הלכות פסח

The general principle is as follows: Before creation, the light of the Holy One, blessed be He, was Ain Sof (infinite). He contracted the light to the sides so that there would be space for creation. The creation of the worlds — they are His attributes, blessed be He, through which His Malchus (Kingship) is revealed. And the heart is the Rock of the worlds, etc. For according to the burning light of the heart of the Jewish person — who is inflamed and yearning and longing for Hashem, blessed be He — it is impossible for the attributes to be revealed, for the burning light of his heart is in the aspect of Ain Sof, since there is no end and no limit to his yearning. One must contract the fervor so that there should be the aspect of the chalal hapanui (empty space) — which is the aspect of "and my heart is hollow within me" (Tehillim 109:22) — so that his attributes and good deeds can be revealed. Through this, it will be revealed that he accepts the yoke of the Kingship of Heaven in completeness.

Since kavod d'kedushah is the root of all Creation (created for this glory), from the time of sh'viras kailim — when all the holy midos fell below and all worlds were confused (this is what the Story describes: "Once there was a storm-wind that confused and overturned the entire world" — all the secret of sh'viras kailim) — then all the evil groups described there came into being. They strayed through the holy sparks that fell among them, inverted truth from one extreme to the other, and said the essential tachlis is kavod — when in truth the matter is the exact opposite: the essential tachlis of Creation is only the glory of Hashem, His Torah, and His true tzaddikim, which one can merit only by completely diminishing one's own honor, truly fleeing from honor, knowing one's lowliness and degradation — "nivzeh b'ainav nim'as, v'es yir'ay Hashem y'chabaid" — "despised in his own eyes, but honoring those who fear Hashem." Then specifically one will merit reaching the true tachlis in the future — to be included in the glory of Hashem: "K'vod Hashem ya'asfecha" — "The glory of Hashem shall gather you in." One merits this only to the degree one truly nullifies one's honor completely, striving all one's days to increase the honor of the Omnipresent — the honor of Torah and true tzaddikim — not caring about one's own honor at all. But they inverted the truth and said the essential tachlis is to pursue honor, chas v'shalom — rachmana litzlan from such an opinion. 8

And it is brought: there is a formation for good and a formation for bad — these are the two inclinations, which are the thoughts of the heart. For the essential creation is through the chochmah (wisdom) in the heart, etc. When one introduces, chas v'shalom, foolishness into the heart, it is the corruption of creation — the aspect of orlas lev (the foreskin of the heart), which the Targum renders as tipshus lev (foolishness of the heart), etc. But when one sanctifies his thoughts, this is the aspect of formation for good — the aspect of the rectification of creation, which takes place within the aspect of the hollow space of the heart, through the wisdom in the heart, etc. See all this there and understand well.

Similarly, the other group that erred and said the essential tachlis is murder: this error derives from the fall of sparks from Gevurah d'kedushah [holy Severity]. In kedushah there is anger and vengeance that is a great mitzvah: "Ail kanno v'nokaim Hashem" — "God is zealous and Hashem avenges." This is the aspect of the four modes of capital punishment by Bais Din and the thirty-nine lashes — a mitzvah for Bais Din to administer to the liable. This is a great tikkun of the worlds: through the mitzvah of the four deaths, one unifies the four letters of the Name Hava'yah and the four letters of the Name Adnus, and other great unifications and awesome upper tikkunim. But among them this midah fell until they came to actual anger and murder — inverting the words of the Living God through their evil desires, straying from reasoning to reasoning until they went mad and said murder is a mitzvah and the tachlis. 9

And this is the aspect of the letter Hei. For the Hei was originally a Dalet. And this is the aspect of Nissan, the aspect of Aviv (spring) — Alef with Bais, Yud with Bais — the upper house and the lower house — the aspect of "Who is this (mi zos) that ascends?" — Mi together with zos ascends — for the two houses have an ascent, etc. See all this there very, very well.

