הלכות הנהגת בית הכסא

And when the da'as mentioned above departs — that is, when one does not know, G-d forbid, that everything is conducted only through hashgachah from Hashem yisbarach alone, and one thinks there is nature, G-d forbid — this is the aspect of sleep, which is the departure of da'as — the aspect of night and darkness. For the essential light and day is the aspect of da'as, as is brought. That is, the light is only Hashem yisbarach, as it were — in the aspect of: "Hashem is my light and my salvation" (Psalms 27:1) — the aspect of: "G-d, Hashem, and He has given us light" (Psalms 118:27). And this is the essential light of the sun — the aspect of: "For Hashem Tzevakos is a sun and a shield" (Psalms 84:12). That is, when one knows that Hashem yisbarach conducts the world through hashgachah alone — this is the essential light. For the essential light — wherever light is found, such as the light of the sun and the like — it is only the light of Hashem yisbarach, as it were, Who illuminates for us, as above. And when one falls, G-d forbid, from this da'as and attributes things to nature, G-d forbid — this is the aspect of the departure of the light. And then it is the aspect of night and darkness, G-d forbid. And this is the aspect of: "the sun darkened in its going forth" (Isaiah 13:10) — etc. — the aspect of: "sun and moon became dark" (Joel 2:10) — etc. And similar such verses — all said regarding the time of exile. That is, in the exile it is considered as if the light of the sun is darkened — for the exile is compared to night, as explained in the commentary of Rashi. That is, in the time of exile — which is drawn only from the fact that people attribute things to nature, G-d forbid — then "the sun darkened in its going forth." For as soon as one attributes things to nature, G-d forbid, the light is removed from the sun, as if the sun itself is actually darkened. For in truth, the sun has no light at all except from Hashem yisbarach, as above. And therefore, the exile is compared to night and darkness. For the essential exile is only because people attribute things to nature, G-d forbid — and then it is the aspect of night and darkness — the departure of light, as above. And this is the aspect of sleep — the departure of the da'as to know that everything is through hashgachah — which is the essential light, etc. — as above. 1

And therefore, before the washing, it is forbidden to touch with one's hands the seven openings in the head — that is, the two eyes, the two nostrils, the mouth, and the two ears (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 4:3). For these seven openings are the aspect of da'as, as is brought in the words of our Rebbe in another place (Likutay Moharan I, 21). And these seven openings of the head are in the aspect of: "these seven are the eyes of Hashem, ranging over all the earth" (Zechariah 4:10) — the aspect of da'as, the aspect of hashgachah. And therefore, it is forbidden to touch them with one's hands before the washing — so as not to blemish the holy da'as of the aspect of hashgachah through the contamination of the wisdom of nature that clings to the hands during sleep, as above. And therefore, the essential dominion of the wisdom of nature — where they look only at the arrangement of the Heavens — is at night. For they are called "stargazers." For the wisdom of nature is the aspect of night and darkness — for the essential light is only the hashgachah of Hashem yisbarach alone, as above. 12

And therefore, one must rise at midnight — to break the sleep — to break the aspect of darkness and night — which is the aspect of the intensity of the exile that is compared to night — that is, the wisdom of nature, from which is the essential exile and darkness, as above. And every member of Israel must awaken from sleep at chatzos — in order to break and nullify the wisdom of nature, through breaking the sleep, etc. — as above. And therefore, when one rises at chatzos, one then mourns over the exile — that Israel was exiled from their land. For the essential exile is through the wisdom of nature, which is the aspect of night and sleep, as above. And therefore, that is the time to rectify this. 13

