Laws of Washing the Hands in the Morning — Halacha 3

The matter of nitteylas yadayim [washing the hands] after sleep, based on the Torah-teaching "Ki Saitzai LaMilchamah" [When you go out to war] in Likutay Moharan Tinyana, Siman 82; see there the entire Torah-teaching.

The general principle relevant to our subject is that there exists an aspect of k'saider [in proper order] and shelo k'saider [not in proper order], which correspond to the aspect of: "Achor vaKedem tzartani" — "You have formed me behind and before" (Tehillim 139:5) —the aspect of Adam and Chavah, א״ב and תשר״ק. For Adam corresponds to the aspect of the Name הוי״ה filled with אלפין, whose gematria [numerical value] equals מ״ה [45], which is the aspect of k'saider [-in order], the aspect of kedem [before / forward], the aspect of א״ב [the aleph-bais] in proper order. And Chavah corresponds to the aspect of dibbur [speech], the aspect of "v'lailah l'lailah y'chaveh" [and night to night declares / expresses] (Tehillim 19:3), the aspect of Malchus [Kingship] — פה [mouth] etc., the aspect of תשר״ק — shelo k'saider, the aspect of achor [behind / backward], etc.

And this is what we observe — that sometimes things go for a person shelo k'saider — this is drawn from the aspect of shelo k'saider mentioned above, through separating the aspect of shelo k'saider from the aspect of k'saider. And the primary cause of the blemish is through gadlus [arrogance / inflated ego], when one says, "Ana emloch" [I shall reign] — for through this he separates the aspect of Chavah-Malchus for himself, and detaches it from the Holy One, blessed be He. And then it lacks completeness, for the primary vitality of Malchus is מ״ה — namely, the saichel [intellect], which is the aspect of k'saider. For the completeness of all things is only when they are unified and connected to Him, blessed be He, for then they receive from Him, blessed be He, vitality in completeness. And the vitality is the mochin [mentalities / intellectual faculties], etc., the aspect of Chochmah — כ״ח מ״ה [the power of מ״ה], which is the primary vitality, the aspect of "HaChochmah t'chayeh" [Wisdom gives life] (Koheles 7:12), the aspect of "מ״ה chayainu, מ״ה kochainu" [what is our life, what is our strength], etc. And מ״ה is Adam, etc.

It follows, then, that this aspect of Chavah-Malchus — when it is connected to Adam, to the aspect of מ״ה, namely, to the Holy One, blessed be He — then it possesses completeness, etc. And this is the meaning of: "LaHashem ha'aretz u'mlo'ah" — "The earth is Hashem's, and all that fills it" (Tehillim 24:1). And then things go for the person k'saider, for "ba'asar d'is d'char, nukva lo idkar taman" [in a place where the male is present, the female is not mentioned there] (Zohar, Chukas 183). It follows that the aspect of Chavah — shelo k'saider — is nullified through Adam — k'saider.

And the aspect of k'saider is called יו״ד, for Malchus, which is called דלי״ת [the letter ד], has nothing of its own, and the Holy One, blessed be He, draws into it the vitality of Chochmah, which is called יו״ד. And this is יוּד וָאו דָלֶת [i.e., the spelling-out of the letter ד]. And this is the meaning of: "Achor vaKedem tzartani, vatasheiss aleye kapecha" — do not read "kapecha" [Your palms] but rather "kapecha" [i.e., כפיך — Your כ's] — namely, יוּד has the gematria of כ״ף [20].

And when one separates the ד for himself and draws vitality for himself from it, then things become for him shelo k'saider, etc. And therefore things go for him shelo k'saider, for he is within the aspect of shelo k'saider — namely, Malchus, Chavah, תשר״ק. And therefore, when a person sees that things are going for him shelo k'saider, he should know that he has gadlus — namely, "ana emloch." He should do teshuvah [repentance] and humble himself, and be in the aspect of מ״ה, as it is written: "Vinachnoo mah" — "And we are מ״ה [what / nothing]" (Shemos 16:7). And then Chavah returns to the aspect of Adam, to the aspect of מ״ה, and everything becomes k'saider, etc. And the primary teshuvah is in the month of Elul, etc. — see there all of this well.

