ראש חדש א

The Kohain must bless through n'si'as kapayim [the raising of hands] — for the hands have twenty-eight joints (kach = ko'ach), the aspect of "ko'ach ma'aseh Beraishis" — the power of the act of Creation — the Ten Utterances. Through the hands, one reveals ko'ach ma'aseh Beraishis, and the Kohain can draw berachah. Therefore n'si'as kapayim is during tefillah (which shares this aspect). Tefillah itself is enhanced through spreading one's palms, as Rabbainu said: during tefillah it is good to spread one's palms — for the hands (twenty-eight joints = ko'ach ma'aseh Beraishis) enable conquering Eretz Yisrael, the essential aspect of tefillah — matnas chinam. 25

Therefore we mention the Avos [Patriarchs] in tefillah — "Elokay Avraham, Elokay Yitzchak..." — and the Avos themselves established tefillah: Avraham established Shacharis, etc. (brachos 26b). For the Avos lived before Mattan Torah — when the world was sustained through His kindness, the hidden Torah — which is the aspect of tefillah. 26 This is in accordance with what Rabeinu, may his light shine, wrote — that the aspect of Tamid (the daily offering) is the rectification of prayer, in the aspect of t'fillos k'neged t'midin tik'num — "the prayers were instituted corresponding to the daily offerings" — see there. Now, the blemish of prayer comes about through the blemish of the moon, for the moon is the aspect of Malchus (Kingship), the aspect of prayer. Therefore, on Rosh Chodesh, when the Holy One, blessed be He, said "Bring an atonement upon Me", then the rectification of the moon begins — for then it begins to become full again. For this reason we read the Parshas HaTamid at that time, for it is the aspect of the rectification of prayer as mentioned above; because on Rosh Chodesh the rectification of the moon begins, which is the rectification of prayer as mentioned above. In summary: there are three traits that ruin yirah (the fear of Heaven), which is the aspect of Yerushalayim. They are: the desires for eating, for intimacy, and for money. They correspond to the three watches of the night. Their rectification comes through the Yamim Tovim, which are the three Regalim (pilgrimage festivals). Through this, one merits prophecy by means of the angel that is formed through yirah. And through prophecy, one merits prayer. Then one does not need medicines, for one is healed through the Word of Hashem, which is the Great Lender — for kol kochvaya lavin da min da, siharah lavei min shimsha — "all the stars borrow from one another, the moon borrows from the sun," etc. From there, all the herbs receive their power. But when one grasps the aspect of prayer, the aspect of the Word of Hashem, which is the Great Lender, then one is healed through the Word of Hashem and does not need herbs — for the power of healing is drawn into bread and water. For all the herbs return their power to their root, which is the Word of Hashem, and then the power of healing is drawn into bread and water, etc. And this is the aspect of the radiance of Mashiach, etc. Then one is able to make Rosh HaShanah. For Rosh HaShanah is a great chesed (kindness) that He gave us — the Day of Judgment on Rosh Chodesh, when Hashem, blessed be He, Himself, as it were, expresses regret and says: "Bring an atonement upon Me for having diminished the moon." Through this, we have an opening of the mouth — a justification — to express regret and to ask for atonement, etc. See all this there well. It appears that everything is bound together, and na'utz sofo bis'chilaso — "its end is wedged in its beginning." For all of this is the aspect of Rosh Chodesh — the aspect of the diminishing of the moon and its filling. For those three traits that ruin yirah, which is the aspect of Yerushalayim, are themselves the aspect of the diminishing of the moon, from which the Sitra Achra draws its sustenance — and from it come all the evil desires, in particular the three desires mentioned above. They all stem from the aspect of the diminishing of the moon. For the desire for intimacy is drawn from the well-known k'lipah that comes from the deficiency of the luminaries, as it is written (B'raishis 1:14): "Let there be luminaries" — m'oros is written deficient (without a vav). This alludes to Lilis, whose sustenance is from m'oros written deficient — that is, from the diminishing of the moon. And the desire for money is also dependent on the desire for intimacy, and its sustenance likewise derives from there, as is explained in the words of Rabeinu in the discourse "Tzivisa Tzedek" (Siman 23) — see what he brings there from the statement of the Tikunim that calls the desire for wealth askara l'rabya, m'chaichas b'hu b'usra b'hai alma — "croup for the young, it laughs at them with riches in this world," etc. And this comes from m'oros written deficient, as is known. And likewise the desire for eating — the essence of the desire is in the aspect of "the belly of the wicked shall be wanting" (Mishlai 13:25). For what is necessary for the sustenance of the body is not called a desire; only what is excess — the aspect of "the belly of the wicked shall be wanting" — which is the aspect of m'oros deficient, the opposite of "The righteous eats to satisfy his soul" (Mishlai 13:25), which is the aspect of full light, as is explained in the discourse "Vay'hi mikaitz" (Siman 54). Thus, all three desires are in the aspect of the deficiency of the moon, the aspect of m'oros deficient. Therefore they are alluded to in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, in the three watches of the night — for their sustenance is drawn from there, from the aspect of the deficiency of the moon, which is "the lesser luminary to rule the night" (B'raishis 1:16). And therefore they ruin yirah, which is Yerushalayim. For Yerushalayim is the aspect of Malchus, the aspect of the lesser luminary; and yirah is likewise the aspect of Malchus, as is brought. Therefore, these three traits — which draw sustenance from the deficiency of the moon, which is the aspect of the diminishing of Malchus — ruin yirah, which is the aspect of Yerushalayim, the aspect of Malchus. For the more these forces that draw sustenance from the diminishing of the moon grow stronger, chas v'shalom, the more the moon is diminished. Their rectification is through Yom Tov. For Yom Tov is the aspect of rectification of the diminishing of the moon — the aspect of the filling of the moon. For the festivals are counted by the moon and they are its rectification, as is brought. Therefore, all three Regalim fall at the time of the full moon, for they are the aspect of its rectification and filling. And therefore Yom Tov is called the aspect of "And G-d saw the light, that it was good" (B'raishis 1:4) — which is the aspect of full light, the opposite of m'oros deficient. Therefore, these three festivals, which are the aspect of the filling of the moon, rectify the three desires mentioned above, which are the aspect of the deficiency of the moon. Through this, one merits prophecy, and through prophecy one merits prayer. For all of this comes about through the rectification and filling of the moon, which is the aspect of the completeness of Malchus, as is known. From there comes prophecy, for prophecy is drawn from the angel that is formed through yirah. And the angel is the aspect of the Sh'chinah, the aspect of "Behold, I am sending an angel before you" (Shemos 23:20), as Rabeinu, may his light shine, explained. And she bestows prophecy when she rises above the place of prophecy — that is, above Netzach, Hod, and Yesod — and this takes place on Yom Tov, as is known; understand this. See the aforementioned discourse at the end. Then one merits prayer, which is likewise the aspect of Malchus. And then one does not need medicines, for one can be healed through the Word of Hashem, from which all borrow and receive — for all the stars borrow from one another, the moon borrows from the sun. Now, let us examine why, of all the borrowings of the stars, [the Gemara] specifically mentions that the moon borrows from the sun — are they not all borrowing from one another? Why did it single out the moon? But it appears that all the borrowings of the stars — that they borrow from each other, and thereby the order of the heavenly arrangement is conducted — all depends on the borrowing of the moon from the sun. That is to say, the diminishing of the moon, which is the aspect of the diminishing of Malchus. When Malchus — the aspect of the Word of Hashem — is not revealed, then the concept of borrowing applies, where everything borrows from each other — for everything is conducted according to the order where this one receives from that one, and that one from the next, etc. But when the aspect of the Word of Hashem is revealed, then all the borrowings are nullified. For then it is revealed that there is no compulsory order of nature or heavenly arrangement at all. Rather, everything — all as one — receives from the Great Lender, that is, the Word of Hashem. For "His Kingship rules over all" (Tehillim 103:19). And just as the highest celestial sphere receives from the Word of Hashem, so too the lowliest herb receives from the Word of Hashem. For the Master of Prayer draws down and reveals the aspect of Malchus, the aspect of the Word of Hashem, below — into this world of influence — and draws down His G-dliness, blessed be He, below. Thus, through the revelation of the Word of Hashem, which is the aspect of Malchus — which is the aspect of the rectification and filling of the moon — all the borrowings are nullified, for all borrow only from the Great Lender, which is the Word of Hashem. Thus, all the borrowings of the stars are only on account of the diminishing of the moon — that is, the aspect of the diminishing of Malchus. Therefore [the Gemara] was precise: all the stars borrow from one another, the moon from the sun — for it all depends on this, as mentioned above. And then all the herbs return their power to their root, which is the Word of Hashem. This is the completeness of the aspect of the filling of the moon — when all the sparks that are enclothed in all the things of the world return to the