Laws of Washing the Hands in the Morning — Halacha 4

[Hilchos Nitteylas Yadayim Shacharis – Halacha ד']

Based on the Torah-teaching "Vayomer Boaz el Rus" [And Boaz said to Ruth], Siman 65; see there the entire Torah-teaching well. The general principle is that a person must always gaze upon the tachlis [the ultimate purpose / end-goal], which is entirely good, entirely one — where all sufferings and all the troubles of the world are nullified, for everything is for the good. However, it is impossible to gaze upon this tachlis except through s'simu d'einin meichaizu d'hai alma — completely closing the eyes from the vision of this world, etc. And therefore it is ingrained in the nature of a person's soul that when he has great suffering, G-d forbid, he shuts and squeezes his eyes very tightly, etc. — in order to flee to the tachlis, etc. — see there all of this well. However, afterward, when he returns from the bittul [self-nullification], the sufferings return and intensify more than before — like two people fighting one another, when one sees, etc. But afterward, the sufferings are cooled and nullified through the Torah that one draws through the sufferings — through having nullified oneself to the tachlis. Through this, the radiance of the resheemoo [imprint / residual impression] shines into the mochin [mentalities], and one receives Torah through simchah [joy], which is the vessel for receiving Torah. Through this, the thirst of the soul — which is the aspect of suffering — is quenched, as in: "Hoi kol tzamei l'chu lamayim" — "Ho, all who thirst, go to the water" (Yeshayahu 55:1), etc. — see there all of this explained well. And then one is able to pray properly and to make a unity out of the entire prayer, etc. — see there well.

And this is the aspect of nitteylas yadayim shacharis [washing the hands in the morning]. For sleep is the aspect of bittul toward the tachlis, with eyes closed — and from there is the root of sleep (as brought in the Torah-teaching "Va'yihee Meekaitz — Zikaron," Siman 54) — that during sleep one cleaves to Alma d'Asay [the World to Come], which is the aspect of bittul. And likewise in the Torah-teaching "Ki Merachamam Yinahagaim," Siman 7, on the statement of our Sages, of blessed memory — "And Rabbi Eliezer was sleeping" — it is understood as well that sleep is the aspect of bittul, the aspect of "Ayin lo ra'asah" [no eye has seen] (Yeshayahu 64:3) — see there.

For the essential nature of the sleep that Hashem causes to fall upon a person is for the purpose of the aspects mentioned above, as explained in the Torah-teaching mentioned above — namely, in order to flee each time from the dinim [judgments] and sufferings, all of which are drawn from the aspect of confusion of the mind, as brought in our writings elsewhere. And because a person comes to this world only for the sake of the battle — to wage the war of Hashem against the desires and confusions, and to attach his thoughts to Hashem always — through this the mochin become exhausted each time. And therefore Hashem implanted within the soul of a person that when the confusions intensify greatly and the mochin become exhausted, sleep falls upon him — which is the closing of the eyes and the nullification of the mochin. That is, he closes his eyes and nullifies his brain and mind entirely — and this is the aspect of the bittul mentioned above, namely, bittul toward the tachlis of good. And there, all the confusions are nullified — which are the aspect of the totality of all the dinim, the troubles, the sufferings, and the obstacles — for they are all nullified through the bittul toward the tachlis, as above. And from there, sleep was implanted upon every person and upon all creatures.

And therefore, in truth, one who merits it can attain extremely lofty things during sleep, because at that time he is in a state of bittul toward the Light of the Ain Sof [the Infinite One], blessed be His Name. And through this he attains what he attains, as brought in the holy Zohar (Parshas Vayakhel, 195a) on the verse: "Mi ya'aleh b'Har Hashem" — "Who shall ascend the mountain of Hashem," etc.

And therefore, when one rises from sleep, one must wash his hands with water. For when he rises from sleep, this is the aspect of returning from bittul, and then the dinim — which are the confusions, from which come all the impurities — seek to overpower more and more, as explained in the Torah-teaching mentioned above. And then one must intensify oneself greatly to nullify them through the Torah that is drawn from the resheemoo, etc., which is the aspect of water, as above. And this is the aspect of nitteylas yadayim with water immediately upon rising from sleep. For then, when one rises from sleep — which is the aspect of returning from bittul — one must immediately, without delay, draw the waters of Torah in order to drive away the spirit of impurity that rests upon the body, and primarily upon the hands — namely, the forces of judgment and confusion that stand and lurk and rest upon the body during the time of bittul, so that as soon as the Da'as returns from the bittul, they will cling to him even more, as above. And therefore one must be careful to drive them away immediately upon rising from sleep through purification with water. For through this one draws purity and holiness from the waters of Torah that are drawn from the resheemoo of the bittul — which nullify the sufferings and the dinim when one returns from the bittul, as above.

