תַּלְמוּד תּוֹרָה

Through Torah study, all prayers and requests are accepted, and the grace and importance of Israel are elevated and exalted before all those they need in material and spiritual matters (1, 1). Through engagement in Torah with strength, one gives strength to the kingship of holiness to prevail, and strengthens the good inclination over the evil inclination (there).

Through engagement in Torah with strength, one gives strength to the kingship of holiness to prevail, and strengthens the good inclination over the evil inclination (there).

Through engagement in Torah, one can merit to understand the hints from all things in the world to draw close to Hashem, blessed be He, through them, and even in a place of darkness and gloom where it seems, ostensibly, that it is difficult to draw close to Hashem, blessed be He, there too the true intellect will shine for him to find Hashem, blessed be He, even there, and to draw close to Hashem, blessed be He, specifically from there (there).

A person does not commit a transgression unless a spirit of folly enters him, therefore, each person, according to the transgressions and blemishes he has committed and caused, is literally insane to that extent. Therefore, many types of insanity are found among most people. And the rectification for this is engagement in Torah, for the Torah is entirely Hashems of the Holy One, blessed be He, through which the evil inclination is subdued, and the insanity and spirit of folly that cling to a person due to his sins are expelled (there).

Also, through engagement in Torah, one merits to be saved from the cunning traps of the evil inclination, which usually does not entice a person to sin immediately, but initially cloaks itself in mitzvot, and so on. And through engagement in Torah, one merits true intellect and to be saved from all this (there). Torah and prayer strengthen each other and illuminate each other (2, 6).

Through studying Gemara at night, a thread of kindness is drawn upon him, and he is saved from thoughts that are not for the sake of Heaven.

And through this, he rectifies the voice of melody, so that hearing the sound of melody from the Other Side, which greatly harms the service of the Creator, blessed be He, does not harm him, and he merits to establish the melody of holiness, enabling him to attach himself to Hashem, blessed be He, through songs and melodies. And through this, one establishes and elevates the kingship of holiness, merits elevation, and can rule over all that he desires. Also, one can merit the aspect of prophecy (3). Through studying halachic authorities, through this, one separates and clarifies the good from the evil, and expels and nullifies the evil from all four elements, which encompass all traits, and this is the primary rectification of a person.

And through this, the matter he prayed for is completed and goes from potential to actuality, his request is fulfilled, and he merits to humble the disputers and opponents to the ground (8, 6, 7). To merit clarifying a halachic ruling is through prayer (there). Through speaking Torah with words, the speech illuminates for him all the places where he needs to do repentance, until he merits to perform a complete repentance of the scales.

And similarly, each time through every repentance, he goes from level to level, until he emerges from a lower level and comes to the insights of Torah in its depth (11, 1). But it is impossible to merit such illuminating speech unless one breaks pride and arrogance, so that his study is not for the sake of honor, to boast or provoke, Heaven forbid, or to receive rabbinic authority and elevation, and this depends on guarding the covenant (there, 2, 3). Through studying Torah not for its own sake, and especially through oral Torah, Gemara, and halachic authorities, studied not for its own sake, through this, a mouth is created for them to speak arrogantly against true tzaddikim.

Torah and prayer strengthen each other and illuminate each other (2, 6). But it is impossible to merit such illuminating speech unless one breaks pride and arrogance, so that his study is not for the sake of honor, to boast or provoke, Heaven forbid, or to receive rabbinic authority and elevation, and this depends on guarding the covenant (there, 2, 3).

Through studying Gemara at night, a thread of kindness is drawn upon him, and he is saved from thoughts that are not for the sake of Heaven. And through this, he rectifies the voice of melody, so that hearing the sound of melody from the Other Side, which greatly harms the service of the Creator, blessed be He, does not harm him, and he merits to establish the melody of holiness, enabling him to attach himself to Hashem, blessed be He, through songs and melodies. And through this, one establishes and elevates the kingship of holiness, merits elevation, and can rule over all that he desires. Also, one can merit the aspect of prophecy (3). And from this comes the opposition of the scholars who dispute true tzaddikim, as explained inside, entry 12, 141 (12, 1). One must know before his study that when he sits to learn, the tzaddik in the Garden of Eden listens to his voice, and one must connect himself with the Tanna or tzaddik who innovated and revealed the Torah he is studying.

Through studying halachic authorities, through this, one separates and clarifies the good from the evil, and expels and nullifies the evil from all four elements, which encompass all traits, and this is the primary rectification of a person. And through this, the matter he prayed for is completed and goes from potential to actuality, his request is fulfilled, and he merits to humble the disputers and opponents to the ground (8, 6, 7). System: The provided Hebrew text for the תלמוד תורה (Torah Study) section appears to be cut off mid-sentence in entry 13 (יג). To ensure completeness, I will continue translating from where the text ends and include the remaining entries for תלמוד תורה as they appear in Likutay Etzot, based on standard editions, up to the final entry provided (entry 39, לט). I will then provide translations for any subsequent sections that follow תלמוד תורה in the standard sequence of Likutay Etzot to address the "next" request, assuming you want the next section after תלמוד תורה. If you meant something else by "next," please clarify.

To merit clarifying a halachic ruling is through prayer (there). Through this, kisses are created, in the aspect of the attachment of spirit to spirit, causing great delight to the Tanna. And through this, one merits repentance to renew his days that passed in darkness. And all this is when he studies Torah for its own sake, to fulfill the mitzvah of Torah study, which is equivalent to all [mitzvot], and to merit the sustenance of the Torah through this.

Through speaking Torah with words, the speech illuminates for him all the places where he needs to do repentance, until he merits to perform a complete repentance of the scales. And similarly, each time through every repentance, he goes from level to level, until he emerges from a lower level and comes to the insights of Torah in its depth (11, 1). תלמוד תורה (Torah Study) - Continued

But it is impossible to merit such illuminating speech unless one breaks pride and arrogance, so that his study is not for the sake of honor, to boast or provoke, Heaven forbid, or to receive rabbinic authority and elevation, and this depends on guarding the covenant (there, 2, 3). But when he studies only not for its own sake, so that he will be called a scholar and the like, then a carcass is better than him, and certainly he cannot attach himself to the spirit of the Tanna. Through this, he does not see the truth and becomes a hater and disputer against true tzaddikim, as mentioned above, and this is the exile of the Shechinah, that the oral Torah is in exile in the mouth of the scholar (12, 1). The worthy scholar, through studying the Torah of the Tanna, through this, returns the soul of the Tanna into his body (there). It is good to study a halachic authority with an explanation to mention Hashem of the Tanna or authority who innovated this ruling, in order to attach his spirit to his spirit, as mentioned above (there). Through engagement in Torah with holiness, one arouses the sinners of Israel and converts to repentance. But it is impossible to merit this except through ultimate humility and lowliness (14, 3, 5). Every person, and especially a Torah scholar, must illuminate his Torah study at the root of souls, and through this, he can bring close and arouse to repentance the wicked and converts, even those far from him.

Through studying Torah not for its own sake, and especially through oral Torah, Gemara, and halachic authorities, studied not for its own sake, through this, a mouth is created for them to speak arrogantly against true tzaddikim. And from this comes the opposition of the scholars who dispute true tzaddikim, as explained inside, entry 12, 141 (12, 1). The worthy scholar, through studying the Torah of the Tanna, through this, returns the soul of the Tanna into his body (there).

System: The provided Hebrew text for the תלמוד תורה (Torah Study) section appears to be cut off mid-sentence in entry 13 (יג). To ensure completeness, I will continue translating from where the text ends and include the remaining entries for תלמוד תורה as they appear in Likutay Etzot, based on standard editions, up to the final entry provided (entry 39, לט). I will then provide translations for any subsequent sections that follow תלמוד תורה in the standard sequence of Likutay Etzot to address the "next" request, assuming you want the next section after תלמוד תורה. If you meant something else by "next," please clarify. And through this, he merits that his son will also be a Torah scholar. But when he does not study in this aspect, his son will not be a Torah scholar (there, 3, 4).

תלמוד תורה (Torah Study) - Continued Through engagement in Torah with holiness, one arouses the sinners of Israel and converts to repentance. But it is impossible to merit this except through ultimate humility and lowliness (14, 3, 5).

Through solitude, that is, when one secludes himself and judges and evaluates himself for all the things he does, through this, one merits fear [of Heaven], and through this, one merits revealed Torah and true humility.

יד. הַלַּמְדָן הַכָּשֵׁר עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁלּוֹמֵד תּוֹרַת הַתַּנָּא עַל־יְדֵי זֶה מַחֲזִיר נַפְשׁוֹ שֶׁל הַתַּנָּא לְתוֹךְ גּוּפוֹ (שָׁם Through solitude, that is, when one secludes himself and judges and evaluates himself for all the things he does, through this, one merits fear [of Heaven], and through this, one merits revealed Torah and true humility. And through this, he merits prayer with self-sacrifice, nullifying all his existence and materiality during prayer. And through this, he merits the attainment of the secrets of Torah, which is the hidden light that will be revealed in the future. Happy is the one who merits this (15).

טו. טוֹב לִלְמֹד פּוֹסֵק עִם הַבְּאֵר הַגּוֹלָה כְּדֵי לְהַזְכִּיר שֵׁם הַתַּנָּא אוֹ הַפּוֹסֵק שֶׁחִדֵּשׁ זֶה הַדִּין, כְּדֵי לְדַבֵּק רוּחוֹ בְּרוּחוֹ וְכַנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל (שָׁם And through this, he merits prayer with self-sacrifice, nullifying all his existence and materiality during prayer. And through this, he merits the attainment of the secrets of Torah, which is the hidden light that will be revealed in the future.

טז. עַל־יְדֵי עֵסֶק הַתּוֹרָה בִּקְדֻשָּׁה מְעוֹרְרִין בִּתְשׁוּבָה פּוֹשְׁעֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגֵרִים. אֲבָל אִי אֶפְשָׁר לִזְכּוֹת לָזֶה כִּי אִם עַל־יְדֵי עֲנָוָה וְשִׁפְלוּת בְּתַכְלִית (יד, ג ה The secrets of Torah are called holy, and no stranger may eat the holy, and only His sanctified and called ones may eat of it (there).

יז. צָרִיךְ כָּל אָדָם וּבִפְרָט תַּלְמִיד חָכָם לְהָאִיר בְּלִמּוּד תּוֹרָתוֹ בְּשֹׁרֶשׁ הַנְּשָׁמוֹת, וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה יָכוֹל לְקָרֵב וּלְעוֹרֵר בִּתְשׁוּבָה רְשָׁעִים וְגֵרִים אֲפִלּוּ הָרְחוֹקִים מִמֶּנּוּ, וְעַל־יְדֵי זֶה יִזְכֶּה שֶׁיִּהְיֶה גַּם בְּנוֹ תַּלְמִיד חָכָם. אֲבָל כְּשֶׁאֵין לוֹמֵד בִּבְחִינָה זֹאת אֵין בְּנוֹ תַּלְמִיד חָכָם (שָׁם ג ד Happy is the one who merits this (15). To the secrets of Torah, one only merits if he blackens his face like a raven and becomes like a raven toward his children, until he nullifies all his materiality as if he were not in the world (there). The secrets of Torah are called holy, and no stranger may eat the holy, and only His sanctified and called ones may eat of it (there).