holy Malchus. For they come from the diminishing of the moon, which is the diminishing of Malchus, from where all the sparks originate — the powers enclothed in all the herbs. And now, through the aspect of the rectification and filling of the moon, which is the aspect of Malchus, all the powers and sparks return to their root. And this itself is the filling and rectification of the moon, as mentioned above. This is the aspect of the radiance of Mashiach — for the filling of the moon is the aspect of the Kingship of Mashiach, when in the future Yisrael will be renewed like it. And then will be fulfilled "the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun" (Yeshayahu 30:26), and there will be no diminishing in it at all. Therefore, then one is able to make Rosh HaShanah. For Rosh HaShanah falls on Rosh Chodesh. And this is a great chesed from Him, blessed be He. For on Rosh Chodesh, Hashem, blessed be He, said: "Bring an atonement upon Me." Therefore we have an opening of the mouth to ask for atonement. Thus, the essence of Rosh HaShanah is through the aspect of the filling and rectification of the moon. For this that Hashem, blessed be He, said "Bring an atonement upon Me for having diminished the moon" — this is itself its rectification and filling. For then it begins to become full, since Hashem, blessed be He, expresses regret over its diminishing. Therefore, through all the aspects mentioned above, which are the aspect of the filling of the moon, one is able to make Rosh HaShanah — which falls specifically on Rosh Chodesh, when the rectification and filling of the moon begins, in the aspect of "Bring an atonement upon Me" as mentioned above. This is why we say Hallel on Rosh Chodesh. For Hallel is the opposite of the k'lipah, which is the aspect of y'lalah (wailing), as is brought in the words of Rabeinu, may his light shine. For its sustenance is from m'oros deficient, as mentioned above. And on Rosh Chodesh the rectification begins; therefore we say Hallel at that time, which is the opposite of it. And we say only half-Hallel, because then it is only the beginning of the filling and rectification. The essential completeness of the rectification is on Yom Tov, and then we say the complete Hallel. Rosh Chodesh is also the aspect of the beginning of teshuvah. For then Hashem, blessed be He, said: "Bring an atonement upon Me." From this, teshuvah cascaded down into all created beings — so that all of them experience a stirring of teshuvah on Rosh Chodesh, as Rabeinu, may his light shine, wrote. This is alluded to by the fact that we say half-Hallel — that is, Hallel with skipping. For so it is with the baal teshuvah, who cannot proceed in orderly fashion from level to level, but must skip and leap over many levels, as is brought regarding the verse "The angels of the hosts flee, they flee" (Tehillim 68:13). And as is brought in the Holy Zohar. Also, in the Torah reading on Rosh Chodesh, it is impossible to read in order — one must skip backward. This too can be interpreted as an allusion to the aspect of teshuvah that pertains to Rosh Chodesh. For the baal teshuvah does not proceed in order; it is the way of the baal teshuvah that he sometimes must go back to earlier stages, as is brought in the name of the Baal Shem Tov on the verse "And He will lead us as young maidens" (Tehillim 48:15) — that at first he is assisted from Above to walk and run in the ways of Hashem, and afterward he is left on his own. Then he goes backward — and then resumes walking in order. Also, Malchus of Dovid and Mashiach are alluded to in the Hallel, as is brought. Furthermore, the Hallel alludes to the aspect discussed above — namely, that we have an opening of the mouth to come and express regret and do teshuvah, since He, blessed be He, Himself expresses regret and says: "Bring an atonement upon Me." And this is the meaning of: "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. From Hashem this came about" (Tehillim 118:22–23). That is: if one wonders about the baal teshuvah — how did he merit to be accepted? This is "the stone that the builders rejected" — he became the "cornerstone" — and such a thing seems astonishing. He blemished what he blemished — "the stone that the builders rejected" — they rejected him on account of his many transgressions, and now he has merited to become a "cornerstone." The matter seems wondrous on the face of it. But in truth, "from Hashem this came about" — that is, from Hashem Himself, as it were, came this principle that teshuvah should avail. For this was cascaded down from Him, blessed be He, since He Himself, blessed be He, said: "Bring an atonement upon Me." Therefore we, too, have an opening of the mouth to express regret and to do teshuvah. This is "from Hashem this came about" — from Hashem Himself, as it were, this came into being: that teshuvah should avail, since He Himself expresses regret, as mentioned above. But in truth, "it is wondrous in our eyes" — for in our eyes it is truly a wonder how teshuvah can avail, and how we can have the audacity to come before Him with our sins