ראש חדש ג

Likutay Halachos — Hilchos TefillahHalacha 4, Part A (§1–7) For the Exodus from Egypt, which is the aspect of the revelation of the concealment, depends on Shabbos, as mentioned above. For the Pesach offering in Egypt was taken on the tenth [of Nissan] and required four days of inspection, so that Yisrael would be occupied with mitzvos for four days. "Four days" specifically — so that they could reveal the concealment to elevate Malchus, which is the aspect of four camps, as mentioned above. Therefore, at the time of the first Pesach when they went out of Egypt, the beginning was on Shabbos. For specifically on Shabbos the redemption from Egypt begins, because from there one receives the daas to reveal the Malchus, which is the aspect of the number four, from within the concealment, as mentioned above.

Therefore, what was established for all generations is only the Shabbos before Pesach and not the tenth of the month — for the essential miracle depends on the Shabbos before Pesach, as mentioned above. And this is why it is called Shabbos HaGadol — that is, Shabbos is "great," greater than all the other days and times, for they all receive their holiness from it, as mentioned above. And because this particular Shabbos reveals this — since we saw the redemption from Egypt that came about through it — therefore it is called Shabbos HaGadol, as mentioned above.

Based on the awesome Story of the Ba'al Tefillah 1 Therefore, in Nissan, in which the redemption from Egypt took place — which is the aspect of Kiddush HaChodesh, the aspect of Rosh Chodesh — therefore it is called Rosh Chadashim (the head of months), as it is written (Shemos 12:2): "This month shall be for you the head of months." That is: Nissan, the entire month, is in the aspect of Rosh Chodesh — for in it the redemption from Egypt took place, which is the aspect of Rosh Chodesh, as mentioned above. Therefore, the twelve N'si'im (princes) of the twelve tribes of Hashem brought their offerings in it — corresponding to the twelve months of the year, which are the aspect of the completeness of the holy Malchus that stands upon the twelve oxen, as mentioned above. For Nissan comprises them all, since in it the holy Malchus was revealed in the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt, which is the aspect of the holiness of Rosh Chodesh. Therefore, they all depend on it and it comprises them all. Therefore, the entire month is treated as a Yom Tov and we do not say Tachanun in it — for the entire month is in the aspect of Rosh Chodesh, since in it the aspect of the holiness of Rosh Chodesh was revealed, as mentioned above.

This is the aspect of tefillah b'tzibbur [communal prayer] — with ten. For it is explained there [in the Story] that the King and his people were ten: the King and the Queen, the Princess and the Infant, the Orator and the Faithful Friend, the Appointee, etc. They are the aspect of Olam HaTikun [the World of Rectification — the rectified configuration of the Ten Sefiros]. 2

And this is that when Yisrael went out of Egypt and the concealment was revealed as mentioned above, they merited matzah, which is the aspect of exceedingly great daas, in the aspect of machlokes l'shem shamayim (dispute for the sake of Heaven), as is brought there in the discourse "Uv'yom habikurim" mentioned above. For through the revelation of the concealment, exceedingly great daas was drawn in the aspect of matzah, which is the aspect of machlokes l'shem shamayim, as mentioned above.

Whoever has eyes to see can understand a little that the secret of this Story touches upon the matter of misas ham'lachim [the death of the primordial kings], sh'viras kailim [the shattering of the vessels], and their rectification. We have said many times that everything we find in the Stories is merely a hint — less than a drop from the sea. Even where Hashem helps us to discern the truth — meaning, it is true that this matter is also hinted in the secret of the Stories — nevertheless, the secret of the body of the Story itself is exceedingly distant and exalted beyond our understanding. For the waters have risen — a flowing stream that we cannot cross. 3

And this is the aspect of the transformation from chametz to matzah — that they emerged from the aspect of chametz and merited matzah. For there is only a hairsbreadth between chametz and matzah — that is, between the Ches and the Hei, as is found in the Holy Zohar: "Break the leg of the Ches and make of it a Hei" — on the verse "Rebuke the beast of the reed" (Tehillim 68:31). That is: to break the leg of the Ches of chametz, and then chametz becomes matzah; see there.

Nevertheless, this much is clearly understood: that hinted in this Story is the matter of sh'viras kailim and their rectification. They are ten aspects corresponding to the Ten Sefiros, in which the shattering, damage, and bitul occurred. As explained in Eitz cha'yim: although the shattering occurred only in the seven lower kings, even the three upper [Sefiros] suffered damage and bitul. 4

And this is the aspect of breaking the concealment — that one breaks the concealment and opens a passageway in it and reveals the daas. And then the concealment is transformed into daas — from chametz to matzah. For chametz is tukpa d'dina (the force of strict judgment), the aspect of the hiding of the Face, the aspect of "Pharaoh" which is "the back of the neck" (ha'oref), the aspect of the wicked kingdom — which is the leg of the Ches of chametz, in the aspect of "the beast of the reed, the congregation of the mighty", which alludes to the Ches of chametz, as mentioned above. And one must break the leg of the Ches mentioned above — in the aspect of breaking the concealment — and open a passageway in it to reveal and show the daas enclothed there: that, as it were, even there His G-dliness, blessed be He, is found, and "His Kingship rules over all." And then chametz is transformed into matzah, for the concealment is transformed into daas, as mentioned above.

Through sh'viras kailim, all the desires, evil traits, errors, and confusions of all those in the world who are far from Hashem derive from there. Each one was led astray to where he was led astray — through his desires that led him to alien, false opinions. This is the aspect of all the folly and error of all the groups [kitos] described in the Story: all were led astray and thoroughly confused through their evil desires. For this group strayed from opinion to opinion, from reasoning to reasoning, until they said the essential tachlis [purpose] is kavod [honor] — and they had great reasonings and proofs for this. Another group strayed and said the essential tachlis is murder — and they too had many reasonings. And so with the other groups — each had many reasonings for their error, such that one could truly be deceived by them. As Rabbainu z"l said: he does not wish to reveal all the reasonings of each group, for they have such convincing reasonings that one could truly err through them. 5

And this is why we take three matzos and break the middle one into two — and then they become four. That is: even within the matzah itself, which is the side of holiness, we allude to the aspect of breaking the concealment. For the essential sustenance of the aspect of concealment is from the raglayim (feet), from the aspect of the fourth camp, which is the camp of Dan, as mentioned above.