יח. עַל־יְדֵי הִתְבּוֹדְדוּת דְּהַיְנוּ שֶׁיִּתְבּוֹדֵד וְיָדִין וְיִשְׁפֹּט אֶת עַצְמוֹ עַל כָּל הַדְּבָרִים שֶׁעוֹשֶׂה, עַל־יְדֵי זֶה זוֹכִין לְיִרְאָה וְעַל־יְדֵי זֶה זוֹכִין לְתוֹרָה שֶׁבַּנִּגְלֶה וְלַעֲנָוָה בֶּאֱמֶת. וְעַל־יְדֵי זֶה יִזְכֶּה לִתְפִלָּה בִּמְסִירוּת נֶפֶשׁ. שֶׁיְּבַטֵּל כָּל יֵשׁוּתוֹ וְגַשְׁמִיּוּתוֹ בִּשְׁעַת הַתְּפִלָּה, וְעַל־יְדֵי זֶה יִזְכֶּה לְהַשָּׂגַת סִתְרֵי תּוֹרָה שֶׁהוּא אוֹר הַגָּנוּז שֶׁיִּתְגַּלֶּה לֶעָתִיד, אַשְׁרֵי הַזּוֹכֶה לָזֶה (טו Sometimes the nullification of Torah is its sustenance. For one who wishes to engage in Torah and the service of Hashem constantly, it is impossible to be constantly attached to Hashem, blessed be He, and His Torah without interruption, but it is necessary to nullify it sometimes. For sometimes one must go out to engage in worldly matters, so that the confusions of the Other Side do not overpower and completely nullify his wisdom, Heaven forbid. Therefore, it is necessary to nullify sometimes. But when the Messiah comes, then one will not need to nullify his attachment (16).

יט. לְסִתְרֵי תּוֹרָה אֵין זוֹכִין כִּי אִם מִי שֶׁמַּשְׁחִיר פָּנָיו כְּעוֹרֵב וְנַעֲשֶׂה כְּעוֹרֵב עַל בָּנָיו, עַד שֶׁמְּבַטֵּל כָּל גַּשְׁמִיּוּתוֹ כְּאִלּוּ אֵינוֹ בָּעוֹלָם (שָׁם Through drawing Torah into the world, the providence of Hashem, blessed be He, is drawn upon us. And each person, according to his closeness to Torah, so too is the providence of Hashem, blessed be He, upon him in greater perfection (13, 4). Sometimes the nullification of Torah is its sustenance. For one who wishes to engage in Torah and the service of Hashem constantly, it is impossible to be constantly attached to Hashem, blessed be He, and His Torah without interruption, but it is necessary to nullify it sometimes.

כ. סִתְרֵי תּוֹרָה נִקְרָאִים קֹדֶשׁ וְכָל זָר לֹא יֹאכַל קֹדֶשׁ וְלֹא יֹאכַל בּוֹ אֶלָּא מְקֻדָּשָׁיו וּמְקֹרָאָיו (שָׁם When one prays before delivering a discourse, he must pray with supplications and request from the Holy One, blessed be He, a free gift, and not rely on his own merit, but stand before Hashem, blessed be He, as a pauper and destitute, and speak supplications. Also, he must connect himself with the souls of the listeners, and then his prayer is a prayer of the many, which is not despised and is surely accepted, and then each one present there has a share in the Torah, and so on [see Tzaddik, entry 32] (there).

כא. עַל־יְדֵי הַמְשָׁכַת הַתּוֹרָה בָּעוֹלָם נִמְשָׁךְ הַשְׁגָּחַת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ עָלֵינוּ. וְכָל אֶחָד כְּפִי קֵרוּבוֹ אֶל הַתּוֹרָה כֵּן הַשְׁגָּחַת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ עָלָיו בִּשְׁלֵמוּת יוֹתֵר (יג. ד For sometimes one must go out to engage in worldly matters, so that the confusions of the Other Side do not overpower and completely nullify his wisdom, Heaven forbid. Therefore, it is necessary to nullify sometimes.

כב. לִפְעָמִים בִּטּוּלָהּ שֶׁל תּוֹרָה זֶהוּ קִיּוּמָהּ. כִּי מִי שֶׁרוֹצֶה לַעֲסֹק בַּתּוֹרָה וַעֲבוֹדַת ה' תָּמִיד, אִי אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁיִּהְיֶה תָּמִיד דָּבוּק בְּהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ וּבְתוֹרָתוֹ בְּלִי הֶפְסֵק רַק הַהֶכְרֵחַ לְבַטֵּל לִפְעָמִים. כִּי לִפְעָמִים צָרִיךְ לָצֵאת לַחוּץ לַעֲסֹק בְּדִבְרֵי הָעוֹלָם, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִתְגַּבְּרוּ הַבִּלְבּוּלִים שֶׁל הַסִּטְרָא אַחֲרָא וְיִתְבַּטֵּל חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, חָכְמָתוֹ לְגַמְרֵי, וְעַל־כֵּן הַהֶכְרֵחַ לְבַטֵּל לִפְעָמִים. אֲבָל כְּשֶׁיָּבוֹא מָשִׁיחַ, אָז לֹא יִצְטָרֵךְ לְבַטֵּל מִדְּבֵקוּתוֹ (טז But when the Messiah comes, then one will not need to nullify his attachment (16). One who wishes to draw the explanations of Torah must first draw upon himself warm words like burning coals, and he must pour out his conversation in prayer before Hashem, blessed be He.

One whose Torah is without understanding any innovation in it, even though the Holy One, blessed be He, delights in it as well, nevertheless, he should not expound it to the public. But one whom Hashem has graced to understand and innovate something, each according to his level, integrity obligates that he reveal and bring this understanding to the treasured nation, and share his goodness with others (there).

One who wishes to draw the explanations of Torah must first draw upon himself warm words like burning coals, and he must pour out his conversation in prayer before Hashem, blessed be He. Through his prayer, the mercies of Hashem, blessed be He, are aroused upon him, the supernal heart is opened, and warm words are bestowed, and through the speech, he draws the explanations of Torah from there as well (20, 2). Through his prayer, the mercies of Hashem, blessed be He, are aroused upon him, the supernal heart is opened, and warm words are bestowed, and through the speech, he draws the explanations of Torah from there as well (20, 2).

When one prays before delivering a discourse, he must pray with supplications and request from the Holy One, blessed be He, a free gift, and not rely on his own merit, but stand before Hashem, blessed be He, as a pauper and destitute, and speak supplications. Also, he must connect himself with the souls of the listeners, and then his prayer is a prayer of the many, which is not despised and is surely accepted, and then each one present there has a share in the Torah, and so on [see Tzaddik, entry 32] (there). One must greatly distance oneself from hearing Torah from unworthy Torah scholars, for they are in the aspect of Jewish demons, who receive their Torah from demons that have a fallen Torah. Therefore, their way is to always deliver wondrous discourses that are accepted by the masses, and all their words are in the form of parables, rhetoric, and wondrous reasons. But no benefit is received from them, for the Torah of these scholars has no power to guide a person on the path of good. On the contrary, through their Torah, people fall into great heresies, despise and revile those who fear Hashem, and all opposition comes from them (28, 1).

Through the merit of the Torah that one draws down, through this, one merits to come to the Land of Israel (there, 6). When one prays before delivering a discourse, he must pray with supplications and request from the Holy One, blessed be He, a free gift, and not rely on his own merit, but stand before Hashem, blessed be He, as a pauper and destitute, and speak supplications. Also, he must connect himself with the souls of the listeners, and then his prayer is a prayer of the many, which is not despised and is surely accepted, and then each one present there has a share in the Torah, and so on [see Tzaddik, entry 32] (there). Through the merit of the Torah that one draws down, through this, one merits to come to the Land of Israel (there, 6).

When a person studies Torah and does not understand any innovation in it, this is because the intellect is hidden in the aspect of gestation, and then crying is good for a person, whether in prayer or in Torah, and through this, he gives birth to the intellect (21, 7, 8). It is impossible to merit true Torah except through boldness of holiness, to be bold as a leopard in the service of Hashem and to pay no attention at all to those who prevent or mock, and so on. And according to the boldness a person has, so too does he merit Torah. For one who has boldness of holiness merits to receive and draw down true, holy Torah innovations. Conversely, one who has boldness of the Other Side, who is brazen-faced against the righteous of the generation, and so on, does not merit true Torah innovations, but receives Torah from the Other Side. And according to the Torah one receives, based on the boldness as mentioned above, so too does he merit prayer (8).

One whose Torah is without understanding any innovation in it, even though the Holy One, blessed be He, delights in it as well, nevertheless, he should not expound it to the public. But one whom Hashem has graced to understand and innovate something, each according to his level, integrity obligates that he reveal and bring this understanding to the treasured nation, and share his goodness with others (there). When a person studies Torah and does not understand any innovation in it, this is because the intellect is hidden in the aspect of gestation, and then crying is good for a person, whether in prayer or in Torah, and through this, he gives birth to the intellect (21, 7, 8). One whose Torah is without understanding any innovation in it, even though the Holy One, blessed be He, delights in it as well, nevertheless, he should not expound it to the public.

Through Torah and prayer, one merits joy, and through joy, one merits boldness of holiness. Through boldness of holiness, one merits to draw close to true tzaddikim, and through them, one merits complete faith. Through faith, one has the aspect of hands to receive ethical instruction from true rebukers. Through this, one is saved from exile and strife, peace is increased in the world, and peace is made between Israel and their Father in Heaven. And then one rectifies and seals holiness in the aspect of a seal within a seal (22, 9). And even the complete tzaddik who is a tzaddik and a scholar, when he sometimes falls from his level, as is known, that it is impossible to stand constantly on one level, then at the time he falls from his level, if he wishes to hold onto the level of scholar that remains to him, it is not good. Rather, he must hold onto fear of Heaven and the good points that still remain in him (there).

One must greatly distance oneself from hearing Torah from unworthy Torah scholars, for they are in the aspect of Jewish demons, who receive their Torah from demons that have a fallen Torah. Therefore, their way is to always deliver wondrous discourses that are accepted by the masses, and all their words are in the form of parables, rhetoric, and wondrous reasons. But no benefit is received from them, for the Torah of these scholars has no power to guide a person on the path of good. On the contrary, through their Torah, people fall into great heresies, despise and revile those who fear Hashem, and all opposition comes from them (28, 1). But one whom Hashem has graced to understand and innovate something, each according to his level, integrity obligates that he reveal and bring this understanding to the treasured nation, and share his goodness with others (there). Through Torah and prayer, one merits joy, and through joy, one merits boldness of holiness. Through boldness of holiness, one merits to draw close to true tzaddikim, and through them, one merits complete faith. Through faith, one has the aspect of hands to receive ethical instruction from true rebukers.

The rectification for this is to bring true Torah scholars as guests into one’s home, and through this, one merits to come to faith and kindness, and to nullify oneself before Hashem, blessed be He, in the aspect of (Psalms 22:7), “I am a worm and not a man.” Through this, one overcomes the opponents, breaks and nullifies the heresies and false beliefs that come from them, and merits to elevate and clarify the good in their Torah (there, 3). External wisdoms are folly and darkness compared to the wisdoms of Torah, and through fasting and charity to the Land of Israel, one merits the wisdoms of Torah, which are the aspect of the elevation of the soul, the aspect of kindness, light, and life, and judgments are sweetened and nullified [see Tzedakah] (35, 1).