And this is the aspect of the renewal of the Torah that one must receive each and every day — the renewal of the mochin that are drawn each day in the aspect of "Chadashim labekarim" — "New every morning" (Eichah 3:23). And as our Sages, of blessed memory, said regarding: "Asher Anochi metzav'cha hayom" — "Which I command you today" (Devarim 6:6) — that the words of Torah should be in your eyes each day as if they were new (Sifri ad loc.).

It follows that each day one must draw upon oneself the receiving of the Torah anew — namely, as above. For through sleep there is the aspect of bittul, and from there one must receive the renewal of the Torah in order to nullify the dinim and impurities, etc., that seek to attack specifically then, with greater intensity, as above. And one who merits this in completeness — to innovate in the Torah with true chiddushim [novel insights] each day — fortunate is he! But even the rest of the people in the world who do not merit this must at the very least strengthen themselves to engage in Torah in the morning upon awakening from sleep, as is explained in all the holy books — to rise in the early morning watch to engage in Torah — in order to thereby quench the thirst of the soul, namely, to drive away all the sufferings and dinim and Sitra Achara and all manner of confusions through the Torah that is received from the resheemoo.

And therefore, in truth, even one who does not merit to actually innovate in the Torah must at the very least strengthen himself each and every day to engage in Torah with fresh desire and fresh vitality, and it should be in his eyes as if truly new — for this too is an aspect of the renewal of Torah, as explained elsewhere. Namely, as above. And this is the entire aspect of tzitzis, tefillin, Krias Shema, and tefillah — all of which are aspects of the renewal of the mochin that are drawn upon each and every member of Yisrael each day. All of this is drawn from the aspect of the radiance and the reshimah [imprint] of the bittul toward the tachlis, which is the aspect of sleep, as above.

And this is the aspect of the great intensity of the miracle of Chanukah, to the extent that we merited a new mitzvah — to kindle the ner Chanukah [Chanukah light] in our homes each year. For the kindling of the ner Chanukah — we kindle from the radiance of the holy resheemoo of the bittul toward the tachlis, from which comes all the receiving of the Torah and the mitzvos, which are the aspect of the totality of all the holy lights, the aspect of: "Ki ner mitzvah v'Torah or" — "For the mitzvah is a candle, and the Torah is light" (Mishlei 6:23). Through this, all the troubles and the Sitra Achara are nullified — from which stems the sustenance of the kingdoms of the nations.

For the kingdom of the nations stood against Yisrael "to cause them to forget Your Torah," etc. — for they knew that the primary strength against them is through the Torah, as above. Therefore, they sought to cause the Torah to be forgotten, G-d forbid. But the tzaddikim of that generation — Mattisyahu the Kohen Gadol and his sons — nullified themselves with the ultimate bittul to Hashem and cast their lives aside and gave up their souls for the sake of Yisrael. This is the aspect of bittul.

For this is the primary great and true counsel for all troubles, G-d forbid, that pass over Yisrael collectively, or that which passes over each individual person, may the Merciful One save us — there is no proper counsel to flee from them except through bittul toward the tachlis. That is, to close one's eyes tightly and make oneself as if asleep and nullify oneself with the ultimate bittul, as if one has no sensation at all — only to attach and nullify one's thought to the Light of the Ain Sof, blessed be He. And this, every person can do — as I heard from his holy mouth — for even though one cannot merit bittul in completeness like the great and perfect tzaddikim, nevertheless, every person can nullify himself for some period of time if he truly desires it. And through the bittul, the sufferings and troubles will be nullified from him. However, afterward it is possible that they will intensify even more, G-d forbid — and one must strengthen oneself to nullify them through Torah chiddushim, or through engaging in Torah with fresh desire, as above.

And therefore, the primary receiving of the Torah came about through this very aspect — through the fact that they were first in great distress in Mitzrayim, until Moshe Rabbeinu came and nullified himself with the ultimate bittul, as it is written: "V'ha'ish Moshe anav me'od" — "And the man Moshe was very humble" (Bamidbar 12:3) — which is the aspect of the ultimate bittul, the aspect of true humility. And through this bittul, he nullified all the troubles and redeemed us from Mitzrayim and from all the impurities and the Sitra Achara. And from the aspect of this bittul, he drew down for us the fire of the Torah, to drive away the Sitra Achara and the klipos so that they would not intensify further afterward, as above.