And therefore, the first redemption — which is the Exodus from Egypt, which encompasses all the redemptions (for all the exiles are referred to by the name "Egypt," as our Rebbe wrote in another place [Likutay Moharan I, 4]) — therefore the redemption began at midnight — as it is written: "At about midnight, I will go out in the midst of Egypt" (Exodus 11:4). For the essential of all the redemptions — in particular the redemption from Egypt — was through the aspect mentioned above in the discourse mentioned above: through the aspect of hashgachah that Hashem yisbarach drew from the ends of the world, from alma d'asei. For then, at the Exodus from Egypt, there was an overturning of the constellations and a nullification of nature. For then Hashem yisbarach revealed His hashgachah through the awesome wonders He performed then, and nullified nature. And all this was through the aspect of alma d'asei — for "from the side of Yovel they went out" — which is the aspect of the fifty gates of Binah, the aspect of alma d'asei, as is known. 14

And this is the aspect of: "And he divided against them" (Genesis 14:15) — said regarding Avraham when he pursued the kings. For Avraham revealed the hashgachah of Hashem yisbarach in the world. And therefore, the essential sustaining of the generations of the heavens and the earth is through Avraham — as it is written: "These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created [b'hibar'am]" — [read as] b'Avraham (Bereishis Rabbah ad loc.). For he revealed the hashgachah of Hashem yisbarach in the world — through which the essential sustaining of the world comes. And therefore, Avraham had the power to divide the night — that is, to break the night — which is the aspect of the nullification of nature — the aspect of kimas chatzos, as above. And then he subdued the four kings — which are the aspect of the four kingdoms, as is brought. 16

And this is the aspect of eating matzah and the prohibition of chametz. For matzah is the aspect of da'as, the aspect of mochin d'gadlus [mature intellect], the aspect of hashgachah — which is the essential da'as. And chametz is the aspect of mochin d'katnus [immature intellect], the aspect of Elokim, the aspect of dinim, as is brought in the kavanos. This is the aspect of the wisdom of nature — from which is the essential source of dinim and troubles, G-d forbid, as above. For hateva [nature] has the same numerical value as Elokim, as is brought — from which is the hold of the dinim, as above. For chametz is the aspect of: "when my heart was embittered [yischametz]" (Psalms 73:21) — etc. — which is said regarding the kushyos [difficult questions] that fall upon a person regarding the conduct of Hashem yisbarach — which is the aspect of the wisdom of nature, from which come all the heresies and the kushyos. 18

And this is the aspect of Shabbos HaGadol — that the Shabbos before Pesach is called Shabbos HaGadol — on account of the miracle, etc. For the essential miracles and wonders that occurred at the Exodus from Egypt — that He overturned the constellations and nullified nature and revealed His hashgachah yisbarach in the world — all was drawn from the aspect of Shabbos, which is alma d'asei — "which is entirely Shabbos." From there, Hashem yisbarach, as it were, draws the hashgachah from the aspect of the end of the world, etc. — in the aspect of: "the end has come; the end" — etc. — as explained there in the discourse mentioned above. It emerges that the essential Exodus from Egypt was drawn from the aspect of Shabbos, which is the aspect of the World to Come. And therefore, Pesach too is called "Shabbos" — as it is written: "And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Shabbos" (Leviticus 23:15) — meaning Pesach, as our Sages said (Menachos 65b). For the essential intensity of the miracle of Pesach is drawn from Shabbos, as above. And this is the aspect of the Shabbos before Pesach, which is called Shabbos HaGadol on account of the miracle — for all the miracles of the Exodus from Egypt were drawn from the aspect of Shabbos, as above. And therefore, it is called "gadol" [great] — on account of the miracles, which are called the aspect of "great" — as it is written: "Tell me the great things that Elisha did" (II Kings 8:4) — as our Rebbe wrote there in the discourse mentioned above, on the statement: "and He drops two tears into the Great Sea" — see there. 22