The group that said immorality is the tachlis: this error is understood by all, for the mitzvah of p'riyah u'r'viyah [procreation] is the first mitzvah in the Torah — "Lo sohu b'ra'ah, lasheves y'tzarah" — "He did not create it for chaos; He formed it to be inhabited." Hashem desires the world's continuity, hence the mitzvah to be fruitful and multiply — but only for the sake of the mitzvah, in great kedushah and purity. Through the enormity of their desire, they bent their minds from the truth until they said this is the essential tachlis — rachmana litzlan from such an opinion and all their evil opinions, rachmana l'shaizvan. 10

And this is the aspect of the secret of Kiddush HaChodesh, which is a great secret — the aspect of the secret of the intercalation, in which even Moshe Rabeinu had difficulty, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said on the verse (Shemos 12:2): "This month shall be for you" — that Moshe had difficulty with the secret of Kiddush HaChodesh, at what measure [the moon] would be fit to sanctify — until the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed it to him: "Like this — see, and sanctify!"

The group that said whoever eats little and is not sustained from the food of other people is fit to be king — and they chose a wealthy man as their temporary king: one can understand a little from where this error derives. There are true tzaddikim who are truly holy, who have genuinely broken the desire for eating completely — eating only a tiny amount, and even that in awesome kedushah, until their food is not the food that the world eats. Their food is in the aspect of mahn: "Lechem abirim achal ish" — "Man ate the bread of the mighty" — the food that the ministering angels eat. This is the food of the true tzaddikim — "Lo nitnah Torah elah l'ochlai haMahn" — "The Torah was only given to those who ate the mahn." As explained in Sefer HaAlef-Bais: one whose study is with pure Mochin is sustained from the food of the angels. And as Rabbainu z"l explained: through abundant hisbodedus and yearning for Hashem, one makes nefashos [souls], and through this one's food becomes the aspect of Lechem HaPanim [the Showbread]. And as explained in the teaching "Tefillah LaChavakuk" (LM I:19): through the perfection of Lashon HaKodesh — through which one merits sh'miras habris — one merits that all one's food and pleasure comes solely from the shining forth of the holy letters within what one eats and drinks. Such a tzaddik does not eat the food of this world at all — he eats holy letters, holy nefashos, the inner life-force of the food. 11

For Kiddush HaChodesh is to fill the blemish of the moon, so that there should be no diminishment in it, and the light of the moon should be like the light of the sun, etc. — the aspect of the "two great luminaries" (B'raishis 1:16). For the diminishment of the moon is the aspect mentioned above — the aspect of the tzimtzum mentioned above: that one must contract the fervor, which is in the aspect of Ain Sof, etc., so that the attributes can be revealed, so that it should be revealed that one accepts the yoke of the Kingship of Heaven in completeness. For without the tzimtzum, everything would be Ain Sof and it would be impossible to reveal the attributes through which Malchus is revealed.

We have already related an awesome story of a tzaddik who merited this: during his eating he saw that all the bread before him was entirely letters. 12

Thus, the aspect of the revelation of Malchus — which is the aspect of the moon, as is known — is impossible except through the contraction of the light. And this is the aspect of the complaint of the moon: "It is impossible for two kings to use one crown." For certainly it is impossible for two kings to use one crown — that is, that the revelation of Malchus should also be in the aspect of Ain Sof. For then everything would be Ain Sof, and there would be no aspect of the revelation of His Kingship at all. Therefore, He said to her: "Go and diminish yourself." For the essential revelation is only through the aspect of diminishment and contraction, as mentioned above.

Since there exist such great true tzaddikim whose food is not of this world at all — from this derives the error of the group upon whom this truth fell in a distorted way. They attached themselves to hypocrites and liars who make themselves resemble a monkey before a man — who accustom themselves to eat little out of arrogance and inflated ego, to gain honor and prestige. Because they see this is valued now, and through eating little with a false grace one is accepted as rabbi and leader — even though in truth they have not yet begun to walk in the ways of Hashem, have not touched kedushah or Torah at all, have not begun to break any desire or trait at all. Even the desire for eating they have not begun to break — they merely reduce eating for the sake of honor. All this and more is hinted in the Story regarding the group that said whoever has abundant provisions and is not sustained from the food of others, eating only fine foods, is fit to be king. 13