And therefore, they were compelled to flee from Mitzrayim, because it was before the receiving of the Torah. And in Mitzrayim it was not possible to give the Torah, for it was filled with idols. Therefore, it was truly very difficult and burdensome to leave Mitzrayim. For each time that Moshe nullified himself and shone upon Yisrael the aspect of bittul — for he made known to them His Name, blessed be He, and shone upon them the Light of the Ain Sof, and taught them to cleave and nullify themselves to Him, blessed be He — yet, the more he nullified himself, the more the Egyptians intensified and hardened their hearts all the more, because the bittul must be in a mode of ratzo vashov [running forth and returning], etc., as above. For at that time, it was difficult to draw Torah each time.

But through the compassion of Hashem, He performed for us great and awesome miracles and wonders, until He shone upon Yisrael a very great and mighty illumination on Lail Sheemooreem [the night of guarding — Passover night], as it is written: "Vi'avartee vi'Eretz Mitzrayim" — "And I shall pass through the land of Egypt" (Shemos 12:12) — and its Aramaic translation is: "V'isgalisi" [and I shall reveal Myself], and as brought in the Kavanos. Until, from the greatness of the illumination, all the firstborn of Egypt fell and died — those who had been lurking to attack and overpower through this very thing. For they could not bear even from a distance the sparkling of this great light. For then, in His compassion, He shone upon us a very great light throughout that entire holy night — which is the Lail Sheemooreem — until the power of the Sitra Achara, which is the aspect of the kingdom of Mitzrayim, was then greatly nullified, as above.

And then Yisrael fled immediately, for they were compelled to flee because inevitably they would return from the bittul, even though it lasted a long time, and then the Egyptians would be able to intensify even more, as above. And therefore they were compelled to flee, because it was not yet possible to draw Torah afterward to nullify them through the Torah, as above. And therefore, indeed, Egypt pursued them afterward, when it was told to Pharaoh that the people had fled. For although Pharaoh and Egypt were greatly nullified and subdued on that night, nevertheless, afterward he intensified anew — since there had not yet been the receiving of the Torah to nullify him completely through the Torah. For the primary complete nullification is through the Torah that is drawn afterward from the resheemoo of the bittul, as above. And at that time it was not yet possible to receive the Torah. Therefore, he intensified and hardened his heart and pursued them until the sea.

Therefore, they were truly then in great danger, because he intensified then more and more, and he took all his forces — six hundred choice chariots — which are the totality of all the powers of the Sitra Achara and the dinim, may the Merciful One save us, as is brought. For then, after the bittul, they intensify more and more, as above. But Hashem, in His compassion, had mercy upon us in the merit of the Avos and in the power of Moshe, and He split the waters before them in the merit of the receiving of the Torah that they were destined to receive — which is the aspect of water, as above. And through this, the physical waters fled before them, and they passed through the sea on dry land, and the Egyptians drowned in them. And it was all through the power of the Torah that they were destined to receive — which is the aspect of water, as above.

And now, in this long and bitter exile of ours, which is harder than the exile of Mitzrayim and all the exiles, as is brought. For regarding this exile it is said: "Vataired pela'im" — "She has descended astonishingly" (Eichah 1:9). And so too in every place where the verses and our Sages speak of this exile, they all describe at length the great severity and bitterness of this exile, as explained in the Midrashim. And according to the length of the bitterness of the exile, it would have been impossible to endure — were it not for Hashem who was for us, who prepared the remedy before the affliction — for we had already merited to receive the Torah at the standing at Har Sinai.

And also now, no generation is orphaned, and Hashem sends us great and awesome tzaddikim who draw upon us the aspect of the illumination of the Light of the Ain Sof, and teach us to nullify ourselves to Him, blessed be He, each time — and especially in a time of trouble, may the Merciful One save us. And the main thing is that they draw down for us wondrous Torah chiddushim, and through this they enliven us and give us strength to stand against them and nullify them when they intensify and attack afterward more and more. For each time we nullify them through the holy Torah that we have already merited to receive through Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, and through the wondrous chiddushim that the great tzaddikim of each generation innovated, in the aspect of:

"This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life." (Tehillim 119:50)

As above.

And this is the aspect of the kindling of the ner Chanukah. Mattisyahu and his sons and all the tzaddikim of that generation merited the bittul mentioned above in completeness, until they afterward drew a great [illumination] from the resheemoo mentioned above — which is the aspect of receiving the Torah — through which they overpowered the wicked kingdom of the nations, as above. And from the greatness of this illumination, they merited to draw for all generations a great illumination each year — "bayamim haheim bazman hazeh" [in those days, at this time] — and they established for us these eight days of Chanukah and ordained to kindle the ner Chanukah during them.