All this derives from sh'viras kailim — the holy upper midos whose vessels could not contain their light. The vessels shattered and fell below to the domain of the kelipos, until all good traits were inverted from one extreme to the other — they overturned the words of the Living God — until false reasonings opposite to the truth were formed. All due to the holy sparks of the upper midos that fell among them, through which the kelipos seized hold and received power to invert truth into complete falsehood — from an aspect of that very truth. In the aspect of: "Any falsehood that does not contain truth at its beginning cannot endure." Each evil group's false reasonings derive at root from some aspect of truth in its source and place — but among them this truth became corrupted, and they strayed through it to extremely alien opinions, each according to the midah that fell among them through the Shattering. 6

Therefore, at first there are only three matzos — this is the aspect of before the revelation of the concealment, when it is only in the aspect of the three camps, as mentioned above. And afterward, we break the middle one into two — which is the aspect of an allusion to the breaking of the concealment. And then, from three, four are made — for now the Malchus is completed in the aspect of four camps, as mentioned above.

For example: the group that said the essential tachlis is kavod [honor/glory] — this error derives from the fall of kavod d'kedushah [holy glory]. For there is a holy kavod — the glory of Hashem and His holy Torah and His true tzaddikim — for which all worlds were created: "Everything HaKadosh Baruch Hu created in His world, He created only for His glory" (Yoma 38). As explained in many teachings of Rabbainu z"l: kavod d'kedushah is the root of all Creation, the root of all neshamos — "B'sodam al tavo nafshi, bikehalam al taichad k'vodi" — "Into their council let my soul not enter; in their assembly let my glory not be united." 7

Therefore, we break the middle one, which is the Levi — from whom judgments are aroused, as is known. And from there the sustenance of the concealment cascades down. One must sweeten the judgment at its root, and then of their own accord they are broken and fall below. And this is the aspect of breaking the middle matzah, which is the Levi — to break and sweeten the power of the judgments within holiness. This is the aspect of the Exodus from the supernal Egypt — from the narrow passage of the throat (meitzar hagaron), which is the side of Levi, as is known. And through this, of its own accord, the concealment and the Sitra Achra below are broken. And then the daas is revealed, and then the Malchus is completed in the aspect of four camps. Therefore, from three matzos, four are now made, as mentioned above.

Therefore, the essential mitzvah of matzah is specifically with the one that was broken — with which we fulfill the eating of matzah and the Afikoman. And it is called lechem oni (bread of affliction/poverty), which is the essential matzah, as is brought. For specifically through the aspect of breaking the middle matzah, the aspect of matzah is formed — for it is itself the aspect of breaking chametz into matzah, that is, the aspect of the revelation of the concealment, which is accomplished through breaking the aspect of the Levi, as mentioned above.

Therefore it is called Yachatz — in the aspect of chatzos (midnight), in the aspect of "At about midnight, I will go out in the midst of Egypt" — the aspect of the revelation of the concealment, as mentioned above. And this is done after Kiddush. For Kiddush is the aspect of mikra kodesh — that one calls the holy, the wisdom and daas which is the vitality, as mentioned above. And through this the day is sanctified. And therefore, through this daas, one can reveal the concealment as mentioned above — and this is the aspect of Yachatz, as mentioned above.

And "here the son asks" — after the middle matzah has been broken, that is, the Levi, and the daas has been revealed from the concealment (from which the aspect of matzah itself is formed, as mentioned above) — therefore, then the son asks questions and poses difficulties: "Mah nishtanah — What is different..." etc. This is the aspect of machlokes (dispute) — questions and difficulties that arouse the aspect of machlokes l'shem shamayim, which is the completeness of daas in the fullest sense, the aspect of matzah — which is a term for contention and strife, as is explained there.

Therefore, "here the son asks" — "the son" specifically — that is, questions and difficulties in the aspect of machlokes that are aroused between the son and the father. This is the aspect of machlokes within holiness, the machlokes of Shammai and Hillel, which is exceedingly great daas and the sustenance of the world. For the essential creation and sustenance of the world is through the aspect of the machlokes within holiness — that is, the aspect of the initial tzimtzum (contraction), when, as it were, the light was contracted and divided to the sides. For without this there would have been no space for creation, as is known.

