Laws of Tzitzis — Halacha 2

The matter of tzitzis, according to what our Rebbe, his light shine, said in Likutay Tinyana, Siman 12, on the verse: "V'ayeh haseh l'oalah" — "And where is the lamb for the offering?" (Beraishis 22:7) — see there well.

And the general principle is that even filthy places and houses of idol worship also receive vitality from the Creator, blessed be His Name. And even though His glory, blessed be His Name, is distant from there, in the aspect of: "Uch'vodi l'acher lo etein" — "And My glory I will not give to another" (Yeshayahu 42:8) — nevertheless, they receive vitality from the aspect of the ma'amar sasum [the sealed / hidden utterance], which is "Beraishis" [In the beginning — counted as a creative utterance even though it does not explicitly say "G-d said"]. This is the aspect of the supernal Kavod [glory], which is sealed and concealed with the ultimate concealment. And from there they receive vitality.

And when a person falls there, G-d forbid, then when he begins to seek and search — "Ayeh [Where] is the place of His glory?" — this is his teshuvah and his rectification. For he returns and ascends to the supernal Kavod mentioned above, which is "Ayeh — the place of His glory" — from which those places receive vitality, on account of the tremendous concealment. And now he returns and attaches himself to this holiness, and receives vitality from there, and ascends through this. See there well.

And this is considered a korban oalah [burnt offering], which atones for sinful musings of the heart — which is the aspect of "libi s'charchar" — "my heart races" — through the klipas Nogah [the shell of luminescence — the realm between holiness and impurity], etc. And through the aspect of "Ayeh — the place of His glory" mentioned above, which one seeks and searches in those very places — through this one is rectified and atoned, as above, and from this is fashioned the aspect of a korban oalah, in the aspect of: "V'ayeh haseh l'oalah" — "And where [ayeh] is the lamb for the offering?" And this is the aspect of: "Beraishis bara tayish" — "In the beginning He created a goat" (end of Tikunim, 2) — namely, the lamb for the offering that is fashioned from the aspect of "Beraishis," which is the ma'amar sasum, the aspect of "Ayeh," etc., as above. See there all of this well.

And this is the aspect of tzitzis, which are the rectification of the garments — a protection from the klipos, as is brought. That is: the garments are the aspect of Kavod, for Rabbi Yochanan called his garments "mechabdusai" [my honorers] (Shabbos 113a), and as our Rebbe, his light shine, said elsewhere. And all the aspects of Kavod of all the Ten Utterances — they all receive from the aspect of the supernal Utterance, which is "Beraishis," the ma'amar sasum, from which vitality is drawn even to the external places, as above.

And therefore, the garments — which are in the aspect of Kavod — are rectified through the tzitzis, which are the aspect of the supernal Kavod, the aspect of "Beraishis" — the ma'amar sasum. This is the aspect of tzitzis of lamb's wool, which emerge from the aspect of: "And where [ayeh] is the lamb for the offering?" — for the wool of sheep and lambs emerges from a very exalted level, as brought in the Writings [of the Arizal],3 in the aspect of: "oosar raishai kamar nikai" — "And the hair of His head was like clean wool" (Daniel 7:9). And this level is the aspect of "Ayeh," as is known. And from there comes the aspect of tzitzis that are made from wool, which are the aspect of hairs — the aspect of "the hair of His head," etc., as above. That is, they are in the aspect of the supernal Utterance mentioned above. And because it is the aspect of a ma'amar sasum [sealed utterance], therefore their illumination is only in the aspect of hairs, which are sealed, and their illumination is through a very great contraction — the aspect of a ma'amar sasum.

And these tzitzis rectify the garments of glory, for all aspects of Kavod receive from there, as above. And they are a protection from the klipos, and they rectify the sinful musings of the heart, as it is written: "And you shall see it… and you shall not stray after your hearts," etc. (Bamidbar 15:39). For the primary rectification of sinful musings of the heart is through the aspect of "Ayeh" — from which they [the impure places] receive their vitality, and through this very thing they are rectified. And this is the aspect of tzitzis, which are in the aspect of: "And where [ayeh] is the lamb for the offering?" — as above.

And this is what is written: "And you shall see it, and you shall remember all the mitzvos of Hashem" (Bamidbar 15:39). For all the mitzvos depend on this, since the tzitzis are in the aspect of the supernal Utterance — "Beraishis" — which encompasses all the [Ten] Utterances, which are the totality of the entire Torah.