For this holy kindling is the aspect of drawing the light and the radiance of the resheemoo from the bittul — from which comes the receiving of the Torah. Through this we prevail against all who rise against us, who intensify more and more each time, in the manner of two people fighting one another, as above. But through the aspect of receiving the Torah from the light of the resheemoo mentioned above — which is the aspect of the kindling of the ner Chanukah — through this we prevail over them, as above.

And therefore there are eight days of Chanukah — in order to draw the illumination of the receiving of the Torah from its root, which is the aspect of the eighth day, which is the aspect of Binah — which encompasses the three upper [sefiros] — where the light of the radiance of the resheemoo is grasped and held. For Binah is the heart — which is the aspect of simchah, the aspect of: "Nasata simchah b'libi" — "You have placed joy in my heart" (Tehillim 4:8) — which is the vessel for receiving the Torah, which is then drawn into the seven days of building, which are the aspect of the seven middos [attributes / emotional faculties], which are the aspect of the totality of the Torah, the aspect of: "Chatzva amudeiha shiv'ah" — "She has hewn out her seven pillars" (Mishlei 9:1), as is known.12

And this is the aspect of Pharaoh's dream, whose rectification was through Yosef, who interpreted it — and we read this parshah during the days of Chanukah. For Pharaoh saw during sleep — which is drawn from the aspect of bittul, as above — he saw then how the seven bad cows swallowed the seven good cows, etc., which is the aspect of the overpowering of the bad over the good, namely, the overpowering of the seven bad middos over the seven good middos — until:

"And they came into their innards, and it was not known that they had come into their innards." (Beraishis 41:21)

For so greatly does the Sitra Achara intensify each time — wanting to make a person forget, each time, as if he had never seen good in his life. Even though at first, during the bittul, he saw only the good, which is the aspect of the seven good cows — yet he saw that immediately afterward, close to his awakening, that is, when he begins to return from the bittul — the seven bad cows return and intensify — they are the evil that lurks and attacks and overpowers even more afterward, as above.

And this is why the intensification of the bad cows is juxtaposed to his awakening, as it is written there: "And their appearance was bad," etc., "and I awoke" — and so throughout the entire parshah; namely, as above.

And its rectification is through Yosef, who merited the ultimate bittul in completeness as befitting, in the aspect of: "Ben poras Yosef, ben poras alai ayin" — "olei ayin" [rising above the eye] (Beraishis 49:22). For Yosef — the aspect of the true tzadik — rises above the eye. For he shuts his eyes from the vision of this world completely, and he has no gazing at this world whatsoever, not even for the blink of an eye. And therefore he is called "olei ayin" — for he rises above the eye and rules over it.

For one who has gazing at this world — according to the extent of his gazing, so is he beneath the eye, for the eye rules over him since he is drawn after his eyes, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Sotah 9b) concerning one who followed after his eyes. This is the aspect of: "V'lo sasuru acharei l'vavchem v'acharei eineichem" — "And you shall not stray after your hearts and after your eyes" (Bamidbar 15:39) — that the eye should not see and the heart desire and rule over him. Rather, he should overpower the eye and the heart, and rise above them and rule over them, in the aspect of "olei ayin" — that he should have no gazing at this world whatsoever.

This is the aspect of Yosef, who is called "olei ayin." And therefore he nullifies all the disgraces and shames, which are the totality of the desires of the Sitra Achara, in the aspect of: "Asaf Elokim es cherpasi" — "G-d has gathered away my disgrace" (Beraishis 30:23).

And therefore Yosef merited the ultimate bittul in completeness. And through this he interpreted and rectified Pharaoh's dream, and he caused the good to prevail over the bad — the seven years of plenty over the seven years of famine.

And this is the aspect of: "V'Yosef yashis yado al eineicha" — "And Yosef shall place his hand upon your eyes" (Beraishis 46:4). "His hand" specifically — the aspect of receiving the Torah that is received from the resheemoo, whose primary reception is through the aspect of hands, in the aspect of: "And the two Tablets of the Covenant were upon my two hands" (Devarim 9:17) — the aspect of "written by the finger of G-d," as stated in the Torah-teaching mentioned above regarding the statement of our Sages, of blessed memory (Ta'anis 31a): "And each one points with his finger." For the primary tikun is through the Torah that is received afterward, as above. And the Torah protects the eyes — so that even when one returns from the bittul, the Sitra Achara will not overpower, for it falls through the Torah, in the aspect of: "Mitzvas Hashem barah, me'iras ainayim" — "The command of Hashem is clear, enlightening the eyes" (Tehillim 19:9).

