blessing of Krias Shema: “and with understanding He changes the times”), and in this are included all the many divergences of each and every day, without end — and everything was created and continues to exist in order that the achdus ha’pashut should be revealed precisely from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos, as above. And this is: “And it was evening and it was morning” — which are the totality of all divergences — “one day” — in the aspect of Him being alone in His world. That is, to reveal His unity, may He be blessed — that the lone Primordial One created everything, and all the pe’ulos mishtanos are drawn from His unity, may He be blessed. And therefore the judge who judges a true judgment to its truth merits this — that he becomes a partner with the Holy One, blessed be He, in the act of creation, as it is written: “And it was evening,” etc. — “one day.” For through truth, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — which is the aspect of “and it was evening and it was morning — one day,” as above. §34 The sum of the matter is that a person must accustom himself to give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, always, in all that passes over him, as it is written: “In Hashem I praise a word; in G–d I praise a word” (Psalms 56:11) — both in His goodness and in His severity, G–d forbid, as our Sages of blessed memory said. And this is a good and wondrous counsel — that even when a person has become as distant from Hashem, may He be blessed, as he has become, and also in the affairs of this world he is greatly pressed in livelihood and children, etc. (as is common among the majority of the world, as explained elsewhere) — he must precisely then seek and find an expansion within the straits of the trouble, and also remind himself of all the good things and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, has already done with him. And the main thing: that He did not make me a gentile and separated us from those who go astray, etc. And to remind himself that nothing will remain of him or of any person at all except what he seized in this world of some good from the holiness of Israel — and only this is his portion from all his toil. And therefore each person, even the worst of the worst, must rejoice in this greatly, and his mouth should be filled with His praise, etc. all day long — to give thanks and praise and laud, etc. the Fashioner of creation, Who did not make us, etc. — Who did not set our portion like theirs, etc. And once he is accustomed to this, he will certainly seize, every day, to learn some halachos of the Torah, which are His knowledge, may He be blessed — through which one comes to know Him, may He be blessed, and is included in Him, may He be blessed. And through this itself, one will emerge from all the troubles, as above. And through this, the achdus ha’pashut will be revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc. — and through this comes the essential nullification of the trouble, etc. — and so it cycles around for the good, until in the end of all ends, he will certainly merit his good ultimate purpose, which is the delight of the World to Come — which is to give thanks and praise to Him, may He be blessed, forever and to all eternity. And the essential thing for all of this is love of friends and peace — that one should have great love and peace with all Israel, and especially with those who walk in this path. And he should be among the tom’chay Oraysa, both with his money and with his body — that he should support with all his strength the talmidai chachamim who engage in this path, who birth halachos. And through this, he will merit to beget worthy children who engage in Torah, etc., etc. — as was explained above: todah/halachah and tom’chay Oraysa and the births of children are all one aspect and depend upon each other. And one must begin from every single good point among them, until he merits what he merits. Fortunate is he! §35 And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said: “What is meant by the verse: ‘Who is the wise man who will understand this, and to whom the mouth of Hashem has spoken that he may declare it — on what account has the land been destroyed, parched like a desert, with none passing through?’ (Jeremiah 9:11). ‘And Hashem said: Because they forsook My Torah,’ etc. — ‘and did not heed My voice and did not walk in it’” (Jeremiah 9:12). And they explained there: “that they did not bless over the Torah first” (Nedarim 81a). And the matter is astonishing, as all the commentators were astonished by it. And especially that which they said there: “This matter was asked of the Sages and the Prophets and they could not explain it, until the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself explained it” — and it is wondrous. What is this great commotion — who does not know all this, that the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash was because they transgressed the Torah? Is not the entire Torah full of this? For Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, himself already warned them: “If you walk in My statutes,” etc. — “and if you do not listen,” etc. (Leviticus 26). And similarly, in innumerable other places, he told them that if they transgress the Torah they would be lost from the land, etc. And similarly, all the Prophets warned them about this. And what is this — that now they asked everyone “on what account was the land destroyed,” and they could not explain it, until Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself explained it: “Because they forsook My Torah,” etc.? But the essential matter is that Hashem, may He be blessed, asked the Sages and the Prophets to understand this well and to declare on what account the land was destroyed — in a manner that good would come to us from it, that we would understand through this good counsel for how to begin to repair the corruptions that caused the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash. And this is the essential severity and depth of the question that Hashem, may He be blessed, asked the Sages and the Prophets, and they could not explain it. For what was, was — and what difference does it make if it was destroyed on account of whatever it was destroyed on account of? It is already destroyed! But the essential thrust of what Hashem, may He be blessed, sought to ask the Sages and the Prophets — that they should understand this and declare on what account the land was destroyed — is that they should explain the matter well, in a manner that we would understand from it counsel for how to emerge from the corruptions that caused the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash. And therefore they could not explain it, for this is very, very deep — “deep, deep — who can find it?” (Ecclesiastes 7:24). Until the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself explained it: “Because they forsook My Torah, and did not heed My voice, and did not walk in it.” That is, even though they had already transgressed very severe transgressions — idolatry, etc. — even so, in the inner depths of their hearts, their hearts were still burning for Hashem, may He be blessed. For “many waters cannot extinguish the love” (Song of Songs 8:7) between Israel and their Father in Heaven, “and rivers cannot wash it away.” And therefore they should have strengthened themselves, at least to seize some halachos, to learn at least a little every day. But “they forsook My Torah entirely.” And not only that, but “they did not heed My voice” — “hearing depends upon the heart” — that is, they were at least obligated to hear and to attach themselves to the voice of Hashem that calls with a great voice in a person’s heart every single day and at every time, that he should return to Him. And every person must incline his heart to hear the voice of Hashem — that at least he should have strong desires and great yearnings for Hashem, may He be blessed, which is very precious, as is explained elsewhere. And the main thing: “And they did not walk in it — that they did not bless over the Torah first.” For certainly they did not fall in one stroke to such falls, to transgress the law entirely and throw off the yoke as it was at the time of the destruction. And certainly at first they engaged in Torah somewhat — only “they did not bless over the Torah first.” That is, they did not set their hearts to rejoice in the Torah, and to bless and give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, at every time, for the wondrous and awesome kindness that He did with us, in that He chose us from all the nations and gave us His Torah, the hidden treasure, which is our life, etc. — and this is our entire hope forever. And as is explained in the commentators, this is the essential meaning of the blessing over the Torah — to rejoice with all one’s strength in the pleasantness of our portion and our lot. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said that the blessing over the Torah requires great care — that is, the entire matter mentioned above that we have explained: that each person, even if he has fallen and become as distant as he has, even so, he precisely must be accustomed to todah and hoda’ah, to give thanks for the small amount of good points that still remain in him, etc. And through this, he will merit to emerge from all the troubles and to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, etc., as above. And this is: “And they did not walk in it” — for this is a wondrous path and way to draw close and to raise oneself to Hashem, may He be blessed, from all kinds of falls and descents in the world, without end or limit. And had they walked in this path, certainly they would not have fallen so far and they would not have had such troubles. And now, our entire hope to return to our land and to our Bais HaMikdash is through this — for this matter depends upon nothing but teshuvah. But it is very difficult to return, for the adversary lies in wait very, very greatly and spreads himself in length and breadth. And everyone desires to fear Your Name, and even so, most are very far from the paths of teshuvah. And the main reason is because they do not set their hearts to rejoice in the small amount of good that is in them — for sadness and melancholy harm more than anything, and as it is written: “Because you did not serve Hashem your G–d with joy and with gladness of heart” (Deuteronomy 28:47) — that the essential destruction and all the troubles, may the Merciful One save us, are all because they did not serve Him, may He be blessed, with joy — as is brought in the writings of the Ari z”l. That is, as above; and understand well. And therefore Hashem, may He be blessed, was compelled to explain it Himself — in order to hint to us now, in every generation, hints of counsel for how to draw close now to Hashem, may He be blessed, from wherever one is, to repair the corruptions through which the destruction occurred — until we merit a complete redemption soon. And therefore all the above is called “walking” — for it is the repair of the legs, as above, the aspect of “the goings of the world” — through which comes the approach of the redemption, in the aspect of “and His feet shall stand,” etc., as above. For it is a wondrous path and way for every person in the world, etc., as above. §36 And this is the aspect of the work of the Mishkan, which they were commanded after the sin of the eigel [golden calf] — which occurred through the abundance of gold. Through this, the eirev rav [mixed multitude] incited and lured them to separate the pe’ulos mishtanos, G–d forbid, from the achdus ha’pashut — which is the essential sin of idolatry. And the repair was through the Mishkan, which is the aspect of the Bais HaMikdash, the aspect of “throne of glory, exalted from the beginning,” the aspect of “the place of Your dwelling,” etc. — mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the shekalim — “When you raise the head of the children of Israel,” etc. (Exodus 30:12) — that they should all be included together through the counting, and the counting should not cause, G–d forbid, the aspect of separation, which is the sitra d’mosa [the side of death], in the aspect of “and there shall not be a plague among them.” And this is through their giving a ransom for their souls — the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, etc. For the eirev rav blemished the money — for through the abundance of money they contended against Moshe. And not only did they not want to be among the tom’chay Oraysa, they even reversed to the opposite extreme — assembling upon Aharon to make them an idol from the money. For just as when one merits that money should be in holiness — the essence of which is through giving one’s money to talmidai chachamim, to be among the tom’chay Oraysa, through which halachos are born, etc. — through which the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos is drawn, as above — so too, in reverse, when one blemishes the money and chases after money only for one’s own desires, and even contends against the true talmidai chachamim who engage in birthing halachos — then one separates the pe’ulos mishtanos and causes heresies in the world. This is the aspect of the blemish of the eirev rav, which came through the abundance of money, as it is written: “and enough gold” (Deuteronomy 1:1, per Chazal) — through which they made idolatry and denied Hashem and separated in their minds the pe’ulos mishtanos from the achdus ha’pashut. This was the nature of all the matters of idolatry in the earlier generations — because it is impossible to comprehend in the mind how all the pe’ulos mishtanos are drawn from the achdus ha’pashut, through this they came to heresies until they made idolatry, and they had many false wisdoms in this, as our Sages of blessed memory said. And similarly, the heresies that are found now, in our many sins, through the investigators [philosophers] and those who contend against the true tzaddikim, who engage in external wisdoms — all of this is drawn from this, from the aspect of the sin of the eigel, from which we have not yet been purified, and all the visitations come through this, as it is written: “And on the day that I visit,” etc. (Exodus 32:34). May Hashem, may He be blessed, protect and save us from now on. And therefore the repair for this is the shekalim that they gave as donation for the Mishkan, from which the adanim [sockets] were made, upon which the entire Mishkan was erected. For there, in the Mishkan, all the halachos of the Torah were born and revealed, as Rashi explains — that from the day the Mishkan was erected, Hashem did not speak to Moshe about any of the halachos of the Torah except in the Ohel Mo’ed. And therefore the shekalim, from which the adanim were made upon which the Mishkan stood, are in the aspect of the tom’chay Oraysa — for through the halachos born from there, and likewise the blessings and thanksgivings that took place in the Mishkan, through all of this all the repairs mentioned above were accomplished, until the achdus ha’pashut was revealed from there, as it is written: “And I will meet with you there,” etc. (Exodus 25:22) — in the aspect of: “And the Mishkan shall be one” (Exodus 26:6). And therefore they were commanded to count them through the shekalim. For Moshe found this very difficult, as our Sages of blessed memory said, and as is brought in the piyyut of Parashas Shekalim — for how could he count Israel, who are above counting, for the entire holiness of Israel is to be included in the ultimate achdus ha’pashut, for they are all as one man, as above, and as it is written: “that cannot be counted,” etc. But Hashem, may He be blessed, commanded them to count them precisely through the shekalim — for through the shekalim, which are the aspect of the tom’chay Oraysa, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — which is very precious to Hashem, may He be blessed, when the achdus ha’pashut is revealed below in this world, precisely from within the pe’ulos mishtanos. And the more the pe’ulos mishtanos multiply, which is the abundance of divergent opinions — when they are included together in one da’as to believe in the achdus ha’pashut, it is more and more precious in His eyes, may He be blessed, as above. Therefore, through giving the shekalim, they must be counted precisely — for the counting is the aspect of multiplicity and divergence. They also needed to be counted by the number of names, mentioning each one by his name, which corresponds to the divergence of his intellect and his mind. And through the abundance of divergences, the plague can prevail, G–d forbid — which is the sitra d’mosa, whose hold comes from the world of separation, from the abundance of divergences. But through the shekalim, etc. — through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed precisely from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos, etc. — through this, precisely a great repair is made through the counting, which is the aspect of the revelation of the abundance of divergences. For precisely through this, His glory, may He be blessed, is enlarged and exalted — through the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut, may He be blessed, precisely through the abundance of divergences, as above — through all of them acknowledging one da’as and giving shekalim to the donation of the Mishkan, where His divinity is revealed, etc., as above. §37 And therefore they were commanded to give specifically a half-shekel — to teach that each individual Jew has no completeness except through his fellow. For the essential repair is that they should all be included one within the other in love and unity — and each one is the aspect of a half, until he is included in his fellow, and his fellow in his fellow, until they are all included, in the abundance of their divergent minds, in the achdus ha’pashut — which is very precious to Hashem, may He be blessed, as above. And this is: “The wealthy shall not give more and the poor shall not give less” (Exodus 30:15) — which is the aspect of what is written: “A person’s ransom is his wealth, and a pauper does not hear rebuke” (Proverbs 13:8), in the aspect of: “and the noble is not distinguished before the poor” (Job 34:19), as Rashi explains there — that this was said regarding the shekalim, that each one gave equally a half-shekel, the wealthy and the poor, etc. That is, as above — for the essential purpose of the shekalim is to merit inclusiveness and unity. Therefore they all had to give equally, so that there would be no division and separation between the wealthy and the poor — and the wealthy should not grow proud or rebuke the poor. To teach that this is the essential repair of tzedakah, whose essence is to be among the tom’chay Oraysa — for the essential thing is to merit love and unity, and the wealthy should not be proud over the poor. For the essential thing is to be included in the achdus ha’pashut, which is impossible to be included in except through humility and self-nullification, the aspect of love and unity — that each one should nullify himself before his fellow. And this He hinted to them through the shekalim — that He commanded they all give equally, the wealthy shall not give more and the poor shall not give less, in the aspect of “and the noble is not distinguished before the poor” mentioned above, in the aspect of “and a pauper does not hear rebuke.” To teach that they are all equal before Him, may He be blessed, and they all have a portion in the erection of the Mishkan — through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos that are included together, as above. And therefore, in truth, regarding the other donations of the Mishkan, each one gave according to the blessing of Hashem and according to the generosity of his heart, as Rashi explains there: “Three donations are mentioned here.” But regarding the shekalim, He warned them that they all give equally — so that the wealthy would learn and understand hints for themselves, that they should never be proud of their giving, even when they give much. For it is fitting for them to understand that Hashem, may He be blessed, could erect the Mishkan through the poor just as through the wealthy — for “wealth and honor come from before Him,” and He can impoverish this one and enrich that one. And certainly, whoever has a little true understanding, it is fitting for him to understand that he should not be proud — even the wealthy one who gives much tzedakah to true talmidai chachamim. On the contrary, it is fitting for him to be ashamed and greatly self-nullified — who is he that he has merited this, that Hashem, may He be blessed, has given him such wealth that he merits to support the talmidai chachamim? And moreover, he still has much wealth and riches remaining in his house, for certainly he does not even give half of his wealth. And the poor and destitute person, who is a worthy person just like him and usually more so than him, has no bread or garment in his house, and also does not merit to support the talmidai chachamim with his money. And how can one be proud of the wealth that Hashem, may He be blessed, has given him, that much remains with him and he also supports the talmidai chachamim, that he merits to have an everlasting investment? And all of this, Hashem, may He be blessed, hinted to them through the shekalim that He commanded they all give equally — to teach that, just as the adanim that uphold the Mishkan were made through the donation of the shekalim that all gave equally, so too Hashem, may He be blessed, could have made the entire Mishkan through all of them equally. But He desires to bestow merit upon each one according to his worth, according to His designs that have been reckoned for him. But you, the wealthy — do not be proud, for everything is from Him, as David said: “For everything is from You, and from Your hand we have given to You” (I Chronicles 29:14). For the essential tzedakah is to support the talmidai chachamim who birth halachos — which is the aspect of the erection of the Mishkan that the tzaddikim, in the aspect of Moshe in every generation, engage in — for the essential thing is love and inclusiveness, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc., as above. §38 And this is the aspect of Purim, which is the obliteration of Haman-Amalaik. For Amalaik blemishes everything mentioned above, as was explained above (in §27). For “Amalaik is the first of the nations” (Numbers 24:20) — he is the aspect of a heretic and he wants to confuse and cast blemish upon the “beginning” and the “start” — as if Hashem, may He be blessed, has not yet begun to save at all. For he was the first to come to wage war against Israel when they went out of Egypt, and he strengthened himself in his wickedness to stand against Israel, for whom Hashem, may He be blessed, had performed such miracles in the Exodus from Egypt, until Pharaoh was compelled to acknowledge “that Hashem is the righteous One” and expelled them from Egypt. And Amalaik is such a brazen one that he went out against them, and as Rashi explains there on the verse “Write this as a memorial in the book” (Exodus 17:14) — a parable of a boiling bath, etc. For he is a heretic from beginning to end, denying the miracles and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, does with us at all times, and blemishing all the repairs explained above — and the main thing is that he provokes and strengthens himself so that the achdus ha’pashut should not, G–d forbid, be revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above. And he lies in wait against all Israel constantly, and principally he strengthens himself, G–d forbid, in time of exile and trouble — for then he wants to cast heresies into the heart, as if Hashem, may He be blessed, has not yet begun to save Israel at all. And this is the aspect of the strengthening of Haman-Amalaik at the end of the exile of Babylon — for he said: since Nevuchadnetzar has already prevailed and destroyed the Bais HaMikdash which stood for several hundred years and exiled Israel from their land, etc. — they no longer have hope to return, G–d forbid. And therefore he and his impure offspring strengthened themselves to halt the rebuilding of the Bais HaMikdash — for he said that hope was lost for Israel, G–d forbid. And this is what is written: “There is one nation” (Esther 3:8), and our Sages of blessed memory expounded: “Their G–d is asleep” [yashein = yeshno] — meaning, that He would no longer save Israel, G–d forbid, as if He were asleep. And this is: “scattered and separated among the nations, and their laws are different from every nation” (Esther 3:8) — he said that they are scattered and separated among the nations, in the aspect of the abundance of divergent opinions and dispute, the aspect of scattering and separation among the nations, having fallen to the minds of the seventy nations. All of this is the opposite of the inclusiveness of the pe’ulos mishtanos in the achdus ha’pashut, as above. And this is: “and their laws are different,” etc. — he said that the law of Israel is in the aspect of the strengthening of divergences and scattering and separation, G–d forbid. For he denied the holy law of Israel — that the entire law of our holy Torah is that through the law of our holy Torah, one is included in the achdus ha’pashut, through every single mitzvah and through every letter and word of the holy Torah. For “the Torah, Israel, and the Holy One, blessed be He, are all one.” And Haman wanted to turn the dish upside-down, G–d forbid, and said that everything is in reverse. And therefore he wanted to prevail over Israel — to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate, etc. — for he is the aspect of the overpowering of the bloods in the time of trouble. For he is from the seed of Eisav, “the reddish one” (Genesis 25:25) — on account of the overpowering of the evil bloods, from which comes the sitra d’mosa, which is drawn from the sin of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Where is Haman [hinted] from the Torah? As it is said: ‘Is it from the tree?’” (Chullin 139b; Genesis 3:11) — for then death was decreed, and therefore he wanted to annihilate Israel, G–d forbid. And so it is in every generation and in every person, as it is written: “Hashem’s war against Amalaik from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:16) — for he prevails upon every person at all times with all kinds of stratagems to make him fall, G–d forbid. For he is the tempter, he is the accuser, etc. — for first he entices the person to whatever he entices him, and afterwards he prosecutes him, until some trouble or suffering comes upon him, G–d forbid. And it is he himself who weakens and confuses the person’s heart so that he does not cry out and supplicate before Hashem, may He be blessed — for he puts into his heart as if hope is lost, G–d forbid, and he wants to make him forget all the good things and kindnesses and miracles and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, has done with our fathers and with each and every individual in particular. And the repair for all of this is the aspect of Mordechai, who is the aspect of the true tzaddik, the aspect of mor d’ror [pure myrrh] — maray dachya — which is the chief spice of the anointing oil, with which the entire Mishkan and its vessels were anointed, and Aharon the Kohen and his sons. For all of their service in the Mishkan and the Bais HaMikdash was entirely to include all the pe’ulos mishtanos in the achdus ha’pashut, as above — for there was the essential revelation of divinity, as it is written: “And I will meet there with the children of Israel,” etc. (Exodus 29:43), as above. And the essential holiness of the Mishkan and its vessels was drawn through the anointing oil, which is a good fragrance of holiness, drawn from an exceedingly, exceedingly exalted holiness that has the power to sanctify the entire Mishkan and its vessels, etc. — to elevate and bring them from profane to holy. For the essence of holiness is being included in the achdus ha’pashut, where lies the root of all holinesses. Thus, the anointing oil that Moshe made had such wondrous power to elevate the entire Mishkan and its vessels — which were made of gold and silver and copper and blue-purple and red-purple, etc., etc. — in which there was an abundance of divergences and many hues in the silver and gold, etc., which are the totality of all worldly desires, especially the desire for money, which is the aspect of the overpowering of the bloods, etc. mentioned above. And the Mishkan, which was made from all of this, was the repair for all of this, as above. And all its holiness was drawn through the anointing oil, through which the Mishkan and its vessels were sanctified, and it elevated everything — all the many hues and divergences — so that they would be included in the achdus ha’pashut, where lie all the holinesses. Through this, the Mishkan had the power to atone for the children of Israel, to purify them from all the impurities, all of which are the aspect of the heresies drawn from the aspect of separation mentioned above, which separates, G–d forbid, the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc., as above. For the essential repair is through the aspect of good fragrance, which is the life of the soul, which is the aspect of the anointing oil made with such exalted preparations that it has the power to draw a good fragrance to all who are distant from holiness — who cannot be revived except through the aspect of good fragrance, in the aspect of what is said regarding the souls of Israel who are cast down in the exile of their desires and traits, G–d forbid: “Support me with cakes of raisins, spread my bed with apples, for I am lovesick” (Song of Songs 2:5), as Rashi explains there — that these are kinds of fragrances. For in our many sins, in the extremity of our weakness now, in the intensity of the bitterness of exile, our strength has already been so weakened that we do not feel the pleasantness and sweetness of the honeycomb — the words of sweetness of the true tzaddikim who revive us with such pure utterances, in the aspect of: “All food is abhorred by their soul,” etc. (Psalms 107:18). And our life-force comes only from what we smell from afar — a little of the good, holy, and awesome fragrance of the holy Torah-novelties of the true tzaddikim. And this is the aspect of the fragrance of the anointing oil, through which everything is sanctified and enters from outside to inside — from which comes the holiness of Mordechai, as above, who subdues the kelipah of Haman-Amalaik who wants to cast blemish upon the beginning of the salvation, as if Hashem, may He be blessed, has not yet begun to save at all. And Mordechai knows all of this and in his wisdom instills the holy emunah in Israel, and illuminates the heart of man, and reminds him at all times of all the good things and miracles and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, has already done with us, in general and in particular, etc. And as it is written: “Bless Hashem, O my soul, and do not forget all His bounties,” etc. (Psalms 103:2). And through this, one has the power to cry out and supplicate before Hashem, may He be blessed, that He should save us even now, as above. Through this came the intensity of the miracle of Purim — that Haman-Amalaik was subdued and fell. And in His mercy, may He be blessed, He frustrated his counsel and spoiled his thought, and everything was turned to good, from one extreme to the other, as it is written: “And it was reversed — that the Jews dominated,” etc. (Esther 9:1). And they established these days of Purim as joy and feasting and a festival for all generations — to make known that even in our servitude, our G–d has not forsaken us. This is the intensity of the miracle and the wondrous salvation of Purim, which is greater than all the festivals, as our Sages of blessed memory said — for the essential miracle is what we saw, that even in our servitude, in the intensity of exile, Hashem, may He be blessed, watches over us so much, with wondrous providence, and arranged events for good from beginning to end. That precisely through Haman, the wicked Vashti was killed, and afterwards, through this very thing, the intensity of the miracle came about, that Haman was hanged through Esther — with such wondrous providences, as is explained in the holy Megillah. And one must set his heart well to this, to understand from this that, just so, even now, He has not withdrawn His kindness from us. And one must strengthen himself in joy always, to draw the holiness of the joy of Purim — to believe that Hashem, may He be blessed, is with us even now, in the intensity of this exile — and to give todah and hoda’ah every day for the past, and to beseech for the future, etc., as above. §39 And this is the aspect of: “words of peace and truth” (Esther 9:30) — this is the aspect of the three lines of truth that illuminate within the speech, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, which is the aspect of peace, as above. And this is: “seeking good for his nation” (Esther 10:3) — the aspect of halachos, for he was seeking good for Israel and clarifying all the halachos of the Torah, as our Sages of blessed memory said — that he would open with matters and expound them. And: “speaking peace to all his seed” — the aspect of peace mentioned above, which is the aspect of the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut, etc. — which is the essential completion of the fullness of the repair, as above. And this is: “to all his seed” precisely — for the essential thing is that peace should be drawn, the aspect of the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, to all the seed of Israel who are born in every generation, in the aspect of: “A seed will serve Him; it will be told to Hashem for a generation” (Psalms 22:31). For the essential war of Amalaik is in every generation anew — because in every generation, souls are drawn in wondrous novelties anew, for no two people in all the generations are alike, as was explained above (§23). And because of the abundance of divergences and new forms of intelligence that arise in every generation, Amalaik wants to strengthen himself to separate in thought, G–d forbid, the pe’ulos mishtanos from the achdus ha’pashut, as above. And therefore: “Hashem’s war against Amalaik from generation to generation.” And this is the aspect of all the vain wisdoms that arise anew in every generation — both the external wisdoms, which are the wisdom of philosophy that grow stronger in every generation, and the other wisdoms of the world of foolishness and vanity, where each one imagines that the world has now become wiser, as if in previous generations they had no intellect at all, to desire such implements and adornments, etc. — as such foolish talk is common among the youth. And all of this is drawn from the aspect mentioned above — because in truth, at the root of the holiness of the souls, they are drawn in every generation in the aspect of innovation for good, for the essential glory of Hashem, may He be blessed, is precisely that in the abundance of the immense divergence of opinions, they should be included in His achdus ha’pashut, as above. And “G–d has made one corresponding to the other” (Ecclesiastes 7:14) — therefore the aspect of the contamination of Amalaik wants to reverse everything, as if today they are wiser for evil. But Hashem, may He be blessed, fights him in every generation, as above, through His true tzaddikim, and reveals such wondrous halachos and Torah-novelties in every generation — so that through this, in every generation, the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut is ever greater, from within the abundance and divergence of the many opinions, which are the aspect of the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above. This is the aspect of: “seeking good for his nation and speaking peace to all his seed” precisely, in the aspect of “and unto generation after generation is His faithfulness,” in the aspect of “generation to generation praises Your works,” etc., as above. And understand well, to connect everything from beginning to end, and you will understand counsel and strengthening to draw close always to Hashem, may He be blessed, and to give thanks to His Name, may He be blessed, always — which is the essential ultimate purpose, the aspect of the delight of the World to Come, as above. §40 And this is the aspect of Pesach and the greatness of the mitzvah of relating the story of the Exodus from Egypt, as was explained above (in §16). For now that we have already merited to go out of Egypt, etc. — praise be to G–d, we have a good beginning, etc., as above — therefore we must abundantly tell of the Exodus from Egypt, etc. And this is: “We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt.” For the essential redemption was through Shabbos — through Hashem, may He be blessed, in His mercy drawing upon them Himself the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos upon the six days of the week. Through this, the achdus ha’pashut was revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — that all the pe’ulos mishtanos are all drawn from the achdus ha’pashut Himself, may He be blessed. This was then revealed very, very greatly through all the great, awesome, and immense signs and wonders that Moshe did before the eyes of all Israel — turning water to blood and blood to water, sending frogs, and when he wished, removing them through his prayer. And similarly with all the plagues with which he struck Pharaoh, etc. — demonstrating that all of nature and all the workings of the diverse activities in the entire world are all in the hand of the achdus ha’pashut, and they are in His hand like clay in the hand of the potter. And He reveals His secret to His servants the tzaddikim, so that they can rule over the world and direct everything as they wish. And all of this was drawn at that time by Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself, in the aspect of an awakening from above, as is brought — for they were not yet worthy of the redemption, for they had not yet drawn the repairs mentioned above that are drawn through todah and hoda’ah and halachos, etc. — for it was the first redemption, and they had not yet received the Torah, where all the halachos are, as was explained above. But Hashem, may He be blessed, had compassion upon them, through the merit of the Patriarchs and through the little good He found in them, until through His awesome wonders He compelled Moshe to go and redeem them, and He drew upon them Himself the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos upon the weekdays, until the achdus ha’pashut was revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, through all the signs and wonders, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of Shabbos HaGadol before Pesach — for the essential miracles of Pesach were through the holiness of Shabbos, as above. And therefore it is called Shabbos HaGadol [the Great Shabbos] — for this is the essential greatness of Hashem, may He be blessed — when His unity, may He be blessed, is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above, which is accomplished through Shabbos, as above. And this is why we begin “We were slaves,” etc. — for before the redemption, in the time of exile (that is, before they merited to draw the holiness of Shabbos to the weekdays), we were slaves — because the aspect of the weekdays held sway, which are the aspect of “servant,” as is explained there in the Torah mentioned above. “And Hashem our G–d brought us out from there,” etc. — that is, Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself brought us out from there, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, even though we were not worthy — for we had not yet drawn upon ourselves all the repairs mentioned above. Even so, Hashem, may He be blessed, had compassion upon us and brought us out Himself, through the power of His wondrous mercy, as above. And this is: “And had the Holy One, blessed be He, not brought out our fathers from Egypt, behold we and our children and our children’s children would still be enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt.” That is, the essential Exodus from Egypt was to reveal His divinity, may He be blessed, from generation to generation forever, as it is written: “And you shall make known to your children and your children’s children” (Deuteronomy 4:9), in the aspect of “and unto generation after generation is His faithfulness” — which one merits through Torah/halachah, from which come all the holy births of the seed of Israel, the holy nation. But at that time, they were not yet worthy of this — only Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself drew in His mercy all the repairs mentioned above, until He redeemed them Himself. But had the Holy One, blessed be He, not brought out, etc. — behold we and our children, etc., would still be enslaved, etc. — for now that we have already merited the Exodus from Egypt and we have a good beginning, as above, through this we merit each time the aspect of todah/halachah, as above, through which the births of children are drawn in the holiness of Israel — and we are able to teach them and make known to them, from generation to generation, from father to son, the works of Hashem, for they are awesome, in the aspect of “generation to generation praises Your works,” etc. — until all of them walk in this path, in the path of the holy Torah, to give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, always, etc. — and to engage in halachos, etc., until they reveal in each generation the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, which is accomplished anew in every generation, as above. All of this is the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos, which is the aspect of “son,” to nullify the aspect of the servitude of the weekdays. But had the Holy One, blessed be He, not brought out our fathers from Egypt in His mercy, by Himself, as above — behold we and our children and our children’s children would still be enslaved, etc. — for we would not have merited the birth of children in holiness, in the aspect of “son,” the aspect of freedom — but all the children and children’s children would have been in the aspect of servitude, as above, from which came the entire exile of Egypt, as above. And this is: “And even if we were all wise, all understanding, all elders, all knowing the Torah — it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt.” That is, at first glance it is difficult — why did He emphasize so many times the telling of the Exodus from Egypt? For the essential purpose of the Exodus from Egypt was for the sake of the Giving of the Torah, as it is written: “When you bring out the nation from Egypt, you shall serve G–d on this mountain” (Exodus 3:12) — which is the Giving of the Torah. And it would have been fitting to tell only of the miracle of the Giving of the Torah. And why did He emphasize more the telling of the Exodus from Egypt? And even the Giving of the Torah itself began: “I am Hashem your G–d Who brought you out of the land of Egypt,” etc. (Exodus 20:2). And similarly in most of the mitzvos. But according to the above, it is well explained — for the essential intensity of the miracle is the beginning, which is the Exodus from Egypt, which was the first redemption, which was very difficult because “this depends upon that,” etc., as above. And this is: “And even if we were all wise, etc., all knowing the Torah — it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt” specifically, even more so. Even though now we already know the Torah, which is the essential purpose for which we went out of Egypt, as above — even so, it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt, which is the beginning, through which we merited to know the Torah — for that beginning was the most difficult of all, as above. And we need now to tell about this even more — for even now, all the keeping of the Torah depends upon this. For the more one gives thanks and praises Him, may He be blessed, for the greatness of His kindness of the beginning, which is the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt, which was very difficult — the more one tells and gives thanks and praises Him, may He be blessed — so are all the repairs mentioned above drawn even more, through which the hoda’ah in turn grows ever greater, etc. — and so it cycles around for the good, as above. Through all of this, one merits joy, which is the essential thing — to strengthen oneself from wherever one is, to rejoice in the salvation of Hashem, etc. — through which everyone can enter into the keeping of the Torah, as above. And therefore, even if we were all wise and understanding and elders and knowing the Torah and all that has passed over us has already passed and we have merited the salvation of Hashem and immense wonders — it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt, when the beginning was, as above — through which one merits to strengthen himself in joy even now, through which comes the essential keeping of the Torah, as above. And this is: “And whoever tells more of the Exodus from Egypt — behold, this is praiseworthy.” For each and every person must tell abundantly of the Exodus from Egypt, in general and in particular — how many miracles and wonders Hashem, may He be blessed, did with us — so that the hoda’ah should grow each time even more, through which comes the essential repair, as above. And this is: “And whoever tells more of the Exodus from Egypt — behold, this is praiseworthy.” And it is brought in the Kavanos: “behold, this is praiseworthy” — in chasadim [kindnesses] — that is, the aspect of “whoever is wise, let him observe these things, and they will contemplate the kindnesses of Hashem” (Psalms 107:43) — the aspect of “the faithful kindnesses of David” (Isaiah 55:3), which are drawn through todah/hoda’ah, as is explained there. §41 And this is: “It happened with Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua,” etc. — who were telling of the Exodus from Egypt all that night, until their students came and said to them: “Our teachers, the time for the morning Krias Shema has arrived.” The time for Krias Shema precisely — for through the abundance of telling of the Exodus from Egypt, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed even more from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above, which is the aspect of Krias Shema — to reveal the achdus ha’pashut in the world, in the aspect of: “Hashem our G–d, Hashem is One.” “Hashem our G–d” — that is, His divinity that dwells and is clothed within us, within all the pe’ulos mishtanos. “Hashem is One” — everything is included and unified in His achdus ha’pashut, may He be blessed. And as our Sages of blessed memory said, one must extend the dales of echad in order to crown Him above and below and in the four directions — which are the totality of the pe’ulos mishtanos in all six extremities, all of which are included in His unity, may He be blessed. For Hashem is One, and everything is drawn only from Him, may He be blessed. And all of this is revealed through the abundance of telling of the Exodus from Egypt. And therefore Hashem, may He be blessed, arranged it so that these tzaddikim told of the Exodus from Egypt, etc., until their students came — those who received the halachos from them, which are also the aspect of todah, as above — and said to them: “Our teachers, the time for Krias Shema has arrived,” etc. — for through this, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed, which is the aspect of Krias Shema, as above. And to sweeten further and explain the statement mentioned above — “Whoever tells more of the Exodus from Egypt,” etc. — it is thus: For all the kinds of counsel that our Sages of blessed memory illuminated for us, with which one can strengthen himself — the adversary constantly lies in wait to push him away from them, G–d forbid. Therefore, one needs great stubbornness. And so it is with the matter mentioned above — that one must strengthen himself to give thanks always to Hashem, may He be blessed, for all the kindnesses and wonders, etc., even if he is as he is, for even so, He has already bestowed upon us immense wonders. But the adversary constantly strengthens himself to cause forgetfulness and concealment, G–d forbid, etc. Therefore a person must strengthen himself to tell abundantly of the Exodus from Egypt, etc., in the aspect mentioned above. And this is: “Whoever tells more” — “more” precisely — for one must increase so much, until he increases the telling of the Exodus from Egypt over the hinderer, until it exceeds him and nullifies him — in the manner our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the nullification of a prohibited substance: “one increases over it and nullifies it.” And this is: “And whoever tells more” of the kindnesses of Hashem, etc. — which is the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt, etc., as above — who increases the telling over the hinderer until he nullifies him, as above — “behold, this is praiseworthy,” as above. §42 And this is: “And I will pass through the land of Egypt — I, and not an angel; I, and not a seraph; I, and not an emissary; I am Hashem — I am He and not another.” That is, during the Exodus from Egypt, the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos was so great that even above, His achdus ha’pashut, may He be blessed, was revealed — as is explained there in the Torah mentioned above: that when the achdus ha’pashut is revealed below, His achdus ha’pashut is revealed also above, in the aspect of: “You are One and Your Name is One, and who is like Your nation Israel, one nation in the land,” etc. And this is: “And I will pass through the land of Egypt — I, and not an angel; I, and not a seraph,” etc. — for all the concealments and hiddennesses were nullified. For sometimes Hashem, may He be blessed, clothes His conduct through the angels, in the aspect of “Behold, I am sending an angel before you” (Exodus 23:20) — which was said after the sin, and Moshe did not desire this. For then one can err, G–d forbid, as Acheir erred through this. And as the verse itself there warns: “Beware of him, do not defy him,” and our Sages of blessed memory expounded: “Do not exchange Me for him” — for from there is drawn the error of all idolators. And similarly the errors of the naturalist philosophers of today — for the angel is called Elokim, which has the numerical value of ha’teva [nature]. But at the time of the Exodus from Egypt, Hashem, may He be blessed, had compassion upon us and revealed His achdus ha’pashut below and above — that there is no governance in the world except through Himself alone, in the aspect of: “I, and not an angel; I, and not a seraph,” etc. — “I am Hashem; I am He and not another.” For all the diverse activities in the world — all are from Him, may He be blessed, Himself, as above. Shayach l’eil — This belongs above [at the end of the Apotropos section]: And therefore we say Birchas Kohanim [the Priestly Blessing] after Birchas HaTorah [the Blessing over the Torah]. For Birchas HaTorah is the aspect of the hoda’ah mentioned above — that we bless and give thanks every day, immediately in the morning, for the pleasantness of our portion, that we merited to receive the Torah, which is the essential path to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, from wherever one is, as is explained above (in §5). Through this, all the repairs mentioned above are accomplished, until one merits that all the pe’ulos mishtanos should be included in the achdus ha’pashut — which is the aspect of peace and unity among all Israel, that all the divergent opinions should be included together, etc., as above. This, Aharon the Kohen merited more than anyone else — through the fact that he was not jealous of Moshe his brother, even though he [Moshe] was greater than him, and he went out to greet him with joy, as it is written: “And he shall see you and rejoice in his heart” (Exodus 4:14). And through this, he merited the Kehunah, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “In reward for ‘and he shall see you,’ etc., he merited the Choshen HaMishpat [Breastplate of Judgment] upon his heart.” Therefore we say Birchas Kohanim, which is the holiness of Aharon the Kohen, after Birchas HaTorah — for they are of one aspect and depend upon each other, as above. And therefore Birchas Kohanim concludes with peace, as it is written: “and grant you peace” (Numbers 6:26) — for through the hoda’ah mentioned above, which is the aspect of Birchas HaTorah, one merits peace and unity, as above. And all of this we merited through Aharon the Kohen, as above. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said: “Be of the students of Aharon, loving peace and pursuing peace” (Avos 1:12) — that is, as above. And this is: “loving the creatures and bringing them close to the Torah” — for the essential drawing close to the Torah is through the aspect mentioned above, through todah/hoda’ah, which is Birchas HaTorah, through which one merits peace, which is the aspect of the holiness of Aharon the Kohen, as above. ◆ Translator’s Summary ◆ This collection of halachos applies the law of perikah u’te’inah (helping unload and load an animal) across multiple spiritual dimensions, drawing on several of Rabbainu’s Toros. Avaidah 3, §§15–16 (LM I:13): The tzadik can raise even the farthest souls through ibbur — “Go out and see the might of your Master.” But only “with him” — the person must make some effort himself. Physically: the burden of livelihood derives from distance from Torah/hashgachah shelaimah. ↓ Halacha 1 (LM I:59): Hatred blemishes da’as → burden falls. Love/helping rectifies da’as → burden is raised. Kavod (honor) = root of souls = the Samech that supports all who fall. But an elder whose honor would be damaged is exempt/forbidden. ↓ Halacha 2 (LM II:7): True compassion = helping a Jew shed the burden of sin. Finding merit in a sinner (LM I:282) judges him favorably → lifts the spiritual burden → lifts the physical burden. Livelihood flows from the “sea of wisdom” when da’as illuminates. ↓ Halacha 4 (LM II:2): Shabbos = simple unity; weekdays = diverse activities. Drawing Shabbos holiness into the week reveals that all multiplicity flows from the One. Strife/suffering = disconnect from this unity. Helping the “enemy” unload = abandoning hatred = restoring unity = rest for all. A convert’s inclusion reveals achdus ha’pashut from the most remote “changed activities.” Recurring themes: (1) Hatred/sin = heaviness/falling; love/merit-finding = lightness/raising. (2) Da’as and kavod are intimately linked — both are needed to bear and lift burdens. (3) The Torah commands engagement with even the fallen, but with wisdom about who can be reached. (4) Physical burdens and spiritual burdens are inseparable — rectifying one rectifies the other. Note: The subdivision Hefker v’Nichsay HaGer continues from §30 (Apotropos) through §42, elaborating on: the signs and wonders in Egypt revealing that all pe’ulos mishtanos derive from Him alone; the personal application — todah and hoda’ah even in the midst of distress; the rooster pecking in the refuse-heap (even tiny mitzvos are cherished); the cycle of struggle and redemption in every generation; Rosh Hashanah and Alainu as the ultimate revelation of achdus ha’pashut; the Shabbos Zohar passage; the laws of inheritance and their connection to all the above. These sections await translation in a continuation. Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman

And therefore Amalaik, who blemishes all of this — His Name, may He be blessed, and His throne are not complete until the memory of Amalaik is blotted out. For the essential repair of the throne in fullness is through the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut, etc., which is drawn through the abundance of generations, in the aspect of “Your throne, from generation to generation.” And Amalaik, who blemishes all of this — therefore the war of Hashem against Amalaik is “from generation to generation,” precisely. And this is: “For a hand is upon the throne of Hashem — Hashem’s war against Amalaik, from generation to generation” — that His throne, as it were, is not complete until He wins His war against Amalaik in every generation. And then it will be fulfilled: “And Hashem shall sit forever, having established His throne for judgment” (Psalms 9:8) — that the Name will be complete and the throne will be complete, as Rashi explains. For the throne will be completed through the upright ones of every generation, in the aspect of “Your throne, from generation to generation,” as above. §28 And the wise person who desires truth can understand in his heart, according to our words, the immensity of the war in every generation — and in particular, what is done with him in that generation in which he lives. For the essential war with each and every individual in particular is the overpowering of the flooding of the bloods, from which come all the troubles in body, soul, and money. For the essential troubles are the overpowering of the desires and evil traits that embitter a person’s life and bring him to what they bring him, G–d forbid — and from there come all the sufferings in body, money, and children, etc., G–d forbid. And at the time of the intensification of the troubles, one does not know at all what to do, and the bloods flood upon the heart — like one who seeks counsel and strategy to emerge from the trouble, as is explained at the beginning of the Torah mentioned above. And afterward, Hashem, may He be blessed, in His mercy brings him out of the trouble — for Hashem, may He be blessed, performs revealed and hidden miracles and wonders with every person, every single day, as above. And as it is written: “The wicked watches the righteous,” etc. (Psalms 37:32). And as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Every day,” etc. — “and were the Holy One, blessed be He, not helping him,” etc. — for “Hashem will not abandon him in his hand” (Psalms 37:33). And as it is written: “He rescues the poor from one who is stronger than him,” etc. (Psalms 35:10). And all the salvations and miracles are all through the power of the tzaddikay emes, who instill in us the ability to cry out and to raise our eyes at every moment to Hashem, may He be blessed — which is the essential glory of Him, may He be blessed, as it is written: “Call upon Me on the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me” (Psalms 50:15). But even though Hashem, may He be blessed, does many kindnesses and miracles and wonders with us every day and at every time, in every generation, and with each individual in particular — even so, the Sitra Achra, the aspect of Amalaik, constantly undermines, slandering and accusing and inciting and provoking each and every person. For he is the Satan, he is the inciter, he is the accuser, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “He descends and incites,” etc. And as is brought in the holy Zohar regarding the war of Amalaik: “The battle is above and below” — that is, as above; and understand. And therefore one must walk very, very much with the counsel mentioned above — to look at every moment at the immensity of the expanses and salvations and wonders that He has already done with us, etc., as above, and to find expanses even within the troubles themselves, as above. And through this, one will be accustomed always to give praise and thanksgiving to Him, may He be blessed, for everything that “until here He has helped us” with His immense wonders. And as it is written: “I have awakened, and I am still with You” (Psalms 139:18) — and as Rashi explains: “I have come to the end of all the generations, and I am still with You” — that is, even now, in these latter days, which is the aspect of the end of all the generations, even now “I am still with You” — that there is still in each and every one of us the aspect of “yet a little, and there is no wicked one,” etc. (Psalms 37:10) — which is the aspect of “I will sing to my G–d while I yet live (‘b’odi’),” etc. — that one must walk in this very much, as he, of blessed memory, warned us. And the main thing is to give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, for this always, and especially in a time of trouble, G–d forbid — that precisely then one should strengthen himself to pay attention, to look at the wondrous true and eternal salvations that Hashem, may He be blessed, has already performed for him, etc. And through the aspect of todah/halachah, etc. — through this, one will merit that truth will illuminate, etc., until one draws the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — through which the trouble is nullified. And through this, the aspect of todah grows, etc., as above — and so it cycles around for the good, etc., as above. And if the opposition, the aspect of Amalaik, returns and intensifies — the choice is in his hand to return and strengthen himself through all the above. And as soon as he sets his heart to this, Hashem, may He be blessed, will help him in this greatly — for “the kindnesses of Hashem have not ceased,” etc. (Lamentations 3:22). And so each time, until he merits, through His mercy, may He be blessed, and through the power of the tzaddikay emes, to win the war — and then he will merit todah in fullness, which is the essential delight of the World to Come. Fortunate is he! And there will be fulfilled in him: “Fortunate is the person whose strength is in You” (Psalms 84:6), etc. For one needs boldness and immense strengthening and great stubbornness beyond measure — whoever desires to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed. And the essential strengthening is through all the above; and understand well, very well. §29 And regarding yibum and chalitzah that we mentioned above, we did not explain it well, for this is not the place for it. And this is: “And she shall remove his shoe from upon his foot” (Deuteronomy 25:9) — for there the soul of the deceased is bound, as is brought. For the essential blemish is in the legs (raglayim) — where the bloods need to flow in their proper order when one merits holadah. And this one who did not merit to leave seed blemished in this — and therefore: “She shall remove his shoe from upon his foot” — “his foot” precisely. And therefore the halachos are called “the goings (halichos) of the world” (Habakkuk 3:6) — for the essential fullness of the halachah is that one should merit through it to walk (lailaich) in it, to draw close through it to Hashem, may He be blessed, to His service — the aspect of “the goings of the world” — that one should merit to remain standing in holiness forever and ever. For the world in general is called the aspect of “legs” relative to Him, may He be blessed, as it is written: “And the earth is My footstool” (Isaiah 66:1). And the woman and the money, where the essential overpowering of the pe’ulos mishtanos takes place, are called “his legs,” as is explained elsewhere. And this is: “The heavens are My throne and the earth is My footstool; what house will you build for Me?” etc. (Isaiah 66:1). For the essential repair of His throne in the heavens is precisely through “the earth, My footstool” — through the legs, which are the very lowest levels, where the essential abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos resides — when they are included in His unity, may He be blessed, in the aspect of: “Hashem in the heavens has established His throne, and His sovereignty rules over all” (Psalms 103:19). For precisely when they know that His sovereignty rules over all, and all the pe’ulos mishtanos are from Him, may He be blessed — then precisely “in the heavens He has established His throne,” as above. And this is the aspect of the Mishkan and the Bais HaMikdash, the aspect of: “Exalt Hashem our G–d and prostrate yourselves at His footstool,” etc. (Psalms 99:5). And this is the aspect of what is brought in the writings [of the Ari z”l] — that the essential completion of the repair will be when it is fulfilled: “And His feet shall stand on that day,” etc. (Zechariah 14:4), in the aspect of “until the feet reach the feet” — that is, as above. And therefore the essential repair is through all the above, which is the aspect of todah/halachah, the aspect of “the goings of the world,” the aspect of the repair of the legs, as above. Apotropos [Laws of Guardianship] §30 And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said in the Mishnah: “A guardian (apotropos) whom the father of orphans appointed does not swear; one whom the beis din appointed does swear” (Gittin 52a). For it has already been explained — the matter of inheritance that belongs to children: the begetting of children is drawn through the money of holiness of the tom’chay Oraysa, from which comes all the money in the world, as above. For the essential obligation to leave children is only for this purpose — so that the children who were born through the halachos that were born through the tom’chay Oraysa, from which come all the births in the world, as above, should draw all the repairs that are drawn through the halachos, which are the aspect of todah/hoda’ah — which is to illuminate truth in the world and to complete the speech, until they merit to reveal the achdus ha’pashut from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos — which are the children of the seed of Israel who have multiplied in the world. For the more the seed of Israel multiplies, among whom there is great divergence of opinions, as above — and when they are all included in one da’as and unify His Name, may He be blessed — through this, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed even more from within very many diverse activities, which is the essential preciousness of the holiness of the enlargement of His glory, may He be blessed, as above. And this is the aspect of what the children say Kaddish after the death of their father and mother. For this person who has departed — his entire purpose is to merit a portion of the World to Come. And the essential delight of the World to Come is todah/hoda’ah, as above, through which the holiness of the holy Shabbos is drawn, which is the aspect of the World to Come, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed, etc. — for the sake of all of which man comes to this world. And therefore, after his death, when he needs to come to this — to the aspect of the delight of the World to Come, which is to give thanks and praise to His Name, may He be blessed, as above — therefore the children say Kaddish after him, which is not a prayer for the deceased but rather a wondrous and awesome praise and thanksgiving to Hashem, may He be blessed, as is brought. For Kaddish includes all kinds of praises and blessings and thanksgivings, etc. — for it is an exceedingly wondrous and awesome praise that “shatters all bars of iron,” as is brought in the holy Zohar. And as we say: “May He be blessed and praised and glorified and exalted,” etc. — “Blessed is He, above all blessings and songs and praises,” etc. And therefore we say Kaddish after all the blessings and thanksgivings, and similarly after all the halachos that are studied — for it is the pillar between world and world, as is brought. For Kaddish includes all the thanksgivings and songs and praises and elevates them all to their supernal root, higher and higher, unto the Infinite. And therefore this departed one, whose entire repair is that the parts of good within him should be gathered — according to what he merited to do good in the world, the entire purpose of which is hoda’ah, which is the delight of the World to Come, and he now needs to come to this, that he should have some portion in the delight of the World to Come, which is hoda’ah, as above — therefore his children say Kaddish after him, which is the totality of all the thanksgivings and songs and praises, etc., and elevates them all, as above. And therefore, through this precisely, the children give their father merit for the World to Come — for praise and thanksgiving, this is the entire delight of the World to Come, as above. And therefore the essential thing is that the children specifically should say Kaddish — for his essential repair is through his children specifically, whom he merited to beget in the world and to multiply the seed of Israel, all of whom engage all their days in thanksgivings and blessings. For every single Jew says every day many blessings and thanksgivings, as our Sages of blessed memory established for us — to say blessings and thanksgivings over every matter in the world, and especially in the morning and evening at the time of prayer — for hoda’ah is the entire delight of the World to Come, as above. And through this, all the repairs mentioned above are accomplished, until one merits to reveal the achdus ha’pashut from the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos — which is accomplished through the abundance of children that he merited to beget, through todah/halachah, as above. Therefore the children specifically say Kaddish, which is the totality of all the thanksgivings — in order to elevate all the blessings and thanksgivings that this departed one merited to engage in during his lifetime. For the essential repair is through the children who were born through this — for through them specifically, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed even more from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos, which is the essential completion of the fullness of the repair, as above. And therefore each person must, during his lifetime, before he departs from the world, command his children and arrange the order of the division of his possessions and money to his children. For the essential root of money and its repair is according to what he merited to support true talmidai chachamim, through whom halachos are born, from which come all the births of children, as above. And every single Jew has a portion in this according to his level. And therefore he must arrange, according to his level, the order of the division of his money to his children after him — that each one should receive his portion properly, according to the root of his portion above in the tom’chay Oraysa who birth halachos, from which come all his births — through which comes the entire repair of the departed one. For todah/halachah and tom’chay Oraysa and the births of children are all one aspect, as is explained in the Torah mentioned above — and everything depends upon each other. And this is the entire purpose and repair of the departed one for the World to Come, as above — for through all of this, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed, etc., as above. And therefore he must appoint a guardian (apotropos) himself during his lifetime. For the guardian appointed over the orphans, who is in the aspect of “father of orphans,” must be appointed by the mouth of the father of the children himself — in order that he arrange his inheritance according to the mind of the father himself, according to what he drew upon himself the aspect of todah/hoda’ah/halachah, according to what he merited with his money to be among the tom’chay Oraysa — which is the entire repair of the money, from which come the births of children, etc., as above. §31 And therefore a guardian whom the father of orphans appointed does not swear — for he is not suspected of falsehood, for truth surely illuminates in him, as is explained there in the Torah mentioned above — that through todah/halachah, truth illuminates, etc. And therefore, since the owner of the inheritance himself appointed him as guardian, truth surely illuminates in him in this matter. For since the departed one, the owner of the inheritance himself, appointed him as guardian according to his own mind, according to his level, according to what he merited to clarify his money so as to have a portion among the tom’chay Oraysa — which is the essential repair of the inheritance and the money from which come all the children, as above — therefore, surely, according to his level, truth illuminates, etc. For through the aspect of todah/halachah, the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, the aspect of the births of children — through all of this, truth illuminates, in the aspect of “Grant truth to Yaakov, kindness to Avraham,” etc. (Micah 7:20). And therefore this guardian is not suspected of falsehood and is trusted without an oath at all, since the father of the children himself appointed him according to his level, according to his portion in the delight of the World to Come, which is the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, etc., as above. But if he did not merit to appoint a guardian himself, to transmit by himself to the guardian the order of his inheritance according to his level, etc., as above — then the beis din must be the “father of orphans” and appoint the guardian. For only the beis din has the power for this, for the beis din illuminates truth — for before them are all the halachos of all the laws and judgments of the Torah, through which truth illuminates, as above. For this is the essence of the beis din — that they should know all the halachos and judge with true and righteous judgments. And therefore the beis din must be three, the aspect of the three lines of truth mentioned above. But the beis din cannot clarify the truth of each individual except through the oath — as it is written: “The owner of the house shall approach the judges for an oath” (Exodus 22:7). For as soon as they come to court, this is because there is a denial between them, and all denials are drawn from the flooding of the bloods mentioned above, from the aspect of “men of blood hate the innocent” (Proverbs 29:10), as is brought there in the Torah mentioned above; see there. For all of this is the aspect of the blemish of todah/halachah, the blemish of the money of holiness, which is in the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa who birth halachos — for he denies his fellow, which is the opposite of all of this. Therefore the beis din cannot clarify except through the oath. For an oath is the aspect of binding, as is brought — the aspect of the illumination of the three lines of truth within the fourfold speech, which is the aspect of the seven days of creation, as is brought elsewhere. This is the aspect of shevuah [oath], from the word sheva [seven] — the aspect of the binding of the weekdays to the seventh day, which is Shabbos, which is “an eternal covenant between Me and the children of Israel,” etc. (Exodus 31:17). For Shabbos is “the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He,” the aspect of “the Torah is the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He” — and this is the aspect of the oath, which is in the Name and with holding an object, which is the Torah. For when there is a denial, which is the blemish of truth, the beis din cannot illuminate truth except through the oath, which includes all the repairs of truth — which is the illumination of the three lines of truth within the fourfold speech, etc. And therefore, since the departed one did not merit to appoint a guardian himself and did not illuminate by himself the aspect of truth that he merited to clarify, according to his portion, in todah/halachah in the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, as above, until the beis din was compelled to involve themselves in appointing a guardian — therefore he requires an oath. For when truth is not clarified in fullness and the beis din needs to clarify it, they cannot clarify it except through the oath, etc., as above. §32 And this is the aspect of: “For I have known him, in order that he command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of Hashem, to do tzedakah and justice” (Genesis 18:19). For the essential bequest that a person must command his children and his household after him is that they should keep the way of Hashem, to do tzedakah and justice — tzedakah and justice precisely. That is, that they should give tzedakah to true talmidai chachamim who birth halachos, which are the judgments of the Torah. And this is the aspect of tzedakah and justice — that is, tzedakah to true talmidai chachamim, through whom the judicial halachos of the Torah are born and revealed — which is the essential repair of the money of this departed one who labored for it during his lifetime, whose entire repair is when the money comes to true talmidai chachamim from whom halachos are born, which are the aspect of todah/hoda’ah, the delight of the World to Come — and to this he must now enter, that he should have a portion in the delight of the World to Come, as above. §33 And this is: “Truth and the judgment of peace, judge in your gates” (Zechariah 8:16). For the judges must judge truth in order to merit through this peace — that all should be included in one da’as, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc., as above. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said: “Whoever judges a true judgment to its truth becomes a partner with the Holy One, blessed be He, in the act of creation” (Shabbos 10a) — as it is written: “And it was evening and it was morning, one day” (Genesis 1:5), etc. For it is written “one day” and not “the first day” — to teach that the Holy One, blessed be He, was alone in His world. That is, to teach that all the divergences in creation, which are the aspect of “and it was evening and it was morning” — which includes all the divergences in the world, for the divergence between day and night, between light and darkness, is the greatest of all divergences (and as we say in the blessing of Krias Shema: “and with understanding He changes the times”), and in this are included all the many divergences of each and every day, without end — and everything was created and continues to exist in order that the achdus ha’pashut should be revealed precisely from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos, as above. And this is: “And it was evening and it was morning” — which are the totality of all divergences — “one day” — in the aspect of Him being alone in His world. That is, to reveal His unity, may He be blessed — that the lone Primordial One created everything, and all the pe’ulos mishtanos are drawn from His unity, may He be blessed. And therefore the judge who judges a true judgment to its truth merits this — that he becomes a partner with the Holy One, blessed be He, in the act of creation, as it is written: “And it was evening,” etc. — “one day.” For through truth, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — which is the aspect of “and it was evening and it was morning — one day,” as above. §34 The sum of the matter is that a person must accustom himself to give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, always, in all that passes over him, as it is written: “In Hashem I praise a word; in G–d I praise a word” (Psalms 56:11) — both in His goodness and in His severity, G–d forbid, as our Sages of blessed memory said. And this is a good and wondrous counsel — that even when a person has become as distant from Hashem, may He be blessed, as he has become, and also in the affairs of this world he is greatly pressed in livelihood and children, etc. (as is common among the majority of the world, as explained elsewhere) — he must precisely then seek and find an expansion within the straits of the trouble, and also remind himself of all the good things and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, has already done with him. And the main thing: that He did not make me a gentile and separated us from those who go astray, etc. And to remind himself that nothing will remain of him or of any person at all except what he seized in this world of some good from the holiness of Israel — and only this is his portion from all his toil. And therefore each person, even the worst of the worst, must rejoice in this greatly, and his mouth should be filled with His praise, etc. all day long — to give thanks and praise and laud, etc. the Fashioner of creation, Who did not make us, etc. — Who did not set our portion like theirs, etc. And once he is accustomed to this, he will certainly seize, every day, to learn some halachos of the Torah, which are His knowledge, may He be blessed — through which one comes to know Him, may He be blessed, and is included in Him, may He be blessed. And through this itself, one will emerge from all the troubles, as above. And through this, the achdus ha’pashut will be revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc. — and through this comes the essential nullification of the trouble, etc. — and so it cycles around for the good, until in the end of all ends, he will certainly merit his good ultimate purpose, which is the delight of the World to Come — which is to give thanks and praise to Him, may He be blessed, forever and to all eternity. And the essential thing for all of this is love of friends and peace — that one should have great love and peace with all Israel, and especially with those who walk in this path. And he should be among the tom’chay Oraysa, both with his money and with his body — that he should support with all his strength the talmidai chachamim who engage in this path, who birth halachos. And through this, he will merit to beget worthy children who engage in Torah, etc., etc. — as was explained above: todah/halachah and tom’chay Oraysa and the births of children are all one aspect and depend upon each other. And one must begin from every single good point among them, until he merits what he merits. Fortunate is he! §35 And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said: “What is meant by the verse: ‘Who is the wise man who will understand this, and to whom the mouth of Hashem has spoken that he may declare it — on what account has the land been destroyed, parched like a desert, with none passing through?’ (Jeremiah 9:11). ‘And Hashem said: Because they forsook My Torah,’ etc. — ‘and did not heed My voice and did not walk in it’” (Jeremiah 9:12). And they explained there: “that they did not bless over the Torah first” (Nedarim 81a). And the matter is astonishing, as all the commentators were astonished by it. And especially that which they said there: “This matter was asked of the Sages and the Prophets and they could not explain it, until the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself explained it” — and it is wondrous. What is this great commotion — who does not know all this, that the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash was because they transgressed the Torah? Is not the entire Torah full of this? For Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, himself already warned them: “If you walk in My statutes,” etc. — “and if you do not listen,” etc. (Leviticus 26). And similarly, in innumerable other places, he told them that if they transgress the Torah they would be lost from the land, etc. And similarly, all the Prophets warned them about this. And what is this — that now they asked everyone “on what account was the land destroyed,” and they could not explain it, until Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself explained it: “Because they forsook My Torah,” etc.? But the essential matter is that Hashem, may He be blessed, asked the Sages and the Prophets to understand this well and to declare on what account the land was destroyed — in a manner that good would come to us from it, that we would understand through this good counsel for how to begin to repair the corruptions that caused the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash. And this is the essential severity and depth of the question that Hashem, may He be blessed, asked the Sages and the Prophets, and they could not explain it. For what was, was — and what difference does it make if it was destroyed on account of whatever it was destroyed on account of? It is already destroyed! But the essential thrust of what Hashem, may He be blessed, sought to ask the Sages and the Prophets — that they should understand this and declare on what account the land was destroyed — is that they should explain the matter well, in a manner that we would understand from it counsel for how to emerge from the corruptions that caused the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash. And therefore they could not explain it, for this is very, very deep — “deep, deep — who can find it?” (Ecclesiastes 7:24). Until the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself explained it: “Because they forsook My Torah, and did not heed My voice, and did not walk in it.” That is, even though they had already transgressed very severe transgressions — idolatry, etc. — even so, in the inner depths of their hearts, their hearts were still burning for Hashem, may He be blessed. For “many waters cannot extinguish the love” (Song of Songs 8:7) between Israel and their Father in Heaven, “and rivers cannot wash it away.” And therefore they should have strengthened themselves, at least to seize some halachos, to learn at least a little every day. But “they forsook My Torah entirely.” And not only that, but “they did not heed My voice” — “hearing depends upon the heart” — that is, they were at least obligated to hear and to attach themselves to the voice of Hashem that calls with a great voice in a person’s heart every single day and at every time, that he should return to Him. And every person must incline his heart to hear the voice of Hashem — that at least he should have strong desires and great yearnings for Hashem, may He be blessed, which is very precious, as is explained elsewhere. And the main thing: “And they did not walk in it — that they did not bless over the Torah first.” For certainly they did not fall in one stroke to such falls, to transgress the law entirely and throw off the yoke as it was at the time of the destruction. And certainly at first they engaged in Torah somewhat — only “they did not bless over the Torah first.” That is, they did not set their hearts to rejoice in the Torah, and to bless and give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, at every time, for the wondrous and awesome kindness that He did with us, in that He chose us from all the nations and gave us His Torah, the hidden treasure, which is our life, etc. — and this is our entire hope forever. And as is explained in the commentators, this is the essential meaning of the blessing over the Torah — to rejoice with all one’s strength in the pleasantness of our portion and our lot. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said that the blessing over the Torah requires great care — that is, the entire matter mentioned above that we have explained: that each person, even if he has fallen and become as distant as he has, even so, he precisely must be accustomed to todah and hoda’ah, to give thanks for the small amount of good points that still remain in him, etc. And through this, he will merit to emerge from all the troubles and to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, etc., as above. And this is: “And they did not walk in it” — for this is a wondrous path and way to draw close and to raise oneself to Hashem, may He be blessed, from all kinds of falls and descents in the world, without end or limit. And had they walked in this path, certainly they would not have fallen so far and they would not have had such troubles. And now, our entire hope to return to our land and to our Bais HaMikdash is through this — for this matter depends upon nothing but teshuvah. But it is very difficult to return, for the adversary lies in wait very, very greatly and spreads himself in length and breadth. And everyone desires to fear Your Name, and even so, most are very far from the paths of teshuvah. And the main reason is because they do not set their hearts to rejoice in the small amount of good that is in them — for sadness and melancholy harm more than anything, and as it is written: “Because you did not serve Hashem your G–d with joy and with gladness of heart” (Deuteronomy 28:47) — that the essential destruction and all the troubles, may the Merciful One save us, are all because they did not serve Him, may He be blessed, with joy — as is brought in the writings of the Ari z”l. That is, as above; and understand well. And therefore Hashem, may He be blessed, was compelled to explain it Himself — in order to hint to us now, in every generation, hints of counsel for how to draw close now to Hashem, may He be blessed, from wherever one is, to repair the corruptions through which the destruction occurred — until we merit a complete redemption soon. And therefore all the above is called “walking” — for it is the repair of the legs, as above, the aspect of “the goings of the world” — through which comes the approach of the redemption, in the aspect of “and His feet shall stand,” etc., as above. For it is a wondrous path and way for every person in the world, etc., as above. §36 And this is the aspect of the work of the Mishkan, which they were commanded after the sin of the eigel [golden calf] — which occurred through the abundance of gold. Through this, the eirev rav [mixed multitude] incited and lured them to separate the pe’ulos mishtanos, G–d forbid, from the achdus ha’pashut — which is the essential sin of idolatry. And the repair was through the Mishkan, which is the aspect of the Bais HaMikdash, the aspect of “throne of glory, exalted from the beginning,” the aspect of “the place of Your dwelling,” etc. — mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the shekalim — “When you raise the head of the children of Israel,” etc. (Exodus 30:12) — that they should all be included together through the counting, and the counting should not cause, G–d forbid, the aspect of separation, which is the sitra d’mosa [the side of death], in the aspect of “and there shall not be a plague among them.” And this is through their giving a ransom for their souls — the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, etc. For the eirev rav blemished the money — for through the abundance of money they contended against Moshe. And not only did they not want to be among the tom’chay Oraysa, they even reversed to the opposite extreme — assembling upon Aharon to make them an idol from the money. For just as when one merits that money should be in holiness — the essence of which is through giving one’s money to talmidai chachamim, to be among the tom’chay Oraysa, through which halachos are born, etc. — through which the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos is drawn, as above — so too, in reverse, when one blemishes the money and chases after money only for one’s own desires, and even contends against the true talmidai chachamim who engage in birthing halachos — then one separates the pe’ulos mishtanos and causes heresies in the world. This is the aspect of the blemish of the eirev rav, which came through the abundance of money, as it is written: “and enough gold” (Deuteronomy 1:1, per Chazal) — through which they made idolatry and denied Hashem and separated in their minds the pe’ulos mishtanos from the achdus ha’pashut. This was the nature of all the matters of idolatry in the earlier generations — because it is impossible to comprehend in the mind how all the pe’ulos mishtanos are drawn from the achdus ha’pashut, through this they came to heresies until they made idolatry, and they had many false wisdoms in this, as our Sages of blessed memory said. And similarly, the heresies that are found now, in our many sins, through the investigators [philosophers] and those who contend against the true tzaddikim, who engage in external wisdoms — all of this is drawn from this, from the aspect of the sin of the eigel, from which we have not yet been purified, and all the visitations come through this, as it is written: “And on the day that I visit,” etc. (Exodus 32:34). May Hashem, may He be blessed, protect and save us from now on. And therefore the repair for this is the shekalim that they gave as donation for the Mishkan, from which the adanim [sockets] were made, upon which the entire Mishkan was erected. For there, in the Mishkan, all the halachos of the Torah were born and revealed, as Rashi explains — that from the day the Mishkan was erected, Hashem did not speak to Moshe about any of the halachos of the Torah except in the Ohel Mo’ed. And therefore the shekalim, from which the adanim were made upon which the Mishkan stood, are in the aspect of the tom’chay Oraysa — for through the halachos born from there, and likewise the blessings and thanksgivings that took place in the Mishkan, through all of this all the repairs mentioned above were accomplished, until the achdus ha’pashut was revealed from there, as it is written: “And I will meet with you there,” etc. (Exodus 25:22) — in the aspect of: “And the Mishkan shall be one” (Exodus 26:6). And therefore they were commanded to count them through the shekalim. For Moshe found this very difficult, as our Sages of blessed memory said, and as is brought in the piyyut of Parashas Shekalim — for how could he count Israel, who are above counting, for the entire holiness of Israel is to be included in the ultimate achdus ha’pashut, for they are all as one man, as above, and as it is written: “that cannot be counted,” etc. But Hashem, may He be blessed, commanded them to count them precisely through the shekalim — for through the shekalim, which are the aspect of the tom’chay Oraysa, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — which is very precious to Hashem, may He be blessed, when the achdus ha’pashut is revealed below in this world, precisely from within the pe’ulos mishtanos. And the more the pe’ulos mishtanos multiply, which is the abundance of divergent opinions — when they are included together in one da’as to believe in the achdus ha’pashut, it is more and more precious in His eyes, may He be blessed, as above. Therefore, through giving the shekalim, they must be counted precisely — for the counting is the aspect of multiplicity and divergence. They also needed to be counted by the number of names, mentioning each one by his name, which corresponds to the divergence of his intellect and his mind. And through the abundance of divergences, the plague can prevail, G–d forbid — which is the sitra d’mosa, whose hold comes from the world of separation, from the abundance of divergences. But through the shekalim, etc. — through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed precisely from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos, etc. — through this, precisely a great repair is made through the counting, which is the aspect of the revelation of the abundance of divergences. For precisely through this, His glory, may He be blessed, is enlarged and exalted — through the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut, may He be blessed, precisely through the abundance of divergences, as above — through all of them acknowledging one da’as and giving shekalim to the donation of the Mishkan, where His divinity is revealed, etc., as above. §37 And therefore they were commanded to give specifically a half-shekel — to teach that each individual Jew has no completeness except through his fellow. For the essential repair is that they should all be included one within the other in love and unity — and each one is the aspect of a half, until he is included in his fellow, and his fellow in his fellow, until they are all included, in the abundance of their divergent minds, in the achdus ha’pashut — which is very precious to Hashem, may He be blessed, as above. And this is: “The wealthy shall not give more and the poor shall not give less” (Exodus 30:15) — which is the aspect of what is written: “A person’s ransom is his wealth, and a pauper does not hear rebuke” (Proverbs 13:8), in the aspect of: “and the noble is not distinguished before the poor” (Job 34:19), as Rashi explains there — that this was said regarding the shekalim, that each one gave equally a half-shekel, the wealthy and the poor, etc. That is, as above — for the essential purpose of the shekalim is to merit inclusiveness and unity. Therefore they all had to give equally, so that there would be no division and separation between the wealthy and the poor — and the wealthy should not grow proud or rebuke the poor. To teach that this is the essential repair of tzedakah, whose essence is to be among the tom’chay Oraysa — for the essential thing is to merit love and unity, and the wealthy should not be proud over the poor. For the essential thing is to be included in the achdus ha’pashut, which is impossible to be included in except through humility and self-nullification, the aspect of love and unity — that each one should nullify himself before his fellow. And this He hinted to them through the shekalim — that He commanded they all give equally, the wealthy shall not give more and the poor shall not give less, in the aspect of “and the noble is not distinguished before the poor” mentioned above, in the aspect of “and a pauper does not hear rebuke.” To teach that they are all equal before Him, may He be blessed, and they all have a portion in the erection of the Mishkan — through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos that are included together, as above. And therefore, in truth, regarding the other donations of the Mishkan, each one gave according to the blessing of Hashem and according to the generosity of his heart, as Rashi explains there: “Three donations are mentioned here.” But regarding the shekalim, He warned them that they all give equally — so that the wealthy would learn and understand hints for themselves, that they should never be proud of their giving, even when they give much. For it is fitting for them to understand that Hashem, may He be blessed, could erect the Mishkan through the poor just as through the wealthy — for “wealth and honor come from before Him,” and He can impoverish this one and enrich that one. And certainly, whoever has a little true understanding, it is fitting for him to understand that he should not be proud — even the wealthy one who gives much tzedakah to true talmidai chachamim. On the contrary, it is fitting for him to be ashamed and greatly self-nullified — who is he that he has merited this, that Hashem, may He be blessed, has given him such wealth that he merits to support the talmidai chachamim? And moreover, he still has much wealth and riches remaining in his house, for certainly he does not even give half of his wealth. And the poor and destitute person, who is a worthy person just like him and usually more so than him, has no bread or garment in his house, and also does not merit to support the talmidai chachamim with his money. And how can one be proud of the wealth that Hashem, may He be blessed, has given him, that much remains with him and he also supports the talmidai chachamim, that he merits to have an everlasting investment? And all of this, Hashem, may He be blessed, hinted to them through the shekalim that He commanded they all give equally — to teach that, just as the adanim that uphold the Mishkan were made through the donation of the shekalim that all gave equally, so too Hashem, may He be blessed, could have made the entire Mishkan through all of them equally. But He desires to bestow merit upon each one according to his worth, according to His designs that have been reckoned for him. But you, the wealthy — do not be proud, for everything is from Him, as David said: “For everything is from You, and from Your hand we have given to You” (I Chronicles 29:14). For the essential tzedakah is to support the talmidai chachamim who birth halachos — which is the aspect of the erection of the Mishkan that the tzaddikim, in the aspect of Moshe in every generation, engage in — for the essential thing is love and inclusiveness, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc., as above. §38 And this is the aspect of Purim, which is the obliteration of Haman-Amalaik. For Amalaik blemishes everything mentioned above, as was explained above (in §27). For “Amalaik is the first of the nations” (Numbers 24:20) — he is the aspect of a heretic and he wants to confuse and cast blemish upon the “beginning” and the “start” — as if Hashem, may He be blessed, has not yet begun to save at all. For he was the first to come to wage war against Israel when they went out of Egypt, and he strengthened himself in his wickedness to stand against Israel, for whom Hashem, may He be blessed, had performed such miracles in the Exodus from Egypt, until Pharaoh was compelled to acknowledge “that Hashem is the righteous One” and expelled them from Egypt. And Amalaik is such a brazen one that he went out against them, and as Rashi explains there on the verse “Write this as a memorial in the book” (Exodus 17:14) — a parable of a boiling bath, etc. For he is a heretic from beginning to end, denying the miracles and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, does with us at all times, and blemishing all the repairs explained above — and the main thing is that he provokes and strengthens himself so that the achdus ha’pashut should not, G–d forbid, be revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above. And he lies in wait against all Israel constantly, and principally he strengthens himself, G–d forbid, in time of exile and trouble — for then he wants to cast heresies into the heart, as if Hashem, may He be blessed, has not yet begun to save Israel at all. And this is the aspect of the strengthening of Haman-Amalaik at the end of the exile of Babylon — for he said: since Nevuchadnetzar has already prevailed and destroyed the Bais HaMikdash which stood for several hundred years and exiled Israel from their land, etc. — they no longer have hope to return, G–d forbid. And therefore he and his impure offspring strengthened themselves to halt the rebuilding of the Bais HaMikdash — for he said that hope was lost for Israel, G–d forbid. And this is what is written: “There is one nation” (Esther 3:8), and our Sages of blessed memory expounded: “Their G–d is asleep” [yashein = yeshno] — meaning, that He would no longer save Israel, G–d forbid, as if He were asleep. And this is: “scattered and separated among the nations, and their laws are different from every nation” (Esther 3:8) — he said that they are scattered and separated among the nations, in the aspect of the abundance of divergent opinions and dispute, the aspect of scattering and separation among the nations, having fallen to the minds of the seventy nations. All of this is the opposite of the inclusiveness of the pe’ulos mishtanos in the achdus ha’pashut, as above. And this is: “and their laws are different,” etc. — he said that the law of Israel is in the aspect of the strengthening of divergences and scattering and separation, G–d forbid. For he denied the holy law of Israel — that the entire law of our holy Torah is that through the law of our holy Torah, one is included in the achdus ha’pashut, through every single mitzvah and through every letter and word of the holy Torah. For “the Torah, Israel, and the Holy One, blessed be He, are all one.” And Haman wanted to turn the dish upside-down, G–d forbid, and said that everything is in reverse. And therefore he wanted to prevail over Israel — to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate, etc. — for he is the aspect of the overpowering of the bloods in the time of trouble. For he is from the seed of Eisav, “the reddish one” (Genesis 25:25) — on account of the overpowering of the evil bloods, from which comes the sitra d’mosa, which is drawn from the sin of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Where is Haman [hinted] from the Torah? As it is said: ‘Is it from the tree?’” (Chullin 139b; Genesis 3:11) — for then death was decreed, and therefore he wanted to annihilate Israel, G–d forbid. And so it is in every generation and in every person, as it is written: “Hashem’s war against Amalaik from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:16) — for he prevails upon every person at all times with all kinds of stratagems to make him fall, G–d forbid. For he is the tempter, he is the accuser, etc. — for first he entices the person to whatever he entices him, and afterwards he prosecutes him, until some trouble or suffering comes upon him, G–d forbid. And it is he himself who weakens and confuses the person’s heart so that he does not cry out and supplicate before Hashem, may He be blessed — for he puts into his heart as if hope is lost, G–d forbid, and he wants to make him forget all the good things and kindnesses and miracles and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, has done with our fathers and with each and every individual in particular. And the repair for all of this is the aspect of Mordechai, who is the aspect of the true tzaddik, the aspect of mor d’ror [pure myrrh] — maray dachya — which is the chief spice of the anointing oil, with which the entire Mishkan and its vessels were anointed, and Aharon the Kohen and his sons. For all of their service in the Mishkan and the Bais HaMikdash was entirely to include all the pe’ulos mishtanos in the achdus ha’pashut, as above — for there was the essential revelation of divinity, as it is written: “And I will meet there with the children of Israel,” etc. (Exodus 29:43), as above. And the essential holiness of the Mishkan and its vessels was drawn through the anointing oil, which is a good fragrance of holiness, drawn from an exceedingly, exceedingly exalted holiness that has the power to sanctify the entire Mishkan and its vessels, etc. — to elevate and bring them from profane to holy. For the essence of holiness is being included in the achdus ha’pashut, where lies the root of all holinesses. Thus, the anointing oil that Moshe made had such wondrous power to elevate the entire Mishkan and its vessels — which were made of gold and silver and copper and blue-purple and red-purple, etc., etc. — in which there was an abundance of divergences and many hues in the silver and gold, etc., which are the totality of all worldly desires, especially the desire for money, which is the aspect of the overpowering of the bloods, etc. mentioned above. And the Mishkan, which was made from all of this, was the repair for all of this, as above. And all its holiness was drawn through the anointing oil, through which the Mishkan and its vessels were sanctified, and it elevated everything — all the many hues and divergences — so that they would be included in the achdus ha’pashut, where lie all the holinesses. Through this, the Mishkan had the power to atone for the children of Israel, to purify them from all the impurities, all of which are the aspect of the heresies drawn from the aspect of separation mentioned above, which separates, G–d forbid, the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc., as above. For the essential repair is through the aspect of good fragrance, which is the life of the soul, which is the aspect of the anointing oil made with such exalted preparations that it has the power to draw a good fragrance to all who are distant from holiness — who cannot be revived except through the aspect of good fragrance, in the aspect of what is said regarding the souls of Israel who are cast down in the exile of their desires and traits, G–d forbid: “Support me with cakes of raisins, spread my bed with apples, for I am lovesick” (Song of Songs 2:5), as Rashi explains there — that these are kinds of fragrances. For in our many sins, in the extremity of our weakness now, in the intensity of the bitterness of exile, our strength has already been so weakened that we do not feel the pleasantness and sweetness of the honeycomb — the words of sweetness of the true tzaddikim who revive us with such pure utterances, in the aspect of: “All food is abhorred by their soul,” etc. (Psalms 107:18). And our life-force comes only from what we smell from afar — a little of the good, holy, and awesome fragrance of the holy Torah-novelties of the true tzaddikim. And this is the aspect of the fragrance of the anointing oil, through which everything is sanctified and enters from outside to inside — from which comes the holiness of Mordechai, as above, who subdues the kelipah of Haman-Amalaik who wants to cast blemish upon the beginning of the salvation, as if Hashem, may He be blessed, has not yet begun to save at all. And Mordechai knows all of this and in his wisdom instills the holy emunah in Israel, and illuminates the heart of man, and reminds him at all times of all the good things and miracles and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, has already done with us, in general and in particular, etc. And as it is written: “Bless Hashem, O my soul, and do not forget all His bounties,” etc. (Psalms 103:2). And through this, one has the power to cry out and supplicate before Hashem, may He be blessed, that He should save us even now, as above. Through this came the intensity of the miracle of Purim — that Haman-Amalaik was subdued and fell. And in His mercy, may He be blessed, He frustrated his counsel and spoiled his thought, and everything was turned to good, from one extreme to the other, as it is written: “And it was reversed — that the Jews dominated,” etc. (Esther 9:1). And they established these days of Purim as joy and feasting and a festival for all generations — to make known that even in our servitude, our G–d has not forsaken us. This is the intensity of the miracle and the wondrous salvation of Purim, which is greater than all the festivals, as our Sages of blessed memory said — for the essential miracle is what we saw, that even in our servitude, in the intensity of exile, Hashem, may He be blessed, watches over us so much, with wondrous providence, and arranged events for good from beginning to end. That precisely through Haman, the wicked Vashti was killed, and afterwards, through this very thing, the intensity of the miracle came about, that Haman was hanged through Esther — with such wondrous providences, as is explained in the holy Megillah. And one must set his heart well to this, to understand from this that, just so, even now, He has not withdrawn His kindness from us. And one must strengthen himself in joy always, to draw the holiness of the joy of Purim — to believe that Hashem, may He be blessed, is with us even now, in the intensity of this exile — and to give todah and hoda’ah every day for the past, and to beseech for the future, etc., as above. §39 And this is the aspect of: “words of peace and truth” (Esther 9:30) — this is the aspect of the three lines of truth that illuminate within the speech, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, which is the aspect of peace, as above. And this is: “seeking good for his nation” (Esther 10:3) — the aspect of halachos, for he was seeking good for Israel and clarifying all the halachos of the Torah, as our Sages of blessed memory said — that he would open with matters and expound them. And: “speaking peace to all his seed” — the aspect of peace mentioned above, which is the aspect of the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut, etc. — which is the essential completion of the fullness of the repair, as above. And this is: “to all his seed” precisely — for the essential thing is that peace should be drawn, the aspect of the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, to all the seed of Israel who are born in every generation, in the aspect of: “A seed will serve Him; it will be told to Hashem for a generation” (Psalms 22:31). For the essential war of Amalaik is in every generation anew — because in every generation, souls are drawn in wondrous novelties anew, for no two people in all the generations are alike, as was explained above (§23). And because of the abundance of divergences and new forms of intelligence that arise in every generation, Amalaik wants to strengthen himself to separate in thought, G–d forbid, the pe’ulos mishtanos from the achdus ha’pashut, as above. And therefore: “Hashem’s war against Amalaik from generation to generation.” And this is the aspect of all the vain wisdoms that arise anew in every generation — both the external wisdoms, which are the wisdom of philosophy that grow stronger in every generation, and the other wisdoms of the world of foolishness and vanity, where each one imagines that the world has now become wiser, as if in previous generations they had no intellect at all, to desire such implements and adornments, etc. — as such foolish talk is common among the youth. And all of this is drawn from the aspect mentioned above — because in truth, at the root of the holiness of the souls, they are drawn in every generation in the aspect of innovation for good, for the essential glory of Hashem, may He be blessed, is precisely that in the abundance of the immense divergence of opinions, they should be included in His achdus ha’pashut, as above. And “G–d has made one corresponding to the other” (Ecclesiastes 7:14) — therefore the aspect of the contamination of Amalaik wants to reverse everything, as if today they are wiser for evil. But Hashem, may He be blessed, fights him in every generation, as above, through His true tzaddikim, and reveals such wondrous halachos and Torah-novelties in every generation — so that through this, in every generation, the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut is ever greater, from within the abundance and divergence of the many opinions, which are the aspect of the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above. This is the aspect of: “seeking good for his nation and speaking peace to all his seed” precisely, in the aspect of “and unto generation after generation is His faithfulness,” in the aspect of “generation to generation praises Your works,” etc., as above. And understand well, to connect everything from beginning to end, and you will understand counsel and strengthening to draw close always to Hashem, may He be blessed, and to give thanks to His Name, may He be blessed, always — which is the essential ultimate purpose, the aspect of the delight of the World to Come, as above. §40 And this is the aspect of Pesach and the greatness of the mitzvah of relating the story of the Exodus from Egypt, as was explained above (in §16). For now that we have already merited to go out of Egypt, etc. — praise be to G–d, we have a good beginning, etc., as above — therefore we must abundantly tell of the Exodus from Egypt, etc. And this is: “We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt.” For the essential redemption was through Shabbos — through Hashem, may He be blessed, in His mercy drawing upon them Himself the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos upon the six days of the week. Through this, the achdus ha’pashut was revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — that all the pe’ulos mishtanos are all drawn from the achdus ha’pashut Himself, may He be blessed. This was then revealed very, very greatly through all the great, awesome, and immense signs and wonders that Moshe did before the eyes of all Israel — turning water to blood and blood to water, sending frogs, and when he wished, removing them through his prayer. And similarly with all the plagues with which he struck Pharaoh, etc. — demonstrating that all of nature and all the workings of the diverse activities in the entire world are all in the hand of the achdus ha’pashut, and they are in His hand like clay in the hand of the potter. And He reveals His secret to His servants the tzaddikim, so that they can rule over the world and direct everything as they wish. And all of this was drawn at that time by Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself, in the aspect of an awakening from above, as is brought — for they were not yet worthy of the redemption, for they had not yet drawn the repairs mentioned above that are drawn through todah and hoda’ah and halachos, etc. — for it was the first redemption, and they had not yet received the Torah, where all the halachos are, as was explained above. But Hashem, may He be blessed, had compassion upon them, through the merit of the Patriarchs and through the little good He found in them, until through His awesome wonders He compelled Moshe to go and redeem them, and He drew upon them Himself the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos upon the weekdays, until the achdus ha’pashut was revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, through all the signs and wonders, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of Shabbos HaGadol before Pesach — for the essential miracles of Pesach were through the holiness of Shabbos, as above. And therefore it is called Shabbos HaGadol [the Great Shabbos] — for this is the essential greatness of Hashem, may He be blessed — when His unity, may He be blessed, is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above, which is accomplished through Shabbos, as above. And this is why we begin “We were slaves,” etc. — for before the redemption, in the time of exile (that is, before they merited to draw the holiness of Shabbos to the weekdays), we were slaves — because the aspect of the weekdays held sway, which are the aspect of “servant,” as is explained there in the Torah mentioned above. “And Hashem our G–d brought us out from there,” etc. — that is, Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself brought us out from there, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, even though we were not worthy — for we had not yet drawn upon ourselves all the repairs mentioned above. Even so, Hashem, may He be blessed, had compassion upon us and brought us out Himself, through the power of His wondrous mercy, as above. And this is: “And had the Holy One, blessed be He, not brought out our fathers from Egypt, behold we and our children and our children’s children would still be enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt.” That is, the essential Exodus from Egypt was to reveal His divinity, may He be blessed, from generation to generation forever, as it is written: “And you shall make known to your children and your children’s children” (Deuteronomy 4:9), in the aspect of “and unto generation after generation is His faithfulness” — which one merits through Torah/halachah, from which come all the holy births of the seed of Israel, the holy nation. But at that time, they were not yet worthy of this — only Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself drew in His mercy all the repairs mentioned above, until He redeemed them Himself. But had the Holy One, blessed be He, not brought out, etc. — behold we and our children, etc., would still be enslaved, etc. — for now that we have already merited the Exodus from Egypt and we have a good beginning, as above, through this we merit each time the aspect of todah/halachah, as above, through which the births of children are drawn in the holiness of Israel — and we are able to teach them and make known to them, from generation to generation, from father to son, the works of Hashem, for they are awesome, in the aspect of “generation to generation praises Your works,” etc. — until all of them walk in this path, in the path of the holy Torah, to give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, always, etc. — and to engage in halachos, etc., until they reveal in each generation the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, which is accomplished anew in every generation, as above. All of this is the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos, which is the aspect of “son,” to nullify the aspect of the servitude of the weekdays. But had the Holy One, blessed be He, not brought out our fathers from Egypt in His mercy, by Himself, as above — behold we and our children and our children’s children would still be enslaved, etc. — for we would not have merited the birth of children in holiness, in the aspect of “son,” the aspect of freedom — but all the children and children’s children would have been in the aspect of servitude, as above, from which came the entire exile of Egypt, as above. And this is: “And even if we were all wise, all understanding, all elders, all knowing the Torah — it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt.” That is, at first glance it is difficult — why did He emphasize so many times the telling of the Exodus from Egypt? For the essential purpose of the Exodus from Egypt was for the sake of the Giving of the Torah, as it is written: “When you bring out the nation from Egypt, you shall serve G–d on this mountain” (Exodus 3:12) — which is the Giving of the Torah. And it would have been fitting to tell only of the miracle of the Giving of the Torah. And why did He emphasize more the telling of the Exodus from Egypt? And even the Giving of the Torah itself began: “I am Hashem your G–d Who brought you out of the land of Egypt,” etc. (Exodus 20:2). And similarly in most of the mitzvos. But according to the above, it is well explained — for the essential intensity of the miracle is the beginning, which is the Exodus from Egypt, which was the first redemption, which was very difficult because “this depends upon that,” etc., as above. And this is: “And even if we were all wise, etc., all knowing the Torah — it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt” specifically, even more so. Even though now we already know the Torah, which is the essential purpose for which we went out of Egypt, as above — even so, it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt, which is the beginning, through which we merited to know the Torah — for that beginning was the most difficult of all, as above. And we need now to tell about this even more — for even now, all the keeping of the Torah depends upon this. For the more one gives thanks and praises Him, may He be blessed, for the greatness of His kindness of the beginning, which is the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt, which was very difficult — the more one tells and gives thanks and praises Him, may He be blessed — so are all the repairs mentioned above drawn even more, through which the hoda’ah in turn grows ever greater, etc. — and so it cycles around for the good, as above. Through all of this, one merits joy, which is the essential thing — to strengthen oneself from wherever one is, to rejoice in the salvation of Hashem, etc. — through which everyone can enter into the keeping of the Torah, as above. And therefore, even if we were all wise and understanding and elders and knowing the Torah and all that has passed over us has already passed and we have merited the salvation of Hashem and immense wonders — it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt, when the beginning was, as above — through which one merits to strengthen himself in joy even now, through which comes the essential keeping of the Torah, as above. And this is: “And whoever tells more of the Exodus from Egypt — behold, this is praiseworthy.” For each and every person must tell abundantly of the Exodus from Egypt, in general and in particular — how many miracles and wonders Hashem, may He be blessed, did with us — so that the hoda’ah should grow each time even more, through which comes the essential repair, as above. And this is: “And whoever tells more of the Exodus from Egypt — behold, this is praiseworthy.” And it is brought in the Kavanos: “behold, this is praiseworthy” — in chasadim [kindnesses] — that is, the aspect of “whoever is wise, let him observe these things, and they will contemplate the kindnesses of Hashem” (Psalms 107:43) — the aspect of “the faithful kindnesses of David” (Isaiah 55:3), which are drawn through todah/hoda’ah, as is explained there. §41 And this is: “It happened with Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua,” etc. — who were telling of the Exodus from Egypt all that night, until their students came and said to them: “Our teachers, the time for the morning Krias Shema has arrived.” The time for Krias Shema precisely — for through the abundance of telling of the Exodus from Egypt, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed even more from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above, which is the aspect of Krias Shema — to reveal the achdus ha’pashut in the world, in the aspect of: “Hashem our G–d, Hashem is One.” “Hashem our G–d” — that is, His divinity that dwells and is clothed within us, within all the pe’ulos mishtanos. “Hashem is One” — everything is included and unified in His achdus ha’pashut, may He be blessed. And as our Sages of blessed memory said, one must extend the dales of echad in order to crown Him above and below and in the four directions — which are the totality of the pe’ulos mishtanos in all six extremities, all of which are included in His unity, may He be blessed. For Hashem is One, and everything is drawn only from Him, may He be blessed. And all of this is revealed through the abundance of telling of the Exodus from Egypt. And therefore Hashem, may He be blessed, arranged it so that these tzaddikim told of the Exodus from Egypt, etc., until their students came — those who received the halachos from them, which are also the aspect of todah, as above — and said to them: “Our teachers, the time for Krias Shema has arrived,” etc. — for through this, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed, which is the aspect of Krias Shema, as above. And to sweeten further and explain the statement mentioned above — “Whoever tells more of the Exodus from Egypt,” etc. — it is thus: For all the kinds of counsel that our Sages of blessed memory illuminated for us, with which one can strengthen himself — the adversary constantly lies in wait to push him away from them, G–d forbid. Therefore, one needs great stubbornness. And so it is with the matter mentioned above — that one must strengthen himself to give thanks always to Hashem, may He be blessed, for all the kindnesses and wonders, etc., even if he is as he is, for even so, He has already bestowed upon us immense wonders. But the adversary constantly strengthens himself to cause forgetfulness and concealment, G–d forbid, etc. Therefore a person must strengthen himself to tell abundantly of the Exodus from Egypt, etc., in the aspect mentioned above. And this is: “Whoever tells more” — “more” precisely — for one must increase so much, until he increases the telling of the Exodus from Egypt over the hinderer, until it exceeds him and nullifies him — in the manner our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the nullification of a prohibited substance: “one increases over it and nullifies it.” And this is: “And whoever tells more” of the kindnesses of Hashem, etc. — which is the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt, etc., as above — who increases the telling over the hinderer until he nullifies him, as above — “behold, this is praiseworthy,” as above. §42 And this is: “And I will pass through the land of Egypt — I, and not an angel; I, and not a seraph; I, and not an emissary; I am Hashem — I am He and not another.” That is, during the Exodus from Egypt, the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos was so great that even above, His achdus ha’pashut, may He be blessed, was revealed — as is explained there in the Torah mentioned above: that when the achdus ha’pashut is revealed below, His achdus ha’pashut is revealed also above, in the aspect of: “You are One and Your Name is One, and who is like Your nation Israel, one nation in the land,” etc. And this is: “And I will pass through the land of Egypt — I, and not an angel; I, and not a seraph,” etc. — for all the concealments and hiddennesses were nullified. For sometimes Hashem, may He be blessed, clothes His conduct through the angels, in the aspect of “Behold, I am sending an angel before you” (Exodus 23:20) — which was said after the sin, and Moshe did not desire this. For then one can err, G–d forbid, as Acheir erred through this. And as the verse itself there warns: “Beware of him, do not defy him,” and our Sages of blessed memory expounded: “Do not exchange Me for him” — for from there is drawn the error of all idolators. And similarly the errors of the naturalist philosophers of today — for the angel is called Elokim, which has the numerical value of ha’teva [nature]. But at the time of the Exodus from Egypt, Hashem, may He be blessed, had compassion upon us and revealed His achdus ha’pashut below and above — that there is no governance in the world except through Himself alone, in the aspect of: “I, and not an angel; I, and not a seraph,” etc. — “I am Hashem; I am He and not another.” For all the diverse activities in the world — all are from Him, may He be blessed, Himself, as above. Shayach l’eil — This belongs above [at the end of the Apotropos section]: And therefore we say Birchas Kohanim [the Priestly Blessing] after Birchas HaTorah [the Blessing over the Torah]. For Birchas HaTorah is the aspect of the hoda’ah mentioned above — that we bless and give thanks every day, immediately in the morning, for the pleasantness of our portion, that we merited to receive the Torah, which is the essential path to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, from wherever one is, as is explained above (in §5). Through this, all the repairs mentioned above are accomplished, until one merits that all the pe’ulos mishtanos should be included in the achdus ha’pashut — which is the aspect of peace and unity among all Israel, that all the divergent opinions should be included together, etc., as above. This, Aharon the Kohen merited more than anyone else — through the fact that he was not jealous of Moshe his brother, even though he [Moshe] was greater than him, and he went out to greet him with joy, as it is written: “And he shall see you and rejoice in his heart” (Exodus 4:14). And through this, he merited the Kehunah, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “In reward for ‘and he shall see you,’ etc., he merited the Choshen HaMishpat [Breastplate of Judgment] upon his heart.” Therefore we say Birchas Kohanim, which is the holiness of Aharon the Kohen, after Birchas HaTorah — for they are of one aspect and depend upon each other, as above. And therefore Birchas Kohanim concludes with peace, as it is written: “and grant you peace” (Numbers 6:26) — for through the hoda’ah mentioned above, which is the aspect of Birchas HaTorah, one merits peace and unity, as above. And all of this we merited through Aharon the Kohen, as above. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said: “Be of the students of Aharon, loving peace and pursuing peace” (Avos 1:12) — that is, as above. And this is: “loving the creatures and bringing them close to the Torah” — for the essential drawing close to the Torah is through the aspect mentioned above, through todah/hoda’ah, which is Birchas HaTorah, through which one merits peace, which is the aspect of the holiness of Aharon the Kohen, as above. ◆ Translator’s Summary ◆ This collection of halachos applies the law of perikah u’te’inah (helping unload and load an animal) across multiple spiritual dimensions, drawing on several of Rabbainu’s Toros. Avaidah 3, §§15–16 (LM I:13): The tzadik can raise even the farthest souls through ibbur — “Go out and see the might of your Master.” But only “with him” — the person must make some effort himself. Physically: the burden of livelihood derives from distance from Torah/hashgachah shelaimah. ↓ Halacha 1 (LM I:59): Hatred blemishes da’as → burden falls. Love/helping rectifies da’as → burden is raised. Kavod (honor) = root of souls = the Samech that supports all who fall. But an elder whose honor would be damaged is exempt/forbidden. ↓ Halacha 2 (LM II:7): True compassion = helping a Jew shed the burden of sin. Finding merit in a sinner (LM I:282) judges him favorably → lifts the spiritual burden → lifts the physical burden. Livelihood flows from the “sea of wisdom” when da’as illuminates. ↓ Halacha 4 (LM II:2): Shabbos = simple unity; weekdays = diverse activities. Drawing Shabbos holiness into the week reveals that all multiplicity flows from the One. Strife/suffering = disconnect from this unity. Helping the “enemy” unload = abandoning hatred = restoring unity = rest for all. A convert’s inclusion reveals achdus ha’pashut from the most remote “changed activities.” Recurring themes: (1) Hatred/sin = heaviness/falling; love/merit-finding = lightness/raising. (2) Da’as and kavod are intimately linked — both are needed to bear and lift burdens. (3) The Torah commands engagement with even the fallen, but with wisdom about who can be reached. (4) Physical burdens and spiritual burdens are inseparable — rectifying one rectifies the other. Note: The subdivision Hefker v’Nichsay HaGer continues from §30 (Apotropos) through §42, elaborating on: the signs and wonders in Egypt revealing that all pe’ulos mishtanos derive from Him alone; the personal application — todah and hoda’ah even in the midst of distress; the rooster pecking in the refuse-heap (even tiny mitzvos are cherished); the cycle of struggle and redemption in every generation; Rosh Hashanah and Alainu as the ultimate revelation of achdus ha’pashut; the Shabbos Zohar passage; the laws of inheritance and their connection to all the above. These sections await translation in a continuation. Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman

And therefore Amalaik, who blemishes all of this — His Name, may He be blessed, and His throne are not complete until the memory of Amalaik is blotted out. For the essential repair of the throne in fullness is through the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut, etc., which is drawn through the abundance of generations, in the aspect of “Your throne, from generation to generation.” And Amalaik, who blemishes all of this — therefore the war of Hashem against Amalaik is “from generation to generation,” precisely. And this is: “For a hand is upon the throne of Hashem — Hashem’s war against Amalaik, from generation to generation” — that His throne, as it were, is not complete until He wins His war against Amalaik in every generation. And then it will be fulfilled: “And Hashem shall sit forever, having established His throne for judgment” (Psalms 9:8) — that the Name will be complete and the throne will be complete, as Rashi explains. For the throne will be completed through the upright ones of every generation, in the aspect of “Your throne, from generation to generation,” as above. §28 And the wise person who desires truth can understand in his heart, according to our words, the immensity of the war in every generation — and in particular, what is done with him in that generation in which he lives. For the essential war with each and every individual in particular is the overpowering of the flooding of the bloods, from which come all the troubles in body, soul, and money. For the essential troubles are the overpowering of the desires and evil traits that embitter a person’s life and bring him to what they bring him, G–d forbid — and from there come all the sufferings in body, money, and children, etc., G–d forbid. And at the time of the intensification of the troubles, one does not know at all what to do, and the bloods flood upon the heart — like one who seeks counsel and strategy to emerge from the trouble, as is explained at the beginning of the Torah mentioned above. And afterward, Hashem, may He be blessed, in His mercy brings him out of the trouble — for Hashem, may He be blessed, performs revealed and hidden miracles and wonders with every person, every single day, as above. And as it is written: “The wicked watches the righteous,” etc. (Psalms 37:32). And as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Every day,” etc. — “and were the Holy One, blessed be He, not helping him,” etc. — for “Hashem will not abandon him in his hand” (Psalms 37:33). And as it is written: “He rescues the poor from one who is stronger than him,” etc. (Psalms 35:10). And all the salvations and miracles are all through the power of the tzaddikay emes, who instill in us the ability to cry out and to raise our eyes at every moment to Hashem, may He be blessed — which is the essential glory of Him, may He be blessed, as it is written: “Call upon Me on the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me” (Psalms 50:15). But even though Hashem, may He be blessed, does many kindnesses and miracles and wonders with us every day and at every time, in every generation, and with each individual in particular — even so, the Sitra Achra, the aspect of Amalaik, constantly undermines, slandering and accusing and inciting and provoking each and every person. For he is the Satan, he is the inciter, he is the accuser, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “He descends and incites,” etc. And as is brought in the holy Zohar regarding the war of Amalaik: “The battle is above and below” — that is, as above; and understand. And therefore one must walk very, very much with the counsel mentioned above — to look at every moment at the immensity of the expanses and salvations and wonders that He has already done with us, etc., as above, and to find expanses even within the troubles themselves, as above. And through this, one will be accustomed always to give praise and thanksgiving to Him, may He be blessed, for everything that “until here He has helped us” with His immense wonders. And as it is written: “I have awakened, and I am still with You” (Psalms 139:18) — and as Rashi explains: “I have come to the end of all the generations, and I am still with You” — that is, even now, in these latter days, which is the aspect of the end of all the generations, even now “I am still with You” — that there is still in each and every one of us the aspect of “yet a little, and there is no wicked one,” etc. (Psalms 37:10) — which is the aspect of “I will sing to my G–d while I yet live (‘b’odi’),” etc. — that one must walk in this very much, as he, of blessed memory, warned us. And the main thing is to give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, for this always, and especially in a time of trouble, G–d forbid — that precisely then one should strengthen himself to pay attention, to look at the wondrous true and eternal salvations that Hashem, may He be blessed, has already performed for him, etc. And through the aspect of todah/halachah, etc. — through this, one will merit that truth will illuminate, etc., until one draws the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — through which the trouble is nullified. And through this, the aspect of todah grows, etc., as above — and so it cycles around for the good, etc., as above. And if the opposition, the aspect of Amalaik, returns and intensifies — the choice is in his hand to return and strengthen himself through all the above. And as soon as he sets his heart to this, Hashem, may He be blessed, will help him in this greatly — for “the kindnesses of Hashem have not ceased,” etc. (Lamentations 3:22). And so each time, until he merits, through His mercy, may He be blessed, and through the power of the tzaddikay emes, to win the war — and then he will merit todah in fullness, which is the essential delight of the World to Come. Fortunate is he! And there will be fulfilled in him: “Fortunate is the person whose strength is in You” (Psalms 84:6), etc. For one needs boldness and immense strengthening and great stubbornness beyond measure — whoever desires to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed. And the essential strengthening is through all the above; and understand well, very well. §29 And regarding yibum and chalitzah that we mentioned above, we did not explain it well, for this is not the place for it. And this is: “And she shall remove his shoe from upon his foot” (Deuteronomy 25:9) — for there the soul of the deceased is bound, as is brought. For the essential blemish is in the legs (raglayim) — where the bloods need to flow in their proper order when one merits holadah. And this one who did not merit to leave seed blemished in this — and therefore: “She shall remove his shoe from upon his foot” — “his foot” precisely. And therefore the halachos are called “the goings (halichos) of the world” (Habakkuk 3:6) — for the essential fullness of the halachah is that one should merit through it to walk (lailaich) in it, to draw close through it to Hashem, may He be blessed, to His service — the aspect of “the goings of the world” — that one should merit to remain standing in holiness forever and ever. For the world in general is called the aspect of “legs” relative to Him, may He be blessed, as it is written: “And the earth is My footstool” (Isaiah 66:1). And the woman and the money, where the essential overpowering of the pe’ulos mishtanos takes place, are called “his legs,” as is explained elsewhere. And this is: “The heavens are My throne and the earth is My footstool; what house will you build for Me?” etc. (Isaiah 66:1). For the essential repair of His throne in the heavens is precisely through “the earth, My footstool” — through the legs, which are the very lowest levels, where the essential abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos resides — when they are included in His unity, may He be blessed, in the aspect of: “Hashem in the heavens has established His throne, and His sovereignty rules over all” (Psalms 103:19). For precisely when they know that His sovereignty rules over all, and all the pe’ulos mishtanos are from Him, may He be blessed — then precisely “in the heavens He has established His throne,” as above. And this is the aspect of the Mishkan and the Bais HaMikdash, the aspect of: “Exalt Hashem our G–d and prostrate yourselves at His footstool,” etc. (Psalms 99:5). And this is the aspect of what is brought in the writings [of the Ari z”l] — that the essential completion of the repair will be when it is fulfilled: “And His feet shall stand on that day,” etc. (Zechariah 14:4), in the aspect of “until the feet reach the feet” — that is, as above. And therefore the essential repair is through all the above, which is the aspect of todah/halachah, the aspect of “the goings of the world,” the aspect of the repair of the legs, as above. Apotropos [Laws of Guardianship] §30 And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said in the Mishnah: “A guardian (apotropos) whom the father of orphans appointed does not swear; one whom the beis din appointed does swear” (Gittin 52a). For it has already been explained — the matter of inheritance that belongs to children: the begetting of children is drawn through the money of holiness of the tom’chay Oraysa, from which comes all the money in the world, as above. For the essential obligation to leave children is only for this purpose — so that the children who were born through the halachos that were born through the tom’chay Oraysa, from which come all the births in the world, as above, should draw all the repairs that are drawn through the halachos, which are the aspect of todah/hoda’ah — which is to illuminate truth in the world and to complete the speech, until they merit to reveal the achdus ha’pashut from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos — which are the children of the seed of Israel who have multiplied in the world. For the more the seed of Israel multiplies, among whom there is great divergence of opinions, as above — and when they are all included in one da’as and unify His Name, may He be blessed — through this, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed even more from within very many diverse activities, which is the essential preciousness of the holiness of the enlargement of His glory, may He be blessed, as above. And this is the aspect of what the children say Kaddish after the death of their father and mother. For this person who has departed — his entire purpose is to merit a portion of the World to Come. And the essential delight of the World to Come is todah/hoda’ah, as above, through which the holiness of the holy Shabbos is drawn, which is the aspect of the World to Come, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed, etc. — for the sake of all of which man comes to this world. And therefore, after his death, when he needs to come to this — to the aspect of the delight of the World to Come, which is to give thanks and praise to His Name, may He be blessed, as above — therefore the children say Kaddish after him, which is not a prayer for the deceased but rather a wondrous and awesome praise and thanksgiving to Hashem, may He be blessed, as is brought. For Kaddish includes all kinds of praises and blessings and thanksgivings, etc. — for it is an exceedingly wondrous and awesome praise that “shatters all bars of iron,” as is brought in the holy Zohar. And as we say: “May He be blessed and praised and glorified and exalted,” etc. — “Blessed is He, above all blessings and songs and praises,” etc. And therefore we say Kaddish after all the blessings and thanksgivings, and similarly after all the halachos that are studied — for it is the pillar between world and world, as is brought. For Kaddish includes all the thanksgivings and songs and praises and elevates them all to their supernal root, higher and higher, unto the Infinite. And therefore this departed one, whose entire repair is that the parts of good within him should be gathered — according to what he merited to do good in the world, the entire purpose of which is hoda’ah, which is the delight of the World to Come, and he now needs to come to this, that he should have some portion in the delight of the World to Come, which is hoda’ah, as above — therefore his children say Kaddish after him, which is the totality of all the thanksgivings and songs and praises, etc., and elevates them all, as above. And therefore, through this precisely, the children give their father merit for the World to Come — for praise and thanksgiving, this is the entire delight of the World to Come, as above. And therefore the essential thing is that the children specifically should say Kaddish — for his essential repair is through his children specifically, whom he merited to beget in the world and to multiply the seed of Israel, all of whom engage all their days in thanksgivings and blessings. For every single Jew says every day many blessings and thanksgivings, as our Sages of blessed memory established for us — to say blessings and thanksgivings over every matter in the world, and especially in the morning and evening at the time of prayer — for hoda’ah is the entire delight of the World to Come, as above. And through this, all the repairs mentioned above are accomplished, until one merits to reveal the achdus ha’pashut from the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos — which is accomplished through the abundance of children that he merited to beget, through todah/halachah, as above. Therefore the children specifically say Kaddish, which is the totality of all the thanksgivings — in order to elevate all the blessings and thanksgivings that this departed one merited to engage in during his lifetime. For the essential repair is through the children who were born through this — for through them specifically, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed even more from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos, which is the essential completion of the fullness of the repair, as above. And therefore each person must, during his lifetime, before he departs from the world, command his children and arrange the order of the division of his possessions and money to his children. For the essential root of money and its repair is according to what he merited to support true talmidai chachamim, through whom halachos are born, from which come all the births of children, as above. And every single Jew has a portion in this according to his level. And therefore he must arrange, according to his level, the order of the division of his money to his children after him — that each one should receive his portion properly, according to the root of his portion above in the tom’chay Oraysa who birth halachos, from which come all his births — through which comes the entire repair of the departed one. For todah/halachah and tom’chay Oraysa and the births of children are all one aspect, as is explained in the Torah mentioned above — and everything depends upon each other. And this is the entire purpose and repair of the departed one for the World to Come, as above — for through all of this, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed, etc., as above. And therefore he must appoint a guardian (apotropos) himself during his lifetime. For the guardian appointed over the orphans, who is in the aspect of “father of orphans,” must be appointed by the mouth of the father of the children himself — in order that he arrange his inheritance according to the mind of the father himself, according to what he drew upon himself the aspect of todah/hoda’ah/halachah, according to what he merited with his money to be among the tom’chay Oraysa — which is the entire repair of the money, from which come the births of children, etc., as above. §31 And therefore a guardian whom the father of orphans appointed does not swear — for he is not suspected of falsehood, for truth surely illuminates in him, as is explained there in the Torah mentioned above — that through todah/halachah, truth illuminates, etc. And therefore, since the owner of the inheritance himself appointed him as guardian, truth surely illuminates in him in this matter. For since the departed one, the owner of the inheritance himself, appointed him as guardian according to his own mind, according to his level, according to what he merited to clarify his money so as to have a portion among the tom’chay Oraysa — which is the essential repair of the inheritance and the money from which come all the children, as above — therefore, surely, according to his level, truth illuminates, etc. For through the aspect of todah/halachah, the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, the aspect of the births of children — through all of this, truth illuminates, in the aspect of “Grant truth to Yaakov, kindness to Avraham,” etc. (Micah 7:20). And therefore this guardian is not suspected of falsehood and is trusted without an oath at all, since the father of the children himself appointed him according to his level, according to his portion in the delight of the World to Come, which is the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, etc., as above. But if he did not merit to appoint a guardian himself, to transmit by himself to the guardian the order of his inheritance according to his level, etc., as above — then the beis din must be the “father of orphans” and appoint the guardian. For only the beis din has the power for this, for the beis din illuminates truth — for before them are all the halachos of all the laws and judgments of the Torah, through which truth illuminates, as above. For this is the essence of the beis din — that they should know all the halachos and judge with true and righteous judgments. And therefore the beis din must be three, the aspect of the three lines of truth mentioned above. But the beis din cannot clarify the truth of each individual except through the oath — as it is written: “The owner of the house shall approach the judges for an oath” (Exodus 22:7). For as soon as they come to court, this is because there is a denial between them, and all denials are drawn from the flooding of the bloods mentioned above, from the aspect of “men of blood hate the innocent” (Proverbs 29:10), as is brought there in the Torah mentioned above; see there. For all of this is the aspect of the blemish of todah/halachah, the blemish of the money of holiness, which is in the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa who birth halachos — for he denies his fellow, which is the opposite of all of this. Therefore the beis din cannot clarify except through the oath. For an oath is the aspect of binding, as is brought — the aspect of the illumination of the three lines of truth within the fourfold speech, which is the aspect of the seven days of creation, as is brought elsewhere. This is the aspect of shevuah [oath], from the word sheva [seven] — the aspect of the binding of the weekdays to the seventh day, which is Shabbos, which is “an eternal covenant between Me and the children of Israel,” etc. (Exodus 31:17). For Shabbos is “the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He,” the aspect of “the Torah is the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He” — and this is the aspect of the oath, which is in the Name and with holding an object, which is the Torah. For when there is a denial, which is the blemish of truth, the beis din cannot illuminate truth except through the oath, which includes all the repairs of truth — which is the illumination of the three lines of truth within the fourfold speech, etc. And therefore, since the departed one did not merit to appoint a guardian himself and did not illuminate by himself the aspect of truth that he merited to clarify, according to his portion, in todah/halachah in the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, as above, until the beis din was compelled to involve themselves in appointing a guardian — therefore he requires an oath. For when truth is not clarified in fullness and the beis din needs to clarify it, they cannot clarify it except through the oath, etc., as above. §32 And this is the aspect of: “For I have known him, in order that he command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of Hashem, to do tzedakah and justice” (Genesis 18:19). For the essential bequest that a person must command his children and his household after him is that they should keep the way of Hashem, to do tzedakah and justice — tzedakah and justice precisely. That is, that they should give tzedakah to true talmidai chachamim who birth halachos, which are the judgments of the Torah. And this is the aspect of tzedakah and justice — that is, tzedakah to true talmidai chachamim, through whom the judicial halachos of the Torah are born and revealed — which is the essential repair of the money of this departed one who labored for it during his lifetime, whose entire repair is when the money comes to true talmidai chachamim from whom halachos are born, which are the aspect of todah/hoda’ah, the delight of the World to Come — and to this he must now enter, that he should have a portion in the delight of the World to Come, as above. §33 And this is: “Truth and the judgment of peace, judge in your gates” (Zechariah 8:16). For the judges must judge truth in order to merit through this peace — that all should be included in one da’as, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc., as above. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said: “Whoever judges a true judgment to its truth becomes a partner with the Holy One, blessed be He, in the act of creation” (Shabbos 10a) — as it is written: “And it was evening and it was morning, one day” (Genesis 1:5), etc. For it is written “one day” and not “the first day” — to teach that the Holy One, blessed be He, was alone in His world. That is, to teach that all the divergences in creation, which are the aspect of “and it was evening and it was morning” — which includes all the divergences in the world, for the divergence between day and night, between light and darkness, is the greatest of all divergences (and as we say in the blessing of Krias Shema: “and with understanding He changes the times”), and in this are included all the many divergences of each and every day, without end — and everything was created and continues to exist in order that the achdus ha’pashut should be revealed precisely from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos, as above. And this is: “And it was evening and it was morning” — which are the totality of all divergences — “one day” — in the aspect of Him being alone in His world. That is, to reveal His unity, may He be blessed — that the lone Primordial One created everything, and all the pe’ulos mishtanos are drawn from His unity, may He be blessed. And therefore the judge who judges a true judgment to its truth merits this — that he becomes a partner with the Holy One, blessed be He, in the act of creation, as it is written: “And it was evening,” etc. — “one day.” For through truth, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — which is the aspect of “and it was evening and it was morning — one day,” as above. §34 The sum of the matter is that a person must accustom himself to give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, always, in all that passes over him, as it is written: “In Hashem I praise a word; in G–d I praise a word” (Psalms 56:11) — both in His goodness and in His severity, G–d forbid, as our Sages of blessed memory said. And this is a good and wondrous counsel — that even when a person has become as distant from Hashem, may He be blessed, as he has become, and also in the affairs of this world he is greatly pressed in livelihood and children, etc. (as is common among the majority of the world, as explained elsewhere) — he must precisely then seek and find an expansion within the straits of the trouble, and also remind himself of all the good things and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, has already done with him. And the main thing: that He did not make me a gentile and separated us from those who go astray, etc. And to remind himself that nothing will remain of him or of any person at all except what he seized in this world of some good from the holiness of Israel — and only this is his portion from all his toil. And therefore each person, even the worst of the worst, must rejoice in this greatly, and his mouth should be filled with His praise, etc. all day long — to give thanks and praise and laud, etc. the Fashioner of creation, Who did not make us, etc. — Who did not set our portion like theirs, etc. And once he is accustomed to this, he will certainly seize, every day, to learn some halachos of the Torah, which are His knowledge, may He be blessed — through which one comes to know Him, may He be blessed, and is included in Him, may He be blessed. And through this itself, one will emerge from all the troubles, as above. And through this, the achdus ha’pashut will be revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc. — and through this comes the essential nullification of the trouble, etc. — and so it cycles around for the good, until in the end of all ends, he will certainly merit his good ultimate purpose, which is the delight of the World to Come — which is to give thanks and praise to Him, may He be blessed, forever and to all eternity. And the essential thing for all of this is love of friends and peace — that one should have great love and peace with all Israel, and especially with those who walk in this path. And he should be among the tom’chay Oraysa, both with his money and with his body — that he should support with all his strength the talmidai chachamim who engage in this path, who birth halachos. And through this, he will merit to beget worthy children who engage in Torah, etc., etc. — as was explained above: todah/halachah and tom’chay Oraysa and the births of children are all one aspect and depend upon each other. And one must begin from every single good point among them, until he merits what he merits. Fortunate is he! §35 And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said: “What is meant by the verse: ‘Who is the wise man who will understand this, and to whom the mouth of Hashem has spoken that he may declare it — on what account has the land been destroyed, parched like a desert, with none passing through?’ (Jeremiah 9:11). ‘And Hashem said: Because they forsook My Torah,’ etc. — ‘and did not heed My voice and did not walk in it’” (Jeremiah 9:12). And they explained there: “that they did not bless over the Torah first” (Nedarim 81a). And the matter is astonishing, as all the commentators were astonished by it. And especially that which they said there: “This matter was asked of the Sages and the Prophets and they could not explain it, until the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself explained it” — and it is wondrous. What is this great commotion — who does not know all this, that the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash was because they transgressed the Torah? Is not the entire Torah full of this? For Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, himself already warned them: “If you walk in My statutes,” etc. — “and if you do not listen,” etc. (Leviticus 26). And similarly, in innumerable other places, he told them that if they transgress the Torah they would be lost from the land, etc. And similarly, all the Prophets warned them about this. And what is this — that now they asked everyone “on what account was the land destroyed,” and they could not explain it, until Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself explained it: “Because they forsook My Torah,” etc.? But the essential matter is that Hashem, may He be blessed, asked the Sages and the Prophets to understand this well and to declare on what account the land was destroyed — in a manner that good would come to us from it, that we would understand through this good counsel for how to begin to repair the corruptions that caused the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash. And this is the essential severity and depth of the question that Hashem, may He be blessed, asked the Sages and the Prophets, and they could not explain it. For what was, was — and what difference does it make if it was destroyed on account of whatever it was destroyed on account of? It is already destroyed! But the essential thrust of what Hashem, may He be blessed, sought to ask the Sages and the Prophets — that they should understand this and declare on what account the land was destroyed — is that they should explain the matter well, in a manner that we would understand from it counsel for how to emerge from the corruptions that caused the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash. And therefore they could not explain it, for this is very, very deep — “deep, deep — who can find it?” (Ecclesiastes 7:24). Until the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself explained it: “Because they forsook My Torah, and did not heed My voice, and did not walk in it.” That is, even though they had already transgressed very severe transgressions — idolatry, etc. — even so, in the inner depths of their hearts, their hearts were still burning for Hashem, may He be blessed. For “many waters cannot extinguish the love” (Song of Songs 8:7) between Israel and their Father in Heaven, “and rivers cannot wash it away.” And therefore they should have strengthened themselves, at least to seize some halachos, to learn at least a little every day. But “they forsook My Torah entirely.” And not only that, but “they did not heed My voice” — “hearing depends upon the heart” — that is, they were at least obligated to hear and to attach themselves to the voice of Hashem that calls with a great voice in a person’s heart every single day and at every time, that he should return to Him. And every person must incline his heart to hear the voice of Hashem — that at least he should have strong desires and great yearnings for Hashem, may He be blessed, which is very precious, as is explained elsewhere. And the main thing: “And they did not walk in it — that they did not bless over the Torah first.” For certainly they did not fall in one stroke to such falls, to transgress the law entirely and throw off the yoke as it was at the time of the destruction. And certainly at first they engaged in Torah somewhat — only “they did not bless over the Torah first.” That is, they did not set their hearts to rejoice in the Torah, and to bless and give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, at every time, for the wondrous and awesome kindness that He did with us, in that He chose us from all the nations and gave us His Torah, the hidden treasure, which is our life, etc. — and this is our entire hope forever. And as is explained in the commentators, this is the essential meaning of the blessing over the Torah — to rejoice with all one’s strength in the pleasantness of our portion and our lot. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said that the blessing over the Torah requires great care — that is, the entire matter mentioned above that we have explained: that each person, even if he has fallen and become as distant as he has, even so, he precisely must be accustomed to todah and hoda’ah, to give thanks for the small amount of good points that still remain in him, etc. And through this, he will merit to emerge from all the troubles and to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, etc., as above. And this is: “And they did not walk in it” — for this is a wondrous path and way to draw close and to raise oneself to Hashem, may He be blessed, from all kinds of falls and descents in the world, without end or limit. And had they walked in this path, certainly they would not have fallen so far and they would not have had such troubles. And now, our entire hope to return to our land and to our Bais HaMikdash is through this — for this matter depends upon nothing but teshuvah. But it is very difficult to return, for the adversary lies in wait very, very greatly and spreads himself in length and breadth. And everyone desires to fear Your Name, and even so, most are very far from the paths of teshuvah. And the main reason is because they do not set their hearts to rejoice in the small amount of good that is in them — for sadness and melancholy harm more than anything, and as it is written: “Because you did not serve Hashem your G–d with joy and with gladness of heart” (Deuteronomy 28:47) — that the essential destruction and all the troubles, may the Merciful One save us, are all because they did not serve Him, may He be blessed, with joy — as is brought in the writings of the Ari z”l. That is, as above; and understand well. And therefore Hashem, may He be blessed, was compelled to explain it Himself — in order to hint to us now, in every generation, hints of counsel for how to draw close now to Hashem, may He be blessed, from wherever one is, to repair the corruptions through which the destruction occurred — until we merit a complete redemption soon. And therefore all the above is called “walking” — for it is the repair of the legs, as above, the aspect of “the goings of the world” — through which comes the approach of the redemption, in the aspect of “and His feet shall stand,” etc., as above. For it is a wondrous path and way for every person in the world, etc., as above. §36 And this is the aspect of the work of the Mishkan, which they were commanded after the sin of the eigel [golden calf] — which occurred through the abundance of gold. Through this, the eirev rav [mixed multitude] incited and lured them to separate the pe’ulos mishtanos, G–d forbid, from the achdus ha’pashut — which is the essential sin of idolatry. And the repair was through the Mishkan, which is the aspect of the Bais HaMikdash, the aspect of “throne of glory, exalted from the beginning,” the aspect of “the place of Your dwelling,” etc. — mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the shekalim — “When you raise the head of the children of Israel,” etc. (Exodus 30:12) — that they should all be included together through the counting, and the counting should not cause, G–d forbid, the aspect of separation, which is the sitra d’mosa [the side of death], in the aspect of “and there shall not be a plague among them.” And this is through their giving a ransom for their souls — the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, etc. For the eirev rav blemished the money — for through the abundance of money they contended against Moshe. And not only did they not want to be among the tom’chay Oraysa, they even reversed to the opposite extreme — assembling upon Aharon to make them an idol from the money. For just as when one merits that money should be in holiness — the essence of which is through giving one’s money to talmidai chachamim, to be among the tom’chay Oraysa, through which halachos are born, etc. — through which the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos is drawn, as above — so too, in reverse, when one blemishes the money and chases after money only for one’s own desires, and even contends against the true talmidai chachamim who engage in birthing halachos — then one separates the pe’ulos mishtanos and causes heresies in the world. This is the aspect of the blemish of the eirev rav, which came through the abundance of money, as it is written: “and enough gold” (Deuteronomy 1:1, per Chazal) — through which they made idolatry and denied Hashem and separated in their minds the pe’ulos mishtanos from the achdus ha’pashut. This was the nature of all the matters of idolatry in the earlier generations — because it is impossible to comprehend in the mind how all the pe’ulos mishtanos are drawn from the achdus ha’pashut, through this they came to heresies until they made idolatry, and they had many false wisdoms in this, as our Sages of blessed memory said. And similarly, the heresies that are found now, in our many sins, through the investigators [philosophers] and those who contend against the true tzaddikim, who engage in external wisdoms — all of this is drawn from this, from the aspect of the sin of the eigel, from which we have not yet been purified, and all the visitations come through this, as it is written: “And on the day that I visit,” etc. (Exodus 32:34). May Hashem, may He be blessed, protect and save us from now on. And therefore the repair for this is the shekalim that they gave as donation for the Mishkan, from which the adanim [sockets] were made, upon which the entire Mishkan was erected. For there, in the Mishkan, all the halachos of the Torah were born and revealed, as Rashi explains — that from the day the Mishkan was erected, Hashem did not speak to Moshe about any of the halachos of the Torah except in the Ohel Mo’ed. And therefore the shekalim, from which the adanim were made upon which the Mishkan stood, are in the aspect of the tom’chay Oraysa — for through the halachos born from there, and likewise the blessings and thanksgivings that took place in the Mishkan, through all of this all the repairs mentioned above were accomplished, until the achdus ha’pashut was revealed from there, as it is written: “And I will meet with you there,” etc. (Exodus 25:22) — in the aspect of: “And the Mishkan shall be one” (Exodus 26:6). And therefore they were commanded to count them through the shekalim. For Moshe found this very difficult, as our Sages of blessed memory said, and as is brought in the piyyut of Parashas Shekalim — for how could he count Israel, who are above counting, for the entire holiness of Israel is to be included in the ultimate achdus ha’pashut, for they are all as one man, as above, and as it is written: “that cannot be counted,” etc. But Hashem, may He be blessed, commanded them to count them precisely through the shekalim — for through the shekalim, which are the aspect of the tom’chay Oraysa, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — which is very precious to Hashem, may He be blessed, when the achdus ha’pashut is revealed below in this world, precisely from within the pe’ulos mishtanos. And the more the pe’ulos mishtanos multiply, which is the abundance of divergent opinions — when they are included together in one da’as to believe in the achdus ha’pashut, it is more and more precious in His eyes, may He be blessed, as above. Therefore, through giving the shekalim, they must be counted precisely — for the counting is the aspect of multiplicity and divergence. They also needed to be counted by the number of names, mentioning each one by his name, which corresponds to the divergence of his intellect and his mind. And through the abundance of divergences, the plague can prevail, G–d forbid — which is the sitra d’mosa, whose hold comes from the world of separation, from the abundance of divergences. But through the shekalim, etc. — through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed precisely from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos, etc. — through this, precisely a great repair is made through the counting, which is the aspect of the revelation of the abundance of divergences. For precisely through this, His glory, may He be blessed, is enlarged and exalted — through the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut, may He be blessed, precisely through the abundance of divergences, as above — through all of them acknowledging one da’as and giving shekalim to the donation of the Mishkan, where His divinity is revealed, etc., as above. §37 And therefore they were commanded to give specifically a half-shekel — to teach that each individual Jew has no completeness except through his fellow. For the essential repair is that they should all be included one within the other in love and unity — and each one is the aspect of a half, until he is included in his fellow, and his fellow in his fellow, until they are all included, in the abundance of their divergent minds, in the achdus ha’pashut — which is very precious to Hashem, may He be blessed, as above. And this is: “The wealthy shall not give more and the poor shall not give less” (Exodus 30:15) — which is the aspect of what is written: “A person’s ransom is his wealth, and a pauper does not hear rebuke” (Proverbs 13:8), in the aspect of: “and the noble is not distinguished before the poor” (Job 34:19), as Rashi explains there — that this was said regarding the shekalim, that each one gave equally a half-shekel, the wealthy and the poor, etc. That is, as above — for the essential purpose of the shekalim is to merit inclusiveness and unity. Therefore they all had to give equally, so that there would be no division and separation between the wealthy and the poor — and the wealthy should not grow proud or rebuke the poor. To teach that this is the essential repair of tzedakah, whose essence is to be among the tom’chay Oraysa — for the essential thing is to merit love and unity, and the wealthy should not be proud over the poor. For the essential thing is to be included in the achdus ha’pashut, which is impossible to be included in except through humility and self-nullification, the aspect of love and unity — that each one should nullify himself before his fellow. And this He hinted to them through the shekalim — that He commanded they all give equally, the wealthy shall not give more and the poor shall not give less, in the aspect of “and the noble is not distinguished before the poor” mentioned above, in the aspect of “and a pauper does not hear rebuke.” To teach that they are all equal before Him, may He be blessed, and they all have a portion in the erection of the Mishkan — through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos that are included together, as above. And therefore, in truth, regarding the other donations of the Mishkan, each one gave according to the blessing of Hashem and according to the generosity of his heart, as Rashi explains there: “Three donations are mentioned here.” But regarding the shekalim, He warned them that they all give equally — so that the wealthy would learn and understand hints for themselves, that they should never be proud of their giving, even when they give much. For it is fitting for them to understand that Hashem, may He be blessed, could erect the Mishkan through the poor just as through the wealthy — for “wealth and honor come from before Him,” and He can impoverish this one and enrich that one. And certainly, whoever has a little true understanding, it is fitting for him to understand that he should not be proud — even the wealthy one who gives much tzedakah to true talmidai chachamim. On the contrary, it is fitting for him to be ashamed and greatly self-nullified — who is he that he has merited this, that Hashem, may He be blessed, has given him such wealth that he merits to support the talmidai chachamim? And moreover, he still has much wealth and riches remaining in his house, for certainly he does not even give half of his wealth. And the poor and destitute person, who is a worthy person just like him and usually more so than him, has no bread or garment in his house, and also does not merit to support the talmidai chachamim with his money. And how can one be proud of the wealth that Hashem, may He be blessed, has given him, that much remains with him and he also supports the talmidai chachamim, that he merits to have an everlasting investment? And all of this, Hashem, may He be blessed, hinted to them through the shekalim that He commanded they all give equally — to teach that, just as the adanim that uphold the Mishkan were made through the donation of the shekalim that all gave equally, so too Hashem, may He be blessed, could have made the entire Mishkan through all of them equally. But He desires to bestow merit upon each one according to his worth, according to His designs that have been reckoned for him. But you, the wealthy — do not be proud, for everything is from Him, as David said: “For everything is from You, and from Your hand we have given to You” (I Chronicles 29:14). For the essential tzedakah is to support the talmidai chachamim who birth halachos — which is the aspect of the erection of the Mishkan that the tzaddikim, in the aspect of Moshe in every generation, engage in — for the essential thing is love and inclusiveness, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc., as above. §38 And this is the aspect of Purim, which is the obliteration of Haman-Amalaik. For Amalaik blemishes everything mentioned above, as was explained above (in §27). For “Amalaik is the first of the nations” (Numbers 24:20) — he is the aspect of a heretic and he wants to confuse and cast blemish upon the “beginning” and the “start” — as if Hashem, may He be blessed, has not yet begun to save at all. For he was the first to come to wage war against Israel when they went out of Egypt, and he strengthened himself in his wickedness to stand against Israel, for whom Hashem, may He be blessed, had performed such miracles in the Exodus from Egypt, until Pharaoh was compelled to acknowledge “that Hashem is the righteous One” and expelled them from Egypt. And Amalaik is such a brazen one that he went out against them, and as Rashi explains there on the verse “Write this as a memorial in the book” (Exodus 17:14) — a parable of a boiling bath, etc. For he is a heretic from beginning to end, denying the miracles and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, does with us at all times, and blemishing all the repairs explained above — and the main thing is that he provokes and strengthens himself so that the achdus ha’pashut should not, G–d forbid, be revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above. And he lies in wait against all Israel constantly, and principally he strengthens himself, G–d forbid, in time of exile and trouble — for then he wants to cast heresies into the heart, as if Hashem, may He be blessed, has not yet begun to save Israel at all. And this is the aspect of the strengthening of Haman-Amalaik at the end of the exile of Babylon — for he said: since Nevuchadnetzar has already prevailed and destroyed the Bais HaMikdash which stood for several hundred years and exiled Israel from their land, etc. — they no longer have hope to return, G–d forbid. And therefore he and his impure offspring strengthened themselves to halt the rebuilding of the Bais HaMikdash — for he said that hope was lost for Israel, G–d forbid. And this is what is written: “There is one nation” (Esther 3:8), and our Sages of blessed memory expounded: “Their G–d is asleep” [yashein = yeshno] — meaning, that He would no longer save Israel, G–d forbid, as if He were asleep. And this is: “scattered and separated among the nations, and their laws are different from every nation” (Esther 3:8) — he said that they are scattered and separated among the nations, in the aspect of the abundance of divergent opinions and dispute, the aspect of scattering and separation among the nations, having fallen to the minds of the seventy nations. All of this is the opposite of the inclusiveness of the pe’ulos mishtanos in the achdus ha’pashut, as above. And this is: “and their laws are different,” etc. — he said that the law of Israel is in the aspect of the strengthening of divergences and scattering and separation, G–d forbid. For he denied the holy law of Israel — that the entire law of our holy Torah is that through the law of our holy Torah, one is included in the achdus ha’pashut, through every single mitzvah and through every letter and word of the holy Torah. For “the Torah, Israel, and the Holy One, blessed be He, are all one.” And Haman wanted to turn the dish upside-down, G–d forbid, and said that everything is in reverse. And therefore he wanted to prevail over Israel — to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate, etc. — for he is the aspect of the overpowering of the bloods in the time of trouble. For he is from the seed of Eisav, “the reddish one” (Genesis 25:25) — on account of the overpowering of the evil bloods, from which comes the sitra d’mosa, which is drawn from the sin of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Where is Haman [hinted] from the Torah? As it is said: ‘Is it from the tree?’” (Chullin 139b; Genesis 3:11) — for then death was decreed, and therefore he wanted to annihilate Israel, G–d forbid. And so it is in every generation and in every person, as it is written: “Hashem’s war against Amalaik from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:16) — for he prevails upon every person at all times with all kinds of stratagems to make him fall, G–d forbid. For he is the tempter, he is the accuser, etc. — for first he entices the person to whatever he entices him, and afterwards he prosecutes him, until some trouble or suffering comes upon him, G–d forbid. And it is he himself who weakens and confuses the person’s heart so that he does not cry out and supplicate before Hashem, may He be blessed — for he puts into his heart as if hope is lost, G–d forbid, and he wants to make him forget all the good things and kindnesses and miracles and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, has done with our fathers and with each and every individual in particular. And the repair for all of this is the aspect of Mordechai, who is the aspect of the true tzaddik, the aspect of mor d’ror [pure myrrh] — maray dachya — which is the chief spice of the anointing oil, with which the entire Mishkan and its vessels were anointed, and Aharon the Kohen and his sons. For all of their service in the Mishkan and the Bais HaMikdash was entirely to include all the pe’ulos mishtanos in the achdus ha’pashut, as above — for there was the essential revelation of divinity, as it is written: “And I will meet there with the children of Israel,” etc. (Exodus 29:43), as above. And the essential holiness of the Mishkan and its vessels was drawn through the anointing oil, which is a good fragrance of holiness, drawn from an exceedingly, exceedingly exalted holiness that has the power to sanctify the entire Mishkan and its vessels, etc. — to elevate and bring them from profane to holy. For the essence of holiness is being included in the achdus ha’pashut, where lies the root of all holinesses. Thus, the anointing oil that Moshe made had such wondrous power to elevate the entire Mishkan and its vessels — which were made of gold and silver and copper and blue-purple and red-purple, etc., etc. — in which there was an abundance of divergences and many hues in the silver and gold, etc., which are the totality of all worldly desires, especially the desire for money, which is the aspect of the overpowering of the bloods, etc. mentioned above. And the Mishkan, which was made from all of this, was the repair for all of this, as above. And all its holiness was drawn through the anointing oil, through which the Mishkan and its vessels were sanctified, and it elevated everything — all the many hues and divergences — so that they would be included in the achdus ha’pashut, where lie all the holinesses. Through this, the Mishkan had the power to atone for the children of Israel, to purify them from all the impurities, all of which are the aspect of the heresies drawn from the aspect of separation mentioned above, which separates, G–d forbid, the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc., as above. For the essential repair is through the aspect of good fragrance, which is the life of the soul, which is the aspect of the anointing oil made with such exalted preparations that it has the power to draw a good fragrance to all who are distant from holiness — who cannot be revived except through the aspect of good fragrance, in the aspect of what is said regarding the souls of Israel who are cast down in the exile of their desires and traits, G–d forbid: “Support me with cakes of raisins, spread my bed with apples, for I am lovesick” (Song of Songs 2:5), as Rashi explains there — that these are kinds of fragrances. For in our many sins, in the extremity of our weakness now, in the intensity of the bitterness of exile, our strength has already been so weakened that we do not feel the pleasantness and sweetness of the honeycomb — the words of sweetness of the true tzaddikim who revive us with such pure utterances, in the aspect of: “All food is abhorred by their soul,” etc. (Psalms 107:18). And our life-force comes only from what we smell from afar — a little of the good, holy, and awesome fragrance of the holy Torah-novelties of the true tzaddikim. And this is the aspect of the fragrance of the anointing oil, through which everything is sanctified and enters from outside to inside — from which comes the holiness of Mordechai, as above, who subdues the kelipah of Haman-Amalaik who wants to cast blemish upon the beginning of the salvation, as if Hashem, may He be blessed, has not yet begun to save at all. And Mordechai knows all of this and in his wisdom instills the holy emunah in Israel, and illuminates the heart of man, and reminds him at all times of all the good things and miracles and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, has already done with us, in general and in particular, etc. And as it is written: “Bless Hashem, O my soul, and do not forget all His bounties,” etc. (Psalms 103:2). And through this, one has the power to cry out and supplicate before Hashem, may He be blessed, that He should save us even now, as above. Through this came the intensity of the miracle of Purim — that Haman-Amalaik was subdued and fell. And in His mercy, may He be blessed, He frustrated his counsel and spoiled his thought, and everything was turned to good, from one extreme to the other, as it is written: “And it was reversed — that the Jews dominated,” etc. (Esther 9:1). And they established these days of Purim as joy and feasting and a festival for all generations — to make known that even in our servitude, our G–d has not forsaken us. This is the intensity of the miracle and the wondrous salvation of Purim, which is greater than all the festivals, as our Sages of blessed memory said — for the essential miracle is what we saw, that even in our servitude, in the intensity of exile, Hashem, may He be blessed, watches over us so much, with wondrous providence, and arranged events for good from beginning to end. That precisely through Haman, the wicked Vashti was killed, and afterwards, through this very thing, the intensity of the miracle came about, that Haman was hanged through Esther — with such wondrous providences, as is explained in the holy Megillah. And one must set his heart well to this, to understand from this that, just so, even now, He has not withdrawn His kindness from us. And one must strengthen himself in joy always, to draw the holiness of the joy of Purim — to believe that Hashem, may He be blessed, is with us even now, in the intensity of this exile — and to give todah and hoda’ah every day for the past, and to beseech for the future, etc., as above. §39 And this is the aspect of: “words of peace and truth” (Esther 9:30) — this is the aspect of the three lines of truth that illuminate within the speech, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, which is the aspect of peace, as above. And this is: “seeking good for his nation” (Esther 10:3) — the aspect of halachos, for he was seeking good for Israel and clarifying all the halachos of the Torah, as our Sages of blessed memory said — that he would open with matters and expound them. And: “speaking peace to all his seed” — the aspect of peace mentioned above, which is the aspect of the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut, etc. — which is the essential completion of the fullness of the repair, as above. And this is: “to all his seed” precisely — for the essential thing is that peace should be drawn, the aspect of the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, to all the seed of Israel who are born in every generation, in the aspect of: “A seed will serve Him; it will be told to Hashem for a generation” (Psalms 22:31). For the essential war of Amalaik is in every generation anew — because in every generation, souls are drawn in wondrous novelties anew, for no two people in all the generations are alike, as was explained above (§23). And because of the abundance of divergences and new forms of intelligence that arise in every generation, Amalaik wants to strengthen himself to separate in thought, G–d forbid, the pe’ulos mishtanos from the achdus ha’pashut, as above. And therefore: “Hashem’s war against Amalaik from generation to generation.” And this is the aspect of all the vain wisdoms that arise anew in every generation — both the external wisdoms, which are the wisdom of philosophy that grow stronger in every generation, and the other wisdoms of the world of foolishness and vanity, where each one imagines that the world has now become wiser, as if in previous generations they had no intellect at all, to desire such implements and adornments, etc. — as such foolish talk is common among the youth. And all of this is drawn from the aspect mentioned above — because in truth, at the root of the holiness of the souls, they are drawn in every generation in the aspect of innovation for good, for the essential glory of Hashem, may He be blessed, is precisely that in the abundance of the immense divergence of opinions, they should be included in His achdus ha’pashut, as above. And “G–d has made one corresponding to the other” (Ecclesiastes 7:14) — therefore the aspect of the contamination of Amalaik wants to reverse everything, as if today they are wiser for evil. But Hashem, may He be blessed, fights him in every generation, as above, through His true tzaddikim, and reveals such wondrous halachos and Torah-novelties in every generation — so that through this, in every generation, the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut is ever greater, from within the abundance and divergence of the many opinions, which are the aspect of the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above. This is the aspect of: “seeking good for his nation and speaking peace to all his seed” precisely, in the aspect of “and unto generation after generation is His faithfulness,” in the aspect of “generation to generation praises Your works,” etc., as above. And understand well, to connect everything from beginning to end, and you will understand counsel and strengthening to draw close always to Hashem, may He be blessed, and to give thanks to His Name, may He be blessed, always — which is the essential ultimate purpose, the aspect of the delight of the World to Come, as above. §40 And this is the aspect of Pesach and the greatness of the mitzvah of relating the story of the Exodus from Egypt, as was explained above (in §16). For now that we have already merited to go out of Egypt, etc. — praise be to G–d, we have a good beginning, etc., as above — therefore we must abundantly tell of the Exodus from Egypt, etc. And this is: “We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt.” For the essential redemption was through Shabbos — through Hashem, may He be blessed, in His mercy drawing upon them Himself the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos upon the six days of the week. Through this, the achdus ha’pashut was revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — that all the pe’ulos mishtanos are all drawn from the achdus ha’pashut Himself, may He be blessed. This was then revealed very, very greatly through all the great, awesome, and immense signs and wonders that Moshe did before the eyes of all Israel — turning water to blood and blood to water, sending frogs, and when he wished, removing them through his prayer. And similarly with all the plagues with which he struck Pharaoh, etc. — demonstrating that all of nature and all the workings of the diverse activities in the entire world are all in the hand of the achdus ha’pashut, and they are in His hand like clay in the hand of the potter. And He reveals His secret to His servants the tzaddikim, so that they can rule over the world and direct everything as they wish. And all of this was drawn at that time by Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself, in the aspect of an awakening from above, as is brought — for they were not yet worthy of the redemption, for they had not yet drawn the repairs mentioned above that are drawn through todah and hoda’ah and halachos, etc. — for it was the first redemption, and they had not yet received the Torah, where all the halachos are, as was explained above. But Hashem, may He be blessed, had compassion upon them, through the merit of the Patriarchs and through the little good He found in them, until through His awesome wonders He compelled Moshe to go and redeem them, and He drew upon them Himself the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos upon the weekdays, until the achdus ha’pashut was revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, through all the signs and wonders, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of Shabbos HaGadol before Pesach — for the essential miracles of Pesach were through the holiness of Shabbos, as above. And therefore it is called Shabbos HaGadol [the Great Shabbos] — for this is the essential greatness of Hashem, may He be blessed — when His unity, may He be blessed, is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above, which is accomplished through Shabbos, as above. And this is why we begin “We were slaves,” etc. — for before the redemption, in the time of exile (that is, before they merited to draw the holiness of Shabbos to the weekdays), we were slaves — because the aspect of the weekdays held sway, which are the aspect of “servant,” as is explained there in the Torah mentioned above. “And Hashem our G–d brought us out from there,” etc. — that is, Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself brought us out from there, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, even though we were not worthy — for we had not yet drawn upon ourselves all the repairs mentioned above. Even so, Hashem, may He be blessed, had compassion upon us and brought us out Himself, through the power of His wondrous mercy, as above. And this is: “And had the Holy One, blessed be He, not brought out our fathers from Egypt, behold we and our children and our children’s children would still be enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt.” That is, the essential Exodus from Egypt was to reveal His divinity, may He be blessed, from generation to generation forever, as it is written: “And you shall make known to your children and your children’s children” (Deuteronomy 4:9), in the aspect of “and unto generation after generation is His faithfulness” — which one merits through Torah/halachah, from which come all the holy births of the seed of Israel, the holy nation. But at that time, they were not yet worthy of this — only Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself drew in His mercy all the repairs mentioned above, until He redeemed them Himself. But had the Holy One, blessed be He, not brought out, etc. — behold we and our children, etc., would still be enslaved, etc. — for now that we have already merited the Exodus from Egypt and we have a good beginning, as above, through this we merit each time the aspect of todah/halachah, as above, through which the births of children are drawn in the holiness of Israel — and we are able to teach them and make known to them, from generation to generation, from father to son, the works of Hashem, for they are awesome, in the aspect of “generation to generation praises Your works,” etc. — until all of them walk in this path, in the path of the holy Torah, to give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, always, etc. — and to engage in halachos, etc., until they reveal in each generation the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, which is accomplished anew in every generation, as above. All of this is the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos, which is the aspect of “son,” to nullify the aspect of the servitude of the weekdays. But had the Holy One, blessed be He, not brought out our fathers from Egypt in His mercy, by Himself, as above — behold we and our children and our children’s children would still be enslaved, etc. — for we would not have merited the birth of children in holiness, in the aspect of “son,” the aspect of freedom — but all the children and children’s children would have been in the aspect of servitude, as above, from which came the entire exile of Egypt, as above. And this is: “And even if we were all wise, all understanding, all elders, all knowing the Torah — it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt.” That is, at first glance it is difficult — why did He emphasize so many times the telling of the Exodus from Egypt? For the essential purpose of the Exodus from Egypt was for the sake of the Giving of the Torah, as it is written: “When you bring out the nation from Egypt, you shall serve G–d on this mountain” (Exodus 3:12) — which is the Giving of the Torah. And it would have been fitting to tell only of the miracle of the Giving of the Torah. And why did He emphasize more the telling of the Exodus from Egypt? And even the Giving of the Torah itself began: “I am Hashem your G–d Who brought you out of the land of Egypt,” etc. (Exodus 20:2). And similarly in most of the mitzvos. But according to the above, it is well explained — for the essential intensity of the miracle is the beginning, which is the Exodus from Egypt, which was the first redemption, which was very difficult because “this depends upon that,” etc., as above. And this is: “And even if we were all wise, etc., all knowing the Torah — it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt” specifically, even more so. Even though now we already know the Torah, which is the essential purpose for which we went out of Egypt, as above — even so, it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt, which is the beginning, through which we merited to know the Torah — for that beginning was the most difficult of all, as above. And we need now to tell about this even more — for even now, all the keeping of the Torah depends upon this. For the more one gives thanks and praises Him, may He be blessed, for the greatness of His kindness of the beginning, which is the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt, which was very difficult — the more one tells and gives thanks and praises Him, may He be blessed — so are all the repairs mentioned above drawn even more, through which the hoda’ah in turn grows ever greater, etc. — and so it cycles around for the good, as above. Through all of this, one merits joy, which is the essential thing — to strengthen oneself from wherever one is, to rejoice in the salvation of Hashem, etc. — through which everyone can enter into the keeping of the Torah, as above. And therefore, even if we were all wise and understanding and elders and knowing the Torah and all that has passed over us has already passed and we have merited the salvation of Hashem and immense wonders — it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt, when the beginning was, as above — through which one merits to strengthen himself in joy even now, through which comes the essential keeping of the Torah, as above. And this is: “And whoever tells more of the Exodus from Egypt — behold, this is praiseworthy.” For each and every person must tell abundantly of the Exodus from Egypt, in general and in particular — how many miracles and wonders Hashem, may He be blessed, did with us — so that the hoda’ah should grow each time even more, through which comes the essential repair, as above. And this is: “And whoever tells more of the Exodus from Egypt — behold, this is praiseworthy.” And it is brought in the Kavanos: “behold, this is praiseworthy” — in chasadim [kindnesses] — that is, the aspect of “whoever is wise, let him observe these things, and they will contemplate the kindnesses of Hashem” (Psalms 107:43) — the aspect of “the faithful kindnesses of David” (Isaiah 55:3), which are drawn through todah/hoda’ah, as is explained there. §41 And this is: “It happened with Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua,” etc. — who were telling of the Exodus from Egypt all that night, until their students came and said to them: “Our teachers, the time for the morning Krias Shema has arrived.” The time for Krias Shema precisely — for through the abundance of telling of the Exodus from Egypt, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed even more from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above, which is the aspect of Krias Shema — to reveal the achdus ha’pashut in the world, in the aspect of: “Hashem our G–d, Hashem is One.” “Hashem our G–d” — that is, His divinity that dwells and is clothed within us, within all the pe’ulos mishtanos. “Hashem is One” — everything is included and unified in His achdus ha’pashut, may He be blessed. And as our Sages of blessed memory said, one must extend the dales of echad in order to crown Him above and below and in the four directions — which are the totality of the pe’ulos mishtanos in all six extremities, all of which are included in His unity, may He be blessed. For Hashem is One, and everything is drawn only from Him, may He be blessed. And all of this is revealed through the abundance of telling of the Exodus from Egypt. And therefore Hashem, may He be blessed, arranged it so that these tzaddikim told of the Exodus from Egypt, etc., until their students came — those who received the halachos from them, which are also the aspect of todah, as above — and said to them: “Our teachers, the time for Krias Shema has arrived,” etc. — for through this, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed, which is the aspect of Krias Shema, as above. And to sweeten further and explain the statement mentioned above — “Whoever tells more of the Exodus from Egypt,” etc. — it is thus: For all the kinds of counsel that our Sages of blessed memory illuminated for us, with which one can strengthen himself — the adversary constantly lies in wait to push him away from them, G–d forbid. Therefore, one needs great stubbornness. And so it is with the matter mentioned above — that one must strengthen himself to give thanks always to Hashem, may He be blessed, for all the kindnesses and wonders, etc., even if he is as he is, for even so, He has already bestowed upon us immense wonders. But the adversary constantly strengthens himself to cause forgetfulness and concealment, G–d forbid, etc. Therefore a person must strengthen himself to tell abundantly of the Exodus from Egypt, etc., in the aspect mentioned above. And this is: “Whoever tells more” — “more” precisely — for one must increase so much, until he increases the telling of the Exodus from Egypt over the hinderer, until it exceeds him and nullifies him — in the manner our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the nullification of a prohibited substance: “one increases over it and nullifies it.” And this is: “And whoever tells more” of the kindnesses of Hashem, etc. — which is the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt, etc., as above — who increases the telling over the hinderer until he nullifies him, as above — “behold, this is praiseworthy,” as above. §42 And this is: “And I will pass through the land of Egypt — I, and not an angel; I, and not a seraph; I, and not an emissary; I am Hashem — I am He and not another.” That is, during the Exodus from Egypt, the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos was so great that even above, His achdus ha’pashut, may He be blessed, was revealed — as is explained there in the Torah mentioned above: that when the achdus ha’pashut is revealed below, His achdus ha’pashut is revealed also above, in the aspect of: “You are One and Your Name is One, and who is like Your nation Israel, one nation in the land,” etc. And this is: “And I will pass through the land of Egypt — I, and not an angel; I, and not a seraph,” etc. — for all the concealments and hiddennesses were nullified. For sometimes Hashem, may He be blessed, clothes His conduct through the angels, in the aspect of “Behold, I am sending an angel before you” (Exodus 23:20) — which was said after the sin, and Moshe did not desire this. For then one can err, G–d forbid, as Acheir erred through this. And as the verse itself there warns: “Beware of him, do not defy him,” and our Sages of blessed memory expounded: “Do not exchange Me for him” — for from there is drawn the error of all idolators. And similarly the errors of the naturalist philosophers of today — for the angel is called Elokim, which has the numerical value of ha’teva [nature]. But at the time of the Exodus from Egypt, Hashem, may He be blessed, had compassion upon us and revealed His achdus ha’pashut below and above — that there is no governance in the world except through Himself alone, in the aspect of: “I, and not an angel; I, and not a seraph,” etc. — “I am Hashem; I am He and not another.” For all the diverse activities in the world — all are from Him, may He be blessed, Himself, as above. Shayach l’eil — This belongs above [at the end of the Apotropos section]: And therefore we say Birchas Kohanim [the Priestly Blessing] after Birchas HaTorah [the Blessing over the Torah]. For Birchas HaTorah is the aspect of the hoda’ah mentioned above — that we bless and give thanks every day, immediately in the morning, for the pleasantness of our portion, that we merited to receive the Torah, which is the essential path to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, from wherever one is, as is explained above (in §5). Through this, all the repairs mentioned above are accomplished, until one merits that all the pe’ulos mishtanos should be included in the achdus ha’pashut — which is the aspect of peace and unity among all Israel, that all the divergent opinions should be included together, etc., as above. This, Aharon the Kohen merited more than anyone else — through the fact that he was not jealous of Moshe his brother, even though he [Moshe] was greater than him, and he went out to greet him with joy, as it is written: “And he shall see you and rejoice in his heart” (Exodus 4:14). And through this, he merited the Kehunah, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “In reward for ‘and he shall see you,’ etc., he merited the Choshen HaMishpat [Breastplate of Judgment] upon his heart.” Therefore we say Birchas Kohanim, which is the holiness of Aharon the Kohen, after Birchas HaTorah — for they are of one aspect and depend upon each other, as above. And therefore Birchas Kohanim concludes with peace, as it is written: “and grant you peace” (Numbers 6:26) — for through the hoda’ah mentioned above, which is the aspect of Birchas HaTorah, one merits peace and unity, as above. And all of this we merited through Aharon the Kohen, as above. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said: “Be of the students of Aharon, loving peace and pursuing peace” (Avos 1:12) — that is, as above. And this is: “loving the creatures and bringing them close to the Torah” — for the essential drawing close to the Torah is through the aspect mentioned above, through todah/hoda’ah, which is Birchas HaTorah, through which one merits peace, which is the aspect of the holiness of Aharon the Kohen, as above. ◆ Translator’s Summary ◆ This collection of halachos applies the law of perikah u’te’inah (helping unload and load an animal) across multiple spiritual dimensions, drawing on several of Rabbainu’s Toros. Avaidah 3, §§15–16 (LM I:13): The tzadik can raise even the farthest souls through ibbur — “Go out and see the might of your Master.” But only “with him” — the person must make some effort himself. Physically: the burden of livelihood derives from distance from Torah/hashgachah shelaimah. ↓ Halacha 1 (LM I:59): Hatred blemishes da’as → burden falls. Love/helping rectifies da’as → burden is raised. Kavod (honor) = root of souls = the Samech that supports all who fall. But an elder whose honor would be damaged is exempt/forbidden. ↓ Halacha 2 (LM II:7): True compassion = helping a Jew shed the burden of sin. Finding merit in a sinner (LM I:282) judges him favorably → lifts the spiritual burden → lifts the physical burden. Livelihood flows from the “sea of wisdom” when da’as illuminates. ↓ Halacha 4 (LM II:2): Shabbos = simple unity; weekdays = diverse activities. Drawing Shabbos holiness into the week reveals that all multiplicity flows from the One. Strife/suffering = disconnect from this unity. Helping the “enemy” unload = abandoning hatred = restoring unity = rest for all. A convert’s inclusion reveals achdus ha’pashut from the most remote “changed activities.” Recurring themes: (1) Hatred/sin = heaviness/falling; love/merit-finding = lightness/raising. (2) Da’as and kavod are intimately linked — both are needed to bear and lift burdens. (3) The Torah commands engagement with even the fallen, but with wisdom about who can be reached. (4) Physical burdens and spiritual burdens are inseparable — rectifying one rectifies the other. Note: The subdivision Hefker v’Nichsay HaGer continues from §30 (Apotropos) through §42, elaborating on: the signs and wonders in Egypt revealing that all pe’ulos mishtanos derive from Him alone; the personal application — todah and hoda’ah even in the midst of distress; the rooster pecking in the refuse-heap (even tiny mitzvos are cherished); the cycle of struggle and redemption in every generation; Rosh Hashanah and Alainu as the ultimate revelation of achdus ha’pashut; the Shabbos Zohar passage; the laws of inheritance and their connection to all the above. These sections await translation in a continuation. Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman

And therefore Amalaik, who blemishes all of this — His Name, may He be blessed, and His throne are not complete until the memory of Amalaik is blotted out. For the essential repair of the throne in fullness is through the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut, etc., which is drawn through the abundance of generations, in the aspect of “Your throne, from generation to generation.” And Amalaik, who blemishes all of this — therefore the war of Hashem against Amalaik is “from generation to generation,” precisely. And this is: “For a hand is upon the throne of Hashem — Hashem’s war against Amalaik, from generation to generation” — that His throne, as it were, is not complete until He wins His war against Amalaik in every generation. And then it will be fulfilled: “And Hashem shall sit forever, having established His throne for judgment” (Psalms 9:8) — that the Name will be complete and the throne will be complete, as Rashi explains. For the throne will be completed through the upright ones of every generation, in the aspect of “Your throne, from generation to generation,” as above. §28 And the wise person who desires truth can understand in his heart, according to our words, the immensity of the war in every generation — and in particular, what is done with him in that generation in which he lives. For the essential war with each and every individual in particular is the overpowering of the flooding of the bloods, from which come all the troubles in body, soul, and money. For the essential troubles are the overpowering of the desires and evil traits that embitter a person’s life and bring him to what they bring him, G–d forbid — and from there come all the sufferings in body, money, and children, etc., G–d forbid. And at the time of the intensification of the troubles, one does not know at all what to do, and the bloods flood upon the heart — like one who seeks counsel and strategy to emerge from the trouble, as is explained at the beginning of the Torah mentioned above. And afterward, Hashem, may He be blessed, in His mercy brings him out of the trouble — for Hashem, may He be blessed, performs revealed and hidden miracles and wonders with every person, every single day, as above. And as it is written: “The wicked watches the righteous,” etc. (Psalms 37:32). And as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Every day,” etc. — “and were the Holy One, blessed be He, not helping him,” etc. — for “Hashem will not abandon him in his hand” (Psalms 37:33). And as it is written: “He rescues the poor from one who is stronger than him,” etc. (Psalms 35:10). And all the salvations and miracles are all through the power of the tzaddikay emes, who instill in us the ability to cry out and to raise our eyes at every moment to Hashem, may He be blessed — which is the essential glory of Him, may He be blessed, as it is written: “Call upon Me on the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me” (Psalms 50:15). But even though Hashem, may He be blessed, does many kindnesses and miracles and wonders with us every day and at every time, in every generation, and with each individual in particular — even so, the Sitra Achra, the aspect of Amalaik, constantly undermines, slandering and accusing and inciting and provoking each and every person. For he is the Satan, he is the inciter, he is the accuser, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “He descends and incites,” etc. And as is brought in the holy Zohar regarding the war of Amalaik: “The battle is above and below” — that is, as above; and understand. And therefore one must walk very, very much with the counsel mentioned above — to look at every moment at the immensity of the expanses and salvations and wonders that He has already done with us, etc., as above, and to find expanses even within the troubles themselves, as above. And through this, one will be accustomed always to give praise and thanksgiving to Him, may He be blessed, for everything that “until here He has helped us” with His immense wonders. And as it is written: “I have awakened, and I am still with You” (Psalms 139:18) — and as Rashi explains: “I have come to the end of all the generations, and I am still with You” — that is, even now, in these latter days, which is the aspect of the end of all the generations, even now “I am still with You” — that there is still in each and every one of us the aspect of “yet a little, and there is no wicked one,” etc. (Psalms 37:10) — which is the aspect of “I will sing to my G–d while I yet live (‘b’odi’),” etc. — that one must walk in this very much, as he, of blessed memory, warned us. And the main thing is to give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, for this always, and especially in a time of trouble, G–d forbid — that precisely then one should strengthen himself to pay attention, to look at the wondrous true and eternal salvations that Hashem, may He be blessed, has already performed for him, etc. And through the aspect of todah/halachah, etc. — through this, one will merit that truth will illuminate, etc., until one draws the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — through which the trouble is nullified. And through this, the aspect of todah grows, etc., as above — and so it cycles around for the good, etc., as above. And if the opposition, the aspect of Amalaik, returns and intensifies — the choice is in his hand to return and strengthen himself through all the above. And as soon as he sets his heart to this, Hashem, may He be blessed, will help him in this greatly — for “the kindnesses of Hashem have not ceased,” etc. (Lamentations 3:22). And so each time, until he merits, through His mercy, may He be blessed, and through the power of the tzaddikay emes, to win the war — and then he will merit todah in fullness, which is the essential delight of the World to Come. Fortunate is he! And there will be fulfilled in him: “Fortunate is the person whose strength is in You” (Psalms 84:6), etc. For one needs boldness and immense strengthening and great stubbornness beyond measure — whoever desires to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed. And the essential strengthening is through all the above; and understand well, very well. §29 And regarding yibum and chalitzah that we mentioned above, we did not explain it well, for this is not the place for it. And this is: “And she shall remove his shoe from upon his foot” (Deuteronomy 25:9) — for there the soul of the deceased is bound, as is brought. For the essential blemish is in the legs (raglayim) — where the bloods need to flow in their proper order when one merits holadah. And this one who did not merit to leave seed blemished in this — and therefore: “She shall remove his shoe from upon his foot” — “his foot” precisely. And therefore the halachos are called “the goings (halichos) of the world” (Habakkuk 3:6) — for the essential fullness of the halachah is that one should merit through it to walk (lailaich) in it, to draw close through it to Hashem, may He be blessed, to His service — the aspect of “the goings of the world” — that one should merit to remain standing in holiness forever and ever. For the world in general is called the aspect of “legs” relative to Him, may He be blessed, as it is written: “And the earth is My footstool” (Isaiah 66:1). And the woman and the money, where the essential overpowering of the pe’ulos mishtanos takes place, are called “his legs,” as is explained elsewhere. And this is: “The heavens are My throne and the earth is My footstool; what house will you build for Me?” etc. (Isaiah 66:1). For the essential repair of His throne in the heavens is precisely through “the earth, My footstool” — through the legs, which are the very lowest levels, where the essential abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos resides — when they are included in His unity, may He be blessed, in the aspect of: “Hashem in the heavens has established His throne, and His sovereignty rules over all” (Psalms 103:19). For precisely when they know that His sovereignty rules over all, and all the pe’ulos mishtanos are from Him, may He be blessed — then precisely “in the heavens He has established His throne,” as above. And this is the aspect of the Mishkan and the Bais HaMikdash, the aspect of: “Exalt Hashem our G–d and prostrate yourselves at His footstool,” etc. (Psalms 99:5). And this is the aspect of what is brought in the writings [of the Ari z”l] — that the essential completion of the repair will be when it is fulfilled: “And His feet shall stand on that day,” etc. (Zechariah 14:4), in the aspect of “until the feet reach the feet” — that is, as above. And therefore the essential repair is through all the above, which is the aspect of todah/halachah, the aspect of “the goings of the world,” the aspect of the repair of the legs, as above. Apotropos [Laws of Guardianship] §30 And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said in the Mishnah: “A guardian (apotropos) whom the father of orphans appointed does not swear; one whom the beis din appointed does swear” (Gittin 52a). For it has already been explained — the matter of inheritance that belongs to children: the begetting of children is drawn through the money of holiness of the tom’chay Oraysa, from which comes all the money in the world, as above. For the essential obligation to leave children is only for this purpose — so that the children who were born through the halachos that were born through the tom’chay Oraysa, from which come all the births in the world, as above, should draw all the repairs that are drawn through the halachos, which are the aspect of todah/hoda’ah — which is to illuminate truth in the world and to complete the speech, until they merit to reveal the achdus ha’pashut from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos — which are the children of the seed of Israel who have multiplied in the world. For the more the seed of Israel multiplies, among whom there is great divergence of opinions, as above — and when they are all included in one da’as and unify His Name, may He be blessed — through this, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed even more from within very many diverse activities, which is the essential preciousness of the holiness of the enlargement of His glory, may He be blessed, as above. And this is the aspect of what the children say Kaddish after the death of their father and mother. For this person who has departed — his entire purpose is to merit a portion of the World to Come. And the essential delight of the World to Come is todah/hoda’ah, as above, through which the holiness of the holy Shabbos is drawn, which is the aspect of the World to Come, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed, etc. — for the sake of all of which man comes to this world. And therefore, after his death, when he needs to come to this — to the aspect of the delight of the World to Come, which is to give thanks and praise to His Name, may He be blessed, as above — therefore the children say Kaddish after him, which is not a prayer for the deceased but rather a wondrous and awesome praise and thanksgiving to Hashem, may He be blessed, as is brought. For Kaddish includes all kinds of praises and blessings and thanksgivings, etc. — for it is an exceedingly wondrous and awesome praise that “shatters all bars of iron,” as is brought in the holy Zohar. And as we say: “May He be blessed and praised and glorified and exalted,” etc. — “Blessed is He, above all blessings and songs and praises,” etc. And therefore we say Kaddish after all the blessings and thanksgivings, and similarly after all the halachos that are studied — for it is the pillar between world and world, as is brought. For Kaddish includes all the thanksgivings and songs and praises and elevates them all to their supernal root, higher and higher, unto the Infinite. And therefore this departed one, whose entire repair is that the parts of good within him should be gathered — according to what he merited to do good in the world, the entire purpose of which is hoda’ah, which is the delight of the World to Come, and he now needs to come to this, that he should have some portion in the delight of the World to Come, which is hoda’ah, as above — therefore his children say Kaddish after him, which is the totality of all the thanksgivings and songs and praises, etc., and elevates them all, as above. And therefore, through this precisely, the children give their father merit for the World to Come — for praise and thanksgiving, this is the entire delight of the World to Come, as above. And therefore the essential thing is that the children specifically should say Kaddish — for his essential repair is through his children specifically, whom he merited to beget in the world and to multiply the seed of Israel, all of whom engage all their days in thanksgivings and blessings. For every single Jew says every day many blessings and thanksgivings, as our Sages of blessed memory established for us — to say blessings and thanksgivings over every matter in the world, and especially in the morning and evening at the time of prayer — for hoda’ah is the entire delight of the World to Come, as above. And through this, all the repairs mentioned above are accomplished, until one merits to reveal the achdus ha’pashut from the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos — which is accomplished through the abundance of children that he merited to beget, through todah/halachah, as above. Therefore the children specifically say Kaddish, which is the totality of all the thanksgivings — in order to elevate all the blessings and thanksgivings that this departed one merited to engage in during his lifetime. For the essential repair is through the children who were born through this — for through them specifically, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed even more from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos, which is the essential completion of the fullness of the repair, as above. And therefore each person must, during his lifetime, before he departs from the world, command his children and arrange the order of the division of his possessions and money to his children. For the essential root of money and its repair is according to what he merited to support true talmidai chachamim, through whom halachos are born, from which come all the births of children, as above. And every single Jew has a portion in this according to his level. And therefore he must arrange, according to his level, the order of the division of his money to his children after him — that each one should receive his portion properly, according to the root of his portion above in the tom’chay Oraysa who birth halachos, from which come all his births — through which comes the entire repair of the departed one. For todah/halachah and tom’chay Oraysa and the births of children are all one aspect, as is explained in the Torah mentioned above — and everything depends upon each other. And this is the entire purpose and repair of the departed one for the World to Come, as above — for through all of this, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed, etc., as above. And therefore he must appoint a guardian (apotropos) himself during his lifetime. For the guardian appointed over the orphans, who is in the aspect of “father of orphans,” must be appointed by the mouth of the father of the children himself — in order that he arrange his inheritance according to the mind of the father himself, according to what he drew upon himself the aspect of todah/hoda’ah/halachah, according to what he merited with his money to be among the tom’chay Oraysa — which is the entire repair of the money, from which come the births of children, etc., as above. §31 And therefore a guardian whom the father of orphans appointed does not swear — for he is not suspected of falsehood, for truth surely illuminates in him, as is explained there in the Torah mentioned above — that through todah/halachah, truth illuminates, etc. And therefore, since the owner of the inheritance himself appointed him as guardian, truth surely illuminates in him in this matter. For since the departed one, the owner of the inheritance himself, appointed him as guardian according to his own mind, according to his level, according to what he merited to clarify his money so as to have a portion among the tom’chay Oraysa — which is the essential repair of the inheritance and the money from which come all the children, as above — therefore, surely, according to his level, truth illuminates, etc. For through the aspect of todah/halachah, the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, the aspect of the births of children — through all of this, truth illuminates, in the aspect of “Grant truth to Yaakov, kindness to Avraham,” etc. (Micah 7:20). And therefore this guardian is not suspected of falsehood and is trusted without an oath at all, since the father of the children himself appointed him according to his level, according to his portion in the delight of the World to Come, which is the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, etc., as above. But if he did not merit to appoint a guardian himself, to transmit by himself to the guardian the order of his inheritance according to his level, etc., as above — then the beis din must be the “father of orphans” and appoint the guardian. For only the beis din has the power for this, for the beis din illuminates truth — for before them are all the halachos of all the laws and judgments of the Torah, through which truth illuminates, as above. For this is the essence of the beis din — that they should know all the halachos and judge with true and righteous judgments. And therefore the beis din must be three, the aspect of the three lines of truth mentioned above. But the beis din cannot clarify the truth of each individual except through the oath — as it is written: “The owner of the house shall approach the judges for an oath” (Exodus 22:7). For as soon as they come to court, this is because there is a denial between them, and all denials are drawn from the flooding of the bloods mentioned above, from the aspect of “men of blood hate the innocent” (Proverbs 29:10), as is brought there in the Torah mentioned above; see there. For all of this is the aspect of the blemish of todah/halachah, the blemish of the money of holiness, which is in the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa who birth halachos — for he denies his fellow, which is the opposite of all of this. Therefore the beis din cannot clarify except through the oath. For an oath is the aspect of binding, as is brought — the aspect of the illumination of the three lines of truth within the fourfold speech, which is the aspect of the seven days of creation, as is brought elsewhere. This is the aspect of shevuah [oath], from the word sheva [seven] — the aspect of the binding of the weekdays to the seventh day, which is Shabbos, which is “an eternal covenant between Me and the children of Israel,” etc. (Exodus 31:17). For Shabbos is “the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He,” the aspect of “the Torah is the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He” — and this is the aspect of the oath, which is in the Name and with holding an object, which is the Torah. For when there is a denial, which is the blemish of truth, the beis din cannot illuminate truth except through the oath, which includes all the repairs of truth — which is the illumination of the three lines of truth within the fourfold speech, etc. And therefore, since the departed one did not merit to appoint a guardian himself and did not illuminate by himself the aspect of truth that he merited to clarify, according to his portion, in todah/halachah in the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, as above, until the beis din was compelled to involve themselves in appointing a guardian — therefore he requires an oath. For when truth is not clarified in fullness and the beis din needs to clarify it, they cannot clarify it except through the oath, etc., as above. §32 And this is the aspect of: “For I have known him, in order that he command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of Hashem, to do tzedakah and justice” (Genesis 18:19). For the essential bequest that a person must command his children and his household after him is that they should keep the way of Hashem, to do tzedakah and justice — tzedakah and justice precisely. That is, that they should give tzedakah to true talmidai chachamim who birth halachos, which are the judgments of the Torah. And this is the aspect of tzedakah and justice — that is, tzedakah to true talmidai chachamim, through whom the judicial halachos of the Torah are born and revealed — which is the essential repair of the money of this departed one who labored for it during his lifetime, whose entire repair is when the money comes to true talmidai chachamim from whom halachos are born, which are the aspect of todah/hoda’ah, the delight of the World to Come — and to this he must now enter, that he should have a portion in the delight of the World to Come, as above. §33 And this is: “Truth and the judgment of peace, judge in your gates” (Zechariah 8:16). For the judges must judge truth in order to merit through this peace — that all should be included in one da’as, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc., as above. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said: “Whoever judges a true judgment to its truth becomes a partner with the Holy One, blessed be He, in the act of creation” (Shabbos 10a) — as it is written: “And it was evening and it was morning, one day” (Genesis 1:5), etc. For it is written “one day” and not “the first day” — to teach that the Holy One, blessed be He, was alone in His world. That is, to teach that all the divergences in creation, which are the aspect of “and it was evening and it was morning” — which includes all the divergences in the world, for the divergence between day and night, between light and darkness, is the greatest of all divergences (and as we say in the blessing of Krias Shema: “and with understanding He changes the times”), and in this are included all the many divergences of each and every day, without end — and everything was created and continues to exist in order that the achdus ha’pashut should be revealed precisely from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos, as above. And this is: “And it was evening and it was morning” — which are the totality of all divergences — “one day” — in the aspect of Him being alone in His world. That is, to reveal His unity, may He be blessed — that the lone Primordial One created everything, and all the pe’ulos mishtanos are drawn from His unity, may He be blessed. And therefore the judge who judges a true judgment to its truth merits this — that he becomes a partner with the Holy One, blessed be He, in the act of creation, as it is written: “And it was evening,” etc. — “one day.” For through truth, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — which is the aspect of “and it was evening and it was morning — one day,” as above. §34 The sum of the matter is that a person must accustom himself to give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, always, in all that passes over him, as it is written: “In Hashem I praise a word; in G–d I praise a word” (Psalms 56:11) — both in His goodness and in His severity, G–d forbid, as our Sages of blessed memory said. And this is a good and wondrous counsel — that even when a person has become as distant from Hashem, may He be blessed, as he has become, and also in the affairs of this world he is greatly pressed in livelihood and children, etc. (as is common among the majority of the world, as explained elsewhere) — he must precisely then seek and find an expansion within the straits of the trouble, and also remind himself of all the good things and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, has already done with him. And the main thing: that He did not make me a gentile and separated us from those who go astray, etc. And to remind himself that nothing will remain of him or of any person at all except what he seized in this world of some good from the holiness of Israel — and only this is his portion from all his toil. And therefore each person, even the worst of the worst, must rejoice in this greatly, and his mouth should be filled with His praise, etc. all day long — to give thanks and praise and laud, etc. the Fashioner of creation, Who did not make us, etc. — Who did not set our portion like theirs, etc. And once he is accustomed to this, he will certainly seize, every day, to learn some halachos of the Torah, which are His knowledge, may He be blessed — through which one comes to know Him, may He be blessed, and is included in Him, may He be blessed. And through this itself, one will emerge from all the troubles, as above. And through this, the achdus ha’pashut will be revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc. — and through this comes the essential nullification of the trouble, etc. — and so it cycles around for the good, until in the end of all ends, he will certainly merit his good ultimate purpose, which is the delight of the World to Come — which is to give thanks and praise to Him, may He be blessed, forever and to all eternity. And the essential thing for all of this is love of friends and peace — that one should have great love and peace with all Israel, and especially with those who walk in this path. And he should be among the tom’chay Oraysa, both with his money and with his body — that he should support with all his strength the talmidai chachamim who engage in this path, who birth halachos. And through this, he will merit to beget worthy children who engage in Torah, etc., etc. — as was explained above: todah/halachah and tom’chay Oraysa and the births of children are all one aspect and depend upon each other. And one must begin from every single good point among them, until he merits what he merits. Fortunate is he! §35 And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said: “What is meant by the verse: ‘Who is the wise man who will understand this, and to whom the mouth of Hashem has spoken that he may declare it — on what account has the land been destroyed, parched like a desert, with none passing through?’ (Jeremiah 9:11). ‘And Hashem said: Because they forsook My Torah,’ etc. — ‘and did not heed My voice and did not walk in it’” (Jeremiah 9:12). And they explained there: “that they did not bless over the Torah first” (Nedarim 81a). And the matter is astonishing, as all the commentators were astonished by it. And especially that which they said there: “This matter was asked of the Sages and the Prophets and they could not explain it, until the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself explained it” — and it is wondrous. What is this great commotion — who does not know all this, that the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash was because they transgressed the Torah? Is not the entire Torah full of this? For Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, himself already warned them: “If you walk in My statutes,” etc. — “and if you do not listen,” etc. (Leviticus 26). And similarly, in innumerable other places, he told them that if they transgress the Torah they would be lost from the land, etc. And similarly, all the Prophets warned them about this. And what is this — that now they asked everyone “on what account was the land destroyed,” and they could not explain it, until Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself explained it: “Because they forsook My Torah,” etc.? But the essential matter is that Hashem, may He be blessed, asked the Sages and the Prophets to understand this well and to declare on what account the land was destroyed — in a manner that good would come to us from it, that we would understand through this good counsel for how to begin to repair the corruptions that caused the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash. And this is the essential severity and depth of the question that Hashem, may He be blessed, asked the Sages and the Prophets, and they could not explain it. For what was, was — and what difference does it make if it was destroyed on account of whatever it was destroyed on account of? It is already destroyed! But the essential thrust of what Hashem, may He be blessed, sought to ask the Sages and the Prophets — that they should understand this and declare on what account the land was destroyed — is that they should explain the matter well, in a manner that we would understand from it counsel for how to emerge from the corruptions that caused the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash. And therefore they could not explain it, for this is very, very deep — “deep, deep — who can find it?” (Ecclesiastes 7:24). Until the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself explained it: “Because they forsook My Torah, and did not heed My voice, and did not walk in it.” That is, even though they had already transgressed very severe transgressions — idolatry, etc. — even so, in the inner depths of their hearts, their hearts were still burning for Hashem, may He be blessed. For “many waters cannot extinguish the love” (Song of Songs 8:7) between Israel and their Father in Heaven, “and rivers cannot wash it away.” And therefore they should have strengthened themselves, at least to seize some halachos, to learn at least a little every day. But “they forsook My Torah entirely.” And not only that, but “they did not heed My voice” — “hearing depends upon the heart” — that is, they were at least obligated to hear and to attach themselves to the voice of Hashem that calls with a great voice in a person’s heart every single day and at every time, that he should return to Him. And every person must incline his heart to hear the voice of Hashem — that at least he should have strong desires and great yearnings for Hashem, may He be blessed, which is very precious, as is explained elsewhere. And the main thing: “And they did not walk in it — that they did not bless over the Torah first.” For certainly they did not fall in one stroke to such falls, to transgress the law entirely and throw off the yoke as it was at the time of the destruction. And certainly at first they engaged in Torah somewhat — only “they did not bless over the Torah first.” That is, they did not set their hearts to rejoice in the Torah, and to bless and give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, at every time, for the wondrous and awesome kindness that He did with us, in that He chose us from all the nations and gave us His Torah, the hidden treasure, which is our life, etc. — and this is our entire hope forever. And as is explained in the commentators, this is the essential meaning of the blessing over the Torah — to rejoice with all one’s strength in the pleasantness of our portion and our lot. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said that the blessing over the Torah requires great care — that is, the entire matter mentioned above that we have explained: that each person, even if he has fallen and become as distant as he has, even so, he precisely must be accustomed to todah and hoda’ah, to give thanks for the small amount of good points that still remain in him, etc. And through this, he will merit to emerge from all the troubles and to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, etc., as above. And this is: “And they did not walk in it” — for this is a wondrous path and way to draw close and to raise oneself to Hashem, may He be blessed, from all kinds of falls and descents in the world, without end or limit. And had they walked in this path, certainly they would not have fallen so far and they would not have had such troubles. And now, our entire hope to return to our land and to our Bais HaMikdash is through this — for this matter depends upon nothing but teshuvah. But it is very difficult to return, for the adversary lies in wait very, very greatly and spreads himself in length and breadth. And everyone desires to fear Your Name, and even so, most are very far from the paths of teshuvah. And the main reason is because they do not set their hearts to rejoice in the small amount of good that is in them — for sadness and melancholy harm more than anything, and as it is written: “Because you did not serve Hashem your G–d with joy and with gladness of heart” (Deuteronomy 28:47) — that the essential destruction and all the troubles, may the Merciful One save us, are all because they did not serve Him, may He be blessed, with joy — as is brought in the writings of the Ari z”l. That is, as above; and understand well. And therefore Hashem, may He be blessed, was compelled to explain it Himself — in order to hint to us now, in every generation, hints of counsel for how to draw close now to Hashem, may He be blessed, from wherever one is, to repair the corruptions through which the destruction occurred — until we merit a complete redemption soon. And therefore all the above is called “walking” — for it is the repair of the legs, as above, the aspect of “the goings of the world” — through which comes the approach of the redemption, in the aspect of “and His feet shall stand,” etc., as above. For it is a wondrous path and way for every person in the world, etc., as above. §36 And this is the aspect of the work of the Mishkan, which they were commanded after the sin of the eigel [golden calf] — which occurred through the abundance of gold. Through this, the eirev rav [mixed multitude] incited and lured them to separate the pe’ulos mishtanos, G–d forbid, from the achdus ha’pashut — which is the essential sin of idolatry. And the repair was through the Mishkan, which is the aspect of the Bais HaMikdash, the aspect of “throne of glory, exalted from the beginning,” the aspect of “the place of Your dwelling,” etc. — mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the shekalim — “When you raise the head of the children of Israel,” etc. (Exodus 30:12) — that they should all be included together through the counting, and the counting should not cause, G–d forbid, the aspect of separation, which is the sitra d’mosa [the side of death], in the aspect of “and there shall not be a plague among them.” And this is through their giving a ransom for their souls — the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, etc. For the eirev rav blemished the money — for through the abundance of money they contended against Moshe. And not only did they not want to be among the tom’chay Oraysa, they even reversed to the opposite extreme — assembling upon Aharon to make them an idol from the money. For just as when one merits that money should be in holiness — the essence of which is through giving one’s money to talmidai chachamim, to be among the tom’chay Oraysa, through which halachos are born, etc. — through which the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos is drawn, as above — so too, in reverse, when one blemishes the money and chases after money only for one’s own desires, and even contends against the true talmidai chachamim who engage in birthing halachos — then one separates the pe’ulos mishtanos and causes heresies in the world. This is the aspect of the blemish of the eirev rav, which came through the abundance of money, as it is written: “and enough gold” (Deuteronomy 1:1, per Chazal) — through which they made idolatry and denied Hashem and separated in their minds the pe’ulos mishtanos from the achdus ha’pashut. This was the nature of all the matters of idolatry in the earlier generations — because it is impossible to comprehend in the mind how all the pe’ulos mishtanos are drawn from the achdus ha’pashut, through this they came to heresies until they made idolatry, and they had many false wisdoms in this, as our Sages of blessed memory said. And similarly, the heresies that are found now, in our many sins, through the investigators [philosophers] and those who contend against the true tzaddikim, who engage in external wisdoms — all of this is drawn from this, from the aspect of the sin of the eigel, from which we have not yet been purified, and all the visitations come through this, as it is written: “And on the day that I visit,” etc. (Exodus 32:34). May Hashem, may He be blessed, protect and save us from now on. And therefore the repair for this is the shekalim that they gave as donation for the Mishkan, from which the adanim [sockets] were made, upon which the entire Mishkan was erected. For there, in the Mishkan, all the halachos of the Torah were born and revealed, as Rashi explains — that from the day the Mishkan was erected, Hashem did not speak to Moshe about any of the halachos of the Torah except in the Ohel Mo’ed. And therefore the shekalim, from which the adanim were made upon which the Mishkan stood, are in the aspect of the tom’chay Oraysa — for through the halachos born from there, and likewise the blessings and thanksgivings that took place in the Mishkan, through all of this all the repairs mentioned above were accomplished, until the achdus ha’pashut was revealed from there, as it is written: “And I will meet with you there,” etc. (Exodus 25:22) — in the aspect of: “And the Mishkan shall be one” (Exodus 26:6). And therefore they were commanded to count them through the shekalim. For Moshe found this very difficult, as our Sages of blessed memory said, and as is brought in the piyyut of Parashas Shekalim — for how could he count Israel, who are above counting, for the entire holiness of Israel is to be included in the ultimate achdus ha’pashut, for they are all as one man, as above, and as it is written: “that cannot be counted,” etc. But Hashem, may He be blessed, commanded them to count them precisely through the shekalim — for through the shekalim, which are the aspect of the tom’chay Oraysa, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — which is very precious to Hashem, may He be blessed, when the achdus ha’pashut is revealed below in this world, precisely from within the pe’ulos mishtanos. And the more the pe’ulos mishtanos multiply, which is the abundance of divergent opinions — when they are included together in one da’as to believe in the achdus ha’pashut, it is more and more precious in His eyes, may He be blessed, as above. Therefore, through giving the shekalim, they must be counted precisely — for the counting is the aspect of multiplicity and divergence. They also needed to be counted by the number of names, mentioning each one by his name, which corresponds to the divergence of his intellect and his mind. And through the abundance of divergences, the plague can prevail, G–d forbid — which is the sitra d’mosa, whose hold comes from the world of separation, from the abundance of divergences. But through the shekalim, etc. — through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed precisely from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos, etc. — through this, precisely a great repair is made through the counting, which is the aspect of the revelation of the abundance of divergences. For precisely through this, His glory, may He be blessed, is enlarged and exalted — through the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut, may He be blessed, precisely through the abundance of divergences, as above — through all of them acknowledging one da’as and giving shekalim to the donation of the Mishkan, where His divinity is revealed, etc., as above. §37 And therefore they were commanded to give specifically a half-shekel — to teach that each individual Jew has no completeness except through his fellow. For the essential repair is that they should all be included one within the other in love and unity — and each one is the aspect of a half, until he is included in his fellow, and his fellow in his fellow, until they are all included, in the abundance of their divergent minds, in the achdus ha’pashut — which is very precious to Hashem, may He be blessed, as above. And this is: “The wealthy shall not give more and the poor shall not give less” (Exodus 30:15) — which is the aspect of what is written: “A person’s ransom is his wealth, and a pauper does not hear rebuke” (Proverbs 13:8), in the aspect of: “and the noble is not distinguished before the poor” (Job 34:19), as Rashi explains there — that this was said regarding the shekalim, that each one gave equally a half-shekel, the wealthy and the poor, etc. That is, as above — for the essential purpose of the shekalim is to merit inclusiveness and unity. Therefore they all had to give equally, so that there would be no division and separation between the wealthy and the poor — and the wealthy should not grow proud or rebuke the poor. To teach that this is the essential repair of tzedakah, whose essence is to be among the tom’chay Oraysa — for the essential thing is to merit love and unity, and the wealthy should not be proud over the poor. For the essential thing is to be included in the achdus ha’pashut, which is impossible to be included in except through humility and self-nullification, the aspect of love and unity — that each one should nullify himself before his fellow. And this He hinted to them through the shekalim — that He commanded they all give equally, the wealthy shall not give more and the poor shall not give less, in the aspect of “and the noble is not distinguished before the poor” mentioned above, in the aspect of “and a pauper does not hear rebuke.” To teach that they are all equal before Him, may He be blessed, and they all have a portion in the erection of the Mishkan — through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos that are included together, as above. And therefore, in truth, regarding the other donations of the Mishkan, each one gave according to the blessing of Hashem and according to the generosity of his heart, as Rashi explains there: “Three donations are mentioned here.” But regarding the shekalim, He warned them that they all give equally — so that the wealthy would learn and understand hints for themselves, that they should never be proud of their giving, even when they give much. For it is fitting for them to understand that Hashem, may He be blessed, could erect the Mishkan through the poor just as through the wealthy — for “wealth and honor come from before Him,” and He can impoverish this one and enrich that one. And certainly, whoever has a little true understanding, it is fitting for him to understand that he should not be proud — even the wealthy one who gives much tzedakah to true talmidai chachamim. On the contrary, it is fitting for him to be ashamed and greatly self-nullified — who is he that he has merited this, that Hashem, may He be blessed, has given him such wealth that he merits to support the talmidai chachamim? And moreover, he still has much wealth and riches remaining in his house, for certainly he does not even give half of his wealth. And the poor and destitute person, who is a worthy person just like him and usually more so than him, has no bread or garment in his house, and also does not merit to support the talmidai chachamim with his money. And how can one be proud of the wealth that Hashem, may He be blessed, has given him, that much remains with him and he also supports the talmidai chachamim, that he merits to have an everlasting investment? And all of this, Hashem, may He be blessed, hinted to them through the shekalim that He commanded they all give equally — to teach that, just as the adanim that uphold the Mishkan were made through the donation of the shekalim that all gave equally, so too Hashem, may He be blessed, could have made the entire Mishkan through all of them equally. But He desires to bestow merit upon each one according to his worth, according to His designs that have been reckoned for him. But you, the wealthy — do not be proud, for everything is from Him, as David said: “For everything is from You, and from Your hand we have given to You” (I Chronicles 29:14). For the essential tzedakah is to support the talmidai chachamim who birth halachos — which is the aspect of the erection of the Mishkan that the tzaddikim, in the aspect of Moshe in every generation, engage in — for the essential thing is love and inclusiveness, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc., as above. §38 And this is the aspect of Purim, which is the obliteration of Haman-Amalaik. For Amalaik blemishes everything mentioned above, as was explained above (in §27). For “Amalaik is the first of the nations” (Numbers 24:20) — he is the aspect of a heretic and he wants to confuse and cast blemish upon the “beginning” and the “start” — as if Hashem, may He be blessed, has not yet begun to save at all. For he was the first to come to wage war against Israel when they went out of Egypt, and he strengthened himself in his wickedness to stand against Israel, for whom Hashem, may He be blessed, had performed such miracles in the Exodus from Egypt, until Pharaoh was compelled to acknowledge “that Hashem is the righteous One” and expelled them from Egypt. And Amalaik is such a brazen one that he went out against them, and as Rashi explains there on the verse “Write this as a memorial in the book” (Exodus 17:14) — a parable of a boiling bath, etc. For he is a heretic from beginning to end, denying the miracles and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, does with us at all times, and blemishing all the repairs explained above — and the main thing is that he provokes and strengthens himself so that the achdus ha’pashut should not, G–d forbid, be revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above. And he lies in wait against all Israel constantly, and principally he strengthens himself, G–d forbid, in time of exile and trouble — for then he wants to cast heresies into the heart, as if Hashem, may He be blessed, has not yet begun to save Israel at all. And this is the aspect of the strengthening of Haman-Amalaik at the end of the exile of Babylon — for he said: since Nevuchadnetzar has already prevailed and destroyed the Bais HaMikdash which stood for several hundred years and exiled Israel from their land, etc. — they no longer have hope to return, G–d forbid. And therefore he and his impure offspring strengthened themselves to halt the rebuilding of the Bais HaMikdash — for he said that hope was lost for Israel, G–d forbid. And this is what is written: “There is one nation” (Esther 3:8), and our Sages of blessed memory expounded: “Their G–d is asleep” [yashein = yeshno] — meaning, that He would no longer save Israel, G–d forbid, as if He were asleep. And this is: “scattered and separated among the nations, and their laws are different from every nation” (Esther 3:8) — he said that they are scattered and separated among the nations, in the aspect of the abundance of divergent opinions and dispute, the aspect of scattering and separation among the nations, having fallen to the minds of the seventy nations. All of this is the opposite of the inclusiveness of the pe’ulos mishtanos in the achdus ha’pashut, as above. And this is: “and their laws are different,” etc. — he said that the law of Israel is in the aspect of the strengthening of divergences and scattering and separation, G–d forbid. For he denied the holy law of Israel — that the entire law of our holy Torah is that through the law of our holy Torah, one is included in the achdus ha’pashut, through every single mitzvah and through every letter and word of the holy Torah. For “the Torah, Israel, and the Holy One, blessed be He, are all one.” And Haman wanted to turn the dish upside-down, G–d forbid, and said that everything is in reverse. And therefore he wanted to prevail over Israel — to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate, etc. — for he is the aspect of the overpowering of the bloods in the time of trouble. For he is from the seed of Eisav, “the reddish one” (Genesis 25:25) — on account of the overpowering of the evil bloods, from which comes the sitra d’mosa, which is drawn from the sin of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Where is Haman [hinted] from the Torah? As it is said: ‘Is it from the tree?’” (Chullin 139b; Genesis 3:11) — for then death was decreed, and therefore he wanted to annihilate Israel, G–d forbid. And so it is in every generation and in every person, as it is written: “Hashem’s war against Amalaik from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:16) — for he prevails upon every person at all times with all kinds of stratagems to make him fall, G–d forbid. For he is the tempter, he is the accuser, etc. — for first he entices the person to whatever he entices him, and afterwards he prosecutes him, until some trouble or suffering comes upon him, G–d forbid. And it is he himself who weakens and confuses the person’s heart so that he does not cry out and supplicate before Hashem, may He be blessed — for he puts into his heart as if hope is lost, G–d forbid, and he wants to make him forget all the good things and kindnesses and miracles and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, has done with our fathers and with each and every individual in particular. And the repair for all of this is the aspect of Mordechai, who is the aspect of the true tzaddik, the aspect of mor d’ror [pure myrrh] — maray dachya — which is the chief spice of the anointing oil, with which the entire Mishkan and its vessels were anointed, and Aharon the Kohen and his sons. For all of their service in the Mishkan and the Bais HaMikdash was entirely to include all the pe’ulos mishtanos in the achdus ha’pashut, as above — for there was the essential revelation of divinity, as it is written: “And I will meet there with the children of Israel,” etc. (Exodus 29:43), as above. And the essential holiness of the Mishkan and its vessels was drawn through the anointing oil, which is a good fragrance of holiness, drawn from an exceedingly, exceedingly exalted holiness that has the power to sanctify the entire Mishkan and its vessels, etc. — to elevate and bring them from profane to holy. For the essence of holiness is being included in the achdus ha’pashut, where lies the root of all holinesses. Thus, the anointing oil that Moshe made had such wondrous power to elevate the entire Mishkan and its vessels — which were made of gold and silver and copper and blue-purple and red-purple, etc., etc. — in which there was an abundance of divergences and many hues in the silver and gold, etc., which are the totality of all worldly desires, especially the desire for money, which is the aspect of the overpowering of the bloods, etc. mentioned above. And the Mishkan, which was made from all of this, was the repair for all of this, as above. And all its holiness was drawn through the anointing oil, through which the Mishkan and its vessels were sanctified, and it elevated everything — all the many hues and divergences — so that they would be included in the achdus ha’pashut, where lie all the holinesses. Through this, the Mishkan had the power to atone for the children of Israel, to purify them from all the impurities, all of which are the aspect of the heresies drawn from the aspect of separation mentioned above, which separates, G–d forbid, the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc., as above. For the essential repair is through the aspect of good fragrance, which is the life of the soul, which is the aspect of the anointing oil made with such exalted preparations that it has the power to draw a good fragrance to all who are distant from holiness — who cannot be revived except through the aspect of good fragrance, in the aspect of what is said regarding the souls of Israel who are cast down in the exile of their desires and traits, G–d forbid: “Support me with cakes of raisins, spread my bed with apples, for I am lovesick” (Song of Songs 2:5), as Rashi explains there — that these are kinds of fragrances. For in our many sins, in the extremity of our weakness now, in the intensity of the bitterness of exile, our strength has already been so weakened that we do not feel the pleasantness and sweetness of the honeycomb — the words of sweetness of the true tzaddikim who revive us with such pure utterances, in the aspect of: “All food is abhorred by their soul,” etc. (Psalms 107:18). And our life-force comes only from what we smell from afar — a little of the good, holy, and awesome fragrance of the holy Torah-novelties of the true tzaddikim. And this is the aspect of the fragrance of the anointing oil, through which everything is sanctified and enters from outside to inside — from which comes the holiness of Mordechai, as above, who subdues the kelipah of Haman-Amalaik who wants to cast blemish upon the beginning of the salvation, as if Hashem, may He be blessed, has not yet begun to save at all. And Mordechai knows all of this and in his wisdom instills the holy emunah in Israel, and illuminates the heart of man, and reminds him at all times of all the good things and miracles and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, has already done with us, in general and in particular, etc. And as it is written: “Bless Hashem, O my soul, and do not forget all His bounties,” etc. (Psalms 103:2). And through this, one has the power to cry out and supplicate before Hashem, may He be blessed, that He should save us even now, as above. Through this came the intensity of the miracle of Purim — that Haman-Amalaik was subdued and fell. And in His mercy, may He be blessed, He frustrated his counsel and spoiled his thought, and everything was turned to good, from one extreme to the other, as it is written: “And it was reversed — that the Jews dominated,” etc. (Esther 9:1). And they established these days of Purim as joy and feasting and a festival for all generations — to make known that even in our servitude, our G–d has not forsaken us. This is the intensity of the miracle and the wondrous salvation of Purim, which is greater than all the festivals, as our Sages of blessed memory said — for the essential miracle is what we saw, that even in our servitude, in the intensity of exile, Hashem, may He be blessed, watches over us so much, with wondrous providence, and arranged events for good from beginning to end. That precisely through Haman, the wicked Vashti was killed, and afterwards, through this very thing, the intensity of the miracle came about, that Haman was hanged through Esther — with such wondrous providences, as is explained in the holy Megillah. And one must set his heart well to this, to understand from this that, just so, even now, He has not withdrawn His kindness from us. And one must strengthen himself in joy always, to draw the holiness of the joy of Purim — to believe that Hashem, may He be blessed, is with us even now, in the intensity of this exile — and to give todah and hoda’ah every day for the past, and to beseech for the future, etc., as above. §39 And this is the aspect of: “words of peace and truth” (Esther 9:30) — this is the aspect of the three lines of truth that illuminate within the speech, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, which is the aspect of peace, as above. And this is: “seeking good for his nation” (Esther 10:3) — the aspect of halachos, for he was seeking good for Israel and clarifying all the halachos of the Torah, as our Sages of blessed memory said — that he would open with matters and expound them. And: “speaking peace to all his seed” — the aspect of peace mentioned above, which is the aspect of the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut, etc. — which is the essential completion of the fullness of the repair, as above. And this is: “to all his seed” precisely — for the essential thing is that peace should be drawn, the aspect of the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, to all the seed of Israel who are born in every generation, in the aspect of: “A seed will serve Him; it will be told to Hashem for a generation” (Psalms 22:31). For the essential war of Amalaik is in every generation anew — because in every generation, souls are drawn in wondrous novelties anew, for no two people in all the generations are alike, as was explained above (§23). And because of the abundance of divergences and new forms of intelligence that arise in every generation, Amalaik wants to strengthen himself to separate in thought, G–d forbid, the pe’ulos mishtanos from the achdus ha’pashut, as above. And therefore: “Hashem’s war against Amalaik from generation to generation.” And this is the aspect of all the vain wisdoms that arise anew in every generation — both the external wisdoms, which are the wisdom of philosophy that grow stronger in every generation, and the other wisdoms of the world of foolishness and vanity, where each one imagines that the world has now become wiser, as if in previous generations they had no intellect at all, to desire such implements and adornments, etc. — as such foolish talk is common among the youth. And all of this is drawn from the aspect mentioned above — because in truth, at the root of the holiness of the souls, they are drawn in every generation in the aspect of innovation for good, for the essential glory of Hashem, may He be blessed, is precisely that in the abundance of the immense divergence of opinions, they should be included in His achdus ha’pashut, as above. And “G–d has made one corresponding to the other” (Ecclesiastes 7:14) — therefore the aspect of the contamination of Amalaik wants to reverse everything, as if today they are wiser for evil. But Hashem, may He be blessed, fights him in every generation, as above, through His true tzaddikim, and reveals such wondrous halachos and Torah-novelties in every generation — so that through this, in every generation, the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut is ever greater, from within the abundance and divergence of the many opinions, which are the aspect of the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above. This is the aspect of: “seeking good for his nation and speaking peace to all his seed” precisely, in the aspect of “and unto generation after generation is His faithfulness,” in the aspect of “generation to generation praises Your works,” etc., as above. And understand well, to connect everything from beginning to end, and you will understand counsel and strengthening to draw close always to Hashem, may He be blessed, and to give thanks to His Name, may He be blessed, always — which is the essential ultimate purpose, the aspect of the delight of the World to Come, as above. §40 And this is the aspect of Pesach and the greatness of the mitzvah of relating the story of the Exodus from Egypt, as was explained above (in §16). For now that we have already merited to go out of Egypt, etc. — praise be to G–d, we have a good beginning, etc., as above — therefore we must abundantly tell of the Exodus from Egypt, etc. And this is: “We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt.” For the essential redemption was through Shabbos — through Hashem, may He be blessed, in His mercy drawing upon them Himself the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos upon the six days of the week. Through this, the achdus ha’pashut was revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — that all the pe’ulos mishtanos are all drawn from the achdus ha’pashut Himself, may He be blessed. This was then revealed very, very greatly through all the great, awesome, and immense signs and wonders that Moshe did before the eyes of all Israel — turning water to blood and blood to water, sending frogs, and when he wished, removing them through his prayer. And similarly with all the plagues with which he struck Pharaoh, etc. — demonstrating that all of nature and all the workings of the diverse activities in the entire world are all in the hand of the achdus ha’pashut, and they are in His hand like clay in the hand of the potter. And He reveals His secret to His servants the tzaddikim, so that they can rule over the world and direct everything as they wish. And all of this was drawn at that time by Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself, in the aspect of an awakening from above, as is brought — for they were not yet worthy of the redemption, for they had not yet drawn the repairs mentioned above that are drawn through todah and hoda’ah and halachos, etc. — for it was the first redemption, and they had not yet received the Torah, where all the halachos are, as was explained above. But Hashem, may He be blessed, had compassion upon them, through the merit of the Patriarchs and through the little good He found in them, until through His awesome wonders He compelled Moshe to go and redeem them, and He drew upon them Himself the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos upon the weekdays, until the achdus ha’pashut was revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, through all the signs and wonders, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of Shabbos HaGadol before Pesach — for the essential miracles of Pesach were through the holiness of Shabbos, as above. And therefore it is called Shabbos HaGadol [the Great Shabbos] — for this is the essential greatness of Hashem, may He be blessed — when His unity, may He be blessed, is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above, which is accomplished through Shabbos, as above. And this is why we begin “We were slaves,” etc. — for before the redemption, in the time of exile (that is, before they merited to draw the holiness of Shabbos to the weekdays), we were slaves — because the aspect of the weekdays held sway, which are the aspect of “servant,” as is explained there in the Torah mentioned above. “And Hashem our G–d brought us out from there,” etc. — that is, Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself brought us out from there, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, even though we were not worthy — for we had not yet drawn upon ourselves all the repairs mentioned above. Even so, Hashem, may He be blessed, had compassion upon us and brought us out Himself, through the power of His wondrous mercy, as above. And this is: “And had the Holy One, blessed be He, not brought out our fathers from Egypt, behold we and our children and our children’s children would still be enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt.” That is, the essential Exodus from Egypt was to reveal His divinity, may He be blessed, from generation to generation forever, as it is written: “And you shall make known to your children and your children’s children” (Deuteronomy 4:9), in the aspect of “and unto generation after generation is His faithfulness” — which one merits through Torah/halachah, from which come all the holy births of the seed of Israel, the holy nation. But at that time, they were not yet worthy of this — only Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself drew in His mercy all the repairs mentioned above, until He redeemed them Himself. But had the Holy One, blessed be He, not brought out, etc. — behold we and our children, etc., would still be enslaved, etc. — for now that we have already merited the Exodus from Egypt and we have a good beginning, as above, through this we merit each time the aspect of todah/halachah, as above, through which the births of children are drawn in the holiness of Israel — and we are able to teach them and make known to them, from generation to generation, from father to son, the works of Hashem, for they are awesome, in the aspect of “generation to generation praises Your works,” etc. — until all of them walk in this path, in the path of the holy Torah, to give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, always, etc. — and to engage in halachos, etc., until they reveal in each generation the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, which is accomplished anew in every generation, as above. All of this is the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos, which is the aspect of “son,” to nullify the aspect of the servitude of the weekdays. But had the Holy One, blessed be He, not brought out our fathers from Egypt in His mercy, by Himself, as above — behold we and our children and our children’s children would still be enslaved, etc. — for we would not have merited the birth of children in holiness, in the aspect of “son,” the aspect of freedom — but all the children and children’s children would have been in the aspect of servitude, as above, from which came the entire exile of Egypt, as above. And this is: “And even if we were all wise, all understanding, all elders, all knowing the Torah — it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt.” That is, at first glance it is difficult — why did He emphasize so many times the telling of the Exodus from Egypt? For the essential purpose of the Exodus from Egypt was for the sake of the Giving of the Torah, as it is written: “When you bring out the nation from Egypt, you shall serve G–d on this mountain” (Exodus 3:12) — which is the Giving of the Torah. And it would have been fitting to tell only of the miracle of the Giving of the Torah. And why did He emphasize more the telling of the Exodus from Egypt? And even the Giving of the Torah itself began: “I am Hashem your G–d Who brought you out of the land of Egypt,” etc. (Exodus 20:2). And similarly in most of the mitzvos. But according to the above, it is well explained — for the essential intensity of the miracle is the beginning, which is the Exodus from Egypt, which was the first redemption, which was very difficult because “this depends upon that,” etc., as above. And this is: “And even if we were all wise, etc., all knowing the Torah — it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt” specifically, even more so. Even though now we already know the Torah, which is the essential purpose for which we went out of Egypt, as above — even so, it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt, which is the beginning, through which we merited to know the Torah — for that beginning was the most difficult of all, as above. And we need now to tell about this even more — for even now, all the keeping of the Torah depends upon this. For the more one gives thanks and praises Him, may He be blessed, for the greatness of His kindness of the beginning, which is the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt, which was very difficult — the more one tells and gives thanks and praises Him, may He be blessed — so are all the repairs mentioned above drawn even more, through which the hoda’ah in turn grows ever greater, etc. — and so it cycles around for the good, as above. Through all of this, one merits joy, which is the essential thing — to strengthen oneself from wherever one is, to rejoice in the salvation of Hashem, etc. — through which everyone can enter into the keeping of the Torah, as above. And therefore, even if we were all wise and understanding and elders and knowing the Torah and all that has passed over us has already passed and we have merited the salvation of Hashem and immense wonders — it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt, when the beginning was, as above — through which one merits to strengthen himself in joy even now, through which comes the essential keeping of the Torah, as above. And this is: “And whoever tells more of the Exodus from Egypt — behold, this is praiseworthy.” For each and every person must tell abundantly of the Exodus from Egypt, in general and in particular — how many miracles and wonders Hashem, may He be blessed, did with us — so that the hoda’ah should grow each time even more, through which comes the essential repair, as above. And this is: “And whoever tells more of the Exodus from Egypt — behold, this is praiseworthy.” And it is brought in the Kavanos: “behold, this is praiseworthy” — in chasadim [kindnesses] — that is, the aspect of “whoever is wise, let him observe these things, and they will contemplate the kindnesses of Hashem” (Psalms 107:43) — the aspect of “the faithful kindnesses of David” (Isaiah 55:3), which are drawn through todah/hoda’ah, as is explained there. §41 And this is: “It happened with Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua,” etc. — who were telling of the Exodus from Egypt all that night, until their students came and said to them: “Our teachers, the time for the morning Krias Shema has arrived.” The time for Krias Shema precisely — for through the abundance of telling of the Exodus from Egypt, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed even more from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above, which is the aspect of Krias Shema — to reveal the achdus ha’pashut in the world, in the aspect of: “Hashem our G–d, Hashem is One.” “Hashem our G–d” — that is, His divinity that dwells and is clothed within us, within all the pe’ulos mishtanos. “Hashem is One” — everything is included and unified in His achdus ha’pashut, may He be blessed. And as our Sages of blessed memory said, one must extend the dales of echad in order to crown Him above and below and in the four directions — which are the totality of the pe’ulos mishtanos in all six extremities, all of which are included in His unity, may He be blessed. For Hashem is One, and everything is drawn only from Him, may He be blessed. And all of this is revealed through the abundance of telling of the Exodus from Egypt. And therefore Hashem, may He be blessed, arranged it so that these tzaddikim told of the Exodus from Egypt, etc., until their students came — those who received the halachos from them, which are also the aspect of todah, as above — and said to them: “Our teachers, the time for Krias Shema has arrived,” etc. — for through this, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed, which is the aspect of Krias Shema, as above. And to sweeten further and explain the statement mentioned above — “Whoever tells more of the Exodus from Egypt,” etc. — it is thus: For all the kinds of counsel that our Sages of blessed memory illuminated for us, with which one can strengthen himself — the adversary constantly lies in wait to push him away from them, G–d forbid. Therefore, one needs great stubbornness. And so it is with the matter mentioned above — that one must strengthen himself to give thanks always to Hashem, may He be blessed, for all the kindnesses and wonders, etc., even if he is as he is, for even so, He has already bestowed upon us immense wonders. But the adversary constantly strengthens himself to cause forgetfulness and concealment, G–d forbid, etc. Therefore a person must strengthen himself to tell abundantly of the Exodus from Egypt, etc., in the aspect mentioned above. And this is: “Whoever tells more” — “more” precisely — for one must increase so much, until he increases the telling of the Exodus from Egypt over the hinderer, until it exceeds him and nullifies him — in the manner our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the nullification of a prohibited substance: “one increases over it and nullifies it.” And this is: “And whoever tells more” of the kindnesses of Hashem, etc. — which is the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt, etc., as above — who increases the telling over the hinderer until he nullifies him, as above — “behold, this is praiseworthy,” as above. §42 And this is: “And I will pass through the land of Egypt — I, and not an angel; I, and not a seraph; I, and not an emissary; I am Hashem — I am He and not another.” That is, during the Exodus from Egypt, the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos was so great that even above, His achdus ha’pashut, may He be blessed, was revealed — as is explained there in the Torah mentioned above: that when the achdus ha’pashut is revealed below, His achdus ha’pashut is revealed also above, in the aspect of: “You are One and Your Name is One, and who is like Your nation Israel, one nation in the land,” etc. And this is: “And I will pass through the land of Egypt — I, and not an angel; I, and not a seraph,” etc. — for all the concealments and hiddennesses were nullified. For sometimes Hashem, may He be blessed, clothes His conduct through the angels, in the aspect of “Behold, I am sending an angel before you” (Exodus 23:20) — which was said after the sin, and Moshe did not desire this. For then one can err, G–d forbid, as Acheir erred through this. And as the verse itself there warns: “Beware of him, do not defy him,” and our Sages of blessed memory expounded: “Do not exchange Me for him” — for from there is drawn the error of all idolators. And similarly the errors of the naturalist philosophers of today — for the angel is called Elokim, which has the numerical value of ha’teva [nature]. But at the time of the Exodus from Egypt, Hashem, may He be blessed, had compassion upon us and revealed His achdus ha’pashut below and above — that there is no governance in the world except through Himself alone, in the aspect of: “I, and not an angel; I, and not a seraph,” etc. — “I am Hashem; I am He and not another.” For all the diverse activities in the world — all are from Him, may He be blessed, Himself, as above. Shayach l’eil — This belongs above [at the end of the Apotropos section]: And therefore we say Birchas Kohanim [the Priestly Blessing] after Birchas HaTorah [the Blessing over the Torah]. For Birchas HaTorah is the aspect of the hoda’ah mentioned above — that we bless and give thanks every day, immediately in the morning, for the pleasantness of our portion, that we merited to receive the Torah, which is the essential path to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, from wherever one is, as is explained above (in §5). Through this, all the repairs mentioned above are accomplished, until one merits that all the pe’ulos mishtanos should be included in the achdus ha’pashut — which is the aspect of peace and unity among all Israel, that all the divergent opinions should be included together, etc., as above. This, Aharon the Kohen merited more than anyone else — through the fact that he was not jealous of Moshe his brother, even though he [Moshe] was greater than him, and he went out to greet him with joy, as it is written: “And he shall see you and rejoice in his heart” (Exodus 4:14). And through this, he merited the Kehunah, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “In reward for ‘and he shall see you,’ etc., he merited the Choshen HaMishpat [Breastplate of Judgment] upon his heart.” Therefore we say Birchas Kohanim, which is the holiness of Aharon the Kohen, after Birchas HaTorah — for they are of one aspect and depend upon each other, as above. And therefore Birchas Kohanim concludes with peace, as it is written: “and grant you peace” (Numbers 6:26) — for through the hoda’ah mentioned above, which is the aspect of Birchas HaTorah, one merits peace and unity, as above. And all of this we merited through Aharon the Kohen, as above. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said: “Be of the students of Aharon, loving peace and pursuing peace” (Avos 1:12) — that is, as above. And this is: “loving the creatures and bringing them close to the Torah” — for the essential drawing close to the Torah is through the aspect mentioned above, through todah/hoda’ah, which is Birchas HaTorah, through which one merits peace, which is the aspect of the holiness of Aharon the Kohen, as above. ◆ Translator’s Summary ◆ This collection of halachos applies the law of perikah u’te’inah (helping unload and load an animal) across multiple spiritual dimensions, drawing on several of Rabbainu’s Toros. Avaidah 3, §§15–16 (LM I:13): The tzadik can raise even the farthest souls through ibbur — “Go out and see the might of your Master.” But only “with him” — the person must make some effort himself. Physically: the burden of livelihood derives from distance from Torah/hashgachah shelaimah. ↓ Halacha 1 (LM I:59): Hatred blemishes da’as → burden falls. Love/helping rectifies da’as → burden is raised. Kavod (honor) = root of souls = the Samech that supports all who fall. But an elder whose honor would be damaged is exempt/forbidden. ↓ Halacha 2 (LM II:7): True compassion = helping a Jew shed the burden of sin. Finding merit in a sinner (LM I:282) judges him favorably → lifts the spiritual burden → lifts the physical burden. Livelihood flows from the “sea of wisdom” when da’as illuminates. ↓ Halacha 4 (LM II:2): Shabbos = simple unity; weekdays = diverse activities. Drawing Shabbos holiness into the week reveals that all multiplicity flows from the One. Strife/suffering = disconnect from this unity. Helping the “enemy” unload = abandoning hatred = restoring unity = rest for all. A convert’s inclusion reveals achdus ha’pashut from the most remote “changed activities.” Recurring themes: (1) Hatred/sin = heaviness/falling; love/merit-finding = lightness/raising. (2) Da’as and kavod are intimately linked — both are needed to bear and lift burdens. (3) The Torah commands engagement with even the fallen, but with wisdom about who can be reached. (4) Physical burdens and spiritual burdens are inseparable — rectifying one rectifies the other. Note: The subdivision Hefker v’Nichsay HaGer continues from §30 (Apotropos) through §42, elaborating on: the signs and wonders in Egypt revealing that all pe’ulos mishtanos derive from Him alone; the personal application — todah and hoda’ah even in the midst of distress; the rooster pecking in the refuse-heap (even tiny mitzvos are cherished); the cycle of struggle and redemption in every generation; Rosh Hashanah and Alainu as the ultimate revelation of achdus ha’pashut; the Shabbos Zohar passage; the laws of inheritance and their connection to all the above. These sections await translation in a continuation. Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman

And therefore Amalaik, who blemishes all of this — His Name, may He be blessed, and His throne are not complete until the memory of Amalaik is blotted out. For the essential repair of the throne in fullness is through the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut, etc., which is drawn through the abundance of generations, in the aspect of “Your throne, from generation to generation.” And Amalaik, who blemishes all of this — therefore the war of Hashem against Amalaik is “from generation to generation,” precisely. And this is: “For a hand is upon the throne of Hashem — Hashem’s war against Amalaik, from generation to generation” — that His throne, as it were, is not complete until He wins His war against Amalaik in every generation. And then it will be fulfilled: “And Hashem shall sit forever, having established His throne for judgment” (Psalms 9:8) — that the Name will be complete and the throne will be complete, as Rashi explains. For the throne will be completed through the upright ones of every generation, in the aspect of “Your throne, from generation to generation,” as above. §28 And the wise person who desires truth can understand in his heart, according to our words, the immensity of the war in every generation — and in particular, what is done with him in that generation in which he lives. For the essential war with each and every individual in particular is the overpowering of the flooding of the bloods, from which come all the troubles in body, soul, and money. For the essential troubles are the overpowering of the desires and evil traits that embitter a person’s life and bring him to what they bring him, G–d forbid — and from there come all the sufferings in body, money, and children, etc., G–d forbid. And at the time of the intensification of the troubles, one does not know at all what to do, and the bloods flood upon the heart — like one who seeks counsel and strategy to emerge from the trouble, as is explained at the beginning of the Torah mentioned above. And afterward, Hashem, may He be blessed, in His mercy brings him out of the trouble — for Hashem, may He be blessed, performs revealed and hidden miracles and wonders with every person, every single day, as above. And as it is written: “The wicked watches the righteous,” etc. (Psalms 37:32). And as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Every day,” etc. — “and were the Holy One, blessed be He, not helping him,” etc. — for “Hashem will not abandon him in his hand” (Psalms 37:33). And as it is written: “He rescues the poor from one who is stronger than him,” etc. (Psalms 35:10). And all the salvations and miracles are all through the power of the tzaddikay emes, who instill in us the ability to cry out and to raise our eyes at every moment to Hashem, may He be blessed — which is the essential glory of Him, may He be blessed, as it is written: “Call upon Me on the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me” (Psalms 50:15). But even though Hashem, may He be blessed, does many kindnesses and miracles and wonders with us every day and at every time, in every generation, and with each individual in particular — even so, the Sitra Achra, the aspect of Amalaik, constantly undermines, slandering and accusing and inciting and provoking each and every person. For he is the Satan, he is the inciter, he is the accuser, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “He descends and incites,” etc. And as is brought in the holy Zohar regarding the war of Amalaik: “The battle is above and below” — that is, as above; and understand. And therefore one must walk very, very much with the counsel mentioned above — to look at every moment at the immensity of the expanses and salvations and wonders that He has already done with us, etc., as above, and to find expanses even within the troubles themselves, as above. And through this, one will be accustomed always to give praise and thanksgiving to Him, may He be blessed, for everything that “until here He has helped us” with His immense wonders. And as it is written: “I have awakened, and I am still with You” (Psalms 139:18) — and as Rashi explains: “I have come to the end of all the generations, and I am still with You” — that is, even now, in these latter days, which is the aspect of the end of all the generations, even now “I am still with You” — that there is still in each and every one of us the aspect of “yet a little, and there is no wicked one,” etc. (Psalms 37:10) — which is the aspect of “I will sing to my G–d while I yet live (‘b’odi’),” etc. — that one must walk in this very much, as he, of blessed memory, warned us. And the main thing is to give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, for this always, and especially in a time of trouble, G–d forbid — that precisely then one should strengthen himself to pay attention, to look at the wondrous true and eternal salvations that Hashem, may He be blessed, has already performed for him, etc. And through the aspect of todah/halachah, etc. — through this, one will merit that truth will illuminate, etc., until one draws the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — through which the trouble is nullified. And through this, the aspect of todah grows, etc., as above — and so it cycles around for the good, etc., as above. And if the opposition, the aspect of Amalaik, returns and intensifies — the choice is in his hand to return and strengthen himself through all the above. And as soon as he sets his heart to this, Hashem, may He be blessed, will help him in this greatly — for “the kindnesses of Hashem have not ceased,” etc. (Lamentations 3:22). And so each time, until he merits, through His mercy, may He be blessed, and through the power of the tzaddikay emes, to win the war — and then he will merit todah in fullness, which is the essential delight of the World to Come. Fortunate is he! And there will be fulfilled in him: “Fortunate is the person whose strength is in You” (Psalms 84:6), etc. For one needs boldness and immense strengthening and great stubbornness beyond measure — whoever desires to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed. And the essential strengthening is through all the above; and understand well, very well. §29 And regarding yibum and chalitzah that we mentioned above, we did not explain it well, for this is not the place for it. And this is: “And she shall remove his shoe from upon his foot” (Deuteronomy 25:9) — for there the soul of the deceased is bound, as is brought. For the essential blemish is in the legs (raglayim) — where the bloods need to flow in their proper order when one merits holadah. And this one who did not merit to leave seed blemished in this — and therefore: “She shall remove his shoe from upon his foot” — “his foot” precisely. And therefore the halachos are called “the goings (halichos) of the world” (Habakkuk 3:6) — for the essential fullness of the halachah is that one should merit through it to walk (lailaich) in it, to draw close through it to Hashem, may He be blessed, to His service — the aspect of “the goings of the world” — that one should merit to remain standing in holiness forever and ever. For the world in general is called the aspect of “legs” relative to Him, may He be blessed, as it is written: “And the earth is My footstool” (Isaiah 66:1). And the woman and the money, where the essential overpowering of the pe’ulos mishtanos takes place, are called “his legs,” as is explained elsewhere. And this is: “The heavens are My throne and the earth is My footstool; what house will you build for Me?” etc. (Isaiah 66:1). For the essential repair of His throne in the heavens is precisely through “the earth, My footstool” — through the legs, which are the very lowest levels, where the essential abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos resides — when they are included in His unity, may He be blessed, in the aspect of: “Hashem in the heavens has established His throne, and His sovereignty rules over all” (Psalms 103:19). For precisely when they know that His sovereignty rules over all, and all the pe’ulos mishtanos are from Him, may He be blessed — then precisely “in the heavens He has established His throne,” as above. And this is the aspect of the Mishkan and the Bais HaMikdash, the aspect of: “Exalt Hashem our G–d and prostrate yourselves at His footstool,” etc. (Psalms 99:5). And this is the aspect of what is brought in the writings [of the Ari z”l] — that the essential completion of the repair will be when it is fulfilled: “And His feet shall stand on that day,” etc. (Zechariah 14:4), in the aspect of “until the feet reach the feet” — that is, as above. And therefore the essential repair is through all the above, which is the aspect of todah/halachah, the aspect of “the goings of the world,” the aspect of the repair of the legs, as above. Apotropos [Laws of Guardianship] §30 And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said in the Mishnah: “A guardian (apotropos) whom the father of orphans appointed does not swear; one whom the beis din appointed does swear” (Gittin 52a). For it has already been explained — the matter of inheritance that belongs to children: the begetting of children is drawn through the money of holiness of the tom’chay Oraysa, from which comes all the money in the world, as above. For the essential obligation to leave children is only for this purpose — so that the children who were born through the halachos that were born through the tom’chay Oraysa, from which come all the births in the world, as above, should draw all the repairs that are drawn through the halachos, which are the aspect of todah/hoda’ah — which is to illuminate truth in the world and to complete the speech, until they merit to reveal the achdus ha’pashut from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos — which are the children of the seed of Israel who have multiplied in the world. For the more the seed of Israel multiplies, among whom there is great divergence of opinions, as above — and when they are all included in one da’as and unify His Name, may He be blessed — through this, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed even more from within very many diverse activities, which is the essential preciousness of the holiness of the enlargement of His glory, may He be blessed, as above. And this is the aspect of what the children say Kaddish after the death of their father and mother. For this person who has departed — his entire purpose is to merit a portion of the World to Come. And the essential delight of the World to Come is todah/hoda’ah, as above, through which the holiness of the holy Shabbos is drawn, which is the aspect of the World to Come, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed, etc. — for the sake of all of which man comes to this world. And therefore, after his death, when he needs to come to this — to the aspect of the delight of the World to Come, which is to give thanks and praise to His Name, may He be blessed, as above — therefore the children say Kaddish after him, which is not a prayer for the deceased but rather a wondrous and awesome praise and thanksgiving to Hashem, may He be blessed, as is brought. For Kaddish includes all kinds of praises and blessings and thanksgivings, etc. — for it is an exceedingly wondrous and awesome praise that “shatters all bars of iron,” as is brought in the holy Zohar. And as we say: “May He be blessed and praised and glorified and exalted,” etc. — “Blessed is He, above all blessings and songs and praises,” etc. And therefore we say Kaddish after all the blessings and thanksgivings, and similarly after all the halachos that are studied — for it is the pillar between world and world, as is brought. For Kaddish includes all the thanksgivings and songs and praises and elevates them all to their supernal root, higher and higher, unto the Infinite. And therefore this departed one, whose entire repair is that the parts of good within him should be gathered — according to what he merited to do good in the world, the entire purpose of which is hoda’ah, which is the delight of the World to Come, and he now needs to come to this, that he should have some portion in the delight of the World to Come, which is hoda’ah, as above — therefore his children say Kaddish after him, which is the totality of all the thanksgivings and songs and praises, etc., and elevates them all, as above. And therefore, through this precisely, the children give their father merit for the World to Come — for praise and thanksgiving, this is the entire delight of the World to Come, as above. And therefore the essential thing is that the children specifically should say Kaddish — for his essential repair is through his children specifically, whom he merited to beget in the world and to multiply the seed of Israel, all of whom engage all their days in thanksgivings and blessings. For every single Jew says every day many blessings and thanksgivings, as our Sages of blessed memory established for us — to say blessings and thanksgivings over every matter in the world, and especially in the morning and evening at the time of prayer — for hoda’ah is the entire delight of the World to Come, as above. And through this, all the repairs mentioned above are accomplished, until one merits to reveal the achdus ha’pashut from the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos — which is accomplished through the abundance of children that he merited to beget, through todah/halachah, as above. Therefore the children specifically say Kaddish, which is the totality of all the thanksgivings — in order to elevate all the blessings and thanksgivings that this departed one merited to engage in during his lifetime. For the essential repair is through the children who were born through this — for through them specifically, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed even more from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos, which is the essential completion of the fullness of the repair, as above. And therefore each person must, during his lifetime, before he departs from the world, command his children and arrange the order of the division of his possessions and money to his children. For the essential root of money and its repair is according to what he merited to support true talmidai chachamim, through whom halachos are born, from which come all the births of children, as above. And every single Jew has a portion in this according to his level. And therefore he must arrange, according to his level, the order of the division of his money to his children after him — that each one should receive his portion properly, according to the root of his portion above in the tom’chay Oraysa who birth halachos, from which come all his births — through which comes the entire repair of the departed one. For todah/halachah and tom’chay Oraysa and the births of children are all one aspect, as is explained in the Torah mentioned above — and everything depends upon each other. And this is the entire purpose and repair of the departed one for the World to Come, as above — for through all of this, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed, etc., as above. And therefore he must appoint a guardian (apotropos) himself during his lifetime. For the guardian appointed over the orphans, who is in the aspect of “father of orphans,” must be appointed by the mouth of the father of the children himself — in order that he arrange his inheritance according to the mind of the father himself, according to what he drew upon himself the aspect of todah/hoda’ah/halachah, according to what he merited with his money to be among the tom’chay Oraysa — which is the entire repair of the money, from which come the births of children, etc., as above. §31 And therefore a guardian whom the father of orphans appointed does not swear — for he is not suspected of falsehood, for truth surely illuminates in him, as is explained there in the Torah mentioned above — that through todah/halachah, truth illuminates, etc. And therefore, since the owner of the inheritance himself appointed him as guardian, truth surely illuminates in him in this matter. For since the departed one, the owner of the inheritance himself, appointed him as guardian according to his own mind, according to his level, according to what he merited to clarify his money so as to have a portion among the tom’chay Oraysa — which is the essential repair of the inheritance and the money from which come all the children, as above — therefore, surely, according to his level, truth illuminates, etc. For through the aspect of todah/halachah, the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, the aspect of the births of children — through all of this, truth illuminates, in the aspect of “Grant truth to Yaakov, kindness to Avraham,” etc. (Micah 7:20). And therefore this guardian is not suspected of falsehood and is trusted without an oath at all, since the father of the children himself appointed him according to his level, according to his portion in the delight of the World to Come, which is the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, etc., as above. But if he did not merit to appoint a guardian himself, to transmit by himself to the guardian the order of his inheritance according to his level, etc., as above — then the beis din must be the “father of orphans” and appoint the guardian. For only the beis din has the power for this, for the beis din illuminates truth — for before them are all the halachos of all the laws and judgments of the Torah, through which truth illuminates, as above. For this is the essence of the beis din — that they should know all the halachos and judge with true and righteous judgments. And therefore the beis din must be three, the aspect of the three lines of truth mentioned above. But the beis din cannot clarify the truth of each individual except through the oath — as it is written: “The owner of the house shall approach the judges for an oath” (Exodus 22:7). For as soon as they come to court, this is because there is a denial between them, and all denials are drawn from the flooding of the bloods mentioned above, from the aspect of “men of blood hate the innocent” (Proverbs 29:10), as is brought there in the Torah mentioned above; see there. For all of this is the aspect of the blemish of todah/halachah, the blemish of the money of holiness, which is in the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa who birth halachos — for he denies his fellow, which is the opposite of all of this. Therefore the beis din cannot clarify except through the oath. For an oath is the aspect of binding, as is brought — the aspect of the illumination of the three lines of truth within the fourfold speech, which is the aspect of the seven days of creation, as is brought elsewhere. This is the aspect of shevuah [oath], from the word sheva [seven] — the aspect of the binding of the weekdays to the seventh day, which is Shabbos, which is “an eternal covenant between Me and the children of Israel,” etc. (Exodus 31:17). For Shabbos is “the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He,” the aspect of “the Torah is the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He” — and this is the aspect of the oath, which is in the Name and with holding an object, which is the Torah. For when there is a denial, which is the blemish of truth, the beis din cannot illuminate truth except through the oath, which includes all the repairs of truth — which is the illumination of the three lines of truth within the fourfold speech, etc. And therefore, since the departed one did not merit to appoint a guardian himself and did not illuminate by himself the aspect of truth that he merited to clarify, according to his portion, in todah/halachah in the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, as above, until the beis din was compelled to involve themselves in appointing a guardian — therefore he requires an oath. For when truth is not clarified in fullness and the beis din needs to clarify it, they cannot clarify it except through the oath, etc., as above. §32 And this is the aspect of: “For I have known him, in order that he command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of Hashem, to do tzedakah and justice” (Genesis 18:19). For the essential bequest that a person must command his children and his household after him is that they should keep the way of Hashem, to do tzedakah and justice — tzedakah and justice precisely. That is, that they should give tzedakah to true talmidai chachamim who birth halachos, which are the judgments of the Torah. And this is the aspect of tzedakah and justice — that is, tzedakah to true talmidai chachamim, through whom the judicial halachos of the Torah are born and revealed — which is the essential repair of the money of this departed one who labored for it during his lifetime, whose entire repair is when the money comes to true talmidai chachamim from whom halachos are born, which are the aspect of todah/hoda’ah, the delight of the World to Come — and to this he must now enter, that he should have a portion in the delight of the World to Come, as above. §33 And this is: “Truth and the judgment of peace, judge in your gates” (Zechariah 8:16). For the judges must judge truth in order to merit through this peace — that all should be included in one da’as, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc., as above. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said: “Whoever judges a true judgment to its truth becomes a partner with the Holy One, blessed be He, in the act of creation” (Shabbos 10a) — as it is written: “And it was evening and it was morning, one day” (Genesis 1:5), etc. For it is written “one day” and not “the first day” — to teach that the Holy One, blessed be He, was alone in His world. That is, to teach that all the divergences in creation, which are the aspect of “and it was evening and it was morning” — which includes all the divergences in the world, for the divergence between day and night, between light and darkness, is the greatest of all divergences (and as we say in the blessing of Krias Shema: “and with understanding He changes the times”), and in this are included all the many divergences of each and every day, without end — and everything was created and continues to exist in order that the achdus ha’pashut should be revealed precisely from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos, as above. And this is: “And it was evening and it was morning” — which are the totality of all divergences — “one day” — in the aspect of Him being alone in His world. That is, to reveal His unity, may He be blessed — that the lone Primordial One created everything, and all the pe’ulos mishtanos are drawn from His unity, may He be blessed. And therefore the judge who judges a true judgment to its truth merits this — that he becomes a partner with the Holy One, blessed be He, in the act of creation, as it is written: “And it was evening,” etc. — “one day.” For through truth, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — which is the aspect of “and it was evening and it was morning — one day,” as above. §34 The sum of the matter is that a person must accustom himself to give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, always, in all that passes over him, as it is written: “In Hashem I praise a word; in G–d I praise a word” (Psalms 56:11) — both in His goodness and in His severity, G–d forbid, as our Sages of blessed memory said. And this is a good and wondrous counsel — that even when a person has become as distant from Hashem, may He be blessed, as he has become, and also in the affairs of this world he is greatly pressed in livelihood and children, etc. (as is common among the majority of the world, as explained elsewhere) — he must precisely then seek and find an expansion within the straits of the trouble, and also remind himself of all the good things and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, has already done with him. And the main thing: that He did not make me a gentile and separated us from those who go astray, etc. And to remind himself that nothing will remain of him or of any person at all except what he seized in this world of some good from the holiness of Israel — and only this is his portion from all his toil. And therefore each person, even the worst of the worst, must rejoice in this greatly, and his mouth should be filled with His praise, etc. all day long — to give thanks and praise and laud, etc. the Fashioner of creation, Who did not make us, etc. — Who did not set our portion like theirs, etc. And once he is accustomed to this, he will certainly seize, every day, to learn some halachos of the Torah, which are His knowledge, may He be blessed — through which one comes to know Him, may He be blessed, and is included in Him, may He be blessed. And through this itself, one will emerge from all the troubles, as above. And through this, the achdus ha’pashut will be revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc. — and through this comes the essential nullification of the trouble, etc. — and so it cycles around for the good, until in the end of all ends, he will certainly merit his good ultimate purpose, which is the delight of the World to Come — which is to give thanks and praise to Him, may He be blessed, forever and to all eternity. And the essential thing for all of this is love of friends and peace — that one should have great love and peace with all Israel, and especially with those who walk in this path. And he should be among the tom’chay Oraysa, both with his money and with his body — that he should support with all his strength the talmidai chachamim who engage in this path, who birth halachos. And through this, he will merit to beget worthy children who engage in Torah, etc., etc. — as was explained above: todah/halachah and tom’chay Oraysa and the births of children are all one aspect and depend upon each other. And one must begin from every single good point among them, until he merits what he merits. Fortunate is he! §35 And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said: “What is meant by the verse: ‘Who is the wise man who will understand this, and to whom the mouth of Hashem has spoken that he may declare it — on what account has the land been destroyed, parched like a desert, with none passing through?’ (Jeremiah 9:11). ‘And Hashem said: Because they forsook My Torah,’ etc. — ‘and did not heed My voice and did not walk in it’” (Jeremiah 9:12). And they explained there: “that they did not bless over the Torah first” (Nedarim 81a). And the matter is astonishing, as all the commentators were astonished by it. And especially that which they said there: “This matter was asked of the Sages and the Prophets and they could not explain it, until the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself explained it” — and it is wondrous. What is this great commotion — who does not know all this, that the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash was because they transgressed the Torah? Is not the entire Torah full of this? For Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, himself already warned them: “If you walk in My statutes,” etc. — “and if you do not listen,” etc. (Leviticus 26). And similarly, in innumerable other places, he told them that if they transgress the Torah they would be lost from the land, etc. And similarly, all the Prophets warned them about this. And what is this — that now they asked everyone “on what account was the land destroyed,” and they could not explain it, until Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself explained it: “Because they forsook My Torah,” etc.? But the essential matter is that Hashem, may He be blessed, asked the Sages and the Prophets to understand this well and to declare on what account the land was destroyed — in a manner that good would come to us from it, that we would understand through this good counsel for how to begin to repair the corruptions that caused the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash. And this is the essential severity and depth of the question that Hashem, may He be blessed, asked the Sages and the Prophets, and they could not explain it. For what was, was — and what difference does it make if it was destroyed on account of whatever it was destroyed on account of? It is already destroyed! But the essential thrust of what Hashem, may He be blessed, sought to ask the Sages and the Prophets — that they should understand this and declare on what account the land was destroyed — is that they should explain the matter well, in a manner that we would understand from it counsel for how to emerge from the corruptions that caused the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash. And therefore they could not explain it, for this is very, very deep — “deep, deep — who can find it?” (Ecclesiastes 7:24). Until the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself explained it: “Because they forsook My Torah, and did not heed My voice, and did not walk in it.” That is, even though they had already transgressed very severe transgressions — idolatry, etc. — even so, in the inner depths of their hearts, their hearts were still burning for Hashem, may He be blessed. For “many waters cannot extinguish the love” (Song of Songs 8:7) between Israel and their Father in Heaven, “and rivers cannot wash it away.” And therefore they should have strengthened themselves, at least to seize some halachos, to learn at least a little every day. But “they forsook My Torah entirely.” And not only that, but “they did not heed My voice” — “hearing depends upon the heart” — that is, they were at least obligated to hear and to attach themselves to the voice of Hashem that calls with a great voice in a person’s heart every single day and at every time, that he should return to Him. And every person must incline his heart to hear the voice of Hashem — that at least he should have strong desires and great yearnings for Hashem, may He be blessed, which is very precious, as is explained elsewhere. And the main thing: “And they did not walk in it — that they did not bless over the Torah first.” For certainly they did not fall in one stroke to such falls, to transgress the law entirely and throw off the yoke as it was at the time of the destruction. And certainly at first they engaged in Torah somewhat — only “they did not bless over the Torah first.” That is, they did not set their hearts to rejoice in the Torah, and to bless and give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, at every time, for the wondrous and awesome kindness that He did with us, in that He chose us from all the nations and gave us His Torah, the hidden treasure, which is our life, etc. — and this is our entire hope forever. And as is explained in the commentators, this is the essential meaning of the blessing over the Torah — to rejoice with all one’s strength in the pleasantness of our portion and our lot. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said that the blessing over the Torah requires great care — that is, the entire matter mentioned above that we have explained: that each person, even if he has fallen and become as distant as he has, even so, he precisely must be accustomed to todah and hoda’ah, to give thanks for the small amount of good points that still remain in him, etc. And through this, he will merit to emerge from all the troubles and to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, etc., as above. And this is: “And they did not walk in it” — for this is a wondrous path and way to draw close and to raise oneself to Hashem, may He be blessed, from all kinds of falls and descents in the world, without end or limit. And had they walked in this path, certainly they would not have fallen so far and they would not have had such troubles. And now, our entire hope to return to our land and to our Bais HaMikdash is through this — for this matter depends upon nothing but teshuvah. But it is very difficult to return, for the adversary lies in wait very, very greatly and spreads himself in length and breadth. And everyone desires to fear Your Name, and even so, most are very far from the paths of teshuvah. And the main reason is because they do not set their hearts to rejoice in the small amount of good that is in them — for sadness and melancholy harm more than anything, and as it is written: “Because you did not serve Hashem your G–d with joy and with gladness of heart” (Deuteronomy 28:47) — that the essential destruction and all the troubles, may the Merciful One save us, are all because they did not serve Him, may He be blessed, with joy — as is brought in the writings of the Ari z”l. That is, as above; and understand well. And therefore Hashem, may He be blessed, was compelled to explain it Himself — in order to hint to us now, in every generation, hints of counsel for how to draw close now to Hashem, may He be blessed, from wherever one is, to repair the corruptions through which the destruction occurred — until we merit a complete redemption soon. And therefore all the above is called “walking” — for it is the repair of the legs, as above, the aspect of “the goings of the world” — through which comes the approach of the redemption, in the aspect of “and His feet shall stand,” etc., as above. For it is a wondrous path and way for every person in the world, etc., as above. §36 And this is the aspect of the work of the Mishkan, which they were commanded after the sin of the eigel [golden calf] — which occurred through the abundance of gold. Through this, the eirev rav [mixed multitude] incited and lured them to separate the pe’ulos mishtanos, G–d forbid, from the achdus ha’pashut — which is the essential sin of idolatry. And the repair was through the Mishkan, which is the aspect of the Bais HaMikdash, the aspect of “throne of glory, exalted from the beginning,” the aspect of “the place of Your dwelling,” etc. — mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the shekalim — “When you raise the head of the children of Israel,” etc. (Exodus 30:12) — that they should all be included together through the counting, and the counting should not cause, G–d forbid, the aspect of separation, which is the sitra d’mosa [the side of death], in the aspect of “and there shall not be a plague among them.” And this is through their giving a ransom for their souls — the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, etc. For the eirev rav blemished the money — for through the abundance of money they contended against Moshe. And not only did they not want to be among the tom’chay Oraysa, they even reversed to the opposite extreme — assembling upon Aharon to make them an idol from the money. For just as when one merits that money should be in holiness — the essence of which is through giving one’s money to talmidai chachamim, to be among the tom’chay Oraysa, through which halachos are born, etc. — through which the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos is drawn, as above — so too, in reverse, when one blemishes the money and chases after money only for one’s own desires, and even contends against the true talmidai chachamim who engage in birthing halachos — then one separates the pe’ulos mishtanos and causes heresies in the world. This is the aspect of the blemish of the eirev rav, which came through the abundance of money, as it is written: “and enough gold” (Deuteronomy 1:1, per Chazal) — through which they made idolatry and denied Hashem and separated in their minds the pe’ulos mishtanos from the achdus ha’pashut. This was the nature of all the matters of idolatry in the earlier generations — because it is impossible to comprehend in the mind how all the pe’ulos mishtanos are drawn from the achdus ha’pashut, through this they came to heresies until they made idolatry, and they had many false wisdoms in this, as our Sages of blessed memory said. And similarly, the heresies that are found now, in our many sins, through the investigators [philosophers] and those who contend against the true tzaddikim, who engage in external wisdoms — all of this is drawn from this, from the aspect of the sin of the eigel, from which we have not yet been purified, and all the visitations come through this, as it is written: “And on the day that I visit,” etc. (Exodus 32:34). May Hashem, may He be blessed, protect and save us from now on. And therefore the repair for this is the shekalim that they gave as donation for the Mishkan, from which the adanim [sockets] were made, upon which the entire Mishkan was erected. For there, in the Mishkan, all the halachos of the Torah were born and revealed, as Rashi explains — that from the day the Mishkan was erected, Hashem did not speak to Moshe about any of the halachos of the Torah except in the Ohel Mo’ed. And therefore the shekalim, from which the adanim were made upon which the Mishkan stood, are in the aspect of the tom’chay Oraysa — for through the halachos born from there, and likewise the blessings and thanksgivings that took place in the Mishkan, through all of this all the repairs mentioned above were accomplished, until the achdus ha’pashut was revealed from there, as it is written: “And I will meet with you there,” etc. (Exodus 25:22) — in the aspect of: “And the Mishkan shall be one” (Exodus 26:6). And therefore they were commanded to count them through the shekalim. For Moshe found this very difficult, as our Sages of blessed memory said, and as is brought in the piyyut of Parashas Shekalim — for how could he count Israel, who are above counting, for the entire holiness of Israel is to be included in the ultimate achdus ha’pashut, for they are all as one man, as above, and as it is written: “that cannot be counted,” etc. But Hashem, may He be blessed, commanded them to count them precisely through the shekalim — for through the shekalim, which are the aspect of the tom’chay Oraysa, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — which is very precious to Hashem, may He be blessed, when the achdus ha’pashut is revealed below in this world, precisely from within the pe’ulos mishtanos. And the more the pe’ulos mishtanos multiply, which is the abundance of divergent opinions — when they are included together in one da’as to believe in the achdus ha’pashut, it is more and more precious in His eyes, may He be blessed, as above. Therefore, through giving the shekalim, they must be counted precisely — for the counting is the aspect of multiplicity and divergence. They also needed to be counted by the number of names, mentioning each one by his name, which corresponds to the divergence of his intellect and his mind. And through the abundance of divergences, the plague can prevail, G–d forbid — which is the sitra d’mosa, whose hold comes from the world of separation, from the abundance of divergences. But through the shekalim, etc. — through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed precisely from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos, etc. — through this, precisely a great repair is made through the counting, which is the aspect of the revelation of the abundance of divergences. For precisely through this, His glory, may He be blessed, is enlarged and exalted — through the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut, may He be blessed, precisely through the abundance of divergences, as above — through all of them acknowledging one da’as and giving shekalim to the donation of the Mishkan, where His divinity is revealed, etc., as above. §37 And therefore they were commanded to give specifically a half-shekel — to teach that each individual Jew has no completeness except through his fellow. For the essential repair is that they should all be included one within the other in love and unity — and each one is the aspect of a half, until he is included in his fellow, and his fellow in his fellow, until they are all included, in the abundance of their divergent minds, in the achdus ha’pashut — which is very precious to Hashem, may He be blessed, as above. And this is: “The wealthy shall not give more and the poor shall not give less” (Exodus 30:15) — which is the aspect of what is written: “A person’s ransom is his wealth, and a pauper does not hear rebuke” (Proverbs 13:8), in the aspect of: “and the noble is not distinguished before the poor” (Job 34:19), as Rashi explains there — that this was said regarding the shekalim, that each one gave equally a half-shekel, the wealthy and the poor, etc. That is, as above — for the essential purpose of the shekalim is to merit inclusiveness and unity. Therefore they all had to give equally, so that there would be no division and separation between the wealthy and the poor — and the wealthy should not grow proud or rebuke the poor. To teach that this is the essential repair of tzedakah, whose essence is to be among the tom’chay Oraysa — for the essential thing is to merit love and unity, and the wealthy should not be proud over the poor. For the essential thing is to be included in the achdus ha’pashut, which is impossible to be included in except through humility and self-nullification, the aspect of love and unity — that each one should nullify himself before his fellow. And this He hinted to them through the shekalim — that He commanded they all give equally, the wealthy shall not give more and the poor shall not give less, in the aspect of “and the noble is not distinguished before the poor” mentioned above, in the aspect of “and a pauper does not hear rebuke.” To teach that they are all equal before Him, may He be blessed, and they all have a portion in the erection of the Mishkan — through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos that are included together, as above. And therefore, in truth, regarding the other donations of the Mishkan, each one gave according to the blessing of Hashem and according to the generosity of his heart, as Rashi explains there: “Three donations are mentioned here.” But regarding the shekalim, He warned them that they all give equally — so that the wealthy would learn and understand hints for themselves, that they should never be proud of their giving, even when they give much. For it is fitting for them to understand that Hashem, may He be blessed, could erect the Mishkan through the poor just as through the wealthy — for “wealth and honor come from before Him,” and He can impoverish this one and enrich that one. And certainly, whoever has a little true understanding, it is fitting for him to understand that he should not be proud — even the wealthy one who gives much tzedakah to true talmidai chachamim. On the contrary, it is fitting for him to be ashamed and greatly self-nullified — who is he that he has merited this, that Hashem, may He be blessed, has given him such wealth that he merits to support the talmidai chachamim? And moreover, he still has much wealth and riches remaining in his house, for certainly he does not even give half of his wealth. And the poor and destitute person, who is a worthy person just like him and usually more so than him, has no bread or garment in his house, and also does not merit to support the talmidai chachamim with his money. And how can one be proud of the wealth that Hashem, may He be blessed, has given him, that much remains with him and he also supports the talmidai chachamim, that he merits to have an everlasting investment? And all of this, Hashem, may He be blessed, hinted to them through the shekalim that He commanded they all give equally — to teach that, just as the adanim that uphold the Mishkan were made through the donation of the shekalim that all gave equally, so too Hashem, may He be blessed, could have made the entire Mishkan through all of them equally. But He desires to bestow merit upon each one according to his worth, according to His designs that have been reckoned for him. But you, the wealthy — do not be proud, for everything is from Him, as David said: “For everything is from You, and from Your hand we have given to You” (I Chronicles 29:14). For the essential tzedakah is to support the talmidai chachamim who birth halachos — which is the aspect of the erection of the Mishkan that the tzaddikim, in the aspect of Moshe in every generation, engage in — for the essential thing is love and inclusiveness, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc., as above. §38 And this is the aspect of Purim, which is the obliteration of Haman-Amalaik. For Amalaik blemishes everything mentioned above, as was explained above (in §27). For “Amalaik is the first of the nations” (Numbers 24:20) — he is the aspect of a heretic and he wants to confuse and cast blemish upon the “beginning” and the “start” — as if Hashem, may He be blessed, has not yet begun to save at all. For he was the first to come to wage war against Israel when they went out of Egypt, and he strengthened himself in his wickedness to stand against Israel, for whom Hashem, may He be blessed, had performed such miracles in the Exodus from Egypt, until Pharaoh was compelled to acknowledge “that Hashem is the righteous One” and expelled them from Egypt. And Amalaik is such a brazen one that he went out against them, and as Rashi explains there on the verse “Write this as a memorial in the book” (Exodus 17:14) — a parable of a boiling bath, etc. For he is a heretic from beginning to end, denying the miracles and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, does with us at all times, and blemishing all the repairs explained above — and the main thing is that he provokes and strengthens himself so that the achdus ha’pashut should not, G–d forbid, be revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above. And he lies in wait against all Israel constantly, and principally he strengthens himself, G–d forbid, in time of exile and trouble — for then he wants to cast heresies into the heart, as if Hashem, may He be blessed, has not yet begun to save Israel at all. And this is the aspect of the strengthening of Haman-Amalaik at the end of the exile of Babylon — for he said: since Nevuchadnetzar has already prevailed and destroyed the Bais HaMikdash which stood for several hundred years and exiled Israel from their land, etc. — they no longer have hope to return, G–d forbid. And therefore he and his impure offspring strengthened themselves to halt the rebuilding of the Bais HaMikdash — for he said that hope was lost for Israel, G–d forbid. And this is what is written: “There is one nation” (Esther 3:8), and our Sages of blessed memory expounded: “Their G–d is asleep” [yashein = yeshno] — meaning, that He would no longer save Israel, G–d forbid, as if He were asleep. And this is: “scattered and separated among the nations, and their laws are different from every nation” (Esther 3:8) — he said that they are scattered and separated among the nations, in the aspect of the abundance of divergent opinions and dispute, the aspect of scattering and separation among the nations, having fallen to the minds of the seventy nations. All of this is the opposite of the inclusiveness of the pe’ulos mishtanos in the achdus ha’pashut, as above. And this is: “and their laws are different,” etc. — he said that the law of Israel is in the aspect of the strengthening of divergences and scattering and separation, G–d forbid. For he denied the holy law of Israel — that the entire law of our holy Torah is that through the law of our holy Torah, one is included in the achdus ha’pashut, through every single mitzvah and through every letter and word of the holy Torah. For “the Torah, Israel, and the Holy One, blessed be He, are all one.” And Haman wanted to turn the dish upside-down, G–d forbid, and said that everything is in reverse. And therefore he wanted to prevail over Israel — to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate, etc. — for he is the aspect of the overpowering of the bloods in the time of trouble. For he is from the seed of Eisav, “the reddish one” (Genesis 25:25) — on account of the overpowering of the evil bloods, from which comes the sitra d’mosa, which is drawn from the sin of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Where is Haman [hinted] from the Torah? As it is said: ‘Is it from the tree?’” (Chullin 139b; Genesis 3:11) — for then death was decreed, and therefore he wanted to annihilate Israel, G–d forbid. And so it is in every generation and in every person, as it is written: “Hashem’s war against Amalaik from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:16) — for he prevails upon every person at all times with all kinds of stratagems to make him fall, G–d forbid. For he is the tempter, he is the accuser, etc. — for first he entices the person to whatever he entices him, and afterwards he prosecutes him, until some trouble or suffering comes upon him, G–d forbid. And it is he himself who weakens and confuses the person’s heart so that he does not cry out and supplicate before Hashem, may He be blessed — for he puts into his heart as if hope is lost, G–d forbid, and he wants to make him forget all the good things and kindnesses and miracles and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, has done with our fathers and with each and every individual in particular. And the repair for all of this is the aspect of Mordechai, who is the aspect of the true tzaddik, the aspect of mor d’ror [pure myrrh] — maray dachya — which is the chief spice of the anointing oil, with which the entire Mishkan and its vessels were anointed, and Aharon the Kohen and his sons. For all of their service in the Mishkan and the Bais HaMikdash was entirely to include all the pe’ulos mishtanos in the achdus ha’pashut, as above — for there was the essential revelation of divinity, as it is written: “And I will meet there with the children of Israel,” etc. (Exodus 29:43), as above. And the essential holiness of the Mishkan and its vessels was drawn through the anointing oil, which is a good fragrance of holiness, drawn from an exceedingly, exceedingly exalted holiness that has the power to sanctify the entire Mishkan and its vessels, etc. — to elevate and bring them from profane to holy. For the essence of holiness is being included in the achdus ha’pashut, where lies the root of all holinesses. Thus, the anointing oil that Moshe made had such wondrous power to elevate the entire Mishkan and its vessels — which were made of gold and silver and copper and blue-purple and red-purple, etc., etc. — in which there was an abundance of divergences and many hues in the silver and gold, etc., which are the totality of all worldly desires, especially the desire for money, which is the aspect of the overpowering of the bloods, etc. mentioned above. And the Mishkan, which was made from all of this, was the repair for all of this, as above. And all its holiness was drawn through the anointing oil, through which the Mishkan and its vessels were sanctified, and it elevated everything — all the many hues and divergences — so that they would be included in the achdus ha’pashut, where lie all the holinesses. Through this, the Mishkan had the power to atone for the children of Israel, to purify them from all the impurities, all of which are the aspect of the heresies drawn from the aspect of separation mentioned above, which separates, G–d forbid, the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc., as above. For the essential repair is through the aspect of good fragrance, which is the life of the soul, which is the aspect of the anointing oil made with such exalted preparations that it has the power to draw a good fragrance to all who are distant from holiness — who cannot be revived except through the aspect of good fragrance, in the aspect of what is said regarding the souls of Israel who are cast down in the exile of their desires and traits, G–d forbid: “Support me with cakes of raisins, spread my bed with apples, for I am lovesick” (Song of Songs 2:5), as Rashi explains there — that these are kinds of fragrances. For in our many sins, in the extremity of our weakness now, in the intensity of the bitterness of exile, our strength has already been so weakened that we do not feel the pleasantness and sweetness of the honeycomb — the words of sweetness of the true tzaddikim who revive us with such pure utterances, in the aspect of: “All food is abhorred by their soul,” etc. (Psalms 107:18). And our life-force comes only from what we smell from afar — a little of the good, holy, and awesome fragrance of the holy Torah-novelties of the true tzaddikim. And this is the aspect of the fragrance of the anointing oil, through which everything is sanctified and enters from outside to inside — from which comes the holiness of Mordechai, as above, who subdues the kelipah of Haman-Amalaik who wants to cast blemish upon the beginning of the salvation, as if Hashem, may He be blessed, has not yet begun to save at all. And Mordechai knows all of this and in his wisdom instills the holy emunah in Israel, and illuminates the heart of man, and reminds him at all times of all the good things and miracles and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, has already done with us, in general and in particular, etc. And as it is written: “Bless Hashem, O my soul, and do not forget all His bounties,” etc. (Psalms 103:2). And through this, one has the power to cry out and supplicate before Hashem, may He be blessed, that He should save us even now, as above. Through this came the intensity of the miracle of Purim — that Haman-Amalaik was subdued and fell. And in His mercy, may He be blessed, He frustrated his counsel and spoiled his thought, and everything was turned to good, from one extreme to the other, as it is written: “And it was reversed — that the Jews dominated,” etc. (Esther 9:1). And they established these days of Purim as joy and feasting and a festival for all generations — to make known that even in our servitude, our G–d has not forsaken us. This is the intensity of the miracle and the wondrous salvation of Purim, which is greater than all the festivals, as our Sages of blessed memory said — for the essential miracle is what we saw, that even in our servitude, in the intensity of exile, Hashem, may He be blessed, watches over us so much, with wondrous providence, and arranged events for good from beginning to end. That precisely through Haman, the wicked Vashti was killed, and afterwards, through this very thing, the intensity of the miracle came about, that Haman was hanged through Esther — with such wondrous providences, as is explained in the holy Megillah. And one must set his heart well to this, to understand from this that, just so, even now, He has not withdrawn His kindness from us. And one must strengthen himself in joy always, to draw the holiness of the joy of Purim — to believe that Hashem, may He be blessed, is with us even now, in the intensity of this exile — and to give todah and hoda’ah every day for the past, and to beseech for the future, etc., as above. §39 And this is the aspect of: “words of peace and truth” (Esther 9:30) — this is the aspect of the three lines of truth that illuminate within the speech, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, which is the aspect of peace, as above. And this is: “seeking good for his nation” (Esther 10:3) — the aspect of halachos, for he was seeking good for Israel and clarifying all the halachos of the Torah, as our Sages of blessed memory said — that he would open with matters and expound them. And: “speaking peace to all his seed” — the aspect of peace mentioned above, which is the aspect of the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut, etc. — which is the essential completion of the fullness of the repair, as above. And this is: “to all his seed” precisely — for the essential thing is that peace should be drawn, the aspect of the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, to all the seed of Israel who are born in every generation, in the aspect of: “A seed will serve Him; it will be told to Hashem for a generation” (Psalms 22:31). For the essential war of Amalaik is in every generation anew — because in every generation, souls are drawn in wondrous novelties anew, for no two people in all the generations are alike, as was explained above (§23). And because of the abundance of divergences and new forms of intelligence that arise in every generation, Amalaik wants to strengthen himself to separate in thought, G–d forbid, the pe’ulos mishtanos from the achdus ha’pashut, as above. And therefore: “Hashem’s war against Amalaik from generation to generation.” And this is the aspect of all the vain wisdoms that arise anew in every generation — both the external wisdoms, which are the wisdom of philosophy that grow stronger in every generation, and the other wisdoms of the world of foolishness and vanity, where each one imagines that the world has now become wiser, as if in previous generations they had no intellect at all, to desire such implements and adornments, etc. — as such foolish talk is common among the youth. And all of this is drawn from the aspect mentioned above — because in truth, at the root of the holiness of the souls, they are drawn in every generation in the aspect of innovation for good, for the essential glory of Hashem, may He be blessed, is precisely that in the abundance of the immense divergence of opinions, they should be included in His achdus ha’pashut, as above. And “G–d has made one corresponding to the other” (Ecclesiastes 7:14) — therefore the aspect of the contamination of Amalaik wants to reverse everything, as if today they are wiser for evil. But Hashem, may He be blessed, fights him in every generation, as above, through His true tzaddikim, and reveals such wondrous halachos and Torah-novelties in every generation — so that through this, in every generation, the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut is ever greater, from within the abundance and divergence of the many opinions, which are the aspect of the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above. This is the aspect of: “seeking good for his nation and speaking peace to all his seed” precisely, in the aspect of “and unto generation after generation is His faithfulness,” in the aspect of “generation to generation praises Your works,” etc., as above. And understand well, to connect everything from beginning to end, and you will understand counsel and strengthening to draw close always to Hashem, may He be blessed, and to give thanks to His Name, may He be blessed, always — which is the essential ultimate purpose, the aspect of the delight of the World to Come, as above. §40 And this is the aspect of Pesach and the greatness of the mitzvah of relating the story of the Exodus from Egypt, as was explained above (in §16). For now that we have already merited to go out of Egypt, etc. — praise be to G–d, we have a good beginning, etc., as above — therefore we must abundantly tell of the Exodus from Egypt, etc. And this is: “We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt.” For the essential redemption was through Shabbos — through Hashem, may He be blessed, in His mercy drawing upon them Himself the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos upon the six days of the week. Through this, the achdus ha’pashut was revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — that all the pe’ulos mishtanos are all drawn from the achdus ha’pashut Himself, may He be blessed. This was then revealed very, very greatly through all the great, awesome, and immense signs and wonders that Moshe did before the eyes of all Israel — turning water to blood and blood to water, sending frogs, and when he wished, removing them through his prayer. And similarly with all the plagues with which he struck Pharaoh, etc. — demonstrating that all of nature and all the workings of the diverse activities in the entire world are all in the hand of the achdus ha’pashut, and they are in His hand like clay in the hand of the potter. And He reveals His secret to His servants the tzaddikim, so that they can rule over the world and direct everything as they wish. And all of this was drawn at that time by Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself, in the aspect of an awakening from above, as is brought — for they were not yet worthy of the redemption, for they had not yet drawn the repairs mentioned above that are drawn through todah and hoda’ah and halachos, etc. — for it was the first redemption, and they had not yet received the Torah, where all the halachos are, as was explained above. But Hashem, may He be blessed, had compassion upon them, through the merit of the Patriarchs and through the little good He found in them, until through His awesome wonders He compelled Moshe to go and redeem them, and He drew upon them Himself the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos upon the weekdays, until the achdus ha’pashut was revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, through all the signs and wonders, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of Shabbos HaGadol before Pesach — for the essential miracles of Pesach were through the holiness of Shabbos, as above. And therefore it is called Shabbos HaGadol [the Great Shabbos] — for this is the essential greatness of Hashem, may He be blessed — when His unity, may He be blessed, is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above, which is accomplished through Shabbos, as above. And this is why we begin “We were slaves,” etc. — for before the redemption, in the time of exile (that is, before they merited to draw the holiness of Shabbos to the weekdays), we were slaves — because the aspect of the weekdays held sway, which are the aspect of “servant,” as is explained there in the Torah mentioned above. “And Hashem our G–d brought us out from there,” etc. — that is, Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself brought us out from there, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, even though we were not worthy — for we had not yet drawn upon ourselves all the repairs mentioned above. Even so, Hashem, may He be blessed, had compassion upon us and brought us out Himself, through the power of His wondrous mercy, as above. And this is: “And had the Holy One, blessed be He, not brought out our fathers from Egypt, behold we and our children and our children’s children would still be enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt.” That is, the essential Exodus from Egypt was to reveal His divinity, may He be blessed, from generation to generation forever, as it is written: “And you shall make known to your children and your children’s children” (Deuteronomy 4:9), in the aspect of “and unto generation after generation is His faithfulness” — which one merits through Torah/halachah, from which come all the holy births of the seed of Israel, the holy nation. But at that time, they were not yet worthy of this — only Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself drew in His mercy all the repairs mentioned above, until He redeemed them Himself. But had the Holy One, blessed be He, not brought out, etc. — behold we and our children, etc., would still be enslaved, etc. — for now that we have already merited the Exodus from Egypt and we have a good beginning, as above, through this we merit each time the aspect of todah/halachah, as above, through which the births of children are drawn in the holiness of Israel — and we are able to teach them and make known to them, from generation to generation, from father to son, the works of Hashem, for they are awesome, in the aspect of “generation to generation praises Your works,” etc. — until all of them walk in this path, in the path of the holy Torah, to give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, always, etc. — and to engage in halachos, etc., until they reveal in each generation the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, which is accomplished anew in every generation, as above. All of this is the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos, which is the aspect of “son,” to nullify the aspect of the servitude of the weekdays. But had the Holy One, blessed be He, not brought out our fathers from Egypt in His mercy, by Himself, as above — behold we and our children and our children’s children would still be enslaved, etc. — for we would not have merited the birth of children in holiness, in the aspect of “son,” the aspect of freedom — but all the children and children’s children would have been in the aspect of servitude, as above, from which came the entire exile of Egypt, as above. And this is: “And even if we were all wise, all understanding, all elders, all knowing the Torah — it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt.” That is, at first glance it is difficult — why did He emphasize so many times the telling of the Exodus from Egypt? For the essential purpose of the Exodus from Egypt was for the sake of the Giving of the Torah, as it is written: “When you bring out the nation from Egypt, you shall serve G–d on this mountain” (Exodus 3:12) — which is the Giving of the Torah. And it would have been fitting to tell only of the miracle of the Giving of the Torah. And why did He emphasize more the telling of the Exodus from Egypt? And even the Giving of the Torah itself began: “I am Hashem your G–d Who brought you out of the land of Egypt,” etc. (Exodus 20:2). And similarly in most of the mitzvos. But according to the above, it is well explained — for the essential intensity of the miracle is the beginning, which is the Exodus from Egypt, which was the first redemption, which was very difficult because “this depends upon that,” etc., as above. And this is: “And even if we were all wise, etc., all knowing the Torah — it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt” specifically, even more so. Even though now we already know the Torah, which is the essential purpose for which we went out of Egypt, as above — even so, it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt, which is the beginning, through which we merited to know the Torah — for that beginning was the most difficult of all, as above. And we need now to tell about this even more — for even now, all the keeping of the Torah depends upon this. For the more one gives thanks and praises Him, may He be blessed, for the greatness of His kindness of the beginning, which is the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt, which was very difficult — the more one tells and gives thanks and praises Him, may He be blessed — so are all the repairs mentioned above drawn even more, through which the hoda’ah in turn grows ever greater, etc. — and so it cycles around for the good, as above. Through all of this, one merits joy, which is the essential thing — to strengthen oneself from wherever one is, to rejoice in the salvation of Hashem, etc. — through which everyone can enter into the keeping of the Torah, as above. And therefore, even if we were all wise and understanding and elders and knowing the Torah and all that has passed over us has already passed and we have merited the salvation of Hashem and immense wonders — it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt, when the beginning was, as above — through which one merits to strengthen himself in joy even now, through which comes the essential keeping of the Torah, as above. And this is: “And whoever tells more of the Exodus from Egypt — behold, this is praiseworthy.” For each and every person must tell abundantly of the Exodus from Egypt, in general and in particular — how many miracles and wonders Hashem, may He be blessed, did with us — so that the hoda’ah should grow each time even more, through which comes the essential repair, as above. And this is: “And whoever tells more of the Exodus from Egypt — behold, this is praiseworthy.” And it is brought in the Kavanos: “behold, this is praiseworthy” — in chasadim [kindnesses] — that is, the aspect of “whoever is wise, let him observe these things, and they will contemplate the kindnesses of Hashem” (Psalms 107:43) — the aspect of “the faithful kindnesses of David” (Isaiah 55:3), which are drawn through todah/hoda’ah, as is explained there. §41 And this is: “It happened with Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua,” etc. — who were telling of the Exodus from Egypt all that night, until their students came and said to them: “Our teachers, the time for the morning Krias Shema has arrived.” The time for Krias Shema precisely — for through the abundance of telling of the Exodus from Egypt, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed even more from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above, which is the aspect of Krias Shema — to reveal the achdus ha’pashut in the world, in the aspect of: “Hashem our G–d, Hashem is One.” “Hashem our G–d” — that is, His divinity that dwells and is clothed within us, within all the pe’ulos mishtanos. “Hashem is One” — everything is included and unified in His achdus ha’pashut, may He be blessed. And as our Sages of blessed memory said, one must extend the dales of echad in order to crown Him above and below and in the four directions — which are the totality of the pe’ulos mishtanos in all six extremities, all of which are included in His unity, may He be blessed. For Hashem is One, and everything is drawn only from Him, may He be blessed. And all of this is revealed through the abundance of telling of the Exodus from Egypt. And therefore Hashem, may He be blessed, arranged it so that these tzaddikim told of the Exodus from Egypt, etc., until their students came — those who received the halachos from them, which are also the aspect of todah, as above — and said to them: “Our teachers, the time for Krias Shema has arrived,” etc. — for through this, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed, which is the aspect of Krias Shema, as above. And to sweeten further and explain the statement mentioned above — “Whoever tells more of the Exodus from Egypt,” etc. — it is thus: For all the kinds of counsel that our Sages of blessed memory illuminated for us, with which one can strengthen himself — the adversary constantly lies in wait to push him away from them, G–d forbid. Therefore, one needs great stubbornness. And so it is with the matter mentioned above — that one must strengthen himself to give thanks always to Hashem, may He be blessed, for all the kindnesses and wonders, etc., even if he is as he is, for even so, He has already bestowed upon us immense wonders. But the adversary constantly strengthens himself to cause forgetfulness and concealment, G–d forbid, etc. Therefore a person must strengthen himself to tell abundantly of the Exodus from Egypt, etc., in the aspect mentioned above. And this is: “Whoever tells more” — “more” precisely — for one must increase so much, until he increases the telling of the Exodus from Egypt over the hinderer, until it exceeds him and nullifies him — in the manner our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the nullification of a prohibited substance: “one increases over it and nullifies it.” And this is: “And whoever tells more” of the kindnesses of Hashem, etc. — which is the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt, etc., as above — who increases the telling over the hinderer until he nullifies him, as above — “behold, this is praiseworthy,” as above. §42 And this is: “And I will pass through the land of Egypt — I, and not an angel; I, and not a seraph; I, and not an emissary; I am Hashem — I am He and not another.” That is, during the Exodus from Egypt, the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos was so great that even above, His achdus ha’pashut, may He be blessed, was revealed — as is explained there in the Torah mentioned above: that when the achdus ha’pashut is revealed below, His achdus ha’pashut is revealed also above, in the aspect of: “You are One and Your Name is One, and who is like Your nation Israel, one nation in the land,” etc. And this is: “And I will pass through the land of Egypt — I, and not an angel; I, and not a seraph,” etc. — for all the concealments and hiddennesses were nullified. For sometimes Hashem, may He be blessed, clothes His conduct through the angels, in the aspect of “Behold, I am sending an angel before you” (Exodus 23:20) — which was said after the sin, and Moshe did not desire this. For then one can err, G–d forbid, as Acheir erred through this. And as the verse itself there warns: “Beware of him, do not defy him,” and our Sages of blessed memory expounded: “Do not exchange Me for him” — for from there is drawn the error of all idolators. And similarly the errors of the naturalist philosophers of today — for the angel is called Elokim, which has the numerical value of ha’teva [nature]. But at the time of the Exodus from Egypt, Hashem, may He be blessed, had compassion upon us and revealed His achdus ha’pashut below and above — that there is no governance in the world except through Himself alone, in the aspect of: “I, and not an angel; I, and not a seraph,” etc. — “I am Hashem; I am He and not another.” For all the diverse activities in the world — all are from Him, may He be blessed, Himself, as above. Shayach l’eil — This belongs above [at the end of the Apotropos section]: And therefore we say Birchas Kohanim [the Priestly Blessing] after Birchas HaTorah [the Blessing over the Torah]. For Birchas HaTorah is the aspect of the hoda’ah mentioned above — that we bless and give thanks every day, immediately in the morning, for the pleasantness of our portion, that we merited to receive the Torah, which is the essential path to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, from wherever one is, as is explained above (in §5). Through this, all the repairs mentioned above are accomplished, until one merits that all the pe’ulos mishtanos should be included in the achdus ha’pashut — which is the aspect of peace and unity among all Israel, that all the divergent opinions should be included together, etc., as above. This, Aharon the Kohen merited more than anyone else — through the fact that he was not jealous of Moshe his brother, even though he [Moshe] was greater than him, and he went out to greet him with joy, as it is written: “And he shall see you and rejoice in his heart” (Exodus 4:14). And through this, he merited the Kehunah, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “In reward for ‘and he shall see you,’ etc., he merited the Choshen HaMishpat [Breastplate of Judgment] upon his heart.” Therefore we say Birchas Kohanim, which is the holiness of Aharon the Kohen, after Birchas HaTorah — for they are of one aspect and depend upon each other, as above. And therefore Birchas Kohanim concludes with peace, as it is written: “and grant you peace” (Numbers 6:26) — for through the hoda’ah mentioned above, which is the aspect of Birchas HaTorah, one merits peace and unity, as above. And all of this we merited through Aharon the Kohen, as above. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said: “Be of the students of Aharon, loving peace and pursuing peace” (Avos 1:12) — that is, as above. And this is: “loving the creatures and bringing them close to the Torah” — for the essential drawing close to the Torah is through the aspect mentioned above, through todah/hoda’ah, which is Birchas HaTorah, through which one merits peace, which is the aspect of the holiness of Aharon the Kohen, as above. ◆ Translator’s Summary ◆ This collection of halachos applies the law of perikah u’te’inah (helping unload and load an animal) across multiple spiritual dimensions, drawing on several of Rabbainu’s Toros. Avaidah 3, §§15–16 (LM I:13): The tzadik can raise even the farthest souls through ibbur — “Go out and see the might of your Master.” But only “with him” — the person must make some effort himself. Physically: the burden of livelihood derives from distance from Torah/hashgachah shelaimah. ↓ Halacha 1 (LM I:59): Hatred blemishes da’as → burden falls. Love/helping rectifies da’as → burden is raised. Kavod (honor) = root of souls = the Samech that supports all who fall. But an elder whose honor would be damaged is exempt/forbidden. ↓ Halacha 2 (LM II:7): True compassion = helping a Jew shed the burden of sin. Finding merit in a sinner (LM I:282) judges him favorably → lifts the spiritual burden → lifts the physical burden. Livelihood flows from the “sea of wisdom” when da’as illuminates. ↓ Halacha 4 (LM II:2): Shabbos = simple unity; weekdays = diverse activities. Drawing Shabbos holiness into the week reveals that all multiplicity flows from the One. Strife/suffering = disconnect from this unity. Helping the “enemy” unload = abandoning hatred = restoring unity = rest for all. A convert’s inclusion reveals achdus ha’pashut from the most remote “changed activities.” Recurring themes: (1) Hatred/sin = heaviness/falling; love/merit-finding = lightness/raising. (2) Da’as and kavod are intimately linked — both are needed to bear and lift burdens. (3) The Torah commands engagement with even the fallen, but with wisdom about who can be reached. (4) Physical burdens and spiritual burdens are inseparable — rectifying one rectifies the other. Note: The subdivision Hefker v’Nichsay HaGer continues from §30 (Apotropos) through §42, elaborating on: the signs and wonders in Egypt revealing that all pe’ulos mishtanos derive from Him alone; the personal application — todah and hoda’ah even in the midst of distress; the rooster pecking in the refuse-heap (even tiny mitzvos are cherished); the cycle of struggle and redemption in every generation; Rosh Hashanah and Alainu as the ultimate revelation of achdus ha’pashut; the Shabbos Zohar passage; the laws of inheritance and their connection to all the above. These sections await translation in a continuation. Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman

And therefore Amalaik, who blemishes all of this — His Name, may He be blessed, and His throne are not complete until the memory of Amalaik is blotted out. For the essential repair of the throne in fullness is through the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut, etc., which is drawn through the abundance of generations, in the aspect of “Your throne, from generation to generation.” And Amalaik, who blemishes all of this — therefore the war of Hashem against Amalaik is “from generation to generation,” precisely. And this is: “For a hand is upon the throne of Hashem — Hashem’s war against Amalaik, from generation to generation” — that His throne, as it were, is not complete until He wins His war against Amalaik in every generation. And then it will be fulfilled: “And Hashem shall sit forever, having established His throne for judgment” (Psalms 9:8) — that the Name will be complete and the throne will be complete, as Rashi explains. For the throne will be completed through the upright ones of every generation, in the aspect of “Your throne, from generation to generation,” as above. §28 And the wise person who desires truth can understand in his heart, according to our words, the immensity of the war in every generation — and in particular, what is done with him in that generation in which he lives. For the essential war with each and every individual in particular is the overpowering of the flooding of the bloods, from which come all the troubles in body, soul, and money. For the essential troubles are the overpowering of the desires and evil traits that embitter a person’s life and bring him to what they bring him, G–d forbid — and from there come all the sufferings in body, money, and children, etc., G–d forbid. And at the time of the intensification of the troubles, one does not know at all what to do, and the bloods flood upon the heart — like one who seeks counsel and strategy to emerge from the trouble, as is explained at the beginning of the Torah mentioned above. And afterward, Hashem, may He be blessed, in His mercy brings him out of the trouble — for Hashem, may He be blessed, performs revealed and hidden miracles and wonders with every person, every single day, as above. And as it is written: “The wicked watches the righteous,” etc. (Psalms 37:32). And as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Every day,” etc. — “and were the Holy One, blessed be He, not helping him,” etc. — for “Hashem will not abandon him in his hand” (Psalms 37:33). And as it is written: “He rescues the poor from one who is stronger than him,” etc. (Psalms 35:10). And all the salvations and miracles are all through the power of the tzaddikay emes, who instill in us the ability to cry out and to raise our eyes at every moment to Hashem, may He be blessed — which is the essential glory of Him, may He be blessed, as it is written: “Call upon Me on the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me” (Psalms 50:15). But even though Hashem, may He be blessed, does many kindnesses and miracles and wonders with us every day and at every time, in every generation, and with each individual in particular — even so, the Sitra Achra, the aspect of Amalaik, constantly undermines, slandering and accusing and inciting and provoking each and every person. For he is the Satan, he is the inciter, he is the accuser, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “He descends and incites,” etc. And as is brought in the holy Zohar regarding the war of Amalaik: “The battle is above and below” — that is, as above; and understand. And therefore one must walk very, very much with the counsel mentioned above — to look at every moment at the immensity of the expanses and salvations and wonders that He has already done with us, etc., as above, and to find expanses even within the troubles themselves, as above. And through this, one will be accustomed always to give praise and thanksgiving to Him, may He be blessed, for everything that “until here He has helped us” with His immense wonders. And as it is written: “I have awakened, and I am still with You” (Psalms 139:18) — and as Rashi explains: “I have come to the end of all the generations, and I am still with You” — that is, even now, in these latter days, which is the aspect of the end of all the generations, even now “I am still with You” — that there is still in each and every one of us the aspect of “yet a little, and there is no wicked one,” etc. (Psalms 37:10) — which is the aspect of “I will sing to my G–d while I yet live (‘b’odi’),” etc. — that one must walk in this very much, as he, of blessed memory, warned us. And the main thing is to give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, for this always, and especially in a time of trouble, G–d forbid — that precisely then one should strengthen himself to pay attention, to look at the wondrous true and eternal salvations that Hashem, may He be blessed, has already performed for him, etc. And through the aspect of todah/halachah, etc. — through this, one will merit that truth will illuminate, etc., until one draws the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — through which the trouble is nullified. And through this, the aspect of todah grows, etc., as above — and so it cycles around for the good, etc., as above. And if the opposition, the aspect of Amalaik, returns and intensifies — the choice is in his hand to return and strengthen himself through all the above. And as soon as he sets his heart to this, Hashem, may He be blessed, will help him in this greatly — for “the kindnesses of Hashem have not ceased,” etc. (Lamentations 3:22). And so each time, until he merits, through His mercy, may He be blessed, and through the power of the tzaddikay emes, to win the war — and then he will merit todah in fullness, which is the essential delight of the World to Come. Fortunate is he! And there will be fulfilled in him: “Fortunate is the person whose strength is in You” (Psalms 84:6), etc. For one needs boldness and immense strengthening and great stubbornness beyond measure — whoever desires to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed. And the essential strengthening is through all the above; and understand well, very well. §29 And regarding yibum and chalitzah that we mentioned above, we did not explain it well, for this is not the place for it. And this is: “And she shall remove his shoe from upon his foot” (Deuteronomy 25:9) — for there the soul of the deceased is bound, as is brought. For the essential blemish is in the legs (raglayim) — where the bloods need to flow in their proper order when one merits holadah. And this one who did not merit to leave seed blemished in this — and therefore: “She shall remove his shoe from upon his foot” — “his foot” precisely. And therefore the halachos are called “the goings (halichos) of the world” (Habakkuk 3:6) — for the essential fullness of the halachah is that one should merit through it to walk (lailaich) in it, to draw close through it to Hashem, may He be blessed, to His service — the aspect of “the goings of the world” — that one should merit to remain standing in holiness forever and ever. For the world in general is called the aspect of “legs” relative to Him, may He be blessed, as it is written: “And the earth is My footstool” (Isaiah 66:1). And the woman and the money, where the essential overpowering of the pe’ulos mishtanos takes place, are called “his legs,” as is explained elsewhere. And this is: “The heavens are My throne and the earth is My footstool; what house will you build for Me?” etc. (Isaiah 66:1). For the essential repair of His throne in the heavens is precisely through “the earth, My footstool” — through the legs, which are the very lowest levels, where the essential abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos resides — when they are included in His unity, may He be blessed, in the aspect of: “Hashem in the heavens has established His throne, and His sovereignty rules over all” (Psalms 103:19). For precisely when they know that His sovereignty rules over all, and all the pe’ulos mishtanos are from Him, may He be blessed — then precisely “in the heavens He has established His throne,” as above. And this is the aspect of the Mishkan and the Bais HaMikdash, the aspect of: “Exalt Hashem our G–d and prostrate yourselves at His footstool,” etc. (Psalms 99:5). And this is the aspect of what is brought in the writings [of the Ari z”l] — that the essential completion of the repair will be when it is fulfilled: “And His feet shall stand on that day,” etc. (Zechariah 14:4), in the aspect of “until the feet reach the feet” — that is, as above. And therefore the essential repair is through all the above, which is the aspect of todah/halachah, the aspect of “the goings of the world,” the aspect of the repair of the legs, as above. Apotropos [Laws of Guardianship] §30 And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said in the Mishnah: “A guardian (apotropos) whom the father of orphans appointed does not swear; one whom the beis din appointed does swear” (Gittin 52a). For it has already been explained — the matter of inheritance that belongs to children: the begetting of children is drawn through the money of holiness of the tom’chay Oraysa, from which comes all the money in the world, as above. For the essential obligation to leave children is only for this purpose — so that the children who were born through the halachos that were born through the tom’chay Oraysa, from which come all the births in the world, as above, should draw all the repairs that are drawn through the halachos, which are the aspect of todah/hoda’ah — which is to illuminate truth in the world and to complete the speech, until they merit to reveal the achdus ha’pashut from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos — which are the children of the seed of Israel who have multiplied in the world. For the more the seed of Israel multiplies, among whom there is great divergence of opinions, as above — and when they are all included in one da’as and unify His Name, may He be blessed — through this, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed even more from within very many diverse activities, which is the essential preciousness of the holiness of the enlargement of His glory, may He be blessed, as above. And this is the aspect of what the children say Kaddish after the death of their father and mother. For this person who has departed — his entire purpose is to merit a portion of the World to Come. And the essential delight of the World to Come is todah/hoda’ah, as above, through which the holiness of the holy Shabbos is drawn, which is the aspect of the World to Come, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed, etc. — for the sake of all of which man comes to this world. And therefore, after his death, when he needs to come to this — to the aspect of the delight of the World to Come, which is to give thanks and praise to His Name, may He be blessed, as above — therefore the children say Kaddish after him, which is not a prayer for the deceased but rather a wondrous and awesome praise and thanksgiving to Hashem, may He be blessed, as is brought. For Kaddish includes all kinds of praises and blessings and thanksgivings, etc. — for it is an exceedingly wondrous and awesome praise that “shatters all bars of iron,” as is brought in the holy Zohar. And as we say: “May He be blessed and praised and glorified and exalted,” etc. — “Blessed is He, above all blessings and songs and praises,” etc. And therefore we say Kaddish after all the blessings and thanksgivings, and similarly after all the halachos that are studied — for it is the pillar between world and world, as is brought. For Kaddish includes all the thanksgivings and songs and praises and elevates them all to their supernal root, higher and higher, unto the Infinite. And therefore this departed one, whose entire repair is that the parts of good within him should be gathered — according to what he merited to do good in the world, the entire purpose of which is hoda’ah, which is the delight of the World to Come, and he now needs to come to this, that he should have some portion in the delight of the World to Come, which is hoda’ah, as above — therefore his children say Kaddish after him, which is the totality of all the thanksgivings and songs and praises, etc., and elevates them all, as above. And therefore, through this precisely, the children give their father merit for the World to Come — for praise and thanksgiving, this is the entire delight of the World to Come, as above. And therefore the essential thing is that the children specifically should say Kaddish — for his essential repair is through his children specifically, whom he merited to beget in the world and to multiply the seed of Israel, all of whom engage all their days in thanksgivings and blessings. For every single Jew says every day many blessings and thanksgivings, as our Sages of blessed memory established for us — to say blessings and thanksgivings over every matter in the world, and especially in the morning and evening at the time of prayer — for hoda’ah is the entire delight of the World to Come, as above. And through this, all the repairs mentioned above are accomplished, until one merits to reveal the achdus ha’pashut from the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos — which is accomplished through the abundance of children that he merited to beget, through todah/halachah, as above. Therefore the children specifically say Kaddish, which is the totality of all the thanksgivings — in order to elevate all the blessings and thanksgivings that this departed one merited to engage in during his lifetime. For the essential repair is through the children who were born through this — for through them specifically, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed even more from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos, which is the essential completion of the fullness of the repair, as above. And therefore each person must, during his lifetime, before he departs from the world, command his children and arrange the order of the division of his possessions and money to his children. For the essential root of money and its repair is according to what he merited to support true talmidai chachamim, through whom halachos are born, from which come all the births of children, as above. And every single Jew has a portion in this according to his level. And therefore he must arrange, according to his level, the order of the division of his money to his children after him — that each one should receive his portion properly, according to the root of his portion above in the tom’chay Oraysa who birth halachos, from which come all his births — through which comes the entire repair of the departed one. For todah/halachah and tom’chay Oraysa and the births of children are all one aspect, as is explained in the Torah mentioned above — and everything depends upon each other. And this is the entire purpose and repair of the departed one for the World to Come, as above — for through all of this, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed, etc., as above. And therefore he must appoint a guardian (apotropos) himself during his lifetime. For the guardian appointed over the orphans, who is in the aspect of “father of orphans,” must be appointed by the mouth of the father of the children himself — in order that he arrange his inheritance according to the mind of the father himself, according to what he drew upon himself the aspect of todah/hoda’ah/halachah, according to what he merited with his money to be among the tom’chay Oraysa — which is the entire repair of the money, from which come the births of children, etc., as above. §31 And therefore a guardian whom the father of orphans appointed does not swear — for he is not suspected of falsehood, for truth surely illuminates in him, as is explained there in the Torah mentioned above — that through todah/halachah, truth illuminates, etc. And therefore, since the owner of the inheritance himself appointed him as guardian, truth surely illuminates in him in this matter. For since the departed one, the owner of the inheritance himself, appointed him as guardian according to his own mind, according to his level, according to what he merited to clarify his money so as to have a portion among the tom’chay Oraysa — which is the essential repair of the inheritance and the money from which come all the children, as above — therefore, surely, according to his level, truth illuminates, etc. For through the aspect of todah/halachah, the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, the aspect of the births of children — through all of this, truth illuminates, in the aspect of “Grant truth to Yaakov, kindness to Avraham,” etc. (Micah 7:20). And therefore this guardian is not suspected of falsehood and is trusted without an oath at all, since the father of the children himself appointed him according to his level, according to his portion in the delight of the World to Come, which is the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, etc., as above. But if he did not merit to appoint a guardian himself, to transmit by himself to the guardian the order of his inheritance according to his level, etc., as above — then the beis din must be the “father of orphans” and appoint the guardian. For only the beis din has the power for this, for the beis din illuminates truth — for before them are all the halachos of all the laws and judgments of the Torah, through which truth illuminates, as above. For this is the essence of the beis din — that they should know all the halachos and judge with true and righteous judgments. And therefore the beis din must be three, the aspect of the three lines of truth mentioned above. But the beis din cannot clarify the truth of each individual except through the oath — as it is written: “The owner of the house shall approach the judges for an oath” (Exodus 22:7). For as soon as they come to court, this is because there is a denial between them, and all denials are drawn from the flooding of the bloods mentioned above, from the aspect of “men of blood hate the innocent” (Proverbs 29:10), as is brought there in the Torah mentioned above; see there. For all of this is the aspect of the blemish of todah/halachah, the blemish of the money of holiness, which is in the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa who birth halachos — for he denies his fellow, which is the opposite of all of this. Therefore the beis din cannot clarify except through the oath. For an oath is the aspect of binding, as is brought — the aspect of the illumination of the three lines of truth within the fourfold speech, which is the aspect of the seven days of creation, as is brought elsewhere. This is the aspect of shevuah [oath], from the word sheva [seven] — the aspect of the binding of the weekdays to the seventh day, which is Shabbos, which is “an eternal covenant between Me and the children of Israel,” etc. (Exodus 31:17). For Shabbos is “the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He,” the aspect of “the Torah is the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He” — and this is the aspect of the oath, which is in the Name and with holding an object, which is the Torah. For when there is a denial, which is the blemish of truth, the beis din cannot illuminate truth except through the oath, which includes all the repairs of truth — which is the illumination of the three lines of truth within the fourfold speech, etc. And therefore, since the departed one did not merit to appoint a guardian himself and did not illuminate by himself the aspect of truth that he merited to clarify, according to his portion, in todah/halachah in the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, as above, until the beis din was compelled to involve themselves in appointing a guardian — therefore he requires an oath. For when truth is not clarified in fullness and the beis din needs to clarify it, they cannot clarify it except through the oath, etc., as above. §32 And this is the aspect of: “For I have known him, in order that he command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of Hashem, to do tzedakah and justice” (Genesis 18:19). For the essential bequest that a person must command his children and his household after him is that they should keep the way of Hashem, to do tzedakah and justice — tzedakah and justice precisely. That is, that they should give tzedakah to true talmidai chachamim who birth halachos, which are the judgments of the Torah. And this is the aspect of tzedakah and justice — that is, tzedakah to true talmidai chachamim, through whom the judicial halachos of the Torah are born and revealed — which is the essential repair of the money of this departed one who labored for it during his lifetime, whose entire repair is when the money comes to true talmidai chachamim from whom halachos are born, which are the aspect of todah/hoda’ah, the delight of the World to Come — and to this he must now enter, that he should have a portion in the delight of the World to Come, as above. §33 And this is: “Truth and the judgment of peace, judge in your gates” (Zechariah 8:16). For the judges must judge truth in order to merit through this peace — that all should be included in one da’as, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc., as above. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said: “Whoever judges a true judgment to its truth becomes a partner with the Holy One, blessed be He, in the act of creation” (Shabbos 10a) — as it is written: “And it was evening and it was morning, one day” (Genesis 1:5), etc. For it is written “one day” and not “the first day” — to teach that the Holy One, blessed be He, was alone in His world. That is, to teach that all the divergences in creation, which are the aspect of “and it was evening and it was morning” — which includes all the divergences in the world, for the divergence between day and night, between light and darkness, is the greatest of all divergences (and as we say in the blessing of Krias Shema: “and with understanding He changes the times”), and in this are included all the many divergences of each and every day, without end — and everything was created and continues to exist in order that the achdus ha’pashut should be revealed precisely from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos, as above. And this is: “And it was evening and it was morning” — which are the totality of all divergences — “one day” — in the aspect of Him being alone in His world. That is, to reveal His unity, may He be blessed — that the lone Primordial One created everything, and all the pe’ulos mishtanos are drawn from His unity, may He be blessed. And therefore the judge who judges a true judgment to its truth merits this — that he becomes a partner with the Holy One, blessed be He, in the act of creation, as it is written: “And it was evening,” etc. — “one day.” For through truth, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — which is the aspect of “and it was evening and it was morning — one day,” as above. §34 The sum of the matter is that a person must accustom himself to give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, always, in all that passes over him, as it is written: “In Hashem I praise a word; in G–d I praise a word” (Psalms 56:11) — both in His goodness and in His severity, G–d forbid, as our Sages of blessed memory said. And this is a good and wondrous counsel — that even when a person has become as distant from Hashem, may He be blessed, as he has become, and also in the affairs of this world he is greatly pressed in livelihood and children, etc. (as is common among the majority of the world, as explained elsewhere) — he must precisely then seek and find an expansion within the straits of the trouble, and also remind himself of all the good things and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, has already done with him. And the main thing: that He did not make me a gentile and separated us from those who go astray, etc. And to remind himself that nothing will remain of him or of any person at all except what he seized in this world of some good from the holiness of Israel — and only this is his portion from all his toil. And therefore each person, even the worst of the worst, must rejoice in this greatly, and his mouth should be filled with His praise, etc. all day long — to give thanks and praise and laud, etc. the Fashioner of creation, Who did not make us, etc. — Who did not set our portion like theirs, etc. And once he is accustomed to this, he will certainly seize, every day, to learn some halachos of the Torah, which are His knowledge, may He be blessed — through which one comes to know Him, may He be blessed, and is included in Him, may He be blessed. And through this itself, one will emerge from all the troubles, as above. And through this, the achdus ha’pashut will be revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc. — and through this comes the essential nullification of the trouble, etc. — and so it cycles around for the good, until in the end of all ends, he will certainly merit his good ultimate purpose, which is the delight of the World to Come — which is to give thanks and praise to Him, may He be blessed, forever and to all eternity. And the essential thing for all of this is love of friends and peace — that one should have great love and peace with all Israel, and especially with those who walk in this path. And he should be among the tom’chay Oraysa, both with his money and with his body — that he should support with all his strength the talmidai chachamim who engage in this path, who birth halachos. And through this, he will merit to beget worthy children who engage in Torah, etc., etc. — as was explained above: todah/halachah and tom’chay Oraysa and the births of children are all one aspect and depend upon each other. And one must begin from every single good point among them, until he merits what he merits. Fortunate is he! §35 And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said: “What is meant by the verse: ‘Who is the wise man who will understand this, and to whom the mouth of Hashem has spoken that he may declare it — on what account has the land been destroyed, parched like a desert, with none passing through?’ (Jeremiah 9:11). ‘And Hashem said: Because they forsook My Torah,’ etc. — ‘and did not heed My voice and did not walk in it’” (Jeremiah 9:12). And they explained there: “that they did not bless over the Torah first” (Nedarim 81a). And the matter is astonishing, as all the commentators were astonished by it. And especially that which they said there: “This matter was asked of the Sages and the Prophets and they could not explain it, until the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself explained it” — and it is wondrous. What is this great commotion — who does not know all this, that the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash was because they transgressed the Torah? Is not the entire Torah full of this? For Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, himself already warned them: “If you walk in My statutes,” etc. — “and if you do not listen,” etc. (Leviticus 26). And similarly, in innumerable other places, he told them that if they transgress the Torah they would be lost from the land, etc. And similarly, all the Prophets warned them about this. And what is this — that now they asked everyone “on what account was the land destroyed,” and they could not explain it, until Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself explained it: “Because they forsook My Torah,” etc.? But the essential matter is that Hashem, may He be blessed, asked the Sages and the Prophets to understand this well and to declare on what account the land was destroyed — in a manner that good would come to us from it, that we would understand through this good counsel for how to begin to repair the corruptions that caused the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash. And this is the essential severity and depth of the question that Hashem, may He be blessed, asked the Sages and the Prophets, and they could not explain it. For what was, was — and what difference does it make if it was destroyed on account of whatever it was destroyed on account of? It is already destroyed! But the essential thrust of what Hashem, may He be blessed, sought to ask the Sages and the Prophets — that they should understand this and declare on what account the land was destroyed — is that they should explain the matter well, in a manner that we would understand from it counsel for how to emerge from the corruptions that caused the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash. And therefore they could not explain it, for this is very, very deep — “deep, deep — who can find it?” (Ecclesiastes 7:24). Until the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself explained it: “Because they forsook My Torah, and did not heed My voice, and did not walk in it.” That is, even though they had already transgressed very severe transgressions — idolatry, etc. — even so, in the inner depths of their hearts, their hearts were still burning for Hashem, may He be blessed. For “many waters cannot extinguish the love” (Song of Songs 8:7) between Israel and their Father in Heaven, “and rivers cannot wash it away.” And therefore they should have strengthened themselves, at least to seize some halachos, to learn at least a little every day. But “they forsook My Torah entirely.” And not only that, but “they did not heed My voice” — “hearing depends upon the heart” — that is, they were at least obligated to hear and to attach themselves to the voice of Hashem that calls with a great voice in a person’s heart every single day and at every time, that he should return to Him. And every person must incline his heart to hear the voice of Hashem — that at least he should have strong desires and great yearnings for Hashem, may He be blessed, which is very precious, as is explained elsewhere. And the main thing: “And they did not walk in it — that they did not bless over the Torah first.” For certainly they did not fall in one stroke to such falls, to transgress the law entirely and throw off the yoke as it was at the time of the destruction. And certainly at first they engaged in Torah somewhat — only “they did not bless over the Torah first.” That is, they did not set their hearts to rejoice in the Torah, and to bless and give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, at every time, for the wondrous and awesome kindness that He did with us, in that He chose us from all the nations and gave us His Torah, the hidden treasure, which is our life, etc. — and this is our entire hope forever. And as is explained in the commentators, this is the essential meaning of the blessing over the Torah — to rejoice with all one’s strength in the pleasantness of our portion and our lot. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said that the blessing over the Torah requires great care — that is, the entire matter mentioned above that we have explained: that each person, even if he has fallen and become as distant as he has, even so, he precisely must be accustomed to todah and hoda’ah, to give thanks for the small amount of good points that still remain in him, etc. And through this, he will merit to emerge from all the troubles and to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, etc., as above. And this is: “And they did not walk in it” — for this is a wondrous path and way to draw close and to raise oneself to Hashem, may He be blessed, from all kinds of falls and descents in the world, without end or limit. And had they walked in this path, certainly they would not have fallen so far and they would not have had such troubles. And now, our entire hope to return to our land and to our Bais HaMikdash is through this — for this matter depends upon nothing but teshuvah. But it is very difficult to return, for the adversary lies in wait very, very greatly and spreads himself in length and breadth. And everyone desires to fear Your Name, and even so, most are very far from the paths of teshuvah. And the main reason is because they do not set their hearts to rejoice in the small amount of good that is in them — for sadness and melancholy harm more than anything, and as it is written: “Because you did not serve Hashem your G–d with joy and with gladness of heart” (Deuteronomy 28:47) — that the essential destruction and all the troubles, may the Merciful One save us, are all because they did not serve Him, may He be blessed, with joy — as is brought in the writings of the Ari z”l. That is, as above; and understand well. And therefore Hashem, may He be blessed, was compelled to explain it Himself — in order to hint to us now, in every generation, hints of counsel for how to draw close now to Hashem, may He be blessed, from wherever one is, to repair the corruptions through which the destruction occurred — until we merit a complete redemption soon. And therefore all the above is called “walking” — for it is the repair of the legs, as above, the aspect of “the goings of the world” — through which comes the approach of the redemption, in the aspect of “and His feet shall stand,” etc., as above. For it is a wondrous path and way for every person in the world, etc., as above. §36 And this is the aspect of the work of the Mishkan, which they were commanded after the sin of the eigel [golden calf] — which occurred through the abundance of gold. Through this, the eirev rav [mixed multitude] incited and lured them to separate the pe’ulos mishtanos, G–d forbid, from the achdus ha’pashut — which is the essential sin of idolatry. And the repair was through the Mishkan, which is the aspect of the Bais HaMikdash, the aspect of “throne of glory, exalted from the beginning,” the aspect of “the place of Your dwelling,” etc. — mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the shekalim — “When you raise the head of the children of Israel,” etc. (Exodus 30:12) — that they should all be included together through the counting, and the counting should not cause, G–d forbid, the aspect of separation, which is the sitra d’mosa [the side of death], in the aspect of “and there shall not be a plague among them.” And this is through their giving a ransom for their souls — the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, etc. For the eirev rav blemished the money — for through the abundance of money they contended against Moshe. And not only did they not want to be among the tom’chay Oraysa, they even reversed to the opposite extreme — assembling upon Aharon to make them an idol from the money. For just as when one merits that money should be in holiness — the essence of which is through giving one’s money to talmidai chachamim, to be among the tom’chay Oraysa, through which halachos are born, etc. — through which the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos is drawn, as above — so too, in reverse, when one blemishes the money and chases after money only for one’s own desires, and even contends against the true talmidai chachamim who engage in birthing halachos — then one separates the pe’ulos mishtanos and causes heresies in the world. This is the aspect of the blemish of the eirev rav, which came through the abundance of money, as it is written: “and enough gold” (Deuteronomy 1:1, per Chazal) — through which they made idolatry and denied Hashem and separated in their minds the pe’ulos mishtanos from the achdus ha’pashut. This was the nature of all the matters of idolatry in the earlier generations — because it is impossible to comprehend in the mind how all the pe’ulos mishtanos are drawn from the achdus ha’pashut, through this they came to heresies until they made idolatry, and they had many false wisdoms in this, as our Sages of blessed memory said. And similarly, the heresies that are found now, in our many sins, through the investigators [philosophers] and those who contend against the true tzaddikim, who engage in external wisdoms — all of this is drawn from this, from the aspect of the sin of the eigel, from which we have not yet been purified, and all the visitations come through this, as it is written: “And on the day that I visit,” etc. (Exodus 32:34). May Hashem, may He be blessed, protect and save us from now on. And therefore the repair for this is the shekalim that they gave as donation for the Mishkan, from which the adanim [sockets] were made, upon which the entire Mishkan was erected. For there, in the Mishkan, all the halachos of the Torah were born and revealed, as Rashi explains — that from the day the Mishkan was erected, Hashem did not speak to Moshe about any of the halachos of the Torah except in the Ohel Mo’ed. And therefore the shekalim, from which the adanim were made upon which the Mishkan stood, are in the aspect of the tom’chay Oraysa — for through the halachos born from there, and likewise the blessings and thanksgivings that took place in the Mishkan, through all of this all the repairs mentioned above were accomplished, until the achdus ha’pashut was revealed from there, as it is written: “And I will meet with you there,” etc. (Exodus 25:22) — in the aspect of: “And the Mishkan shall be one” (Exodus 26:6). And therefore they were commanded to count them through the shekalim. For Moshe found this very difficult, as our Sages of blessed memory said, and as is brought in the piyyut of Parashas Shekalim — for how could he count Israel, who are above counting, for the entire holiness of Israel is to be included in the ultimate achdus ha’pashut, for they are all as one man, as above, and as it is written: “that cannot be counted,” etc. But Hashem, may He be blessed, commanded them to count them precisely through the shekalim — for through the shekalim, which are the aspect of the tom’chay Oraysa, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — which is very precious to Hashem, may He be blessed, when the achdus ha’pashut is revealed below in this world, precisely from within the pe’ulos mishtanos. And the more the pe’ulos mishtanos multiply, which is the abundance of divergent opinions — when they are included together in one da’as to believe in the achdus ha’pashut, it is more and more precious in His eyes, may He be blessed, as above. Therefore, through giving the shekalim, they must be counted precisely — for the counting is the aspect of multiplicity and divergence. They also needed to be counted by the number of names, mentioning each one by his name, which corresponds to the divergence of his intellect and his mind. And through the abundance of divergences, the plague can prevail, G–d forbid — which is the sitra d’mosa, whose hold comes from the world of separation, from the abundance of divergences. But through the shekalim, etc. — through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed precisely from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos, etc. — through this, precisely a great repair is made through the counting, which is the aspect of the revelation of the abundance of divergences. For precisely through this, His glory, may He be blessed, is enlarged and exalted — through the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut, may He be blessed, precisely through the abundance of divergences, as above — through all of them acknowledging one da’as and giving shekalim to the donation of the Mishkan, where His divinity is revealed, etc., as above. §37 And therefore they were commanded to give specifically a half-shekel — to teach that each individual Jew has no completeness except through his fellow. For the essential repair is that they should all be included one within the other in love and unity — and each one is the aspect of a half, until he is included in his fellow, and his fellow in his fellow, until they are all included, in the abundance of their divergent minds, in the achdus ha’pashut — which is very precious to Hashem, may He be blessed, as above. And this is: “The wealthy shall not give more and the poor shall not give less” (Exodus 30:15) — which is the aspect of what is written: “A person’s ransom is his wealth, and a pauper does not hear rebuke” (Proverbs 13:8), in the aspect of: “and the noble is not distinguished before the poor” (Job 34:19), as Rashi explains there — that this was said regarding the shekalim, that each one gave equally a half-shekel, the wealthy and the poor, etc. That is, as above — for the essential purpose of the shekalim is to merit inclusiveness and unity. Therefore they all had to give equally, so that there would be no division and separation between the wealthy and the poor — and the wealthy should not grow proud or rebuke the poor. To teach that this is the essential repair of tzedakah, whose essence is to be among the tom’chay Oraysa — for the essential thing is to merit love and unity, and the wealthy should not be proud over the poor. For the essential thing is to be included in the achdus ha’pashut, which is impossible to be included in except through humility and self-nullification, the aspect of love and unity — that each one should nullify himself before his fellow. And this He hinted to them through the shekalim — that He commanded they all give equally, the wealthy shall not give more and the poor shall not give less, in the aspect of “and the noble is not distinguished before the poor” mentioned above, in the aspect of “and a pauper does not hear rebuke.” To teach that they are all equal before Him, may He be blessed, and they all have a portion in the erection of the Mishkan — through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos that are included together, as above. And therefore, in truth, regarding the other donations of the Mishkan, each one gave according to the blessing of Hashem and according to the generosity of his heart, as Rashi explains there: “Three donations are mentioned here.” But regarding the shekalim, He warned them that they all give equally — so that the wealthy would learn and understand hints for themselves, that they should never be proud of their giving, even when they give much. For it is fitting for them to understand that Hashem, may He be blessed, could erect the Mishkan through the poor just as through the wealthy — for “wealth and honor come from before Him,” and He can impoverish this one and enrich that one. And certainly, whoever has a little true understanding, it is fitting for him to understand that he should not be proud — even the wealthy one who gives much tzedakah to true talmidai chachamim. On the contrary, it is fitting for him to be ashamed and greatly self-nullified — who is he that he has merited this, that Hashem, may He be blessed, has given him such wealth that he merits to support the talmidai chachamim? And moreover, he still has much wealth and riches remaining in his house, for certainly he does not even give half of his wealth. And the poor and destitute person, who is a worthy person just like him and usually more so than him, has no bread or garment in his house, and also does not merit to support the talmidai chachamim with his money. And how can one be proud of the wealth that Hashem, may He be blessed, has given him, that much remains with him and he also supports the talmidai chachamim, that he merits to have an everlasting investment? And all of this, Hashem, may He be blessed, hinted to them through the shekalim that He commanded they all give equally — to teach that, just as the adanim that uphold the Mishkan were made through the donation of the shekalim that all gave equally, so too Hashem, may He be blessed, could have made the entire Mishkan through all of them equally. But He desires to bestow merit upon each one according to his worth, according to His designs that have been reckoned for him. But you, the wealthy — do not be proud, for everything is from Him, as David said: “For everything is from You, and from Your hand we have given to You” (I Chronicles 29:14). For the essential tzedakah is to support the talmidai chachamim who birth halachos — which is the aspect of the erection of the Mishkan that the tzaddikim, in the aspect of Moshe in every generation, engage in — for the essential thing is love and inclusiveness, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc., as above. §38 And this is the aspect of Purim, which is the obliteration of Haman-Amalaik. For Amalaik blemishes everything mentioned above, as was explained above (in §27). For “Amalaik is the first of the nations” (Numbers 24:20) — he is the aspect of a heretic and he wants to confuse and cast blemish upon the “beginning” and the “start” — as if Hashem, may He be blessed, has not yet begun to save at all. For he was the first to come to wage war against Israel when they went out of Egypt, and he strengthened himself in his wickedness to stand against Israel, for whom Hashem, may He be blessed, had performed such miracles in the Exodus from Egypt, until Pharaoh was compelled to acknowledge “that Hashem is the righteous One” and expelled them from Egypt. And Amalaik is such a brazen one that he went out against them, and as Rashi explains there on the verse “Write this as a memorial in the book” (Exodus 17:14) — a parable of a boiling bath, etc. For he is a heretic from beginning to end, denying the miracles and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, does with us at all times, and blemishing all the repairs explained above — and the main thing is that he provokes and strengthens himself so that the achdus ha’pashut should not, G–d forbid, be revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above. And he lies in wait against all Israel constantly, and principally he strengthens himself, G–d forbid, in time of exile and trouble — for then he wants to cast heresies into the heart, as if Hashem, may He be blessed, has not yet begun to save Israel at all. And this is the aspect of the strengthening of Haman-Amalaik at the end of the exile of Babylon — for he said: since Nevuchadnetzar has already prevailed and destroyed the Bais HaMikdash which stood for several hundred years and exiled Israel from their land, etc. — they no longer have hope to return, G–d forbid. And therefore he and his impure offspring strengthened themselves to halt the rebuilding of the Bais HaMikdash — for he said that hope was lost for Israel, G–d forbid. And this is what is written: “There is one nation” (Esther 3:8), and our Sages of blessed memory expounded: “Their G–d is asleep” [yashein = yeshno] — meaning, that He would no longer save Israel, G–d forbid, as if He were asleep. And this is: “scattered and separated among the nations, and their laws are different from every nation” (Esther 3:8) — he said that they are scattered and separated among the nations, in the aspect of the abundance of divergent opinions and dispute, the aspect of scattering and separation among the nations, having fallen to the minds of the seventy nations. All of this is the opposite of the inclusiveness of the pe’ulos mishtanos in the achdus ha’pashut, as above. And this is: “and their laws are different,” etc. — he said that the law of Israel is in the aspect of the strengthening of divergences and scattering and separation, G–d forbid. For he denied the holy law of Israel — that the entire law of our holy Torah is that through the law of our holy Torah, one is included in the achdus ha’pashut, through every single mitzvah and through every letter and word of the holy Torah. For “the Torah, Israel, and the Holy One, blessed be He, are all one.” And Haman wanted to turn the dish upside-down, G–d forbid, and said that everything is in reverse. And therefore he wanted to prevail over Israel — to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate, etc. — for he is the aspect of the overpowering of the bloods in the time of trouble. For he is from the seed of Eisav, “the reddish one” (Genesis 25:25) — on account of the overpowering of the evil bloods, from which comes the sitra d’mosa, which is drawn from the sin of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Where is Haman [hinted] from the Torah? As it is said: ‘Is it from the tree?’” (Chullin 139b; Genesis 3:11) — for then death was decreed, and therefore he wanted to annihilate Israel, G–d forbid. And so it is in every generation and in every person, as it is written: “Hashem’s war against Amalaik from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:16) — for he prevails upon every person at all times with all kinds of stratagems to make him fall, G–d forbid. For he is the tempter, he is the accuser, etc. — for first he entices the person to whatever he entices him, and afterwards he prosecutes him, until some trouble or suffering comes upon him, G–d forbid. And it is he himself who weakens and confuses the person’s heart so that he does not cry out and supplicate before Hashem, may He be blessed — for he puts into his heart as if hope is lost, G–d forbid, and he wants to make him forget all the good things and kindnesses and miracles and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, has done with our fathers and with each and every individual in particular. And the repair for all of this is the aspect of Mordechai, who is the aspect of the true tzaddik, the aspect of mor d’ror [pure myrrh] — maray dachya — which is the chief spice of the anointing oil, with which the entire Mishkan and its vessels were anointed, and Aharon the Kohen and his sons. For all of their service in the Mishkan and the Bais HaMikdash was entirely to include all the pe’ulos mishtanos in the achdus ha’pashut, as above — for there was the essential revelation of divinity, as it is written: “And I will meet there with the children of Israel,” etc. (Exodus 29:43), as above. And the essential holiness of the Mishkan and its vessels was drawn through the anointing oil, which is a good fragrance of holiness, drawn from an exceedingly, exceedingly exalted holiness that has the power to sanctify the entire Mishkan and its vessels, etc. — to elevate and bring them from profane to holy. For the essence of holiness is being included in the achdus ha’pashut, where lies the root of all holinesses. Thus, the anointing oil that Moshe made had such wondrous power to elevate the entire Mishkan and its vessels — which were made of gold and silver and copper and blue-purple and red-purple, etc., etc. — in which there was an abundance of divergences and many hues in the silver and gold, etc., which are the totality of all worldly desires, especially the desire for money, which is the aspect of the overpowering of the bloods, etc. mentioned above. And the Mishkan, which was made from all of this, was the repair for all of this, as above. And all its holiness was drawn through the anointing oil, through which the Mishkan and its vessels were sanctified, and it elevated everything — all the many hues and divergences — so that they would be included in the achdus ha’pashut, where lie all the holinesses. Through this, the Mishkan had the power to atone for the children of Israel, to purify them from all the impurities, all of which are the aspect of the heresies drawn from the aspect of separation mentioned above, which separates, G–d forbid, the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc., as above. For the essential repair is through the aspect of good fragrance, which is the life of the soul, which is the aspect of the anointing oil made with such exalted preparations that it has the power to draw a good fragrance to all who are distant from holiness — who cannot be revived except through the aspect of good fragrance, in the aspect of what is said regarding the souls of Israel who are cast down in the exile of their desires and traits, G–d forbid: “Support me with cakes of raisins, spread my bed with apples, for I am lovesick” (Song of Songs 2:5), as Rashi explains there — that these are kinds of fragrances. For in our many sins, in the extremity of our weakness now, in the intensity of the bitterness of exile, our strength has already been so weakened that we do not feel the pleasantness and sweetness of the honeycomb — the words of sweetness of the true tzaddikim who revive us with such pure utterances, in the aspect of: “All food is abhorred by their soul,” etc. (Psalms 107:18). And our life-force comes only from what we smell from afar — a little of the good, holy, and awesome fragrance of the holy Torah-novelties of the true tzaddikim. And this is the aspect of the fragrance of the anointing oil, through which everything is sanctified and enters from outside to inside — from which comes the holiness of Mordechai, as above, who subdues the kelipah of Haman-Amalaik who wants to cast blemish upon the beginning of the salvation, as if Hashem, may He be blessed, has not yet begun to save at all. And Mordechai knows all of this and in his wisdom instills the holy emunah in Israel, and illuminates the heart of man, and reminds him at all times of all the good things and miracles and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, has already done with us, in general and in particular, etc. And as it is written: “Bless Hashem, O my soul, and do not forget all His bounties,” etc. (Psalms 103:2). And through this, one has the power to cry out and supplicate before Hashem, may He be blessed, that He should save us even now, as above. Through this came the intensity of the miracle of Purim — that Haman-Amalaik was subdued and fell. And in His mercy, may He be blessed, He frustrated his counsel and spoiled his thought, and everything was turned to good, from one extreme to the other, as it is written: “And it was reversed — that the Jews dominated,” etc. (Esther 9:1). And they established these days of Purim as joy and feasting and a festival for all generations — to make known that even in our servitude, our G–d has not forsaken us. This is the intensity of the miracle and the wondrous salvation of Purim, which is greater than all the festivals, as our Sages of blessed memory said — for the essential miracle is what we saw, that even in our servitude, in the intensity of exile, Hashem, may He be blessed, watches over us so much, with wondrous providence, and arranged events for good from beginning to end. That precisely through Haman, the wicked Vashti was killed, and afterwards, through this very thing, the intensity of the miracle came about, that Haman was hanged through Esther — with such wondrous providences, as is explained in the holy Megillah. And one must set his heart well to this, to understand from this that, just so, even now, He has not withdrawn His kindness from us. And one must strengthen himself in joy always, to draw the holiness of the joy of Purim — to believe that Hashem, may He be blessed, is with us even now, in the intensity of this exile — and to give todah and hoda’ah every day for the past, and to beseech for the future, etc., as above. §39 And this is the aspect of: “words of peace and truth” (Esther 9:30) — this is the aspect of the three lines of truth that illuminate within the speech, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, which is the aspect of peace, as above. And this is: “seeking good for his nation” (Esther 10:3) — the aspect of halachos, for he was seeking good for Israel and clarifying all the halachos of the Torah, as our Sages of blessed memory said — that he would open with matters and expound them. And: “speaking peace to all his seed” — the aspect of peace mentioned above, which is the aspect of the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut, etc. — which is the essential completion of the fullness of the repair, as above. And this is: “to all his seed” precisely — for the essential thing is that peace should be drawn, the aspect of the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, to all the seed of Israel who are born in every generation, in the aspect of: “A seed will serve Him; it will be told to Hashem for a generation” (Psalms 22:31). For the essential war of Amalaik is in every generation anew — because in every generation, souls are drawn in wondrous novelties anew, for no two people in all the generations are alike, as was explained above (§23). And because of the abundance of divergences and new forms of intelligence that arise in every generation, Amalaik wants to strengthen himself to separate in thought, G–d forbid, the pe’ulos mishtanos from the achdus ha’pashut, as above. And therefore: “Hashem’s war against Amalaik from generation to generation.” And this is the aspect of all the vain wisdoms that arise anew in every generation — both the external wisdoms, which are the wisdom of philosophy that grow stronger in every generation, and the other wisdoms of the world of foolishness and vanity, where each one imagines that the world has now become wiser, as if in previous generations they had no intellect at all, to desire such implements and adornments, etc. — as such foolish talk is common among the youth. And all of this is drawn from the aspect mentioned above — because in truth, at the root of the holiness of the souls, they are drawn in every generation in the aspect of innovation for good, for the essential glory of Hashem, may He be blessed, is precisely that in the abundance of the immense divergence of opinions, they should be included in His achdus ha’pashut, as above. And “G–d has made one corresponding to the other” (Ecclesiastes 7:14) — therefore the aspect of the contamination of Amalaik wants to reverse everything, as if today they are wiser for evil. But Hashem, may He be blessed, fights him in every generation, as above, through His true tzaddikim, and reveals such wondrous halachos and Torah-novelties in every generation — so that through this, in every generation, the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut is ever greater, from within the abundance and divergence of the many opinions, which are the aspect of the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above. This is the aspect of: “seeking good for his nation and speaking peace to all his seed” precisely, in the aspect of “and unto generation after generation is His faithfulness,” in the aspect of “generation to generation praises Your works,” etc., as above. And understand well, to connect everything from beginning to end, and you will understand counsel and strengthening to draw close always to Hashem, may He be blessed, and to give thanks to His Name, may He be blessed, always — which is the essential ultimate purpose, the aspect of the delight of the World to Come, as above. §40 And this is the aspect of Pesach and the greatness of the mitzvah of relating the story of the Exodus from Egypt, as was explained above (in §16). For now that we have already merited to go out of Egypt, etc. — praise be to G–d, we have a good beginning, etc., as above — therefore we must abundantly tell of the Exodus from Egypt, etc. And this is: “We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt.” For the essential redemption was through Shabbos — through Hashem, may He be blessed, in His mercy drawing upon them Himself the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos upon the six days of the week. Through this, the achdus ha’pashut was revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — that all the pe’ulos mishtanos are all drawn from the achdus ha’pashut Himself, may He be blessed. This was then revealed very, very greatly through all the great, awesome, and immense signs and wonders that Moshe did before the eyes of all Israel — turning water to blood and blood to water, sending frogs, and when he wished, removing them through his prayer. And similarly with all the plagues with which he struck Pharaoh, etc. — demonstrating that all of nature and all the workings of the diverse activities in the entire world are all in the hand of the achdus ha’pashut, and they are in His hand like clay in the hand of the potter. And He reveals His secret to His servants the tzaddikim, so that they can rule over the world and direct everything as they wish. And all of this was drawn at that time by Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself, in the aspect of an awakening from above, as is brought — for they were not yet worthy of the redemption, for they had not yet drawn the repairs mentioned above that are drawn through todah and hoda’ah and halachos, etc. — for it was the first redemption, and they had not yet received the Torah, where all the halachos are, as was explained above. But Hashem, may He be blessed, had compassion upon them, through the merit of the Patriarchs and through the little good He found in them, until through His awesome wonders He compelled Moshe to go and redeem them, and He drew upon them Himself the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos upon the weekdays, until the achdus ha’pashut was revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, through all the signs and wonders, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of Shabbos HaGadol before Pesach — for the essential miracles of Pesach were through the holiness of Shabbos, as above. And therefore it is called Shabbos HaGadol [the Great Shabbos] — for this is the essential greatness of Hashem, may He be blessed — when His unity, may He be blessed, is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above, which is accomplished through Shabbos, as above. And this is why we begin “We were slaves,” etc. — for before the redemption, in the time of exile (that is, before they merited to draw the holiness of Shabbos to the weekdays), we were slaves — because the aspect of the weekdays held sway, which are the aspect of “servant,” as is explained there in the Torah mentioned above. “And Hashem our G–d brought us out from there,” etc. — that is, Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself brought us out from there, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, even though we were not worthy — for we had not yet drawn upon ourselves all the repairs mentioned above. Even so, Hashem, may He be blessed, had compassion upon us and brought us out Himself, through the power of His wondrous mercy, as above. And this is: “And had the Holy One, blessed be He, not brought out our fathers from Egypt, behold we and our children and our children’s children would still be enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt.” That is, the essential Exodus from Egypt was to reveal His divinity, may He be blessed, from generation to generation forever, as it is written: “And you shall make known to your children and your children’s children” (Deuteronomy 4:9), in the aspect of “and unto generation after generation is His faithfulness” — which one merits through Torah/halachah, from which come all the holy births of the seed of Israel, the holy nation. But at that time, they were not yet worthy of this — only Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself drew in His mercy all the repairs mentioned above, until He redeemed them Himself. But had the Holy One, blessed be He, not brought out, etc. — behold we and our children, etc., would still be enslaved, etc. — for now that we have already merited the Exodus from Egypt and we have a good beginning, as above, through this we merit each time the aspect of todah/halachah, as above, through which the births of children are drawn in the holiness of Israel — and we are able to teach them and make known to them, from generation to generation, from father to son, the works of Hashem, for they are awesome, in the aspect of “generation to generation praises Your works,” etc. — until all of them walk in this path, in the path of the holy Torah, to give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, always, etc. — and to engage in halachos, etc., until they reveal in each generation the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, which is accomplished anew in every generation, as above. All of this is the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos, which is the aspect of “son,” to nullify the aspect of the servitude of the weekdays. But had the Holy One, blessed be He, not brought out our fathers from Egypt in His mercy, by Himself, as above — behold we and our children and our children’s children would still be enslaved, etc. — for we would not have merited the birth of children in holiness, in the aspect of “son,” the aspect of freedom — but all the children and children’s children would have been in the aspect of servitude, as above, from which came the entire exile of Egypt, as above. And this is: “And even if we were all wise, all understanding, all elders, all knowing the Torah — it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt.” That is, at first glance it is difficult — why did He emphasize so many times the telling of the Exodus from Egypt? For the essential purpose of the Exodus from Egypt was for the sake of the Giving of the Torah, as it is written: “When you bring out the nation from Egypt, you shall serve G–d on this mountain” (Exodus 3:12) — which is the Giving of the Torah. And it would have been fitting to tell only of the miracle of the Giving of the Torah. And why did He emphasize more the telling of the Exodus from Egypt? And even the Giving of the Torah itself began: “I am Hashem your G–d Who brought you out of the land of Egypt,” etc. (Exodus 20:2). And similarly in most of the mitzvos. But according to the above, it is well explained — for the essential intensity of the miracle is the beginning, which is the Exodus from Egypt, which was the first redemption, which was very difficult because “this depends upon that,” etc., as above. And this is: “And even if we were all wise, etc., all knowing the Torah — it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt” specifically, even more so. Even though now we already know the Torah, which is the essential purpose for which we went out of Egypt, as above — even so, it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt, which is the beginning, through which we merited to know the Torah — for that beginning was the most difficult of all, as above. And we need now to tell about this even more — for even now, all the keeping of the Torah depends upon this. For the more one gives thanks and praises Him, may He be blessed, for the greatness of His kindness of the beginning, which is the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt, which was very difficult — the more one tells and gives thanks and praises Him, may He be blessed — so are all the repairs mentioned above drawn even more, through which the hoda’ah in turn grows ever greater, etc. — and so it cycles around for the good, as above. Through all of this, one merits joy, which is the essential thing — to strengthen oneself from wherever one is, to rejoice in the salvation of Hashem, etc. — through which everyone can enter into the keeping of the Torah, as above. And therefore, even if we were all wise and understanding and elders and knowing the Torah and all that has passed over us has already passed and we have merited the salvation of Hashem and immense wonders — it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt, when the beginning was, as above — through which one merits to strengthen himself in joy even now, through which comes the essential keeping of the Torah, as above. And this is: “And whoever tells more of the Exodus from Egypt — behold, this is praiseworthy.” For each and every person must tell abundantly of the Exodus from Egypt, in general and in particular — how many miracles and wonders Hashem, may He be blessed, did with us — so that the hoda’ah should grow each time even more, through which comes the essential repair, as above. And this is: “And whoever tells more of the Exodus from Egypt — behold, this is praiseworthy.” And it is brought in the Kavanos: “behold, this is praiseworthy” — in chasadim [kindnesses] — that is, the aspect of “whoever is wise, let him observe these things, and they will contemplate the kindnesses of Hashem” (Psalms 107:43) — the aspect of “the faithful kindnesses of David” (Isaiah 55:3), which are drawn through todah/hoda’ah, as is explained there. §41 And this is: “It happened with Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua,” etc. — who were telling of the Exodus from Egypt all that night, until their students came and said to them: “Our teachers, the time for the morning Krias Shema has arrived.” The time for Krias Shema precisely — for through the abundance of telling of the Exodus from Egypt, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed even more from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above, which is the aspect of Krias Shema — to reveal the achdus ha’pashut in the world, in the aspect of: “Hashem our G–d, Hashem is One.” “Hashem our G–d” — that is, His divinity that dwells and is clothed within us, within all the pe’ulos mishtanos. “Hashem is One” — everything is included and unified in His achdus ha’pashut, may He be blessed. And as our Sages of blessed memory said, one must extend the dales of echad in order to crown Him above and below and in the four directions — which are the totality of the pe’ulos mishtanos in all six extremities, all of which are included in His unity, may He be blessed. For Hashem is One, and everything is drawn only from Him, may He be blessed. And all of this is revealed through the abundance of telling of the Exodus from Egypt. And therefore Hashem, may He be blessed, arranged it so that these tzaddikim told of the Exodus from Egypt, etc., until their students came — those who received the halachos from them, which are also the aspect of todah, as above — and said to them: “Our teachers, the time for Krias Shema has arrived,” etc. — for through this, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed, which is the aspect of Krias Shema, as above. And to sweeten further and explain the statement mentioned above — “Whoever tells more of the Exodus from Egypt,” etc. — it is thus: For all the kinds of counsel that our Sages of blessed memory illuminated for us, with which one can strengthen himself — the adversary constantly lies in wait to push him away from them, G–d forbid. Therefore, one needs great stubbornness. And so it is with the matter mentioned above — that one must strengthen himself to give thanks always to Hashem, may He be blessed, for all the kindnesses and wonders, etc., even if he is as he is, for even so, He has already bestowed upon us immense wonders. But the adversary constantly strengthens himself to cause forgetfulness and concealment, G–d forbid, etc. Therefore a person must strengthen himself to tell abundantly of the Exodus from Egypt, etc., in the aspect mentioned above. And this is: “Whoever tells more” — “more” precisely — for one must increase so much, until he increases the telling of the Exodus from Egypt over the hinderer, until it exceeds him and nullifies him — in the manner our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the nullification of a prohibited substance: “one increases over it and nullifies it.” And this is: “And whoever tells more” of the kindnesses of Hashem, etc. — which is the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt, etc., as above — who increases the telling over the hinderer until he nullifies him, as above — “behold, this is praiseworthy,” as above. §42 And this is: “And I will pass through the land of Egypt — I, and not an angel; I, and not a seraph; I, and not an emissary; I am Hashem — I am He and not another.” That is, during the Exodus from Egypt, the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos was so great that even above, His achdus ha’pashut, may He be blessed, was revealed — as is explained there in the Torah mentioned above: that when the achdus ha’pashut is revealed below, His achdus ha’pashut is revealed also above, in the aspect of: “You are One and Your Name is One, and who is like Your nation Israel, one nation in the land,” etc. And this is: “And I will pass through the land of Egypt — I, and not an angel; I, and not a seraph,” etc. — for all the concealments and hiddennesses were nullified. For sometimes Hashem, may He be blessed, clothes His conduct through the angels, in the aspect of “Behold, I am sending an angel before you” (Exodus 23:20) — which was said after the sin, and Moshe did not desire this. For then one can err, G–d forbid, as Acheir erred through this. And as the verse itself there warns: “Beware of him, do not defy him,” and our Sages of blessed memory expounded: “Do not exchange Me for him” — for from there is drawn the error of all idolators. And similarly the errors of the naturalist philosophers of today — for the angel is called Elokim, which has the numerical value of ha’teva [nature]. But at the time of the Exodus from Egypt, Hashem, may He be blessed, had compassion upon us and revealed His achdus ha’pashut below and above — that there is no governance in the world except through Himself alone, in the aspect of: “I, and not an angel; I, and not a seraph,” etc. — “I am Hashem; I am He and not another.” For all the diverse activities in the world — all are from Him, may He be blessed, Himself, as above. Shayach l’eil — This belongs above [at the end of the Apotropos section]: And therefore we say Birchas Kohanim [the Priestly Blessing] after Birchas HaTorah [the Blessing over the Torah]. For Birchas HaTorah is the aspect of the hoda’ah mentioned above — that we bless and give thanks every day, immediately in the morning, for the pleasantness of our portion, that we merited to receive the Torah, which is the essential path to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, from wherever one is, as is explained above (in §5). Through this, all the repairs mentioned above are accomplished, until one merits that all the pe’ulos mishtanos should be included in the achdus ha’pashut — which is the aspect of peace and unity among all Israel, that all the divergent opinions should be included together, etc., as above. This, Aharon the Kohen merited more than anyone else — through the fact that he was not jealous of Moshe his brother, even though he [Moshe] was greater than him, and he went out to greet him with joy, as it is written: “And he shall see you and rejoice in his heart” (Exodus 4:14). And through this, he merited the Kehunah, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “In reward for ‘and he shall see you,’ etc., he merited the Choshen HaMishpat [Breastplate of Judgment] upon his heart.” Therefore we say Birchas Kohanim, which is the holiness of Aharon the Kohen, after Birchas HaTorah — for they are of one aspect and depend upon each other, as above. And therefore Birchas Kohanim concludes with peace, as it is written: “and grant you peace” (Numbers 6:26) — for through the hoda’ah mentioned above, which is the aspect of Birchas HaTorah, one merits peace and unity, as above. And all of this we merited through Aharon the Kohen, as above. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said: “Be of the students of Aharon, loving peace and pursuing peace” (Avos 1:12) — that is, as above. And this is: “loving the creatures and bringing them close to the Torah” — for the essential drawing close to the Torah is through the aspect mentioned above, through todah/hoda’ah, which is Birchas HaTorah, through which one merits peace, which is the aspect of the holiness of Aharon the Kohen, as above. ◆ Translator’s Summary ◆ This collection of halachos applies the law of perikah u’te’inah (helping unload and load an animal) across multiple spiritual dimensions, drawing on several of Rabbainu’s Toros. Avaidah 3, §§15–16 (LM I:13): The tzadik can raise even the farthest souls through ibbur — “Go out and see the might of your Master.” But only “with him” — the person must make some effort himself. Physically: the burden of livelihood derives from distance from Torah/hashgachah shelaimah. ↓ Halacha 1 (LM I:59): Hatred blemishes da’as → burden falls. Love/helping rectifies da’as → burden is raised. Kavod (honor) = root of souls = the Samech that supports all who fall. But an elder whose honor would be damaged is exempt/forbidden. ↓ Halacha 2 (LM II:7): True compassion = helping a Jew shed the burden of sin. Finding merit in a sinner (LM I:282) judges him favorably → lifts the spiritual burden → lifts the physical burden. Livelihood flows from the “sea of wisdom” when da’as illuminates. ↓ Halacha 4 (LM II:2): Shabbos = simple unity; weekdays = diverse activities. Drawing Shabbos holiness into the week reveals that all multiplicity flows from the One. Strife/suffering = disconnect from this unity. Helping the “enemy” unload = abandoning hatred = restoring unity = rest for all. A convert’s inclusion reveals achdus ha’pashut from the most remote “changed activities.” Recurring themes: (1) Hatred/sin = heaviness/falling; love/merit-finding = lightness/raising. (2) Da’as and kavod are intimately linked — both are needed to bear and lift burdens. (3) The Torah commands engagement with even the fallen, but with wisdom about who can be reached. (4) Physical burdens and spiritual burdens are inseparable — rectifying one rectifies the other. Note: The subdivision Hefker v’Nichsay HaGer continues from §30 (Apotropos) through §42, elaborating on: the signs and wonders in Egypt revealing that all pe’ulos mishtanos derive from Him alone; the personal application — todah and hoda’ah even in the midst of distress; the rooster pecking in the refuse-heap (even tiny mitzvos are cherished); the cycle of struggle and redemption in every generation; Rosh Hashanah and Alainu as the ultimate revelation of achdus ha’pashut; the Shabbos Zohar passage; the laws of inheritance and their connection to all the above. These sections await translation in a continuation. Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman

And this is: "Chishavti d'rachai va'ashivah raglai el eidvoseicha" — "I considered my ways, and turned my feet to Your testimonies" (Tehillim 119:59). That is, according to the great intensity of this fervor and teshuvah, it would be possible for them to attack even more and more, G-d forbid, and seek to cause him to fall, G-d forbid, through this very thing, as above. Therefore he said: "I considered my ways and turned my feet to Your testimonies" — that I calculate my way at all times, each day and each hour — what is the tachlis of this entire world and its vanities? And according to my calculation and thought, I am certainly inflamed at all times to nullify myself entirely. But G-d forbid that I should fall from this any fall whatsoever, G-d forbid. When I see that it is not succeeding in my hands, then I "turn my feet to Your testimonies" — to comfort and enliven myself through the testimony, which is the Torah that we have received, and to be careful not to depart, at the very least, G-d forbid, from the ways of the Torah in simplicity, as above. And this is: "Chashti v'lo hismahmahtee lishmor mitzvoseicha" — "I hastened and did not delay to keep Your mitzvos" (Tehillim 119:60) — that immediately I spur myself with very great alacrity to keep Your mitzvos in simplicity at the very least. For because they attack then with greater intensity, as above, one must therefore strengthen oneself and hasten with great alacrity against them, to guard His mitzvos, blessed be He, as above. And this is: "Chevlei resha'im ivduni, Torascha lo shachachti" — "The cords of the wicked have ensnared me, [but] Your Torah I have not forgotten" (Tehillim 119:61). Here he explains and elucidates well the entire matter mentioned above — that they gather against him and attack him more intensely because of the aspect of the great yearning and bittul mentioned above, which is the aspect of: "Chelki Hashem amarti" — "I said, Hashem is my portion," etc., as above. And this is: "The cords of the wicked have ensnared me" — that the wicked ones, which are the Sitra Achara and the klipos, gather and attack me more intensely because of the above. But "Your Torah I have not forgotten" — for I enliven myself at all times through the Torah, which cools the thirst and shatters and nullifies them, as above. And this is: "Chatzos lailah akum l'hodos l'cha al mishp'tai tzidkecha" — "At midnight I rise to give thanks to You for Your righteous judgments" (Tehillim 119:62). For all our words, as explained throughout this entire halachah, all revolve around the matter of rising at chatzos [midnight] — for then is the awakening from sleep, which at its root is drawn from the aspect of returning from bittul, as above. And then the Sitra Achara seeks to overpower through physical sleep, which is the side of death, which is the aspect of the impure side that rests upon the hands, as above. And then one must strengthen oneself to awaken from sleep with alacrity and rise at chatzos to engage in Torah. And through this, one draws the power of the Torah that is drawn from the light of the radiance of the reshimu. And through this, one stands against them and subdues them, as above. And this is the aspect of: "At midnight I rise to give thanks to You for Your righteous judgments" — which is juxtaposed to these verses that begin with "Chelki Hashem" — that speak of the matter of the sparkling of the bittul mentioned above: that one must enliven oneself only through the Torah — which is the aspect of: "At midnight I rise to give thanks to You for Your righteous judgments," as above. ✦ ✦ ✦ Hilchos Nitteylas Yadayim Shacharis, Halacha 5, is included within Hilchos Hashkamas HaBoker, Halacha 5.

“Yet even so, David returned and supported it through ruach ha’kodesh, as it is written: ‘Hashem supports all who fall.’” It emerges that Samech is the aspect of supporting the falling, in the aspect of “She has fallen; she shall not rise again — the maiden of Israel” (Amos 5:2). And this is also the nullification of all prohibitions through [the letter] Samech, for all prohibitions come from the aspect of fallen things, as explained above in the Laws of Mixtures. See there. It emerges that the essential mitzvah of “you shall surely help” — meaning, to support him and raise him from his falling — is through the aspect of kavod, which is the aspect of Samech, the aspect of “sixty are the queens,” etc., as mentioned above. And from there comes the support for all who fall, in the aspect of “Hashem supports,” etc., as mentioned above. And therefore those who are remote from kavod and no longer have any hold in it — it is forbidden to draw them close, for the essential thing is kavod, which is the root of all the souls of holiness, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of “an elder and it is not in accordance with his honor,” as mentioned above. And therefore there are two opinions: according to one opinion, he is exempt, but if he wants [to help], it is permitted; and according to the second opinion, it is forbidden. And each master stated one thing and the other master stated another, and they do not dispute one another. For it all depends on the degree of their wickedness and the extent of their distance from kavod. For some are so far away that there is great danger in drawing them close, and because of this the Torah exempted the elder, for he is not obligated to endanger himself in such great danger. Nevertheless, if he wishes to go beyond the letter of the law and descend to raise even these — he certainly performs an exceedingly great mitzvah. But some are even more distant, to the point that there is an absolute prohibition to draw them close, and it is forbidden for him to endanger himself on their account, as found in the discourse mentioned above regarding the statement of our Sages of blessed memory: “Why are the eyes of the Tarmudians bleary?” etc. (LM I:59). But those who still have some hold in kavod, even though they are very far — regarding them it is said “you shall surely help,” as mentioned above, for this is the essential honor, as mentioned above. Blessed is Hashem forever, Amen and Amen. Laws of Unloading and Loading — Halacha 2 Based on Likutay Moharan II:7 — “Ki M’Rachamam Y’nahagaim” — For the One Who has mercy on them shall lead them “When you see the donkey of one who hates you crouching beneath its burden, and you would hold back” etc. “you shall surely help with him.” For it is found in the discourse “Vay’hi Mi'Kaitz — Ki M’Rachamam Y’nahagaim” etc. in Likutay Tinyana (LM II:7), that the essential rachamanus [compassion] is when one of Israel falls into sins, G–d forbid. For this is a heavy burden that it is impossible for a Jew to bear at all — such a heavy burden, etc. See there. And one must have compassion on Israel, to extract them from sins and to instill da’as in them, etc. For one must illuminate the da’as in children and students, etc. See there. And through the combined aspect of “child and student,” from there the parnasah [livelihood] is drawn, which the Malchus receives from the “sea of wisdom,” etc. See there all this well. And this is hinted at in the mitzvah mentioned above. For sonay [enemy], our Sages of blessed memory explained, refers to one whom you saw transgress a sin. And this is the aspect of “crouching beneath its burden” — for the heaviness of the burden overpowers him, which is the burden of sin. And because of this he crouches beneath his burden, for it is impossible for him to bear at all such a burden, as mentioned above. And this is “When you see the donkey of one who hates you crouching,” etc. For the overpowering of sin is in the aspect of chomer [materiality] and the animal spirit. For when the burden of sin overpowers, G–d forbid, one is not called by the name adam [human], for the essential humanity is da’as. Rather, one is in the aspect of an animal in human form, as explained in the discourse mentioned above. See there. And the Torah warned each person who sees his fellow upon whom the burden of sin has overpowered, G–d forbid — for only this is truly called a masa [burden], as mentioned above — that it is forbidden to hide one’s eyes, but rather one is obligated to have compassion on one’s fellow and to help him, to fulfill “you shall surely help with him.” For it is incumbent upon each and every Jew to have compassion on one’s fellow with the true compassion, which is greater than every other kind of compassion — namely, to help him unload from upon himself the heavy burden of sin, which it is impossible for him to bear at all, such a heavy burden, as mentioned above. For every person is obligated to endeavor to look after his fellow, to speak with him about yiras shamayim [fear of Heaven], to extract him from the heavy burden of sins, which is heavier than all other burdens. For this is the essential compassion, as mentioned above. And this is “you shall surely help with him.” And also the mitzvah itself in its literal sense — namely, actual perikah u’te’inah, to help one’s fellow actually unload the burden from upon his donkey — is also in this very aspect. For the burden upon the animal, which is his money and livelihood, is drawn from the “sea of wisdom,” which comes through the combined aspect of “child and student” — namely through illuminating da’as in child and student, in proportion to how much one extracts them from the heavy burden of sin. This connection is well understood in the discourse mentioned above. See there. And therefore one who merits to emerge from the heavy burden of sins and merits da’as — which is the aspect of illuminating “child and student” — similarly, his livelihood comes to him easily. For from there is the essential source of livelihood, as mentioned above. And conversely, G–d forbid, one upon whom the burden of sin overpowers, G–d forbid, and who lacks da’as, G–d forbid — then his livelihood comes with great heaviness and immense weariness, in the aspect of “the people went about and gathered” (Numbers 11:8) — “in foolishness, they ground it in mills or crushed it in a mortar.” This is the aspect of the heaviness of livelihood for one who has not driven out the spirit of foolishness, as found in the holy Zohar, which hints at the heaviness of livelihood for one who lacks da’as, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of “A person’s sustenance is as difficult as the splitting of the Sea of Reeds” (Pesachim 118a). For the splitting of the Sea of Reeds alludes to the “sea of wisdom” mentioned above. For this is the essential aspect of the splitting of the Sea of Reeds: that the sea of wisdom was split open and revealed, as is brought. This is the aspect of the “sea of wisdom” mentioned above that is revealed in proportion to how much one merits to emerge from sins, as mentioned above. And from there livelihood is drawn, as mentioned above. And this is “sustenance is as difficult as the splitting of the Sea of Reeds” — for specifically from there is sustenance and livelihood drawn, from the aspect of the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, from the aspect of the “sea of wisdom” mentioned above. For the essential difficulty of the splitting of the Sea of Reeds was because of sins, in the aspect of “these are idolaters and these are idolaters,” as our Sages of blessed memory said. And similarly, sustenance is difficult, for in proportion to how much one merits to emerge from sins, so one merits that the sea of wisdom is revealed — which is the aspect of the splitting of the Sea of Reeds — and so one merits sustenance and livelihood, for from there livelihood is drawn, as mentioned above. It emerges that the essential heaviness and yoke of livelihood is because of the heaviness of the burden of sins. And this is the aspect of “When you see the donkey of one who hates you crouching beneath its burden” — that the burden of his money and livelihood is heavy upon him, and he has suffering and great heaviness. And this derives only from the heavy burden of sins, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of “one who hates you” — for sonay [enemy] is none other than one who transgressed a sin, as our Sages of blessed memory explained. And the Torah warned not to hold back from helping him, but rather one must abandon from the heart what one holds against him and help him, as the Targum renders: “You shall abandon what is in your heart against him, and you shall unload with him.” And at first glance the matter is puzzling. For granted, if the meaning of sonay were the simple sense — that he hates him on his own account, because of a quarrel or dispute or the like — it would be fitting to say “you shall abandon,” etc., that one must forgive him. But since our Sages of blessed memory explained that the sonay stated in the Torah is because one saw him transgress a sin, how is it fitting to say “you shall abandon what is in your heart against him”? Yet in truth, based on what is explained in the words of Rabbainu, of blessed memory, in many places — that one must judge every person favorably, and one must find merit even in a completely wicked person, for how is it possible that he has not done some small amount of good in his days? And through finding some good point in him, one genuinely brings him into the scale of merit, and it is possible to return him in teshuvah through this, as brought on the verse “Yet a little while and the wicked is no more” etc. See there (LM I:282). And this is the matter mentioned above: that even though he is son’acha — that you saw him transgress a sin — nevertheless, do not refrain from helping him. On the contrary: “you shall abandon what is in your heart against him,” for you must find merit in him and have compassion on him and forgive him. For through finding merit in him, one genuinely brings him into the scale of merit, and one returns him in teshuvah. It emerges that it is in the power of each Jew to forgive the sins of his fellow, for he can bring him into the scale of merit by finding some merit in him, as mentioned above. And therefore, when one sees that his fellow has suffering on the road, that his donkey crouches beneath its burden — and the heaviness of this burden is because of the heaviness of the burden of sin, as mentioned above — one is obligated to have compassion on him and forgive him, namely, to find merit in him and bring him into the scale of merit, as mentioned above, which is the essential compassion. And to help him unload the burden. And through abandoning the hatred and having compassion on him and instilling compassion within him, because one seeks and finds some merit in him — through this one genuinely brings him into the scale of merit and unloads from upon him the heavy burden of sins. And through this very act, one unloads from upon him the actual [physical] burden, for the essential heaviness of the burden is because of the burden of sin, as mentioned above. For in truth, the essential purpose of this mitzvah of perikah u’te’inah is for the sake of love and compassion, as our Sages of blessed memory said on the verse “You have established equity” (Psalms 99:4): “Do you have an enemy who sees” etc. For the essential purpose of the mitzvah is to unload the burden of sin, and this is accomplished through love and compassion, as mentioned above. Blessed is Hashem forever, Amen. [The following halacha, Perikah u’Te’inah 3 (corresponding to Avaidah u’Metziah 3, §15), is a cross-reference and has been included above in the subdivision.] Laws of Unloading and Loading — Halacha 4 Based on Likutay Moharan II:2 — “Y’may Chanukah Haim Y’may Hoda’ah” — The days of Chanukah are days of thanksgiving (§5) § 1 One must draw the holiness of Shabbos into the six days of the week. For Shabbos is the aspect of a “son,” the aspect of rest for those above and those below, etc. And the weekdays are the aspect of a “servant” and sadness, etc. And one must draw the rest and joy of Shabbos into the weekdays, etc. And through this, the achdus ha’pashut [simple unity] of the Blessed One is revealed — that all the pe’ulos mishtanos [diverse activities/phenomena] flow from the One Who is Simple, may He be blessed. This is impossible to understand through human intellect, but only through emunah [faith] that is drawn through Shabbos — through drawing the holiness and joy of Shabbos into the weekdays, etc. And through this, the achdus ha’pashut, may He be blessed, is revealed — that all the diverse activities flow from the One Who is Simple, may He be blessed, which is impossible to understand through human intellect, but only through emunah drawn through Shabbos, through drawing the holiness and joy of Shabbos into the six weekdays, etc. And this is the aspect of “an individual and a majority — the halachah follows the majority.” For when the many agree to the view of one — this is the aspect of diverse activities being included in the achdus ha’pashut. And this is very precious before Hashem, may He be blessed, etc. See there. § 2 And this is the aspect of the great emphasis placed on the mitzvah of “you shall surely help” — that one should abandon the hatred in one’s heart toward one’s fellow and unload with him, as it is written: “When you see the donkey of one who hates you crouching beneath its burden, and you would hold back from helping him — you shall surely help with him,” and the Targum renders: “You shall abandon what is in your heart against him, and you shall unload with him.” And similarly our Sages of blessed memory said in the Gemara that this is the essential purpose of the mitzvah of perikah u’te’inah. For all the suffering that a person has from the heaviness of burdens — all of it derives from a blemish of the aspect mentioned above, namely, that one did not merit to properly connect all the diverse activities to the achdus ha’pashut, because one did not draw the holiness of Shabbos into the six weekdays, as mentioned above. For all the suffering that a person has, G–d forbid, in body, soul, and money, may the Merciful One save us — all of them are the aspect of burdens. For suffering is against one’s will, and they are like a heavy burden upon him. And all of them come from the aspect of diverse activities when one does not endeavor to reveal and illuminate within them the aspect of the achdus ha’pashut. Then the multiplicity of changes intensifies and things do not proceed in the proper order fitting for them from their root, and from there come all the heaviness of burdens and all the suffering, G–d forbid. For all suffering, G–d forbid, is the aspect of machlokes [strife/conflict], for it derives from the conflict of the elements with one another. And it is against the person’s will, for the person wants things to be thus, according to his will, that they should proceed in orderly fashion, but they stand against him and dispute with him and proceed not according to his will. And the greater the change against his will, the greater the suffering, G–d forbid. And all this derives from the blemish of the aspect mentioned above — that one did not endeavor to draw the joy and rest of Shabbos into the weekdays, and did not draw the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the diverse activities. For according to the order by which the life-force flows from the One Who is Simple to all the diverse activities, everything should proceed in the proper order. For from Him, may He be blessed, no good is withheld, and He in His mercy, may He be blessed, created His world for good — that the life-force should flow from His simple unity to all the diverse activities, to each and every activity as is fitting, in the proper order, for good. Only because everything was created for the sake of man’s free will — that according to one’s complete faith and according to one’s deeds, so one draws the life-force from the achdus ha’pashut to all the diverse activities, for good, or to the contrary, G–d forbid. And therefore the essential rectification is through Shabbos, when there is rest and cessation. Through Shabbos, through drawing the holiness of Shabbos into the weekdays, through this the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the diverse activities, and then everything proceeds in the proper order. For from Shabbos the aspect of rest and cessation is drawn even to all the diverse activities that are done during the weekdays — to sweeten and nullify the aspect of sadness and the harsh servitude of uvdin d’chol [weekday occupations], so that all of one’s affairs and endeavors proceed in the proper order, without weariness and harsh labor. But each person, according to the extent of his blemish in this — that he does not endeavor to draw the holiness of Shabbos into the weekdays and does not reveal the achdus ha’pashut from within the diverse activities — so the multiplicity of changes of the diverse activities intensifies and they do not proceed in the proper order, and from there come all the suffering, G–d forbid, which are the aspect of burdens, which are the aspect of machlokes, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of “When you see the donkey of one who hates you crouching beneath its burden” — that the burden is heavy upon him and the person has suffering from this. All of this derives from the blemish mentioned above, which is the blemish of machlokes, which is the aspect of the blemish of Shabbos, etc. For regarding Shabbos it is written: “So that your ox and your donkey may rest, like you” (Exodus 23:12). And our Sages of blessed memory said: “Give it rest.” And from there, rest is drawn upon the ox and the donkey and the like also during the weekdays — so that even when work is done with them, the labor should not be excessively heavy upon them, as explained above, that one must draw the holiness of Shabbos into the weekdays, as mentioned above. And therefore, when the animal crouches beneath its burden, this derives from the aspect of the blemish of Shabbos, which is the aspect of the blemish of machlokes, etc., as mentioned above. Therefore the verse warned that one should abandon the hatred in one’s heart toward one’s fellow, as it is written: “you shall surely help — you shall abandon what is in your heart against him, and you shall unload with him.” For the essential abandoning and helping that one helps him regarding the burden is through abandoning the hatred and seeking love — namely, through the nullification of machlokes and the difference of opinions. Through this, all are included as one in the aspect of the achdus ha’pashut, as explained above: that the more Israel is included together in greater love and friendship, the more the aspect of the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the diverse activities, which is the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos. Through this, all the heaviness of burdens and all the suffering are nullified, for rest is drawn upon everything, as mentioned above. Ownerless Property and the Convert’s Estate (Hefker v’Nichsay HaGer) §§ 3–4, continuing from Perikah u’Te’inah 4 § 3 This is the aspect of “whoever is first in the estate of a convert acquires it” (Bava Basra 54a). For the convert who converts — this is the aspect of the diverse activities that are very remote being included within the achdus ha’pashut. For the convert, who was initially a gentile from among the seventy nations, is the essential aspect of pe’ulos mishtanos [diverse activities]. For the holy nation of Israel is called “one nation in the land” (II Samuel 7:23), and therefore they are in the aspect of the achdus ha’pashut, as opposed to the seventy nations. For “the Torah and the Holy One, blessed is He, and Israel are all one,” and therefore the seventy souls of the house of Yaakov are called one nefesh [soul], while the six souls of Aisav are called nefashos [souls] in the plural, as Rashi explained there — for they are far from unity and simplicity, because they did not receive the Torah. And therefore they are the essential aspect of the diverse activities. And when one of them comes and converts, this is the aspect of the very remote diverse activities being included within the achdus ha’pashut. For initially he was in the aspect of a very changed activity, as mentioned above. And now he wants to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, to the One Who is Simple, and to be included among Israel, “one nation in the land,” through whom is the essential inclusion of all the diverse activities within the achdus ha’pashut. For all the souls of Israel, the more they increase, the more they are included within the achdus ha’pashut, as mentioned above. And this is the great level of the convert who converts, about whom the Torah warned to draw him close and to love him, as it is written (Deuteronomy 10:19): “And you shall love the convert.” For this is very precious in the eyes of Hashem, may He be blessed, when the diverse activities are included within the achdus ha’pashut. And the more the activity is changed and remote, when it merits to overcome and be included in the achdus ha’pashut, the more precious it is. For this is His will, may He be blessed: that specifically through the very remote and changed activities, the achdus ha’pashut should be revealed. This is the aspect of the great level of the ba’al teshuvah [penitent] that our Sages of blessed memory spoke of: “In the place where ba’alay teshuvah stand, completely righteous people cannot stand” (Berachos 34b). For because they were initially very far through their sins — which is the essential aspect of the diverse activities, for through each sin, G–d forbid, one distances oneself from there to the alma d’feruda [world of separation], G–d forbid, which is the essential aspect of the very remote changed activities, as our Sages of blessed memory said — and therefore when one returns in teshuvah, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the very remote and changed activities, which is very precious in the eyes of Hashem, may He be blessed, as mentioned above. And all the more so the convert, who was even more remote because he is not at all of the seed of Israel. Therefore when he comes to convert and is included in the holiness of Israel, “one nation in the land,” it is precious in the eyes of Hashem, may He be blessed, because the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from the very remote changed activities, which is very precious in the eyes of Hashem, may He be blessed. And the more changed and remote the activities, the more precious it is in His eyes, may He be blessed, when the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from there, as mentioned above.

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Based on LM I, "Vayhi MiKetz — Zikaron"

Section 5

text-align: center; margin-top: 50px; font-size: 26px; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 2px; color: var(--accent-gold); Likutay Halachos — Choshen Mishpat II Hilchos Hefker v’Nichsay HaGer Halacha 4 Whoever comes first to the property of the ger acquires it, and the matter of hefker [ownerless property] — whoever comes first to it acquires it; however, one must specifically acquire it through some act of acquisition, according to the kinyan [mode of acquisition] through which the item is acquired — for example, meshichah [pulling] and hagbahah [lifting] for movable property, and chazakah [an act of possession] for land. But without this, one does not acquire it, as is explained in the Shulchan Aruch in siman 273, se’if 11, and this is its language: “An ownerless item that someone came and watched over it, and was looking at it so that no person should take it — he has not acquired it until he lifts it, if it is movable, or performs chazakah on land in the manner that purchasers acquire.” End quote. §1 Based on the Torah “Tik’u Emunah” in Likutay Tinyana, siman 5. See there well, for it is a very lengthy Torah — “longer than the earth in measure and broader than the sea” (Iyov 11:9).

text-align: center; margin-top: 50px; font-size: 26px; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 2px; color: var(--accent-gold); Likutay Halachos — Choshen Mishpat II Hilchos Hefker v’Nichsay HaGer Halacha 4 Whoever comes first to the property of the ger acquires it, and the matter of hefker [ownerless property] — whoever comes first to it acquires it; however, one must specifically acquire it through some act of acquisition, according to the kinyan [mode of acquisition] through which the item is acquired — for example, meshichah [pulling] and hagbahah [lifting] for movable property, and chazakah [an act of possession] for land. But without this, one does not acquire it, as is explained in the Shulchan Aruch in siman 273, se’if 11, and this is its language: “An ownerless item that someone came and watched over it, and was looking at it so that no person should take it — he has not acquired it until he lifts it, if it is movable, or performs chazakah on land in the manner that purchasers acquire.” End quote. §1 Based on the Torah “Tik’u Emunah” in Likutay Tinyana, siman 5. See there well, for it is a very lengthy Torah — “longer than the earth in measure and broader than the sea” (Iyov 11:9).

text-align: center; margin-top: 50px; font-size: 26px; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 2px; color: var(--accent-gold); Likutay Halachos — Choshen Mishpat II Hilchos Hefker v’Nichsay HaGer Halacha 4 Whoever comes first to the property of the ger acquires it, and the matter of hefker [ownerless property] — whoever comes first to it acquires it; however, one must specifically acquire it through some act of acquisition, according to the kinyan [mode of acquisition] through which the item is acquired — for example, meshichah [pulling] and hagbahah [lifting] for movable property, and chazakah [an act of possession] for land. But without this, one does not acquire it, as is explained in the Shulchan Aruch in siman 273, se’if 11, and this is its language: “An ownerless item that someone came and watched over it, and was looking at it so that no person should take it — he has not acquired it until he lifts it, if it is movable, or performs chazakah on land in the manner that purchasers acquire.” End quote. §1 Based on the Torah “Tik’u Emunah” in Likutay Tinyana, siman 5. See there well, for it is a very lengthy Torah — “longer than the earth in measure and broader than the sea” (Iyov 11:9).

text-align: center; margin-top: 50px; font-size: 26px; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 2px; color: var(--accent-gold); Likutay Halachos — Choshen Mishpat II Hilchos Hefker v’Nichsay HaGer Halacha 4 Whoever comes first to the property of the ger acquires it, and the matter of hefker [ownerless property] — whoever comes first to it acquires it; however, one must specifically acquire it through some act of acquisition, according to the kinyan [mode of acquisition] through which the item is acquired — for example, meshichah [pulling] and hagbahah [lifting] for movable property, and chazakah [an act of possession] for land. But without this, one does not acquire it, as is explained in the Shulchan Aruch in siman 273, se’if 11, and this is its language: “An ownerless item that someone came and watched over it, and was looking at it so that no person should take it — he has not acquired it until he lifts it, if it is movable, or performs chazakah on land in the manner that purchasers acquire.” End quote. §1 Based on the Torah “Tik’u Emunah” in Likutay Tinyana, siman 5. See there well, for it is a very lengthy Torah — “longer than the earth in measure and broader than the sea” (Iyov 11:9).

text-align: center; margin-top: 50px; font-size: 26px; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 2px; color: var(--accent-gold); Likutay Halachos — Choshen Mishpat II Hilchos Hefker v’Nichsay HaGer Halacha 4 Whoever comes first to the property of the ger acquires it, and the matter of hefker [ownerless property] — whoever comes first to it acquires it; however, one must specifically acquire it through some act of acquisition, according to the kinyan [mode of acquisition] through which the item is acquired — for example, meshichah [pulling] and hagbahah [lifting] for movable property, and chazakah [an act of possession] for land. But without this, one does not acquire it, as is explained in the Shulchan Aruch in siman 273, se’if 11, and this is its language: “An ownerless item that someone came and watched over it, and was looking at it so that no person should take it — he has not acquired it until he lifts it, if it is movable, or performs chazakah on land in the manner that purchasers acquire.” End quote. §1 Based on the Torah “Tik’u Emunah” in Likutay Tinyana, siman 5. See there well, for it is a very lengthy Torah — “longer than the earth in measure and broader than the sea” (Iyov 11:9).

And this is the aspect of t’chum Shabbos of 2,000 amos. For the main t’chum, which is the aspect of the seal, as above, is drawn from the two aforementioned crowns, which are na’aseh and nishma, as above. The two crowns are two alafin, for a crown is the aspect of “aleph,” which is the first of all the letters. And this is the aspect of the thousand lights that are received on Shabbos, as above. For the main addition is only one thousand lights, since the main addition is only that one receives the “nishma” — the hidden — and makes from the nishma a na’aseh. And then one has a higher nishma. It emerges that the main reception of the additional illumination is only what was the nishma, the hidden, that one merits to have revealed as na’aseh. And therefore the main reception is only the aspect of one crown — the crown of na’aseh — meaning what one merited to have become na’aseh from nishma. For the nishma that one has now is still hidden from him. And therefore the main reception of tosefes Shabbos is only one thousand lights, the aspect of one crown, as above. But in truth, on Shabbos one merits two crowns — nishma and na’aseh — only the main reception and perception is only the aspect of one crown, the aspect of na’aseh, the aspect of one thousand lights. And from these two crowns, as above, which are the aspect of two alafin, two thousand lights — from them are made the aforementioned seals, which are the aspect of t’chum Shabbos of 2,000 amos, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of eruvay techumin — that in the place where one places the measure of a meal, from there the t’chum Shabbos begins. For the main t’chum Shabbos, which is the aspect of the seal, as above, is drawn only through emunah, as above. For through emunah, the seal of the feet is guarded, through which the expulsion and displacement from place to place is nullified — which is the aspect of t’chum Shabbos, that one does not go from place to place, as above. It emerges that the main thing is through the emunah that is drawn through the boldness of holiness that is merited on Shabbos, as above. And all this is received through eating on Shabbos, the aspect of “az tis’aneg al Hashem,” which is the aspect of boldness of holiness, the aspect of “ichlu mash’manim … ki chedvas Hashem hi ma’uzchem,” the aspect of “u’r’ay emunah,” etc., as above. And therefore the main t’chum Shabbos, which is the aspect of the seal, begins from the place of the meal. For from there is the main repair of the aspect of the seal, which is the aspect of the t’chum, as above.

[Yeshayahu 66:16]. And this fire burns the evil and the k’lipos so that they not take hold of the heart of the worthy person who draws souls close to the Blessed One. And then the Haichal ha-Kodesh — namely, the souls he draws close — also receives the power of the fire, which burns the k’lipos from taking hold of them. And then the judgment goes out to light; that is, the heart blazes and sits upon the throne, in the aspect of “He has established a throne for judgment” [Tehillim 9:8]. And this is the aspect of “the faithful city, full of justice” [Yeshayahu 1:21] — “city” being the aspect of Yerushalayim, the Holy City, namely the aspect of the Haichal ha-Kodesh, which clothes the judgment — and this is the aspect of “at that time they shall call Yerushalayim the Throne of God, and all the nations shall gather to it in the name of God… and they shall no longer walk after the stubbornness of their evil heart” [Yirmiyahu 3:17] — meaning, even though many nations will draw close to the Blessed One, the evil will nonetheless not be able to sway their hearts, God forbid. And all this is accomplished through the fire of the angels of the heart, as above. And this is the aspect of “My Shabbosos shall you observe” — this is igulah v’ribua d’ligo [the inner circle and square], etc. And this is the aspect of mem and samech in the Tablets. And this is the aspect of “I will give them, in My house and within My walls, a hand and a name” [Yeshayahu 56:5]. And this is the aspect of “house and wealth are the inheritance of fathers” [Mishlai 19:14] — see there the full matter well. And this is the aspect of gairim who require milah and afterwards immersion. And it is also impossible to convert gairim except through a bais din of three — as our Sages derived from the word mishpat [judgment] written in connection with the “one law shall there be for you and for the ger” [Bamidbar 15:16]. For the ger, having been exceedingly far from holiness — utterly distant — and wishing to emerge from the impurity and filth of the gentile world to the holiness of Israel, it is therefore impossible to bring him close to holiness except through a bais din of three, where the primary mishpat resides. And therefore specifically the bais din has the power to bring him close and to take him under the wings of the Shechinah — for since they are a

bais din of three who have the power to execute judgment, and all adjudication is done in a court of three, their power of judgment is such that the evil of the gairim cannot take hold of their hearts, for the fire of their judgment burns that evil, as above. And therefore the word mishpat is written in connection with the ger — to teach that the ger requires a bais din of three who are masters of judgment. For it is impossible for the ger to draw close to the Blessed One except through the aspect of mishpat, as explained in the teaching above — in order to arouse the fire of judgment to burn the evil that had taken hold of him, as above. And therefore the ger first requires milah. For the orlah is the evil, the zuhamas ha-nachash, that had taken hold of him — and it is impossible to bring him close unless he is first circumcised, removing the orlah from him, which is the evil that had gripped him. Only afterwards can he be brought close to the service of the Blessed One. For the primary work is to first strive to subdue and nullify the evil gripping him — and therefore if the immersion preceded the milah, it is of no account, for first the evil must be removed, which is the orlah. And afterwards he may be purified through immersion and brought close to the Blessed One. For the primary task is to remove and burn the evil that had taken hold of those souls who wish to draw close — for originally he was among the nations and the k’lipos, as it is written: “this is Yerushalayim; I have set her in the midst of the nations” [Yechezkel 5:5]. Therefore the evil must first be removed from the gairim through milah, and afterwards he is purified through immersion and brought close to the Blessed One. For milah and immersion are in the aspect of mem and samech, the aspect of igulah v’ribua [circle and square] explained in the teaching above, which are the aspects of mishpat and kisai [throne] explained there. For the mitzvah of milah, which is the nullification of the evil that is the orlah, this is in the aspect of nullification of the forbidden within sixty, which is through the aspect of the samech — which is the aspect of Malchus [kingship], the aspect of “sixty are the queens” [Shir ha-Shirim 6:8]. And Malchus is in the aspect of the cherev pifiyos [double-edged sword], as is cited elsewhere — the aspect of the cherev nokemes nikam bris

bais din of three who have the power to execute judgment, and all adjudication is done in a court of three, their power of judgment is such that the evil of the gairim cannot take hold of their hearts, for the fire of their judgment burns that evil, as above. And therefore the word mishpat is written in connection with the ger — to teach that the ger requires a bais din of three who are masters of judgment. For it is impossible for the ger to draw close to the Blessed One except through the aspect of mishpat, as explained in the teaching above — in order to arouse the fire of judgment to burn the evil that had taken hold of him, as above. And therefore the ger first requires milah. For the orlah is the evil, the zuhamas ha-nachash, that had taken hold of him — and it is impossible to bring him close unless he is first circumcised, removing the orlah from him, which is the evil that had gripped him. Only afterwards can he be brought close to the service of the Blessed One. For the primary work is to first strive to subdue and nullify the evil gripping him — and therefore if the immersion preceded the milah, it is of no account, for first the evil must be removed, which is the orlah. And afterwards he may be purified through immersion and brought close to the Blessed One. For the primary task is to remove and burn the evil that had taken hold of those souls who wish to draw close — for originally he was among the nations and the k’lipos, as it is written: “this is Yerushalayim; I have set her in the midst of the nations” [Yechezkel 5:5]. Therefore the evil must first be removed from the gairim through milah, and afterwards he is purified through immersion and brought close to the Blessed One. For milah and immersion are in the aspect of mem and samech, the aspect of igulah v’ribua [circle and square] explained in the teaching above, which are the aspects of mishpat and kisai [throne] explained there. For the mitzvah of milah, which is the nullification of the evil that is the orlah, this is in the aspect of nullification of the forbidden within sixty, which is through the aspect of the samech — which is the aspect of Malchus [kingship], the aspect of “sixty are the queens” [Shir ha-Shirim 6:8]. And Malchus is in the aspect of the cherev pifiyos [double-edged sword], as is cited elsewhere — the aspect of the cherev nokemes nikam bris

bais din of three who have the power to execute judgment, and all adjudication is done in a court of three, their power of judgment is such that the evil of the gairim cannot take hold of their hearts, for the fire of their judgment burns that evil, as above. And therefore the word mishpat is written in connection with the ger — to teach that the ger requires a bais din of three who are masters of judgment. For it is impossible for the ger to draw close to the Blessed One except through the aspect of mishpat, as explained in the teaching above — in order to arouse the fire of judgment to burn the evil that had taken hold of him, as above. And therefore the ger first requires milah. For the orlah is the evil, the zuhamas ha-nachash, that had taken hold of him — and it is impossible to bring him close unless he is first circumcised, removing the orlah from him, which is the evil that had gripped him. Only afterwards can he be brought close to the service of the Blessed One. For the primary work is to first strive to subdue and nullify the evil gripping him — and therefore if the immersion preceded the milah, it is of no account, for first the evil must be removed, which is the orlah. And afterwards he may be purified through immersion and brought close to the Blessed One. For the primary task is to remove and burn the evil that had taken hold of those souls who wish to draw close — for originally he was among the nations and the k’lipos, as it is written: “this is Yerushalayim; I have set her in the midst of the nations” [Yechezkel 5:5]. Therefore the evil must first be removed from the gairim through milah, and afterwards he is purified through immersion and brought close to the Blessed One. For milah and immersion are in the aspect of mem and samech, the aspect of igulah v’ribua [circle and square] explained in the teaching above, which are the aspects of mishpat and kisai [throne] explained there. For the mitzvah of milah, which is the nullification of the evil that is the orlah, this is in the aspect of nullification of the forbidden within sixty, which is through the aspect of the samech — which is the aspect of Malchus [kingship], the aspect of “sixty are the queens” [Shir ha-Shirim 6:8]. And Malchus is in the aspect of the cherev pifiyos [double-edged sword], as is cited elsewhere — the aspect of the cherev nokemes nikam bris

bais din of three who have the power to execute judgment, and all adjudication is done in a court of three, their power of judgment is such that the evil of the gairim cannot take hold of their hearts, for the fire of their judgment burns that evil, as above. And therefore the word mishpat is written in connection with the ger — to teach that the ger requires a bais din of three who are masters of judgment. For it is impossible for the ger to draw close to the Blessed One except through the aspect of mishpat, as explained in the teaching above — in order to arouse the fire of judgment to burn the evil that had taken hold of him, as above. And therefore the ger first requires milah. For the orlah is the evil, the zuhamas ha-nachash, that had taken hold of him — and it is impossible to bring him close unless he is first circumcised, removing the orlah from him, which is the evil that had gripped him. Only afterwards can he be brought close to the service of the Blessed One. For the primary work is to first strive to subdue and nullify the evil gripping him — and therefore if the immersion preceded the milah, it is of no account, for first the evil must be removed, which is the orlah. And afterwards he may be purified through immersion and brought close to the Blessed One. For the primary task is to remove and burn the evil that had taken hold of those souls who wish to draw close — for originally he was among the nations and the k’lipos, as it is written: “this is Yerushalayim; I have set her in the midst of the nations” [Yechezkel 5:5]. Therefore the evil must first be removed from the gairim through milah, and afterwards he is purified through immersion and brought close to the Blessed One. For milah and immersion are in the aspect of mem and samech, the aspect of igulah v’ribua [circle and square] explained in the teaching above, which are the aspects of mishpat and kisai [throne] explained there. For the mitzvah of milah, which is the nullification of the evil that is the orlah, this is in the aspect of nullification of the forbidden within sixty, which is through the aspect of the samech — which is the aspect of Malchus [kingship], the aspect of “sixty are the queens” [Shir ha-Shirim 6:8]. And Malchus is in the aspect of the cherev pifiyos [double-edged sword], as is cited elsewhere — the aspect of the cherev nokemes nikam bris

bais din of three who have the power to execute judgment, and all adjudication is done in a court of three, their power of judgment is such that the evil of the gairim cannot take hold of their hearts, for the fire of their judgment burns that evil, as above. And therefore the word mishpat is written in connection with the ger — to teach that the ger requires a bais din of three who are masters of judgment. For it is impossible for the ger to draw close to the Blessed One except through the aspect of mishpat, as explained in the teaching above — in order to arouse the fire of judgment to burn the evil that had taken hold of him, as above. And therefore the ger first requires milah. For the orlah is the evil, the zuhamas ha-nachash, that had taken hold of him — and it is impossible to bring him close unless he is first circumcised, removing the orlah from him, which is the evil that had gripped him. Only afterwards can he be brought close to the service of the Blessed One. For the primary work is to first strive to subdue and nullify the evil gripping him — and therefore if the immersion preceded the milah, it is of no account, for first the evil must be removed, which is the orlah. And afterwards he may be purified through immersion and brought close to the Blessed One. For the primary task is to remove and burn the evil that had taken hold of those souls who wish to draw close — for originally he was among the nations and the k’lipos, as it is written: “this is Yerushalayim; I have set her in the midst of the nations” [Yechezkel 5:5]. Therefore the evil must first be removed from the gairim through milah, and afterwards he is purified through immersion and brought close to the Blessed One. For milah and immersion are in the aspect of mem and samech, the aspect of igulah v’ribua [circle and square] explained in the teaching above, which are the aspects of mishpat and kisai [throne] explained there. For the mitzvah of milah, which is the nullification of the evil that is the orlah, this is in the aspect of nullification of the forbidden within sixty, which is through the aspect of the samech — which is the aspect of Malchus [kingship], the aspect of “sixty are the queens” [Shir ha-Shirim 6:8]. And Malchus is in the aspect of the cherev pifiyos [double-edged sword], as is cited elsewhere — the aspect of the cherev nokemes nikam bris

bais din of three who have the power to execute judgment, and all adjudication is done in a court of three, their power of judgment is such that the evil of the gairim cannot take hold of their hearts, for the fire of their judgment burns that evil, as above. And therefore the word mishpat is written in connection with the ger — to teach that the ger requires a bais din of three who are masters of judgment. For it is impossible for the ger to draw close to the Blessed One except through the aspect of mishpat, as explained in the teaching above — in order to arouse the fire of judgment to burn the evil that had taken hold of him, as above. And therefore the ger first requires milah. For the orlah is the evil, the zuhamas ha-nachash, that had taken hold of him — and it is impossible to bring him close unless he is first circumcised, removing the orlah from him, which is the evil that had gripped him. Only afterwards can he be brought close to the service of the Blessed One. For the primary work is to first strive to subdue and nullify the evil gripping him — and therefore if the immersion preceded the milah, it is of no account, for first the evil must be removed, which is the orlah. And afterwards he may be purified through immersion and brought close to the Blessed One. For the primary task is to remove and burn the evil that had taken hold of those souls who wish to draw close — for originally he was among the nations and the k’lipos, as it is written: “this is Yerushalayim; I have set her in the midst of the nations” [Yechezkel 5:5]. Therefore the evil must first be removed from the gairim through milah, and afterwards he is purified through immersion and brought close to the Blessed One. For milah and immersion are in the aspect of mem and samech, the aspect of igulah v’ribua [circle and square] explained in the teaching above, which are the aspects of mishpat and kisai [throne] explained there. For the mitzvah of milah, which is the nullification of the evil that is the orlah, this is in the aspect of nullification of the forbidden within sixty, which is through the aspect of the samech — which is the aspect of Malchus [kingship], the aspect of “sixty are the queens” [Shir ha-Shirim 6:8]. And Malchus is in the aspect of the cherev pifiyos [double-edged sword], as is cited elsewhere — the aspect of the cherev nokemes nikam bris

bais din of three who have the power to execute judgment, and all adjudication is done in a court of three, their power of judgment is such that the evil of the gairim cannot take hold of their hearts, for the fire of their judgment burns that evil, as above. And therefore the word mishpat is written in connection with the ger — to teach that the ger requires a bais din of three who are masters of judgment. For it is impossible for the ger to draw close to the Blessed One except through the aspect of mishpat, as explained in the teaching above — in order to arouse the fire of judgment to burn the evil that had taken hold of him, as above. And therefore the ger first requires milah. For the orlah is the evil, the zuhamas ha-nachash, that had taken hold of him — and it is impossible to bring him close unless he is first circumcised, removing the orlah from him, which is the evil that had gripped him. Only afterwards can he be brought close to the service of the Blessed One. For the primary work is to first strive to subdue and nullify the evil gripping him — and therefore if the immersion preceded the milah, it is of no account, for first the evil must be removed, which is the orlah. And afterwards he may be purified through immersion and brought close to the Blessed One. For the primary task is to remove and burn the evil that had taken hold of those souls who wish to draw close — for originally he was among the nations and the k’lipos, as it is written: “this is Yerushalayim; I have set her in the midst of the nations” [Yechezkel 5:5]. Therefore the evil must first be removed from the gairim through milah, and afterwards he is purified through immersion and brought close to the Blessed One. For milah and immersion are in the aspect of mem and samech, the aspect of igulah v’ribua [circle and square] explained in the teaching above, which are the aspects of mishpat and kisai [throne] explained there. For the mitzvah of milah, which is the nullification of the evil that is the orlah, this is in the aspect of nullification of the forbidden within sixty, which is through the aspect of the samech — which is the aspect of Malchus [kingship], the aspect of “sixty are the queens” [Shir ha-Shirim 6:8]. And Malchus is in the aspect of the cherev pifiyos [double-edged sword], as is cited elsewhere — the aspect of the cherev nokemes nikam bris

bais din of three who have the power to execute judgment, and all adjudication is done in a court of three, their power of judgment is such that the evil of the gairim cannot take hold of their hearts, for the fire of their judgment burns that evil, as above. And therefore the word mishpat is written in connection with the ger — to teach that the ger requires a bais din of three who are masters of judgment. For it is impossible for the ger to draw close to the Blessed One except through the aspect of mishpat, as explained in the teaching above — in order to arouse the fire of judgment to burn the evil that had taken hold of him, as above. And therefore the ger first requires milah. For the orlah is the evil, the zuhamas ha-nachash, that had taken hold of him — and it is impossible to bring him close unless he is first circumcised, removing the orlah from him, which is the evil that had gripped him. Only afterwards can he be brought close to the service of the Blessed One. For the primary work is to first strive to subdue and nullify the evil gripping him — and therefore if the immersion preceded the milah, it is of no account, for first the evil must be removed, which is the orlah. And afterwards he may be purified through immersion and brought close to the Blessed One. For the primary task is to remove and burn the evil that had taken hold of those souls who wish to draw close — for originally he was among the nations and the k’lipos, as it is written: “this is Yerushalayim; I have set her in the midst of the nations” [Yechezkel 5:5]. Therefore the evil must first be removed from the gairim through milah, and afterwards he is purified through immersion and brought close to the Blessed One. For milah and immersion are in the aspect of mem and samech, the aspect of igulah v’ribua [circle and square] explained in the teaching above, which are the aspects of mishpat and kisai [throne] explained there. For the mitzvah of milah, which is the nullification of the evil that is the orlah, this is in the aspect of nullification of the forbidden within sixty, which is through the aspect of the samech — which is the aspect of Malchus [kingship], the aspect of “sixty are the queens” [Shir ha-Shirim 6:8]. And Malchus is in the aspect of the cherev pifiyos [double-edged sword], as is cited elsewhere — the aspect of the cherev nokemes nikam bris

bais din of three who have the power to execute judgment, and all adjudication is done in a court of three, their power of judgment is such that the evil of the gairim cannot take hold of their hearts, for the fire of their judgment burns that evil, as above. And therefore the word mishpat is written in connection with the ger — to teach that the ger requires a bais din of three who are masters of judgment. For it is impossible for the ger to draw close to the Blessed One except through the aspect of mishpat, as explained in the teaching above — in order to arouse the fire of judgment to burn the evil that had taken hold of him, as above. And therefore the ger first requires milah. For the orlah is the evil, the zuhamas ha-nachash, that had taken hold of him — and it is impossible to bring him close unless he is first circumcised, removing the orlah from him, which is the evil that had gripped him. Only afterwards can he be brought close to the service of the Blessed One. For the primary work is to first strive to subdue and nullify the evil gripping him — and therefore if the immersion preceded the milah, it is of no account, for first the evil must be removed, which is the orlah. And afterwards he may be purified through immersion and brought close to the Blessed One. For the primary task is to remove and burn the evil that had taken hold of those souls who wish to draw close — for originally he was among the nations and the k’lipos, as it is written: “this is Yerushalayim; I have set her in the midst of the nations” [Yechezkel 5:5]. Therefore the evil must first be removed from the gairim through milah, and afterwards he is purified through immersion and brought close to the Blessed One. For milah and immersion are in the aspect of mem and samech, the aspect of igulah v’ribua [circle and square] explained in the teaching above, which are the aspects of mishpat and kisai [throne] explained there. For the mitzvah of milah, which is the nullification of the evil that is the orlah, this is in the aspect of nullification of the forbidden within sixty, which is through the aspect of the samech — which is the aspect of Malchus [kingship], the aspect of “sixty are the queens” [Shir ha-Shirim 6:8]. And Malchus is in the aspect of the cherev pifiyos [double-edged sword], as is cited elsewhere — the aspect of the cherev nokemes nikam bris

bais din of three who have the power to execute judgment, and all adjudication is done in a court of three, their power of judgment is such that the evil of the gairim cannot take hold of their hearts, for the fire of their judgment burns that evil, as above. And therefore the word mishpat is written in connection with the ger — to teach that the ger requires a bais din of three who are masters of judgment. For it is impossible for the ger to draw close to the Blessed One except through the aspect of mishpat, as explained in the teaching above — in order to arouse the fire of judgment to burn the evil that had taken hold of him, as above. And therefore the ger first requires milah. For the orlah is the evil, the zuhamas ha-nachash, that had taken hold of him — and it is impossible to bring him close unless he is first circumcised, removing the orlah from him, which is the evil that had gripped him. Only afterwards can he be brought close to the service of the Blessed One. For the primary work is to first strive to subdue and nullify the evil gripping him — and therefore if the immersion preceded the milah, it is of no account, for first the evil must be removed, which is the orlah. And afterwards he may be purified through immersion and brought close to the Blessed One. For the primary task is to remove and burn the evil that had taken hold of those souls who wish to draw close — for originally he was among the nations and the k’lipos, as it is written: “this is Yerushalayim; I have set her in the midst of the nations” [Yechezkel 5:5]. Therefore the evil must first be removed from the gairim through milah, and afterwards he is purified through immersion and brought close to the Blessed One. For milah and immersion are in the aspect of mem and samech, the aspect of igulah v’ribua [circle and square] explained in the teaching above, which are the aspects of mishpat and kisai [throne] explained there. For the mitzvah of milah, which is the nullification of the evil that is the orlah, this is in the aspect of nullification of the forbidden within sixty, which is through the aspect of the samech — which is the aspect of Malchus [kingship], the aspect of “sixty are the queens” [Shir ha-Shirim 6:8]. And Malchus is in the aspect of the cherev pifiyos [double-edged sword], as is cited elsewhere — the aspect of the cherev nokemes nikam bris

bais din of three who have the power to execute judgment, and all adjudication is done in a court of three, their power of judgment is such that the evil of the gairim cannot take hold of their hearts, for the fire of their judgment burns that evil, as above. And therefore the word mishpat is written in connection with the ger — to teach that the ger requires a bais din of three who are masters of judgment. For it is impossible for the ger to draw close to the Blessed One except through the aspect of mishpat, as explained in the teaching above — in order to arouse the fire of judgment to burn the evil that had taken hold of him, as above. And therefore the ger first requires milah. For the orlah is the evil, the zuhamas ha-nachash, that had taken hold of him — and it is impossible to bring him close unless he is first circumcised, removing the orlah from him, which is the evil that had gripped him. Only afterwards can he be brought close to the service of the Blessed One. For the primary work is to first strive to subdue and nullify the evil gripping him — and therefore if the immersion preceded the milah, it is of no account, for first the evil must be removed, which is the orlah. And afterwards he may be purified through immersion and brought close to the Blessed One. For the primary task is to remove and burn the evil that had taken hold of those souls who wish to draw close — for originally he was among the nations and the k’lipos, as it is written: “this is Yerushalayim; I have set her in the midst of the nations” [Yechezkel 5:5]. Therefore the evil must first be removed from the gairim through milah, and afterwards he is purified through immersion and brought close to the Blessed One. For milah and immersion are in the aspect of mem and samech, the aspect of igulah v’ribua [circle and square] explained in the teaching above, which are the aspects of mishpat and kisai [throne] explained there. For the mitzvah of milah, which is the nullification of the evil that is the orlah, this is in the aspect of nullification of the forbidden within sixty, which is through the aspect of the samech — which is the aspect of Malchus [kingship], the aspect of “sixty are the queens” [Shir ha-Shirim 6:8]. And Malchus is in the aspect of the cherev pifiyos [double-edged sword], as is cited elsewhere — the aspect of the cherev nokemes nikam bris

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~ 4 ~ And therefore Ya'akov gave over the birthright to Yosef, as it is written: "And I have given you one portion" (sh'chem), etc. — "which I took from the hand of the Emori." And our Sages expounded: from the hand of Eisav, who would trap his father with the words of his mouth (imrai fiv), etc. For the birthright — which is the aspect of greatness and authority — Ya'akov took from Eisav and gave it over to his son Yosef, to subdue the rav of the k'lipah, the aspect of ruach s'arah, the aspect of the birthright of Eisav, and to empower the rav of holiness — which is the aspect of the ruach chayyim of holiness, which is the aspect of Yosef HaTzaddik.