And this is the aspect of nitteylas yadayim shacharis — the washing of the hands in the morning upon rising from sleep. For day and night correspond to the aspect of Adam and Chavah, the aspect of k'saider and shelo k'saider, etc. For the light of day is the aspect of Adam, which is Chochmah, because light is the aspect of Chochmah and Da'as [knowledge], as is explained elsewhere in the words of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory (Siman 37), and as it is written: "K'yisron ha'or min hachoshech, kain yisron haChochmah" — "As the advantage of light over darkness, so is the advantage of wisdom" (Koheles 2:13). And night is the aspect of Chavah-Malchus, the aspect of "v'lailah l'lailah y'chaveh," and as is explained in the holy Zohar — and is brought above in Hilchos Hashkamas HaBoker (Halacha 3) — that at night the gates of Gan Eiden are sealed, which is the aspect of the withdrawal of Da'as, and the world is conducted through yeda d'Matronisa [the hand of the Queen], which is the aspect of Malchus, as above.

And therefore, at night, dina shalta [strict judgment prevails], as is explained in the holy Zohar,2 for all dinim [judgments / severity] are drawn from the aspect of shelo k'saider, which is the aspect of the dinim from which come all the sufferings, G-d forbid — things that are against a person's will, which is the aspect of shelo k'saider. For shelo k'saider is the aspect of the darkness of night — like a person walking in darkness, who then walks shelo k'saider, since he cannot find the straight path and may stumble on a stone and the like. But in the light of day, he sees the path and walks k'saider.

It follows that day and night are the aspect of k'saider and shelo k'saider, the aspect of Adam and Chavah, etc. And therefore, at night — when the aspect of shelo k'saider prevails, and the aspect of k'saider, which is Chochmah, which is light, which is day, withdraws — therefore one must sleep. And sleep is an aspect of bittul [self-nullification]. For when a person sees that his Da'as is becoming confused and the mind is not properly settled, and then the aspect of dinim that cling to the aspect of shelo k'saider can overpower — for when the Da'as of holiness is in a state of completeness, then the aspect of shelo k'saider is nullified to the aspect of k'saider, as above, for "ba'asar d'is d'char, nukva lo idkar taman," as above — but at night, when Da'as withdraws and then, G-d forbid, the aspect of shelo k'saider — from which stems the hold of the dinim, G-d forbid — overpowers, then a person must remove his awareness entirely, as if he has no mind at all, and nullify himself completely. This is the aspect of sleep, for one is compelled to sleep at night, at a time when the mind is not in a state of completeness, as above — for then, G-d forbid, the aspect of shelo k'saider can overpower, as above. Therefore, one must sleep — to remove one's awareness entirely and nullify oneself completely, to demonstrate that the aspect of shelo k'saider, which is the aspect of the body, has no vitality whatsoever except through the saichel. And now we remove the saichel entirely, and the body remains like an inanimate stone, devoid of vitality, except in a very great state of constriction.

And then, during the time of sleep, the saichel is renewed and strengthened further. And then, when one awakens from sleep, the mochin return to him renewed, and then the body is restored and strengthened, for the primary vitality of the body is through the neshamah [soul]. And the neshamah and the body are2 the aspect of k'saider and shelo k'saider, for body and soul are2 the aspect of man and woman, as is known — the aspect of Adam and Chavah, the aspect of light and darkness, wisdom and folly, as brought in the Torah-teaching "Dirshu Hashem v'Uzo" (Siman 37). And the body has no vitality whatsoever except through the neshamah. Therefore, at night, when the Da'as is not in a state of completeness, one must remove the Da'as entirely and truly nullify oneself — this is the aspect of sleep — so that the aspect of shelo k'saider should not overpower, as above.

And therefore, when one awakens from sleep, one must wash his hands with water. For water is the aspect of Da'as, as in:

"For the earth shall be filled with knowledge [daya] of Hashem, as the waters cover the sea." (Yeshayahu 11:9)

For we need to draw the waters of Da'as, in order to draw the aspect of k'saider, in order to nullify the contamination that clings to the hands — whose hold is in the aspect of shelo k'saider. For the entire hold of the klipos [husks / forces of impurity] is in the aspect of shelo k'saider — when it does not receive vitality in completeness from the aspect of k'saider. This is the aspect of the darkness of night and sleep, when the body — which is the aspect of night — remains without vitality from the saichel, which is the aspect of day. And then the Sitra Achara [the Other Side / forces of impurity], whose hold comes from there — from the aspect of shelo k'saider — clings to the hands specifically.