And this is the aspect of (Pesachim 2a): "On the night [or] of the fourteenth, one searches for chametz by the light of the candle" — and the Tanna called the night "or" [light] — in a refined expression, etc. For the essential searching for and removal of chametz is the aspect of the removal of the aspect of nature from the world — which is the aspect of chametz, as above. And when nature is nullified and hashgachah is revealed — this is the aspect of the nullification of darkness and night, as above — which are the aspect of the intensity of the exiles, drawn from the aspect of the wisdom of nature, as above. For when His hashgachah yisbarach is revealed in the world, then there is no darkness at all — for the essential light is only Hashem yisbarach, as it were, as above. And then: "night shall shine as day," etc. — as it is written: "even the darkness is not dark to You, and night shines as the day; the darkness is as the light" (Psalms 139:12) — as it shall be in the Future — as it is written: "and at evening time there shall be light" (Zechariah 14:7) — as we ask [in the Haggadah of Pesach]: "Illuminate like the light of day the darkness of night." For the essential darkness of night is from the aspect of the wisdom of nature — which is the essential darkness. And emunas hahashgachah is the essential light, as above. And therefore, the night of the searching for chametz — the nullification of nature — the Tanna called "light" — in a refined expression — on account of the nullification of nature, which is the aspect of the chametz that one searches for on that night. Through which, the night is in the aspect of light — the aspect of: "night shall shine as day," etc. — as above. And therefore, the Tanna called that night "light." 23

And this is the aspect of "a night of watching" (Exodus 12:42) — which is guarded from the harmful spirits. For the essential harmful spirits are from the aspect of the wisdom of nature — which is the aspect of dinim — which is the aspect of the idolatrous nations, the destroyers of the world. And then, on the night of the Exodus from Egypt — when there was the nullification of nature at night specifically — in order to break and nullify the aspect of night, which is the aspect of the wisdom of nature — therefore, that night is guarded from all the harmful spirits and from all the dinim. For then hashgachah was revealed — through which all damages and all dinim are nullified, as above. 24

And this is the aspect of the fullness of the moon — the aspect of: "And the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, as the light of the seven days of Creation" (Isaiah 30:26) — etc. — which shall be in the Future, when His hashgachah yisbarach is revealed in the world. For then the darkness of night shall be nullified, and the moon shall be filled from its diminishment. For the blemish and diminishment of the moon is the aspect of the darkness of night — which is the aspect of the wisdom of nature — which is the essential hold [of the kelipos]. For all their hold is from the aspect of the blemish of the moon, as is known. And in the Future, the moon shall be filled and the darkness shall be nullified — for nature shall be nullified and hashgachah shall be revealed — and then "night shall shine as day." And this is the aspect of: "And the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun," etc. — as above. 25

And this is the aspect of (Pesachim 5a): "The removal of chametz is only through burning." For: "from the fire they came forth, and the fire shall consume them" (Ezekiel 15:7). For hashgachah and nature are the aspect of day and night, light and darkness, as above — and this is the aspect of me'orai or [luminaries of light] and me'orai eish [luminaries of fire]. For the luminaries of fire rule at the time of the departure of the luminaries of light — that is, at night and in darkness. For fire is the aspect of the intensity of din that is drawn from the aspect of nature, as above. And therefore, Hashem yisbarach created fire at the departure of Shabbos through Adam HaRishon, as our Sages said (Pesachim 54a). This is a hint to the aspect of nature, in which the hashgachah is concealed. For nature is the aspect of: "my power and the might of my hand have made me" (Deuteronomy 8:17) — etc. — like fire, whose essential creation was through the work of man's hands. And therefore, from there is the essential hold of nature — which is the intensity of din. And therefore, we make havdalah over it at the departure of Shabbos — for there is the essential aspect of havdalah and clarification. For the essential hold of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is from the aspect of nature, which is the aspect of fire, as above. And through our making havdalah over it — through this, we clarify the good and subdue the evil that clings to the fire, in the aspect of nature. And the fire too — which is the aspect of nature — is encompassed in holiness. For in truth, even nature is hashgachah — for Hashem yisbarach Himself conducts nature as He wills yisbarach. And when one believes and knows that everything is through hashgachah and even nature is hashgachah — then the fire too is encompassed in holiness. And this is the aspect of: "boray me'orai ha'eish" — that we bless at the departure of Shabbos during havdalah — that we believe that everything is from Hashem yisbarach, and even the fire — the aspect of nature — Hashem yisbarach Himself also created. For even nature is hashgachah, as above — and then everything is encompassed in holiness. And this is the aspect of the rectification of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, as above. 27