and express regret — yet "from Hashem this came about," as mentioned above. The three evil desires — eating, intimacy, and money — stem from the diminishing of the moon, the aspect of diminished Malchus. Their rectification comes through the three festivals, which represent the moon's filling. Through this rectification one merits prophecy, prayer, and healing through the Word of Hashem — the "Great Lender" from whom all truly receive, nullifying the chain of borrowings in nature. Rosh Chodesh marks the beginning of this process of renewal: Hashem Himself, as it were, says "Bring an atonement upon Me," opening the door for teshuvah. Hallel is said in half on Rosh Chodesh — reflecting both the partial stage of rectification and the leaping, non-linear path of the baal teshuvah. The ultimate fulfillment is the radiance of Mashiach, when the light of the moon will equal that of the sun. The reading of Parashas HaTamid on Rosh Chodesh: Based on what our rebbe, whose light should shine, wrote — that the aspect of tamid (the daily offering) is the tikkun (rectification) of prayer, in the aspect of "the prayers were instituted corresponding to the t'midin (daily offerings)" — see there. And behold, the blemish of prayer is through the blemish of the moon, which is the aspect of Malchus (Sovereignty), the aspect of prayer. And therefore on Rosh Chodesh, when the Holy One, blessed is He, said, "Bring upon Me an atonement," then the tikkun of the moon begins, for then it begins to become full. Therefore we then read Parashas HaTamid, which is the aspect of the tikkun of prayer, as above. For then, on Rosh Chodesh, the tikkun of the moon begins, which is the tikkun of prayer, as above. Halachah on the matter of Rosh Chodesh: Based on the teaching "Tik'u bachodesh shofar" ("Blow the shofar at the new month") — see there in Likutay Tinyana, siman 1, the entire teaching well, through to its end. And the summary of the matter is that there are three character traits that cause the loss of yirah (fear of G-d), which is the aspect of Yerushalayim. They are: the desires for food, for intimacy, and for money. And they are the aspect of the three watches of the night. And their rectification is through the Yamim Tovim (festivals), which are the three r'galim (pilgrimage festivals). And then one merits n'vuah (prophecy) through the malach (angel) that is made through yirah. And through n'vuah one merits prayer. And then one does not need medicines, for one is healed through the word of Hashem, which is the great Lender. For all the stars borrow one from another — the moon borrows from the sun, etc. And from there all the herbs receive their power. But when one holds fast to the aspect of prayer, the aspect of the word of Hashem, which is the great Lender, then one is healed through the word of Hashem and does not need herbs. For the power of healing is drawn into bread and water, because all the herbs return their power to their root, which is the word of Hashem, and then the power of healing is drawn into bread and water, etc. And this is the aspect of the glimmering of Moshiach, etc. And then one can make Rosh HaShanah. For Rosh HaShanah is a great chesed that He gave us — Rosh HaShanah, the Day of Judgment, on Rosh Chodesh, when Hashem Yisbarach Himself, as it were, has regret and says, "Bring upon Me an atonement for having diminished the moon." And through this we have an opening of the mouth to have regret and to seek atonement, etc. — see there, all of this well. And it appears that everything is connected to everything else, and its end is anchored in its beginning. For all of this is the aspect of Rosh Chodesh, in the aspect of the diminishing of the moon and its filling. For these three character traits that cause the loss of yirah, which is the aspect of Yerushalayim — they are in the aspect of the diminishing of the moon, from which the Sitra Achra draws sustenance, and from which come all the evil desires, in particular these three desires mentioned above. They are all from the aspect of the diminishing of the moon. For the desire for intimacy is drawn from the known klipah, which comes from the deficiency of the luminaries, as is written, "Let there be luminaries" (B'raishis 1:14) — written deficiently — this is Lilis, whose sustenance is from "luminaries" written deficiently — that is, the diminishing of the moon. And the desire for money also depends on the desire for intimacy, and its sustenance also comes from there, as is explained in the words of our rebbe in the teaching "Tzivisa tzedek," siman 23 — see what he brought there from the statement of the Tikkunim, which called the desire for wealth askara (a disease) for children — "it laughs at them with wealth in this world," etc. And this comes from "luminaries" written deficiently, as is known. And likewise the desire for food: the essence of the desire is in the aspect of "and the belly of the wicked shall be wanting" (Mishlei 13:25). For what is necessary for sustaining the body is not called a desire — only what is excess, the aspect of "the belly of the wicked