However, one must fill the blemish of the moon so that there be no diminishment in it. For through the diminishment and contraction, from there the grip of the Sitra Achra — the wicked kingdom — cascades down, for their grip is from the aspect of contraction and judgment, as is known. Therefore, we need that after the contraction — when the light has been contracted and the aspect of the chalal hapanui has been made, etc., as mentioned above — one must see to fill the empty space, to draw His G-dliness, blessed be He, there, so that the entire empty space should be filled with His G-dliness, blessed be His Name — in the aspect of "the whole earth is filled with His glory" (Yeshayahu 6:3). For "the earth" is the aspect of the endpoint of Asiyah (the lowest world), the endpoint of the contraction. And one needs that the contraction should be filled with His G-dliness, blessed be He — and this is the aspect of formation for good, through the wisdom in the heart that is revealed within the hollow space of the heart, which is the aspect of the chalal hapanui, as mentioned above — through which His Kingship, blessed be He, is revealed.

The group that said melitzah [eloquence/rhetoric] and speech is the tachlis — that one should know many languages and be a fine orator: this error is also somewhat explained. For the evil done under the sun now through the sinful orators [melitzim haPoshim] is well known. As Rabbainu z"l said humorously, praising melitzah greatly, and then said: "But there are orators who are the sinners of Yisrael, as it says (Yeshayahu 43): 'U'melitzecha pashu vi' — 'And your orators sinned against Me.'" 14

And then, when His G-dliness, blessed be He, is revealed within the empty space as mentioned above, and all of creation within the empty space is filled with the revelation of the glory of His G-dliness, blessed be He — in the aspect of "the whole earth is filled with His glory", the aspect of "Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?" (Yirmiyahu 23:24) — this is the essential completeness of Malchus. And then it is the aspect of "the light of the moon shall be like the light of the sun" — as it will be in the future, when His Kingship, blessed be He, will be revealed — the aspect of "And Hashem shall be King over all the earth; on that day Hashem shall be One and His Name shall be One" (Z'charyah 14:9).

For all the philosophers, investigators, and heretics — most of them are great orators who chose the path of melitzah, studying many languages, speaking with eloquence and being masters of language, as is known and famous. 15

And this is the aspect of the secret of Kiddush HaChodesh: that we must in every month sanctify the month — to draw the aspect that will be in the future, which is the filling of the blemish of the moon from its diminishment. And this matter is truly a great secret that is impossible to grasp. Even Moshe Rabeinu had difficulty with it, as mentioned above. For as soon as one fills the blemish of the moon — that is, His Kingship, blessed be He, is revealed over all who come into the world, and the glory of Hashem fills the entire earth — then it is impossible to receive this burning light, for then everything is Ain Sof and it is impossible for the attributes to be revealed — the aspect of "it is impossible for two kings to use one crown," as mentioned above. Therefore, there must necessarily be the tzimtzum and diminishment, as mentioned above. Yet as soon as there is contraction, the Sitra Achra can, chas v'shalom, gain a grip from the contraction of the light — which is the aspect of the withdrawal of the light, from which comes their grip.

In truth, in its holy root, melitzah is exceedingly good — as Rabbainu z"l himself praised it greatly. He said: melitzah has great power to arouse a person, and even Above one can accomplish great things — arousing compassion and great salvation through melitzah. For he said that even the mailaitz z'chus [the one who argues merit] Above is called by this name — "orator" — precisely on account of melitzah. For the merit itself — if stated plainly without the ways of melitzah — would accomplish nothing in arousing compassion, since even without him the merit is known. The essential power of the one who argues merit to accomplish salvation and compassion is through melitzah: presenting the matter beautifully, with fitting and proper arguments, beautiful words, and fine rhetoric — through which he has the power to arouse compassion and salvation Above. 16

Therefore, it is impossible to grasp this secret now — the secret of Kiddush HaChodesh: to fill the blemish of the moon, that is, that the revelation of His Kingship, blessed be He, should fill the entire earth, etc., as mentioned above — which is the aspect of "the light of the moon like the light of the sun," where the light of the moon (the aspect of the revelation of His Kingship, blessed be He) shines without limit like the light of the sun (the aspect of the light of the Ain Sof, the aspect of "and nothing is hidden from its heat") — and nevertheless one would be able to receive the revelation of His Kingship. That is: nevertheless there would be the aspect of tzimtzum, for without the contraction it is impossible to accept the yoke of His Kingship, as mentioned above.