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It emerges: man must focus in his tefilah to arouse and reveal the metzach haratzon (the root of the Will), so it will be an ais ratzon and his prayer will be received. Through the revelation of the root of the Will, he can concentrate in prayer and overcome the evil creatures (= the wise men of nature who deny the Will, from which foreign thoughts come). One must be especially careful and exert himself in Tefilas HaMinchah — for "at Minchah time, harsh judgment prevails"; from the extension of these judgments comes the Sitra Achra's hold. Therefore the evil creatures (= wise men of nature from the Sitra Achra) overpower more, chas v'shalom, during the prevailing of judgments — at Minchah — since their hold derives from there. These evil creatures (= wise men of nature who deny the Will) are in the aspect of rogez [anger/agitation] — the opposite of Will: "short of days and full of rogez" (as explained well in the above teaching). They are the aspect of rogez — their hold coming from rogez and judgments. Therefore they are called evil creatures that snatch and tear — through their intensified rogez.

And thus: "Though they be as the worm (כַּתּוֹלָע), they shall be as wool (כַּצֶּמֶר) specifically" — which are the aspect of the תִּקּוּנֵי דִּיקְנָא, drawn from the aspect of אַיֵּה — which one merits through transforming תּוֹלָע into עוֹלַת through the seeking and searching, etc., as stated. This is the aspect of אַיֵּה — which is the aspect of wool, the aspect of the תִּקּוּנֵי דִּיקְנָא, the thirteen attributes of mercy, through which the Holy One Blessed Be He forgives all the sins of His people Israel with mercy, Amen and Amen. Section 4 Therefore Cain — who said "You have driven me out this day... and from Your face I shall be hidden" — did teshuvah, as cited in the holy Zohar: וְכַד תָּב בִּתְיוּבְתָּא (when he returned in repentance), etc. For Cain sinned greatly — the filth of the serpent gripped him mightily, the aspect of קֵינָא דִּמְסָאֲבוּתָא (the bird of impurity), the aspect of impure places. And he saw himself as very far from His glory Yisborach. Therefore he said he has no place in the world, etc., as stated — for those places are the aspect of "without place" as stated. He therefore said "You have driven me out," for he has no place in the world. And this is "from Your face I shall be hidden" — he is far and hidden from His glory. And through this very thing — that he looked at himself and saw that he is far from His glory Yisborach, etc., as stated — through this he merited the aspect of אַיֵּה, etc. And this is what is written: "Hashem set a sign for Cain" (וַיָּשֶׂם ה׳ לְקַיִן אוֹת). Our Sages expounded: a horn shone for him (זָרַח לוֹ קֶרֶן) — the aspect of the קֶרֶן הַשּׁוֹפָר (horn of the Shofar), which is the aspect of the Shofar of Yitzchak's ram — the aspect of "Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?", as stated. And this is what is written in the Tikkunim: וְכַד תָּב בִּתְיוּבְתָּא כְּדֵין וַיָּשֶׂם ה׳ לְקַיִן אוֹת — "When he returned in repentance, then: Hashem set a sign for Cain." For the seeking and searching of אַיֵּה — the place of His glory — as stated, this is the essence of repentance, as explained in the above discourse. And through this he merited to ascend to the ultimate height, to the aspect of אַיֵּה, the sealed utterance, as stated — which is the aspect of that sign, the aspect of the horn of the Shofar of Yitzchak's ram, the aspect of "Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?", as stated. ✦ ✦ ✦ Halacha 4 — תולעים ד׳ The subject of worms whose prohibition applies specifically when they crawl on the earth — that is, worms that grow while attached to the ground, or in detached fruit that have separated, which are then forbidden on account of the creeping thing that creeps on the earth — but in detached fruit that have not separated, they are permitted. Based on the wondrous tale of the Seven Beggars — specifically the story of the sixth day, of the one born without hands, who boasted of the extraordinary power in his hands — see the entire tale there. This Halacha is among the most expansive in all of Likutay Halachos. It weaves together: the Maase of the Seven Beggars (Day 6 — the handless beggar), the Bat Melech (King's Daughter = the Shechinah/Knesses Yisrael), ten walls of water, ten types of arrows, ten types of pulses, ten types of melody, the Splitting of the Sea, the Olat Tamid, and the concept of the vacated space (חָלָל הַפָּנוּי). Due to its extraordinary length, key sections are translated below. Section 1 — The Tale of the King's Daughter Let us first explain somewhat the sparkling that sparkles in my mind — some hints in the wondrous tale of the sixth of the Seven Beggars, of the one born without hands who boasted of the extraordinary wonders of the power in his hands. See the entire tale there — about the King's Daughter whom the King seized, and he saw in a dream that she would kill him, and he deliberated over what to do with her, etc. Through this their love was disrupted and she fled from him into a palace of water that has ten walls of water. And he chased after her with all his armies and shot all ten types of arrows at her, and they reached her, and she fled inside all the ten walls of water and became weakened. And it is he who is born without hands who heals her — for he has such power in his hands that he can remove all ten types of arrows; he can enter inside all the walls of water; he knows all ten types of pulse; and he can play all ten types of melody which are her cure. (See all of this there carefully.) Section 2 — Who Is the King's Daughter? The secret of this tale is concealed from all the worlds. Yet nonetheless each of us has permission to search and seek in it for whatever hints we may find, as I understood from his words. The matter is: the King's Daughter is the aspect of the souls of Israel, called the King's Daughter — the aspect of "Hearken, O daughter, and see" (שִׁמְעִי בַת וּרְאִי), the aspect of "All the glory of the King's Daughter is inward" (כָּל כְּבוּדָהּ בַּת מֶלֶךְ פְּנִימָה). The King who seized her is the Evil Inclination — the aspect of "an old and foolish king." He saw in a dream that she would kill him — for he himself sees and understands that ultimately the souls of Israel will overpower him and kill him and remove him from the world, the aspect of "I will remove the spirit of impurity from the land." And through this the love between them was disrupted and she fled from him — into the aspect of Torah, the ten walls of water. The ten types of arrows he shot at her correspond to his intensified attack and provocation — for he provokes the scholar who studies Torah most intensely of all. As our Sages said: he leaves the entire world and provokes only Israel; and more than that — he leaves all of Israel and provokes only Torah scholars. As written: "Because he has greatly enlarged his doing" — he extended his hand against the great ones. She fled inside all ten walls of water — Torah — and weakened from the poisoned arrows. And he who is born without hands heals her — through ten types of melody (נְגִינָה), which are the aspect of joy (שִׂמְחָה), as our Rebbe stated — for the main power of the arrows is through sadness (עַצְבוּת), the aspect of "the serpent — dust is his bread," and dust is the aspect of sadness and laziness, as our Rebbe stated (Torah 189, Likutay part 1). The main power of the Evil Inclination is through the blemishing of the covenant (פְּגַם הַבְּרִית), and the main draw toward lust and blemish of the covenant comes through sadness. And therefore our Rebbe instituted the ten Psalms of the תִּקּוּן הַכְּלָלִי (General Rectification) as a rectification for the covenant — for they are the ten types of melody, the aspect of joy — since the main blemish of the covenant comes through sadness. Section 3 — Universal and Particular Our Rebbe's words in this tale speak on both general and particular levels. On the general level: the בַּת מֶלֶךְ is the מַלְכוּת דִּקְדֻשָּׁה (Kingdom of Holiness) — the root of all souls, the root of all worlds. All were created to reveal His Kingship through this lowly human being specifically. The King who took her is the evil kingdom (מַלְכוּת הָרְשָׁעָה) that wants to overpower the Kingdom of Holiness and obscure His Kingship from the world. She fled into the waters — the aspect of "The earth was formless and empty and darkness..." — the aspect of the broken worlds from which the evil kingdom draws its strength. "And the spirit of God" — this is the spirit of the Mashiach; the Kingdom of Holiness which is the Kingdom of Mashiach — "hovered over the face of the waters," the ten walls of water. Water here is the aspect of שֵׁם מַ״ה — the new light of מַ״ה, the World of Rectification (עוֹלַם הַתִּקּוּן). For it is known in the writings of the Ari z"l that the four fundamental elements — fire, wind, water, earth — correspond to the four names: ע״ב, ס״ג, מ״ה, ב״ן — which correspond to the four worlds of Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah, Asiyah. The Sheviras HaKeilim (Breaking of the Vessels) occurred primarily in the aspect of ב״ן, which is the aspect of earth/dust. And the rectification came through the aspect of water, which is מַ״ה. Therefore water purifies from all impurities. Section 4 — The Splitting of the Sea This is the aspect of the Splitting of the Reed Sea — the aspect of "And the waters were a wall unto them" (וְהַמַּיִם לָהֶם חוֹמָה) — drawn from the aspect of the ten walls mentioned above. All of Israel is the aspect of the בַּת מֶלֶךְ — the Kingdom of Holiness that comprises the souls of Israel. The King who seized her is Pharaoh, King of Egypt, whose power derives from the סַמֵּ״ךְ מֵ״ם, the heavenly minister of Egypt. And this is the secret of why Sarah was taken to Pharaoh's house and to Avimelech's house — all this alluded to the exile in Egypt. For the evil kingdom saw from afar that Israel would ultimately overcome it — therefore it devised schemes, until ultimately they fled, the aspect of "It was told to the King of Egypt that the people had fled." And they came to the palace of water and entered all ten walls, the aspect of "And the waters were a wall for them." And they crossed the sea safely. But Pharaoh and his army who pursued them drowned in the sea. And he shot all ten arrows after them — the aspect of "And the angel of God... went behind them." Rashi explains: they received all the arrows and sling-stones of Egypt. And the ten trials with which our ancestors tested the Holy One Blessed Be He — the Golden Calf, the spies, etc. — these are the ten trials that were drawn from the ten types of arrows that he shot at them into the ten walls of water. And we have not yet been healed from them. And from these come all the ailments of the Congregation of Israel in her exile, as she cries: "Support me with flagons... for I am sick with love" — the aspect of "His arrows have sunk into me". Yet Hashem Yisborach prepared the cure before the wound — He helped her flee into the ten walls of water, which is Torah. For the Torah is the primary life and cure: "The Torah of Hashem is perfect, restoring the soul." And ultimately the true Healer shall come — he who has the power in his hands — and shall heal her completely. And this is the Shirat HaYam (Song at the Sea), drawn from the ten types of melody. "Az Yashir Moshe" — "sang" is not written, but "will sing" — for the perfect song will only be at the time of Mashiach, when all ten types of melody are awakened. And therefore they concluded: "Hashem shall reign forever and ever" — in the future tense, for the revelation of His Kingship, which is the cure of the King's Daughter, will be in the future, when "Hashem shall be King over all the earth." Section 5 — The Four Aspects When you examine the tale carefully, you will find that our Rebbe spoke of four things, each comprising ten: (1) ten types of arrows; (2) ten walls of water, which are the ten types of tzedakah; (3) ten types of pulse, which are the ten measures of wisdom; (4) ten types of melody, which are the ten types of walls. (See the entire tale there.) A person of understanding will readily see that they hint at the four worlds of אֲצִילוּת, בְּרִיאָה, יְצִירָה, עֲשִׂיָּה — and all the aspects of the four that I brought above: the aspects of טַ״נְתָּ״א — Teamim, Nekudos, Tagim, Osiyos — which are the aspects of the four divine names: ע״ב, ס״ג, מ״ה, ב״ן, which are the root of the four worlds. The ten arrows correspond to the World of Asiyah — for there is the primary grip of the husks and the Other Side, from which come all the arrows that afflict the Shechinah. The ten walls of water correspond to Yetzirah — the aspect of מַ״ה, the aspect of the element of water, from which rectification flows. The ten types of pulse correspond to Beriah — the aspect of ס״ג, the aspect of nekudos (vowel points). The ten types of melody correspond to Atzilus — the aspect of ע״ב, the aspect of teamim (cantillation), for the teamim are the aspect of the ten types of melody, the cantillation of the melody. Everything from all these must be drawn to heal the King's Daughter and save her from the old foolish King — for the entire unfolding of all the worlds from beginning to end was all for the sake of Kingship, to reveal His Kingship, as is known. Section 6 — Asiyah, Worms, and the Daily Offering It thus emerges: the World of Asiyah corresponds to the aspect of dust — there is the primary grip of the above-mentioned arrows, i.e., the power of the husks and the Other Side. Therefore the closer something is to the earth, the greater the grip of the filth in it. And therefore worms that crawl on the earth — being closer to the earth than all living creatures, literally crawling and creeping on the earth — they are all forbidden, with no kosher species among them, for they are all forbidden on account of "the creeping thing that creeps on the earth" — הַשּׁוֹרֵץ עַל הָאָרֶץ specifically — for there the grip of the Other Side is greatest, the aspect of "the serpent — dust is his bread." And from there come all the ten types of arrows, as stated. Therefore they are all forbidden. But worms in detached fruit that have not separated — not being in the category of "crawling on the earth" — are permitted. For the core prohibition of worms is because they crawl on the earth, where the grip of the Other Side is greatest — the aspect of the arrows, as stated. Section 7 — The Daily Offering Passage This is the aspect of the passage of the Korban HaTamid recited in the morning — to purify and rectify the World of Asiyah, as is known. The primary purpose is to subdue the husk called תּוֹלָע through the עוֹלַת תָּמִיד, as cited in the Kabbalistic writings. For in Asiyah is the primary grip of the תּוֹלָע husk — an exceedingly hard husk from which flow all worms that crawl on the earth, the full force of Asiyah's filth — and their subjugation comes through the offerings, the aspect of the Korban HaTamid, for the offerings are very lofty and have the power to purify the full force of Asiyah's filth, as explained in the Kabbalistic writings. For it is explained in the tale that he possessed such power in his hands that when he shoots an arrow he can bring it back, etc. Through this he could heal the King's Daughter. The slaughter of the offerings — with sword and knife, which are the aspect of arrows — is the sweetening of judgments at their root, and from this it removes from her all the evil arrows, healing her. This is the aspect of the knife of slaughter in the forward-and-back motion: as our Sages said, the measure of the knife is so that it goes forward and back — for slaughter is specifically through forward and back, the aspect of shooting and returning the arrows, i.e., the sweetening of judgments at their root. Section 8 — Fish, Locusts, and the Ten Walls of Water And this is: fish and locusts do not require slaughter — our Sages learned from the verse "Every living thing that swarms in the waters" — that locusts are equated with fish, and therefore do not require slaughter. For the water fortress of the tale hints to the wisdom and intellect present in the vacated space (חָלָל הַפָּנוּי) that came about through the צִמְצוּם (contraction/withdrawal). For it seemed that there is no light of wisdom there — yet in truth even in the vacated space itself there is His light Yisborach, which is wisdom and intellect — only that this intellect, concealed and hidden in the contraction of the vacated space, cannot be attained now, until the Future to Come when it will be revealed that the vacated space is like the silkworm whose garment is from itself and within itself — the aspect of "And my righteousness will answer for me on the morrow" (וְעָנְתָה בִּי צִדְקָתִי בְּיוֹם מָחָר). The aspect of "I clothed myself in righteousness" (צֶדֶק לָבַשְׁתִּי) — as explained in the Torah Bo el Paroh (Torah 64), see there. Therefore fish, whose root is from the World of Rectification that will be revealed in the Future — they do not require slaughter. Therefore the Tzaddikim are compared to fish — they are the aspect of Mashiach, drawing forth in each generation wondrous rectifications from the aspect of the rectification to be revealed in the Future — the aspect of the ten walls of water. And the primary maintenance of these walls of water is through the merit and power of the mitzvah of צְדָקָה (charity), as explained in the tale. Therefore the signs of fish are fin and scale — the scale (קַשְׂקֶשֶׂת) corresponding to tzedakah, the aspect of "He clothed himself in righteousness as armor, a coat of scale-mail" (שִׁרְיוֹן קַשְׂקַשִּׁים), as explained above in the laws of Fish, see there. For tzedakah is the aspect of the intellect of the vacated space that will be revealed in the Future — for it is like the silkworm whose garment is from itself — the aspect of "my righteousness will answer for me," etc. Therefore tzedakah is the aspect of the ten walls of water — the aspect of the World of Rectification, the intellect of the vacated space that will be revealed in the Future — which is the aspect of tzedakah. Likewise locusts are equated with fish and exempt from slaughter — for locusts too are from the aspect of the Rectification that will be revealed in the Future, the aspect of the vacated space like the silkworm דִּלְבוּשֵׁיהּ מִנֵּיהּ וּבֵיהּ, as explained in the Torah Bo — this is the aspect of "Behold I am bringing locusts tomorrow into your borders." Therefore locusts are equated with fish and exempt from slaughter — for their root is from the Rectification that will be revealed in the Future. Therefore they certainly do not require slaughter — for the essence of slaughter is the sweetening of judgments at their root, to draw the rectification from the intellect that will be revealed in the Future at the beginning of the contraction, etc. And since fish and locusts themselves were drawn from that aspect — they certainly do not require slaughter. Sections 9 through 11 — The Sweetening of Judgments All of the Torah and commandments are to clarify the sparks remaining from the Breaking of the Vessels, as is known — through which the arrows are removed from the King's Daughter, as stated. And this is the aspect of slaughter — the sweetening of judgments at their root, as stated — which is the aspect of the power-holder in the tale who shoots arrows and returns them. The entire Torah is this sweetening and clarification. The essence of sweetening judgments at their root is through drawing illumination from the World of Rectification — from the intellect of the secret of the contraction that will be revealed in the Future. Through this the judgments are sweetened at their root — for the root of all judgments is in the beginning of the contraction, as is known, from which all judgments unfolded. And when one who can enter there knows and grasps that even there, in the beginning of the contraction, Hashem Yisborach is concealed and hidden — and draws illumination from the knowledge and rectification that will be revealed in the Future — through this all judgments that drew sustenance from that contraction and concealment are cancelled and sweetened. And so it emerges that the essence of slaughter is the sweetening of judgments at their root — drawing and awakening the root of judgment, which is the beginning of the contraction, and knowing that even there Hashem Yisborach is hidden. And since we fulfill Hashem's commandment with this knife and slaughter as He commanded us — we are revealing that even in the full force of judgment, the knife and sword, His wisdom and compassion are hidden there too. For in truth, slaughter is great compassion for the living creature, since it is its ultimate eternal rectification. Therefore through the commandment of slaughter we sweeten the judgments at their root, clarify good from evil, spirit of man from spirit of animal — which is the absence of דַּעַת (knowledge), the aspect of the residue of judgments. We clarify them and sweeten and rectify them through the knife of slaughter — the sweetening of judgments at their root. And therefore fish and locusts do not require slaughter — for their root is from the Rectification that will be revealed in the Future. Since they themselves were drawn from that aspect, they certainly need no slaughter. The walls of water stand through the winds. And the essence of the cure of the King's Daughter comes through the ten types of melody — for he who can create a scale for all ten types of winds merits the ten types of melody. For the walls of water — the intellect of the vacated space — this cannot be grasped except through melody, as explained in the Torah Bo. The essence of the rectification is through melody — this is the aspect of "Then Moshe will sing" — "Come from the head of Amanah" (תָּבוֹאִי תָשׁוּרִי מֵרֹאשׁ אֲמָנָה). For in truth all four aspects of the tale — the four aspects of טַנְתָּ״א — are all bound together and ascend and are rectified one through the other, as understood from the tale: she fled from the arrows into the walls of water, and the walls of water themselves stand through the winds, which are the aspect of the pulse and melody — for the spirit of melody animates the spirit of the pulse, as explained in Likutay Tinyana. For the four aspects of טַנְתָּ״א all depend on each other, and the ultimate perfect rectification comes through the aspect of טְעָמִים (cantillation) — the aspect of the melody of the cantillation — for that is the root of all and the rectification of all. And understand all this well. Summary — The Thread Through Tolaim Halacha 1 establishes worms as the physical embodiment of זֻהֲמַת הַנָּחָשׁ — the primordial filth of the serpent. Their particular loathsomeness derives from their direct contact with the ground, the aspect of וְנָחָשׁ עָפָר לַחְמוֹ. They represent the utter absence of כָּבוֹד and the perfection of the Holy Tongue. Halacha 2 maps the laws of worms directly onto the Tzaddik's role in illuminating sparks trapped in the earth. Fruits and produce that grow through the Tzaddik's illuminating influence — the aspect of הָקִיצוּ וְרַנְּנוּ שֹׁכְנֵי עָפָר — partake of the rectification, permitting even worms within them until they separate. Halacha 3 reveals the deepest mystical layer: תּוֹלָע (worm) and עוֹלַת (burnt offering) are the same letters. Even from the deepest fallen state, the search for אַיֵּה מְקוֹם כְּבוֹדוֹ transforms the worm into the offering — the descent becomes the ultimate ascent. No despair is ever justified. Halacha 4, the most expansive, weaves the entire structure around the tale of the handless beggar and the King's Daughter. The Shechinah in exile, assailed by ten arrows of impurity, flees into the ten walls of Torah-water and awaits the Tzaddik of the generation who alone can heal her with the ten melodies — drawing from the hidden wisdom of the חָלָל הַפָּנוּי that will be fully revealed only at the time of Mashiach. Fish and locusts — exempt from slaughter — hint at this future rectification already present within them.

Based on the Torah beginning "V'Atem Tihyu Li Mamleches Kohanim v'Goy Kadosh, Eileh HaDvarim Asher Tedaber" etc. — Likutay [Moharan] I, Section 34. See there. Section One · א

Based on the Torah beginning "V'Atem Tihyu Li Mamleches Kohanim v'Goy Kadosh, Eileh HaDvarim Asher Tedaber" etc. — Likutay [Moharan] I, Section 34. See there. Section One · א

Based on the Torah beginning "V'Atem Tihyu Li Mamleches Kohanim v'Goy Kadosh, Eileh HaDvarim Asher Tedaber" etc. — Likutay [Moharan] I, Section 34. See there. Section One · א

Based on the Torah beginning "V'Atem Tihyu Li Mamleches Kohanim v'Goy Kadosh, Eileh HaDvarim Asher Tedaber" etc. — Likutay [Moharan] I, Section 34. See there. Section One · א

Based on the Torah beginning "V'Atem Tihyu Li Mamleches Kohanim v'Goy Kadosh, Eileh HaDvarim Asher Tedaber" etc. — Likutay [Moharan] I, Section 34. See there. Section One · א

Hilchos Chalah · Halacha Two — Complete (5 Sections, all clauses verified) · Likutay Halachos, Yoreh De'ah II Na Nach Nachma Nachman MeUman ✦

And therefore immediately when he saw this, immediately 'Yaakov made a vow...' (Beraishis 28:20). For then certainly he had to ascend to the place of the neder, which is the dimension of the all-encompassing intellect, the dimension of Kodesh Kodoshim — which is the dimension of Kol Nidrai that we say on Yom Kippur. Therefore the Kohen Gadol is forbidden to perform the service on Yom Kippur if he has no wife, as our Sages of blessed memory taught — for it is impossible for him to sweeten the tzimtzumim and dinim through the all-encompassing intellect in the dimension of Kodesh Kodoshim, as above, except when he is married to a woman. For the essential sweetening of the tzimtzumim comes through marriage of holiness (nissuin d'kedushah), and then he has the power to elevate all the tzimtzumim to their root and sweeten all through the all-encompassing intellect in the dimension of Kodesh Kodoshim, as above. Therefore a Kohen is forbidden to marry a divorcee — for all Kohanim are included within the Kohen Gadol, who sweetens all the dinim in the world through the all-encompassing intellect in the dimension of Kodesh Kodoshim, and all the Kohanim receive from him. For all the Kohanim always need to sweeten their din, which is the dimension of atonement for sins through the korbanot (offerings) that the Kohanim constantly bring to atone for Yisrael — for the atonement for all sins is the dimension of sweetening the dinim, as above. Therefore the Kohen is an ish chesed, a man of peace — which is the essential dimension of kehunah (priesthood), as it is written: 'Behold I give him My covenant of peace, and it shall be for him and his descendants a covenant of eternal priesthood' (Bamidbar 25:12). Therefore Aharon the first Kohen loved peace, as our Sages of blessed memory said, as it is written (Malachi 2:5): 'My covenant with him was life and peace.' For it is impossible to ascend there to the all-encompassing intellect and to sweeten the dinim except through love and peace — as is explained at the end of that Torah teaching regarding the teaching of the Holy Zohar: 'Anan b'chavivusah talya' — that Yisrael must love one another greatly with a soul-love, and then they are all subsumed together within the souls of the true tzaddikim, who are in the dimension of Kohen Gadol — and through this all the dinim in the world are sweetened. Therefore the divorcee is forbidden to the Kohen — for divorce (gerushin) is in the dimension of strife and conflict, for he draws for her an illumination from the dimension of the all-encompassing intellect in the dimension of kerisus and separation and distancing, which is the dimension of din and conflict. Therefore she is forbidden to the Kohen who is a man of peace, as above.

And this is: "Chishavti d'rachai va'ashivah raglai el eidvoseicha" — "I considered my ways, and turned my feet to Your testimonies" (Tehillim 119:59). That is, according to the great intensity of this fervor and teshuvah, it would be possible for them to attack even more and more, G-d forbid, and seek to cause him to fall, G-d forbid, through this very thing, as above. Therefore he said: "I considered my ways and turned my feet to Your testimonies" — that I calculate my way at all times, each day and each hour — what is the tachlis of this entire world and its vanities? And according to my calculation and thought, I am certainly inflamed at all times to nullify myself entirely. But G-d forbid that I should fall from this any fall whatsoever, G-d forbid. When I see that it is not succeeding in my hands, then I "turn my feet to Your testimonies" — to comfort and enliven myself through the testimony, which is the Torah that we have received, and to be careful not to depart, at the very least, G-d forbid, from the ways of the Torah in simplicity, as above. And this is: "Chashti v'lo hismahmahtee lishmor mitzvoseicha" — "I hastened and did not delay to keep Your mitzvos" (Tehillim 119:60) — that immediately I spur myself with very great alacrity to keep Your mitzvos in simplicity at the very least. For because they attack then with greater intensity, as above, one must therefore strengthen oneself and hasten with great alacrity against them, to guard His mitzvos, blessed be He, as above. And this is: "Chevlei resha'im ivduni, Torascha lo shachachti" — "The cords of the wicked have ensnared me, [but] Your Torah I have not forgotten" (Tehillim 119:61). Here he explains and elucidates well the entire matter mentioned above — that they gather against him and attack him more intensely because of the aspect of the great yearning and bittul mentioned above, which is the aspect of: "Chelki Hashem amarti" — "I said, Hashem is my portion," etc., as above. And this is: "The cords of the wicked have ensnared me" — that the wicked ones, which are the Sitra Achara and the klipos, gather and attack me more intensely because of the above. But "Your Torah I have not forgotten" — for I enliven myself at all times through the Torah, which cools the thirst and shatters and nullifies them, as above. And this is: "Chatzos lailah akum l'hodos l'cha al mishp'tai tzidkecha" — "At midnight I rise to give thanks to You for Your righteous judgments" (Tehillim 119:62). For all our words, as explained throughout this entire halachah, all revolve around the matter of rising at chatzos [midnight] — for then is the awakening from sleep, which at its root is drawn from the aspect of returning from bittul, as above. And then the Sitra Achara seeks to overpower through physical sleep, which is the side of death, which is the aspect of the impure side that rests upon the hands, as above. And then one must strengthen oneself to awaken from sleep with alacrity and rise at chatzos to engage in Torah. And through this, one draws the power of the Torah that is drawn from the light of the radiance of the reshimu. And through this, one stands against them and subdues them, as above. And this is the aspect of: "At midnight I rise to give thanks to You for Your righteous judgments" — which is juxtaposed to these verses that begin with "Chelki Hashem" — that speak of the matter of the sparkling of the bittul mentioned above: that one must enliven oneself only through the Torah — which is the aspect of: "At midnight I rise to give thanks to You for Your righteous judgments," as above. ✦ ✦ ✦ Hilchos Nitteylas Yadayim Shacharis, Halacha 5, is included within Hilchos Hashkamas HaBoker, Halacha 5.

all being one — to nullify the grip of the Sitrah Achara, whose grip is due to distance from oneness, as above. And this is the aspect of the blessing that is mentioned in the holy Zohar: that before the count they would bless Israel, and similarly afterward, as above. For the count is in the aspect of post-creation from which their grip descends, as above — therefore they required the Priestly Blessing before and after, so that they be included within the aspect of pre-creation where the blessing is found, so that the curse that grips the count — the aspect of post-creation, as above — not have power, God forbid. For this is why they were required to give a half-shekel per head, etc., as above. And therefore Birchas Kohanim is threefold, as above. And this is the aspect of Shavuos, on which the Torah was given — after they counted the days of the S’firah through which they were purified from the filth of Egypt, from the aspect of slave, the aspect of orlah, the aspect of falsehood, etc., as above — and afterwards they merit to receive the Torah on Shavuos, which is the Torah of truth, through which all worlds are connected and post-creation is included within pre-creation. For the primary realization of this aspect is accomplished through the Torah of truth. And therefore the entire Torah is in the threefold aspect, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said ((Shabbos 88a)): “B’rich Rachmana d’yahiv lan oraisa t’li’ta’ah al y’dai t’li’ta’i b’yom t’li’ta’i b’yarcha t’li’ta’i” [Blessed is the Merciful One who gave us the threefold Torah through the threefold one [Moshe, the third of his mother’s children], on the third day, in the third month]. For the Torah is the aspect of truth, the aspect of peace, which comprises the three aspects above through which post-creation is included within pre-creation — which is the purpose of all creation, and for this the world was created, as is known. And this is accomplished through the three aspects above. And this is the aspect of “al sh’loshah d’varim ha-olam omaid: al ha-din v’al ha-emes v’al ha-shalom” [“Upon three things the world stands: upon judgment, upon truth, and upon peace”] ((Avos)), as it is written: “emes u-mishpat shalom shif’tu b’sha’areicaim” [“truth and the judgment of peace, judge in your gates”]. For these three are one aspect, and each one is comprised of three aspects, and all of them together are the three aspects above which are the sustaining of the world — for the primary sustaining of the world is when post-creation is included within pre-creation in the aspect of all

And the essential tikun is through emes (truth) — as is explained in the Torah discourse mentioned above: that through emes the supervision of the Blessed Lord is drawn down, through which one is included after-creation in before-creation. And therefore on Rosh Hashana the majority of Israel draw themselves toward emes and wholeness and pray and cry out to the Blessed Lord in truth and wholeness, without any of the empty sophistries that some have in the rest of the year's days. For the essential thing is emes and wholeness — to conduct oneself throughout the year as the multitude of upright people of Israel conduct themselves on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippurim. For the essential teshuvah and tikun is emes — through which one nullifies the grip of falsehood that was seized at the onset of creation, and one is included after-creation in before-creation — which is the essential tikun of all things, as above. And this is the aspect of the sound of the shofar — which is the aspect of emes, the aspect of "the voice is the voice of Yaakov" (Bereshis 27:22), the aspect of "give truth to Yaakov" (Micha 7:20). For the essential revelation of emes is through the aspect of Yaakov, who began to engage in this tikun — to nullify the falsehood at the onset of its grip as above. For Avraham Avinu was the first to begin to reveal His divinity in the world, which is the essential revelation of emes. But since Avraham was first, he had not yet attained the annulment of the grip of falsehood at its root — at the very point where creation emerged from potentiality into actuality, which is impossible to attain. And there, the essential sweetening is needed to nullify the grip of falsehood. For Avraham's attribute was chessed (lovingkindness) and Yitzchak's attribute was gevurah (strength/judgment) — these are the aspects of before-creation and after-creation. For chessed is the aspect of before-creation, where all is good, all is chessed. And gevurah and din (judgment) is the aspect of after-creation, from which comes the grip of strict judgment, as above. For Avraham revealed His divinity in the world and made known that God rules upon the earth. Likewise Yitzchak and Yaakov — for this was the entire service of all of them, for we call no one "Avos" (Patriarchs) except three (Midrash B'reishis Rabbah 56:11). For they are the fathers of the world — in the aspect of before-creation, in the aspect of "father" as above — for they merited to include all things in the Blessed Lord, in the aspect of before-creation where father and son are as one, in the aspect of "when you reach the pure marble stones" — and there everything is called by the name of the Father, for the son is subsumed under the father and is included in him. But Avraham and Yitzchak had not yet entirely nullified the grip of falsehood at its root — at the point where creation emerged from potentiality into actuality as above, from which comes the essential grip of the root of falsehood and so on, as above. And therefore from Avraham descended Yishma'el, and from Yitzchak descended Eisav — who are "clouds that cover the eyes" (Tikunay Zohar, Tikun 13), the essential falsehood that covers the truth, which is the tikun of the eyes, as is explained in that Torah discourse. For Avraham revealed and drew down His divinity from above to below — the aspect of "or yashar" (direct light) in the aspect of chessed. And Yitzchak is the aspect of "or chozer" (reflected light) from below to above — the aspect of gevurah. But the essential bond and connection between before-creation and after-creation is through the aspect of Yaakov, who is the aspect of the "threefold cord" (Koheles 4:12), the aspect of the "middle beam that passes from end to end" (Shemos 26:28) — for he binds and includes together, in completeness, the aspects of Avraham and Yitzchak, which are the aspects of chessed and din, or yashar and or chozer, before-creation and after-creation.

Torah (of the true Chacham) Awakens soul-roots → Ba'alei Teshuvah & Gairim → Kavod elevated Yirah completed → Chalif complete (no blemish) Shechitah at the neck (subduing gadlus) → Souls elevated from palga to wholeness Covering blood with earth (shifilus) → Eating in holiness = Korban — Summary and diagram by the translator —

1 Tikkun HaKlali — the General Rectification. Reb Noson equates it with rectification of the Bris and Da'as (knowledge/awareness), following Likutay Moharan I:29 and I:19.

Everyone can draw close • Otzar opened to all "Ad d'lo yada" — all sweetened at the root ∴ "Write it in the marketplace!" The gift must be publicized because its root — the Otzar Matnas Chinam — draws holiness to the outside

And this is: "Chishavti d'rachai va'ashivah raglai el eidvoseicha" — "I considered my ways, and turned my feet to Your testimonies" (Tehillim 119:59). That is, according to the great intensity of this fervor and teshuvah, it would be possible for them to attack even more and more, G-d forbid, and seek to cause him to fall, G-d forbid, through this very thing, as above. Therefore he said: "I considered my ways and turned my feet to Your testimonies" — that I calculate my way at all times, each day and each hour — what is the tachlis of this entire world and its vanities? And according to my calculation and thought, I am certainly inflamed at all times to nullify myself entirely. But G-d forbid that I should fall from this any fall whatsoever, G-d forbid. When I see that it is not succeeding in my hands, then I "turn my feet to Your testimonies" — to comfort and enliven myself through the testimony, which is the Torah that we have received, and to be careful not to depart, at the very least, G-d forbid, from the ways of the Torah in simplicity, as above. And this is: "Chashti v'lo hismahmahtee lishmor mitzvoseicha" — "I hastened and did not delay to keep Your mitzvos" (Tehillim 119:60) — that immediately I spur myself with very great alacrity to keep Your mitzvos in simplicity at the very least. For because they attack then with greater intensity, as above, one must therefore strengthen oneself and hasten with great alacrity against them, to guard His mitzvos, blessed be He, as above. And this is: "Chevlei resha'im ivduni, Torascha lo shachachti" — "The cords of the wicked have ensnared me, [but] Your Torah I have not forgotten" (Tehillim 119:61). Here he explains and elucidates well the entire matter mentioned above — that they gather against him and attack him more intensely because of the aspect of the great yearning and bittul mentioned above, which is the aspect of: "Chelki Hashem amarti" — "I said, Hashem is my portion," etc., as above. And this is: "The cords of the wicked have ensnared me" — that the wicked ones, which are the Sitra Achara and the klipos, gather and attack me more intensely because of the above. But "Your Torah I have not forgotten" — for I enliven myself at all times through the Torah, which cools the thirst and shatters and nullifies them, as above. And this is: "Chatzos lailah akum l'hodos l'cha al mishp'tai tzidkecha" — "At midnight I rise to give thanks to You for Your righteous judgments" (Tehillim 119:62). For all our words, as explained throughout this entire halachah, all revolve around the matter of rising at chatzos [midnight] — for then is the awakening from sleep, which at its root is drawn from the aspect of returning from bittul, as above. And then the Sitra Achara seeks to overpower through physical sleep, which is the side of death, which is the aspect of the impure side that rests upon the hands, as above. And then one must strengthen oneself to awaken from sleep with alacrity and rise at chatzos to engage in Torah. And through this, one draws the power of the Torah that is drawn from the light of the radiance of the reshimu. And through this, one stands against them and subdues them, as above. And this is the aspect of: "At midnight I rise to give thanks to You for Your righteous judgments" — which is juxtaposed to these verses that begin with "Chelki Hashem" — that speak of the matter of the sparkling of the bittul mentioned above: that one must enliven oneself only through the Torah — which is the aspect of: "At midnight I rise to give thanks to You for Your righteous judgments," as above. ✦ ✦ ✦ Hilchos Nitteylas Yadayim Shacharis, Halacha 5, is included within Hilchos Hashkamas HaBoker, Halacha 5.

And therefore, in truth, even one who does not merit to actually innovate in the Torah must at the very least strengthen himself each and every day to engage in Torah with fresh desire and fresh vitality, and it should be in his eyes as if truly new — for this too is an aspect of the renewal of Torah, as explained elsewhere.4 Namely, as above. And this is the entire aspect of tzitzis, tefillin, Krias Shema, and tefillah — all of which are aspects of the renewal of the mochin that are drawn upon each and every member of Yisrael each day. All of this is drawn from the aspect of the radiance and the reshimah [imprint] of the bittul toward the tachlis, which is the aspect of sleep, as above. And this is the aspect of the great intensity of the miracle of Chanukah, to the extent that we merited a new mitzvah — to kindle the ner Chanukah [Chanukah light] in our homes each year. For the kindling of the ner Chanukah — we kindle from the radiance of the holy reshimu of the bittul toward the tachlis, from which comes all the receiving of the Torah and the mitzvos, which are the aspect of the totality of all the holy lights, the aspect of: "Ki ner mitzvah v'Torah or" — "For the mitzvah is a candle, and the Torah is light" (Mishlei 6:23). Through this, all the troubles and the Sitra Achara are nullified — from which stems the sustenance of the kingdoms of the nations. For the kingdom of the nations stood against Yisrael "to cause them to forget Your Torah," etc. — for they knew that the primary strength against them is through the Torah, as above. Therefore, they sought to cause the Torah to be forgotten, G-d forbid. But the tzaddikim of that generation — Mattisyahu the Kohen Gadol and his sons — nullified themselves with the ultimate bittul to Hashem and cast their lives aside and gave up their souls for the sake of Yisrael. This is the aspect of bittul. For this is the primary great and true counsel for all troubles, G-d forbid, that pass over Yisrael collectively, or that which passes over each individual person, may the Merciful One save us — there is no proper counsel to flee from them except through bittul toward the tachlis. That is, to close one's eyes tightly and make oneself as if asleep and nullify oneself with the ultimate bittul, as if one has no sensation at all — only to attach and nullify one's thought to the Light of the Ein Sof, blessed be He. And this, every person can do — as I heard from his holy mouth — for even though one cannot merit bittul in completeness like the great and perfect tzaddikim, nevertheless, every person can nullify himself for some period of time if he truly desires it. And through the bittul, the sufferings and troubles will be nullified from him. However, afterward it is possible that they will intensify even more, G-d forbid — and one must strengthen oneself to nullify them through Torah chiddushim, or through engaging in Torah with fresh desire, as above. And therefore, the primary receiving of the Torah came about through this very aspect — through the fact that they were first in great distress in Mitzrayim, until Moshe Rabbainu came and nullified himself with the ultimate bittul, as it is written: "V'ha'ish Moshe anav me'od" — "And the man Moshe was very humble" (Bamidbar 12:3) — which is the aspect of the ultimate bittul, the aspect of true humility. And through this bittul, he nullified all the troubles and redeemed us from Mitzrayim and from all the impurities and the Sitra Achara. And from the aspect of this bittul, he drew down for us the fire of the Torah, to drive away the Sitra Achara and the klipos so that they would not intensify further afterward, as above. And therefore, they were compelled to flee from Mitzrayim, because it was before the receiving of the Torah. And in Mitzrayim it was not possible to give the Torah, for it was filled with idols.6 Therefore, it was truly very difficult and burdensome to leave Mitzrayim. For each time that Moshe nullified himself and shone upon Yisrael the aspect of bittul — for he made known to them His Name, blessed be He, and shone upon them the Light of the Ein Sof, and taught them to cleave and nullify themselves to Him, blessed be He — yet, the more he nullified himself, the more the Egyptians intensified and hardened their hearts all the more, because the bittul must be in a mode of ratzo vashov [running forth and returning], etc., as above. For at that time, it was difficult to draw Torah each time.

Halacha One Based on the Torah “Tefillah l’Chavakuk” [A prayer of Chavakuk] — Likutay [Moharan] II, Section 19. See there. Halacha Five of Hilchos Chalah is subsumed within Halacha Five of Hilchos Pidyon HaBechor, letter 26.

Halacha One Based on the Torah “Tefillah l’Chavakuk” [A prayer of Chavakuk] — Likutay [Moharan] II, Section 19. See there. Halacha Five of Hilchos Chalah is subsumed within Halacha Five of Hilchos Pidyon HaBechor, letter 26.

§7 And this is the aspect of: "Go for yourself [lech l'cha] from your land", etc. And the word "l'cha" [for yourself] is not understood at all, as Rashi struggled with this and explained: "l'cha" — for your benefit, etc. And according to the above it can be well understood, with Hashem's help. For it has already been explained above that Hashem, blessed be He, commanded him in this passage to draw himself to all the holinesses mentioned above — that is, to Eretz Yisra'ail and t'filah and emunah and nisim — all of which one merits only through truth, as above. And this is "lech l'cha" — "l'cha" specifically — that all your going and traveling should be "l'cha," to you and to yourself alone. That is, to the essential point of truth, which is your essence and your vitality. For the essential aspect of a person is the holy neshamah within him, which is the entire person, as it is written in the sefarim and brought in his [Rabbainu's] words of blessed memory in siman 22 — that what is called "I" [ani] by a person is only the essence of the neshamah. For a person's flesh is called "the flesh of a person," and the essential person is the neshamah. And the neshamah is a portion of G-d from Above, which is the essence of truth. And this is the aspect of the souls of Yisra'ail, which began from Avraham, about whom it is said: "entirely the seed of truth" (Yirmiyahu 2:21).

And therefore birds are rendered kosher through one siman [sign, i.e. cutting one of the two organs]. For birds are intermediate between fish and animals. For fish were created from the water and animals from the dust. And therefore the latter require shechitah and the former do not require shechitah at all, as mentioned above. And birds, which were created from the rekek [mud — a mixture of water and earth], are intermediate between them, and therefore they are rendered kosher through one siman. For birds are possessors of wings, and they are between the category of adam — which is the aspect of da'as — and the category of beheimah — which is the aspect of animality, the aspect of the seventy nations, as mentioned above. For man's advantage over the animal is speech, which is the aspect of da'as, for speech depends on da'as, as is known, as it is written: "From His mouth come knowledge and understanding" (Mishlei 2:6). And the animal has no speech and no da'as. And the bird is the aspect of an intermediate between them. For the wind [ruach] in their wings, through which they have the power to fly and soar, is the aspect of ruach hadibur [the spirit of speech]. That is, birds have an advantage over animals — where the spirit of speech is completely suppressed and sealed. In birds, the aspect of the spirit of speech has already risen to the wings, and they have the power to fly. For the wings are the aspect of speech, as Rabbeinu wrote (in Siman 63): the aspect of "and the master of wings shall tell the matter" (Koheles 10:20).

The essential power of the evil inclination to mislead them is through clothing itself in mitzvos — as explained at the beginning of the book [LM I:1]. This flows through the aspect of shed yehudi [Jewish demon] as spoken of in the holy Zohar — the shedin yehuda'in that suckle from the aspect of nogah, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil — from which all errors and confusions in the world come. They are the aspect of the turning flaming sword that confuses and perverts each person's heart. Their essential method is clothing themselves in mitzvos at the outset. Therefore the essential strengthening of the evil inclination is through strife. For this is the essential work of the shedin yehuda'in: to pervert Israel's hearts through multiplying strife — for through this they have even greater power to clothe themselves in mitzvos, inserting into the heart of every follower that his fellow has deviated from truth and is his enemy. Therefore it is a great mitzvah to push and pursue him to the death — and similar false arguments common in the world in our many sins. And this is: "who has strife, who has contention?" — the initial letters spell chacham, shed yehudi [wise man, Jewish demon] — from which all the strife and quarrel flows [as explained in LM I:28]. And all this flows from that Torah-teaching: from above descends only pure simple light, shaped below for each person according to his vessel. For this is the aspect of: "if he merited — Torah became an elixir of life; if he did not merit — Torah became a potion of death." And from this is the root of free choice. Therefore whoever wants to guard his eternal life must cry greatly to Hashem and direct his mind toward Him at all times — asking that He lead him on the straight path. For: "in the path a person wishes to go, they lead him" — as we find with Bilam, whom Hashem told: "go with them" — even though His will was not so at all. And the essential exile comes through strife and causeless hatred — for through it the Second Temple was destroyed, as our Sages said. The adversary spread himself wide to distance from the true tzadik who has the power to repair — forging lies and falsehoods about him, clothing himself in the great ones of the generation until they believe it is a mitzvah to pursue him. And all this because those wise-in-their-own-eyes leaders are wise with the wisdom of the shedin yehuda'in who always invert the truth. Therefore the essential rectification is through drawing the truth of truth — the light of Mashiach that glimmers within the exile. For the essential completion will be through our righteous Mashiach — who is Moshe himself — who will repair the striking of the rock, from which the root of strife in holiness was drawn. As the Zohar says: were it not that Moshe struck the rock, Torah scholars would not toil in Halachic debate. And from that the disputes of the Sitra Achra were derived — through which the Temple was destroyed and the exile prolonged. Therefore the idolatry of Israel has no nullification — for its power comes only when it suckles from Israel through the shedin yehuda'in. And the idolaters also invert the truth until they say idolatry is a mitzvah — just as Yeravam misled Israel, being himself exceedingly great in Torah. Therefore idolatry of Israel has no nullification — it must be burned and uprooted at the root. Amen, so may it be His will.

This is the four halachos that were hidden from Moshe Rabbainu, which he had to ask from Hashem: the law of the blasphemer, the law of the mekoshaish [Shabbos-violator], the law of Pesach Shaini, and the law of Bnos Tzelafchad — as in Targum Yonasan and Yerushalmi on the verse "they placed him in custody, to clarify for them": one of the four laws, etc. As explained at the end of this Torah: the entire matter is comprised in the shape of the Alef — upper point, lower point, and Vav. This is the three mitzvos commanded upon entering Eretz Yisrael: to cut off the seed of Amalek, appoint a king, and build the Bais HaMikdash — which are the lower point, upper point, and Vav.

§7 And this is the aspect of: "Go for yourself [lech l'cha] from your land", etc. And the word "l'cha" [for yourself] is not understood at all, as Rashi struggled with this and explained: "l'cha" — for your benefit, etc. And according to the above it can be well understood, with Hashem's help. For it has already been explained above that Hashem, blessed be He, commanded him in this passage to draw himself to all the holinesses mentioned above — that is, to Eretz Yisra'ail and t'filah and emunah and nisim — all of which one merits only through truth, as above. And this is "lech l'cha" — "l'cha" specifically — that all your going and traveling should be "l'cha," to you and to yourself alone. That is, to the essential point of truth, which is your essence and your vitality. For the essential aspect of a person is the holy neshamah within him, which is the entire person, as it is written in the sefarim and brought in his [Rabbainu's] words of blessed memory in siman 22 — that what is called "I" [ani] by a person is only the essence of the neshamah. For a person's flesh is called "the flesh of a person," and the essential person is the neshamah. And the neshamah is a portion of G-d from Above, which is the essence of truth. And this is the aspect of the souls of Yisra'ail, which began from Avraham, about whom it is said: "entirely the seed of truth" (Yirmiyahu 2:21).

The totality of the colors of Israel were revealed in the stones of the choshen and aifod, where each stone had its own unique color according to its tribe whose name was inscribed upon it — i.e. according to the color and his'pa'arus that Hashem receives from that tribe. For each tribe has its own unique color. All these colors were in the stones of the choshen and aifod — odem for Reuvain, pitdah for Shimon, etc. These colors were depicted on the degalim [banners], as our Sages zichronam livrachah said. With these banners Israel went to milchemes mitzvah to conquer Eretz Yisrael — this was the essential war of Israel. For the essential conquest of Eretz Yisrael is through the revelation of the his'pa'arus, which is the totality of the colors of the choshen stones depicted on the banners. Through this the holiness of Eretz Yisrael is formed and its taste revealed — and then all obstacles to Eretz Yisrael are subdued. For the essential obstacles are those who bring an evil report about the land, etc., as Rabbainu zichrono livrachah writes in the Torah "Tisha Tikkunin" — see there.

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Therefore if a person believed in Eretz Yisrael's holiness even a thousandth of what it truly is, certainly every person would run and fly to Eretz Yisrael — like someone who knew he would certainly find millions of gold coins there, who would run with all his might, borrow, sell everything, and fly there in great urgency. How much more so if one put to heart the praise of Eretz Yisrael! The entire Torah from beginning to end is filled with it. Torah begins "In the beginning G-d created" — and Rashi explains: Torah should have begun from "this month is for you" — why begin with Beraishis? Because of "the power of His works He told His people, to give them the inheritance of the nations." All the Torah from Beraishis to "this month" is so we can conquer Eretz Yisrael. All the stories — creation, the Avos' birth and their journeys — all make a highway to Eretz Yisrael in every person and every era.

§6: The central mechanism of mitaltelei d'yasmei la mish'tab'dei revisited through the lens of the four elements and the dust. Ikkar avodas ha'adam = l'hikaleil b'Ohr ha'Ein Sof through birur arba y'sodos and anavah (= bitul = Moshe). Impossible without the Tzadik HaDor (through Viduy). At death: one who nullified himself = immediately included in Ein Sof. One who didn't = must decompose in afar (which is both tachlis hagashmiyus and anavah/Ayin = "afar ma'ana d'chulhu"). At death → all mitaltelim return with him to the dust → leave his r'shus → no shi'bud for ba'al chov. Karka'os = afar = where his tikkun now occurs → liened. Root of all debt: cheit Adam HaRishon → "b'zai'as apecha tochal lechem" → "eved loveh l'ish malveh" → arba y'sodos = avadim. One must strive not to die a ba'al chov. §7: Ha'idana govin mimitalt'lei d'yasmei. In the later generations (pagum b'tokef hagalus), people die as ba'alei chovos and are blemished in their deeds → cannot be rectified immediately in the afar → must undergo gilgulim → "gam sham lo yanuach lach" (Yeshayahu 23:12). Such people are still bound to their mitaltelim after death. Therefore Chazal enacted: govin from their mitaltelim = a tovah and tikkun gadol (removing avdus).

§6: The central mechanism of mitaltelei d'yasmei la mish'tab'dei revisited through the lens of the four elements and the dust. Ikkar avodas ha'adam = l'hikaleil b'Ohr ha'Ein Sof through birur arba y'sodos and anavah (= bitul = Moshe). Impossible without the Tzadik HaDor (through Viduy). At death: one who nullified himself = immediately included in Ein Sof. One who didn't = must decompose in afar (which is both tachlis hagashmiyus and anavah/Ayin = "afar ma'ana d'chulhu"). At death → all mitaltelim return with him to the dust → leave his r'shus → no shi'bud for ba'al chov. Karka'os = afar = where his tikkun now occurs → liened. Root of all debt: cheit Adam HaRishon → "b'zai'as apecha tochal lechem" → "eved loveh l'ish malveh" → arba y'sodos = avadim. One must strive not to die a ba'al chov. §7: Ha'idana govin mimitalt'lei d'yasmei. In the later generations (pagum b'tokef hagalus), people die as ba'alei chovos and are blemished in their deeds → cannot be rectified immediately in the afar → must undergo gilgulim → "gam sham lo yanuach lach" (Yeshayahu 23:12). Such people are still bound to their mitaltelim after death. Therefore Chazal enacted: govin from their mitaltelim = a tovah and tikkun gadol (removing avdus).

§6: The central mechanism of mitaltelei d'yasmei la mish'tab'dei revisited through the lens of the four elements and the dust. Ikkar avodas ha'adam = l'hikaleil b'Ohr ha'Ein Sof through birur arba y'sodos and anavah (= bitul = Moshe). Impossible without the Tzadik HaDor (through Viduy). At death: one who nullified himself = immediately included in Ein Sof. One who didn't = must decompose in afar (which is both tachlis hagashmiyus and anavah/Ayin = "afar ma'ana d'chulhu"). At death → all mitaltelim return with him to the dust → leave his r'shus → no shi'bud for ba'al chov. Karka'os = afar = where his tikkun now occurs → liened. Root of all debt: cheit Adam HaRishon → "b'zai'as apecha tochal lechem" → "eved loveh l'ish malveh" → arba y'sodos = avadim. One must strive not to die a ba'al chov. §7: Ha'idana govin mimitalt'lei d'yasmei. In the later generations (pagum b'tokef hagalus), people die as ba'alei chovos and are blemished in their deeds → cannot be rectified immediately in the afar → must undergo gilgulim → "gam sham lo yanuach lach" (Yeshayahu 23:12). Such people are still bound to their mitaltelim after death. Therefore Chazal enacted: govin from their mitaltelim = a tovah and tikkun gadol (removing avdus).

§6: The central mechanism of mitaltelei d'yasmei la mish'tab'dei revisited through the lens of the four elements and the dust. Ikkar avodas ha'adam = l'hikaleil b'Ohr ha'Ein Sof through birur arba y'sodos and anavah (= bitul = Moshe). Impossible without the Tzadik HaDor (through Viduy). At death: one who nullified himself = immediately included in Ein Sof. One who didn't = must decompose in afar (which is both tachlis hagashmiyus and anavah/Ayin = "afar ma'ana d'chulhu"). At death → all mitaltelim return with him to the dust → leave his r'shus → no shi'bud for ba'al chov. Karka'os = afar = where his tikkun now occurs → liened. Root of all debt: cheit Adam HaRishon → "b'zai'as apecha tochal lechem" → "eved loveh l'ish malveh" → arba y'sodos = avadim. One must strive not to die a ba'al chov. §7: Ha'idana govin mimitalt'lei d'yasmei. In the later generations (pagum b'tokef hagalus), people die as ba'alei chovos and are blemished in their deeds → cannot be rectified immediately in the afar → must undergo gilgulim → "gam sham lo yanuach lach" (Yeshayahu 23:12). Such people are still bound to their mitaltelim after death. Therefore Chazal enacted: govin from their mitaltelim = a tovah and tikkun gadol (removing avdus).

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§10: Eitzah from Rabbeinu z"l (heard from the chaveirim): for after histalkus, to merit coming to where one needs to come → swear a sh'vu'ah with nikitas cheifetz. The sh'vu'ah is the tikkun. §11: Hekdeish, chameitz, v'shichrur mafki'in midei shi'bud. All three = opposite of avdus = hiskashrus ubitul l'Ein Sof. Hekdeish: man has power to make chol into kodesh by connecting through dibur to Ein Sof (= root of all k'dushos). "Ki kadosh Ani Hashem." Letters of speech = t'munos = r'tzonos → connected to R'tzon Ein Sof sh'ain bo t'munah. Chameitz: isur on Pesach because Hashem skipped the keitz → ohr Ein Sof was revealed before they were ready → must guard from chameitz b'mashehu so k'lei hamochin aren't damaged → can be included in Ein Sof = geulah → mafkia midei shi'bud. Shichrur: emancipation = bitul avdus → slave becomes Yisroel → k'dushas Yisroel = bitul l'Ein Sof (all Yisroel k'lulim b'Moshe through kabolas haTorah) → mafkia midei shi'bud. Based on Likutay Moharan I:4 "Anochi" · G'viyas Chov Min HaY'somim 4 is now complete.

§10: Eitzah from Rabbeinu z"l (heard from the chaveirim): for after histalkus, to merit coming to where one needs to come → swear a sh'vu'ah with nikitas cheifetz. The sh'vu'ah is the tikkun. §11: Hekdeish, chameitz, v'shichrur mafki'in midei shi'bud. All three = opposite of avdus = hiskashrus ubitul l'Ein Sof. Hekdeish: man has power to make chol into kodesh by connecting through dibur to Ein Sof (= root of all k'dushos). "Ki kadosh Ani Hashem." Letters of speech = t'munos = r'tzonos → connected to R'tzon Ein Sof sh'ain bo t'munah. Chameitz: isur on Pesach because Hashem skipped the keitz → ohr Ein Sof was revealed before they were ready → must guard from chameitz b'mashehu so k'lei hamochin aren't damaged → can be included in Ein Sof = geulah → mafkia midei shi'bud. Shichrur: emancipation = bitul avdus → slave becomes Yisroel → k'dushas Yisroel = bitul l'Ein Sof (all Yisroel k'lulim b'Moshe through kabolas haTorah) → mafkia midei shi'bud. Based on Likutay Moharan I:4 "Anochi" · G'viyas Chov Min HaY'somim 4 is now complete.

§10: Eitzah from Rabbeinu z"l (heard from the chaveirim): for after histalkus, to merit coming to where one needs to come → swear a sh'vu'ah with nikitas cheifetz. The sh'vu'ah is the tikkun. §11: Hekdeish, chameitz, v'shichrur mafki'in midei shi'bud. All three = opposite of avdus = hiskashrus ubitul l'Ein Sof. Hekdeish: man has power to make chol into kodesh by connecting through dibur to Ein Sof (= root of all k'dushos). "Ki kadosh Ani Hashem." Letters of speech = t'munos = r'tzonos → connected to R'tzon Ein Sof sh'ain bo t'munah. Chameitz: isur on Pesach because Hashem skipped the keitz → ohr Ein Sof was revealed before they were ready → must guard from chameitz b'mashehu so k'lei hamochin aren't damaged → can be included in Ein Sof = geulah → mafkia midei shi'bud. Shichrur: emancipation = bitul avdus → slave becomes Yisroel → k'dushas Yisroel = bitul l'Ein Sof (all Yisroel k'lulim b'Moshe through kabolas haTorah) → mafkia midei shi'bud. Based on Likutay Moharan I:4 "Anochi" · G'viyas Chov Min HaY'somim 4 is now complete.

§10: Eitzah from Rabbeinu z"l (heard from the chaveirim): for after histalkus, to merit coming to where one needs to come → swear a sh'vu'ah with nikitas cheifetz. The sh'vu'ah is the tikkun. §11: Hekdeish, chameitz, v'shichrur mafki'in midei shi'bud. All three = opposite of avdus = hiskashrus ubitul l'Ein Sof. Hekdeish: man has power to make chol into kodesh by connecting through dibur to Ein Sof (= root of all k'dushos). "Ki kadosh Ani Hashem." Letters of speech = t'munos = r'tzonos → connected to R'tzon Ein Sof sh'ain bo t'munah. Chameitz: isur on Pesach because Hashem skipped the keitz → ohr Ein Sof was revealed before they were ready → must guard from chameitz b'mashehu so k'lei hamochin aren't damaged → can be included in Ein Sof = geulah → mafkia midei shi'bud. Shichrur: emancipation = bitul avdus → slave becomes Yisroel → k'dushas Yisroel = bitul l'Ein Sof (all Yisroel k'lulim b'Moshe through kabolas haTorah) → mafkia midei shi'bud. Based on Likutay Moharan I:4 "Anochi" · G'viyas Chov Min HaY'somim 4 is now complete.

And therefore the essential payment of the debt is specifically through money. For to nullify and release the debt is specifically through money — which is the aspect of the g'vanin ila'in, through which the m'dameh is subjugated, from which come all the debts, as above. But nevertheless, the essential reliance of the creditor is upon karka'os, which are the aspect of seichel hannikneh. For as long as one has not merited the seichel hannikneh dik'dushah, it is impossible to rely on the intellect, for the k'lipos, chas v'sholom, can still take hold of it and damage this intellect. And therefore the money, which is in the aspect of seichel b'ko'ach, needs extra guarding, as it is written: "And you shall bind the money in your hand" (Deuteronomy 14:25) — as our Sages, zichronam livrachah, said. For the essential endurance and guarding from the k'lipos and dimyonos is when one merits the seichel hannikneh — that is, to merit attaining some service through the intellect. And this is the essential intellect, for "it is not the study that is the essential thing, but rather the deed," as it is written (Psalms 111:10): "The beginning of wisdom is the fear of Hashem." For the essential wisdom is to merit through it the fear of Hashem, as it is written: "Then you will understand the fear of Hashem" (Proverbs 2:5). For the essential contemplation is to merit the fear of Hashem, which is the aspect of seichel hannikneh, which is the aspect of good deeds, as it is written: "The beginning of wisdom is the fear of Hashem; good understanding to all who do them" (Psalms 111:10). "To those who learn them" is not what it says, but rather "to those who do them" — as our Sages, zichronam livrachah, said. For the essential good and sweetness of the intellect is when it comes to the level of deed. For the essential study of holiness is: to learn and to teach, to guard and to do and to fulfill. And as our Sages, zichronam livrachah, said (Shabbos 31a): "And the faithfulness of your times shall be a treasure" etc. — which are the six orders of Mishnah. And even so: if there is "the fear of Hashem — that is his treasure" — yes; and if not — no. For the essential treasure, guarding, endurance, and continuity of the intellect is the yirah [fear], which is the aspect of the fulfillment of the Torah in deed. For everything depends on yirah, as it is written: "What does Hashem your God ask of you, except to fear… to guard the commandments of Hashem" (Deuteronomy 10:12–13) etc. For yirah is the aspect of seichel hannikneh, which is the aspect of Yaakov, who is called yirah, as our Sages, zichronam livrachah, said. For seichel b'ko'ach, seichel b'fo'al, and seichel hannikneh, which are the aspects of Chochmah, Binah, and Da'as, as above — they are the aspects of the three Avos, which are Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, as is known. And as long as the intellect has not come to the level of deed — which is the aspect of seichel hannikneh — there is still a hold for the chitzonim, chas v'sholom, and one needs great guarding from them. And therefore from Avraham went out Yishma'el, and from Yitzchak went out Eisav — for they are in the aspects of seichel b'ko'ach and seichel b'fo'al, where there is still a hold for them. But Yaakov is the aspect of seichel hannikneh, the aspect of Da'as, the aspect of yirah — which is the essential endurance and inclusive totality of the Avos, as it is written regarding Avraham: "For in Yitzchak shall seed be called to you" (Genesis 21:12). And not all of Yitzchak — as our Sages, zichronam livrachah, said. For the essential continuity and endurance of the Avos, who are the aspects of the intellect, is the aspect of Yaakov — who is the aspect of yirah, which is the aspect of the totality of the Torah that is called by the name of Yaakov, as it is written (Deuteronomy 33:4): "The Torah that Moshe commanded us is the inheritance of the congregation of Yaakov." And therefore karka'os, which are in the aspect of seichel hannikneh, are n'chasim sheyeish lahem achrayus, upon which is the essential reliance of the creditor — that his debt will be discharged. And upon them the apotaiki takes effect — which is apo t'hai ka'i [here it shall stand]. For the essential endurance is upon the aspect of seichel hannikneh, which is the aspect of karka'os, as above. Therefore, after the sin of the Golden Calf they were commanded concerning the work of the Mishkan. For the matter is very astonishing: how did Israel come to this sin after the receiving of the Torah, when they merited at that time a very, very high and exalted level — the attainment of prophecy face to face etc. — and how would they then come afterwards to such a sin?! But it is according to the above: for each time that one must ascend from level to level, the m'dameh — which is the k'lipos etc. — intensifies anew. And sometimes, when a person does not merit to overpower and break anew all the k'lipos and dimyonos etc., he can fall very far, chas v'sholom, at the time when he must ascend to the second level. And therefore our Sages, zichronam livrachah, said: "Do not believe in yourself until the day of your death" etc. And from this resulted that Israel came to this stumbling at the end of the forty days — when they needed to ascend to an even higher and higher level, and they did not strive to break anew the ko'ach ham'dameh, until they stumbled. And then, when Hashem Yisborach was appeased by Moshe, He commanded him concerning the work of the Mishkan — that is, Hashem Yisborach revealed to Moshe the counsel of how to merit to break the k'lipos and dimyonos at every level — which is through the work of the Mishkan, which is the aspect of tz'dakah, a generous-hearted donation. Through this the g'vanin ila'in that are in silver and gold etc. illuminate. And this is the essential aspect of the work of the Mishkan, where all the holy g'vanin illuminated — and this is the aspect of the thirteen materials mentioned in the work of the Mishkan: gold and silver and copper and t'cheiles and purple etc. — which are the totality of all the holy g'vanin, all of which illuminated through the work of the Mishkan, through the tz'dakah and generous-hearted donation of every person of Israel. And through this one merits to break the k'lipos at every level. And therefore the Mishkan traveled with them in the desert from place to place — for each time they needed to purify a new place from k'lipos, according to the level they needed to ascend to each time. And this is the aspect of the journeys of the Children of Israel in the desert for forty years. For in these journeys of Israel are included all the ascents of all Israel in all generations, from level to level — for with every ascent at every level, one must reveal the g'vanin, through which one purifies the place and the level from the k'lipos etc. And this is the aspect of the erection of the Mishkan, which they erected each time at every journey — in order to illuminate the g'vanin ila'in that illuminated in the Mishkan, through which all the levels are purified. And this is the aspect of the journeys of the Children of Israel, as above. And therefore all commerce that is done in holiness is in the aspect of the work of the Mishkan — as Rabbeinu, zichrono livrachah, wrote (Likutay Tinyana, Siman 4). For when one engages in commerce in holiness, then the g'vanin illuminate in the money of the commerce — and this is the aspect of the work of the Mishkan, where the g'vanin illuminated, through which the obstacles and dimyonos at every level are subjugated and broken etc., as above. And this is the aspect of: "Torah is good together with derech eretz" etc., as above.

