תּוֹרָה ז - וְאֵלֶּה הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים

Torah 533

The primary redemption [ge'ulah] depends upon faith [emunah] — for the primary exile [galus] is only due to a deficiency of faith.

Prayer is in the aspect of faith — for one believes that there is a Renewer [m'chadays] Who has the power to renew anything according to His will. It is therefore that he prays to Him, may He be blessed, that He fulfil his request. Through this one can perform miracles that transcend nature in the world.

The primary faith — in the aspect of prayer, in the aspect of miracles — exists in its fullest form only in the Land of Israel [Eretz Yisrael]. And there is where prayers ascend most fully — and one can accomplish through his prayer whatever is needed, and perform true miracles and wonders in the world.

Faith, prayer, miracles, and the Land of Israel are all one single aspect — and all of them depend upon one another.

When one blemishes the Land of Israel — which is the aspect of faith, the aspect of prayer — one then descends into exile. And the primary consequence is that prayer descends into exile — and it becomes impossible to pray and to perform miracles in the world.

There are people who conceal all miracles behind the natural order. And when these heretics [apikorsim] who have no faith in miracles cease to exist, and faith increases in the world, then Mashiach will come — for the primary redemption depends on this: on faith.

It is impossible to come to faith except through truth [emes]. (For the primary essence of faith lies in that which the intellect cannot comprehend — for where the intellect comprehends, faith is not applicable. And if so, when the intellect cannot comprehend, how does one come to believe in what must be believed? Therefore the primary faith depends on truth — for if a person is willing to gaze upon the truth as it truly is, he will understand by himself that it is necessary to believe the holy faith in Hashem Yisborach and in the true Tzadikim and in His holy Torah — even though it is impossible to fully understand this with our coarsened intellect as it deserves to be understood. For through gazing upon the truth with the eye of truth, he will perceive from a distance that the truth is so — only that the intellect cannot grasp it — and one need only strengthen oneself in complete faith. Understand this well.)

It is impossible to come to truth except through drawing close to true Tzadikim and walking in the path of their counsel — not deviating to the right or to the left from their words. Through this, truth becomes engraved within him — and he merits faith, prayer, the Land of Israel, and miracles. And through this the redemption will come.

The counsels one receives from Tzadikim are in the aspect of a holy marriage and union [neis'uin v'zivug d'kedushah] — for through the counsel he receives from the Tzadik, he receives drops of the Tzadik's intellect [tipay ha-saichel shel ha-tzaddik]. This is the aspect of a rectification of the bris. And conversely: the counsel of those who dispute, obstruct, and their like — who speak smooth, flattering words to entice and seduce one away from the point of truth — is the aspect of a blemish of the bris. Therefore, one who has blemished his bris must guard himself greatly from the corrupted counsel of those who oppose the truth — so as not to lose his world in an instant, G-d forbid.

One must distance himself greatly from the counsel of the common masses — for most of them, nearly all, give bad and very corrupted counsel. And all the more so: the counsel of the wicked and those who dispute and oppose the truth — from these one must distance oneself more and more. For from them come all the corruptions and blemishes, may the Merciful One spare us — for their counsel is in the aspect of the counsel of the primordial serpent. And when one accepts their counsel, G-d forbid, they inject their contamination [zuhamah] into him — in the aspect of a marriage with the husk [neis'uin b'klipah] — as it is written: ""The serpent enticed me"" [Genesis 3:13]. And they are the aspect of a blemish of the bris — and they distance one from truth and holy faith, and from coming to the Land of Israel. Therefore one must distance himself greatly from following their counsel, G-d forbid — but rather cling to true Tzadikim and their followers who walk in their ways. For all their counsel is in the aspect of ""wholly a seed of truth"" [Jeremiah 2:21] — the aspect of rectification of the bris. And through their counsel one merits all goodness — truth, faith, prayer, the Land of Israel, and the performance of miracles in the world.

The primary licentiousness [ni'uf] depends upon the eyes — and the commandment of tzitzis [fringes] is the rectification and protection for this. Through it one is saved from the above-mentioned evil counsel, and merits to receive the true counsel of true Tzadikim. Therefore one must be very careful in the commandment of tzitzis — and to concentrate during the wrapping of the holy tzitzis and during their blessing — that one merit the guarding of the bris, and good and true counsel; and that through this one merit faith, and the Land of Israel, and to bring the redemption nearer; and that one merit prayer and to perform miracles and wonders in the world; and that one merit livelihood [parnasah] through this holy commandment — for the primary livelihood depends upon rectification of the bris. And through this one will also merit to understand well in every place one studies — and all wisdoms will be revealed to him as a set table [k'shulchan aruch].

Prayer is in the aspect of faith — and it is a propitious remedy [segulah] for memory, saving one from forgetfulness, which depends upon a blemish of faith.

Before one has drawn close to the Tzadik, one is in the aspect of ""make the heart of this people fat... and its ears heavy... and its eyes sealed"" [Isaiah 6:10] — that is, his heart is blocked, his ears are stopped, and his eyes are blind to seeing the truth and being aroused to repentance. But when he clings to Tzadikim and receives counsel from them, then his heart, eyes, and ears are opened — in the aspect of: ""that it may see with its eyes"" [Isaiah 6:10] etc. — which are the three aspects of the three minds [t'las mochim] — and ""it returns and is healed"" [ibid.] — for he sees, hears, and understands the truth, and merits repentance.

Through a blemish of the bris, one has no livelihood [ein lo parnasah].

A propitious remedy [segulah] for the sick: to gaze upon the tzitzis.