Similarly below: we see with our senses the power of melitzah. If one tells a person plainly that so-and-so died, he would not be so aroused to weep greatly. But if one arouses him through the way of melitzah — expanding the matter: how fine this person was, how beautiful his deeds — as orators do — then through melitzah one has the power to arouse and shatter the person's heart greatly. All this we heard from Rabbainu z"l. And then he concluded: "But there is an orator who is among the sinners of Yisrael — 'u'melitzecha pashu vi.'" 17

This secret is impossible to grasp. Even Moshe Rabeinu had difficulty with it — until the Holy One, blessed be He, showed him: "Like this — see, and sanctify!" He taught him at what measure the moon would appear fit to be sanctified — that is: at what diminishment and contraction we are able to fill it from its blemish, to reveal His Kingship, blessed be He, over all the world, and nevertheless everything should not revert to Ain Sof. Rather, we should have the power to receive His Kingship constantly, in the aspect of ratzo vashov (running and returning), in the aspect of matei v'lo matei ("reaching and not reaching"), etc.

This matter of the greatness of melitzah is extremely necessary for every person who desires true, eternal life — who wishes to approach the holy, walk in the ways of Hashem, and return to Him. For the general counsel that is the foundation of all counsels is hisbodedus — private conversation between oneself and one's Creator — as explained by us many times. That is: one should accustom oneself each day to go to a designated place for hisbodedus, to express one's conversation before Him as a man speaks to his friend — multiplying arguments, entreaties, requests, and persuasions in the language one speaks (in our country, in Yiddish which we speak) — that Hashem help him, enable him to return from evil ways and draw close to Him. 18