But through the compassion of Hashem, He performed for us great and awesome miracles and wonders, until He shone upon Yisrael a very great and mighty illumination on Leil Shimurim [the night of guarding — Passover night], as it is written: "V'avarti b'Eretz Mitzrayim" — "And I shall pass through the land of Egypt" (Shemos 12:12) — and its Aramaic translation is: "V'isgalisi" [and I shall reveal Myself], and as brought in the Kavanos.7 Until, from the greatness of the illumination, all the firstborn of Egypt fell and died — those who had been lurking to attack and overpower through this very thing. For they could not bear even from a distance the sparkling of this great light. For then, in His compassion, He shone upon us a very great light throughout that entire holy night — which is the Leil Shimurim — until the power of the Sitra Achara, which is the aspect of the kingdom of Mitzrayim, was then greatly nullified, as above. And then Yisrael fled immediately, for they were compelled to flee because inevitably they would return from the bittul, even though it lasted a long time, and then the Egyptians would be able to intensify even more, as above. And therefore they were compelled to flee, because it was not yet possible to draw Torah afterward to nullify them through the Torah, as above. And therefore, indeed, Egypt pursued them afterward, when it was told to Pharaoh that the people had fled.8 For although Pharaoh and Egypt were greatly nullified and subdued on that night, nevertheless, afterward he intensified anew — since there had not yet been the receiving of the Torah to nullify him completely through the Torah. For the primary complete nullification is through the Torah that is drawn afterward from the reshimu of the bittul, as above. And at that time it was not yet possible to receive the Torah. Therefore, he intensified and hardened his heart and pursued them until the sea. Therefore, they were truly then in great danger, because he intensified then more and more, and he took all his forces — six hundred choice chariots — which are the totality of all the powers of the Sitra Achara and the dinim, may the Merciful One save us, as is brought.9 For then, after the bittul, they intensify more and more, as above. But Hashem, in His compassion, had mercy upon us in the merit of the Avos and in the power of Moshe, and He split the waters before them in the merit of the receiving of the Torah that they were destined to receive — which is the aspect of water, as above. And through this, the physical waters fled before them, and they passed through the sea on dry land, and the Egyptians drowned in them. And it was all through the power of the Torah that they were destined to receive — which is the aspect of water, as above. And now, in this long and bitter exile of ours, which is harder than the exile of Mitzrayim and all the exiles, as is brought.10 For regarding this exile it is said: "Vataired pela'im" — "She has descended astonishingly" (Eichah 1:9). And so too in every place where the verses and our Sages speak of this exile, they all describe at length the great severity and bitterness of this exile, as explained in the Midrashim. And according to the length of the bitterness of the exile, it would have been impossible to endure — were it not for Hashem who was for us, who prepared the remedy before the affliction — for we had already merited to receive the Torah at the standing at Har Sinai. And also now, no generation is orphaned, and Hashem sends us great and awesome tzaddikim who draw upon us the aspect of the illumination of the Light of the Ein Sof, and teach us to nullify ourselves to Him, blessed be He, each time — and especially in a time of trouble, may the Merciful One save us. And the main thing is that they draw down for us wondrous Torah chiddushim, and through this they enliven us and give us strength to stand against them and nullify them when they intensify and attack afterward more and more. For each time we nullify them through the holy Torah that we have already merited to receive through Moshe Rabbainu, peace be upon him, and through the wondrous chiddushim that the great tzaddikim of each generation innovated, in the aspect of: "This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life." (Tehillim 119:50) As above. And this is the aspect of the kindling of the ner Chanukah. Mattisyahu and his sons and all the tzaddikim of that generation merited the bittul mentioned above in completeness, until they afterward drew a great [illumination] from the reshimu mentioned above — which is the aspect of receiving the Torah — through which they overpowered the wicked kingdom of the nations, as above. And from the greatness of this illumination, they merited to draw for all generations a great illumination each year — "bayamim haheim bazman hazeh" [in those days, at this time] — and they established for us these eight days of Chanukah and ordained to kindle the ner Chanukah during them. For this holy kindling is the aspect of drawing the light and the radiance of the reshimu from the bittul — from which comes the receiving of the Torah. Through this we prevail against all who rise against us, who intensify more and more each time, in the manner of two people fighting one another, as above. But through the aspect of receiving the Torah from the light of the reshimu mentioned above — which is the aspect of the kindling of the ner Chanukah — through this we prevail over them, as above. And therefore there are eight days of Chanukah — in order to draw the illumination of the receiving of the Torah from its root, which is the aspect of the eighth day, which is the aspect of Binah11 — which encompasses the three upper [sefiros] — where the light of the radiance of the reshimu is grasped and held. For Binah is the heart — which is the aspect of simchah, the aspect of: "Nasata simchah b'libi" — "You have placed joy in my heart" (Tehillim 4:8) — which is the vessel for receiving the Torah, which is then drawn into the seven days of building, which are the aspect of the seven middos [attributes / emotional faculties], which are the aspect of the totality of the Torah, the aspect of: "Chatzva amudeiha shiv'ah" — "She has hewn out her seven pillars" (Mishlei 9:1), as is known.12 And this is the aspect of Pharaoh's dream, whose rectification was through Yosef, who interpreted it — and we read this parashah during the days of Chanukah. For Pharaoh saw during sleep — which is drawn from the aspect of bittul, as above — he saw then how the seven bad cows swallowed the seven good cows, etc., which is the aspect of the overpowering of the bad over the good, namely, the overpowering of the seven bad middos over the seven good middos — until: "And they came into their innards, and it was not known that they had come into their innards." (Bereishis 41:21) For so greatly does the Sitra Achara intensify each time — wanting to make a person forget, each time, as if he had never seen good in his life. Even though at first, during the bittul, he saw only the good, which is the aspect of the seven good cows — yet he saw that immediately afterward, close to his awakening, that is, when he begins to return from the bittul — the seven bad cows return and intensify — they are the evil that lurks and attacks and overpowers even more afterward, as above. And this is why the intensification of the bad cows is juxtaposed to his awakening, as it is written there: "And their appearance was bad," etc., "and I awoke" — and so throughout the entire parashah; namely, as above. And its rectification is through Yosef, who merited the ultimate bittul in completeness as befitting, in the aspect of: "Ben poras Yosef, ben poras alei ayin" — "olei ayin" [rising above the eye] (Bereishis 49:22). For Yosef — the aspect of the true tzadik — rises above the eye. For he shuts his eyes from the vision of this world completely, and he has no gazing at this world whatsoever, not even for the blink of an eye. And therefore he is called "olei ayin" — for he rises above the eye and rules over it. For one who has gazing at this world — according to the extent of his gazing, so is he beneath the eye, for the eye rules over him since he is drawn after his eyes, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Sotah 9b) concerning one who followed after his eyes. This is the aspect of: "V'lo sasuru acharei l'vavchem v'acharei eineichem" — "And you shall not stray after your hearts and after your eyes" (Bamidbar 15:39) — that the eye should not see and the heart desire and rule over him.14 Rather, he should overpower the eye and the heart, and rise above them and rule over them, in the aspect of "olei ayin" — that he should have no gazing at this world whatsoever. This is the aspect of Yosef, who is called "olei ayin." And therefore he nullifies all the disgraces and shames, which are the totality of the desires of the Sitra Achara, in the aspect of: "Asaf Elokim es cherpasi" — "G-d has gathered away my disgrace" (Bereishis 30:23). And therefore Yosef merited the ultimate bittul in completeness. And through this he interpreted and rectified Pharaoh's dream, and he caused the good to prevail over the bad — the seven years of plenty over the seven years of famine. And this is the aspect of: "V'Yosef yashis yado al eineicha" — "And Yosef shall place his hand upon your eyes" (Bereishis 46:4). "His hand" specifically — the aspect of receiving the Torah that is received from the reshimu, whose primary reception is through the aspect of hands, in the aspect of: "And the two Tablets of the Covenant were upon my two hands" (Devarim 9:17) — the aspect of "written by the finger of G-d," as stated in the Torah-teaching mentioned above regarding the statement of our Sages, of blessed memory (Ta'anis 31a): "And each one points with his finger." For the primary tikkun is through the Torah that is received afterward, as above. And the Torah protects the eyes — so that even when one returns from the bittul, the Sitra Achara will not overpower, for it falls through the Torah, in the aspect of: "Mitzvas Hashem barah, me'iras einayim" — "The command of Hashem is clear, enlightening the eyes" (Tehillim 19:9). And this is: "And Yosef shall place his hand upon your eyes" — "his hand" specifically, "your eyes" specifically, as above. That is, even when they return from the bittul — which is the aspect of opening the eyes — nevertheless, they will not have the power to overpower further, for they will be nullified through the Torah, as above. For the tzaddikim and the upright, even when they return from the bittul and open their eyes, they do not gaze, G-d forbid, upon the vanities of this world. Rather, they guard their eyes through the Torah that they receive from the bittul, as above. And through this, all the dinim and troubles and all the Sitra Achara are nullified. And this is the aspect of: "And Yosef shall place his hand upon your eyes," as above. And this is the aspect of tzitzis, which are the rectification of the garments — which are the aspect of the vessels of the mochin. For one must first rectify and greatly refine the vessels, which are the garments, so that they can receive the light of the radiance of the reshimu from the bittul toward the Ein Sof, and so that it should not pass away and not be forgotten from them. For every member of Yisrael, in the innermost part of his soul, yearns and burns exceedingly for Hashem, because in his innermost being he gazes at all times toward the tachlis, which is the Light of the Ein Sof, where his root lies, and he wishes to cleave and be subsumed there. But because this aspect is always in a state of "V'hachayyos ratzo vashov" — "And the living creatures ran forth and returned" (Yechezkel 1:14) — and when he is in the aspect of vashov [returning], the vessels of the mochin, which are the aspect of the garments, cannot receive the light of the radiance from there. And therefore he has nothing with which to cool his thirst, and then it is usually completely forgotten from him. And therefore, the evil inclination and its legions attack Yisrael more intensely — because they see that he wants to flee each time to the tachlis. Especially regarding the upright Torah scholars who desire and yearn most toward the tachlis — against them it attacks even more, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Sukkah 52a). Namely, because of the above-mentioned aspect, as above. For in this matter of bittul and gazing toward the tachlis, there are many, many thousands and myriads of myriads of aspects and levels between one person and another. And even within a single individual himself, there are many variations between each time and moment. And therefore, tzitzis is the first mitzvah in the morning — that immediately in the morning upon awakening from sleep, which is the aspect of bittul toward the tachlis, one must immediately don tzitzis, to draw the light of the tzitzis, to rectify the aspect of the garments, which are the aspect of the vessels, so that one can receive the light of the radiance of the reshimu from the bittul, as above. And this is the aspect of: "Ur'isem oso uz'chartem es kol mitzvos Hashem" — "And you shall see it, and you shall remember all the mitzvos of Hashem" (Bamidbar 15:39). For the light of the tzitzis, at its root, is drawn from the aspect of gazing toward the tachlis, from which is the root of all the Torah, as above. And this is the aspect of the techeiles [blue thread] in the tzitzis, for techeiles is the aspect of the tachlis [the words share the same root: תכל], as explained (Siman 18). And regarding this it is said: "Ur'isem oso" — "And you shall see it" — whose primary meaning refers to the tachlis. That is, one must see and gaze intently upon the techeiles, which is the aspect of the tachlis. For "techeiles resembles the sea," etc., "up to the Throne of Glory"15 — where His glory, blessed be He, resides, the aspect of the Light of the Ein Sof, which is the aspect of the tachlis. And this is: "V'lo sasuru acharei l'vavchem v'acharei eineichem asher atem zonim achareihem" — "And you shall not stray after your hearts and after your eyes, which you go astray after" (Bamidbar 15:39) — that is, one should not gaze from the side upon the vanities of this world. Rather, one should direct one's vision and gaze only toward the tachlis, which is the aspect of techeiles, as above. And through this one draws light from the tachlis to rectify the aspect of the garments, which are the vessels, so that they can receive the light of the reshimu, as above, from which comes all the Torah, as above. And this is: "And you shall see it, and you shall remember all the mitzvos of Hashem" — for all the mitzvos, which are the totality of the Torah, are drawn from the light of the reshimu mentioned above. And therefore, the entire Torah was compared to tefillin, as it is written: "Ul'zikaron bein eineicha" — "And for a remembrance between your eyes" — "l'ma'an tih'yeh Toras Hashem b'ficha" — "so that the Torah of Hashem shall be in your mouth" (Shemos 13:9), as our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded (Kiddushin 35a). For the light of the reshimu from the bittul mentioned above is the aspect of tefillin, which are the primary d'veikus [attachment / cleaving] to Hashem — they are the primary light of the radiance of the reshimu, as understood in many places.16 And this is the aspect of all the Torah and mitzvos that are drawn from there, as explained in the Torah-teaching mentioned above regarding the statement of our Sages, of blessed memory: "And each one points with his finger," etc. — see there.

§ 18 — Tzedakah on Chanukah; the Oil That Never Runs Out This is the tzedakah given on Chanukah — to rectify the desire for money, to draw doubled abundance from Eretz Yisrael, the source of blessing. This is the Chanukah oil — "oil upon your head shall not be lacking" — "not lacking" specifically, no lack there — "the jar of oil shall not be lacking." Oil is mochin, holy anointing oil. Through mind and da'as, a person lacks nothing: "if you acquired da'as, what do you lack?" (Nedarim 41). This itself is the miracle of Chanukah — blessing sent into the small oil, burning eight days — blessed doubled abundance from Eretz Yisrael, for on Chanukah we draw holiness of Eretz Yisrael. § 19 — "Mikaitz": Money-Desire as Darkness; Meraglim and Pharaoh

.translator-summary .s-label { font-weight: bold; color: var(--os-color); .translator-summary .translator-note { font-size: 14px; color: #777; text-align: center; margin-top: 20px; font-style: italic; border-top: 1px solid #c5d4b5; padding-top: 14px; Likutay Halachos · Choshen Mishpat Hilchos G'viyas Chov Min HaY'somim — Halacha 5 Laws of Collecting a Debt from Orphans — §§1–7 · Based on the teaching "Ki M'rachamam Y'nahagaim" — Likutay Moharan, Tinyana, Siman 7 · On parnasah, sh'vu'ah, hester panim, and the inheritance of sons One who comes to collect from the property of orphans may collect only with an oath. The principle underlying this law — that a person does not bequeath an oath against orphans to his sons, if the borrower died during the lifetime of the lender — is rooted in the teaching "Ki M'rachamam Y'nahagaim" etc., in Likutay Tinyana, Siman 7. §1 · The Source of All Wealth The general principle: the essential parnasah [livelihood], wealth, and prosperity are drawn from the inclusiveness of the perceptions of son and student — which are the aspect of the illumination of darei matah [those who dwell below] and darei ma'alah [those who dwell Above]. These are the aspect of the perceptions and illuminations of "the whole earth is full of His glory" (Isaiah 6:3) and "where is the place of His glory?" (Kedushah d'Yotzer) — and they must be included and unified one with the other. For even though the essential illumination among darei ma'alah is the aspect of Ayeh [Where?] etc., one must nevertheless include it within the aspect of "the whole earth is full of His glory." And similarly with darei matah: even though their essential illumination is the aspect of "the whole earth is full of His glory" — the aspect of "awaken and sing, you who dwell in the dust" (Isaiah 26:19), to rouse and awaken and revive all those placed in the very lowest levels, even those who are literally within the earth — to illumine them and to reveal to them that Hashem Yisborach is still with them, for "the whole earth is full of His glory" — nevertheless one must also illumine upon them the aspect of Ayeh, the aspect of Mah, the aspect of "what did you see, what did you search, what do you know?" the aspect of "no eye has seen" (Isaiah 64:3) etc. — so that they will have awe etc. (see there). And through the inclusiveness of the worlds — which is the aspect of the inclusiveness of these two perceptions together — through this specifically is parnasah drawn, as all this is explained there. See there very carefully. §2 · The Oath, Falsehood, and Holy Faith And this is the aspect of the sh'vu'ah [oath] that one must take when there is a denial between one person and his fellow. For the essential falsehood and denial is drawn from blemishing the aspect of the unification and inclusiveness of the two aforementioned perceptions — blemishing and creating a separation, chas v'sholom, between them. This is the essential blemish of falsehood, which is evil and impurity, from which spring all the sins and blemishes in the world, Rachmana litzlan. For in truth, the essential holy emunah [faith] and the fulfillment of the entire Torah is built upon and founded upon this: to include the two aforementioned perceptions together — the perception of "the whole earth is full of His glory" and "where is the place of His glory." For Hashem Yisborach is s'sim v'galya [hidden and revealed], and the Torah likewise is s'sim v'galya etc. And as the holy Zohar states: He, Yisborach, is hidden from the side of His own essence, and revealed from the side of His actions — as is explained elsewhere. Therefore the essential holy emunah is to believe that Hashem Hu HaElokim — as it is written: "You have been shown to know that Hashem — He is the G-d" (Devarim 4:35), and: "And you shall know today and bring it into your heart, that Hashem — He is the G-d — in the heavens above and upon the earth below" (Devarim 4:39) etc. This is: the inclusiveness of the perceptions of the upper ones and the lower ones. For the name Hashem [the Tetragrammaton] is the aspect of concealed and hidden — the aspect of "this is My name forever [l'olam]" (Shemos 3:15), the aspect of the perception of Ayeh, hidden and concealed, the aspect of "what did you see" etc. And Elokim is the aspect of the revelation of the glory of His kingship, Yisborach — the aspect of "G-d is my King from of old" (Tehillim 74:12), the aspect of "for G-d is King of all the earth" (Tehillim 47:8) — which is the aspect of the perception of darei matah, the aspect of "the whole earth is full of His glory."

.translator-summary .s-label { font-weight: bold; color: var(--os-color); .translator-summary .translator-note { font-size: 14px; color: #777; text-align: center; margin-top: 20px; font-style: italic; border-top: 1px solid #c5d4b5; padding-top: 14px; Likutay Halachos · Choshen Mishpat Hilchos G'viyas Chov Min HaY'somim — Halacha 5 Laws of Collecting a Debt from Orphans — §§1–7 · Based on the teaching "Ki M'rachamam Y'nahagaim" — Likutay Moharan, Tinyana, Siman 7 · On parnasah, sh'vu'ah, hester panim, and the inheritance of sons One who comes to collect from the property of orphans may collect only with an oath. The principle underlying this law — that a person does not bequeath an oath against orphans to his sons, if the borrower died during the lifetime of the lender — is rooted in the teaching "Ki M'rachamam Y'nahagaim" etc., in Likutay Tinyana, Siman 7. §1 · The Source of All Wealth The general principle: the essential parnasah [livelihood], wealth, and prosperity are drawn from the inclusiveness of the perceptions of son and student — which are the aspect of the illumination of darei matah [those who dwell below] and darei ma'alah [those who dwell Above]. These are the aspect of the perceptions and illuminations of "the whole earth is full of His glory" (Isaiah 6:3) and "where is the place of His glory?" (Kedushah d'Yotzer) — and they must be included and unified one with the other. For even though the essential illumination among darei ma'alah is the aspect of Ayeh [Where?] etc., one must nevertheless include it within the aspect of "the whole earth is full of His glory." And similarly with darei matah: even though their essential illumination is the aspect of "the whole earth is full of His glory" — the aspect of "awaken and sing, you who dwell in the dust" (Isaiah 26:19), to rouse and awaken and revive all those placed in the very lowest levels, even those who are literally within the earth — to illumine them and to reveal to them that Hashem Yisborach is still with them, for "the whole earth is full of His glory" — nevertheless one must also illumine upon them the aspect of Ayeh, the aspect of Mah, the aspect of "what did you see, what did you search, what do you know?" the aspect of "no eye has seen" (Isaiah 64:3) etc. — so that they will have awe etc. (see there). And through the inclusiveness of the worlds — which is the aspect of the inclusiveness of these two perceptions together — through this specifically is parnasah drawn, as all this is explained there. See there very carefully. §2 · The Oath, Falsehood, and Holy Faith And this is the aspect of the sh'vu'ah [oath] that one must take when there is a denial between one person and his fellow. For the essential falsehood and denial is drawn from blemishing the aspect of the unification and inclusiveness of the two aforementioned perceptions — blemishing and creating a separation, chas v'sholom, between them. This is the essential blemish of falsehood, which is evil and impurity, from which spring all the sins and blemishes in the world, Rachmana litzlan. For in truth, the essential holy emunah [faith] and the fulfillment of the entire Torah is built upon and founded upon this: to include the two aforementioned perceptions together — the perception of "the whole earth is full of His glory" and "where is the place of His glory." For Hashem Yisborach is s'sim v'galya [hidden and revealed], and the Torah likewise is s'sim v'galya etc. And as the holy Zohar states: He, Yisborach, is hidden from the side of His own essence, and revealed from the side of His actions — as is explained elsewhere. Therefore the essential holy emunah is to believe that Hashem Hu HaElokim — as it is written: "You have been shown to know that Hashem — He is the G-d" (Devarim 4:35), and: "And you shall know today and bring it into your heart, that Hashem — He is the G-d — in the heavens above and upon the earth below" (Devarim 4:39) etc. This is: the inclusiveness of the perceptions of the upper ones and the lower ones. For the name Hashem [the Tetragrammaton] is the aspect of concealed and hidden — the aspect of "this is My name forever [l'olam]" (Shemos 3:15), the aspect of the perception of Ayeh, hidden and concealed, the aspect of "what did you see" etc. And Elokim is the aspect of the revelation of the glory of His kingship, Yisborach — the aspect of "G-d is my King from of old" (Tehillim 74:12), the aspect of "for G-d is King of all the earth" (Tehillim 47:8) — which is the aspect of the perception of darei matah, the aspect of "the whole earth is full of His glory."

For the sh'vu'ah is the aspect of connection and inclusiveness of the two aforementioned perceptions — the aspect of Kol [All], the aspect of: "for all [kol] is in the heavens and in the earth" (Divrei HaYamim I 29:11). For the oath is in the aspect of Y'sod [Foundation], which is the aspect of Kol — the aspect of bris [covenant] and oath. For the oath is taken in the name of Hashem and with grasping a holy object — which is the Sefer Torah. And the essential connection and inclusiveness of the two aforementioned perceptions is through the holy Torah, which is also s'sim v'galya. For through each and every mitzvah of the Torah we draw His G-dliness, Yisborach, below into this world — in the aspect of "the whole earth is full of His glory." For we take the holy Tzitzis, which in their root are a very great, awesome, and exalted light — and by wrapping ourselves in them we draw such a lofty light upon ourselves into this physical world. It emerges that through them we reveal that "the whole earth is full of His glory." Yet one must also know that the light of the Tzitzis remains awesome and exalted and very hidden from us — for the reward of a mitzvah is not present in this world — for it is impossible to grasp the secret reason of Tzitzis, which is the aspect of the reward of the mitzvah, in this world. And so with all the mitzvos and all the words of the Torah — we draw His G-dliness upon ourselves in this physical world, in the aspect of s'sim v'galya, the aspect of M'lo and Ayeh, as above. And this is likewise the aspect of the name of Hashem, which is also s'sim v'galya. For through His name, Yisborach, we call to Him and draw His G-dliness below — in the aspect of "the whole earth is full of His glory." Yet the true grasp of His name, Yisborach, remains hidden from us. This is the aspect of: "not as I am written am I read" (Pesachim 50a); the aspect of: "this is My name forever [l'olam]" — l'eilem [to conceal] is the reading (Shemos 3:15); "and this is My remembrance for all generations." For one must pronounce it as the name Adnus [Adonai] — the aspect of Malchus, His lordship and kingship, Yisborach, that fills the whole world — while intending the name Havayah, which is the aspect of concealed and hidden, the aspect of Ayeh, as above. And through this one includes the upper and lower worlds together, as above. Therefore, through the oath — which is the aspect of all the above, for one swears in the name of Hashem and with the grasping of the Sefer Torah — the truth is clarified and the denial and heresy drawn from the blemish and separation, chas v'sholom, between the two aforementioned perceptions are nullified. And so the books of Kabbalah explain: that sh'vu'ah is in the aspect of Y'sod, the aspect of Kol, as above. §6 · Death, Falsehood, and Why an Oath Is Required Against Orphans Therefore, one who comes to collect from the property of orphans may collect only with an oath — even when there is no denial. For since the side of death has held sway and the borrower has died, it is impossible to clarify the truth except through the oath, which is the aspect of connection and inclusiveness of the two aforementioned perceptions. For the essential reality of death is drawn from the aforementioned blemish — the blemish that Adam HaRishon made through his sin, creating a separation between the two aforementioned perceptions. From there death is drawn — which separates the soul from the body — in the aspect of "for death separates," for the root of the soul is drawn from the aspect of Ayeh, and the body is drawn from the aspect of M'lo, the aspect of Malchus. They must be connected and included together — that is the essential reality of life. But through the blemish of Adam HaRishon and the sins of the generations, separation is caused, chas v'sholom, until the soul is compelled to depart from the body — which is the aspect of separation between the aforementioned perceptions. And the essential rectification is through the true Tzadikim, who in their very death are called living — for death does not separate between them, between the soul and the body, because they fulfilled the Torah and mitzvos in completeness, through which is the essential connection and inclusiveness. And the essential rectification is through the da'as [knowledge] that the true Tzadik leaves behind — which is the essential chalifus [succession] — for even after his ascent on high he illumines those who dwell below, as is well explained in the aforementioned teaching. And every person, according to his fulfillment of the Torah and mitzvos and according to his drawing close to true Tzadikim, so does he nullify the side of death and merit life even after his passing. Therefore, since the side of death has held sway — which is the aspect of separation, from which comes the grip of falsehood (which is the opposite of truth, the elixir of life) — as our Sages, zichronam livrachah, taught regarding the place called Kushta [Truth]: no one died there because there was no falsehood there. It emerges that death is the aspect of falsehood. Therefore, when the side of death has held sway, it is impossible to clarify the truth except through the oath — which is the aspect of connection and inclusiveness of the worlds, the aspect of life, as above. And therefore in most oaths the language of life is used, as it is written: "As Hashem lives" etc. — or at least: "As my soul lives." For the oath is the aspect of life, as above. §7 · A Person Does Not Bequeath an Oath to His Sons — The Secret of Inheritance Therefore: when the borrower died during the lifetime of the lender, and afterward the lender also died, and the orphans of the lender come to collect from the orphans of the borrower — they cannot collect at all. For a person does not bequeath an oath to his sons. The oath against the orphans of the borrower — only the lender himself can swear it, while he is alive. For in life he can clarify the truth through the oath, which is the aspect of life, the aspect of connection and inclusiveness of the worlds, as above. But since death has held sway over the lender as well, and his vitality has separated from his body — just as the borrower also died — there is no one to decide between them. Since death has held sway over both of them, the property remains in the possession of the orphans of the borrower, as it was from the start. For he cannot bequeath an oath against orphans. For the essential yerushah [inheritance] that belongs to sons is drawn from the aforementioned aspect — because all money and wealth is drawn from the da'as one leaves behind for son and student, as above. Therefore the money of the inheritance reaches the sons, upon whom the illumination of the da'as of their father shines. For the essential da'as is received by the son, whose entire being is drawn from his father — as is explained in the aforementioned teaching. And this is the secret reason of the inheritance of sons — drawn from the da'as that the true Tzadik leaves behind for son and student, from which flows all the shefa [abundance] of parnasah and wealth. Therefore inheritance belongs to the sons. And even if the father and son are not people of Torah knowledge — nevertheless, since they are of the seed of Yisroel, their souls are certainly rooted in the Torah and in the Tzadik Y'sod Olam. Especially since every individual of Yisroel has some share in the Torah — even an am ha'aretz [unlearned person] — through the mitzvos and the good points that are found within him. And this is all his leaving behind after his death. From there is the entire root of the abundance of his money and wealth. When he dies, the money drawn from this da'as remains in its root for his sons after him — for it is all one. The money is drawn from the inclusiveness of the perceptions of son and student, which is the essential chalifus and the leaving behind, as above. Therefore he can only bequeath the money he clarified during his life — which is drawn from the aforementioned inclusiveness. But the money to which he had no right except through an oath against orphans, which he would have needed to clarify through the oath (the aspect of life and inclusiveness, as above) — and in the meantime he passed away and the side of death held sway over him as well — he no longer has any right in it to leave to his sons. For he himself did not merit to clarify the truth while he was alive, before he departed. And the property remains in the possession of the orphans of the borrower. Summary of G'viyas Chov Min HaY'somim 5 — §§1–7 §1 — The Source of Parnasah. All parnasah and wealth are drawn from the k'laliyus [inclusiveness] of the hashagas [perceptions] of bain v'salmid [son and student], which are the illumination of darei matah and darei ma'alah — the two insights: "m'lo chol ha'aretz k'vodo" and "Ayeh m'kom k'vodo." Both must be unified: among darei ma'alah (whose essence is Ayeh) — include m'lo; among darei matah (whose essence is m'lo) — include Ayeh/Mah/yir'ah. Only through this k'laliyus is parnasah drawn. §2 — Sh'vu'ah and Emunah. Sh'vu'ah = tikkun for hachasha'ah [denial]. Sheker/hachasha'ah = p'gam in yichud of the two hashagas (= peirud). Ikkar emunah = "Hashem Hu HaElokim" (Devarim 4:35,39). Hashem [Tetragrammaton] = s'sim/ne'elam = Ayeh. Elokim = hisgalus k'vod malchuso = m'lo = darei matah. Tzarich l'chollam yachad ["bashamayim mima'al v'al ha'aretz mitachas"]. Oraysa s'sim v'galya — so too Hu Yisborach. §3 — Historical Proof. The pattern of he'aras panim → hester panim repeats at every level (klaliyus, pratiyus, fratei pratiyus). Illustrated at length through Y'tzias Mitzrayim: Moshe with osos → va'ya'aman ha'am → Pharaoh hardened → Dasan & Aviram → splitting of the sea → 3 days without water → Marah → t'lunos → Man (parnasah trial: "d'var yom b'yomo l'ma'an anasenu") → Dasan & Aviram left over Man and went out on Shabbos → Refidim ("hayeish Hashem b'kirbeinu im ayin") → Amalek. Pattern repeats through Shoftim and M'lachim to the double Churban and galus. Even now: hester sh'b'soch hester — yet "hein hein g'vurosav… seh echad bain shiv'im z'eivim." "Al nisecha sheb'chol yom imanu." §4 — Parnasah as the Central Trial. Parnasah is almost the ikkar that distracts from Torah. Ha-meisis sheb'leiv → da'agos/yegonos/to'anos → misbatail miTorah us'filah → hachasha'ah → k'firah (k'ilu oveid akum). One who believes: "m'lo chol ha'aretz k'vodo — Hu zan um'chalkail," who sees Hashem's wonders in his own parnasah even in constrained circumstances — would never deny his fellow's money. Parnasah trial = mamash like the Man (yeiridah daily, not yearly) = nisayon. "Lo nisnah Torah ela l'ochlei haman." Must strengthen in emunah even in hester: "Achein Ata Eil mistasteir Elokei Yisroel Moshia" (Yeshayahu 45:15). "Chasdei Hashem ki lo samnu." §5 — Sh'vu'ah = Yichud of M'lo and Ayeh. All hachasha'os = p'gam ufeirud in k'laliyus sh'tai hahashagas → parnasah suffers. Sh'vu'ah = chibur uch'laliyus = b'chinas Kol ("ki chol bashamayim uva'aretz") = Y'sod = bris. Sworn in sheim Hashem + n'kiyas cheifetz (Sefer Torah). Torah = s'sim v'galya — mitzvos draw Elokus below (example: Tzitzis = or gadov drawn into olam hagashmi = m'lo; yet still ne'elam from us = Ayeh). Sheim Hashem = s'sim v'galya: "lo k'she'Ani nichsav Ani nikra"; "l'eilem k'siv." Pronounce Adnus (Malchus, m'lo), intend Havayah (ne'elam, Ayeh). Through sh'vu'ah: emes is clarified, hachasha'ah nullified. §6 — Death = Falsehood = Separation. Even without hachasha'ah — since sitra d'mosa shalt'ah, sh'vu'ah is required. Misah = p'gam Adam HaRishon → feirud bain n'shamah v'guf. N'shamah = Ayeh, guf = M'lo/Malchus. Tzadikim amitiyim: b'misasam k'ruyim chaim — no feirud for them. Tikkun = hada'as she'mash'ir acharav (chalifus). Town of Kushta: no falsehood → no death → ergo misah = sheker. Sh'vu'ah = chayim = k'laliyus: "Chai Hashem," "Chai nafshi." §7 — Cannot Bequeath an Oath; Secret of Yerushah. Meis loveh b'chayai malveh → meis malveh → yasmei ba'im ligvos min yasmei → ain y'cholim ligvos klal. Ain adam morish sh'vu'ah l'vanav. Sh'vu'ah = chayim — only living malveh can swear (clarify truth). After his death too → no one to decide. Yerushah reaches banim because all mamon/ashirus drawn from da'as left for bain v'salmid. Even am ha'aretz = rooted in Torah/Tzadik through mitzvos/n'kudos tovos. Mamon he only had right to via sh'vu'ah → if he died without swearing → cannot bequeath → property stays b'chezkas yasmei haloveh. Based on Likutay Moharan, Tinyana, Siman 7 — "Ki M'rachamam Y'nahagaim" · Hilchos G'viyas Chov Min HaY'somim 5 — complete · Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman

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Likutay Halachos — Choshen Mishpat II

Likutay Halachos — Choshen Mishpat II

Halacha 3

Halacha 3

Halacha 3

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For the thief comes in concealment and in hiding, with great craftiness and deceit. And his root is from the Ba’al Davar, who is the great thief that comes upon a person through theft and deceit, as it is written: "he lurks in the hiding place" (Tehillim 10:8), etc. And as is explained above in the previous halachos. And the root of the Ba’al Davar and the Sitra Achara is from the beginning of the tzimtzum [contraction] of the chalal hapanui [empty space], when Hashem, blessed be He, as it were, concealed and hid the light of His wisdom for the sake of free choice [b’chirah]. And the concealment and the hiding is the aspect of theft [g’naivah]. For in the truest truth, Hashem, blessed be He, is there — only He conceals and hides Himself, as it were, for the sake of the test and the free choice — in the aspect of "You are a G-d Who conceals Himself" (Yeshayahu 45:15), the aspect of "and I will surely hide [hasteir astir]" (D’varim 31:18). And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said — that the Caesar said: "Your G-d is a thief" — and his daughter responded that it was for the good, as the parable brought there explains. And from there is the root of the great thief mentioned above, and from there all thieves are drawn. And therefore the rectification is through truth — through knowing that in every place Hashem, blessed be He, is hidden, even in the chalal hapanui itself. And then there is no darkness and no shadow of death to hide there, for "even the darkness does not darken from before You" (Tehillim 139:12). And it is written: "though I sit in darkness, Hashem is a light for me" (Michah 7:8).

For the thief comes in concealment and in hiding, with great craftiness and deceit. And his root is from the Ba’al Davar, who is the great thief that comes upon a person through theft and deceit, as it is written: "he lurks in the hiding place" (Tehillim 10:8), etc. And as is explained above in the previous halachos. And the root of the Ba’al Davar and the Sitra Achara is from the beginning of the tzimtzum [contraction] of the chalal hapanui [empty space], when Hashem, blessed be He, as it were, concealed and hid the light of His wisdom for the sake of free choice [b’chirah]. And the concealment and the hiding is the aspect of theft [g’naivah]. For in the truest truth, Hashem, blessed be He, is there — only He conceals and hides Himself, as it were, for the sake of the test and the free choice — in the aspect of "You are a G-d Who conceals Himself" (Yeshayahu 45:15), the aspect of "and I will surely hide [hasteir astir]" (D’varim 31:18). And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said — that the Caesar said: "Your G-d is a thief" — and his daughter responded that it was for the good, as the parable brought there explains. And from there is the root of the great thief mentioned above, and from there all thieves are drawn. And therefore the rectification is through truth — through knowing that in every place Hashem, blessed be He, is hidden, even in the chalal hapanui itself. And then there is no darkness and no shadow of death to hide there, for "even the darkness does not darken from before You" (Tehillim 139:12). And it is written: "though I sit in darkness, Hashem is a light for me" (Michah 7:8).

For the thief comes in concealment and in hiding, with great craftiness and deceit. And his root is from the Ba’al Davar, who is the great thief that comes upon a person through theft and deceit, as it is written: "he lurks in the hiding place" (Tehillim 10:8), etc. And as is explained above in the previous halachos. And the root of the Ba’al Davar and the Sitra Achara is from the beginning of the tzimtzum [contraction] of the chalal hapanui [empty space], when Hashem, blessed be He, as it were, concealed and hid the light of His wisdom for the sake of free choice [b’chirah]. And the concealment and the hiding is the aspect of theft [g’naivah]. For in the truest truth, Hashem, blessed be He, is there — only He conceals and hides Himself, as it were, for the sake of the test and the free choice — in the aspect of "You are a G-d Who conceals Himself" (Yeshayahu 45:15), the aspect of "and I will surely hide [hasteir astir]" (D’varim 31:18). And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said — that the Caesar said: "Your G-d is a thief" — and his daughter responded that it was for the good, as the parable brought there explains. And from there is the root of the great thief mentioned above, and from there all thieves are drawn. And therefore the rectification is through truth — through knowing that in every place Hashem, blessed be He, is hidden, even in the chalal hapanui itself. And then there is no darkness and no shadow of death to hide there, for "even the darkness does not darken from before You" (Tehillim 139:12). And it is written: "though I sit in darkness, Hashem is a light for me" (Michah 7:8).

For the thief comes in concealment and in hiding, with great craftiness and deceit. And his root is from the Ba’al Davar, who is the great thief that comes upon a person through theft and deceit, as it is written: "he lurks in the hiding place" (Tehillim 10:8), etc. And as is explained above in the previous halachos. And the root of the Ba’al Davar and the Sitra Achara is from the beginning of the tzimtzum [contraction] of the chalal hapanui [empty space], when Hashem, blessed be He, as it were, concealed and hid the light of His wisdom for the sake of free choice [b’chirah]. And the concealment and the hiding is the aspect of theft [g’naivah]. For in the truest truth, Hashem, blessed be He, is there — only He conceals and hides Himself, as it were, for the sake of the test and the free choice — in the aspect of "You are a G-d Who conceals Himself" (Yeshayahu 45:15), the aspect of "and I will surely hide [hasteir astir]" (D’varim 31:18). And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said — that the Caesar said: "Your G-d is a thief" — and his daughter responded that it was for the good, as the parable brought there explains. And from there is the root of the great thief mentioned above, and from there all thieves are drawn. And therefore the rectification is through truth — through knowing that in every place Hashem, blessed be He, is hidden, even in the chalal hapanui itself. And then there is no darkness and no shadow of death to hide there, for "even the darkness does not darken from before You" (Tehillim 139:12). And it is written: "though I sit in darkness, Hashem is a light for me" (Michah 7:8).

For the thief comes in concealment and in hiding, with great craftiness and deceit. And his root is from the Ba’al Davar, who is the great thief that comes upon a person through theft and deceit, as it is written: "he lurks in the hiding place" (Tehillim 10:8), etc. And as is explained above in the previous halachos. And the root of the Ba’al Davar and the Sitra Achara is from the beginning of the tzimtzum [contraction] of the chalal hapanui [empty space], when Hashem, blessed be He, as it were, concealed and hid the light of His wisdom for the sake of free choice [b’chirah]. And the concealment and the hiding is the aspect of theft [g’naivah]. For in the truest truth, Hashem, blessed be He, is there — only He conceals and hides Himself, as it were, for the sake of the test and the free choice — in the aspect of "You are a G-d Who conceals Himself" (Yeshayahu 45:15), the aspect of "and I will surely hide [hasteir astir]" (D’varim 31:18). And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said — that the Caesar said: "Your G-d is a thief" — and his daughter responded that it was for the good, as the parable brought there explains. And from there is the root of the great thief mentioned above, and from there all thieves are drawn. And therefore the rectification is through truth — through knowing that in every place Hashem, blessed be He, is hidden, even in the chalal hapanui itself. And then there is no darkness and no shadow of death to hide there, for "even the darkness does not darken from before You" (Tehillim 139:12). And it is written: "though I sit in darkness, Hashem is a light for me" (Michah 7:8).

And this is the aspect of "he made the eye below," etc. — "he made" literally, etc., as above. But the free choice is in the hand of the one opposite him as well — who is from the side of Ya’akov — who certainly has more power. When he wants to have compassion on himself and incline toward the truth, he can illuminate upon himself the light of truth, which is the light of Hashem, blessed be He, at every time and every hour, as above — until he extracts from them all the good that was captive within them, in the aspect of tashlumai kefel, and 4 and 5: §12 For the ox and the lamb are the aspect of Ya’akov and Yosef. "And the lambs Ya’akov separated" (Beraishis 30:40) — the aspect of "a scattered lamb is Yisra’ail" (Yirmiyahu 50:17); and "I will give My flock, the flock of My pasture" (Yechezkel 34:31), etc. "Yosef, the firstborn of His ox — splendor is his" (D’varim 33:17) — the aspect of the true tzaddik who illuminates the truth in the congregation of Yisra’ail, who are called by the name of Ya’akov.

And this is the aspect of "he made the eye below," etc. — "he made" literally, etc., as above. But the free choice is in the hand of the one opposite him as well — who is from the side of Ya’akov — who certainly has more power. When he wants to have compassion on himself and incline toward the truth, he can illuminate upon himself the light of truth, which is the light of Hashem, blessed be He, at every time and every hour, as above — until he extracts from them all the good that was captive within them, in the aspect of tashlumai kefel, and 4 and 5: §12 For the ox and the lamb are the aspect of Ya’akov and Yosef. "And the lambs Ya’akov separated" (Beraishis 30:40) — the aspect of "a scattered lamb is Yisra’ail" (Yirmiyahu 50:17); and "I will give My flock, the flock of My pasture" (Yechezkel 34:31), etc. "Yosef, the firstborn of His ox — splendor is his" (D’varim 33:17) — the aspect of the true tzaddik who illuminates the truth in the congregation of Yisra’ail, who are called by the name of Ya’akov.

And this is the aspect of "he made the eye below," etc. — "he made" literally, etc., as above. But the free choice is in the hand of the one opposite him as well — who is from the side of Ya’akov — who certainly has more power. When he wants to have compassion on himself and incline toward the truth, he can illuminate upon himself the light of truth, which is the light of Hashem, blessed be He, at every time and every hour, as above — until he extracts from them all the good that was captive within them, in the aspect of tashlumai kefel, and 4 and 5: §12 For the ox and the lamb are the aspect of Ya’akov and Yosef. "And the lambs Ya’akov separated" (Beraishis 30:40) — the aspect of "a scattered lamb is Yisra’ail" (Yirmiyahu 50:17); and "I will give My flock, the flock of My pasture" (Yechezkel 34:31), etc. "Yosef, the firstborn of His ox — splendor is his" (D’varim 33:17) — the aspect of the true tzaddik who illuminates the truth in the congregation of Yisra’ail, who are called by the name of Ya’akov.

And this is the aspect of "he made the eye below," etc. — "he made" literally, etc., as above. But the free choice is in the hand of the one opposite him as well — who is from the side of Ya’akov — who certainly has more power. When he wants to have compassion on himself and incline toward the truth, he can illuminate upon himself the light of truth, which is the light of Hashem, blessed be He, at every time and every hour, as above — until he extracts from them all the good that was captive within them, in the aspect of tashlumai kefel, and 4 and 5: §12 For the ox and the lamb are the aspect of Ya’akov and Yosef. "And the lambs Ya’akov separated" (Beraishis 30:40) — the aspect of "a scattered lamb is Yisra’ail" (Yirmiyahu 50:17); and "I will give My flock, the flock of My pasture" (Yechezkel 34:31), etc. "Yosef, the firstborn of His ox — splendor is his" (D’varim 33:17) — the aspect of the true tzaddik who illuminates the truth in the congregation of Yisra’ail, who are called by the name of Ya’akov.

And this is the aspect of "he made the eye below," etc. — "he made" literally, etc., as above. But the free choice is in the hand of the one opposite him as well — who is from the side of Ya’akov — who certainly has more power. When he wants to have compassion on himself and incline toward the truth, he can illuminate upon himself the light of truth, which is the light of Hashem, blessed be He, at every time and every hour, as above — until he extracts from them all the good that was captive within them, in the aspect of tashlumai kefel, and 4 and 5: §12 For the ox and the lamb are the aspect of Ya’akov and Yosef. "And the lambs Ya’akov separated" (Beraishis 30:40) — the aspect of "a scattered lamb is Yisra’ail" (Yirmiyahu 50:17); and "I will give My flock, the flock of My pasture" (Yechezkel 34:31), etc. "Yosef, the firstborn of His ox — splendor is his" (D’varim 33:17) — the aspect of the true tzaddik who illuminates the truth in the congregation of Yisra’ail, who are called by the name of Ya’akov.

4 and 5 in the aspect of: "instead of the copper I will bring gold, and instead of the iron I will bring silver, and instead of the wood — copper, and instead of the stones — iron" (Yeshayahu 60:17), etc. And our Sages of blessed memory said: "instead of Rabbi Akiva and his companions," etc. — who are the ten martyrs [asarah harugay malchus], which occurred through the blemish that was blemished through the sale of Yosef, that they stole him, as it is written: "for I was indeed stolen" (Beraishis 40:15), etc. And as is brought, that this passage — "five cattle he shall pay in place of the ox" (Shemos 21:37), etc. — alludes to the sale of Yosef, etc. (and see from this further on). For this is the greatest theft and deceit of all — when the Ba’al Davar steals a person’s heart until he introduces machlokes [dispute] against the true tzaddik, and overturns the truth, etc. This is the aspect of the dispute of the tribes against Yosef, from which the essential prolongation of the exile derives, etc. For all the rectification is through drawing the light of Mashi’ach, which is the light of truth, as it is written: "send Your light and Your truth" (Tehillim 43:3), etc.; "G-d will send His kindness and His truth" (Tehillim 57:4). §14

4 and 5 in the aspect of: "instead of the copper I will bring gold, and instead of the iron I will bring silver, and instead of the wood — copper, and instead of the stones — iron" (Yeshayahu 60:17), etc. And our Sages of blessed memory said: "instead of Rabbi Akiva and his companions," etc. — who are the ten martyrs [asarah harugay malchus], which occurred through the blemish that was blemished through the sale of Yosef, that they stole him, as it is written: "for I was indeed stolen" (Beraishis 40:15), etc. And as is brought, that this passage — "five cattle he shall pay in place of the ox" (Shemos 21:37), etc. — alludes to the sale of Yosef, etc. (and see from this further on). For this is the greatest theft and deceit of all — when the Ba’al Davar steals a person’s heart until he introduces machlokes [dispute] against the true tzaddik, and overturns the truth, etc. This is the aspect of the dispute of the tribes against Yosef, from which the essential prolongation of the exile derives, etc. For all the rectification is through drawing the light of Mashi’ach, which is the light of truth, as it is written: "send Your light and Your truth" (Tehillim 43:3), etc.; "G-d will send His kindness and His truth" (Tehillim 57:4). §14

And this is S'firas Ha'Omer — S'firah specifically, in the language of sipuray ma'asiyos. For sefer, sofer, v'sipur [book, scribe, and story] are one aspect, as is known. That is, as above: S'firas Ha'Omer — the aspect of sofer — is the aspect of sipuray ma'asiyos, as above, the aspect of sipur, in which the Torah is clothed, the aspect of sefer, the aspect of Sefer Torah. And this is omer s'orim: omer is ayin mor, as Rabbainu of blessed memory wrote elsewhere (siman 10) — ayin is the ayin [70] faces of the Torah that are clothed in the sipuray ma'asiyos of shanim kadmoniyos, which are the aspect of Mordechai, who is mar d'ror [pure myrrh], as is explained in the teaching mentioned above — see there well. §10

✦ End of Hilchos Betzi'as HaPas — Halachah 2 ✦

§19 And this is: “five cattle he shall pay in place of the ox, and four sheep in place of the lamb” (Shemos 21:37). Seh [lamb] is the aspect of wealth — “and the flocks of your sheep [v’asht’ros tzonecha]” (D’varim 7:13) — which is the root of the souls. For this reason Ya’akov labored to extract wealth from Lavan through the flocks, in order to sustain the souls from their root, etc. And the ox [shor] is the aspect of the service of the tzaddik — the aspect of “Yosef, the firstborn of His ox” — the aspect of “like an ox bearing its load in His service, blessed be He,” as our Sages of blessed memory said: “A person should always place himself like an ox to the yoke.” The aspect of “much produce through the strength of the ox” (Mishlei 14:4). And from there is the entire root of wealth together with the souls, for everything is rooted in and receives vitality from the service of the tzaddik, which is the root of everything. And therefore when Rachel gave birth to Yosef — the aspect of the tzaddik of the generation, the aspect of “the firstborn of His ox” — then Ya’akov said: “when shall I also do for my own house?” (Beraishis 30:30) — for now I must draw wealth for my house, for all the souls of the house of Ya’akov, because all their wealth is drawn from the aspect of Yosef the tzaddik — in the aspect of “and Yosef was the ruler, he was the provider” (Beraishis 42:6); the aspect of “and Yosef sustained his father and his brothers” (Beraishis 47:12). For from the tzaddik, the aspect of Yosef, comes all the wealth, which is the root of the souls. And so it was — that afterward he extracted extraordinary wealth through the flocks from the house of Lavan the Aramean. And the Sitra Achara, the aspect of the thief and the deceiver — when they want to intensify further in their theft and craftiness until they want to steal the aspect of wealth, which is the root of the souls of Yisra’ail, which is the aspect of seh as above; and sometimes they intensify even more, wanting to steal and blemish also the power of the tzaddik himself, who is the root of everything, which is the aspect of the shor, the aspect of Yosef HaTzaddik — and this in several aspects: either they distance from him, or they want to cast down, G-d forbid, the tzaddik himself, as has already occurred several times (may the Merciful One save us from now on), or they want to slaughter or sell the tzaddik — in the aspect of “because they sold a righteous man for silver” (Amos 2:6) — which is the aspect of the ten martyrs [asarah harugay malchus] and all the holy ones who were slaughtered and sold as slaves.

§19 And this is: “five cattle he shall pay in place of the ox, and four sheep in place of the lamb” (Shemos 21:37). Seh [lamb] is the aspect of wealth — “and the flocks of your sheep [v’asht’ros tzonecha]” (D’varim 7:13) — which is the root of the souls. For this reason Ya’akov labored to extract wealth from Lavan through the flocks, in order to sustain the souls from their root, etc. And the ox [shor] is the aspect of the service of the tzaddik — the aspect of “Yosef, the firstborn of His ox” — the aspect of “like an ox bearing its load in His service, blessed be He,” as our Sages of blessed memory said: “A person should always place himself like an ox to the yoke.” The aspect of “much produce through the strength of the ox” (Mishlei 14:4). And from there is the entire root of wealth together with the souls, for everything is rooted in and receives vitality from the service of the tzaddik, which is the root of everything. And therefore when Rachel gave birth to Yosef — the aspect of the tzaddik of the generation, the aspect of “the firstborn of His ox” — then Ya’akov said: “when shall I also do for my own house?” (Beraishis 30:30) — for now I must draw wealth for my house, for all the souls of the house of Ya’akov, because all their wealth is drawn from the aspect of Yosef the tzaddik — in the aspect of “and Yosef was the ruler, he was the provider” (Beraishis 42:6); the aspect of “and Yosef sustained his father and his brothers” (Beraishis 47:12). For from the tzaddik, the aspect of Yosef, comes all the wealth, which is the root of the souls. And so it was — that afterward he extracted extraordinary wealth through the flocks from the house of Lavan the Aramean. And the Sitra Achara, the aspect of the thief and the deceiver — when they want to intensify further in their theft and craftiness until they want to steal the aspect of wealth, which is the root of the souls of Yisra’ail, which is the aspect of seh as above; and sometimes they intensify even more, wanting to steal and blemish also the power of the tzaddik himself, who is the root of everything, which is the aspect of the shor, the aspect of Yosef HaTzaddik — and this in several aspects: either they distance from him, or they want to cast down, G-d forbid, the tzaddik himself, as has already occurred several times (may the Merciful One save us from now on), or they want to slaughter or sell the tzaddik — in the aspect of “because they sold a righteous man for silver” (Amos 2:6) — which is the aspect of the ten martyrs [asarah harugay malchus] and all the holy ones who were slaughtered and sold as slaves.

And this is S'firas Ha'Omer — S'firah specifically, in the language of sipuray ma'asiyos. For sefer, sofer, v'sipur [book, scribe, and story] are one aspect, as is known. That is, as above: S'firas Ha'Omer — the aspect of sofer — is the aspect of sipuray ma'asiyos, as above, the aspect of sipur, in which the Torah is clothed, the aspect of sefer, the aspect of Sefer Torah. And this is omer s'orim: omer is ayin mor, as Rabbainu of blessed memory wrote elsewhere (siman 10) — ayin is the ayin [70] faces of the Torah that are clothed in the sipuray ma'asiyos of shanim kadmoniyos, which are the aspect of Mordechai, who is mar d'ror [pure myrrh], as is explained in the teaching mentioned above — see there well. §10

But the miracle was through oil sealed with the seal of the Kohain Gadol — who was anointed with the anointing oil encompassing all the tikunim, with which all the vessels of the Mishkan and Bais HaMikdash, all the Kohanim, and the Davidic monarchy of Mashiach were anointed. With the Kohain Gadol reside all blessings, etc., as above. Therefore, through this small amount of holy anointing oil, all the lamps were rekindled — a wondrous and awesome miracle was performed physically and spiritually. Physically, there was only enough to burn one day, yet it burned eight days. Spiritually likewise: it could only have illuminated a little, temporarily. But the tzadikim (= the Kohain) overpower through the very essence of their power, until the small amount of oil-light of one day illuminates through all seven days (= the seven midos), until eight days of Chanukah are made — the inauguration of the Bais HaMikdash, the totality of da'as: "whoever has da'as..." etc. Through the small amount of oil, they illuminate with their wisdom in the heart of every Jew to gladden his soul, etc., as above. Through this point of joy, they raise him according to his level up to the above nine chambers — from where the joy shines upon him from the source of joy drawn from there, as above. Then, as the joy shines more, he returns and ascends more and more from the Chambers of Exchange, ascending higher toward the above nine chambers, to the source of joy — and so it cycles for good. This is the aspect of: "the Ner Chanukah increases, adding each day" — the essential thing is the beginning, and each day it increases and adds, through the illumination of joy received each time from the source of joy, by having initially overpowered to draw joy upon himself wherever he is, in the intensity of his soul's exile. This is the aspect of kindling the Ner Chanukah below ten tefachim — the aspect of the very lowest places. There specifically this holy and awesome light is drawn — rooted in the light of the tzadikim who merited the perception of the nine chambers, etc., as above. Through this one merits todah and thanksgiving with joy, reciting Hallel, etc., with joy — and the light of joy increases. Therefore on the second day of Chanukah it increases: two candles, for the light has increased. The third day, etc. — increasing each day, as above.

But the more they intensify in their theft and craftiness unto the very root, G-d forbid, in slaughter and sale — in the aspect of “those who say: ‘demolish, demolish, to its very foundation’” (Tehillim 137:7); for “they said: let us cut them off from nationhood, and the name of Yisra’ail shall be remembered no more” (Tehillim 83:5), etc. — but “the truth of Hashem is forever” (Tehillim 117:2), for it will not avail them. For the greatest, most select tzaddikim stand against them always, revealing and illuminating the truth of the truth in the world with such authentic wisdom that not only is their craftiness and falsehood revealed until the thief is found, but they also extract from them kefel, as above. And if they intensify more, even more is extracted from them — in the aspect of 4 and 5: “four sheep in place of the lamb.” For the wealth, the root of the totality of the souls, is comprised of 4 — the aspect of 4 camps [d’galim], which are the 4 camps of the Sh’chinah, the 4 legs of the Throne, the aspect of the 4 letters of the Name, which is the aspect of t’amim, n’kudos, tagin, osiyos — the aspect of the vitality of the 4 worlds: Atzilus, B’ri’ah, Y’tzirah, Asiyah — the aspect of the 4 elements, etc., as is brought. And therefore in the future, when the nations will be compelled to return the wealth to Yisra’ail, it says: “instead of the copper I will bring gold, and instead of the iron — silver, and instead of the wood — copper, and instead of the stones — iron” (Yeshayahu 60:17). It emerges that four things are reckoned there — gold, silver, copper, and iron — which are the totality of the colors, all included in 4, as is known (the aspect of Chesed, G’vurah, Tiferes, and Malchus). These are all the aspects of the 4 mentioned above. For they will all be compelled to return — in the aspect of “four sheep in place of the lamb” — which is the aspect of the wealth of holiness, the root of the souls of Yisra’ail. And if they intensified even more, until the blemish of the theft touched the point of the tzaddik himself — who is the ultimate supernal root of Yisra’ail, which is the aspect of stealing the ox, the aspect of Yosef, in slaughter and sale — then they will be compelled to extract from their midst even more, in the aspect of “five cattle in place of the ox.” For the tzaddik is the aspect of the fifth foundation [y’sod hachamishi], for he is the aspect of the tip of the yud (the aspect of Atik Ha’Elyon, the root of the da’as, which is the aspect of Dai, etc.). And this is alluded to in the words of our Sages of blessed memory who said: “Woe to them! etc. — for instead of the copper I will bring gold, etc. — instead of Rabbi Akiva and his companions,” etc. That is, these four aspects — gold, silver, etc. — will not suffice for them, until they will need to extract the very essence of their vitality from their belly and their midst. For the heh encompasses everything, for the world was created with a heh — the aspect of the heh of Avraham, the aspect of “here is seed for you” (Beraishis 47:23). That is, wherever there is found among them any further vitality, any spark and soul of holiness — all will need to be returned, in the aspect of “five cattle in place of the ox,” which is the tzaddik who is “like an ox bearing its load,” etc., from whom everything derives, etc., as above. And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said: “An ox, since he nullified it from its work, must pay 5. A lamb, since he did not nullify it from its work, pays 4.” For the essential work of the creation [m’leches ma’asei Beraishis] — that is, all the sustenance of the entire world that Hashem, blessed be He, created, which is called “work” [m’lachah], as it is written: “and G-d completed on the seventh day His work that He had done” (Beraishis 2:2) — is through the tzaddik, who is the aspect of the seventh day, the aspect of “ant Shabbas d’chul’hu yoma” [you are the Shabbos of all the days]. For all the work of creation was created and is sustained through the tzaddik, who is the aspect of Shabbos.

And the thief-deceiver mentioned above wanted to nullify him from his work; therefore he must pay more — the aspect of five, corresponding to the heh mentioned above, which is the aspect of the heh of “hashishi” [the sixth (day)], the aspect of the five books of the Torah [chamishah chumshay Torah] from which the tzaddik is comprised, who is the sustenance of all the worlds.

And one must include them together: to know and believe that everything is one — in the aspect of: "Hashem — He is the G-d — in the heavens above" (the aspect of darei ma'alah) "and upon the earth below" (the aspect of darei matah) — for it is all one, as above. §3 · The Pattern of Revelation and Concealment — From Egypt Until Now And upon this depends the entire fulfillment of the holy Torah. For upon this depends all the free choice and testing of a person, and all that passes over him throughout his life — for it is all for the sake of free choice and trial. Everything is within this matter. For the way of Hashem Yisborach is to shine His face at every turn, and then within that very shining to conceal His face. And this occurs on the level of the general, the particular, and the most minute particular: on the general level — the span of the entire world; on the particular level — in every generation; and likewise with every individual, and at every moment. Through this comes all the testing and free choice of every person at every time throughout his life. And one who takes this to heart can perceive something of it in all the adventures, troubles, deliverances, expansions, and wondrous salvations that pass over him throughout his days — most of all in the matter of parnasah. We see this from the Exodus from Egypt — from the day Hashem Yisborach first revealed Himself to Moshe to redeem them, until the very end. At the outset, Hashem shone His face upon Moshe with a wondrous illumination, sent him to redeem them, and placed in his hand awesome signs and wonders to reveal His G-dliness and bring about the redemption, so that Yisroel would believe in Him Yisborach and merit receiving the Torah. And so it was: Moshe came to Yisroel, performed the signs before the people, and "the people believed, and they heard that Hashem had remembered His people" etc. (Shemos 4:31). But then immediately, when Moshe came to Pharaoh to redeem them, Pharaoh hardened his spirit — and not only did he not let them leave Egypt, he also burdened their labor further by withholding straw etc. At once the heresy of Dasan and Aviram and those who followed them was stirred up, until they went out to confront Moshe and said: "May Hashem look upon you and judge" etc. (Shemos 5:21). This came about because of such a concealment of face — not only did they not merit the redemption as Moshe had promised, their labor was made even heavier. And so it continued from then on, each and every time — as is clearly set out in all the Torah portions speaking of the Exodus, and especially in Parshas Beshalach. After Hashem Yisborach completed His work through Moshe and took them out of Egypt with such awesome signs — and even Dasan and Aviram and all who followed them, who harbored resentment against Moshe, all saw with their own eyes that the word of Hashem in the mouth of Moshe was truth, for despite Pharaoh's intensifying of their labor after Moshe came to redeem them, "the word of our G-d stands forever" (Yeshayahu 40:8) — they saw with their own eyes that Moshe Rabbeinu took them out with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm with such awesome signs and wonders. And yet, when they arrived at the sea and saw "behold, Egypt was journeying after them" (Shemos 14:10) — the righteous and wholehearted among Yisroel did what was fitting and proper and cried out to Hashem, for they grasped the craft of their forebears, as our Sages (Mechilta) say and as Rashi explains. But there were factions among them seeking pretexts, driven entirely by the evil speech and wicked counsel of the leaders of the dissenters — Dasan and Aviram — who misled them to such a degree that they cried: "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you took us to die in the wilderness?" (Shemos 14:11) etc. And then afterward, when Hashem Yisborach showed His great hand through Moshe — split the sea for them, drowned Egypt, and Yisroel crossed on dry land through the sea and plundered them of immense wealth — even so, afterward Hashem Yisborach concealed His face. They walked three days in the wilderness and found no water. Then they came to Marah and "could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter" etc. (Shemos 15:23). And then: "the people complained against Moshe, saying: What shall we drink?" (Shemos 15:24) etc. Thus, even though they had first witnessed such a shining of the face — the Exodus, the splitting of the sea, wonders and awesome deeds of that kind — as soon as Hashem Yisborach concealed His face from them for the sake of trial and they found no water, they broke into complaints and quarrels. And so it continued every time. Especially in the matter of the Man [manna], which is the aspect of parnasah, as it is written: "Behold, I will rain down bread from the heavens for you, and the people shall go out and gather each day's portion on its day — in order to test them whether they will follow My Torah or not" (Shemos 16:4). And all of this was through Dasan and Aviram: they who went out to confront Moshe in Egypt as though defending Yisroel's honor, saying to Moshe and Aharon: "May Hashem look upon you and judge" etc. They who stirred up all the complaints and quarrels against Hashem and against Moshe. They who left over from the Man, even after witnessing such an awesome miracle — bread descending from the heavens, the like of which had never been seen or heard since the day the world was created. And Moshe warned them: "Let no man leave over of it until morning" (Shemos 16:19). Yet they fortified themselves in their wickedness and heresy and left some over — even after seeing it rot and breed worms. And on the sixth day they found a double portion that did not spoil, just as Moshe said; yet on the seventh day they went out to gather. And then when there was no water to drink at Refidim, it is written: "And the people quarreled with Moshe and said: Why is this — did you bring us up from Egypt to kill me, my children, and my livestock with thirst?" (Shemos 17:3) etc. So He gave them the well. And the place was called Masah and Merivah — "on account of the quarrel of the children of Yisroel, and because they tested Hashem, saying: Is Hashem in our midst or not?" (Shemos 17:7). And from this came Amalek — as Rashi explains there. And so it continued throughout all the days of Moshe as spelled out in the Torah. And so afterward in every generation — in the days of the Judges and the Kings — each time Hashem shone His face and performed great signs for them, then concealed His face, and then came their trials. Many stood firm and merited both worlds for eternity. Many stumbled and turned aside from the ways of Hashem through this. And some threw off the yoke entirely, until they caused the Beis HaMikdash to be destroyed — twice. And the exile continues to this day because of this. For also now, in the great length and bitterness of our exile, the concealment within concealment has intensified very, very greatly. And it has been fulfilled in our many sins: "And I will surely hide My face on that day" (Devarim 31:18) etc. Nevertheless — one who truly desires to draw close to Hashem Yisborach and to His holy Torah sees also now, at every turn, the shining of Hashem's face, His kindnesses, and His awesome wonders — within the very intensity of so many concealments. As our Sages, zichronam livrachah, said: "These are His mighty deeds, these are His awesome acts — one sheep among seventy wolves" etc. And likewise in the particular and most particular detail of every person and every moment. And it is impossible to explain all this — only the one who is truly wise and truly desires can understand and see how many miracles and wonders Hashem Yisborach performs for us even now, at every time — with the whole of Yisroel in general, and with each and every person in particular — over the full span of one's life, and in the particular at every moment. As we say three times every day: "For Your miracles that are with us every day, and for Your wonders and Your goodnesses that are at every time — evening and morning and afternoon" etc. §4 · The Trial of Parnasah — The Man Falls Daily And the general principle: all the free choice and testing of a person — especially in the matter of parnasah, which is almost the primary thing that occupies and confuses a person and keeps him from striving to draw close to Hashem Yisborach and to His Torah — the essential trial is in the aforementioned aspect. Hashem Yisborach shows the face of His kindness and salvation each time, and then immediately conceals His face. The tempter within a person's heart then introduces worries and sorrows and complaints, as though it is impossible for him to engage with Torah on account of the burden of parnasah — as each person can understand for himself if he truly attends to all his ways. For the essential parnasah and wealth is drawn only from the aforementioned aspect — from the aspect of the inclusiveness of the worlds, upper within lower and lower within upper — which is the aspect of the two aforementioned perceptions of son and student, which are the aspects of M'lo [Full] and Ayeh [Where?] — which are the aspects of hidden and revealed. That He reveals and shines His face each time through the very kindnesses and salvations and wonders He does for us every day and at every time, in the general and particular — and then conceals His face etc. — and then returns and reveals the face of His kindness. And so it continues at every moment. And in truth, even within the very intensity of the concealment itself, His face, Yisborach, shines — as in: "And I will surely hide My face on that day" etc., "and this song shall testify for Me" etc. (Devarim 31:18,21) — for He promised that the Torah would not be forgotten from Yisroel, even within the intensity of concealment within concealment. As it is written (Yeshayahu 45:15): "Indeed, You are a G-d who conceals Himself — the G-d of Yisroel, Savior." For even within the very concealment itself, He, Yisborach, is the G-d of Yisroel who saves. And one who believes in this in completeness merits parnasah and the wealth of holiness. For all parnasah and wealth is drawn from this — for this is the aspect of the inclusiveness of the perceptions of son and student, which is the aspect of the sea of wisdom from which Malchus [kingship] receives its parnasah, as is explained there. And all the falsehoods and denials between one person and his fellow in matters of money and parnasah — it is all drawn from the blemish that creates a separation, chas v'sholom, between the two aforementioned perceptions. From there come all the sorrows, worries, and sadness of the lack of parnasah — until one arrives at denial, denying what his fellow deposited with him or placed in his hand etc. For if he believed in the truth — that "the whole earth is full of His glory" and He, Yisborach, feeds and sustains the entire world with His goodness — and as he sees with his own eyes that Hashem Yisborach has kept him alive and fed him and sustained him with His kindness until now — he certainly would not have come to heresy and denial, to deny his fellow's money. Nor would he worry so greatly about parnasah. Rather, he would trust in Hashem: just as He fed him until now through so many different changes and wondrous ways, so He can do wonders also now to sustain him even more abundantly. For every person in the world can see the wonders of Hashem in his parnasah. And even one whose parnasah is pressed and meager — that small amount of food and clothing that comes in such constrained fashion, all of it comes to him through wondrous ways and great hashgachah [providence] from Him, Yisborach, through the various circumstances Hashem Yisborach arranged in order to feed and sustain him each day. It is impossible to explain all this. Only one who believes in His hashgachah, Yisborach, and pays attention to His ways can understand all this. And one must pay attention: to remember well everything that has passed over him until now — through how many various circumstances Hashem Yisborach helped him in all things, and especially in the matter of parnasah. Each time he had many lacks, and Hashem Yisborach did not abandon His kindness each day, sustaining him each day and at every time with wondrous hashgachah. And if now it seems to him that parnasah is delayed — let him trust in Hashem, for also now He will not abandon His kindness. And He Who created the day created its sustenance etc. Let him trust in Hashem and lean upon his G-d, as it is written: "Blessed is Hashem, day by day He bears our burden — the G-d of our salvation, Selah" (Tehillim 68:20). And so in many verses. For the essential trial of parnasah is literally like the trial of the Man — which descended each day and did not descend all at once for the entire year. It was all for the sake of trial and free choice, as our Sages, zichronam livrachah, said: so that they would raise their eyes heavenward. And so it continues now. As it is written: "O generation, see the word of Hashem!" (Yirmiyahu 2:31) — see with what your fathers were sustained, as our Sages, zichronam livrachah, said: that Yirmiyahu brought out for them the jar of Man etc. Through this he revealed to us that also now we are sustained in the very aspect of the Man. And as our Sages said: the Torah was given only to those who eat the Man — that is, one who believes in His hashgachah, Yisborach, that his parnasah is literally in the aspect of the descent of the Man, as above. (And see about this elsewhere.) But one who blemishes in this — who demands that Hashem Yisborach reveal to him the face of His kindness at every moment — the instant he perceives some concealment of face through the lacks he faces each time, complaints and worries and sorrows enter his heart. He becomes idle from Torah and prayer, until he may arrive at denial — denying his fellow's money. Through this he is considered as if he worships idols, as our Sages, zichronam livrachah, said. For it is actual heresy, Rachmana litzlan — because if he believed in Hashem Yisborach, he certainly would not deny his fellow's money. And the essential heresy is drawn from the aforementioned blemish — creating a separation between M'lo and Ayeh. He wants to see and understand everything with his eyes. But in truth, one must understand that it is impossible to grasp His ways, Yisborach, in completeness — for He, Yisborach, is s'sim v'galya. That is the aspect of M'lo and Ayeh — which in truth are entirely one; it is only that one cannot grasp all this. One must strengthen himself in great emunah in all this — especially when he perceives some concealment of face, chas v'sholom — to believe that even there Hashem Yisborach and His hashgachah and His kindness are hidden, for "the kindnesses of Hashem are not exhausted" (Eichah 3:22) etc. And certainly Hashem Yisborach will help him and return to reveal the face of His kindness — as has already happened many times, as above. §5 · The Oath as the Unification of the Two Perceptions It emerges: all denials are drawn from the aspect of blemish and separation, chas v'sholom, in the aspect of the inclusiveness of the two aforementioned perceptions of son and student — through which the parnasah drawn from there is blemished and diminished. And therefore, when there is a denial, an oath is required.