For the entire essence of the tikun [rectification] mentioned above — that shelo k'saider be connected and subsumed within the aspect of k'saider — this is subsumed within the aspect of יו״ד, which is the aspect of כ״ף [20], the aspect of yadayim [hands], the aspect of: "Achor vaKedem tzartani, vatasheiss aleye kapecha," as above. This is the aspect of: "Do not read 'yadaycha' [Your hands], but rather 'yudeicha' [Your יו״ד's]," as is brought regarding the verse: "Pose'ach es yadaycha" — "You open Your hand" (Tehillim 145:16). For the totality of the world, relative to Hashem, is in the aspect of shelo k'saider, for Hashem is exalted and elevated above all spiritual realms, and all the worlds are in the aspect of shelo k'saider relative to Him. For all the worlds are conducted through the aspect of Malchus, as explained in the Torah-teaching mentioned above, and Malchus is the aspect of shelo k'saider, as above.

And this is the aspect of: "B'Tishray nivra ha'olam" — "In Tishray the world was created" (Rosh Hashanah 27a). 'Tishray' is the aspect of תשר״ק — 'shelo k'saider' — the aspect of Malchus, as above. And the primary purpose of the creation of the world is "b'gin d'yishtamod'un laih"3 [in order that they should come to know Him] — in order to merit complete Da'as, namely, to know Him, blessed be He, which is the essential true Da'as, and only this is called Da'as, as it is written: "V'yadata hayom vahashaivosa el l'vavecha, kee Hashem Hu HaElokim" — "And you shall know today, and bring it to your heart, that Hashem is G-d" (Devarim 4:39).

That is to say, the primary purpose of creation was in order to connect shelo k'saider with the aspect of k'saider — to elevate all the worlds to their root, so that the aspect of shelo k'saider, which is the aspect of the totality of all the worlds, returns and is nullified before the aspect of k'saider, which is Da'as, which is the knowledge of His G-dliness — which is the essential tachlis [ultimate purpose] and the enduring reality that will remain at the very end, and everything will be nullified before it.

However, to merit this — to connect and elevate all the worlds, which are the aspect of shelo k'saider, to their root, which is the aspect of k'saider, which is the Chochmah and Da'as mentioned above — this is impossible to achieve except in this world of action, through performing the mitzvos and fulfilling the Torah. And the totality of the Torah is subsumed within the hands, which are the instruments of action, as in: "Hayom la'asosam" — "Today, to do them" (Devarim 7:11).

And this is the aspect of: "U'shnai luchos habris al shtai yadai" — "And the two Tablets of the Covenant were upon my two hands" (Devarim 9:17). For the totality of the Torah, which is the aspect of the two Tablets of the Covenant, is contained within the two hands, which are the aspect of the instruments of action. For the hands extend every object to the place where it is needed; so too in the totality of the world — through the aspect of the hands, which are the instruments of action, the aspect of the totality of the Torah — through this we take all the worlds, which are the aspect of shelo k'saider, and elevate them and extend them to Hashem, so that they become subsumed in their root, in the aspect of k'saider.

And therefore it is found in the Zohar4 that at the time of the passing of Rabbi Eliezer the Great, he raised his two hands and said: "veye litrai Toros d'yistalku mei'alma" — "Woe for the two Torahs that will depart from the world," etc. For the two hands are the aspect of the totality of the Torah — the aspect of the Torah SheBichsav [Written Torah] and Torah SheBa'al Peh [Oral Torah], as above.

And therefore, the primary channel for drawing holiness is through the sanctity of the hands. And this is the aspect of nitteylas yadayim shacharis. For because during sleep the vitality withdraws, and then the Sitra Achara, whose hold is in the aspect of shelo k'saider, clings to the hands specifically — for it constantly pursues holiness. And because the primary function of holiness — to subsume all the worlds in their root, that is, to subsume the aspect of shelo k'saider within the aspect of k'saider — is accomplished through the aspect of the hands, as above — therefore the Sitra Achara, d'azla basar piruda tadir [which constantly pursues separation], and constantly seeks to overpower in order to separate, G-d forbid, the aspect of shelo k'saider from the aspect of k'saider — therefore it clings to the hands specifically, where the primary holiness resides, for they are the primary instruments through which one can bind and elevate the aspect of shelo k'saider to the aspect of k'saider. Therefore, they [the forces of impurity] cling there most intensely.

And therefore, immediately upon rising from sleep, one must wash his hands with water — immediately — to draw the waters of Da'as, in order to draw the aspect of k'saider, in order to drive away the Sitra Achara that clings from the aspect of shelo k'saider, as above. And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Shabbos 109a): "Bas melech hi, u'makpedes" — "She is a princess, and she is particular," etc. For the klipah [husk / shell of impurity] is indeed called a "princess" [daughter of the king], because it derives its hold from the blemish of Malchus — when one separates the aspect of Malchus for himself and says "ana emloch." For then everything becomes shelo k'saider, from which stems the hold of the dinim and the klipos, as above. And therefore she is called a "princess," as above.