And creation and before-creation are in the aspect of father and son, as Rabeinu, may his light shine, wrote. And there must necessarily be a machlokes between them, as it were — that after creation there should be some division from before creation; for otherwise creation would be nullified, as mentioned above. Nevertheless, in truth, there is the ultimate unity there, and this aspect of machlokes that is in truth the ultimate peace — this is impossible to grasp, for there at the beginning of the tzimtzum, there is no comprehension and it is forbidden to investigate there, for it is the "ways of Hashem" and "into what is beyond you, do not inquire". And this is itself the aspect of the machlokes l'shem shamayim between the true Tzadikim and sages — the aspect of the machlokes of Shammai and Hillel — which is the sustenance of the world: so that there be space for creation. That is, their dispute is in the aspect of the division of the light to the sides so that there be the aspect of the chalal hapanui (empty space), so that there be space for creation, as Rabeinu, may his light shine, wrote in the discourse "Bo el Pharaoh" (Siman 64), on the Mishnah "All my days I grew up among the sages"; see there well. And this is the aspect of the machlokes and questioning of the son to the father — the aspect of the machlokes of Shammai and Hillel, which is the sustenance of the world, as mentioned above. And this is needed now, on the night of Pesach, when there is the aspect of the renewal of the world, as is brought. That is: the essential aspect of the concealment — which is the sustenance of the Sitra Achra — is from the aspect of the shattering of vessels that comes from an excess of light, as mentioned above. And then, in Egypt, they reached the ultimate descent until the world nearly returned, chas v'shalom, to tohu vavohu (chaos and void). Therefore, they needed to return and rectify the world anew through the aspect of machlokes l'shem shamayim, which is the aspect of the initial tzimtzum within holiness — to draw the light in measure — and this is the essential sustenance of the world, as mentioned above. And this is the essential completeness of holiness and the revelation of Malchus — b'gin d'yishtamud'un laih, "in order that they should know Him," for "there is no king without a people". And when there is no machlokes within holiness — which is the aspect of the initial tzimtzum — there is no space for creation and no one to know of His Kingship, blessed be He, as it were. Therefore, the essential completeness of the holy Malchus is through the aspect of the machlokes within holiness, as mentioned above. And therefore, we make changes on the night of Pesach, so that the son should ask "Mah nishtanah" — to arouse the machlokes within holiness, as mentioned above. And then we tell the Haggadah. For to merit machlokes l'shem shamayim is through a sigh (anachah), through which the melancholy — the contamination of the Serpent — is subdued; see there. That is: one needs teshuvah and sighing afterward to rectify and subdue the Sitra Achra, the contamination of the Serpent, so that they should not grasp hold of the machlokes within holiness mentioned above. For this is what Rabeinu, may his light shine, wrote there — that one must purify and cleanse the heavens, that is, the machlokes within holiness, which is fire and water — so that it should not be in the aspect of "the heavens are clothed in darkness". That is, so that they should not grasp hold there, chas v'shalom. For the machlokes, even though it is within holiness and is supernal daas and completeness of holiness — nevertheless, from there it cascades downward until they gain a grip from there, as is known. For the Sitra Achra is the aspect of machlokes, and its sustenance is from the machlokes within holiness. Therefore, one must guard and purify the heavens — the aspect of the machlokes within holiness — and this is through sighing and teshuvah, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the telling of the Haggadah, in which we mention the sighs and cries that we experienced then, as it is written (Shemos 2:23): "And we cried out to Hashem... and the children of Yisrael sighed," etc. And similarly, this is done in every generation, as is known. And through this, the heavens are purified — that is, the hands — and then one merits to receive speech from the hands, which is the aspect of machlokes l'shem shamayim, as is explained; see there well. And this is the aspect of Pesach, matzah, and maror. That we eat matzah and maror afterward — this is the aspect of fire and water, chesed and g'vurah, right hand and left hand, Hillel and Shammai — the aspect of machlokes l'shem shamayim, as mentioned above. And afterward they would eat the Pesach offering, as it is written (Bamidbar 9:11): "Upon matzos and bitter herbs shall they eat it." Pesach is the aspect of peh sach — "a mouth that speaks" — the aspect of the speech that one receives from the hands mentioned above, in the aspect of machlokes l'shem shamayim, as mentioned above. Therefore, Hillel would wrap them together — to show that in truth, "these and these are the words of the living G-d", and it is a machlokes within holiness, which is great peace and great daas, as mentioned above. Therefore, specifically Hillel would do this — for he is the one involved in the machlokes within holiness, the aspect of the machlokes of Shammai and Hillel, as mentioned above. And in truth, there was great peace between them, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: "They did not refrain from one another" etc. — "to make known that there was love and brotherhood between them." Therefore, this machlokes within holiness has a resolution, as is known. And the resolution is from the side of Hillel — from the side of chesed, as is known. Therefore, specifically Hillel would wrap them together, as mentioned above. And therefore, we make the Koreich (wrapping) with the Yisrael — the third matzah — for there the resolution is, as is known. And afterward we eat the Afikoman. It is called Tzafun (hidden) in the order of the Haggadah. This is the aspect of the cake they brought out of Egypt — they tasted in it the taste of man (manna). "That they brought out" specifically — for after they went out and the daas was revealed, which is the aspect of matzah, then they tasted in it the taste of man. That is: the aspect of machlokes l'shem shamayim, which is in truth peace and great daas, the aspect of man, as is explained there; see there well. And this is the aspect of the Afikoman — afiku man — "bring out the manna!" — the aspect of the matzah that they brought out of Egypt and tasted in it the taste of man, as mentioned above. For now, after all the above, they already merited the aspect of machlokes l'shem shamayim as mentioned above, and now the matzah is properly rectified in completeness, in the aspect of man. And this is afiku man, as mentioned above. Therefore, until now it was hidden away (tzafun) and concealed — in the aspect of concealment. For although the revelation of the concealment had already been aroused at the beginning, nevertheless it still needed to be hidden and concealed, so that they should not grasp hold, chas v'shalom, of the machlokes within holiness, as mentioned above — for the daas had not yet been fully revealed, as mentioned above. But now that the aspect of the machlokes