קריאת התורה א

And all that we merit to know of His Name and to believe in Him — to that extent, Amaleik is subdued, uprooted, nullified, and his memory erased from the world. Amaleik is the kefiros and investigations that come from the excess of light — where they investigate what they have no permission to investigate, the aspect of "what is before, what is after, what is above, what is below," etc. All the difficulties and heresies of the investigators are drawn from there, which is the aspect of the zuhamas hanachash — the kelipos and Sitra Achra drawn from the excess of light that caused death and shattering, chas v'shalom. For the concealment, diminishment, and contraction of the light — this is the essential tikun, as is known in the writings of the Ari z"l.

It follows that specifically through "His Name not being complete," as it were, the Sitra Achra — the aspect of Amaleik — is subdued and nullified, as above. And then, when his memory is erased through the strengthening of holy emunah — where Yisrael strengthen to believe in Him through emunah alone, specifically through the concealment of the Sheim Ha'Etzem, not wishing to investigate at all the inner knowledge of His will and conduct — but believing in simplicity that He is the Former, He is the Creator, Who conducts and oversees, etc., and in what they have no permission to investigate, they do not investigate at all, for they know it is impossible to perceive now, as above — through the completeness of this emunah, we will merit in the future that the Sheim Ha'Etzem will be revealed to us, for then the Name will be pronounced as it is written.

Then the blemish of the moon will be filled, and the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun. For the entire aspect of the exchange is drawn from the aspect of the blemish of the moon, which said: "It is impossible for two kings to use one crown" — and it blemished the malchus of kedushah. Then Hashem said to it: "Go and diminish yourself" — and this caused the hold of the kelipos, as is known. From there is drawn the power of the malchus of the Sitra Achra — the aspect of "Tachas eved ki yimloch, v'shifchah ki tirash gvirta," etc., as is known.

Therefore, in the Ma'aseh much is explained regarding chiddusei d'sihara [the renewal of the moon] — the aspect of the tikun of the blemish of the moon. As written there: he heard in the night the niggun made in honor of the moon, that the sun made for it a new garment — the aspect of chiddusei d'sihara, as alluded to there at the end of the Ma'aseh. See there. And likewise, the matter of the moon's complaint to the sun: "Why is it that when you come, I have no name?" etc. See there.

For the entire matter of the exchange — the aspect of sheker, as above — is the aspect of the darkness of night, as above, which is drawn from the diminishment of the moon. Therefore the essential tikun is through the aspect of chiddusei d'sihara — the filling of the blemish of the moon. For all is one aspect, connected to one another: to the extent that the blemish of the moon is repaired, to that extent the zuhamas hanachash and the slave are driven out, and the falsehood of the exchange is nullified, and the truth is revealed in the world — until we merit that Mashiach Tzidkeinu comes, who is the true Prince, and reveals the truth completely in the world, and arranges the Throne properly.

For he will know all the roots of all the neshamos completely — where the place and tikun of each neshamah is — and will repair all the tikunei haShechinah, which are the aspects of mitah [bed], shulchan [table], kisei [throne], and menorah — and will arrange everything properly. Then His Name will be complete and His Throne will be complete, and the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and there will be fulfilled the verse: "V'alu moshi'im b'Har Tziyon lishpot es Har Eisav" — to subdue and nullify the dominion of the aspect of the slave, which is the aspect of Eisav-Amaleik. And the kingship will return to its place — in the aspect of "V'haysa laHashem ham'lucha" — which is the aspect of the kingship of Mashiach, the kingship of kedushah, whose entire kingship will be only to reveal the truth in the world, to make known to all who come into the world that Hashem, He is the G-d — there is none other. And then will be fulfilled: "V'hayah Hashem l'Melech al kol ha'aretz, bayom hahu yihyeh Hashem echad u'Shmo echad" — speedily in our days, Amein.

Connected to what was said above: therefore there are eight days of Chanukah, corresponding to the eight kings of kedushah of Yisrael, which are in turn corresponding to the eight kings of Edom who reigned before a king reigned for Bnei Yisrael. As Rashi explained in Melachim II chapter 8, on the verse "Ki b'yamav pasha Edom mitachas yad Yehudah, vayamlichu aleihem melech..." — Rashi explains there: eight kings reigned in Edom, etc., as enumerated in Sefer Bereishis; corresponding to them, eight kings reigned in Yisrael, etc. See there.

For Chanukah is the aspect of drawing the light of truth to repel the falsehood — the aspect of the kingship of the slave that comes through the exchange, the aspect of Heichalei HaTemuros — which are drawn from the aspect of shviras keilim [the shattering of the vessels], the death of the kings, as is known. From there is the hold of the eight kings who reigned in the land of Edom before a king reigned for Bnei Yisrael, as is known. Through the holiness of the eight days of Chanukah, we draw the light of truth to empower the eight kings of Yisrael over the eight kings of Edom — to subdue the falsehood, which is the slave, and to empower the truth, which is the aspect of the kingship of kedushah of the true Prince — the aspect of the kingship of Yisrael, as above.

This is the aspect of the Hallel recited during the eight days of Chanukah — the aspect of "Hal'lu avdei Hashem, hal'lu es Sheim Hashem." For through serving Hashem — the aspect of avdei Hashem — the contamination of the slave of the Sitra Achra is subdued. For judgment is only sweetened at its root. Therefore now, we must serve Him specifically through avodos [acts of service] — even though in truth this is not truly avdus at all, as above, and the essential perfection is to reach the aspect of a son where the service of Hashem would not be called by the name of avdus at all, as above. Nevertheless, because of the hold of the contamination of the slave, we need avdus specifically — to subdue the din at its root, to nullify the aspect of the avdus of the Sitra Achra through the service of Hashem. Then, when the avdus of the Sitra Achra is subdued, the Name of Hashem is magnified, as above.

This is: "Hal'lu avdei Hashem, hal'lu es Sheim Hashem" — for through avdei Hashem, who serve Hashem, the avdus of the Sitra Achra is nullified, and then the Name of Hashem is magnified, as above.

This is : "Yehi Sheim Hashem mevorach mei'atah v'ad olam" — for through the nullification of the avdus of the Sitra Achra, which is the aspect of sheker, His Name will be magnified and blessed forever, for we will merit afterward that the Sheim Ha'Etzem will be revealed to us — the Name of the essential eternal life. We will merit to magnify and bless His Name forever and ever.