And therefore, before washing, it is forbidden to touch one's eyes, ears, etc. with one's hands (Shulchan Aruch, Siman 4, Se'if 3). For all of these are the openings of the head and the brain, and all these seven openings are the aspect of the channeling of Da'as that is drawn through these seven openings, which are the aspect of the seven lamps, as explained elsewhere (Siman 21). And therefore, before washing, it is forbidden to touch them with one's hands, so that the aspect of shelo k'saider should not overpower the aspect of k'saider — which is the aspect of Da'as, the aspect of the seven openings of the brain — through the contamination clinging to the hands, which are the instruments of action, whose hold stems from the aspect of shelo k'saider.

And therefore, one must first purify and sanctify the hands with water — which is the aspect of drawing the waters of Da'as — and then one can raise the hands to Hashem and subsume everything in the aspect of k'saider, as in: "Raise your hands in holiness [kodesh]." (Tehillim 134:2) For through drawing Da'as, everything is subsumed in the aspect of k'saider, which is the aspect of Chochmah and Da'as, as above. For Chochmah is called kodesh [holy], as is known. (5)

And this is the aspect of rising at chatzos [midnight], or at least before dawn — in order to connect night with day through Torah and prayer, in order to connect and subsume the attribute of night within day. That is, to subsume the aspect of shelo k'saider, which is the aspect of night, within the aspect of k'saider, which is the aspect of day — which is the primary service of a person: to elevate and subsume all the worlds in their root, as above.

And this is the meaning of: "Behold, bless Hashem, all servants of Hashem, who stand in the House of Hashem at nights." (Tehillim 134:1) "Who stand" etc. "at nights" specifically — for the primary tikun is through this: through rising at night to engage in Torah and prayer, for through this one subsumes night within day, shelo k'saider within the aspect of k'saider — which is the primary rectification of all the worlds, as above.

And this is why the next verse follows: "Si'oo y'daichem kodesh u'varchu es Hashem" — "Raise your hands in holiness and bless Hashem." "Raise your hands" specifically — for to elevate and connect and subsume night within day, shelo k'saider within the aspect of k'saider, this is accomplished through the hands specifically, which are the instruments of action, the aspect of the totality of the Torah, which elevate all the worlds to their root, as in: "Si'oo y'daichem kodesh u'varchu es Hashem" — the aspect of: "Ki essa el shamayim yadi" — "When I raise My hand to the heavens" (Devarim 32:40). This is the aspect of the raising of the hands spoken of in the holy Zohar, for the totality of the worlds is contained within the hands, as in: "Af yadi yasdah eretz, vimini tipchah shamayim" — "Indeed, My hand founded the earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens" (Yeshayahu 48:13).6

And therefore, the primary holiness resides in the hands. For through fulfilling the Torah and the mitzvos, which are contained within the hands — the instruments of action — through this, all the worlds, which are the aspect of shelo k'saider, are elevated, and they are raised and extended to their root, to Hashem, to the aspect of k'saider, which is the aspect of Chochmah, which is called kodesh, as is known. And this is: "Si'oo y'daichem kodesh," as above. And therefore it connects beautifully with the preceding verse, which is: "Behold, bless Hashem, all servants of Hashem, who stand at nights," as above.

And this is the aspect of Rosh Hashanah, the aspect of the blowing of the shofar — which is the aspect of the awakening from sleep, as is explained in the Kavanos — that on Rosh Hashanah there is an aspect of sleep, and through the shofar there is the aspect of awakening from sleep. For in Tishray the world was created — which is the aspect of shelo k'saider, the aspect of תשר״ק, as above. And then, when the aspect of shelo k'saider is aroused, one needs the aspect of sleep — to nullify oneself completely. This is the aspect of the sleep of night, as above. For then, on Rosh Hashanah, it is the first day of the Ten Days of Teshuvah, and the primary teshuvah is to return from gadlus, to humble oneself, and to truly feel one's lowliness and worthlessness. For the primary teshuvah is submission and humility, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Berachos 7a): "One self-rebuke in a person's heart is better than a hundred lashes," etc. And as it is written: "V'over al pesha lish'airis" — "[He] passes over transgression for the remnant" (Michah 7:18) — for one who makes himself like shirayim [leftovers / remnants] (Rosh Hashanah 17a).