And therefore, throughout the entire year, chametz is permitted — only on Pesach must one eat matzah and chametz is forbidden — and its prohibition is very stringent, even in the smallest amount. For on Pesach, which is the Exodus from Egypt, one must eat only matzah — which is the aspect of hashgachah. And the aspect of chametz — which is the aspect of nature — must now be removed entirely, in bal yeira'eh and bal yimatzei [it shall not be seen and shall not be found]. For in truth, even nature itself is also the hashgachah of Hashem yisbarach, as above. But since Pharaoh and Egypt overpowered us greatly and denied Hashem, saying: "Who is Hashem?" (Exodus 5:2) — therefore, it was impossible to leave Egypt except through the revelation of hashgachah to a very, very great degree — as it was at the time of the Exodus from Egypt, when Hashem yisbarach revealed His hashgachah in the world in a very great revelation — for He performed awesome signs for us. And therefore, one must then, on Pesach, eat only matzah and not chametz, which is the aspect of nature — only matzah, which is the aspect of hashgachah. For on account of the intensity of the exile in Egypt — which encompasses all the exiles — it is impossible to leave from there except through the revelation of hashgachah alone. And the aspect of nature — which is the chametz — must be removed entirely, in bal yeira'eh and bal yimatzei. For through the aspect of nature, they would be able to overpower, and it would be impossible to leave on account of the greatness of their hold that they took upon Israel. 29

And this is the aspect of the counting of the Omer — that we count from Pesach until Shavuos, forty-nine days — corresponding to the forty-nine gates of Binah, the aspect of alma d'asei — from which is drawn all the hashgachah, all the da'as, all the nullification of nature, as above. And on Shavuos, the fiftieth day, is the Giving of the Torah — for the Torah is drawn from the fiftieth gate, as is known. For the Torah is the essential da'as, the aspect of hashgachah. And therefore, it is counted forty-nine days from Pesach — from the time of the Exodus from Egypt, when the hashgachah began to be revealed — one counts each day until one draws upon oneself all the forty-nine gates of Binah — the aspect of alma d'asei — until one merits on the fiftieth day to receive the Torah — which is drawn from the fiftieth gate. And this is the aspect of: "And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Shabbos" (Leviticus 23:15) — "from the day after the Shabbos" specifically — for Pesach is called Shabbos, as above — for all the miracles and the nullification of nature is drawn from the aspect of Shabbos, which is alma d'asei, as above. And from there one counts until Shavuos, the fiftieth day — corresponding to the fifty gates of Binah, as above. 32

And this is the aspect of the two tears that [the Holy One, blessed be He] drops into the Great Sea — as stated above in the discourse of our Rebbe mentioned above. For the tears are dropped into the Great Sea specifically — which is the aspect of the mikveh — the aspect of alma d'asei — from which the hashgachah is drawn, as above. And the two tears are two drops of da'as — the aspect of: "for the earth shall be full of the da'as of Hashem, as the waters cover the sea" — etc. — as above — that are drawn from alma d'asei — from the Great Sea — the aspect of the mikveh, as above. And through this, Israel is saved from the exile — through the hashgachah that is drawn from the ends of the world, as above. And this is the aspect of: "and their sound is heard from one end of the world to the other" — for the hashgachah is drawn from the ends of the world, from alma d'asei, as above. 33