shall be wanting," which is the aspect of "luminaries" written deficiently, the opposite of "a Tzaddik eats to satisfy his soul" (Mishlei 13:25), which is the aspect of full light — as is explained in the teaching "Vay'hi mikeitz," siman 54. Thus all these three desires are in the aspect of the deficiency of the moon, the aspect of "luminaries" written deficiently. And therefore they are alluded to in the words of our Sages of blessed memory in the three watches of the night, for their sustenance comes from there, from the aspect of the deficiency of the moon, which is the small luminary to rule the night. And therefore they cause the loss of yirah, which is Yerushalayim. For Yerushalayim is the aspect of Malchus, the aspect of the small luminary, and likewise yirah is also the aspect of Malchus, as is brought. And therefore these three character traits, which draw sustenance from the deficiency of the moon — which is the aspect of the diminishing of Malchus — therefore they cause the loss of yirah, which is the aspect of Yerushalayim, the aspect of Malchus. For the more these forces that draw from the diminishing of the moon overpower, chas v'shalom, the more the moon is diminished. And their rectification is through Yom Tov. For Yom Tov is the aspect of the tikkun for the diminishing of the moon, the aspect of the filling of the moon. For the festivals are counted by the moon, and they are its rectification, as is brought. And therefore all the three r'galim are at the time of the moon's fullness, for they are the aspect of its rectification and filling. And therefore Yom Tov is called the aspect of "And G-d saw the light, that it was good" (B'raishis 1:4) — which is the aspect of full light, the opposite of "luminaries" written deficiently. And therefore these three festivals, which are the aspect of the filling of the moon, rectify the three desires mentioned above, which are the aspect of the deficiency of the moon. And through this one merits n'vuah, and through n'vuah one merits prayer. For all of this is accomplished through the tikkun and filling of the moon, which is the aspect of the completeness of Malchus, as is known. And from there comes n'vuah, for n'vuah is drawn from the malach that is made through yirah. And the malach is the aspect of the Shechinah, the aspect of "Behold, I am sending before you an angel" (Shemos 23:20), as our rebbe, whose light should shine, explained. And it bestows n'vuah when it ascends above the place of n'vuah — that is, above Netzach, Hod, and Yesod. And this is accomplished on Yom Tov, as is known — understand this; see there at the end of the aforementioned teaching. And then one merits prayer, which is also the aspect of Malchus. And then one does not need medicines, for one can be healed through the word of Hashem, from which they all receive and borrow. For all the stars borrow one from another — the moon borrows from the sun. And let us be precise: why, of all the borrowings of the stars, did he single out that the moon borrows from the sun? After all, they all borrow one from another — so why did he specify the moon borrows, etc.? But it appears that all the borrowings of the stars — that they borrow one from another, and according to this the order of the celestial system is conducted — all of this depends on the borrowing of the moon from the sun. That is, the diminishing of the moon, which is the aspect of the diminishing of Malchus. And when His Malchus, Yisbarach — the aspect of the word of Hashem — is not revealed, then the borrowing is relevant, that they all borrow one from another. For everything is conducted in the order where this one receives from that one, and that one from that one, etc. But when the aspect of the word of Hashem is revealed, then all the borrowings are nullified. For then it is revealed that there is no compulsory order of nature or celestial system at all — rather, all of them as one receive from the great Lender, that is, the word of Hashem, for "His sovereignty rules over all" (Tehillim 103:19). And just as the highest sphere receives from the word of Hashem, so too the lowliest herb receives from the word of Hashem. For this master of prayer draws and reveals the aspect of Malchus, the aspect of the word of Hashem, below in this world of abundance, and draws His G-dliness, Yisbarach, below. Thus, through the revelation of the word of Hashem, which is the aspect of Malchus — which is the aspect of the tikkun of the moon and its filling — then all the borrowings, whereby they borrow one from another, are nullified. For they all borrow only from the great Lender, which is the word of Hashem. Thus all the borrowings of the stars are only through the diminishing of the moon — that is, the aspect of the diminishing of Malchus. And therefore he was precise: "all the stars borrow one from another — the moon from the sun" — for everything depends on this, as above. And then all the herbs return their power to their root, which is the word of Hashem. And this is the completeness of the aspect of the filling of the moon — when all the