It follows that the primary teshuvah is humility and lowliness. For all sins are drawn from the aspect of shelo k'saider when one separates it for himself — that is, through gadlus. For from this stems the hold of all the dinim, from which comes the hold of the evil inclination and the klipos, from which come all the sins. And so it is explained in the holy books9 that through pride come all the sins, G-d forbid. For "whoever is arrogant, it is as if he worships idolatry" (Sotah 4b), and "whoever acknowledges idolatry, it is as if he denies the entire Torah" (Chullin 5a). It follows that through gadlus one comes to all sins, G-d forbid, for through gadlus one separates the aspect of shelo k'saider from the aspect of k'saider, as above, from which come all the sins, as above.

And therefore, the primary teshuvah for all sins is humility — that one make himself like dust to be trampled upon, and feel his lowliness and his distance from Hashem, and humble himself and break his heart before Hashem. For through this, Hashem forgives him, as it is written: "Leiv nishbar v'nidkeh, Elokim lo sivzeh" — "A broken and crushed heart, G-d, You will not despise" (Tehillim 51:19), and as it is written: "V'over al pesha lish'airis" — for one who makes himself like shirayim. For through humility and lowliness, when one makes himself like מ״ה, like nothing and naught — through this he returns to the aspect of k'saider, which is the aspect of מ״ה. Through this all the dinim — which are the aspect of the sins, as above — are nullified.

And therefore, on Rosh Hashanah — which is the first day of the Ten Days of Teshuvah, the first day of the creation of Adam HaRishon [the first man] — one needs the aspect of sleep, which is the aspect of bittul — nullifying oneself completely, as if one has no mind at all, only crying out to Hashem and proclaiming His kingship with complete temimus [simplicity / innocence], without any intellectual sophistication. For on Rosh Hashanah, Adam and Chavah were created — whose root is from the aspect of k'saider and shelo k'saider, as above — and they were meant to rectify all the worlds through their service, that is, to subsume the totality of all the worlds, which are the aspect of shelo k'saider, within the aspect of k'saider — to subsume Chavah within Adam. And then everything would have become k'saider, and the entire world would have been conducted k'saider, without any suffering or dinim, which are the aspect of shelo k'saider, as above.

But they blemished through their sin, and through this they separated the aspect of shelo k'saider from the aspect of k'saider. For the primary cause of their sin was the aspect of gadlus, the aspect of "ana emloch" — for this was the essential enticement of the Nachash HaKadmoni [the primordial serpent], as it is written: "Ki yodei'a Elokim kee b'yom achalchem mimenu, v'nifk'chu eineichem, vihyisem kailokim" — "For G-d knows that on the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like G-d" (Beraishis 3:5). And as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Beraishis Rabbah 19) that it [the serpent] told them: "Every craftsman hates his fellow craftsmen — for from the tree He ate and He created the world," etc. That is, it implanted in them envy and desire to reign and become haughty, as it is written there: "And you shall be like G-d, creators of worlds" — as if to say: "Why should you be submissive and nullified before Him? If you eat from the Tree of Knowledge, you will yourselves be G-d and king like Him!" All of this is the aspect of "ana emloch" mentioned above — wanting to draw the aspect of Malchus to oneself, G-d forbid. And through this everything became shelo k'saider, for he is within the aspect of shelo k'saider.

And therefore, indeed, death was decreed upon them for all generations, for they blemished the aspect of k'saider, which is the aspect of Chochmah, from which comes all vitality, the aspect of "HaChochmah t'chayeh," the aspect of "מ״ה chayainu," etc. And they blemished this and separated themselves from the aspect of k'saider, from the aspect of Chochmah, from the aspect of מ״ה, which is the essential vitality, as above. Therefore, death was drawn upon them — the opposite of life. And therefore, they caused everything to become shelo k'saider — which is the aspect of all the dinim and decrees that were decreed upon the world through their sin, as it is written there:10 "B'itzavon tochalenah, v'kotz v'dardar tatzmi'ach lach" — "In sorrow shall you eat of it, and thorns and thistles shall it sprout for you" (Beraishis 3:17–18). And Rashi explains: "When you sow wheat, it will sprout for you thorns and thistles," etc. All of this is the aspect of shelo k'saider, which they caused through their sin — which was the aspect of gadlus, the aspect of "ana emloch" — through which everything became shelo k'saider, by drawing upon themselves the aspect of shelo k'saider through their sin, etc., as above.