l'shem shamayim has been completed and revealed as mentioned above, then we bring out the Afikoman — which is the aspect of the cake that they brought out of Egypt, etc., as mentioned above. [Note: Pages are missing in the printed editions until the next section.] And this is the aspect of the two hand-washings that are done [at the Seder] — washing the hands twice. For the machlokes within holiness that one receives from the hands, one must purify the hands, which are the aspect of the heavens. And this is the aspect of washing the hands that is done before eating bread specifically — to purify the hands in order to merit that the bread should be in the aspect of bread from heaven, which is the aspect of machlokes l'shem shamayim, as is explained there; see there. (And see all this in Hilchos N'tilas Yadayim.) And this is the aspect of the hand-washing after the Haggadah, which is the aspect of crying out and sighing — through which one purifies the hands, as is explained there. Therefore, immediately afterward comes Rachtzah — washing and purifying the hands. And then one merits the aspect of matzah and maror and Afikoman — the aspect of machlokes l'shem shamayim, as mentioned above. Therefore, also at the beginning, before breaking the middle matzah — when the beginning of the revelation of the aspect of matzah, the aspect of machlokes l'shem shamayim, occurs as mentioned above — we wash our hands as well, in the aspect of purifying the hands, as mentioned above. And the two washings are the aspect of two kinds of purification, the aspect of two kinds of mikva'os: one at the beginning of the revelation of daas, which is the beginning of teshuvah; and one when one merits the revelation of daas in completeness and teshuvah in completeness and full rectification — which are in the aspect of Pesach and Shavuos, as mentioned above. For at first, when Yisrael went out of Egypt, they merited the mikveh — that is, daas — for they all immersed then. And afterward, through the counting — which are days of teshuvah in which one goes back and rectifies all the blemishes — afterward one merits great rectification in completeness, which is the aspect of Shavuos, the aspect of the mikveh of Shavuos, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the two washings mentioned above. For hand-washing is in the aspect of purification, the aspect of a mikveh: the washing and purification at the beginning of the revelation of daas, the aspect of machlokes, the aspect of matzah; and afterward, when one merits the daas as mentioned above. And the essential purification is in the hands — to purify the aspect of the heavens, as mentioned above. Therefore, we do not recite a blessing on the first washing — for it is not yet complete; it is only the beginning of purification, the beginning of teshuvah through the arousal, as mentioned above. Not until the second time — when the purification and washing are proper and complete, with a blessing, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of Karpas, which is the mochin d'katnus (constricted consciousness) from which the judgments draw sustenance — which are the aspect of the hiding of the Face. Through the Kiddush, which is the aspect of mikra kodesh — calling the holy, the vitality and daas, as mentioned above — one can draw chesed and daas to sweeten the aspect of the concealment and reveal it. This is the aspect of the dipping — dipping the Karpas in salt water — which is the aspect of sweetening: sweetening the aspect of the concealment, as mentioned above. Therefore, we take a type of vegetable for Karpas, in the aspect of "Esther was greenish, and a thread of chesed was drawn upon her". For Esther is the aspect of Malchus when it is in concealment, in the aspect of "I will surely hide" (haster astir), as Rabeinu, may his light shine, wrote there. The dipping of the vegetable alludes to the thread of chesed that is drawn into the aspect of concealment — the aspect of "Esther was greenish" etc., as mentioned above. Through this, the concealment is revealed and daas is formed from it, the aspect of matzah, as mentioned above. This is the aspect of Karpas — Yachatz: through the dipping and sweetening of the Karpas as mentioned above, one reveals the concealment and the aspect of matzah is revealed — which is the aspect of Yachatz, as mentioned above. And when the concealment is revealed and transformed into daas, then the Torah proclaims before them and they return in teshuvah. Thus, from the concealment itself, the arousal of teshuvah is formed, as mentioned above. And this is alluded to by the vegetable that we take for Karpas — which alludes to teshuvah, as Rabeinu, may his light shine, wrote in the discourse "Ani Hashem hu Sh'mi" (Siman 11), on the Midrash where Yochani and Mamrei asked Moshe: "Are you bringing straw to Afarayim?" And Moshe answered: "L'masa yarka, yarka sh'kol" — "To a city of vegetables, bring vegetables"; see there in the aforementioned discourse. For the yarka (vegetable/green) alludes to teshuvah, in the aspect of "Vayarek es chanichav" (B'raishis 14:14) — "he made them green with teshuvah," as is brought in the Midrash, etc.; see there. And to allude to Moshe's aforementioned answer, we take a vegetable for Karpas. For through the revelation of the concealment, from it comes the arousal of teshuvah, the aspect of "Vayarek es chanichav," as mentioned above. For through the Karpas — that is, the dipping of the vegetable — great daas is formed in the aspect of machlokes l'shem shamayim. For the dipping is so that the children should see and ask "Mah nishtanah," as our Sages, of blessed memory, said. And the son's question is the aspect of machlokes l'shem shamayim, which is the aspect of great daas, as mentioned above. Thus, through the Karpas — the vegetable — great daas is revealed in the aspect of machlokes l'shem shamayim, the aspect of matzah, as mentioned above. This is the aspect of teshuvah that is formed through the revelation of daas, as mentioned above. And it is the aspect of teshuvah hamishkal (proportionate teshuvah). For the aspect of machlokes l'shem shamayim is exceedingly great and lofty daas, and it is revealed specifically from within the ultimate concealment — for specifically there, exceedingly great daas is enclothed, as mentioned above. Therefore, when one reveals the concealment, specifically from this comes great daas, and it is the aspect of machlokes l'shem shamayim, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of Moshe's answer mentioned above. For they asked him: "You are bringing straw to Afarayim?" — for Yisrael, when they are on a lowly level, are likened to dust (afar). They questioned him for bringing the deep wisdoms of Torah into Yisrael who are on a lowly level, in the aspect of dust. And Moshe answered them: it is an adage among people — that through speaking the words of Torah with the mouth, it illuminates for them to do teshuvah hamishkal. This is "l'masa yarka, yarka sh'kol" — the aspect of teshuvah hamishkal through all this (Rabeinu, may his light shine, explained all this; see there). That is: they asked him, since they are on such a lowly level, as in the ultimate descent and concealment that existed then in Egypt — it should be enough to raise them from their descent, to lift them from the dust. But it is not fitting to bring them to the deep wisdoms of Torah, which would be going