And this is: "And Yosef shall place his hand upon your eyes" — "his hand" specifically, "your eyes" specifically, as above. That is, even when they return from the bittul — which is the aspect of opening the eyes — nevertheless, they will not have the power to overpower further, for they will be nullified through the Torah, as above. For the tzaddikim and the upright, even when they return from the bittul and open their eyes, they do not gaze, G-d forbid, upon the vanities of this world. Rather, they guard their eyes through the Torah that they receive from the bittul, as above. And through this, all the dinim and troubles and all the Sitra Achara are nullified. And this is the aspect of: "And Yosef shall place his hand upon your eyes," as above.

And this is the aspect of tzitzis, which are the rectification of the garments — which are the aspect of the vessels of the mochin. For one must first rectify and greatly refine the vessels, which are the garments, so that they can receive the light of the radiance of the resheemoo from the bittul toward the Ain Sof, and so that it should not pass away and not be forgotten from them.

For every member of Yisrael, in the innermost part of his soul, yearns and burns exceedingly for Hashem, because in his innermost being he gazes at all times toward the tachlis, which is the Light of the Ain Sof, where his root lies, and he wishes to cleave and be subsumed there. But because this aspect is always in a state of "V'hachayyos ratzo vashov" — "And the living creatures ran forth and returned" (Yechezkel 1:14) — and when he is in the aspect of vashov [returning], the vessels of the mochin, which are the aspect of the garments, cannot receive the light of the radiance from there. And therefore he has nothing with which to cool his thirst, and then it is usually completely forgotten from him.

And therefore, the evil inclination and its legions attack Yisrael more intensely — because they see that he wants to flee each time to the tachlis. Especially regarding the upright Torah scholars who desire and yearn most toward the tachlis — against them it attacks even more, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Sukkah 52a). Namely, because of the above-mentioned aspect, as above. For in this matter of bittul and gazing toward the tachlis, there are many, many thousands and myriads of myriads of aspects and levels between one person and another. And even within a single individual himself, there are many variations between each time and moment.

And therefore, tzitzis is the first mitzvah in the morning — that immediately in the morning upon awakening from sleep, which is the aspect of bittul toward the tachlis, one must immediately don tzitzis, to draw the light of the tzitzis, to rectify the aspect of the garments, which are the aspect of the vessels, so that one can receive the light of the radiance of the resheemoo from the bittul, as above.

And this is the aspect of: "Ooreesem oasoa oozichartem es kol mitzvos Hashem" — "And you shall see it, and you shall remember all the mitzvos of Hashem" (Bamidbar 15:39). For the light of the tzitzis, at its root, is drawn from the aspect of gazing toward the tachlis, from which is the root of all the Torah, as above. And this is the aspect of the tichailes [blue thread] in the tzitzis, for tichailes is the aspect of the tachlis [the words share the same root: תכל], as explained (Siman 18). And regarding this it is said: "Ur'isem oso" — "And you shall see it" — whose primary meaning refers to the tachlis. That is, one must see and gaze intently upon the tichailes, which is the aspect of the tachlis. For "tichailes resembles the sea," etc., "up to the Throne of Glory" — where His glory, blessed be He, resides, the aspect of the Light of the Ain Sof, which is the aspect of the tachlis.

And this is: "V'lo sasuru acharei l'vavchem v'acharei eineichem asher atem zonim achareihem" — "And you shall not stray after your hearts and after your eyes, which you go astray after" (Bamidbar 15:39) — that is, one should not gaze from the side upon the vanities of this world. Rather, one should direct one's vision and gaze only toward the tachlis, which is the aspect of tichailes, as above. And through this one draws light from the tachlis to rectify the aspect of the garments, which are the vessels, so that they can receive the light of the resheemoo, as above, from which comes all the Torah, as above. And this is: "And you shall see it, and you shall remember all the mitzvos of Hashem" — for all the mitzvos, which are the totality of the Torah, are drawn from the light of the resheemoo mentioned above.

And therefore, the entire Torah was compared to tefillin, as it is written: "Oolizeekuroan bain ainecha" — "And for a remembrance between your eyes" — "lima'an tihi'yeh Toras Hashem bifeecha" — "so that the Torah of Hashem shall be in your mouth" (Shemos 13:9), as our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded (Kiddushin 35a). For the light of the resheemoo from the bittul mentioned above is the aspect of tefillin, which are the primary divaikus [attachment / cleaving] to Hashem — they are the primary light of the radiance of the resheemoo, as understood in many places. And this is the aspect of all the Torah and mitzvos that are drawn from there, as explained in the Torah-teaching mentioned above regarding the statement of our Sages, of blessed memory: "And each one points with his finger," etc. — see there.