And this is the aspect of tevilas keilim [immersion of vessels]. For the vessel that came from the possession of an idolater must be immersed in a mikveh so that it will be fit for a Jew to eat from it (Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Daya 120:1). For the idolaters — who are the aspect of nature — this is the essential tumah, as above. And when everything is in their possession, it cannot go out to the possession of Israel, to holiness, except through immersion in a mikveh — which is the aspect of hashgachah, the aspect of da'as — the aspect of: "for the earth shall be full of da'as like the waters," etc. — as above. 34

And this is the aspect of the wine of the Four Cups. For wine contains two aspects — as our Sages said (Yoma 76b): "If he merits — it makes him a head [rosh]; if he does not merit — it makes him a pauper [rash]." That is, when one merits, the da'as is elevated through the wine — and the essential da'as is the revelation of hashgachah. That is, the da'as of hashgachah is revealed even more through the drinking of wine, when one merits — the aspect of: "if he merits, he becomes a head." But if he does not merit, it is the opposite — for "he becomes a pauper" — and there is no poverty except from da'as. And from there is the essential poverty in actuality — that is, when one lacks the da'as of hashgachah, which is the essential da'as — from there comes poverty — the aspect of: "in sorrow you shall eat of it" (Genesis 3:17) — which is the aspect of hardship and poverty that comes through the blemish of eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil — which is the aspect of the wisdom of nature, as above. 40

And this is what he dreamed (Genesis 37:7): "And behold, we were binding sheaves [alumim] in the midst of the field." The meaning of alumim is bundles/knots. That is, the aspect of the constrictions mentioned above, which are the aspects of knots. For a constriction is the aspect of a knot. That is, all of them were occupied with this — they were binding sheaves and making knots and constrictions in order to draw through them the perception of G-dliness. But the constrictions and the vessels of Yosef HaTzadik surpassed them all — in the aspect of: "and behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright" — etc. — for his knot and his constriction arose and also stood forever and for eternity. "And behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf" — for they all need to receive from him the perceptions of G-dliness — through the wondrous constrictions that he made with his profound wisdom — through occupying himself with drawing close souls constantly. Through this he merited that even the great tzadikim who occupy themselves with this — with perceiving the perceptions of G-dliness through the constrictions — even they need to receive from him, for his surpasses them all — in the aspect of: "Many daughters have done valiantly, but you surpass them all" (Proverbs 31:29) — which is said regarding the true Tzadik who is the very greatest, who occupies himself with making vessels and garments and drawing down Torah with such true wisdom, until all can draw close to Hashem yisbarach. And this is the aspect of the praise of the eishes chayil, etc. (Proverbs 31) — the aspect of: "She seeks wool and flax" — which are the aspects of vessels and garments for the perception of G-dliness, etc. And this is the aspect of: "She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar… She rises while it is still night and gives food to her household" — etc. — that in the overwhelming darkness of the night of exile of Jewish souls, she gives them sustenance, etc. And so the entire holy praise goes on and revolves. And this is the aspect of: "Her husband is known in the gates [she'arim]" — which are the aspect of "the measures [shi'urin] of the letters of the Torah" — that is, the aspect of the constrictions mentioned above that he draws down with his wisdom. Through them, Hashem yisbarach is known in the world — the aspect of "Her husband is known in the gates." And this is: "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the Torah of chesed is upon her tongue" — and our Sages expounded (Sotah 49b): "This is one who studies Torah in order to teach it." That is, as above — that he teaches his Torah to others, to draw them close to Hashem yisbarach. And this is: "She watches the ways of her household" — that she watches the conduct of her household, how it should be conducted forever, in a way that her light should never be extinguished, so that the remnant of her wisdom shall remain for all generations, forever. For "the bread of idleness she does not eat" — for her bread and her Torah are not the bread of idleness, G-d forbid, for she was very, very diligent in the service of Hashem yisbarach. Therefore: "her children rise up and call her fortunate" — they are the students who are called children, whom she drew close to Hashem yisbarach. "Her husband praises her" — this is Hashem yisbarach, for Hashem yisbarach agrees with this, for He desires this — that he draw all close to Him — for He is One who desires chesed. And therefore: "Many daughters have done valiantly, but you surpass them all," as above. 40