And this is the aspect of the tzitzis being around the person on his four sides — to rectify the aspect of: "V'nogah lo saviv" — "And brightness was around it" (Yechezkel 1:4), as brought in the words of our Rebbe, his light shine.5 (Also, it is brought6 that tzitzis corresponds to Nogah.) They are also on the four sides — this is an allusion to the aspect of "Ayeh," etc. For when a person falls, G-d forbid, to such places, may the Merciful One save us — then he searches and seeks "Ayeh," etc. And this is his rectification, as above. And this is the aspect of the four sides on which the tzitzis are — that one searches and seeks on every side, in all four directions of the world: "Ayeh — where is the place of His glory, blessed be He?" For the tzitzis are in the aspect of "Ayeh" — through which one is rectified, as above. And this is the allusion of the tzitzis on the four sides: that in every direction one turns, one finds Hashem there — through the tzitzis, which are the aspect of "Ayeh." For the aspect of "Ayeh" is itself one's rectification, and through this very thing Hashem is found to him, as above.

And therefore, it is permitted to enter with tzitzis into a lavatory (Shulchan Aruch, Siman 21, Se'if 3). And it is brought7 that this is the aspect of: "Umalchuso bakol mashalah" — "And His kingship rules over all" (Tehillim 103:19). That is, as above — for the tzitzis are in the aspect of the supernal Kavod, the aspect of "Ayeh," as above — from which vitality is drawn even to filthy places. And through this very thing, they are subdued, as above.

For through the aspect of tzitzis — which are a reminder and sign to remember the Creator, blessed be His Name, and [to remember] that even in those places His kingship, blessed be He, rules — for they have no vitality except from Him, blessed be He — and therefore one searches and seeks on every side: "Ayeh — the place of His glory," as above. This is in itself the aspect of tzitzis, the aspect of "Beraishis" — the ma'amar sasum, from which they draw their vitality, as above.

It follows that they return and attach themselves to the very essence of the holiness from which they had been receiving vitality. And this is their subjugation, for their vitality comes only from the concealment of the holiness and its hiddenness with the ultimate concealment. But as soon as one knows that there is holiness there, and one searches and seeks "Ayeh," etc., as above — then immediately they return to holiness, and they [the forces of impurity] are subdued.

And this is what is brought in the holy books regarding the law that one is permitted to enter with tzitzis into a lavatory — that it is the aspect of "His kingship rules over all." For through the tzitzis, from which vitality is drawn even to those places — therefore one is permitted to enter with them there, as above. For through this very thing, they are subdued — for "His kingship rules over all," as above.

Therefore, tzitzis is a mitzvah that has no inherent holiness in its body (Megillah 26b) — [its holiness] is concealed and hidden there, as above.

And this is the aspect of tzitzis of wool and linen, which are the primary tzitzis. For the primary tzitzis are of wool, which is the aspect of "where is the lamb for the offering?" as above — for the wool of sheep is in a very exalted level, as above. And linen is the opposite, for linen is the aspect of a very low level, as it is written8 regarding Kayin, who brought from the inferior [produce] — namely, flax [linen].

And because of this very thing, tzitzis are also made from linen. For in flax, which is the lowest level from which the chitzonim draw sustenance — the aspect of Kayin — there specifically is invested a very lofty vitality from the supernal level, namely, the aspect of the ma'amar sasum, as above. It follows that linen too receives vitality from the aspect of wool, which is the aspect of the ma'amar sasum, as above. And therefore, tzitzis are made from them as well, for they are in the aspect of the ma'amar sasum, as above.

And this is the aspect of the prohibition of sha'atnez — wool and linen together. For even though in truth, linen too — from which the chitzonim draw sustenance — also receives vitality from the aspect of wool, as above — nevertheless, the primary manner of their reception is through concealment and hiddenness, where the holiness is concealed and hidden there in the aspect of the ma'amar sasum, as above. But it is forbidden to reveal the holiness there, so as not to give them too much sustenance, G-d forbid. And therefore, it is forbidden to join wool with linen — for the vitality of the aspect of linen that it receives from the aspect of wool must be in concealment and hiddenness, as above.

But in tzitzis, kil'ayim is permitted. For on the contrary — through tzitzis, the chitzonim are subdued, and the holiness is revealed — that even in the chitzonim there had been a very lofty vitality. And therefore, it is permitted there to mix wool and linen together, for in truth both are one — their vitality comes from the aspect of the ma'amar sasum, which is the aspect of tzitzis, as above. Only that outside of the context of the mitzvah of tzitzis, as above — when they are not yet subdued and they still have dominion — one must therefore not join wool with linen, as above, so as not to give them too much vitality. For their vitality must be in the aspect of the ma'amar sasum — namely, that the aspect of wool, which is the aspect of "Ayeh," should be sealed and concealed and hidden from the aspect of linen, from which the chitzonim draw sustenance. But in the context of the mitzvah of tzitzis, when the chitzonim are subdued, as above — then linen returns together with wool, and they are joined together, for both are truly one aspect, as above.