And tzitzis is the aspect of the rectification of the garments, which are the vessels, so that the vessels be refined and able to receive the light of the resheemoo, and so that it should not pass away from them. For if a person would truly remember the light of this radiance of the resheemoo — which shines upon every person each day, each one according to his level — he would certainly be attached to Hashem always. However, because of the materiality and murkiness of the vessels, he is unable to receive even the light of the resheemoo, and through this it passes and is forgotten from him.

Therefore, the Torah commanded us to don tzitzis each day — in order to refine the vessels and the garments, so that they can receive the light of the resheemoo, which is the totality of the mitzvos of the Torah. And this is: "And you shall see it, and you shall remember all the mitzvos of Hashem," etc. For through tzitzis, which are the aspect of the rectification of the vessels of the mochin, through this the radiance of the resheemoo is well-fastened in the brain, and one remembers Him, blessed be He, well — which is the aspect of the totality of the mitzvos of the Torah that emerge from there, as above.

And this is the aspect of the juxtaposition of tzitzis and tefillin — that Yisrael dons tallis and tefillin each day. For tefillin are the aspect of the light of the radiance of the resheemoo, as above. And tzitzis are the aspect of the rectification of the vessels and garments — so that the resheemoo will be fastened in them and not pass away from them, in the aspect of "l'ma'an tizkeru" — "so that you shall remember" — the aspect of: "And you shall see it, and you shall remember," etc., as above. And therefore tzitzis precedes tefillin, because first one must rectify and refine the vessels so that they can receive the light of the radiance of the resheemoo. And afterward one draws the radiance of the resheemoo, which is the aspect of tefillin, which are the primary divaikus to Him, blessed be He, that is drawn from the light of the radiance mentioned above.

And therefore, the mitzvah of tefillin is also at the eyes, as it is written: "Ul'totafos bein eineicha" — "And for frontlets between your eyes" (Shemos 13:16). For the primary light of tefillin is drawn through the rectification of the eyes — through directing the gaze of the eyes toward the tachlis, from which one draws the light of the radiance of the resheemoo that remains from there — from which comes the great light of the tefillin, as above.

And therefore, the mitzvah involves tichailes, which is the joining of black and white, as is known,17 and as is written elsewhere (Siman 18). That is, the aspect of the totality of the Torah, which is the aspect of "black fire upon white fire."18 For all the Torah is drawn from there — from the aspect of gazing toward the tachlis, which is the aspect of the tachlis that it is a mitzvah to see always, as it is written: "And you shall see it, and you shall remember," as above.

And this is the meaning of the word mitzvah, which is a term of joining — from the language of tzavsa [togetherness] and connection. For through each and every mitzvah of the Torah's mitzvos, one joins and binds and connects the light of the radiance of the resheemoo to the vessels of the mochin. Through this one is bound to Him, blessed be He. And conversely, an avairah [transgression], G-d forbid, is a term of "passed and gone" [from the root עבר] — for through the avairah, G-d forbid, this light of the resheemoo passes and departs from him.

And therefore, "mitzvah goarehress mitzvah, va'avairah goarehress avairah" — "One mitzvah leads to another mitzvah, and one transgression leads to another transgression" (Avos 4:2). For through the mitzvah, one binds and connects to oneself the light of the radiance of the resheemoo mentioned above. Through this, one becomes bound and attached to Hashem. And through this, the light of the holiness of the rest of the mitzvos is drawn upon him each time, and one merits to fulfill them. For all the mitzvos are drawn from there. And likewise in the opposite direction with a transgression, G-d forbid.

For the essential holiness of Yisrael is to merit the tachlis mentioned above — namely, to become bound and subsumed in the Light of the Ain Sof, through the holiness of the Torah and mitzvos that are drawn from the radiance that is drawn from there. Fortunate is the one who strives at all times to draw upon himself this light of radiance — fortunate is he! And free choice is available to every person, for upon every person shines this light of radiance. For even in the lowest levels, the Light of the Ain Sof shines — for the Light of the Ain Sof is never cut off, as understood in the writings of the Arizal — that even in the lowest level of Asiyah [the World of Action], the aspect of the ray of the Light that is drawn from the Ain Sof is invested — see there. Only that it is in great concealment and in very many garments.