And one must include them together: to know and believe that everything is one — in the aspect of: "Hashem — He is the G-d — in the heavens above" (the aspect of darei ma'alah) "and upon the earth below" (the aspect of darei matah) — for it is all one, as above. §3 · The Pattern of Revelation and Concealment — From Egypt Until Now And upon this depends the entire fulfillment of the holy Torah. For upon this depends all the free choice and testing of a person, and all that passes over him throughout his life — for it is all for the sake of free choice and trial. Everything is within this matter. For the way of Hashem Yisborach is to shine His face at every turn, and then within that very shining to conceal His face. And this occurs on the level of the general, the particular, and the most minute particular: on the general level — the span of the entire world; on the particular level — in every generation; and likewise with every individual, and at every moment. Through this comes all the testing and free choice of every person at every time throughout his life. And one who takes this to heart can perceive something of it in all the adventures, troubles, deliverances, expansions, and wondrous salvations that pass over him throughout his days — most of all in the matter of parnasah. We see this from the Exodus from Egypt — from the day Hashem Yisborach first revealed Himself to Moshe to redeem them, until the very end. At the outset, Hashem shone His face upon Moshe with a wondrous illumination, sent him to redeem them, and placed in his hand awesome signs and wonders to reveal His G-dliness and bring about the redemption, so that Yisroel would believe in Him Yisborach and merit receiving the Torah. And so it was: Moshe came to Yisroel, performed the signs before the people, and "the people believed, and they heard that Hashem had remembered His people" etc. (Shemos 4:31). But then immediately, when Moshe came to Pharaoh to redeem them, Pharaoh hardened his spirit — and not only did he not let them leave Egypt, he also burdened their labor further by withholding straw etc. At once the heresy of Dasan and Aviram and those who followed them was stirred up, until they went out to confront Moshe and said: "May Hashem look upon you and judge" etc. (Shemos 5:21). This came about because of such a concealment of face — not only did they not merit the redemption as Moshe had promised, their labor was made even heavier. And so it continued from then on, each and every time — as is clearly set out in all the Torah portions speaking of the Exodus, and especially in Parshas Beshalach. After Hashem Yisborach completed His work through Moshe and took them out of Egypt with such awesome signs — and even Dasan and Aviram and all who followed them, who harbored resentment against Moshe, all saw with their own eyes that the word of Hashem in the mouth of Moshe was truth, for despite Pharaoh's intensifying of their labor after Moshe came to redeem them, "the word of our G-d stands forever" (Yeshayahu 40:8) — they saw with their own eyes that Moshe Rabbeinu took them out with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm with such awesome signs and wonders. And yet, when they arrived at the sea and saw "behold, Egypt was journeying after them" (Shemos 14:10) — the righteous and wholehearted among Yisroel did what was fitting and proper and cried out to Hashem, for they grasped the craft of their forebears, as our Sages (Mechilta) say and as Rashi explains. But there were factions among them seeking pretexts, driven entirely by the evil speech and wicked counsel of the leaders of the dissenters — Dasan and Aviram — who misled them to such a degree that they cried: "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you took us to die in the wilderness?" (Shemos 14:11) etc. And then afterward, when Hashem Yisborach showed His great hand through Moshe — split the sea for them, drowned Egypt, and Yisroel crossed on dry land through the sea and plundered them of immense wealth — even so, afterward Hashem Yisborach concealed His face. They walked three days in the wilderness and found no water. Then they came to Marah and "could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter" etc. (Shemos 15:23). And then: "the people complained against Moshe, saying: What shall we drink?" (Shemos 15:24) etc. Thus, even though they had first witnessed such a shining of the face — the Exodus, the splitting of the sea, wonders and awesome deeds of that kind — as soon as Hashem Yisborach concealed His face from them for the sake of trial and they found no water, they broke into complaints and quarrels. And so it continued every time. Especially in the matter of the Man [manna], which is the aspect of parnasah, as it is written: "Behold, I will rain down bread from the heavens for you, and the people shall go out and gather each day's portion on its day — in order to test them whether they will follow My Torah or not" (Shemos 16:4). And all of this was through Dasan and Aviram: they who went out to confront Moshe in Egypt as though defending Yisroel's honor, saying to Moshe and Aharon: "May Hashem look upon you and judge" etc. They who stirred up all the complaints and quarrels against Hashem and against Moshe. They who left over from the Man, even after witnessing such an awesome miracle — bread descending from the heavens, the like of which had never been seen or heard since the day the world was created. And Moshe warned them: "Let no man leave over of it until morning" (Shemos 16:19). Yet they fortified themselves in their wickedness and heresy and left some over — even after seeing it rot and breed worms. And on the sixth day they found a double portion that did not spoil, just as Moshe said; yet on the seventh day they went out to gather. And then when there was no water to drink at Refidim, it is written: "And the people quarreled with Moshe and said: Why is this — did you bring us up from Egypt to kill me, my children, and my livestock with thirst?" (Shemos 17:3) etc. So He gave them the well. And the place was called Masah and Merivah — "on account of the quarrel of the children of Yisroel, and because they tested Hashem, saying: Is Hashem in our midst or not?" (Shemos 17:7). And from this came Amalek — as Rashi explains there. And so it continued throughout all the days of Moshe as spelled out in the Torah. And so afterward in every generation — in the days of the Judges and the Kings — each time Hashem shone His face and performed great signs for them, then concealed His face, and then came their trials. Many stood firm and merited both worlds for eternity. Many stumbled and turned aside from the ways of Hashem through this. And some threw off the yoke entirely, until they caused the Beis HaMikdash to be destroyed — twice. And the exile continues to this day because of this. For also now, in the great length and bitterness of our exile, the concealment within concealment has intensified very, very greatly. And it has been fulfilled in our many sins: "And I will surely hide My face on that day" (Devarim 31:18) etc. Nevertheless — one who truly desires to draw close to Hashem Yisborach and to His holy Torah sees also now, at every turn, the shining of Hashem's face, His kindnesses, and His awesome wonders — within the very intensity of so many concealments. As our Sages, zichronam livrachah, said: "These are His mighty deeds, these are His awesome acts — one sheep among seventy wolves" etc. And likewise in the particular and most particular detail of every person and every moment. And it is impossible to explain all this — only the one who is truly wise and truly desires can understand and see how many miracles and wonders Hashem Yisborach performs for us even now, at every time — with the whole of Yisroel in general, and with each and every person in particular — over the full span of one's life, and in the particular at every moment. As we say three times every day: "For Your miracles that are with us every day, and for Your wonders and Your goodnesses that are at every time — evening and morning and afternoon" etc. §4 · The Trial of Parnasah — The Man Falls Daily And the general principle: all the free choice and testing of a person — especially in the matter of parnasah, which is almost the primary thing that occupies and confuses a person and keeps him from striving to draw close to Hashem Yisborach and to His Torah — the essential trial is in the aforementioned aspect. Hashem Yisborach shows the face of His kindness and salvation each time, and then immediately conceals His face. The tempter within a person's heart then introduces worries and sorrows and complaints, as though it is impossible for him to engage with Torah on account of the burden of parnasah — as each person can understand for himself if he truly attends to all his ways. For the essential parnasah and wealth is drawn only from the aforementioned aspect — from the aspect of the inclusiveness of the worlds, upper within lower and lower within upper — which is the aspect of the two aforementioned perceptions of son and student, which are the aspects of M'lo [Full] and Ayeh [Where?] — which are the aspects of hidden and revealed. That He reveals and shines His face each time through the very kindnesses and salvations and wonders He does for us every day and at every time, in the general and particular — and then conceals His face etc. — and then returns and reveals the face of His kindness. And so it continues at every moment. And in truth, even within the very intensity of the concealment itself, His face, Yisborach, shines — as in: "And I will surely hide My face on that day" etc., "and this song shall testify for Me" etc. (Devarim 31:18,21) — for He promised that the Torah would not be forgotten from Yisroel, even within the intensity of concealment within concealment. As it is written (Yeshayahu 45:15): "Indeed, You are a G-d who conceals Himself — the G-d of Yisroel, Savior." For even within the very concealment itself, He, Yisborach, is the G-d of Yisroel who saves. And one who believes in this in completeness merits parnasah and the wealth of holiness. For all parnasah and wealth is drawn from this — for this is the aspect of the inclusiveness of the perceptions of son and student, which is the aspect of the sea of wisdom from which Malchus [kingship] receives its parnasah, as is explained there. And all the falsehoods and denials between one person and his fellow in matters of money and parnasah — it is all drawn from the blemish that creates a separation, chas v'sholom, between the two aforementioned perceptions. From there come all the sorrows, worries, and sadness of the lack of parnasah — until one arrives at denial, denying what his fellow deposited with him or placed in his hand etc. For if he believed in the truth — that "the whole earth is full of His glory" and He, Yisborach, feeds and sustains the entire world with His goodness — and as he sees with his own eyes that Hashem Yisborach has kept him alive and fed him and sustained him with His kindness until now — he certainly would not have come to heresy and denial, to deny his fellow's money. Nor would he worry so greatly about parnasah. Rather, he would trust in Hashem: just as He fed him until now through so many different changes and wondrous ways, so He can do wonders also now to sustain him even more abundantly. For every person in the world can see the wonders of Hashem in his parnasah. And even one whose parnasah is pressed and meager — that small amount of food and clothing that comes in such constrained fashion, all of it comes to him through wondrous ways and great hashgachah [providence] from Him, Yisborach, through the various circumstances Hashem Yisborach arranged in order to feed and sustain him each day. It is impossible to explain all this. Only one who believes in His hashgachah, Yisborach, and pays attention to His ways can understand all this. And one must pay attention: to remember well everything that has passed over him until now — through how many various circumstances Hashem Yisborach helped him in all things, and especially in the matter of parnasah. Each time he had many lacks, and Hashem Yisborach did not abandon His kindness each day, sustaining him each day and at every time with wondrous hashgachah. And if now it seems to him that parnasah is delayed — let him trust in Hashem, for also now He will not abandon His kindness. And He Who created the day created its sustenance etc. Let him trust in Hashem and lean upon his G-d, as it is written: "Blessed is Hashem, day by day He bears our burden — the G-d of our salvation, Selah" (Tehillim 68:20). And so in many verses. For the essential trial of parnasah is literally like the trial of the Man — which descended each day and did not descend all at once for the entire year. It was all for the sake of trial and free choice, as our Sages, zichronam livrachah, said: so that they would raise their eyes heavenward. And so it continues now. As it is written: "O generation, see the word of Hashem!" (Yirmiyahu 2:31) — see with what your fathers were sustained, as our Sages, zichronam livrachah, said: that Yirmiyahu brought out for them the jar of Man etc. Through this he revealed to us that also now we are sustained in the very aspect of the Man. And as our Sages said: the Torah was given only to those who eat the Man — that is, one who believes in His hashgachah, Yisborach, that his parnasah is literally in the aspect of the descent of the Man, as above. (And see about this elsewhere.) But one who blemishes in this — who demands that Hashem Yisborach reveal to him the face of His kindness at every moment — the instant he perceives some concealment of face through the lacks he faces each time, complaints and worries and sorrows enter his heart. He becomes idle from Torah and prayer, until he may arrive at denial — denying his fellow's money. Through this he is considered as if he worships idols, as our Sages, zichronam livrachah, said. For it is actual heresy, Rachmana litzlan — because if he believed in Hashem Yisborach, he certainly would not deny his fellow's money. And the essential heresy is drawn from the aforementioned blemish — creating a separation between M'lo and Ayeh. He wants to see and understand everything with his eyes. But in truth, one must understand that it is impossible to grasp His ways, Yisborach, in completeness — for He, Yisborach, is s'sim v'galya. That is the aspect of M'lo and Ayeh — which in truth are entirely one; it is only that one cannot grasp all this. One must strengthen himself in great emunah in all this — especially when he perceives some concealment of face, chas v'sholom — to believe that even there Hashem Yisborach and His hashgachah and His kindness are hidden, for "the kindnesses of Hashem are not exhausted" (Eichah 3:22) etc. And certainly Hashem Yisborach will help him and return to reveal the face of His kindness — as has already happened many times, as above. §5 · The Oath as the Unification of the Two Perceptions It emerges: all denials are drawn from the aspect of blemish and separation, chas v'sholom, in the aspect of the inclusiveness of the two aforementioned perceptions of son and student — through which the parnasah drawn from there is blemished and diminished. And therefore, when there is a denial, an oath is required.

And one must include them together: to know and believe that everything is one — in the aspect of: "Hashem — He is the G-d — in the heavens above" (the aspect of darei ma'alah) "and upon the earth below" (the aspect of darei matah) — for it is all one, as above. §3 · The Pattern of Revelation and Concealment — From Egypt Until Now And upon this depends the entire fulfillment of the holy Torah. For upon this depends all the free choice and testing of a person, and all that passes over him throughout his life — for it is all for the sake of free choice and trial. Everything is within this matter. For the way of Hashem Yisborach is to shine His face at every turn, and then within that very shining to conceal His face. And this occurs on the level of the general, the particular, and the most minute particular: on the general level — the span of the entire world; on the particular level — in every generation; and likewise with every individual, and at every moment. Through this comes all the testing and free choice of every person at every time throughout his life. And one who takes this to heart can perceive something of it in all the adventures, troubles, deliverances, expansions, and wondrous salvations that pass over him throughout his days — most of all in the matter of parnasah. We see this from the Exodus from Egypt — from the day Hashem Yisborach first revealed Himself to Moshe to redeem them, until the very end. At the outset, Hashem shone His face upon Moshe with a wondrous illumination, sent him to redeem them, and placed in his hand awesome signs and wonders to reveal His G-dliness and bring about the redemption, so that Yisroel would believe in Him Yisborach and merit receiving the Torah. And so it was: Moshe came to Yisroel, performed the signs before the people, and "the people believed, and they heard that Hashem had remembered His people" etc. (Shemos 4:31). But then immediately, when Moshe came to Pharaoh to redeem them, Pharaoh hardened his spirit — and not only did he not let them leave Egypt, he also burdened their labor further by withholding straw etc. At once the heresy of Dasan and Aviram and those who followed them was stirred up, until they went out to confront Moshe and said: "May Hashem look upon you and judge" etc. (Shemos 5:21). This came about because of such a concealment of face — not only did they not merit the redemption as Moshe had promised, their labor was made even heavier. And so it continued from then on, each and every time — as is clearly set out in all the Torah portions speaking of the Exodus, and especially in Parshas Beshalach. After Hashem Yisborach completed His work through Moshe and took them out of Egypt with such awesome signs — and even Dasan and Aviram and all who followed them, who harbored resentment against Moshe, all saw with their own eyes that the word of Hashem in the mouth of Moshe was truth, for despite Pharaoh's intensifying of their labor after Moshe came to redeem them, "the word of our G-d stands forever" (Yeshayahu 40:8) — they saw with their own eyes that Moshe Rabbeinu took them out with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm with such awesome signs and wonders. And yet, when they arrived at the sea and saw "behold, Egypt was journeying after them" (Shemos 14:10) — the righteous and wholehearted among Yisroel did what was fitting and proper and cried out to Hashem, for they grasped the craft of their forebears, as our Sages (Mechilta) say and as Rashi explains. But there were factions among them seeking pretexts, driven entirely by the evil speech and wicked counsel of the leaders of the dissenters — Dasan and Aviram — who misled them to such a degree that they cried: "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you took us to die in the wilderness?" (Shemos 14:11) etc. And then afterward, when Hashem Yisborach showed His great hand through Moshe — split the sea for them, drowned Egypt, and Yisroel crossed on dry land through the sea and plundered them of immense wealth — even so, afterward Hashem Yisborach concealed His face. They walked three days in the wilderness and found no water. Then they came to Marah and "could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter" etc. (Shemos 15:23). And then: "the people complained against Moshe, saying: What shall we drink?" (Shemos 15:24) etc. Thus, even though they had first witnessed such a shining of the face — the Exodus, the splitting of the sea, wonders and awesome deeds of that kind — as soon as Hashem Yisborach concealed His face from them for the sake of trial and they found no water, they broke into complaints and quarrels. And so it continued every time. Especially in the matter of the Man [manna], which is the aspect of parnasah, as it is written: "Behold, I will rain down bread from the heavens for you, and the people shall go out and gather each day's portion on its day — in order to test them whether they will follow My Torah or not" (Shemos 16:4). And all of this was through Dasan and Aviram: they who went out to confront Moshe in Egypt as though defending Yisroel's honor, saying to Moshe and Aharon: "May Hashem look upon you and judge" etc. They who stirred up all the complaints and quarrels against Hashem and against Moshe. They who left over from the Man, even after witnessing such an awesome miracle — bread descending from the heavens, the like of which had never been seen or heard since the day the world was created. And Moshe warned them: "Let no man leave over of it until morning" (Shemos 16:19). Yet they fortified themselves in their wickedness and heresy and left some over — even after seeing it rot and breed worms. And on the sixth day they found a double portion that did not spoil, just as Moshe said; yet on the seventh day they went out to gather. And then when there was no water to drink at Refidim, it is written: "And the people quarreled with Moshe and said: Why is this — did you bring us up from Egypt to kill me, my children, and my livestock with thirst?" (Shemos 17:3) etc. So He gave them the well. And the place was called Masah and Merivah — "on account of the quarrel of the children of Yisroel, and because they tested Hashem, saying: Is Hashem in our midst or not?" (Shemos 17:7). And from this came Amalek — as Rashi explains there. And so it continued throughout all the days of Moshe as spelled out in the Torah. And so afterward in every generation — in the days of the Judges and the Kings — each time Hashem shone His face and performed great signs for them, then concealed His face, and then came their trials. Many stood firm and merited both worlds for eternity. Many stumbled and turned aside from the ways of Hashem through this. And some threw off the yoke entirely, until they caused the Beis HaMikdash to be destroyed — twice. And the exile continues to this day because of this. For also now, in the great length and bitterness of our exile, the concealment within concealment has intensified very, very greatly. And it has been fulfilled in our many sins: "And I will surely hide My face on that day" (Devarim 31:18) etc. Nevertheless — one who truly desires to draw close to Hashem Yisborach and to His holy Torah sees also now, at every turn, the shining of Hashem's face, His kindnesses, and His awesome wonders — within the very intensity of so many concealments. As our Sages, zichronam livrachah, said: "These are His mighty deeds, these are His awesome acts — one sheep among seventy wolves" etc. And likewise in the particular and most particular detail of every person and every moment. And it is impossible to explain all this — only the one who is truly wise and truly desires can understand and see how many miracles and wonders Hashem Yisborach performs for us even now, at every time — with the whole of Yisroel in general, and with each and every person in particular — over the full span of one's life, and in the particular at every moment. As we say three times every day: "For Your miracles that are with us every day, and for Your wonders and Your goodnesses that are at every time — evening and morning and afternoon" etc. §4 · The Trial of Parnasah — The Man Falls Daily And the general principle: all the free choice and testing of a person — especially in the matter of parnasah, which is almost the primary thing that occupies and confuses a person and keeps him from striving to draw close to Hashem Yisborach and to His Torah — the essential trial is in the aforementioned aspect. Hashem Yisborach shows the face of His kindness and salvation each time, and then immediately conceals His face. The tempter within a person's heart then introduces worries and sorrows and complaints, as though it is impossible for him to engage with Torah on account of the burden of parnasah — as each person can understand for himself if he truly attends to all his ways. For the essential parnasah and wealth is drawn only from the aforementioned aspect — from the aspect of the inclusiveness of the worlds, upper within lower and lower within upper — which is the aspect of the two aforementioned perceptions of son and student, which are the aspects of M'lo [Full] and Ayeh [Where?] — which are the aspects of hidden and revealed. That He reveals and shines His face each time through the very kindnesses and salvations and wonders He does for us every day and at every time, in the general and particular — and then conceals His face etc. — and then returns and reveals the face of His kindness. And so it continues at every moment. And in truth, even within the very intensity of the concealment itself, His face, Yisborach, shines — as in: "And I will surely hide My face on that day" etc., "and this song shall testify for Me" etc. (Devarim 31:18,21) — for He promised that the Torah would not be forgotten from Yisroel, even within the intensity of concealment within concealment. As it is written (Yeshayahu 45:15): "Indeed, You are a G-d who conceals Himself — the G-d of Yisroel, Savior." For even within the very concealment itself, He, Yisborach, is the G-d of Yisroel who saves. And one who believes in this in completeness merits parnasah and the wealth of holiness. For all parnasah and wealth is drawn from this — for this is the aspect of the inclusiveness of the perceptions of son and student, which is the aspect of the sea of wisdom from which Malchus [kingship] receives its parnasah, as is explained there. And all the falsehoods and denials between one person and his fellow in matters of money and parnasah — it is all drawn from the blemish that creates a separation, chas v'sholom, between the two aforementioned perceptions. From there come all the sorrows, worries, and sadness of the lack of parnasah — until one arrives at denial, denying what his fellow deposited with him or placed in his hand etc. For if he believed in the truth — that "the whole earth is full of His glory" and He, Yisborach, feeds and sustains the entire world with His goodness — and as he sees with his own eyes that Hashem Yisborach has kept him alive and fed him and sustained him with His kindness until now — he certainly would not have come to heresy and denial, to deny his fellow's money. Nor would he worry so greatly about parnasah. Rather, he would trust in Hashem: just as He fed him until now through so many different changes and wondrous ways, so He can do wonders also now to sustain him even more abundantly. For every person in the world can see the wonders of Hashem in his parnasah. And even one whose parnasah is pressed and meager — that small amount of food and clothing that comes in such constrained fashion, all of it comes to him through wondrous ways and great hashgachah [providence] from Him, Yisborach, through the various circumstances Hashem Yisborach arranged in order to feed and sustain him each day. It is impossible to explain all this. Only one who believes in His hashgachah, Yisborach, and pays attention to His ways can understand all this. And one must pay attention: to remember well everything that has passed over him until now — through how many various circumstances Hashem Yisborach helped him in all things, and especially in the matter of parnasah. Each time he had many lacks, and Hashem Yisborach did not abandon His kindness each day, sustaining him each day and at every time with wondrous hashgachah. And if now it seems to him that parnasah is delayed — let him trust in Hashem, for also now He will not abandon His kindness. And He Who created the day created its sustenance etc. Let him trust in Hashem and lean upon his G-d, as it is written: "Blessed is Hashem, day by day He bears our burden — the G-d of our salvation, Selah" (Tehillim 68:20). And so in many verses. For the essential trial of parnasah is literally like the trial of the Man — which descended each day and did not descend all at once for the entire year. It was all for the sake of trial and free choice, as our Sages, zichronam livrachah, said: so that they would raise their eyes heavenward. And so it continues now. As it is written: "O generation, see the word of Hashem!" (Yirmiyahu 2:31) — see with what your fathers were sustained, as our Sages, zichronam livrachah, said: that Yirmiyahu brought out for them the jar of Man etc. Through this he revealed to us that also now we are sustained in the very aspect of the Man. And as our Sages said: the Torah was given only to those who eat the Man — that is, one who believes in His hashgachah, Yisborach, that his parnasah is literally in the aspect of the descent of the Man, as above. (And see about this elsewhere.) But one who blemishes in this — who demands that Hashem Yisborach reveal to him the face of His kindness at every moment — the instant he perceives some concealment of face through the lacks he faces each time, complaints and worries and sorrows enter his heart. He becomes idle from Torah and prayer, until he may arrive at denial — denying his fellow's money. Through this he is considered as if he worships idols, as our Sages, zichronam livrachah, said. For it is actual heresy, Rachmana litzlan — because if he believed in Hashem Yisborach, he certainly would not deny his fellow's money. And the essential heresy is drawn from the aforementioned blemish — creating a separation between M'lo and Ayeh. He wants to see and understand everything with his eyes. But in truth, one must understand that it is impossible to grasp His ways, Yisborach, in completeness — for He, Yisborach, is s'sim v'galya. That is the aspect of M'lo and Ayeh — which in truth are entirely one; it is only that one cannot grasp all this. One must strengthen himself in great emunah in all this — especially when he perceives some concealment of face, chas v'sholom — to believe that even there Hashem Yisborach and His hashgachah and His kindness are hidden, for "the kindnesses of Hashem are not exhausted" (Eichah 3:22) etc. And certainly Hashem Yisborach will help him and return to reveal the face of His kindness — as has already happened many times, as above. §5 · The Oath as the Unification of the Two Perceptions It emerges: all denials are drawn from the aspect of blemish and separation, chas v'sholom, in the aspect of the inclusiveness of the two aforementioned perceptions of son and student — through which the parnasah drawn from there is blemished and diminished. And therefore, when there is a denial, an oath is required.

§23 And this is what Ya’akov answered Aysav: “let my lord please pass before his servant, and I will journey at my slow pace, according to the pace of the work that is before me and according to the pace of the children” (Beraishis 33:14), etc. For it is impossible to force the hour, etc. (And this requires further explanation.) §24 And this is: “Why is it that you ask my name?” (Beraishis 32:30) — for our names change according to the mission for which we are sent to this world. And everything is for the sake of free choice — that Ya’akov, the aspect of truth, must stand with his truth against all the trials and confusions that can come through the angel, from whom is the root of the yetzer hara, for he was the minister [sar] of Aysav, etc. And therefore it is impossible to know his name clearly. But however he is called and sent, one must turn and draw close to Hashem, blessed be He, through the truth, and stand against all the errors, etc., that come through the angel — in the aspect of “and he wrestled with the angel and prevailed over him” (Hoshaia 12:5); “for you have striven with the divine and with men, and you have prevailed” (Beraishis 32:29).

§23 And this is what Ya’akov answered Aysav: “let my lord please pass before his servant, and I will journey at my slow pace, according to the pace of the work that is before me and according to the pace of the children” (Beraishis 33:14), etc. For it is impossible to force the hour, etc. (And this requires further explanation.) §24 And this is: “Why is it that you ask my name?” (Beraishis 32:30) — for our names change according to the mission for which we are sent to this world. And everything is for the sake of free choice — that Ya’akov, the aspect of truth, must stand with his truth against all the trials and confusions that can come through the angel, from whom is the root of the yetzer hara, for he was the minister [sar] of Aysav, etc. And therefore it is impossible to know his name clearly. But however he is called and sent, one must turn and draw close to Hashem, blessed be He, through the truth, and stand against all the errors, etc., that come through the angel — in the aspect of “and he wrestled with the angel and prevailed over him” (Hoshaia 12:5); “for you have striven with the divine and with men, and you have prevailed” (Beraishis 32:29).

§23 And this is what Ya’akov answered Aysav: “let my lord please pass before his servant, and I will journey at my slow pace, according to the pace of the work that is before me and according to the pace of the children” (Beraishis 33:14), etc. For it is impossible to force the hour, etc. (And this requires further explanation.) §24 And this is: “Why is it that you ask my name?” (Beraishis 32:30) — for our names change according to the mission for which we are sent to this world. And everything is for the sake of free choice — that Ya’akov, the aspect of truth, must stand with his truth against all the trials and confusions that can come through the angel, from whom is the root of the yetzer hara, for he was the minister [sar] of Aysav, etc. And therefore it is impossible to know his name clearly. But however he is called and sent, one must turn and draw close to Hashem, blessed be He, through the truth, and stand against all the errors, etc., that come through the angel — in the aspect of “and he wrestled with the angel and prevailed over him” (Hoshaia 12:5); “for you have striven with the divine and with men, and you have prevailed” (Beraishis 32:29).

§23 And this is what Ya’akov answered Aysav: “let my lord please pass before his servant, and I will journey at my slow pace, according to the pace of the work that is before me and according to the pace of the children” (Beraishis 33:14), etc. For it is impossible to force the hour, etc. (And this requires further explanation.) §24 And this is: “Why is it that you ask my name?” (Beraishis 32:30) — for our names change according to the mission for which we are sent to this world. And everything is for the sake of free choice — that Ya’akov, the aspect of truth, must stand with his truth against all the trials and confusions that can come through the angel, from whom is the root of the yetzer hara, for he was the minister [sar] of Aysav, etc. And therefore it is impossible to know his name clearly. But however he is called and sent, one must turn and draw close to Hashem, blessed be He, through the truth, and stand against all the errors, etc., that come through the angel — in the aspect of “and he wrestled with the angel and prevailed over him” (Hoshaia 12:5); “for you have striven with the divine and with men, and you have prevailed” (Beraishis 32:29).

§23 And this is what Ya’akov answered Aysav: “let my lord please pass before his servant, and I will journey at my slow pace, according to the pace of the work that is before me and according to the pace of the children” (Beraishis 33:14), etc. For it is impossible to force the hour, etc. (And this requires further explanation.) §24 And this is: “Why is it that you ask my name?” (Beraishis 32:30) — for our names change according to the mission for which we are sent to this world. And everything is for the sake of free choice — that Ya’akov, the aspect of truth, must stand with his truth against all the trials and confusions that can come through the angel, from whom is the root of the yetzer hara, for he was the minister [sar] of Aysav, etc. And therefore it is impossible to know his name clearly. But however he is called and sent, one must turn and draw close to Hashem, blessed be He, through the truth, and stand against all the errors, etc., that come through the angel — in the aspect of “and he wrestled with the angel and prevailed over him” (Hoshaia 12:5); “for you have striven with the divine and with men, and you have prevailed” (Beraishis 32:29).

Hashem revealed Eretz Yisrael's greatness to Avraham immediately: "go for yourself... to the land." Then Bris Bain HaBesarim. Then to Yitzchak and Yaakov — each promised many times in many expressions. All of Sefer Beraishis revolves around the promise of Eretz Yisrael. As Rashi explains on "these are the generations of Yaakov — Yosef": "these are their generations and circumstances until they came to settlement" — to Eretz Yisrael. And all of Sefer Shemos — the Exodus — was to come to Eretz Yisrael, as stated at Hashem's first revelation to Moshe at the Bush: "I will bring you up from the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite... a land flowing with milk and honey." And: "I will bring you to the land I swore to Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov." And much more throughout Torah. From all this one can see the awesome greatness of Eretz Yisrael — in the Gemara, Midrashim, and all the books, and especially in Rabbainu's words where he explains in many Toros the holiness of Eretz Yisrael and that every Jew's holiness depends on it.

Meaning, they were punished measure for measure precisely. For whereas they wanted to make the horse dominant over the rider, as above -- corresponding to this they were punished: He repaid those who do evil according to their evil, making the horse dominant over its riders, toppling them, punishing them, and uprooting them from the world. And see the Midrash on this pasuk "Lisusasi" -- which elaborates there regarding the weightiness of the battle that Hashem Yisbarach fought, as it were, against Paroh, to make His horse, as it were, dominant over Paroh and his rider. See there what is brought there: Paroh went back and rode on a red horse, on a white horse, and a black horse. HaKadosh Baruch Hu, as it were, revealed Himself on a white horse, a red horse, a black horse. As it is written: "Darachta vayam susecha," etc. ["You trampled in the sea with Your horses"] (Chabakuk 3:15). And all of this is in the above-mentioned aspect. For the main battle is in the above-mentioned aspect -- what Hashem Yisbarach needs to fight against the Sitra Achara, which is the aspect of Paroh and Mitzrayim, which are "the nakedness of the land" -- the intensity of the contamination of the m'dameh. That want each time to make dominant, chas v'shalom, the contamination of the m'dameh -- which is the aspect of the contamination of the horse, as above -- over the intellect.

And therefore he saw the impure chariots in the aspect of horses of many colors -- red, white, black -- for in the matter of the evil imaginings there are many, many types of colors. And so it was in the exile of Mitzrayim, as above. And one needs to cry out greatly to Hashem -- until Hashem Yisbarach helps him so that he should not fall into their hands, but rather should make the rider dominant over the horse. For in truth, thought is in a person's power to direct it as he wishes. And even if sometimes the thought goes out from the straight path to the outside, chas v'shalom -- he can seize it like a horse that is seized with bit and bridle, to direct it to the straight path. As Adoneinu Morainu viRabbainu, zichrono livrachah, wrote all this in Siman 46 of Likutay Tinyana, and elsewhere. And understand well, for practical application and for counsel, to save your soul through all of the above. According to all of the above, the statement of Chazal in Kidushin, Chapter 1, will be explained well. And this is its language: "Rabbi Y'hoshua ben Laivi said: Whoever teaches his grandson Torah -- the Scripture considers it as if he received it from Har Sinai. As it is said: 'Vihodatam livanecha vilvinay vanecha' ['And you shall make them known to your children and your children's children'] (D'varim 4:9). And juxtaposed to it: 'Yom asher amadta lifnay Hashem Elokecha biChoraiv' ['The day you stood before Hashem your G-d at Choraiv']. Rabbi Chiya bar Abba found Rabbi Y'hoshua ben Laivi who had thrown a risnah [a cloth] upon his head and was bringing the child to the synagogue. He said to him: 'What is all this?' He said to him: 'Is it a small thing -- what is written: vihodatam livanecha? And juxtaposed to it: yom asher amadta,' etc. From here onward, Rabbah bar Hunah would not taste umetza [raw meat] until he brought the child to the bais midrash. Rabbi Chiya bar Abba would not taste umetza until he reviewed with the child and added to his learning."

And therefore he saw the impure chariots in the aspect of horses of many colors -- red, white, black -- for in the matter of the evil imaginings there are many, many types of colors. And so it was in the exile of Mitzrayim, as above. And one needs to cry out greatly to Hashem -- until Hashem Yisbarach helps him so that he should not fall into their hands, but rather should make the rider dominant over the horse. For in truth, thought is in a person's power to direct it as he wishes. And even if sometimes the thought goes out from the straight path to the outside, chas v'shalom -- he can seize it like a horse that is seized with bit and bridle, to direct it to the straight path. As Adoneinu Morainu viRabbainu, zichrono livrachah, wrote all this in Siman 46 of Likutay Tinyana, and elsewhere. And understand well, for practical application and for counsel, to save your soul through all of the above. According to all of the above, the statement of Chazal in Kidushin, Chapter 1, will be explained well. And this is its language: "Rabbi Y'hoshua ben Laivi said: Whoever teaches his grandson Torah -- the Scripture considers it as if he received it from Har Sinai. As it is said: 'Vihodatam livanecha vilvinay vanecha' ['And you shall make them known to your children and your children's children'] (D'varim 4:9). And juxtaposed to it: 'Yom asher amadta lifnay Hashem Elokecha biChoraiv' ['The day you stood before Hashem your G-d at Choraiv']. Rabbi Chiya bar Abba found Rabbi Y'hoshua ben Laivi who had thrown a risnah [a cloth] upon his head and was bringing the child to the synagogue. He said to him: 'What is all this?' He said to him: 'Is it a small thing -- what is written: vihodatam livanecha? And juxtaposed to it: yom asher amadta,' etc. From here onward, Rabbah bar Hunah would not taste umetza [raw meat] until he brought the child to the bais midrash. Rabbi Chiya bar Abba would not taste umetza until he reviewed with the child and added to his learning."

@media (max-width: 600px) { .document { padding: 1.5rem 1.2rem; } .section-title { font-size: 1.3rem; } English Likutay Halachos — Even Hu'ezer Kesuvos [Laws of the Marriage Contract] — §1 It is forbidden to dwell with one's wife without a kesuvah. A virgin's kesuvah is two hundred [zuz], and a widow's is one hundred [zuz, i.e., a maneh].

@media (max-width: 600px) { .document { padding: 1.5rem 1.2rem; } .section-title { font-size: 1.3rem; } English Likutay Halachos — Even Hu'ezer Kesuvos [Laws of the Marriage Contract] — §1 It is forbidden to dwell with one's wife without a kesuvah. A virgin's kesuvah is two hundred [zuz], and a widow's is one hundred [zuz, i.e., a maneh].

The halachah: It is forbidden to dwell with one's wife without a kesuvah. A virgin's kesuvah is two hundred zuz; a widow's is one hundred (maneh). Root source: LM §4 ("Anochi Hashem Elokecha") — the teaching on Rabbah bar bar Chanah's fish-eye and the three hundred barrels of oil. Also LM §51 ("Amar Rabbi Akiva") on Divine Providence; and LM §18 ("Kartalisah") on writing as tachlis. Core chain: During prayer → bitul to Ein Sof (total self-nullification, kulo echad) → ratzo vashov → return to yeshus → reshimah (residual imprint) of bitul illumines da'as → "Atah Har'aysa lada'as ki Hashem Hu HaElohim" → drawing from mah (nothingness) to me'ah (one hundred) → yesh me'ayin (being from nothingness) → procreation and birth. Maneh / 200 zuz: One hundred = me'ah, drawn from mah (ayin), representing one dimension of birth. A widow receives one hundred. A virgin receives two hundred (twice one hundred) because even the first union — which leaves within her the spiritual vessel (keli) in the dimension of Binyamin HaTzaddik — is itself a dimension of birth, giving two distinct levels of hashpa'ah. Holiness vs. sitra achra: Holiness: begins in union, ends in union — even after withdrawal of yeshus, the bond endures (av u'ven kachada). Sitra achra: begins in union (sha'arei b'chibbura) and ends in separation (v'sayem b'ferudah) — as with Amnon, whose love turned to hatred (Shmu'el Beis 13). Israel's holy union must replicate the structure of holiness: permanent inner bond even after physical withdrawal. The kesuvah as kesav (writing): Writing (kesav) is the paradigm of tachlis (ultimate completion) — the union of black ink and white parchment (from LM §18 "Kartalisah"). While writing, the mind's thought and the hand's action are in perfect unity. Even after the writer withdraws, his mind remains present within the letters — one sees his face (panim) within the book. So too the kesuvah — given in writing — ensures the couple remains forever inwardly bound after the physical union ends, reflecting the structure of the World to Come: kulo tov, kulo echad — entirely good, entirely one.

But if she is pure — then on the contrary, great kindness and superior sweetening flow upon her through this — for now the dimension of the all-encompassing intellect has been aroused, from which the vitality flows since the portion was erased — and since she is truly pure, then she merits that through this great sweetening flows to her. For there all is sweetened, as above. Therefore superior goodness flows to her — the dimension of 'v'niksah v'nizre'ah zara.' If she had previously given birth with difficulty, she shall give birth with ease. For from there come all the sweetening and all goodness and kindness. And therefore the portion is erased into the holy waters. 'Holy waters' — this is the dimension of the purifying waters through which one merits to rectify faith in the sages and complete the counsel and ascend to the dimension of Kodesh Kodoshim. And this is 'from the dust that shall be on the floor of the Mishkan' — for earth from the Mishkan is required, whose holiness flows from the dimension of Kodesh Kodoshim — to which one ascends to test the Sotah, as above. For at the time of the flaw the vitality flows only from there. And because there are no vessels to receive — the particular saichliyim having been flawed through sins — then the destructive forces can take hold, Heaven forbid — those who punish, Heaven forbid. But the Blessed Name extends His patience in order that they return, as above. And when one merits, great sweetening and all goodness and kindness flow from there, as above. Blessed is Hashem forever, amain and amain. Key Teachings — Gitin §3

But if she is pure — then on the contrary, great kindness and superior sweetening flow upon her through this — for now the dimension of the all-encompassing intellect has been aroused, from which the vitality flows since the portion was erased — and since she is truly pure, then she merits that through this great sweetening flows to her. For there all is sweetened, as above. Therefore superior goodness flows to her — the dimension of 'v'niksah v'nizre'ah zara.' If she had previously given birth with difficulty, she shall give birth with ease. For from there come all the sweetening and all goodness and kindness. And therefore the portion is erased into the holy waters. 'Holy waters' — this is the dimension of the purifying waters through which one merits to rectify faith in the sages and complete the counsel and ascend to the dimension of Kodesh Kodoshim. And this is 'from the dust that shall be on the floor of the Mishkan' — for earth from the Mishkan is required, whose holiness flows from the dimension of Kodesh Kodoshim — to which one ascends to test the Sotah, as above. For at the time of the flaw the vitality flows only from there. And because there are no vessels to receive — the particular saichliyim having been flawed through sins — then the destructive forces can take hold, Heaven forbid — those who punish, Heaven forbid. But the Blessed Name extends His patience in order that they return, as above. And when one merits, great sweetening and all goodness and kindness flow from there, as above. Blessed is Hashem forever, amain and amain. Key Teachings — Gitin §3

But if she is pure — then on the contrary, great kindness and superior sweetening flow upon her through this — for now the dimension of the all-encompassing intellect has been aroused, from which the vitality flows since the portion was erased — and since she is truly pure, then she merits that through this great sweetening flows to her. For there all is sweetened, as above. Therefore superior goodness flows to her — the dimension of 'v'niksah v'nizre'ah zara.' If she had previously given birth with difficulty, she shall give birth with ease. For from there come all the sweetening and all goodness and kindness. And therefore the portion is erased into the holy waters. 'Holy waters' — this is the dimension of the purifying waters through which one merits to rectify faith in the sages and complete the counsel and ascend to the dimension of Kodesh Kodoshim. And this is 'from the dust that shall be on the floor of the Mishkan' — for earth from the Mishkan is required, whose holiness flows from the dimension of Kodesh Kodoshim — to which one ascends to test the Sotah, as above. For at the time of the flaw the vitality flows only from there. And because there are no vessels to receive — the particular saichliyim having been flawed through sins — then the destructive forces can take hold, Heaven forbid — those who punish, Heaven forbid. But the Blessed Name extends His patience in order that they return, as above. And when one merits, great sweetening and all goodness and kindness flow from there, as above. Blessed is Hashem forever, amain and amain. Key Teachings — Gitin §3

But if she is pure — then on the contrary, great kindness and superior sweetening flow upon her through this — for now the dimension of the all-encompassing intellect has been aroused, from which the vitality flows since the portion was erased — and since she is truly pure, then she merits that through this great sweetening flows to her. For there all is sweetened, as above. Therefore superior goodness flows to her — the dimension of 'v'niksah v'nizre'ah zara.' If she had previously given birth with difficulty, she shall give birth with ease. For from there come all the sweetening and all goodness and kindness. And therefore the portion is erased into the holy waters. 'Holy waters' — this is the dimension of the purifying waters through which one merits to rectify faith in the sages and complete the counsel and ascend to the dimension of Kodesh Kodoshim. And this is 'from the dust that shall be on the floor of the Mishkan' — for earth from the Mishkan is required, whose holiness flows from the dimension of Kodesh Kodoshim — to which one ascends to test the Sotah, as above. For at the time of the flaw the vitality flows only from there. And because there are no vessels to receive — the particular saichliyim having been flawed through sins — then the destructive forces can take hold, Heaven forbid — those who punish, Heaven forbid. But the Blessed Name extends His patience in order that they return, as above. And when one merits, great sweetening and all goodness and kindness flow from there, as above. Blessed is Hashem forever, amain and amain. Key Teachings — Gitin §3

Yom Kippur and Tisha B'Av: Both require removal of shoes, but for opposite reasons. On Yom Kippur, Malchus ascends in great favor to Kodesh Kodoshim and all is sweetened; on Tisha B'Av, Malchus descends and Binah descends with her to sustain her in concealment — yet even in descent, Hashem Himself gives life, and from there teshuvah is possible. Yeebum and chalitzah: Children = rectification of counsel = sweetening of tzimtzum. One who dies childless cannot ascend; his wife remains bound. His brother performs yibum because brothers share the same father-root (the all-encompassing intellect). Chalitzah = removal of the shoe = ascending to Kodesh Kodoshim to release the bond. The saliva (rok) of chalitzah: Saliva is the clarifying-and-expelling power. The wife expels through it the spiritual vitality (rucha d'shadee b'gavah) she received from her husband — specifically the power of clarification of counsel, the dimension of children — thus releasing the bond. function setLang(lang, btn) {

Yom Kippur and Tisha B'Av: Both require removal of shoes, but for opposite reasons. On Yom Kippur, Malchus ascends in great favor to Kodesh Kodoshim and all is sweetened; on Tisha B'Av, Malchus descends and Binah descends with her to sustain her in concealment — yet even in descent, Hashem Himself gives life, and from there teshuvah is possible. Yeebum and chalitzah: Children = rectification of counsel = sweetening of tzimtzum. One who dies childless cannot ascend; his wife remains bound. His brother performs yibum because brothers share the same father-root (the all-encompassing intellect). Chalitzah = removal of the shoe = ascending to Kodesh Kodoshim to release the bond. The saliva (rok) of chalitzah: Saliva is the clarifying-and-expelling power. The wife expels through it the spiritual vitality (rucha d'shadee b'gavah) she received from her husband — specifically the power of clarification of counsel, the dimension of children — thus releasing the bond. function setLang(lang, btn) {

Yom Kippur and Tisha B'Av: Both require removal of shoes, but for opposite reasons. On Yom Kippur, Malchus ascends in great favor to Kodesh Kodoshim and all is sweetened; on Tisha B'Av, Malchus descends and Binah descends with her to sustain her in concealment — yet even in descent, Hashem Himself gives life, and from there teshuvah is possible. Yeebum and chalitzah: Children = rectification of counsel = sweetening of tzimtzum. One who dies childless cannot ascend; his wife remains bound. His brother performs yibum because brothers share the same father-root (the all-encompassing intellect). Chalitzah = removal of the shoe = ascending to Kodesh Kodoshim to release the bond. The saliva (rok) of chalitzah: Saliva is the clarifying-and-expelling power. The wife expels through it the spiritual vitality (rucha d'shadee b'gavah) she received from her husband — specifically the power of clarification of counsel, the dimension of children — thus releasing the bond. function setLang(lang, btn) {

Yom Kippur and Tisha B'Av: Both require removal of shoes, but for opposite reasons. On Yom Kippur, Malchus ascends in great favor to Kodesh Kodoshim and all is sweetened; on Tisha B'Av, Malchus descends and Binah descends with her to sustain her in concealment — yet even in descent, Hashem Himself gives life, and from there teshuvah is possible. Yeebum and chalitzah: Children = rectification of counsel = sweetening of tzimtzum. One who dies childless cannot ascend; his wife remains bound. His brother performs yibum because brothers share the same father-root (the all-encompassing intellect). Chalitzah = removal of the shoe = ascending to Kodesh Kodoshim to release the bond. The saliva (rok) of chalitzah: Saliva is the clarifying-and-expelling power. The wife expels through it the spiritual vitality (rucha d'shadee b'gavah) she received from her husband — specifically the power of clarification of counsel, the dimension of children — thus releasing the bond. function setLang(lang, btn) {

.flow-row { margin: 8px 0; } Likutay Halachos Evven Ha-Ezer Hilchos Pirya V'Rivya V'Ishus 2 Every man is obligated to marry a wife, etc. Once a man has a male and a female [child], he has fulfilled the mitzvah of procreation, etc. [This is] according to the Torah[-teaching] "Vayehi Mikeitz" — "for He Who has mercy on them shall lead them", etc. (Likutay Moharan II, Torah 7). Study there the entire discourse well — the matter of son and student: that a person needs to leave [something of himself] behind, so that his da'as [awareness/knowledge] should illuminate also in this lowly world, even after he passes on to the Above, etc.; see there. As our Sages, of blessed memory, said: "Who have no changes [chalifos]" (Tehillim 55:20) — one [sage] says [this refers to one who has no] son, and one says [no] student. For the essential delight and pleasure of the Blessed Name is when the service of this lowly world ascends, as it is said: "And You desire praise from those who dwell in dust", etc.; see there. And when one wishes to speak with his fellow about yiras Shamayim [fear of Heaven], he needs to have yiras Shamayim [himself] so that his words will endure by his fellow, etc. And through illuminating in his fellow, his mind empties out, and through this he merits to receive the illumination of the makifin [surrounding lights], etc. And he needs to have the aspect of kol [all/totality], in the aspect of "for all that is in the heavens and the earth" (Divrei HaYamim I, 29:11), etc. — that he be able to illuminate among the daray ma'alah [dwellers on high] and the daray matah [dwellers below], etc. And this is the aspect of son and student, the aspect of the aspaklarya ham'irah [luminous mirror] and the aspaklarya she'ainah m'irah [non-luminous mirror], etc. And one needs to include the worlds — the upper within the lower and the lower within the upper, etc. And through the inclusiveness of son and student, through this one merits to receive at the time of eating the illumination of the Ratzon [Will], etc. For Malchus [Kingship] receives its sustenance from the Yam HaChochmah [Sea of Wisdom], which illuminates through son and student, etc. And Malchus is the aspect of yirah [fear/awe], as it is written: "Were it not for the fear of the kingdom" (Avos 3:2); study all of this there well. For what has been recorded here are only allusions and references, and see there the matter at great length and you will behold wonders from He Who is perfect in knowledge. And this is the aspect of what one needs to beget a son and a daughter. For son and daughter are the aspect of the aforementioned son and student. For the apprehension of the son, which is the apprehension of the dwellers on high — this is the aspect of alma did'chura [the masculine world]. And the apprehension of the student, which is the aspect of the apprehension of the dwellers below, in the aspect of "the whole earth is full of His glory" (Yeshayahu 6:3) — this is the aspect of Malchus, the aspect of alma d'nukba [the feminine world], as is known. For the dwellers on high and the dwellers below are in the aspect of masculine and feminine, the aspect of son and daughter. And as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: "Bring My sons from afar" (Yeshayahu 43:6) — these are the exiles in Eretz Yisra'el, whose minds are settled upon them, like sons; "and My daughters" — these are the exiles in the other lands, whose minds are not settled upon them, like daughters, etc. And this is brought in the words of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory (Likutay Moharan, Torah 30). It emerges that a son is the aspect of settled da'as, and this is the aspect of the dwellers on high, whose apprehension is very exalted, in the aspect of the aspaklarya ham'irah. And a daughter is the aspect of the dwellers below, those who dwell in the dust, which is the aspect of da'as that is not so settled, the aspect of the aspaklarya she'ainah m'irah — as understood there in the aforementioned discourse. For every man is obligated to marry a wife in order to beget a son and a daughter, in order to fulfill the mitzvah of procreation. And this matter is explained well in the words of Rabbeinu in the aforementioned discourse. For a person needs that the da'as should remain after him, in the aspect of son and student, so that his da'as should illuminate also in this lowly world. For this is the essential delight of the Blessed Name, as mentioned above — when this lowly world is also connected to Him, blessed be He, etc. And this is the essential [meaning of the] mitzvah of procreation, for this is the essential [meaning of the] holiness of the conjugal union — to connect also the aspect of the lower worlds to Him, blessed be He. For husband and wife are the aspect of the dwellers on high and the dwellers below, as mentioned above. And when they join together in holiness and purity, through this the upper and lower worlds are joined — the dwellers on high with the dwellers below. And through this, the da'as is born and revealed, the aspect of the illumination of son and student as mentioned above. That is, through this a son and a daughter are born, who also illuminate in the two aforementioned aspects — in the aspect of the dwellers on high and in the aspect of the dwellers below. And this is the essential sustaining of the world. And therefore, even one who is a great holy person is not permitted to separate himself entirely so as never to marry a wife at all. Rather, he must fulfill the mitzvah of procreation. For this is the matter explained in the aforementioned discourse — that it is not the ultimate perfection to be only above and not below. Rather, the essential perfection of the true tzadik is only that he should be both above and below — that he be able to illuminate among the dwellers on high and the dwellers below. And the more exalted and holy the tzadik is, all the more so must he illuminate below as well — in order that he connect also all the lower beings, those who dwell in the dust, even those who are in a very lowly state, to draw them all close to Him, blessed be He. And this is the aspect of a holy conjugal union, that one needs to connect all the lower worlds to Him, blessed be He. For a G-d-fearing wife is the aspect of the "mainstay of the household who gives food to her house" (Mishlei 31:15), etc. — for all the worlds receive their vitality through her, as is known. And this is the essential aspect of marriage in holiness — so that all the worlds should be bound together: that is, to connect also this lowly world, which is the aspect of the feminine side, alongside the upper worlds, to connect it also to Him, blessed be He, through a holy conjugal union as is proper. And this is the aspect of the blemish of Nadav and Avihu, who entered the Mishkan [Tabernacle] to offer ketores [incense] "which He had not commanded them" (Vayikra 10:1). And it is brought that their blemish was b'gin d'la insiviu [because they did not marry]. For they, from the greatness of their immense holiness, did not wish to descend to connect also the lower worlds. And this is the aspect of the blemish of not having married, as mentioned above. And they wished to enter the Mishkan, inward to the holiness — that is, to connect themselves to the Blessed Name as was fitting for them — but they did not descend to connect also the lower beings to the Blessed Name. And therefore their blemish was specifically with the ketores, that they offered ketores without permission — "which He had not commanded them." For in truth, ketores is exceedingly exalted, as is known. And as it is brought in the Holy Zohar: s'liku d'kurbana ad Ein Sof [the ascent of the offering reaches the Infinite]. And especially ketores, which ascends exceedingly high, to the ultimate height, to the Infinite. And yet, within the ketores there came chelb'nah [galbanum], which has a foul odor, which alludes to the sinners of Israel. And through this mitzvah of ketores, the Blessed Name showed us the aforementioned matter, as explained in the words of Rabbeinu in many places, and especially in the aforementioned discourse: that specifically one who is more holy and exceedingly exalted — just so can he descend very low, to raise up even the lowest beings who are in the most lowly state. And this is the essential perfection of his exalted level. For when one is only above and not below, this is not perfection, etc., as mentioned above. And this is what we see in this mitzvah of ketores, which is exceedingly exalted. And precisely because of the great level and holiness of the ketores, which ascends exceedingly high — precisely because of this, chelb'nah with its foul odor came within the ketores, to show that it is impossible to ascend exceedingly high unless one can also descend very low, to raise up all those who dwell in the dust to the Blessed Name. For ketores connects all the worlds to the Blessed Name, even the lowest levels, the aspect of chelb'nah. And this is the essential virtue of the ketores. And therefore ketores purifies the world of Asiyah [Action], as is known. Even though the ascent of the ketores is exceedingly high, nevertheless — on the contrary — precisely because of this, it purifies this lowly world, the world of Asiyah, as mentioned above. And therefore nothing subdues the klipos [husks of evil] like ketores, for ketores purifies all places from the klipos, even the very lowest, and raises and connects everything to the Blessed Name. For due to the greatness of its level, it can descend even below, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of "oil and incense" (Mishlei 27:9), etc. For the essential mitzvah of ketores is at the time of lighting the lamps, as it is said: "And when Aharon lights the lamps, he shall burn it [the ketores]" (Shemos 30:7–8), etc. For oil is the aspect of makifin [surrounding lights], the aspect of "to brighten the face with oil" (Tehillim 104:15), as explained in the aforementioned discourse. For through the ketores, which connects all the lowest levels to the Blessed Name and ascends exceedingly high — which is the aspect of the illumination of son and student, as understood in the aforementioned discourse — through this, the makifin illuminate, the aspect of oil as mentioned above. And Nadav and Avihu, who entered to offer ketores and did not marry — they wished to ascend exceedingly high, which is the aspect of ketores, but they did not marry — they did not descend below to connect also all the lower worlds, as mentioned above. And therefore they blemished the ketores that they offered. For the essential perfection of the ketores is when one connects everything to the Blessed Name, even the very lowest. And when the ketores is not offered in this aspect, it is blemished, and it is as though one omitted the chelb'nah from the ketores — for then, certainly, the ketores is completely invalid. Similarly, when one does not connect and raise all the lowest levels to the Blessed Name, then one cannot enter within to offer ketores, as mentioned above.

.flow-row { margin: 8px 0; } Likutay Halachos Evven Ha-Ezer Hilchos Pirya V'Rivya V'Ishus 2 Every man is obligated to marry a wife, etc. Once a man has a male and a female [child], he has fulfilled the mitzvah of procreation, etc. [This is] according to the Torah[-teaching] "Vayehi Mikeitz" — "for He Who has mercy on them shall lead them", etc. (Likutay Moharan II, Torah 7). Study there the entire discourse well — the matter of son and student: that a person needs to leave [something of himself] behind, so that his da'as [awareness/knowledge] should illuminate also in this lowly world, even after he passes on to the Above, etc.; see there. As our Sages, of blessed memory, said: "Who have no changes [chalifos]" (Tehillim 55:20) — one [sage] says [this refers to one who has no] son, and one says [no] student. For the essential delight and pleasure of the Blessed Name is when the service of this lowly world ascends, as it is said: "And You desire praise from those who dwell in dust", etc.; see there. And when one wishes to speak with his fellow about yiras Shamayim [fear of Heaven], he needs to have yiras Shamayim [himself] so that his words will endure by his fellow, etc. And through illuminating in his fellow, his mind empties out, and through this he merits to receive the illumination of the makifin [surrounding lights], etc. And he needs to have the aspect of kol [all/totality], in the aspect of "for all that is in the heavens and the earth" (Divrei HaYamim I, 29:11), etc. — that he be able to illuminate among the daray ma'alah [dwellers on high] and the daray matah [dwellers below], etc. And this is the aspect of son and student, the aspect of the aspaklarya ham'irah [luminous mirror] and the aspaklarya she'ainah m'irah [non-luminous mirror], etc. And one needs to include the worlds — the upper within the lower and the lower within the upper, etc. And through the inclusiveness of son and student, through this one merits to receive at the time of eating the illumination of the Ratzon [Will], etc. For Malchus [Kingship] receives its sustenance from the Yam HaChochmah [Sea of Wisdom], which illuminates through son and student, etc. And Malchus is the aspect of yirah [fear/awe], as it is written: "Were it not for the fear of the kingdom" (Avos 3:2); study all of this there well. For what has been recorded here are only allusions and references, and see there the matter at great length and you will behold wonders from He Who is perfect in knowledge. And this is the aspect of what one needs to beget a son and a daughter. For son and daughter are the aspect of the aforementioned son and student. For the apprehension of the son, which is the apprehension of the dwellers on high — this is the aspect of alma did'chura [the masculine world]. And the apprehension of the student, which is the aspect of the apprehension of the dwellers below, in the aspect of "the whole earth is full of His glory" (Yeshayahu 6:3) — this is the aspect of Malchus, the aspect of alma d'nukba [the feminine world], as is known. For the dwellers on high and the dwellers below are in the aspect of masculine and feminine, the aspect of son and daughter. And as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: "Bring My sons from afar" (Yeshayahu 43:6) — these are the exiles in Eretz Yisra'el, whose minds are settled upon them, like sons; "and My daughters" — these are the exiles in the other lands, whose minds are not settled upon them, like daughters, etc. And this is brought in the words of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory (Likutay Moharan, Torah 30). It emerges that a son is the aspect of settled da'as, and this is the aspect of the dwellers on high, whose apprehension is very exalted, in the aspect of the aspaklarya ham'irah. And a daughter is the aspect of the dwellers below, those who dwell in the dust, which is the aspect of da'as that is not so settled, the aspect of the aspaklarya she'ainah m'irah — as understood there in the aforementioned discourse. For every man is obligated to marry a wife in order to beget a son and a daughter, in order to fulfill the mitzvah of procreation. And this matter is explained well in the words of Rabbeinu in the aforementioned discourse. For a person needs that the da'as should remain after him, in the aspect of son and student, so that his da'as should illuminate also in this lowly world. For this is the essential delight of the Blessed Name, as mentioned above — when this lowly world is also connected to Him, blessed be He, etc. And this is the essential [meaning of the] mitzvah of procreation, for this is the essential [meaning of the] holiness of the conjugal union — to connect also the aspect of the lower worlds to Him, blessed be He. For husband and wife are the aspect of the dwellers on high and the dwellers below, as mentioned above. And when they join together in holiness and purity, through this the upper and lower worlds are joined — the dwellers on high with the dwellers below. And through this, the da'as is born and revealed, the aspect of the illumination of son and student as mentioned above. That is, through this a son and a daughter are born, who also illuminate in the two aforementioned aspects — in the aspect of the dwellers on high and in the aspect of the dwellers below. And this is the essential sustaining of the world. And therefore, even one who is a great holy person is not permitted to separate himself entirely so as never to marry a wife at all. Rather, he must fulfill the mitzvah of procreation. For this is the matter explained in the aforementioned discourse — that it is not the ultimate perfection to be only above and not below. Rather, the essential perfection of the true tzadik is only that he should be both above and below — that he be able to illuminate among the dwellers on high and the dwellers below. And the more exalted and holy the tzadik is, all the more so must he illuminate below as well — in order that he connect also all the lower beings, those who dwell in the dust, even those who are in a very lowly state, to draw them all close to Him, blessed be He. And this is the aspect of a holy conjugal union, that one needs to connect all the lower worlds to Him, blessed be He. For a G-d-fearing wife is the aspect of the "mainstay of the household who gives food to her house" (Mishlei 31:15), etc. — for all the worlds receive their vitality through her, as is known. And this is the essential aspect of marriage in holiness — so that all the worlds should be bound together: that is, to connect also this lowly world, which is the aspect of the feminine side, alongside the upper worlds, to connect it also to Him, blessed be He, through a holy conjugal union as is proper. And this is the aspect of the blemish of Nadav and Avihu, who entered the Mishkan [Tabernacle] to offer ketores [incense] "which He had not commanded them" (Vayikra 10:1). And it is brought that their blemish was b'gin d'la insiviu [because they did not marry]. For they, from the greatness of their immense holiness, did not wish to descend to connect also the lower worlds. And this is the aspect of the blemish of not having married, as mentioned above. And they wished to enter the Mishkan, inward to the holiness — that is, to connect themselves to the Blessed Name as was fitting for them — but they did not descend to connect also the lower beings to the Blessed Name. And therefore their blemish was specifically with the ketores, that they offered ketores without permission — "which He had not commanded them." For in truth, ketores is exceedingly exalted, as is known. And as it is brought in the Holy Zohar: s'liku d'kurbana ad Ein Sof [the ascent of the offering reaches the Infinite]. And especially ketores, which ascends exceedingly high, to the ultimate height, to the Infinite. And yet, within the ketores there came chelb'nah [galbanum], which has a foul odor, which alludes to the sinners of Israel. And through this mitzvah of ketores, the Blessed Name showed us the aforementioned matter, as explained in the words of Rabbeinu in many places, and especially in the aforementioned discourse: that specifically one who is more holy and exceedingly exalted — just so can he descend very low, to raise up even the lowest beings who are in the most lowly state. And this is the essential perfection of his exalted level. For when one is only above and not below, this is not perfection, etc., as mentioned above. And this is what we see in this mitzvah of ketores, which is exceedingly exalted. And precisely because of the great level and holiness of the ketores, which ascends exceedingly high — precisely because of this, chelb'nah with its foul odor came within the ketores, to show that it is impossible to ascend exceedingly high unless one can also descend very low, to raise up all those who dwell in the dust to the Blessed Name. For ketores connects all the worlds to the Blessed Name, even the lowest levels, the aspect of chelb'nah. And this is the essential virtue of the ketores. And therefore ketores purifies the world of Asiyah [Action], as is known. Even though the ascent of the ketores is exceedingly high, nevertheless — on the contrary — precisely because of this, it purifies this lowly world, the world of Asiyah, as mentioned above. And therefore nothing subdues the klipos [husks of evil] like ketores, for ketores purifies all places from the klipos, even the very lowest, and raises and connects everything to the Blessed Name. For due to the greatness of its level, it can descend even below, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of "oil and incense" (Mishlei 27:9), etc. For the essential mitzvah of ketores is at the time of lighting the lamps, as it is said: "And when Aharon lights the lamps, he shall burn it [the ketores]" (Shemos 30:7–8), etc. For oil is the aspect of makifin [surrounding lights], the aspect of "to brighten the face with oil" (Tehillim 104:15), as explained in the aforementioned discourse. For through the ketores, which connects all the lowest levels to the Blessed Name and ascends exceedingly high — which is the aspect of the illumination of son and student, as understood in the aforementioned discourse — through this, the makifin illuminate, the aspect of oil as mentioned above.

And Nadav and Avihu, who entered to offer ketores and did not marry — they wished to ascend exceedingly high, which is the aspect of ketores, but they did not marry — they did not descend below to connect also all the lower worlds, as mentioned above. And therefore they blemished the ketores that they offered. For the essential perfection of the ketores is when one connects everything to the Blessed Name, even the very lowest. And when the ketores is not offered in this aspect, it is blemished, and it is as though one omitted the chelb'nah from the ketores — for then, certainly, the ketores is completely invalid. Similarly, when one does not connect and raise all the lowest levels to the Blessed Name, then one cannot enter within to offer ketores, as mentioned above.

For this is their essential rectification: through the fact that one rectifies the aspect of the doubt that they wanted to cast through the weakness of the revelation of the Ratzon, as above. Through this specifically, one rectifies the above-mentioned souls. For it is impossible to rectify and elevate them except between one tikkun and the next, etc., as above. For “judgment is only sweetened at its root.” For the essential root of the foothold of the wisdom of nature, through which these above-mentioned souls fell, is only from the above-mentioned aspect [of weakened Ratzon]. For at first, they certainly cannot introduce outright heresy. Rather, at first they only cast doubt. And so it goes with them from thought to thought until one is greatly led astray and confused — like birds caught in a trap, unable to escape. For the root of their foothold is also from this aspect (as understood elsewhere). Therefore, their essential rectification is through the fact that one returns and rectifies the weakness of the Ratzon, the aspect of the doubt that they wanted to cast, G-d forbid. Through this specifically, the above-mentioned souls are rectified, as above. For it is impossible to rectify them and elevate them except between one tikkun and the next, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of Chol HaMoed. For after Yom Tov comes and the Ratzon is revealed, etc., as above — afterward, there must be Chol HaMoed, and then Yom Tov returns again. And Chol HaMoed is also Yom Tov, mikra kodesh — only that some labors are permitted on it. And the essential [permitted labor] is davar ha’avaid. For Yom Tov, which is the revelation of the Ratzon — the tikkun must necessarily be done in two stages: which are the first Yom Tov and the last Yom Tov. And in between is Chol HaMoed, which is between one tikkun and the next. This is the above-mentioned aspect: that after one subdues the Maitzach HaNachash and the holiness of Yom Tov is revealed, the Ratzon is still not strong enough, and they can cast doubt, G-d forbid. And this is the aspect of Chol HaMoed — when the wisdom of nature does not prevail as it does during the actual weekdays. For during the actual weekdays, they prevail more, and their essential subjugation is on Shabbas and Yom Tov. But on Chol HaMoed, they do not prevail so much. For certainly, after the holiness of the first Yom Tov has already come and the Maitzach HaNachash has been subdued — even though the revelation of the Ratzon has not yet been fully strengthened, through which they want to return and prevail, etc., as above — nevertheless, they do not now have the power of the Ratzon, for they have already been greatly weakened on the first Yom Tov. And this is the aspect of Chol HaMoed. And therefore, some labors are forbidden and some are permitted on it. For the nullification of labors corresponds to the nullification of the wisdom of nature and the intensification of the revelation of the Ratzon. For through the revelation of the Ratzon, all the labors are nullified, as above. And therefore, on Yom Tov — which is the revelation of the Ratzon — all the labors are nullified, as above. But during the weekdays, when the filth of the serpent, the wisdom of nature, has a foothold, therefore one needs to perform the 39 labors and arouse through them specifically an is’arusa dil’aila [arousal from Above], when one merits sanctifying the weekdays and performing the 39 labors properly (as explained there; see there).

Likutay Halachos — Orach Chaim, Volume 2

Likutay Halachos — Orach Chaim, Volume 2

Likutay Halachos — Orach Chaim, Volume 2

Likutay Halachos — Orach Chaim, Volume 2

Likutay Halachos — Orach Chaim, Volume 2

For this is their essential rectification: through the fact that one rectifies the aspect of the doubt that they wanted to cast through the weakness of the revelation of the Ratzon, as above. Through this specifically, one rectifies the above-mentioned souls. For it is impossible to rectify and elevate them except between one tikkun and the next, etc., as above. For “judgment is only sweetened at its root.” For the essential root of the foothold of the wisdom of nature, through which these above-mentioned souls fell, is only from the above-mentioned aspect [of weakened Ratzon]. For at first, they certainly cannot introduce outright heresy. Rather, at first they only cast doubt. And so it goes with them from thought to thought until one is greatly led astray and confused — like birds caught in a trap, unable to escape. For the root of their foothold is also from this aspect (as understood elsewhere). Therefore, their essential rectification is through the fact that one returns and rectifies the weakness of the Ratzon, the aspect of the doubt that they wanted to cast, G-d forbid. Through this specifically, the above-mentioned souls are rectified, as above. For it is impossible to rectify them and elevate them except between one tikkun and the next, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of Chol HaMoed. For after Yom Tov comes and the Ratzon is revealed, etc., as above — afterward, there must be Chol HaMoed, and then Yom Tov returns again. And Chol HaMoed is also Yom Tov, mikra kodesh — only that some labors are permitted on it. And the essential [permitted labor] is davar ha’avaid. For Yom Tov, which is the revelation of the Ratzon — the tikkun must necessarily be done in two stages: which are the first Yom Tov and the last Yom Tov. And in between is Chol HaMoed, which is between one tikkun and the next. This is the above-mentioned aspect: that after one subdues the Maitzach HaNachash and the holiness of Yom Tov is revealed, the Ratzon is still not strong enough, and they can cast doubt, G-d forbid. And this is the aspect of Chol HaMoed — when the wisdom of nature does not prevail as it does during the actual weekdays. For during the actual weekdays, they prevail more, and their essential subjugation is on Shabbas and Yom Tov. But on Chol HaMoed, they do not prevail so much. For certainly, after the holiness of the first Yom Tov has already come and the Maitzach HaNachash has been subdued — even though the revelation of the Ratzon has not yet been fully strengthened, through which they want to return and prevail, etc., as above — nevertheless, they do not now have the power of the Ratzon, for they have already been greatly weakened on the first Yom Tov. And this is the aspect of Chol HaMoed. And therefore, some labors are forbidden and some are permitted on it. For the nullification of labors corresponds to the nullification of the wisdom of nature and the intensification of the revelation of the Ratzon. For through the revelation of the Ratzon, all the labors are nullified, as above. And therefore, on Yom Tov — which is the revelation of the Ratzon — all the labors are nullified, as above. But during the weekdays, when the filth of the serpent, the wisdom of nature, has a foothold, therefore one needs to perform the 39 labors and arouse through them specifically an is’arusa dil’aila [arousal from Above], when one merits sanctifying the weekdays and performing the 39 labors properly (as explained there; see there).

For this is their essential rectification: through the fact that one rectifies the aspect of the doubt that they wanted to cast through the weakness of the revelation of the Ratzon, as above. Through this specifically, one rectifies the above-mentioned souls. For it is impossible to rectify and elevate them except between one tikkun and the next, etc., as above. For “judgment is only sweetened at its root.” For the essential root of the foothold of the wisdom of nature, through which these above-mentioned souls fell, is only from the above-mentioned aspect [of weakened Ratzon]. For at first, they certainly cannot introduce outright heresy. Rather, at first they only cast doubt. And so it goes with them from thought to thought until one is greatly led astray and confused — like birds caught in a trap, unable to escape. For the root of their foothold is also from this aspect (as understood elsewhere). Therefore, their essential rectification is through the fact that one returns and rectifies the weakness of the Ratzon, the aspect of the doubt that they wanted to cast, G-d forbid. Through this specifically, the above-mentioned souls are rectified, as above. For it is impossible to rectify them and elevate them except between one tikkun and the next, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of Chol HaMoed. For after Yom Tov comes and the Ratzon is revealed, etc., as above — afterward, there must be Chol HaMoed, and then Yom Tov returns again. And Chol HaMoed is also Yom Tov, mikra kodesh — only that some labors are permitted on it. And the essential [permitted labor] is davar ha’avaid. For Yom Tov, which is the revelation of the Ratzon — the tikkun must necessarily be done in two stages: which are the first Yom Tov and the last Yom Tov. And in between is Chol HaMoed, which is between one tikkun and the next. This is the above-mentioned aspect: that after one subdues the Maitzach HaNachash and the holiness of Yom Tov is revealed, the Ratzon is still not strong enough, and they can cast doubt, G-d forbid. And this is the aspect of Chol HaMoed — when the wisdom of nature does not prevail as it does during the actual weekdays. For during the actual weekdays, they prevail more, and their essential subjugation is on Shabbas and Yom Tov. But on Chol HaMoed, they do not prevail so much. For certainly, after the holiness of the first Yom Tov has already come and the Maitzach HaNachash has been subdued — even though the revelation of the Ratzon has not yet been fully strengthened, through which they want to return and prevail, etc., as above — nevertheless, they do not now have the power of the Ratzon, for they have already been greatly weakened on the first Yom Tov. And this is the aspect of Chol HaMoed. And therefore, some labors are forbidden and some are permitted on it. For the nullification of labors corresponds to the nullification of the wisdom of nature and the intensification of the revelation of the Ratzon. For through the revelation of the Ratzon, all the labors are nullified, as above. And therefore, on Yom Tov — which is the revelation of the Ratzon — all the labors are nullified, as above. But during the weekdays, when the filth of the serpent, the wisdom of nature, has a foothold, therefore one needs to perform the 39 labors and arouse through them specifically an is’arusa dil’aila [arousal from Above], when one merits sanctifying the weekdays and performing the 39 labors properly (as explained there; see there).

And this is the aspect of mishloach manos ish l’rei’eihu [sending portions, each man to his fellow]. This is the aspect of gemilus chassadim [acts of lovingkindness], which is greater than tzedakah. For gemilus chassadim is both for the poor and for the wealthy. This is the aspect of what is explained there in the Torah mentioned above, at its conclusion, on the statement of Rabbah bar bar Chanah: “And had we not brought the ship close, we would have drowned” — that the essential redemption will be through His chesed, etc. For even though one needs to strengthen oneself exceedingly in tefillah always, nevertheless, it is forbidden to err into thinking that through our Torah and our tefillos the redemption will come. Rather, the essential redemption will be through His chesed, as it is written: “For My sake, for My sake, I will act” (Yeshayahu 48:11), etc.

And this is the aspect of mishloach manos ish l’rei’eihu [sending portions, each man to his fellow]. This is the aspect of gemilus chassadim [acts of lovingkindness], which is greater than tzedakah. For gemilus chassadim is both for the poor and for the wealthy. This is the aspect of what is explained there in the Torah mentioned above, at its conclusion, on the statement of Rabbah bar bar Chanah: “And had we not brought the ship close, we would have drowned” — that the essential redemption will be through His chesed, etc. For even though one needs to strengthen oneself exceedingly in tefillah always, nevertheless, it is forbidden to err into thinking that through our Torah and our tefillos the redemption will come. Rather, the essential redemption will be through His chesed, as it is written: “For My sake, for My sake, I will act” (Yeshayahu 48:11), etc.

And this is the aspect of mishloach manos ish l’rei’eihu [sending portions, each man to his fellow]. This is the aspect of gemilus chassadim [acts of lovingkindness], which is greater than tzedakah. For gemilus chassadim is both for the poor and for the wealthy. This is the aspect of what is explained there in the Torah mentioned above, at its conclusion, on the statement of Rabbah bar bar Chanah: “And had we not brought the ship close, we would have drowned” — that the essential redemption will be through His chesed, etc. For even though one needs to strengthen oneself exceedingly in tefillah always, nevertheless, it is forbidden to err into thinking that through our Torah and our tefillos the redemption will come. Rather, the essential redemption will be through His chesed, as it is written: “For My sake, for My sake, I will act” (Yeshayahu 48:11), etc.

Sohu vavohu = evil in 4 yesodos = 4 exiles. "Ruach Elokim" = spirit of Mashiach hovering over tears at midnight. "Vayavdeil" = Havdalah — blessing over fire to include Me'orei Eish in Me'orei Or. Tefillin made from or (leather) = transforming kasnos or (skin/Ayin) into kasnos or (light/Aleph). § 6 — The Four Parshiyos Telling Our Children = Magnifying Shem Hashem All 4 parshiyos stress telling children about the Exodus and Hashem's wonders. Each generation must see itself as leaving Egypt. Daily Tefillin = remembering in mind and heart. "Dor l'dor yeshabach ma'asecha" — the pe'er passes from generation to generation from the Rosh Bayis. § 7–9 — Amalek, Milah & Purim

And this is alluded to in the words of the Shulchan Aruch: "One should muster the strength of a lion to rise in the morning for the service of his Creator" — that a person must muster strength and awaken from his sleep and from his fallen state. And through what will he awaken? Through "he should be the one who awakens the dawn [shachar]" — that is, as above: that he should awaken the nekudos tovos, which are aspects of shachar, the aspect of "I shall awaken the dawn" — and through this he will awaken from his sleep and his fallen state, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of: "to rise in the morning [baboker]" — for the essential awakening from the sleep mentioned above is through the aspect of "the morning of Avraham" (Zohar, Mikeitz 203a), the man of chesed. That is, through inclining toward chesed and judging himself to the side of merit, as above. And therefore Avraham used to convert converts — for he would incline toward chesed and find a nekudah tovah in each person, and through this he would draw everyone close to Hashem yisbarach, as above. And this is why the Hagahah is juxtaposed: "I have set Hashem before me always" — that is, I constantly place and set Hashem before my eyes. For even though I am far from Him, yisbarach, nevertheless, Hashem is before me always, in every place — for I find within myself a nekudah tovah, as above. And this is the meaning of the verse: "I have set Hashem before me always, for He is at my right hand, I shall not falter" (Psalms 16:8). That is, I constantly set Hashem before me, even in the lowest levels, G-d forbid. For "He is at my right hand, I shall not falter" — for through the aspect of the yamin, the aspect of Avraham, the aspect of chesed — through this I shall not falter, in the aspect of: "If I said, my foot has slipped — Your chesed, Hashem, supported me" (Psalms 94:18). For through the chesed — through inclining toward chesed and judging himself to the side of merit, and finding within himself some nekudah tovah still — through this he can find Hashem yisbarach always, and through this he will never falter. And this is: "When my troubling thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul" (Psalms 94:19) — that is, when the multitude of thoughts confuse me and seek to fell me, G-d forbid, through the multitude of blemishes, etc. — then "Your consolations delight my soul" — that is, that Hashem yisbarach consoles him through helping him find some nekudah tovah within himself. And this is his consolation, and through this he delights his soul, etc., as above. It emerges that the essential aspect of the awakening from sleep is through the nekudos tovos that one finds within himself, even when he is, G-d forbid, in the very lowest level, etc., as above. And through this, nigunim are fashioned, etc., as above. For at night, which is the time of sleep, then the Shechinah performs berurim [clarifications/siftings], as is known. And this alludes to the above: that when the aspect of sleep overpowers a person, then he must seek and search to find within himself nekudos tovos, and through this he will awaken from his sleep, as above. And this is the aspect of: "I recall my melody in the night; with my heart I converse and my spirit searches" (Psalms 77:7) — that in the night and darkness, the aspect of sleep, then "with my heart I converse and my spirit searches" — that I search and seek the good spirit, the aspect of the nekudah tovah. And through this, nigunim are fashioned, as above, the aspect of "I recall my melody in the night." And through this — that one musters strength to awaken from his sleep through the nekudos tovos he finds within himself, as above — through this is the essential rectification of prayer. For the essential prayer is only when one merits to find within himself the nekudos tovos, in the aspect of "Azamrah — I shall sing to my G-d with my odi" as above. And this is the aspect of the order of the prayer service: that first we recite the Korbanos [sacrificial passages] and Ketores [incense passage], which are aspects of berurim — finding and sifting nekudos tovos even from the aspect of animality, from the very lowest level of asiyah, as is known. For this is the essential aspect of the korban — to elevate from animal to human. And this is the aspect of the Ketores, which included chelbonah [galbanum — a foul-smelling spice]. That is, one sifts and finds the good even in the sinners of Israel, in the aspect of chelbonah. And as our Sages, of blessed memory, derived from this (Kerisus 6b): "Any fast [prayer] in which the sinners of Israel do not participate, is not a [valid] fast [prayer]." For the essential prayer, in the aspect of Ketores, is through sifting and finding nekudos tovos even in the sinners of Israel in the aspect of chelbonah, as above. And this is the aspect of the eleven spices of the Ketores: that is, ten spices apart from chelbonah — this is the aspect of the ten types of melody, which are fashioned through sifting and finding the good within the sinners of Israel in the aspect of chelbonah, as above.

Section 5 — Lo Ami and Bnei El Chai: Punishment and Consolation as One

Section 5 — Lo Ami and Bnei El Chai: Punishment and Consolation as One

Section 5 — Lo Ami and Bnei El Chai: Punishment and Consolation as One

Section 5 — Lo Ami and Bnei El Chai: Punishment and Consolation as One

and as is explained clearly in the aforementioned Torah. And therefore, the true tzadikim, at the time of their illness, illuminate the da'as even more intensely within sons and disciples — as we find with several tzadikim who revealed a very great and holy da'as at the time of their illness, near their death — such as Rabbi Eliezer the Great, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, and Rabbenu HaKadosh [our Holy Teacher, Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi], etc.