And this is the aspect of wrapping oneself in a tallis on Yom HaKippurim while it is still day (Shulchan Aruch, Siman 18, Se'if 1, in the Rema). For the atonement of Yom Kippur is the aspect of tzitzis, which are the aspect of "Ayeh — the place of His glory" — which is recited on Yom Kippur in all the Kedushos [the Kedushah prayers]. For Yom Kippur — which is the aspect of Keser [Crown — the highest sefirah], the aspect of "Ayeh," the aspect of "Beraishis" — the ma'amar sasum that encompasses all the Ten Utterances. For Yom Kippur is the culmination of the Ten Days of Teshuvah, which are the aspect of the Ten Utterances.

And this is in itself the aspect of the teshuvah and atonement of Yom Kippur — through the aspect of "Ayeh." For through this aspect, one exits and ascends from all the klipos, and all sins are atoned — in the aspect of: "Where [ayeh] is the lamb for the offering?" as above. This is revealed on Yom Kippur, when the ashes of Yitzchak are seen before Hashem, as is brought — namely, the aspect of "Where is the lamb for the offering?" as above. And therefore, one wraps oneself in tzitzis the entire day, for all of this is the aspect of tzitzis, which are the aspect of "Where is the lamb for the offering?" as above.

And this is the aspect of the tallis shel ratzon [the tallis of will / favor] in which Hashem wrapped Himself and ordered the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy before Moshe (Rosh Hashanah 17b). For the tzitzis are the aspect of "Ayeh" — where there is mercy and favor and atonement, as is brought,10 and as above.

And this is the aspect of the fact that the passage of tzitzis was established in Krias Shema (see Berachos 12b), and also that one takes hold of the tzitzis during Krias Shema (Shulchan Aruch, Siman 24, Se'if 2). For this is the essential matter of Krias Shema — to make known and reveal the glory of His kingship, blessed be He. And this is the aspect of: "Shema Yisrael," etc. And with the word "Echad" [One], we enthrone Him above and below and in the four directions — which is the aspect of: "The entire earth is full of His glory." And we extend the ד of "Echad" — that the ד should not appear as a ר, G-d forbid — [for if it were read as ר, it would spell אחר — "another"] — in the sense of "My glory I will not give to another."

And behold, since we reveal that Hashem is One and not "another" — from this point on, one wonders: from where do the houses of idol worship and the like receive their vitality? Therefore, we immediately say: "Baruch Sheim K'vod Malchuso l'olam va'ed" — "Blessed is the Name of His glorious kingship forever and ever" — to declare that "His kingship rules over all" — and blessed is the Name of His glory forever and ever, even in the lowest habitation of the klipos. Only that they receive from the aspect of the ma'amar sasum, as above.

And therefore we say it quietly. For certainly this is a very great secret, and it is forbidden to contemplate this excessively, all the more so to speak of it — for it is a matter that is extremely concealed and hidden, as brought there in the words of our Rebbe, his light shine. And this is the aspect of: "Tzeekay kidayrah — toamar yaish lah ginai, lo toamar," etc. (Pesachim 56a) — that is, one senses lofty holiness in the external places — the aspect of tzikei kidayrah [the fragrant residue of the pot], which is a fragrant food, but it is found among lowly people. And this is: "'Say: it has disgrace' — 'Do not say: it has pain'" — for one cannot speak of this. Certainly, it is a disgrace to say that there is holiness there. But if one does not say — it has pain, for certainly, in truth, they too receive vitality from the holiness, as above. And therefore they brought it to her quietly — for in secret one reveals that they too receive vitality from Him, blessed be He. Only that it is in the aspect of a secret, the aspect of the ma'amar sasum, as above.

And this is what is brought — that we say "Baruch Sheim K'vod Malchuso l'olam va'ed" quietly, so that they [the forces of impurity] should not overpower us. For in truth, this very thing is their subjugation — that we know that they receive vitality from Him, blessed be He, as above. And therefore, we need to guard ourselves from them, that they should not attack us, since this is their subjugation. (And this is what is brought — that "Baruch Sheim K'vod Malchuso l'olam va'ed" corresponds to the aspect of Nogah; namely, as above.)

And therefore, on Yom Kippur we say "Baruch Sheim K'vod Malchuso l'olam va'ed" aloud. For then the aspect of "Ayeh" is revealed, and then is truly their subjugation — for throughout the year he [the Satan] has permission, except on Yom Kippur. And then all sins are atoned and all the klipos are nullified. And therefore, then we publicize aloud: "Blessed is the Name of His glorious kingship forever and ever" — namely, that His holiness, blessed be He, is blessed forever even in the habitation of the klipos. For they too had been receiving vitality from Him, blessed be He. For now this is not a disgrace at all, since they have now been subdued. For throughout the year, it is somewhat of a disgrace, as it were, to speak of this, as above. But now that they have been subdued, we publicize aloud: "Blessed is the Name of His glorious kingship forever and ever" — namely, that there too the Name of His glory, blessed be He, is blessed, as above.

And therefore, tzitzis is connected to Krias Shema — for all of this is the aspect of tzitzis, as above.