But whoever desires to attach himself to Hashem can attach himself from wherever he is, as our Master, teacher, and Rebbe, of blessed memory, said in very many expressions in very many places.22

And regarding this it is said:23

"Fortunate is the man who does not forget You, and the son of man who draws strength from You." (from the Rosh Hashanah liturgy; cf. Yeshayahu 64:4)

For great exertion and strengthening are needed for this. And whoever is at a lower level needs to strengthen and exert himself in this even more and more. For even in the intensity of darkness, in the valley of the shadow of death, one can draw upon oneself the Light of the Ain Sof, by closing one's eyes and spending some time in the aspect mentioned above.

And regarding this it is said: "Gam kee ailaich bigai tzalmuvess, loa eeruh ruh, kee Atuh eemudee" — "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me" (Tehillim 23:4). And it is written: "Gam choshech lo yachshich meemekuh, vileyeluh ka'yoam yu'eer, kachashaichuh ku'oaruh" — "Even darkness does not darken before You, and night shines like day; as is the darkness, so is the light" (Tehillim 139:12). And it is written: "Al tismachi oa'yavitee li, kee nafalti kamti, kee aishaiv bachoshech, Hashem or li" — "Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; though I have fallen, I shall rise; though I sit in darkness, Hashem is a light for me" (Michah 7:8). Understand this well, for practical application.

And this is the aspect of wool and linen. For the primary garments are of wool and linen (see Menachos 39b), and from them come the primary tzitzis. For the primary garments came into being after the sin of Adam HaRishon, for beforehand it is written: "And the two of them were unclothed," etc. (Beraishis 2:25). And afterward: "Vaya'as Hashem l'Adam ul'ishto kasnos or vayalbisheim" — "And Hashem made for Adam and his wife garments of skin and clothed them" (Beraishis 3:21). And from there all the garments in the world are drawn. For beforehand, they could subsume themselves and nullify themselves in the Light of the Ain Sof at all times with ease, and draw the light from there without thick garments — only with garments that were pure and bright, in the aspect of "kasnos or" [garments of light — אור with an א].24

For before the sin, Hashem placed him in Gan Eiden to work it and guard it,25 so that he would merit there to delight in Hashem, to gaze upon the pleasantness of Hashem, to subsume himself in His Infinite Light in a mode of ratzo vashov at all times without exertion, and to draw the light from there through very pure garments — the aspect of "kasnos or" [garments of light]. For this was the primary purpose of his dwelling there in Gan Eiden, for there one delights in Hashem. For Gan Eiden is the aspect of the bittul mentioned above, and from there one draws the light, and it is imprinted in the aspect of the Gan [Garden], which is an exceedingly pure place where one can easily receive the light of the radiance from the bittul mentioned above. And as explained at the end of the Torah-teaching mentioned above — that this is the aspect of Gan Eiden, the aspect of Moshe and Aharon — see there. For Gan Eiden is the aspect of the holy field that is explained at the beginning of the Torah-teaching mentioned above, where all the souls grow, etc. — and this relates to the matter of the bittul discussed there.

For Gan Eiden is "the field that Hashem has blessed," as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Zohar, Beraishis 128a). For the primary rectification of the souls in the field is that they should merit to subsume themselves in the Light of the Ain Sof and to delight in Hashem — which is our primary tachlis, the primary delight of the World to Come, which is the bliss of Gan Eiden, which is the world of the souls.

And originally, before the sin, one could merit this during one's actual lifetime. And for this purpose, Hashem placed him there — "to work it" — through the positive commandments; "and to guard it" — through the negative commandments (Zohar, Beraishis 27a). That is, he only needed to fulfill and guard the Torah, and through this he would have been able to subsume himself in the Ain Sof and draw the light from there without the thickening of garments — only in the aspect of "kasnos or" [garments of light], as above.

However, through the sin, "man in his glory does not endure" (Tehillim 49:13), and he was expelled from Gan Eiden: "And Hashem placed the Keruvim and the flaming, turning sword to guard the way to the Tree of Life" (Beraishis 3:24). These are the aspect of the guards of the gate, who do not allow one to easily subsume oneself in the Light of the Ain Sof, where the primary eternal life resides — for they confuse one's thoughts with all kinds of enticements and confusions that are drawn from the aspect of "the flaming, turning sword," etc.

And then great exertion is required before one can subsume oneself there. And it is not possible to receive the light from there except through garbing in many garments and constrictions, in the aspect of "kasnos or" [garments of skin — עור with an ע], from which physical garments were drawn and came into being. And they are the primary rectification, for without the rectification of the garments, it is impossible to receive any light, as is known.