It is impossible to merit true Torah except through boldness of holiness, to be bold as a leopard in the service of Hashem and to pay no attention at all to those who prevent or mock, and so on. And according to the boldness a person has, so too does he merit Torah. For one who has boldness of holiness merits to receive and draw down true, holy Torah innovations. Conversely, one who has boldness of the Other Side, who is brazen-faced against the righteous of the generation, and so on, does not merit true Torah innovations, but receives Torah from the Other Side. And according to the Torah one receives, based on the boldness as mentioned above, so too does he merit prayer (8). Through this, one is saved from exile and strife, peace is increased in the world, and peace is made between Israel and their Father in Heaven.

Through the Torah one studies in distress, in poverty and hardship, through this, a thread of kindness is drawn upon him, expelling all prosecutors and all forces of impurity. Through this, he rectifies speech and elevates it to its root, until he merits to express his conversation well before Hashem, blessed be He, to speak with the warmth of the heart with true words of the heart, and so on [see Dibbur, entry 7, and Bushah, entry 2] (38, 4).

לג. וַאֲפִלּוּ הַצַּדִּיק הַגָּמוּר שֶׁהוּא צַדִּיק וְלַמְדָן כְּשֶׁנּוֹפֵל לִפְעָמִים מִמַּדְרֵגָתוֹ, כַּיָּדוּעַ, שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לַעֲמֹד תָּמִיד עַל מַדְרֵגָה אַחַת, אֲזַי בְּעֵת שֶׁנּוֹפֵל מִמַּדְרֵגָתוֹ, אִם יִרְצֶה לְהַחֲזִיק אֶת עַצְמוֹ בְּמַדְרֵגַת לַמְדָן שֶׁנִּשְׁאַר לוֹ הוּא לֹא טוֹב, רַק צָרִיךְ לְהַחֲזִיק עַצְמוֹ בְּיִרְאַת שָׁמַיִם וּנְקֻדּוֹת טוֹבוֹת שֶׁנִּשְׁאַר בּוֹ עֲדַיִן (שָׁם And then one rectifies and seals holiness in the aspect of a seal within a seal (22, 9). One must greatly distance oneself from hearing Torah from unworthy Torah scholars, for they are in the aspect of Jewish demons, who receive their Torah from demons that have a fallen Torah.

לד. עַל־יְדֵי הַתּוֹרָה וְעַל־יְדֵי הַצַּדִּיקִים זוֹכִין לְשָׁלוֹם, שֶׁיִּהְיֶה שָׁלוֹם בֵּין יִשְׂרָאֵל וְשֶׁיִּהְיֶה שָׁלוֹם לְכָל אָדָם בְּמִדּוֹתָיו, הַיְנוּ שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה מְחֻלָּק בְּמִדּוֹתָיו וּבִמְאֹרְעוֹתָיו שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא לוֹ חִלּוּק בֵּין בְּטִיבוּ בֵּין בְּעִקוּ תָּמִיד יִמְצָא בּוֹ הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ (לג, ב Through a blemish in faith, the nullification of Torah comes, and through this comes exile, upheaval, and journeys on the roads (40).

לה. חָכְמוֹת חִיצוֹנִיּוֹת הֵם סִכְלוּת וָחֹשֶׁךְ כְּנֶגֶד חָכְמוֹת הַתּוֹרָה, וְעַל־יְדֵי תַּעֲנִית וּצְדָקָה לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל זוֹכִין לְחָכְמוֹת הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינַת הִתְעַלּוּת הַנֶּפֶשׁ, בְּחִינַת חֶסֶד וְאוֹר וְחַיִּים, וְנִמְתָּקִין וְנִתְבַּטְּלִין הַדִּינִים (עַיֵּן צְדָקָה (לה, א Therefore, their way is to always deliver wondrous discourses that are accepted by the masses, and all their words are in the form of parables, rhetoric, and wondrous reasons. But no benefit is received from them, for the Torah of these scholars has no power to guide a person on the path of good. On the contrary, through their Torah, people fall into great heresies, despise and revile those who fear Hashem, and all opposition comes from them (28, 1).

לו. אֵין הַדִּין נִמְתָּק וְאֵין הָעוֹלָם מִתְקַיֵּם אֶלָּא עַל הֶבֶל פֶּה שֶׁל תִּינוֹקוֹת שֶׁל בֵּית רַבָּן, עַל־כֵּן צָרִיךְ כָּל אֶחָד לְבַקֵּשׁ וּלְחַפֵּשׂ מְאֹד אַחַר מְלַמֵּד כָּשֵׁר וְהָגוּן וִירֵא שָׁמַיִם, וּלְבַקֵּשׁ אֶת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ מְאֹד עַל זֶה, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יְקַלְקֵל הַמְלַמֵּד אֶת הֶבֶל פֶּה הַקָּדוֹשׁ שֶׁל הַתִּינוֹקוֹת (לז, ד Through Torah innovations, new heavens and earth are created, and through this, all influences and blessings come to the world. However, there are Torah innovations that come through the imagination, which dwells more on one who studies halachot, and therefore, these innovations are pleasing and accepted (in Yiddish, “gleich,” because they come from the power of the imagination that compares one thing to another). And although there is good in them, as they are words of Torah, the evil in them outweighs the good. Through such innovations, famine comes to the world, Heaven forbid, and therefore, they harm livelihood, and one must pray to Hashem, blessed be He, to be saved from them. The rectification for this is to guard oneself greatly from evil speech, both from speaking it and accepting it, and to strengthen oneself in joy at all times. For the primary strengthening of the confusion of the imagination mentioned above, from which all desires stem, is through sadness of spirit, and its subjugation is through joy [see Simchah] (there, 6).

לז. עַל־יְדֵי הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁלּוֹמְדִין בַּצַּר לָאָדָם בַּעֲנִיּוּת וּבְדַחֲקוּת, עַל־יְדֵי זֶה נִמְשָׁךְ עָלָיו חוּט שֶׁל חֶסֶד, וּמְגָרֵשׁ כָּל בַּעֲלֵי הַדִּין וְכָל סִטְרָא דִּמְסַאֲבָא, וְעַל־יְדֵי זֶה מְתַקֵּן הַדִּבּוּר וּמַעֲלֵהוּ לְשָׁרְשׁוֹ, עַד שֶׁזּוֹכֶה לְפָרֵשׁ שִׂיחָתוֹ הֵיטֵב לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ, לְדַבֵּר בַּחֲמִימוּת שֶׁבַּלֵּב דִּבְרֵי אֱמֶת שֶׁבַּלֵּב וְכוּ' [עַיֵּן דִּבּוּר אוֹת ז וּבוּשָׁה אוֹת ב] (לח, ד The rectification for this is to bring true Torah scholars as guests into one’s home, and through this, one merits to come to faith and kindness, and to nullify oneself before Hashem, blessed be He, in the aspect of (Psalms 22:7), “I am a worm and not a man.” Through this, one overcomes the opponents, breaks and nullifies the heresies and false beliefs that come from them, and merits to elevate and clarify the good in their Torah (there, 3). It is impossible to merit true Torah except through boldness of holiness, to be bold as a leopard in the service of Hashem and to pay no attention at all to those who prevent or mock, and so on.

לח. עַל־יְדֵי חִדּוּד הַשֵּׂכֶל בְּתוֹרָה נִתְחַדְּדוּ הַמֹּחִין, וְנִתּוֹסֵף בּוֹ הַכָּרָה לְהַכִּיר בִּגְדֻלַּת הַבּוֹרֵא יִתְבָּרַךְ, וַאֲזַי מִתְבַּיֵּשׁ בְּיוֹתֵר עַל חֲטָאָיו שֶׁזֶּה עִקַּר הַתְּשׁוּבָה, וְזוֹכֶה לְאוֹר הַתְּפִלִּין שֶׁהֵם בְּחִינַת קֵרוּן אוֹר הַפָּנִים בְּחִינַת עֵץ הַחַיִּים (שָׁם ה Through engagement in Torah, one can rebuke even those far from him, even though he does not know what they need, and they are not with him to be rebuked. Nevertheless, through his studying and engaging in Torah, through this, those far away hear the voice of the Torah’s proclamation. For the Torah proclaims, cries out, and rebukes constantly, calling and saying, “How long will you simple ones love simplicity,” and so on. But they do not hear the voice of the Torah’s proclamation due to the multitude of concealments caused by the multitude of sins, may the Merciful One save us, for Hashem, blessed be He, is now hidden from us due to our many sins, in the aspect of concealment within concealment, in the aspect of “I will surely hide” (Deuteronomy 31:18). But through engaging in Torah, the concealments are revealed, until it effects that even those very far away hear the voice of the Torah’s proclamation and rebuke, until they all return to Hashem (there).

לט. עַל־יְדֵי פְּגַם הָאֱמוּנָה בָּא בִּטּוּל תּוֹרָה וְעַל־יְדֵי זֶה בָּא גָּלוּת וְטִלְטוּל וּנְסִיעוֹת לַדְּרָכִים (מ And according to the boldness a person has, so too does he merit Torah. For one who has boldness of holiness merits to receive and draw down true, holy Torah innovations. Conversely, one who has boldness of the Other Side, who is brazen-faced against the righteous of the generation, and so on, does not merit true Torah innovations, but receives Torah from the Other Side. And according to the Torah one receives, based on the boldness as mentioned above, so too does he merit prayer (8). The perfection of a person is to be a tzaddik and a scholar, for if he is not a scholar, our Sages, of blessed memory, said, “An ignoramus cannot be pious.” And a scholar alone is certainly nothing, for it is possible to be a scholar and a complete wicked person, Heaven forbid, and if he does not merit, it becomes an elixir of death for him.

מ. גַּם בְּלִמּוּד הַתּוֹרָה צְרִיכִין בְּחִינַת הִסְתַּפְּקוּת. כִּי לִפְעָמִים מְבַלְבֵּל אֶת הָאָדָם מַה שֶּׁרוֹצֶה לִלְמֹד יוֹתֵר מִדַּי, כִּי רוֹאֶה שֶׁיֵּשׁ הַרְבֵּה לִלְמֹד וְרוֹצֶה לִלְמֹד כָּל הַתּוֹרָה עַל רֶגֶל אַחַת, וּמֵחֲמַת זֶה מִתְבַּלְבֵּל מְאֹד. וְלִפְעָמִים מִתְבַּטֵּל עַל־יְדֵי זֶה וְאֵינוֹ לוֹמֵד כְּלָל. עַל־כֵּן צָרִיךְ שֶׁגַּם בַּתּוֹרָה יִהְיֶה לוֹ בְּחִינַת הִסְתַּפְּקוּת, כִּי לֹא עָלֶיךָ הַמְּלָאכָה לִגְמֹר וְכוּ' כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ חֲכָמֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (נד, ג Therefore, one must be a scholar in Torah and pious in good deeds, and then he is like an angel of Hashem of Hosts, and he shapes the letters of Torah for good, bringing life and all goodness to the world. And one who errs and thinks that the aspect of scholar alone is the essence is in the aspect of “Another” who cut down the plantings (31, at the end). And even the complete tzaddik who is a tzaddik and a scholar, when he sometimes falls from his level, as is known, that it is impossible to stand constantly on one level, then at the time he falls from his level, if he wishes to hold onto the level of scholar that remains to him, it is not good.