from one extreme to the other. And he answered them: through the Torah, one merits teshuvah hamishkal. Therefore, on the contrary, they specifically need to come to the deep wisdoms of Torah, to the depths, to merit exceedingly great daas — so that their teshuvah will truly be teshuvah hamishkal, and in what they blemished they will rectify. For when they were in the ultimate descent, specifically there, exceedingly great daas was enclothed, as mentioned above. Therefore, one must specifically elevate and reveal this daas. Therefore, one specifically needs to come to exceedingly great daas, which is the aspect of teshuvah hamishkal — and in what they blemished, they will rectify, as mentioned above. Also, Karpas is a term for fine cloth, as it is written (Esther 1:6): "chur karpas and blue". It alludes to the K'sones Passim (coat of many colors) that Yaakov made for Yosef — through which things unfolded until our forefathers descended to Egypt (and I believe this is brought in the holy books). For the K'sones Passim is the aspect of the Chaluka d'Rabbanan (the garment of the Sages), the aspect of the Oral Torah, which is the aspect of machlokes l'shem shamayim. For this reason it is called chaluka — a term meaning differences of opinion (chilukei dei'os). Therefore, through the K'sones and this garment, the machlokes between Yosef and his brothers was aroused — for through it, "they hated him" and disputed with him. And this machlokes between Yosef and his brothers ought to have been in the aspect of machlokes within holiness, machlokes l'shem shamayim, which is the sustenance of the world. And certainly, their intention was so, for their dispute was certainly intended for the sake of Heaven. However, they were not saved from blemish, and that machlokes within holiness was blemished — until the Sitra Achra drew sustenance from it, for their essential sustenance is from the machlokes within holiness, as mentioned above. And through this, things unfolded and our forefathers descended to Egypt. Therefore, now on Pesach, at the time of the Exodus from Egypt, we take Karpas, an allusion to the K'sones Passim, as mentioned above. Through this, the child asks "Mah nishtanah" — which is the aspect of machlokes l'shem shamayim, machlokes within holiness. And we rectify what was blemished in the machlokes within holiness — the aspect of the K'sones Passim — by the brothers of Yosef, as mentioned above. (And see the discourse "T'hilah l'Dovid", Siman 12, what is explained on the verse "Vayarek es chanichav" — the aspect of the green line that encircles the world.) And this is the aspect of: on the night of the fourteenth, we search for chametz by the light of a candle. "The night of the fourteenth" — for then is the aspect of the revelation of daas, since the illumination of the thirteen days from Rosh Chodesh until now has already been drawn. These are the aspect of great daas and great mercy, in the aspect of an elder with settled daas — the aspect of the fourteen rectifications of the beard (Tikuna DiY'kana). Through this daas, one can reveal the concealment as mentioned above — and this is the aspect of bi'ur chametz (the destruction of chametz), to destroy the chametz and the concealment and reveal the daas in the aspect of matzah, as mentioned above. Therefore, specifically on the night of the fourteenth we search for chametz — for through the completeness of the daas of the aspect of the thirteen, as mentioned above, one can search the chametz and destroy it and reveal the concealment, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of "by the light of a candle." And our Sages, of blessed memory, derived that the light of a candle is effective for searching, from the verse (Mishlai 20:27): "The candle of Hashem is the soul of man, searching all the chambers of the belly." That is: through the light of the candle — the daas, which is the aspect of "the candle of Hashem is the soul of man", as it is written (Iyov 32:8): "And the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding" — through this, it is effective to search the chametz, to reveal the concealment and destroy the wickedness and the Sitra Achra, to return the wicked in teshuvah, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of searching for chametz in the holes and cracks and all the places that cannot be easily seen — but through the light of the candle, they are searched. For through the aspect of the light of the candle — the daas — one can reprove and warn and bring back in teshuvah even one in whom the chametz and wickedness have become so deeply embedded that it is not visible at all, in the aspect of "one who transgresses and repeats it — it becomes to him as if it were permitted" — and even worse, chas v'shalom, in the aspect of concealment within concealment, as is explained there in the discourse "Uv'yom habikurim" mentioned above. And through the daas, the aspect of the light of the candle, one can search and destroy the wickedness even from such places — for one can bring back in teshuvah even one who is in the aspect of concealment within concealment, through the daas, as mentioned above. And therefore it is called "or l'arba'ah asar" — "the light of the fourteenth." And our Sages, of blessed memory, said that the night is called "light" on account of the verse (Tehillim 148:3): "Praise Him, all you stars of light." That is: the aspect of "those who bring the many to righteousness are like the stars" (Daniel 12:3) — they who bring people back in teshuvah are called "those who bring the many to righteousness." And since they illuminate specifically in the aspect of the night — within the darkness and night, the aspect of concealment — specifically there they illuminate the light of their daas, as mentioned above, in order to illuminate the night and reveal the concealment, as mentioned above. For specifically there, great light is enclothed, as mentioned above. And for this reason the night is called "light" — the aspect of "or l'arba'ah asar", we search, etc. — the aspect of the revelation of the concealment, returning the wicked in teshuvah — the aspect of "those who bring the many to righteousness like the stars" — the aspect of "stars of light." And for this reason they called this night specifically "light," as mentioned above. Therefore, we search for chametz specifically at night. For specifically in the aspect of the night — in the aspect of the darkness and concealment to the utmost degree — specifically then, one reveals it through the light of daas, which is the aspect of the light of the candle. And this is the aspect of Sefiras HaOmer (the counting of the Omer). The mitzvah is to count the days, in order to purify us from our impurity — to count, specifically. So that the days should be numbered and counted, that they should be divided and measured, each one on its own — so that they should be in the aspect of vessels — days and attributes — to receive the light in measure, in the aspect of "the measure of my days, what is it?" — so that there should not be an excess of light causing etc., as is understood there in the discourse "Uv'yom habikurim". For this is the essential aspect of the Torah, which is the Sh'ma d'Kudsha B'rich Hu — the aspect of vessels and attributes to receive the light, so that an excess of oil should not cause the extinguishing of the lamp. And through this specifically, one reveals