And not only did they fail to rectify the world — they did not elevate and refine the world from the aspect of the dinim that cling to the aspect of shelo k'saider, and subsume everything in the aspect of k'saider, which is what they were supposed to do and rectify on the very day they were created, for it was for this purpose that Adam and Chavah were created: to elevate the entire world to its root, to subsume the totality of the world, which is the aspect of shelo k'saider, within the aspect of k'saider, as above — not only did they fail to rectify this, but they also greatly damaged it through their sin, etc., as above.

And therefore, the primary enticement of the serpent was directed first at Chavah, for Chavah is the aspect of shelo k'saider, from which the hold of the klipos extends. And the primary tikun is that the aspect of shelo k'saider be nullified to the aspect of k'saider — that Chavah be subsumed and nullified within Adam. And the serpent overpowered Chavah, the aspect of shelo k'saider, in order to entice her, in order to separate, G-d forbid, the aspect of Chavah from Adam — so that the aspect of Chavah, the aspect of shelo k'saider, would overpower, G-d forbid, the aspect of Adam, k'saider, until Adam would do the will of Chavah, in order to strengthen the aspect of shelo k'saider, G-d forbid, as above.

However, afterward they did teshuvah immediately and began to rectify everything. But the rectification will not be completed until the end — until Mashiach Tzidkainu [our righteous Messiah] comes, as is brought.11

And every single year we must rectify this on Rosh Hashanah, for then they were created and were supposed to rectify this, and they damaged it, as above. And therefore, we engage in our service on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to rectify this, as is brought in the Kavanos.12

It follows that the primary tikun on Rosh Hashanah is to strive to return and rectify so that everything becomes k'saider — to do teshuvah for all one's sins, which are drawn from the aspect of shelo k'saider, from the aspect of gadlus — and to nullify oneself to Hashem in complete bittul, in order to elevate the entire world that was created then, which is the aspect of shelo k'saider, and return and subsume it within the aspect of k'saider, as above.

And this is the aspect of the sleep of Rosh Hashanah that is brought in the Kavanos — that sleep falls upon it [Ze'ir Anpin], etc. For sleep is the aspect of bittul. For there is the aspect of k'saider and shelo k'saider, which are the aspects of Chochmah and Malchus, Adam and Chavah. And one must nullify the aspect of Chavah to the aspect of Adam, to know that the entire world — which is conducted through the aspect of Malchus, the aspect of Chavah — is all drawn from Him, blessed be He, alone. For "Hashem's is the kingship," and everything is as nothing and naught before Him, blessed be He, "and all the inhabitants of the earth are considered as nothing," etc.13

And this Da'as is a great mitzvah — to know, and to make known, and to become known — for this is the essential vitality of a person and all the worlds in their entirety. And through this, everything returns to being k'saider, as above.

But at a time when the aspect of shelo k'saider — which is the aspect of dinim — seeks to overpower, that is, on Rosh Hashanah, when the world was created, which is the aspect of shelo k'saider, and on which Adam and Chavah sinned, etc., as above, through which they caused the aspect of shelo k'saider to overpower, G-d forbid — therefore one must then nullify oneself completely in the aspect of sleep. That is, to remove and nullify one's mind entirely, as if one has no mind at all — only to proclaim Him, blessed be He, as King, with emunah [faith] and complete temimus, without any intellectual sophistication.

All of this is the primary essence of our service on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: we engage only in revealing His kingship, without any chochmos [intellectual sophistication]. For we remove our minds entirely and nullify ourselves completely. This is the primary essence of our service during these awesome days, when all of Yisrael engages in prayers and supplications, in songs and praises of the Book of Tehillim, and in all manner of requests and supplications and selichos [penitential prayers] and piyutim [liturgical poems], etc. All of this is the aspect of temimus and peshitus [simplicity], without any intellectual sophistication at all. For we reveal His kingship, blessed be He, through temimus alone, without any chochmos.

And this is the aspect of the sleep of Rosh Hashanah that occurs then, as explained in the Kavanos. And it is explained there that sleep is the withdrawal of the mochin from Ze'ir Anpin [the small countenance — a Kabbalistic partzuf] upward, etc. And then the mochin and vitality are channeled to the aspect of Malchus not through Ze'ir Anpin, but rather through Binah, Ima Ila'ah [the Supernal Mother] herself, etc. And afterward, through the shofar, new mochin are drawn — that were renewed through the sleep — and then there is an awakening from sleep, and then Malchus is "sawed" [separated to become a complete partzuf], etc. — see there.