מא. עַל־יְדֵי חִדּוּשֵׁי תּוֹרָה נִבְרָאִים שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ חֲדָשִׁים וְעַל־יְדֵי זֶה בָּאִים כָּל הַהַשְׁפָּעוֹת וְכָל הַבְּרָכוֹת לָעוֹלָם, אַךְ יֵשׁ חִדּוּשֵׁי תּוֹרָה שֶׁבָּאִים עַל־יְדֵי הַמְדַמֶּה שֶׁהוּא שׁוֹרֶה בְּיוֹתֵר עַל הַשּׁוֹנֶה הֲלָכוֹת, וְעַל־כֵּן הַחִדּוּשִׁים אֵלּוּ הֵם חִדּוּשִׁים נָאִים וּמִתְקַבְּלִים (בִּלְשׁוֹן אַשְׁכְּנַז גְלַייךְ, כִּי הֵם בָּאִים מִכֹּחַ הַמְדַמֶּה שֶׁמְּדַמֶּה מִלְּתָא לְמִלְּתָא. וְאַף שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהֶם טוֹב שֶׁהֵם דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה אַךְ הָרָע שֶׁבָּהֶם יוֹתֵר מֵהַטּוֹב. וְעַל־יְדֵי חִדּוּשִׁים כָּאֵלּוּ בָּא רָעָב לָעוֹלָם חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, עַל־כֵּן הֵם מַזִּיקִים לַפַּרְנָסָה וּצְרִיכִים לְהִתְפַּלֵּל לְהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ לְהִנָּצֵל מֵהֶם. וְהַתִּקּוּן לָזֶה לִשְׁמֹר אֶת עַצְמוֹ מְאֹד מִלְּשׁוֹן הָרָע, מִלְּאָמְרוֹ וּמִלְּקַבְּלוֹ. וְגַם לְחַזֵּק אֶת עַצְמוֹ בְּשִׂמְחָה בְּכָל עֵת. כִּי עִקַּר הִתְגַּבְּרוּת בִּלְבּוּל הַמְדַמֶּה הַנַּ"ל שֶׁמִּשָּׁם כָּל הַתַּאֲווֹת, הִיא עַל־יְדֵי עַצְבוּת רוּחַ, וְהַכְנָעָתוֹ עַל־יְדֵי שִׂמְחָה [עַיֵּן שִׂמְחָה] (שָׁם ו There are many books now, and there will yet be many more books, and all of them are needed for the world, and it is forbidden to mock any one of them, since their entire foundation and structure is based on our holy Torah, both written and oral. For only from books that follow Greek wisdom, which are their external investigations and wisdoms, must one distance oneself to the utmost, even if they were authored by whoever authored them. But books that follow our holy Torah, which we received from Mount Sinai, both written and oral, are all exceedingly precious and all needed for the world. And anyone who mocks any one of them, Heaven forbid, is judged in boiling excrement and does not merit to derive upright behaviors from his study, nor does he merit complete counsel, and his counsel is always divided, until he repents fully for this and rectifies it, and all the holy books that follow the foundations of our holy Torah return and are considered precious in his eyes. Through this, all judgments in the world are sweetened, and however a judgment exists in the world, all is sweetened through the holy Torah, whose perfection comes through the multitude of books of oral Torah, through believing in them (there, 5).

Rather, he must hold onto fear of Heaven and the good points that still remain in him (there). Through Torah and through tzaddikim, one merits peace, that there be peace among Israel, and that each person have peace in his traits, that is, that he not be divided in his traits and experiences, that there be no difference whether in his good times or his hardships, that he always find Hashem, blessed be He, in them (33, 2). External wisdoms are folly and darkness compared to the wisdoms of Torah, and through fasting and charity to the Land of Israel, one merits the wisdoms of Torah, which are the aspect of the elevation of the soul, the aspect of kindness, light, and life, and judgments are sweetened and nullified [see Tzedakah] (35, 1).

Through engagement in Torah, one merits life and longevity, for through engagement in Torah, one calls upon the Living of the Living, blessed be His Name, and draws from Him life and longevity. And one must engage in Torah specifically with the mouth, to express the words of Torah with his mouth, and then he merits to call Him, blessed be He, and to draw from Him life and longevity (56, 3). Through studying halachic authorities, one nullifies strife at its root, and through this, strifes below are nullified. And the strifes of the evil inclination in his heart, which are the questions, heresies, and confusions of faith that arise in his heart, are nullified, through which his heart becomes divided from Hashem, blessed be He, and he cannot pray properly. For the primary obstacles to prayer, that he does not pray with proper intention, are only because his faith is not complete. For in truth, if a person knew and believed with a whole heart that “the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3), and that the Holy One, blessed be He, stands over him during prayer, hearing, listening, and attending to every word of the prayer, he would surely pray with great fervor and be very precise in directing his words. But because he is not so strong in this, due to this, he is not so fervent and not so precise. And all this stems from the strifes of the evil inclination in the heart. Therefore, the rectification for this is studying halachic authorities, through which peace is drawn, and the strifes of the evil inclination in the heart are nullified. Then his heart is not divided from Hashem, blessed be He, and he can serve Hashem with all his heart, with both inclinations, and the gates of intellect are opened to him, so that he knows how to respond to the skepticism in his heart and merits to pray properly with all his heart in truth (62, 2).

Through engagement in Torah, one can rebuke even those far from him, even though he does not know what they need, and they are not with him to be rebuked. Nevertheless, through his studying and engaging in Torah, through this, those far away hear the voice of the Torah’s proclamation. For the Torah proclaims, cries out, and rebukes constantly, calling and saying, “How long will you simple ones love simplicity,” and so on. But they do not hear the voice of the Torah’s proclamation due to the multitude of concealments caused by the multitude of sins, may the Merciful One save us, for Hashem, blessed be He, is now hidden from us due to our many sins, in the aspect of concealment within concealment, in the aspect of “I will surely hide” (Deuteronomy 31:18). But through engaging in Torah, the concealments are revealed, until it effects that even those very far away hear the voice of the Torah’s proclamation and rebuke, until they all return to Hashem (there). Judgments are not sweetened, and the world is not sustained except through the breath of the mouths of schoolchildren. Therefore, everyone must seek and search greatly for a kosher, worthy, and G-d-fearing teacher, and beseech Hashem, blessed be He, greatly for this, so that the teacher does not corrupt the holy breath of the children’s mouths (37, 4). Through the Torah one studies in distress, in poverty and hardship, through this, a thread of kindness is drawn upon him, expelling all prosecutors and all forces of impurity. Through this, he rectifies speech and elevates it to its root, until he merits to express his conversation well before Hashem, blessed be He, to speak with the warmth of the heart with true words of the heart, and so on [see Dibbur, entry 7, and Bushah, entry 2] (38, 4).

And even those who have become exceedingly distant from Hashem, blessed be He, who have fallen and leapt from the place of the world, and some who were already somewhat close to Hashem, blessed be He, but have forgotten this, and some who even now remember Hashem, blessed be He, but their strength has been sapped, and they have no power to overcome their inclination—nevertheless, through the great power of Torah studied in truth, it effects that all of them hear the voice of the Torah’s proclamation and rebuke in itself, as mentioned above, and they all return to Hashem (there). Through sharpening the intellect in Torah, the mind is sharpened, and recognition is added to recognize the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He. Then one is more ashamed of his sins, which is the essence of repentance, and he merits the light of tefillin, which is the aspect of radiating the light of the face, the aspect of the Tree of Life (there, 5). Through a blemish in faith, the nullification of Torah comes, and through this comes exile, upheaval, and journeys on the roads (40).

One who engages in Torah and cannot understand, this too is very good. For every word and word ascends above, and the Holy One, blessed be He, rejoices in them, and they become the aspect of “willows of the brook” (there). The essence of repentance depends on Torah, that is, when one studies Torah and toils in it until he merits to understand one thing from another and to innovate in it for the sake of Heaven, this is complete repentance. Then he returns and connects all the letters and combinations in his portion of the generality of the worlds to their root and place, restoring them all from all the places they were rejected and scattered to, and he becomes a new creation. Then his knowledge is settled, and he merits to arouse compassion before Him, blessed be He, until he merits that Hashem, blessed be He, Himself prays for him, that is, Hashem, blessed be He, arouses with His simple compassion His abundant and great compassion, and then he will have great, complete salvation, amen (105).

When one studies Torah, he must ensure that from all the studies he learns in Torah, he receives and derives true judgments, that is, upright behaviors, both for himself and for others who are guided by him, each according to his level, according to the authority and leadership he has, whether great or small. And this is merited through faith in the sages, through which one can receive and derive from all the studies he learns in Torah true judgments and upright behaviors, so that he knows how to conduct himself in every matter, both he and those dependent on him (61, 1). Also in Torah study, one needs the aspect of contentment. For sometimes, a person is confused by wanting to learn too much, because he sees there is much to learn and wants to learn the entire Torah at once, and because of this, he becomes very confused. And sometimes, through this, he nullifies his study and does not learn at all.

There are many books now, and there will yet be many more books, and all of them are needed for the world, and it is forbidden to mock any one of them, since their entire foundation and structure is based on our holy Torah, both written and oral. For only from books that follow Greek wisdom, which are their external investigations and wisdoms, must one distance oneself to the utmost, even if they were authored by whoever authored them. But books that follow our holy Torah, which we received from Mount Sinai, both written and oral, are all exceedingly precious and all needed for the world. And anyone who mocks any one of them, Heaven forbid, is judged in boiling excrement and does not merit to derive upright behaviors from his study, nor does he merit complete counsel, and his counsel is always divided, until he repents fully for this and rectifies it, and all the holy books that follow the foundations of our holy Torah return and are considered precious in his eyes. Through this, all judgments in the world are sweetened, and however a judgment exists in the world, all is sweetened through the holy Torah, whose perfection comes through the multitude of books of oral Torah, through believing in them (there, 5). In every place where he sees and studies in any book, he should find himself, that is, take ethical lessons for himself and see his lowliness and humility, and this is a sign that he desires to do the will of Hashem, blessed be He (121).

Also, one who merits to innovate Torah innovations himself with intention for Heaven must have faith in himself as well, to believe that Hashem, blessed be He, has great delight in his innovations and not be lazy in them, but hasten to innovate each time and write them down until holy books are made from them. Through this, all judgments in the world are sweetened, as mentioned above (there). Therefore, one must have the aspect of contentment in Torah as well, for “it is not upon you to complete the work,” and so on, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (54, 3). Through Torah innovations, new heavens and earth are created, and through this, all influences and blessings come to the world.