And this is (Genesis 37:9): "And behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bow down to me." The sun and the moon are the aspects of the giver and the receiver, the aspects of the upper intellect and the lower intellect — the aspects of the Rebbe and the student. For the Tzadik, who is the Rebbe, is called "sun," as it is written: "And the sun rises and the sun sets" (Ecclesiastes 1:5) — and our Sages expounded (Kiddushin 72b): "before one set," etc. And the moon is the aspect of the student who receives the light from his Rebbe like the moon from the sun. And the eleven stars — this is the aspect of the distant souls that are drawn close to Hashem yisbarach. They are very holy souls — but initially they were in the depths of the kelipos — and they ascended from there, in the aspect of the eleven spices of the ketores. And this is the aspect of the eleven stars — the aspect of: "and those who bring the many to righteousness, like the stars" (Daniel 12:3). And all of them bow down to me — for the great Tzadik draws down such intellects that all the great and the small and all the distant ones wish to be drawn close, and all of them need to receive from him. For it has already been explained above that even within the constrictions themselves, there is the aspect of the upper intellect and the lower intellect — for there are many, many levels within them — and there is among them the aspect of Rebbe and student, sun and moon, etc. And all of them must submit and bow down and be nullified before the greatest Tzadik — the aspect of Yosef — for he implants the perceptions of G-dliness within all of them, as above. 41

And this is why one must wash the hands twice: before relieving oneself and afterward. For it is impossible to expel the evil except through the da'as, as explained there. And therefore, one must first purify the hands — in order to draw down da'as — the aspect of arichus yamim. And through this, one can reveal the concealment — that is, to expel and nullify the kelipos that conceal and hide the holiness. And from this itself is drawn arichus yamim — the aspect of da'as — as explained there. And this is the aspect of the second washing of the hands afterward — in order to draw down da'as and arichus yamim that one merits through expelling and clearing out the evil, as above.

And this is the aspect of the donning of tefillin afterward. For through purifying the hands, one can then lift them — in the aspect of: "when I lift up My hands to the Heavens" — the aspect of: "lift up your hands in holiness" . And da'as is drawn from the hands into the mochin, as above. And from this comes the aspect of tefillin, which are mochin — and they are the aspect of life and arichus yamim — as our Sages said : "Whoever dons tefillin merits long life."

And this is the meaning of: "Who shall ascend the mountain of Hashem, and who shall stand in His holy place?" . That is, who can merit da'as — which is the aspect of the mountain of Hashem and His holy place — that is, the Beis HaMikdash — which is the aspect of da'as? "He who has clean hands and a pure heart" . For through a pure heart, he has clean hands — the aspect of: "Let us lift up our hearts to our palms" . And through this, he can ascend the mountain of Hashem — to merit da'as — the aspect of: "when I lift up My hands to the Heavens" — the aspect of machlokes l'shem Shamayim, as above. And this is the aspect of Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferes — which ascend and become Chochmah, Binah, Da'as.

And this is what is written in the Shulchan Aruch : that it is forbidden to touch, before the washing, the mouth, the nose, the eyes, and the ears — which are the aspect of the seven lights that receive the light of the Face — that is, the intellect. And the receiving is from the hands. And when the hands are impure, one can receive the opposite, G-d forbid — since their receiving is from the hands, as above.

And afterward, one recites Krias Shema — which is the acceptance of the yoke of the Heavenly Kingdom — which one merits through having relieved himself, washed his hands, and donned tefillin, as above. And this is the aspect of the revelation of the concealment — as it is written: "Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One" — that even in all the concealments, everything receives its life-force from Him, and "there is no place void of Him."