the concealment. For the concealment is the aspect of the grip of the wicked kingdom, whose sustenance is from the shattering of vessels, which come about through an excess of light, as mentioned above. Thus, the essential rectification is to make vessels and attributes to receive the light in measure — and this is the greatness of the Torah, as mentioned above, which is the aspect of "the measure of my days, what is it?" as mentioned above. Therefore, one must count Sefiras HaOmer — to count the days specifically — so that they should be numbered and measured, the aspect of "the measure of my days" etc. — to receive the light in measure, which is the essential rectification. And therefore, the counting purifies us from our impurity. For the essential grip of impurity is from the aspect of the shattering of vessels that comes through an excess of light, as mentioned above. Therefore, the essential purification and rectification is through the vessels and attributes, which is the aspect of the counting, the aspect of "the measure of my days" — that one counts the days so that they are counted and measured, so that one should not enter the boundary of another, so that they should not be mixed together — so that it should not be in the aspect of the shattering of vessels, which is the shattering of the days when they are mixed together. Rather, they should be in the aspect of the rectification — each and every one a vessel and attribute on its own, each one counted on its own, to receive the light in measure. And this is the aspect of the counting, as mentioned above. For the counting is for the sake of the receiving of the Torah. For the Exodus from Egypt on Pesach, although it was the aspect of the revelation of the concealment as mentioned above, nevertheless it was not yet in complete perfection — because they had not yet received the Torah, as is brought. For the essential revelation of the concealment is through the Torah, as mentioned above. And the essential completeness of the revelation of the holy Malchus is on Shavuos, through the Torah. Therefore, beforehand, the counting was needed — which is a preparation for receiving the Torah. That is: one counts and measures the days, in the aspect of "the measure of my days, what is it?" — to receive the light in measure, which is the essential greatness of the Torah that is received on Shavuos — which is the aspect of the Sh'ma d'Kudsha B'rich Hu, the aspect of days and attributes, the aspect of "the measure of my days, what is it?" as mentioned above. Therefore, we count seven weeks, corresponding to the seven days — to rectify all seven days so that they should be in the aspect of vessels and attributes, as mentioned above. For also at the beginning of creation, the essential rectification of creation was through this aspect: that each day was measured and numbered on its own. And this is what is written in the account of creation: "And it was evening, and it was morning — day one" — and so for each day. And this is the aspect of the counting — that each day is numbered on its own, so that it should be in the aspect of attributes and vessels, as mentioned above. And the entire creation was suspended until the day of the Giving of the Torah, which is the sixth of Sivan, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said. Therefore, before the Giving of the Torah, one also needs to count the days — for this is the rectification of creation, as mentioned above. And one must count specifically seven weeks, for in them there are seven Shabbasos. And the essential rectification of the counting — which is the aspect of the rectification of the revelation of the concealment — is through Shabbos, which is daas, as mentioned above. Therefore, seven Shabbasos are needed to rectify all seven days through seven Shabbasos. And this is what is written (Vayikra 23:15): "Seven Shabbasos, complete shall they be." For the essential rectification is through seven Shabbasos, as mentioned above. And this is what is written (Vayikra 23:15): "And you shall count for yourselves from the morrow of the Shabbos." And our Sages, of blessed memory, said that Yom Tov is also called Shabbos. For Yom Tov is called Shabbos because all the holiness of Yom Tov is drawn through Shabbos, as mentioned above. And for this same reason, Shabbos is mentioned in connection with the counting — for also the rectification of the counting, that is, to reveal the concealment, is drawn from Shabbos, as mentioned above — which is itself what Yom Tov receives from Shabbos, which is the revelation of the concealment as well, as mentioned above. Also, the four cups of wine are likewise in the aspect of the ascent of the holy Malchus from within the aspect of concealment. As Rabeinu, may his light shine, wrote: the four cups correspond to four mitzvos that apply on every Yom Tov, corresponding to the aspect of Malchus, which is the number four, ascending on Yom Tov from the four kingdoms. Therefore, they are four cups of wine, in the aspect of "wine enters, a secret goes out" — that is, the concealment is revealed, for the holiness had been enclothed there in great secrecy and hiddenness, as mentioned above. Furthermore, there within the concealments, specifically exalted holiness is enclothed — the aspect of the secrets of the Torah, as mentioned above. Through the wine, this is revealed — the aspect of "wine enters, a secret goes out" — and through this, Malchus ascends, which is the aspect of the number four, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the four cups of wine. And this is what is brought in the writings of the Ari z"l: LaOmer in gematria equals Shem (Name). For through the aspect of Sefiras HaOmer — counting "today is day one LaOmer," etc. — through this, one makes the aspect of a Name, which is the aspect of attributes and days, as mentioned above, which is the essential rectification of holiness, as mentioned above. And therefore, the attributes of Hashem, blessed be He, as it were, are called Sefiros — for this is the essential rectification: that they are in the aspect of Sefiros, that is, attributes — that they are, as it were, numbered and counted and measured in the aspect of vessels, the aspect of measure and weight and number, which is the essential rectification, as mentioned above and as is brought. And this is the aspect of the Omer of barley, from which the days of the counting begin. An Omer is a measure — the aspect of attributes and vessels, as mentioned above. And this is Omer of barley (s'orim) — the aspect of shi'urim (measurements), the aspect of the attributes, which are the aspect of shi'urin d'liba — "measurements of the heart" — through which one grasps Him, blessed be He, as it were, in the aspect of "Her husband is known in the gates (sh'arim)" (Mishlai 31:23) — "each one according to what he measures in his heart" — which are the aspect of the attributes and Sefiros that are comprised in the heart, as is known. For the heart is the painter of the attributes, as Rabeinu, may his light shine, wrote. And they are the aspect of shi'urin d'liba, through which specifically the completeness of daas is achieved — for through this one grasps Him, blessed be He, as it were. And this is the aspect of Omer s'orim — the aspect of "Her husband is known in the gates (sh'arim)" — the essential rectification in the aspect of measurements and vessels and