Through studying halachic authorities, one nullifies strife at its root, and through this, strifes below are nullified. And the strifes of the evil inclination in his heart, which are the questions, heresies, and confusions of faith that arise in his heart, are nullified, through which his heart becomes divided from Hashem, blessed be He, and he cannot pray properly. For the primary obstacles to prayer, that he does not pray with proper intention, are only because his faith is not complete. For in truth, if a person knew and believed with a whole heart that “the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3), and that the Holy One, blessed be He, stands over him during prayer, hearing, listening, and attending to every word of the prayer, he would surely pray with great fervor and be very precise in directing his words. But because he is not so strong in this, due to this, he is not so fervent and not so precise. And all this stems from the strifes of the evil inclination in the heart. Therefore, the rectification for this is studying halachic authorities, through which peace is drawn, and the strifes of the evil inclination in the heart are nullified. Then his heart is not divided from Hashem, blessed be He, and he can serve Hashem with all his heart, with both inclinations, and the gates of intellect are opened to him, so that he knows how to respond to the skepticism in his heart and merits to pray properly with all his heart in truth (62, 2). When a person studies an innovation of a Tanna or tzaddik, he must visualize his image before him, as if the tzaddik or Tanna is standing before him, and through this, he is saved from forgetfulness (192).

Through toiling in Torah until one merits to know and understand it, through this, he heals his soul and elevates it to the place of its root, sweetens all judgments, and plants the Tree of Life above all, for healing. Also, he sustains and renews all the worlds and reveals the glory of Hashem, blessed be He, in the world, which is the primary purpose of all human service, so that His glory, blessed be His Name, is magnified (74). However, there are Torah innovations that come through the imagination, which dwells more on one who studies halachot, and therefore, these innovations are pleasing and accepted (in Yiddish, “gleich,” because they come from the power of the imagination that compares one thing to another). And although there is good in them, as they are words of Torah, the evil in them outweighs the good.

One who engages in Torah and cannot understand, this too is very good. For every word and word ascends above, and the Holy One, blessed be He, rejoices in them, and they become the aspect of “willows of the brook” (there). One who merits to innovate substantial Torah innovations must weep beforehand, and through this, he is saved from the Other Side and the husks drawing from these innovations (262).

נב. עִקַּר הַתְּשׁוּבָה תָּלוּי בַּתּוֹרָה, הַיְנוּ כְּשֶׁלּוֹמֵד תּוֹרָה וּמִתְיַגֵּעַ בָּהּ, עַד שֶׁזּוֹכֶה לְהָבִין דָּבָר מִתּוֹךְ דָּבָר וּלְחַדֵּשׁ בָּהּ לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, זֶהוּ תְּשׁוּבָה גְּמוּרָה וַאֲזַי מַחֲזִיר וּמְקַשֵּׁר כָּל הָאוֹתִיּוֹת וְהַצֵּרוּפִים שֶׁבְּחֶלְקוֹ מִכְּלָלִיּוּת הָעוֹלָמוֹת, אֶל שָׁרְשָׁן וְאֶל מְקוֹמָן וּמֵשִׁיב אוֹתָם כֻּלָּם, מִכָּל הַמְּקוֹמוֹת שֶׁנִּדְחוּ וְנִתְפַּזְּרוּ לְשָׁם, וְנַעֲשֶׂה בְּרִיָּה חֲדָשָׁה. וְאָז הַדַּעַת מְיֻשָּׁב וְזוֹכֶה לְעוֹרֵר רַחֲמִים אֶצְלוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ, עַד שֶׁזּוֹכֶה שֶׁהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ בְּעַצְמוֹ יִתְפַּלֵּל עָלָיו, דְּהַיְנוּ שֶׁהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ יְעוֹרֵר בְּרַחֲמָיו הַפְּשׁוּטִים אֶת רַחֲמָיו הַמְרֻבִּים וְהַגְּדוֹלִים וְאָז יִהְיֶה לוֹ יְשׁוּעָה גְּדוֹלָה בִּשְׁלֵמוּת, אָמֵן (קה Through such innovations, famine comes to the world, Heaven forbid, and therefore, they harm livelihood, and one must pray to Hashem, blessed be He, to be saved from them. The rectification for this is to guard oneself greatly from evil speech, both from speaking it and accepting it, and to strengthen oneself in joy at all times. For the primary strengthening of the confusion of the imagination mentioned above, from which all desires stem, is through sadness of spirit, and its subjugation is through joy [see Simchah] (there, 6).

נג. כְּשֶׁלּוֹמֵד טוֹב לְפָרֵשׁ הַדָּבָר בְּלָשׁוֹן שֶׁמֵּבִין וְהוּא טוֹבָה לְהָעוֹלָם (קיח Even a simple person, if he settles himself with a book and looks well at the letters of the Torah, can see innovations and wonders, provided he does not make it a test [see inside] (281).

נד. בְּכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁהוּא רוֹאֶה וְלוֹמֵד בְּאֵיזֶה סֵפֶר, יִמְצָא אֶת עַצְמוֹ, הַיְנוּ שֶׁיִּקַּח לְעַצְמוֹ מוּסָר וְיִרְאֶה פְּחִיתוּתוֹ וְשִׁפְלוּתוֹ, וְזֶה סִימָן שֶׁהוּא חָפֵץ לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ (קכא Through engagement in Torah, one merits life and longevity, for through engagement in Torah, one calls upon the Living of the Living, blessed be His Name, and draws from Him life and longevity. And one must engage in Torah specifically with the mouth, to express the words of Torah with his mouth, and then he merits to call Him, blessed be He, and to draw from Him life and longevity (56, 3).

נה. מִי שֶׁאוֹמֵר תּוֹרָה וְאֵינוֹ רָאוּי לָזֶה, עַל־יְדֵי זֶה יוּכַל לְהִתְגַּבֵּר עָלָיו תַּאֲוַת נִאוּף חַס וְשָׁלוֹם. כִּי הִיא עֲבֵרָה גְּדוֹלָה לוֹמַר תּוֹרָה אֲפִלּוּ לְיָחִיד מִכָּל שֶׁכֵּן לְרַבִּים [וְעַיֵּן בִּפְנִים בְּסִימָן קל"ד] (קלד There is a great obligation on every Jew to study a portion of halachic authorities every day without fail. And even in a time of pressure when he has no time or is on a journey, nevertheless, at the very least, he should study some section of the Shulchan Aruch in whatever place he is, even in a place that is not part of his regular study order in the Shulchan Aruch, so that all the days of his life, no day passes without studying Shulchan Aruch. And on other days when there is no pressure, he should study in order all four parts of the Shulchan Aruch until he completes them all, and then return and start again in order, and so he should conduct himself all the days of his life. This is a very great rectification to clarify and repair all the blemishes he caused through his sins, for through studying halachic authorities, one clarifies the good from the evil, which encompasses all rectifications (Sichot Haran 29).

נו. כְּשֶׁלּוֹמֵד אָדָם אֵיזֶה חִדּוּשׁ שֶׁל אֵיזֶה תַּנָּא וְצַדִּיק, צָרִיךְ לְצַיֵּר לְפָנָיו דְּמוּת דְּיוֹקְנוֹ, כְּאִלּוּ הַצַּדִּיק אוֹ הַתַּנָּא עוֹמֵד לְפָנָיו וְעַל־יְדֵי זֶה יִנָּצֵל מִשִּׁכְחָה (קצב Through engagement in Torah, one can rebuke even those far from him, even though he does not know what they need, and they are not with him to be rebuked.

נז. עַל־יְדֵי שֶׁמַּרְגִּישִׁין מְתִיקוּת בְּהַתּוֹרָה, נִצּוֹלִין מִלִּהְיוֹת אַלְמָן (קצט Nevertheless, through his studying and engaging in Torah, through this, those far away hear the voice of the Torah’s proclamation. For the Torah proclaims, cries out, and rebukes constantly, calling and saying, “How long will you simple ones love simplicity,” and so on. But they do not hear the voice of the Torah’s proclamation due to the multitude of concealments caused by the multitude of sins, may the Merciful One save us, for Hashem, blessed be He, is now hidden from us due to our many sins, in the aspect of concealment within concealment, in the aspect of “I will surely hide” (Deuteronomy 31:18).

נח. מִי שֶׁזּוֹכֶה לְחַדֵּשׁ חִדּוּשִׁין דְּאוֹרַיְתָא שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהֶם מַמָּשׁ, הוּא צָרִיךְ לִבְכּוֹת מִקֹּדֶם, וְעַל־יְדֵי זֶה נִצּוֹל שֶׁלֹּא יִינְקוּ הַסִּטְרָא אַחֲרָא וְהַקְּלִפּוֹת מֵאֵלּוּ הַחִדּוּשִׁים (רסב But through engaging in Torah, the concealments are revealed, until it effects that even those very far away hear the voice of the Torah’s proclamation and rebuke, until they all return to Hashem (there). And even those who have become exceedingly distant from Hashem, blessed be He, who have fallen and leapt from the place of the world, and some who were already somewhat close to Hashem, blessed be He, but have forgotten this, and some who even now remember Hashem, blessed be He, but their strength has been sapped, and they have no power to overcome their inclination—nevertheless, through the great power of Torah studied in truth, it effects that all of them hear the voice of the Torah’s proclamation and rebuke in itself, as mentioned above, and they all return to Hashem (there). When one studies Torah, he must ensure that from all the studies he learns in Torah, he receives and derives true judgments, that is, upright behaviors, both for himself and for others who are guided by him, each according to his level, according to the authority and leadership he has, whether great or small.

נט. יֵשׁ שֶׁאוֹמְרִים תּוֹרָה שֶׁהִיא לְמַטָּה רְחָבָה מְאֹד שֶׁמַּרְחִיבִין הַדָּבָר וּמַגְדִּילִין אוֹתוֹ מְאֹד, אֲבָל לְמַעְלָה הִיא קְצָרָה מְאֹד, כִּי לְמַעְלָה בַּקְּדֻשָּׁה אֵין נִשְׁאָר מִמֶּנָּה כִּי אִם אֵיזֶה נִצּוּץ בְּעָלְמָא. אֲבָל יֵשׁ לְהֵפֶךְ, כִּי הַצַּדִּיקִים אֲמִתִּיִּים אוֹמְרִים תּוֹרָה שֶׁהוּא לְמַטָּה נִרְאֶה קְצָרָה, אֲבָל לְמַעְלָה הִיא רְחָבָה וּגְדוֹלָה מְאֹד מְאֹד אַשְׁרֵי לָהֶם וְכֵן בְּהִתְעוֹרְרוּת וְכוּ' [עַיֵּן תְּפִלָּה אוֹת ע"ו] (רעט One who teaches Torah in public and is heard by unworthy students, through this, a withholding of rain comes, Heaven forbid. Also, he is seized in captivity, Heaven forbid (60).

Studying halachot, especially when one merits to innovate in them, is the aspect of the delight of the World to Come, and through this, childbirth comes easily, and one is saved from all troubles (Likutay Moharan II, 2). And this is merited through faith in the sages, through which one can receive and derive from all the studies he learns in Torah true judgments and upright behaviors, so that he knows how to conduct himself in every matter, both he and those dependent on him (61, 1). There are many books now, and there will yet be many more books, and all of them are needed for the world, and it is forbidden to mock any one of them, since their entire foundation and structure is based on our holy Torah, both written and oral.