sparks that are clothed in all the things of the world, which come from the diminishing of the moon (which is the diminishing of Malchus, from which come all the sparks that are the powers clothed in all the herbs) — return to the holy Malchus. And now, through the aspect of the tikkun and filling of the moon, which is the aspect of Malchus, all the powers and sparks return to their root. And this itself is the filling of the moon and its rectification, as above. And this is the aspect of the glimmering of Moshiach. For the filling of the moon is the aspect of the Malchus of Moshiach, when Yisrael are destined to be renewed like it. And then will be fulfilled, "And the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun" (Yeshayahu 30:26), and there shall be no diminishing in it at all. And therefore then one can make Rosh HaShanah. For Rosh HaShanah is on Rosh Chodesh. And this is a great chesed from Him Yisbarach, for on Rosh Chodesh Hashem Yisbarach said, "Bring upon Me an atonement" — and therefore we have an opening of the mouth to seek atonement. Thus the essential Rosh HaShanah is through the aspect of the filling of the moon and its rectification. For Hashem Yisbarach's saying, "Bring upon Me an atonement for having diminished the moon" — this itself is its rectification and filling. For then it begins to become full, since Hashem Yisbarach has regret over its diminishing. And therefore, through all the aforementioned aspects, which are the aspect of the filling of the moon, through this one can make Rosh HaShanah, which is specifically on Rosh Chodesh — when the tikkun of the moon and its filling begins, the aspect of "Bring upon Me an atonement," as above. And this is why we say Hallel on Rosh Chodesh. For Hallel is the opposite of the klipah, which is the aspect of y'lalah (wailing), as is brought in the words of our rebbe, whose light should shine. For its sustenance comes from "luminaries" written deficiently, as above. And on Rosh Chodesh the tikkun begins; therefore we then say Hallel, which is the opposite of it. And we say only half-Hallel, for then it is only the beginning of the filling and rectification. The essential completeness of the tikkun is on Yom Tov, and then we say the complete Hallel. Also, Rosh Chodesh is the aspect of the beginning of teshuvah. For then Hashem Yisbarach said, "Bring upon Me an atonement." And from this, teshuvah was drawn down into all created beings, so that all of them receive a stirring of teshuvah on Rosh Chodesh, as our rebbe, whose light should shine, wrote. And this is alluded to by the saying of half-Hallel — that is, Hallel with skipping — for so too the ba'al teshuvah cannot go in order from level to level; rather, he must skip and leap over many levels, as is brought on the verse, "The angels of hosts flee, they flee" (Tehillim 68:13). And as is brought in the holy Zohar. Also in the Torah reading on Rosh Chodesh, it is impossible to read in order, and one must skip backward. And it is possible to allude this also to the aspect of teshuvah that is on Rosh Chodesh. For the ba'al teshuvah does not proceed in order, and the way of the ba'al teshuvah is that he sometimes needs to go back in reverse, as is brought in the name of the Ba'al Shem on the verse, "And He will lead us beyond death" (Tehillim 48:15) — that at first they assist him from Above to go and run in the ways of Hashem, and afterward they leave him, and then he goes backward, and then he returns to go in order. Also, in Hallel the Malchus of Dovid and Moshiach are alluded to, as is brought. Also alluded to in Hallel is the aforementioned aspect — that is, what is explained above, that we have an opening of the mouth to come and have regret and do teshuvah, since He Yisbarach Himself has regret and says, "Bring upon Me an atonement." And this is: "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. From Hashem this came about" (Tehillim 118:22-23). That is, if one wonders about the ba'al teshuvah — how did he merit to be accepted? And this is "the stone that the builders rejected became," etc. — that is, the ba'al teshuvah who blemished with whatever he blemished. And this is "the stone that the builders rejected" — they rejected him on account of his many blemishes, and now he merited to become the cornerstone. And the matter seems astonishing. But in truth, "from Hashem this came about" — that is, from Hashem Himself, as it were, this came about, that teshuvah should be effective. For this was drawn down from Him Yisbarach, since He Himself, Yisbarach, said, "Bring upon Me an atonement." Therefore we too have an opening of the mouth to have regret and to do teshuvah. And this is "from Hashem this came about" — that from Hashem Himself, as it were, this came about, that teshuvah should be effective, since He Himself has regret, as above. But in truth, "it is wondrous in our eyes" (Tehillim 118:23) — for in our eyes it is truly a wonder how teshuvah can be effective and how we can have the audacity to come before Him with our sins and have regret. But "from Hashem this came about," as above.