attributes, as mentioned above. Therefore, then the counting begins, which is the aspect of the rectification of the vessels and attributes, as mentioned above. And all this is the rectification of daas, as is explained there in the discourse "Uv'yom habikurim" — that through the Torah, which is the aspect of His Name, blessed be He — the aspect of vessels and attributes — through this, one calls Him, blessed be He, and draws vitality from the Life of all life — that is, daas. And this is the aspect of "Her husband is known in the gates" mentioned above — that one merits to know Him, blessed be He, through shi'urin d'liba, which is the aspect of Omer s'orim, the aspect of vessels and attributes, the aspect of Shem, the aspect of Sefiras HaOmer, as mentioned above. And this is why the custom is to let the hair grow during the days of the Sefirah. For the hairs are the aspect of tzimtzumim and measurements through which the light of the brain and daas is contracted — so that it should be possible to grasp Him, blessed be He, as is brought in the discourse "Maishra d'sakina" (Siman 30). Therefore, during the days of the Sefirah, we let the hair grow — for then the rectification is in the aspect of hairs, the aspect of Omer s'orim, as mentioned above. Therefore, on the first day of the Sefirah — that is, on the day of the offering of the Omer of barley — was the downfall of Haman. For through the aspect of the Name, the aspect of the rectification of the vessels and attributes, which is the rectification of daas as mentioned above — through this, one reveals the concealment and the holy Malchus is revealed, in the aspect of Esther, who was at first in concealment, the aspect of "I will surely hide" (haster astir). And this was accomplished through the aspect of Mordechai, who is the aspect of the rectification of the holy Malchus — the aspect of the Omer of barley, which is the aspect of Mordechai and Esther, as Rabeinu, may his light shine, wrote in the discourse "V'aileh hamishpatim — b'lu'ai d'Korach" (see there, Siman 10). Therefore, then is the subjugation of the wicked kingdom — the downfall of Haman-Amalek — which is subdued through the aspect of the rectification of the Name through the aspect of the Omer of barley, as mentioned above. And as is explained there in the discourse "Uv'yom habikurim"; see there. For the downfall of Amalek depends on the aspect of the rectification and completeness of His Name, blessed be He, as it is written: "His Name is not complete" etc. — "until his memory is erased" — for this depends on that, as mentioned above. Therefore, then — on the day of the waving of the Omer — was also the downfall of many great nations, all of whom are in the aspect of the wicked kingdom that is subdued through the rectification of the holy Malchus through the aspect of the Omer of barley, as mentioned above. And this is why the Omer permits the new crop. For then one merits to eat bread in the aspect of man (manna), the aspect of bread from heaven — which one merits through the revelation of daas, through the revelation of the concealment, through the subjugation of the kingdom of Haman-Amalek — and this is accomplished through the rectification of the Omer of barley, which is the aspect of the totality of the Torah, the aspect of the Sh'ma d'Kudsha B'rich Hu, as mentioned above. (See all this in the discourse "Uv'yom habikurim" mentioned above.) For the eating of Yisrael is holy, and in particular the bread — that is, the five species of grain — which are the essential food and satiation and the essential vitality, for in them the daas is enclothed, which is the vitality. Therefore, they are five — the aspect of the Hei of daas — as is brought above in Hilchos N'tilas Yadayim. Therefore, they need rectification — for wherever there is greater vitality and holiness, there is a k'lipah (shell) that precedes the fruit. Therefore, the bread from the five species of grain requires many rectifications, which are the ten mitzvos pertaining to bread. Therefore, one must rectify the new grain through the Omer. For through the rectification of the Omer of barley as mentioned above, the daas is revealed. And then one merits the aspect of man, the aspect of bread from heaven — that is, the bread and grain of Yisrael becomes in the aspect of man, etc. For the daas and vitality are revealed — for the wicked kingdom is subdued, the k'lipah that precedes the fruit — through the rectification of the Omer of barley, as mentioned above. And then they are fit for the receiving of the Torah — for the Torah was given only to the eaters of the man. Therefore, one must rectify the bread of Yisrael in the aspect of man through the Omer, as mentioned above. And then one merits the receiving of the Torah on Shavuos — for the entire rectification of the Omer and the counting is for the sake of receiving the Torah. For from this itself, the Torah is formed. That is: as is explained there in the discourse "Uv'yom habikurim" mentioned above — that through revealing the concealment within concealment, through this, exceedingly lofty Torah is revealed, for specifically there, exceedingly lofty Torah was enclothed — the mysteries of the Torah. And this is the aspect of "The wealth he swallowed, he shall vomit up" (Iyov 20:15) — that one extracts from the wicked kingdom — which is the kingdom of Amalek — all the sparks, and from this, Torah is formed, which is the aspect of Aishes Chayil (a Woman of Valor), etc.; see there. And this is the aspect of the Torah that is received on Shavuos, which is the fiftieth day of the Omer. That is: through the Omer and the counting — through which the kingdom of Amalek is subdued as mentioned above — then the Torah that was hidden there in the aspect of concealment within concealment is revealed, and one merits to grasp it on Shavuos. This is the aspect of the Minchah Chadashah — the two loaves of wheat that are offered on Shavuos. Minchah chadashah — this is the aspect of the new Torah that is formed through the revelation of the concealment, etc., as mentioned above. As Rabeinu, may his light shine, explained there, on the verse (Bamidbar 28:26): "And on the day of the first-fruits, when you bring a new meal-offering to Hashem, on your Shavuos"; see there. And similarly, it is found in the Ra'aya M'heimna that the Omer is the aspect of the revealed Torah, and the two loaves are the aspect of the hidden Torah. That is: the Omer is the aspect of the revealed Torah, through which one reveals the concealment, etc. And then exceedingly lofty Torah is revealed — the mysteries of the Torah — the aspect of Minchah chadashah, the aspect of the Torah that is received on Shavuos, which is the fiftieth day — the aspect of the supernal gate, the gate of Nun (the fiftieth gate), as is explained there. Therefore, the war with Amalek was before the Giving of the Torah. And likewise, Parshas Amalek is juxtaposed to Parshas Yisro, which is the receiving of the Torah. For the essential Torah is revealed through the downfall of Amalek, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the seven weeks that we count. For there are two concealments — concealment and concealment within concealment — as is explained there. And they correspond to two aspects of Torah: the revealed and the hidden — razin and razin d'razin (secrets and secrets of secrets). For within the concealment within concealment, specifically