ס. אֲפִלּוּ אָדָם פָּשׁוּט אִם יֵשֵׁב עַצְמוֹ עַל הַסֵּפֶר וְיִסְתַּכֵּל עַל אוֹתִיּוֹת הַתּוֹרָה הֵיטֵב, יָכוֹל לִרְאוֹת חֲדָשׁוֹת וְנִפְלָאוֹת, רַק שֶׁלֹּא יַעֲמִיד הַדָּבָר לְנִסָּיוֹן [וְעַיֵּן בִּפְנִים] (רפא A remedy for perseverance is to be careful not to speak about any Jew, but on the contrary, to strive with all his strength to find merit and goodness in every Jew, and even if one seems, Heaven forbid, to be wicked, to strive to find in him good points where he is not wicked [as brought on the verse, “Yet a little while, and the wicked is no more” (Psalms 37:10), see entry 282]. Until every Jew is beautiful and pleasing in his eyes, through this, he merits to persevere in studying the holy Torah (Sichot Haran 91).

A person must seize and steal times for Torah from amidst distractions and occupations. For even one who has many businesses and distractions, it is impossible that he cannot seize and steal for himself some hour in the day to engage in Torah (284). Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai so sanctified the Aramaic language that even other things written in Aramaic have the power to arouse toward Hashem, blessed be He (there, 109).

There is a great obligation on every Jew to study a portion of halachic authorities every day without fail. And even in a time of pressure when he has no time or is on a journey, nevertheless, at the very least, he should study some section of the Shulchan Aruch in whatever place he is, even in a place that is not part of his regular study order in the Shulchan Aruch, so that all the days of his life, no day passes without studying Shulchan Aruch. And on other days when there is no pressure, he should study in order all four parts of the Shulchan Aruch until he completes them all, and then return and start again in order, and so he should conduct himself all the days of his life. This is a very great rectification to clarify and repair all the blemishes he caused through his sins, for through studying halachic authorities, one clarifies the good from the evil, which encompasses all rectifications (Sichot Haran 29). Also, one who merits to innovate Torah innovations himself with intention for Heaven must have faith in himself as well, to believe that Hashem, blessed be He, has great delight in his innovations and not be lazy in them, but hasten to innovate each time and write them down until holy books are made from them. Through this, all judgments in the world are sweetened, as mentioned above (there). Through studying halachic authorities, one nullifies strife at its root, and through this, strifes below are nullified.

Through studying Shulchan Aruch, one merits to be a master of the house and ruler over the earth, and through this, one merits to establish the gates of the Garden of Eden and to attain through this supernal wisdom and lower wisdom, which is the primary delight of the Garden of Eden (Likutay Moharan I, 286). When one studies Torah in truth, he can know future events from the Torah (35).

For only from books that follow Greek wisdom, which are their external investigations and wisdoms, must one distance oneself to the utmost, even if they were authored by whoever authored them. But books that follow our holy Torah, which we received from Mount Sinai, both written and oral, are all exceedingly precious and all needed for the world. And anyone who mocks any one of them, Heaven forbid, is judged in boiling excrement and does not merit to derive upright behaviors from his study, nor does he merit complete counsel, and his counsel is always divided, until he repents fully for this and rectifies it, and all the holy books that follow the foundations of our holy Torah return and are considered precious in his eyes. Through this, all judgments in the world are sweetened, and however a judgment exists in the world, all is sweetened through the holy Torah, whose perfection comes through the multitude of books of oral Torah, through believing in them (there, 5). And the strifes of the evil inclination in his heart, which are the questions, heresies, and confusions of faith that arise in his heart, are nullified, through which his heart becomes divided from Hashem, blessed be He, and he cannot pray properly. For the primary obstacles to prayer, that he does not pray with proper intention, are only because his faith is not complete. For in truth, if a person knew and believed with a whole heart that “the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3), and that the Holy One, blessed be He, stands over him during prayer, hearing, listening, and attending to every word of the prayer, he would surely pray with great fervor and be very precise in directing his words.

Through honoring the Torah, rain comes (there). The schoolchildren, when they begin to read in the Torah, start from Vayikra, for from there they receive the breath of their mouths that is without sin, through the tzaddikim of the generation (282). Torah students must greatly strengthen themselves to innovate in Torah, and this is a very great rectification for stray thoughts. Also, during marital relations, one should think about words of Torah (Likutay Moharan II, 105, 106).

A remedy for perseverance is to be careful not to speak about any Jew, but on the contrary, to strive with all his strength to find merit and goodness in every Jew, and even if one seems, Heaven forbid, to be wicked, to strive to find in him good points where he is not wicked [as brought on the verse, “Yet a little while, and the wicked is no more” (Psalms 37:10), see entry 282]. Until every Jew is beautiful and pleasing in his eyes, through this, he merits to persevere in studying the holy Torah (Sichot Haran 91). Studying halachot, especially when one merits to innovate in them, is the aspect of the delight of the World to Come, and through this, childbirth comes easily, and one is saved from all troubles (Likutay Moharan II, 2). But because he is not so strong in this, due to this, he is not so fervent and not so precise. And all this stems from the strifes of the evil inclination in the heart. Therefore, the rectification for this is studying halachic authorities, through which peace is drawn, and the strifes of the evil inclination in the heart are nullified. Then his heart is not divided from Hashem, blessed be He, and he can serve Hashem with all his heart, with both inclinations, and the gates of intellect are opened to him, so that he knows how to respond to the skepticism in his heart and merits to pray properly with all his heart in truth (62, 2). Through toiling in Torah until one merits to know and understand it, through this, he heals his soul and elevates it to the place of its root, sweetens all judgments, and plants the Tree of Life above all, for healing. Also, he sustains and renews all the worlds and reveals the glory of Hashem, blessed be He, in the world, which is the primary purpose of all human service, so that His glory, blessed be His Name, is magnified (74). One who engages in Torah and cannot understand, this too is very good. For every word and word ascends above, and the Holy One, blessed be He, rejoices in them, and they become the aspect of “willows of the brook” (there). Without engagement in Torah, it is impossible to live. For sometimes a person burns for Hashem, blessed be He, but it is excessive, to the point that he could be completely consumed, Heaven forbid, due to the great burning beyond measure.

Through causing Torah scholars to nullify their study, through this, one becomes ill in his legs (there, 3). The Torah has very great power. Through persistent study of the holy Torah, one can perform miracles in the world, even without knowing any mystical intentions, and especially through studying halachic authorities until one knows how to issue rulings, as is told of the great ones before us who performed great miracles, only because they engaged in Torah day and night in truth (Likutay Moharan II, 41).