And therefore, the Sitra Achara and the klipos cling most to the garments, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Berachos 6a): "Hanei ma'anei d'Rabbanan d'valu minayhu" [These garments of the Sages that wear out from them] — because through them [the garments] is the primary drawing of the light. Therefore, they [the forces of impurity] cling there, for they constantly cling in order to damage, G-d forbid, the aspect of the tikun through which His light, blessed be He, is drawn and revealed. And also because the garments are close to them, for the garments are outside the person, and they are in the aspect of the Chashmal, which is adjacent to the aspect of Nogah, as is known. For the garments are what separate between holiness and the klipah. Therefore, they cling after them. Therefore, one must guard the garments very, very carefully.

And this is the aspect of tzitzis, which are the rectification of the garments — through which is the primary receiving of the light from the resheemoo of the bittul, as above. And this is the aspect of wool and linen, which are forbidden to be joined together except in the context of a mitzvah, as it is written: "Lo silbash sha'atnez, tzemer u'fishtim yachdav; g'dilim ta'aseh l'cha" — "You shall not wear sha'atnez, wool and linen together; you shall make g'dilim [fringes] for yourself" (Devarim 22:11–12). For wool — its root is drawn from the aspect of the bittul mentioned above, explained in the Torah-teaching mentioned above: namely, when a person has suffering and troubles, G-d forbid, he shuts his eyes, etc. — which is the aspect of bittul toward the tachlis where everything is entirely good, and where all sufferings and dinim are nullified, etc. And this is the aspect of wool, which is the aspect of the tikunei d'dikna [rectifications of the beard], the aspect of: "Min hamaytzar karasi Kah" — "From the straits I called upon G-d" (Tehillim 118:5).

And this is: "Chishavti d'rachai va'ashivah raglai el eidvoseicha" — "I considered my ways, and turned my feet to Your testimonies" (Tehillim 119:59). That is, according to the great intensity of this fervor and teshuvah, it would be possible for them to attack even more and more, G-d forbid, and seek to cause him to fall, G-d forbid, through this very thing, as above. Therefore he said: "I considered my ways and turned my feet to Your testimonies" — that I calculate my way at all times, each day and each hour — what is the tachlis of this entire world and its vanities? And according to my calculation and thought, I am certainly inflamed at all times to nullify myself entirely. But G-d forbid that I should fall from this any fall whatsoever, G-d forbid. When I see that it is not succeeding in my hands, then I "turn my feet to Your testimonies" — to comfort and enliven myself through the testimony, which is the Torah that we have received, and to be careful not to depart, at the very least, G-d forbid, from the ways of the Torah in simplicity, as above.

And this is: "Chashti viloa hismahmahtee lishmor mitzvosecha" — "I hastened and did not delay to keep Your mitzvos" (Tehillim 119:60) — that immediately I spur myself with very great alacrity to keep Your mitzvos in simplicity at the very least. For because they attack then with greater intensity, as above, one must therefore strengthen oneself and hasten with great alacrity against them, to guard His mitzvos, blessed be He, as above.

And this is: "Chevlei resha'im ivduni, Torascha lo shachachti" — "The cords of the wicked have ensnared me, [but] Your Torah I have not forgotten" (Tehillim 119:61). Here he explains and elucidates well the entire matter mentioned above — that they gather against him and attack him more intensely because of the aspect of the great yearning and bittul mentioned above, which is the aspect of: "Chelki Hashem amarti" — "I said, Hashem is my portion," etc., as above. And this is: "The cords of the wicked have ensnared me" — that the wicked ones, which are the Sitra Achara and the klipos, gather and attack me more intensely because of the above. But "Your Torah I have not forgotten" — for I enliven myself at all times through the Torah, which cools the thirst and shatters and nullifies them, as above.

And this is: "Chatzos lailah akum l'hodos l'cha al mishpitai tzidkecha" — "At midnight I rise to give thanks to You for Your righteous judgments" (Tehillim 119:62). For all our words, as explained throughout this entire halachah, all revolve around the matter of rising at chatzos [midnight] — for then is the awakening from sleep, which at its root is drawn from the aspect of returning from bittul, as above. And then the Sitra Achara seeks to overpower through physical sleep, which is the side of death, which is the aspect of the impure side that rests upon the hands, as above. And then one must strengthen oneself to awaken from sleep with alacrity and rise at chatzos to engage in Torah. And through this, one draws the power of the Torah that is drawn from the light of the radiance of the resheemoo. And through this, one stands against them and subdues them, as above. And this is the aspect of: "At midnight I rise to give thanks to You for Your righteous judgments" — which is juxtaposed to these verses that begin with "Chelki Hashem" — that speak of the matter of the sparkling of the bittul mentioned above: that one must enliven oneself only through the Torah — which is the aspect of: "At midnight I rise to give thanks to You for Your righteous judgments," as above.