the mysteries of the Torah are enclothed, as mentioned above. Therefore, one must rectify and reveal both concealments, to reveal both aspects of the Torah. And their rectification is through the rectification of the days and attributes as mentioned above, which are seven days, as is known. And it is known that there are seven supernal days, which are the seven Shabbasos, as is found in the Holy Zohar — and they are in Binah (Understanding), which is the aspect of the mysteries of the Torah, which is the aspect of Shavuos — the fiftieth day, the aspect of the fifty gates of Binah. Therefore, one must count seven Shabbasos to rectify the seven supernal days, to reveal the concealment within concealment — through which one merits the mysteries of the Torah, the aspect of the fifty gates of Binah, the aspect of Shavuos, the aspect of man, as mentioned above and as is explained there; see the entire discourse "Uv'yom habikurim" well. And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: Haman said: "Your Omer came and conquered my ten thousand talents of silver." "Silver" specifically. For the essential strengthening of Haman was through the ten thousand talents of silver — that is, he gathered great wealth in which were all the holy sparks, as is explained there. And this is what is written (Esther 3:9): "And ten thousand talents of silver I will weigh" etc. "into the treasuries of the king — against the Jews" etc. That is: he sought to give power to the wicked kingdom through the silver he gathered, as mentioned above. But through the Omer, which is the aspect of the Torah, the aspect of the Sh'ma d'Kudsha B'rich Hu — through which one reveals the concealment — through this, the wicked kingdom is subdued. And then the power of the wealth is subdued, for all the sparks are extracted from it, in the aspect of "The wealth he swallowed, he shall vomit up," as mentioned above. And this is what [Haman] said: that the Omer conquered the ten thousand talents of silver — the power of the wealth, as mentioned above. And this is why the Omer is offered on the 16th of Nissan, whose gematria equals the Name that emerges from the initial letters of the aforementioned verse: Chayil bala vay'ki'enu, as mentioned above. And as is written in the Ra'aya M'heimna: "Through the offering of the Omer, the Sitra Achra flees from Aishes Chayil" — for through the Omer, one extracts the holy sparks from the wicked kingdom — Haman-Amalek — in the aspect of "The wealth he swallowed, he shall vomit up," and Torah is formed from this, which is Aishes Chayil, as mentioned above — the Torah that is received on Shavuos, the aspect of Minchah chadashah, as mentioned above. (See the Ra'aya M'heimna there.) And similarly at the Splitting of the Sea, when Yisrael plundered the Egyptians of great wealth — it is stated that Yisrael then merited a very great spiritual perception. For this depends on that: through extracting the wealth from the wicked kingdom, they merited lofty Torah — for then Aishes Chayil is formed from this, as mentioned above. And similarly, regarding the final redemption, it is said (Yeshayahu 23:18): "And her merchandise and her hire shall be holy to Hashem" etc. — "for those who sit before Hashem shall her merchandise be, and for a covering of the ancient (atik)" — "these are the things that He concealed," etc. That is: through the wealth of the wicked kingdom that will return to Yisrael, through this very thing they will merit the mysteries of the Torah, as mentioned above — which is the aspect of "a covering of the ancient — these are the things that He concealed" — the aspect of the Torah of the Atika that will be revealed in the future, speedily in our days, amen. The Poskim gave the mnemonic PeLaG: that the day on which Purim falls, Lag BaOmer falls [on the same day of the week], as is written in the Shulchan Aruch. For Purim and Sefiras HaOmer are in the same aspect. And the perception of Torah on the fiftieth day — Shavuos — comes through the aspect of Purim, through the downfall of Haman-Amalek, as mentioned above. And Lag BaOmer is also a day of the perception of Torah within the days of the Sefirah — for it is the Hillula Rabba of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who perceived then what he perceived. Therefore, it falls on the day that Purim falls — for the perception of the Sefirah is through the aspect of Purim, as mentioned above. And this is Lag BaOmer — the aspect of "Uncover my eyes, that I may behold wonders from Your Torah" (Tehillim 119:18) — the aspect of the perception that one attains then, as mentioned above. And therefore, Haman is alluded to in Parshas HaMan (the portion about the manna), as it is written (Shemos 16:35): "Es haman (the manna) they ate." That is: the man (manna) is formed from the aspect of the subjugation of the kingdom of Haman-Amalek, as mentioned above. And therefore, "the letters of this one are as the letters of that one" — for from Haman, the man is formed, as mentioned above. "And of the children of Yissachar, those who had understanding of the times, to know what Yisrael should do" (Divrai HaYamim I, 12:33) — they were expert in the secret of the intercalation, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said regarding this verse. And this is: "those who had understanding of the times" — they knew how to draw Binah and Chochmah into the times — that is, the days and attributes, as mentioned above. And this is: "to know what Yisrael should do" — they knew how to make mah — that is, Torah, in the aspect of "u'mah yai'aseh bah", as mentioned above and as is explained in the aforementioned discourse. That is: to reveal the daas and the Torah from within the concealment — to make Torah from the concealment, which is the aspect of mah. And all this through the aspect of "those who had understanding of the times" — through drawing wisdom from the Life of all life into the times and days, through which one reveals the concealment, as mentioned above. And therefore, our Sages, of blessed memory, derived from this that they were expert in the secret of the intercalation. For Kiddush HaChodesh is accomplished through this aspect — through the revelation of the concealment, as mentioned above. The entire structure of the Pesach night and the Sefirah period embodies the principle of revealing daas from within concealment. Shabbos HaGadol is the source from which the redemption of Pesach draws its power. The three matzos become four through breaking — symbolizing the completion of Malchus in its four camps. The son's questions are holy machlokes, the creative "dispute" that mirrors the initial tzimtzum necessary for creation. The Haggadah's cries and sighs purify the "heavens" — the hands — from which one receives speech. Karpas alludes both to teshuvah (the green vegetable) and to the K'sones Passim whose blemished machlokes is now rectified. The Afikoman — hidden and then revealed — is the taste of man that emerges once the holy dispute is complete. The counting of the Omer creates vessels and attributes to receive light in measure, and the Omer offering itself subdues Amalek and permits the new grain. Shavuos — the fiftieth gate — reveals the hidden Torah that was enclothed in the deepest concealment. The mnemonic PeLaG links Purim and Lag BaOmer: both are moments when Torah perception breaks through the concealment of the wicked kingdom.