עא. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַאי קִדֵּשׁ כָּל כָּךְ אֶת לְשׁוֹן תַּרְגּוּם עַד שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ שְׁאָר דְּבָרִים הַנִּכְתָּבִים בִּלְשׁוֹן תַּרְגּוּם יֵשׁ לָהֶם כֹּחַ לְעוֹרֵר לְהַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ (שָׁם קט One who teaches Torah in public and is heard by unworthy students, through this, a withholding of rain comes, Heaven forbid. Also, he is seized in captivity, Heaven forbid (60). Through engagement in Torah, the fire of burning is cooled to be in proper measure, and he can endure. And conversely, Heaven forbid, sometimes a person burns for the desires of this world so much that it could burn his entire body, Heaven forbid, due to the intense burning of the fire of desires. But when he studies Torah, it shields and saves him, extinguishing the fire burning in him, and he can live. Thus, the primary vitality is through Torah (78). Even one who studies and forgets, this too is very good. For in the future, a person is reminded of all that he learned, even if he forgot. But certainly, it is better for one who merits to remember all the words of the holy Torah (there, 26). The essence of repentance depends on Torah, that is, when one studies Torah and toils in it until he merits to understand one thing from another and to innovate in it for the sake of Heaven, this is complete repentance. Then he returns and connects all the letters and combinations in his portion of the generality of the worlds to their root and place, restoring them all from all the places they were rejected and scattered to, and he becomes a new creation. Then his knowledge is settled, and he merits to arouse compassion before Him, blessed be He, until he merits that Hashem, blessed be He, Himself prays for him, that is, Hashem, blessed be He, arouses with His simple compassion His abundant and great compassion, and then he will have great, complete salvation, amen (105). When one studies, it is good to explain the matter in a language that is understood, and this is a benefit to the world (118). In every place where he sees and studies in any book, he should find himself, that is, take ethical lessons for himself and see his lowliness and humility, and this is a sign that he desires to do the will of Hashem, blessed be He (121). One who teaches Torah and is not worthy of it, through this, the desire for adultery can overpower him, Heaven forbid. For it is a great transgression to teach Torah, even to an individual, all the more so to the public [see inside, entry 134] (134). When a person studies an innovation of a Tanna or tzaddik, he must visualize his image before him, as if the tzaddik or Tanna is standing before him, and through this, he is saved from forgetfulness (192). When contemplating Torah, one must think about the Torah matter he wishes to innovate in, to think and review in his mind that verse or that matter many, many times, very much, and to be knocking and pounding on the door until it is opened for him (there, 58). Through feeling sweetness in Torah, one is saved from being a widower (199). One who merits to innovate substantial Torah innovations must weep beforehand, and through this, he is saved from the Other Side and the husks drawing from these innovations (262). Some teach Torah that below is very expansive, greatly broadening and magnifying the matter, but above, it is very short, for above in holiness, only a spark remains of it in the world. But there is the opposite, for true tzaddikim teach Torah that below appears short, but above, it is exceedingly expansive and great, happy are they, and so too with arousal, and so on [see Tefillah, entry 76] (279). Even a simple person, if he settles himself with a book and looks well at the letters of the Torah, can see innovations and wonders, provided he does not make it a test [see inside] (281). A person must seize and steal times for Torah from amidst distractions and occupations. And if a person increases prayer and solitude for many days and years, yet sees in himself that he is still very far from Hashem, blessed be He, and it seems to him that Hashem, blessed be He, is hiding His face from him, Heaven forbid, he should not err, Heaven forbid, thinking that Hashem, blessed be He, does not hear his prayers and conversations at all. Rather, he should believe with complete faith that Hashem, blessed be He, hears, listens, and attends to every single word of every prayer, supplication, and conversation, and no word is lost, Heaven forbid. Rather, every word makes an impression above, little by little, arousing His compassion, blessed be He, each time. But the structure of holiness he needs to enter has not yet been completed. And with the passage of many days and years, if he is not foolish and does not falter in his resolve in any way in the world, and he strengthens, fortifies, and exerts himself in prayer more and more, then through the abundance of prayers, His compassion, blessed be He, will be aroused, until Hashem, blessed be He, turns to him, shines His face upon him, fulfills his desire and will through the power of true tzaddikim, and draws him close with great mercy and compassion (there, 6). For even one who has many businesses and distractions, it is impossible that he cannot seize and steal for himself some hour in the day to engage in Torah (284). There is a great obligation on every Jew to study a portion of halachic authorities every day without fail. And even in a time of pressure when he has no time or is on a journey, nevertheless, at the very least, he should study some section of the Shulchan Aruch in whatever place he is, even in a place that is not part of his regular study order in the Shulchan Aruch, so that all the days of his life, no day passes without studying Shulchan Aruch. And on other days when there is no pressure, he should study in order all four parts of the Shulchan Aruch until he completes them all, and then return and start again in order, and so he should conduct himself all the days of his life. One must set aside charity before prayer, and through this, one is saved from foreign thoughts during prayer (there, 4). This is a very great rectification to clarify and repair all the blemishes he caused through his sins, for through studying halachic authorities, one clarifies the good from the evil, which encompasses all rectifications (Sichot Haran 29). Through studying Shulchan Aruch, one merits to be a master of the house and ruler over the earth, and through this, one merits to establish the gates of the Garden of Eden and to attain through this supernal wisdom and lower wisdom, which is the primary delight of the Garden of Eden (Likutay Moharan I, 286). The schoolchildren, when they begin to read in the Torah, start from Vayikra, for from there they receive the breath of their mouths that is without sin, through the tzaddikim of the generation (282). Studying halachot, especially when one merits to innovate in them, is the aspect of the delight of the World to Come, and through this, childbirth comes easily, and one is saved from all troubles (Likutay Moharan II, 2). Torah and prayer strengthen and illuminate each other; therefore, one must engage in both specifically (there, 6). Through causing Torah scholars to nullify their study, through this, one becomes ill in his legs (there, 3). Every person must say, “The entire world was created only for me.” Therefore, every person must see and consider at all times the rectification of the world, to fill its lack, and to pray for it (5, 1). One who teaches Torah in public and is heard by unworthy students, through this, a withholding of rain comes, Heaven forbid. Also, he is seized in captivity, Heaven forbid (60). Through honoring the Torah, rain comes (there). One must be exceedingly careful to clear the mind of external wisdoms and foreign thoughts, from leaven that would ferment his wisdom with external wisdoms and desires, for they dull and defile his mind, making it impossible to focus in prayer and to rejoice. Also, one must guard himself greatly from having external fears, fearing nothing but Hashem, blessed be He, alone, for external fears also make it impossible to focus in prayer and prevent joy. The essence is to guard his mind from becoming leavened, not to entertain evil thoughts and desires, which are the aspect of leaven, the side of death. One must rebuke these thoughts, which are from the Other Side, and expel them from his mind and thoughts so they do not approach him, and guard himself greatly so that these thoughts do not enter his mind, Heaven forbid. Also, one must combine love with fear, and then specifically he can purify his mind to pray with great intention with all his strength, until his prayer becomes the aspect of thunder, through which he merits joy, and so on, as mentioned above (there, 4). A remedy for perseverance is to be careful not to speak about any Jew, but on the contrary, to strive with all his strength to find merit and goodness in every Jew, and even if one seems, Heaven forbid, to be wicked, to strive to find in him good points where he is not wicked [as brought on the verse, “Yet a little while, and the wicked is no more” (Psalms 37:10), see entry 282]. Prayer is the aspect of faith and is effective for memory, saving from forgetfulness, which depends on a blemish in faith (there, at the end). Until every Jew is beautiful and pleasing in his eyes, through this, he merits to persevere in studying the holy Torah (Sichot Haran 91). Through studying the holy Zohar, a desire is created for all the studies of the holy Torah. The primary vitality is received from prayer; therefore, one must pray with all his strength to infuse his strength into the letters of the prayer and renew his strength there, and through this, one merits faith (15, 1). Also, the holy language of the Zohar is very effective and greatly arousing for the service of Hashem, blessed be He (Sichot Haran 108). Through complete prayer, one brings vitality to all three parts of the world: the lower world, the world of the stars, and the world of the angels (there). Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai so sanctified the Aramaic language that even other things written in Aramaic have the power to arouse toward Hashem, blessed be He (there, 109). There is sweetness in the Torah, and this is the essence—to merit feeling the sweetness and pleasantness in the Torah. Also through this, he will merit to break open gateways to bring others to repentance, to extricate them from the traps in which they are caught (there, 112). This is merited through rectifying honor, by not accepting any honor for oneself, but all honor ascends to Hashem, blessed be He. Also, through the mitzvah of charity, especially charity to the Land of Israel, through this, one merits to draw and receive from the intellect of the Land of Israel, where the primary sweetness of the intellect, the sweetness of Torah, resides. Happy is the one who truly merits the intellect of the Land of Israel; he knows the sweetness of Torah [see Eretz Yisrael, entries 18, 19, and Kavod, entry 32] (Likutay Moharan II, 71). When one studies Torah in truth, he can know future events from the Torah (35). When studying the books of true tzaddikim, one must focus his heart and eyes well to understand the wonders of the innovations they revealed, and the profound depth and sweetness in them. The essence of prayer is known only by the tzaddikim of the generation; therefore, one who has distress in his home should go to a sage and request mercy for him, for the Holy One, blessed be He, desires the prayers of tzaddikim. And those arrogant ones who prevent themselves and others from going to tzaddikim to pray for them delay the desire of Hashem, blessed be He (10, 4). For because the words are written in a book, much of their light is concealed, since as soon as a book is made, even from exceedingly lofty and wondrous teachings, there are many coverings and concealments upon them, and their pure and wondrous light is hidden and obscured because they were made into a book. One should not desire to engage in any worldly occupation except for the sake of his soul, and even all his prayers should be only to connect his soul. Even those prayers explicitly for bodily needs, such as “Heal us” and “Bless us,” and so on, his intention should not be for his body but for his soul, aiming for the sustenance and healing of his soul. Automatically, when it is rectified there spiritually, it is also rectified materially. But his intention should be only for his soul (there, 9). Even the pages of the binding cover much. Therefore, one must focus well to look at the truth and wonders of the innovations in the book (36). Torah students must greatly strengthen themselves to innovate in Torah, and this is a very great rectification for stray thoughts. Also, during marital relations, one should think about words of Torah (Likutay Moharan II, 105, 106). When studying matters of calamity, such as the laws of mourning and the like, one must pass through such places quickly (Sichot Haran 8). The Torah has very great power. Through persistent study of the holy Torah, one can perform miracles in the world, even without knowing any mystical intentions, and especially through studying halachic authorities until one knows how to issue rulings, as is told of the great ones before us who performed great miracles, only because they engaged in Torah day and night in truth (Likutay Moharan II, 41). One must pray with self-sacrifice, nullifying all his existence and materiality during prayer, not intending for his own benefit at all, considering himself as nothing, and nullifying himself as if he were not in the world. This is merited through judgment, that is, through secluding oneself and expressing his conversation between himself and his Creator, judging and evaluating himself for all his actions. Through this, one elevates fear to its root, which is knowledge, and through this, one merits revealed Torah, and through this, one merits prayer with self-sacrifice, as mentioned above. Through such prayer, one merits the secrets of Torah, which is the hidden light for the tzaddikim. Happy is the one who merits this (15, 2–3–4). The Torah has great power to extract a person even from transgressions. Even one who is trapped in what he is trapped in, may the Merciful One save us, if he establishes a fixed rule and strong obligation to study such and such every day, come what may, he will merit to escape from his evil deeds through the great power and engagement in the holy Torah (Sichot Haran 19). The Holy One, blessed be He, desires the prayers of Israel, and when Israel prays before Him, they fulfill His desire, and He receives delight from us (there, 5). Even one who studies and forgets, this too is very good. For in the future, a person is reminded of all that he learned, even if he forgot. But certainly, it is better for one who merits to remember all the words of the holy Torah (there, 26). Every Torah expounder, before beginning to explain any exposition, must first pour out his prayer before Hashem, blessed be He, to arouse the supernal heart to bestow upon him warm words like burning coals. Only then should he begin to explain, for then the expositions of Torah are drawn down in great abundance from the supernal heart as well (20, 2). When one prays before delivering a discourse, he must pray with supplications and request from the Holy One, blessed be He, a free gift, not relying on his own merit at all, but standing before Hashem, blessed be He, as a pauper and destitute, speaking supplications. Similarly, a person should not pressure himself in his prayer, meaning he should not insist that Hashem, blessed be He, specifically fulfill his will, but should request mercy and supplications: if Hashem, blessed be He, grants it, He grants it; if not, then not (there, 5). Also, when praying before a discourse, one must connect himself with the souls of those standing there to hear the discourse, and then his prayer is a prayer of the many, which is not despised and is surely accepted, adding extra holiness above, and so on [see Tzaddik] (there, 4). Every person has the aspect of revealed and hidden, which are the aspects of Torah and prayer, and every person must ascend each time from level to level to make the hidden revealed. This is merited through Torah study and abundant prayers, for one must study Torah and increase prayer to Hashem, blessed be He, until Hashem, blessed be He, reveals to him what is hidden from him, making the hidden revealed, and he will have a higher hidden. Then he should pray further until that hidden is revealed to him, and so each time he ascends from level to higher level, seeking each time from Hashem, blessed be He, to attain the higher hidden until he attains, and so on. Until he is included in the beginning of emanation, and afterward included in the Infinite, then he will merit the Torah of Hashem and the prayer of Hashem in truth. Through this path, one merits joy, and through joy, one merits boldness of holiness, through which one enters holiness, drawing close to true tzaddikim to receive from them the holy faith in great perfection. All this is merited through prayer with complete intention, for prayer with intention encompasses everything. The essence of prayer is through fear, which is shame before Hashem, blessed be He, not to sin, Heaven forbid. Through this, one merits all the above, and through this, one merits the aspect of hands to receive ethical instruction from true rebukers. Through this, exile and strife are nullified from the world, peace is increased in the world, peace is made between Israel and their Father in Heaven, holiness is rectified, and it is sealed in the aspect of a seal within a seal (22, 10). One who mortifies himself for prayer and gives his soul in his prayer should know that in the place where foreign thoughts enter and need to be elevated, there he must give his soul even more, and through this, he will elevate the sparks of holiness (26). One must greatly overcome foreign thoughts during prayer, for all the follies and confusions in the world, and all the mental turmoil a person has any day at any time, all come specifically during prayer, making themselves heard specifically then and greatly confusing a person’s thoughts specifically during prayer. Therefore, during prayer, one needs great, exceedingly great strength to overcome these confusions, thoughts, and mental turmoil that come and arise in his heart specifically then (30, 7). The essence of prayer is through boldness of holiness, for one must boldly face Hashem, blessed be He, to request from Him all that he needs, even to perform miracles and wonders, because it is impossible to stand and pray before Hashem, blessed be He, except through boldness. For each person, according to what he estimates in his heart of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He, and sees his own lowliness and inadequacy, how could he stand and pray before Him? Therefore, during prayer, a person must remove shame and boldly request from Hashem, blessed be He, all that he needs, as mentioned above. This is merited through boldness of holiness, which he has against those who dispute and prevent the true service of Hashem. Through this, one merits to receive Torah innovations of holiness and not the opposite, Heaven forbid, and then he merits prayer with intention, the essence of which is through boldness of holiness, as mentioned above (there, 8). The essence of prayer is specifically with the mouth, for one must speak the words of prayer with a full mouth, and thought alone is not sufficient, even though the Holy One, blessed be He, knows thoughts. For speech is the vessel of abundance through which abundance is received, and according to the speech, so is the abundance. If the speech, which is the vessel of abundance, is complete and full, then one can receive much abundance through it. Therefore, everything a person lacks, whether materially or spiritually, he must pray for with spoken words specifically, so that through this, he will draw down abundance, as mentioned above (34, 3). The reason one claps hand to hand during prayer is that through this, the air of the place where a Jew prays is purified, and it draws holy air like that of the Land of Israel. Thus, through this, the prayer is in the air of the Land of Israel, and it rectifies foreign thoughts during prayer, also nullifying thoughts of idolatry, and nullifying killing and loss from the world (44). It is fitting for a person to be in this world in all the holy places of Torah, that is, to study all the holy books of Torah: Torah, Prophets, Writings, the Talmud, all the early and later halachic authorities, all the books of the holy Zohar, all the Midrashim, the writings of the Ari, of blessed memory, and other holy books, so that he can take pride in the World to Come that he was in all the places of the holy Torah. And do not be alarmed by this, saying it is difficult and heavy to study all the books, for in truth, you do not need to complete them in one day. And one whose soul yearns for Torah and makes his Torah study fixed can, over many days, complete all the books mentioned above and more, many times, as we have seen many Torah scholars before us who studied everything and were nearly fluent by heart in the Talmud and all the above, all because of their persistent study. Foreign thoughts are called a "flood," as they confuse his prayer. Their rectification is to give charity to the Land of Israel, and through this, he is included in the air of the Land of Israel, and through this, he is saved from foreign thoughts. Also, through this, his mind is purified, meaning his thoughts, and this is the rectification of the covenant (there). And every enlightened person can merit all this if he wishes, and nevertheless, he will also have time to increase in prayers, supplications, requests, and conversation between himself and his Creator every day. Also, through clapping hands during prayer, judgments are sweetened, and through this, one is saved from forgetfulness and also nullifies strife (46). For there is time in the day for everything: a time for Torah separately, a time for prayer, and other services separately. And especially, one must be careful to study all the halachic authorities and complete them many times all the days of his life, as explained above (there, 28). When contemplating Torah, one must think about the Torah matter he wishes to innovate in, to think and review in his mind that verse or that matter many, many times, very much, and to be knocking and pounding on the door until it is opened for him (there, 58). Prayer with strength is a segulah (spiritual remedy) for children, saves from quarrels and strife, strengthens the truth, and causes everyone to return to Hashem, blessed be He, to serve Him with one accord. Through this, the true Rebbe of the generation is revealed and becomes renowned (there). Prayer with strength, the Land of Israel, and the mitzvah of sukkah are one aspect and dependent on each other (there). The essence of prayer depends on the heart, that he places his entire heart upon it, meaning that he binds the thoughts of the heart well to the words of the prayer, so that his heart is not distant from the words, but rather he hears clearly what he is saying. Through this, His kingdom, blessed be He, is revealed and magnified, the kingdom of wickedness falls, and great vitality, abundance, great wealth, and boundless blessing are drawn to Israel. Through this, a supernal unity and a lower unity are achieved, and one merits the revelation of the Torah of the Hidden Ancient One (49). Each person, according to the rectification of his covenant and his connection to true tzaddikim who guard the covenant, is able to taste sweetness in the words of prayer, and then “a lion descends to eat his offering,” meaning his prayer. But through a blemish in the covenant, he is in the aspect of “bitter waters,” and then he cannot taste sweetness in the words of prayer, and then “a dog descends to eat his offering,” which is his prayer (50). Know that the brazen-faced ones in the generation are the dogs, and they are the ones who stand and dispute the prayer of a Jew who has not yet fully rectified his covenant. From this, you will understand on your own how great is the sin of those who dispute the prayer of a Jew and seek to confuse his prayer. For they are literally called dogs, in the aspect of “and the dogs are brazen of soul” (Isaiah 56:11). Even though this person who prays has not yet merited the rectification of the covenant, and because of this, this dispute comes upon him, which is the aspect of “a dog descends…” as mentioned above, nevertheless, the disputers are not exempt from their punishment because of this. For they uproot their souls from holiness and cause themselves to be literally called dogs by disputing his prayer, even though he has not fully rectified his covenant, as mentioned above. For certainly, he must exert himself to pray with all his strength, even as he is, even though he cannot feel sweetness in the words of prayer, and the effort itself is exceedingly precious [as explained elsewhere]. But the disputers are in the aspect of literal dogs, and their sin is too great to bear, may the Merciful One save us (there). Through finding merit for the wicked, the light of the tzaddik’s eyes is strengthened, and he can see and attain the righteousness of the Holy One, blessed be He. He can know and understand that Hashem is righteous, even though the wicked may prevail in judgment. His heart is relieved of the crookedness it had before, his faith is strengthened, and he can pray (55, 3). During prayer, one must subdue the evil in the particular and the evil in the general. The evil in the particular, meaning his coarse and material body, he should nullify during prayer, like the early chasidim who, during prayer, experienced a divestment of corporeality. The evil in the general, meaning the prayers of the sinners of Israel with whom he prays, he should nullify their evil and make from the evil a throne for holiness (there, 5). Also, one must connect himself, in the general and in the particular, with the souls, spirits, and higher souls of the dwellers of the dust, and arouse them in his prayer to pray with him. In the particular, this means the parts of his soul, spirit, and higher soul that have already come in reincarnation and been rectified. In the general, this means the soul, spirit, and higher soul of other dwellers of the dust, to arouse them to pray with him (there). Also, one must rectify three things through his prayers. First, the one who prays must rectify through his prayer to elevate those who have fallen into false beliefs, to raise them through his prayer to the true faith, which is prayer, and to establish complete faith in their hearts. Second, he must focus greatly in his prayer, and through the intentions of the heart in prayer, he rectifies the hearts of the investigators, the philosophers, so that their intellect does not lead them astray. Third, through prayer in its proper perfection, he nullifies all the reproaches and insults he receives from his enemies, for he transforms all the reproaches and insults into honor (there, 6). During prayer, a person stands in the palace of the King, and then he must nullify himself completely and not see anything except the King alone, blessed be He, until his existence is entirely nullified, and he does not feel himself at all during prayer, only the King alone, blessed be He. Through this, all reproaches and insults are nullified (there, 7). Through prayer in its proper form, as mentioned above, the light of the merit of the Patriarchs radiates, and through this, the aspect of the holiness of the Land of Israel is drawn down even now in exile. Through this, one merits to see the downfall of the wicked. All this is achieved through finding merit, by finding merit for the wicked, through which one can pray, as mentioned above (there). Not every person can rectify the three things mentioned above in his prayer and subdue the wicked and enemies through this, except for the tzaddik who is exceedingly great in stature, in the aspect of Moses our Teacher, peace be upon him. Even he must gird his loins greatly to stand against the great wicked ones to destroy and nullify them (there, 9). Through studying the poskim (halachic authorities), one merits to pray properly with his whole heart. For in truth, if a person knew and believed with a whole heart that “the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3), and that He, blessed be He, stands over him during prayer, hearing, listening, and attending to every single word of the prayer, he would certainly be very meticulous to focus his words and would pray with great fervor. But because his heart is divided and not strong in this knowledge with a whole heart, he is not so meticulous and does not focus his heart well in his prayer. All this stems from the doubts and heresies in the heart, which are the aspect of the disputes of the evil inclination in the heart. Therefore, the rectification for this is studying the poskim, through which the disputes of the evil inclination are nullified at their root, and through this, one merits to pray properly with his whole heart in truth (62, 2). The essence of the perfection of prayer is for one who merits to reach the ultimate purpose, to make one of the entire prayer. For when a person stands to pray and speaks the words of prayer, he gathers blossoms, flowers, and beautiful roses, like a person walking in a field and gathering roses and beautiful flowers one by one, until he makes one bundle. Then he gathers more, one by one, and makes another bundle and joins them together, and so he goes, gathering and collecting many beautiful and lovely bundles. Similarly, in prayer, he goes from letter to letter until several letters are joined, forming a word and a syllable. Then he goes and joins more letters, forming a second syllable, and so on. Afterward, the two syllables are joined, and then he goes and gathers more until he completes one blessing. Then he gathers more and more, going from “Avot” to “Gevurot” and from “Gevurot” to “Kedushot,” and so he continues further. Who can describe the greatness of the splendor of the gatherings and collections that a person gathers and collects in the words of prayer? When the word comes out from the soul and is heard by his ears, the word requests from the soul not to part from it. As soon as the first letter of the syllable emerges, the letter holds onto him and does not let him go further, all the more so when he completes a whole syllable, for then the syllable grasps the soul, embraces, and envelops it, so that it does not go and part from it. For how can you go from me? Do you not see the preciousness of my beauty, my radiance, and my glory, for I am the syllable “Baruch”? Listen to what you are saying, and let your ears hear what comes out of your mouth. How can you go and part from me? It is true that you must go further to gather more precious and great treasures, but how can you part from me and forget me? At the very least, ensure that wherever you go and come, you do not forget me and do not part from me. Therefore, the essence of the perfection of prayer is when one merits to make one of the entire prayer. When he stands at the last syllable of the prayer, he should still be standing at the first syllable, so that he never parts from the first letter of the prayer, even at the conclusion of the prayer, and then the prayer is complete. But to merit this is impossible except through the great, true tzaddik, who is in the aspect of the master of the supernal field, who can bring each person to the true, good ultimate purpose, which is entirely good, entirely one. Through this, one merits to make one of the entire prayer, which is the essence of the perfection of prayer, as mentioned above [see Tzaddik, entry 58] (65, 2). Through praying in truth for the sake of Hashem, blessed be He, alone, without any bias for people, one merits to draw down the aspect of the World to Come into this world. Through this, there will be a downfall for the wicked. Then, the greatness of the tzaddikim and the righteous will be revealed, as it will be in the future. Through this, the holy speech is perfected. And through this, one merits to bring from potential to actuality, meaning to complete in action all the holy things he wishes to do (66, 3). One who is dependent on people for livelihood, or even if he is not dependent on them for livelihood but has a desire for honor and importance, is also included in the category of being dependent on people, for he is dependent on their honor and importance. One who is in this state can fall into great falsehood in his prayer, meaning making movements in falsehood for the sake of people, since he is dependent on them for livelihood, honor, or the like. Even someone who is somewhat righteous and not entirely hypocritical or a complete liar, when he is dependent on people in any way as mentioned above, it is very difficult for his prayer to be in complete truth. For there are people who are righteous and ashamed to pray in complete falsehood and want to pray in truth. But truth is very great, meaning that he deceives himself to make some movement or clap his hands for some bias for livelihood or honor, and he fabricates reasons in his mind that he truly needs to make that movement in his prayer, covering the falsehood with truth. But the Examiner of Hearts knows that this is not truth. For truth is only one—for the sake of Hashem, blessed be He, alone, without any other bias. Therefore, one who is dependent on people in any way as mentioned above finds it very difficult to pray in public, for in public, great biases and falsehoods covered with truth fall upon him, as mentioned above. Therefore, a person must be careful during his prayer and service that at least then he is not included in the category of being dependent on people, but rather places his hope and trust in Hashem his G-d in truth. He should not think of any person or creature at all during prayer. Then he can stand among thousands of people and pray in truth to Hashem, blessed be He, alone, since he is not dependent on any creature—not for livelihood, not for honor, nor for anything, but his hope is in Hashem his G-d (there). One must pray with his whole heart until he feels the words of the prayer in all his bones. But when he prays without heart, his soul becomes distant from its root, and then his soul is weary, his bones are dismayed, and he has no vitality in his soul or his bones. Through this, praying without heart causes, Heaven forbid, the withdrawal of wisdom from the elders and the wise (67, 8).