This secret is impossible to grasp now, until the future, when the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun and His Kingship, blessed be He, will be revealed over all who come into the world. But now, this matter is in a state of secret — the aspect of the secret of the intercalation, the secret of Kiddush HaChodesh — which was transmitted only to the great ones of the generation, by tradition, person from person, going back to Moshe Rabeinu, peace be upon him. And this is the aspect of the "secret of the intercalation" — "secret" specifically, the aspect of the mysteries of the Torah. For now, one must necessarily keep this matter in a state of secret. For if this secret were revealed — the secret of Kiddush HaChodesh, the secret of filling the moon from its blemish, whereby the moon (Malchus) ascends to Ain Sof — then the world would be completely nullified, for now it is still impossible to receive and grasp this level of understanding. Therefore, it must necessarily remain in a state of secret. And the secret itself is the aspect of the tzimtzum. For by the matter being a secret, through this there is the aspect of contraction of the light — and through this specifically, one can reveal His Kingship, blessed be He, which is the aspect of Kiddush HaChodesh, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of tz'ni'us (modesty/privacy), which is a very fine quality, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: "There is nothing more beautiful than modesty" — the aspect of "and walk modestly with your G-d" (Michah 6:8). For now, one must necessarily conduct oneself in the service of Hashem with modesty and secrecy, so that there should not be, chas v'shalom, the aspect of an excess of light, causing everything to revert to Ain Sof, and the aspect of Malchus would be unable to be revealed at all. And this is the aspect of prayer in a whisper (t'filah b'lachash). For through prayer, the essential ascent [of Malchus] takes place, and then Malchus ascends to Ain Sof. Therefore, one must perform this rectification in a whisper and in secret — in the aspect of the "secret" of Kiddush HaChodesh, "secret" specifically — so that everything should not revert to Ain Sof. For now, the understanding of Kiddush HaChodesh — whereby Malchus could be revealed to the level of Ain Sof and nevertheless we could receive His Kingship upon ourselves — that understanding has not yet been revealed. It will not be revealed until the future, when the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, when it will be fulfilled: "And Hashem shall be King over all the earth," etc. But now, even when one wants to draw some illumination from this aspect — which is the aspect of the ascent of Malchus, the aspect of Kiddush HaChodesh, the aspect of "Mi together with zos ascends," etc., which is the aspect mentioned above — one must do this in secret, in the aspect of the secret of the intercalation, the aspect of prayer in a whisper, as mentioned above. And this is alluded to in the words of Rabeinu, of blessed memory, in the aforementioned discourse, in what he wrote there regarding the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory: "If your wife is short (gutza), bend down and whisper (lachosh) to her" — that is: one must elevate Malchus from the aspect of "your wife is short", from the aspect of the lesser luminary, etc. And this is "whisper to her" — the aspect of prayer in a whisper; see there. Prayer in a whisper specifically — for when one must elevate Malchus from the aspect of the lesser luminary so that it should be in the aspect of the two great luminaries, which is the aspect of "Mi together with zos ascends," etc., as mentioned above — and this is accomplished through prayer, as is explained there in the aforementioned discourse — therefore, one must do this in a whisper, in the aspect of a secret. This is the aspect of the secret of Kiddush HaChodesh, etc., as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the privacy required for marital union — which must take place with great modesty. For the holy union is in the aspect mentioned above: to elevate "a woman who fears Hashem" from the aspect of the lesser luminary to the aspect of the two great luminaries, etc. And this must be with great modesty, in the aspect of secret, etc., as mentioned above. And therefore, the secret of the intercalation was given only to Yisrael, as it is written (D'varim 4:6): "For it is your wisdom and understanding in the eyes of the nations," etc. And our Sages, of blessed memory, said: "This refers to the secret of the intercalation." For the nations of the world, whose sustenance is from the wicked kingdom — their essential sustenance is only from the aspect of the contraction of the light, as mentioned above. For they are in the aspect of formation for bad, the aspect of foolishness of the heart, the aspect of the foreskin of the heart. Therefore, it is impossible to reveal to them this secret of Kiddush HaChodesh — for they are unable to receive this light. For we, the children of Yisrael, merited to receive the Torah and mitzvos, which are the aspect of vessels and attributes, through which to receive the perception of His G-dliness, blessed be He, in the aspect of matei v'lo matei — in a manner that we receive His Kingship, blessed be He, upon ourselves constantly, and nevertheless we have continued existence and are not completely nullified — until the time arrives to return the deposit to Him, blessed be He. But the nations did not merit the Torah and have no vessels to receive the light. Therefore, the light of His G-dliness, blessed be He, is completely contracted from them, and it is impossible to reveal to them. For as soon as one begins to reveal to them the light of His G-dliness, blessed be He, it is, as far as they are concerned, the aspect of an excess of light, through which the light is completely extinguished, as is known. Therefore, they are far from Hashem, blessed be He — for they do not merit this understanding and perception mentioned above, which is the aspect of the secret of the intercalation, as mentioned above. But we merit to receive the secret of Kiddush HaChodesh through the Tzadikim of the generation, who are in the aspect of Moshe — to whom alone this secret was transmitted. And they teach us the path to walk in, etc. — in a way that we can accept the yoke of His Kingship upon ourselves, and nevertheless the world will have continued existence. Therefore, the mitzvah of Kiddush HaChodesh is the first mitzvah that Yisrael were commanded. For this is the aspect of the totality of the entire Torah: that we should have the power to reveal His Kingship over all the world, and nevertheless the world should have continued existence — as it will be in the future, etc., as mentioned above. Therefore, the essential Exodus from Egypt depends on this, as is explained there in Parshas HaChodesh: as soon as Hashem, blessed be He, wished to take them out of Egypt, He immediately revealed to Moshe Rabeinu the secret of Kiddush HaChodesh, and there the matter of the Exodus from Egypt is stated. For the essential cause of all the exiles — which are all comprised in the exile of Egypt, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said — is only through the aspect mentioned above: because His Kingship, blessed be He, has not yet been revealed, and the nations of the world (the wicked kingdom) rule over Yisrael — their grip being from the aspect of the contraction and diminishment, as mentioned above. This is the aspect of the exile of Egypt (Mitzrayim) — a term meaning constriction (meitzar) and contraction. Therefore, the essential redemption is through the aspect of the secret of Kiddush HaChodesh. That is: through meriting — by way of the Tzadik of the generation (the aspect of Moshe) — to grasp the aforementioned secret: how to reveal the light of His G-dliness, blessed be He, gradually and in measure. Through this, His Kingship, blessed be He, is revealed over all who come into the world, etc., as mentioned above. For the grip of the nations — whose grip is from the Sitra Achra — is only from the aspect of an excess of light and a diminishment of light. For the excess of light is the diminishment — because it is impossible to receive an excess of light, and through this, the light is diminished and completely withdrawn. But we merit to receive the light gradually and in measure, through the holy Torah. Through this, we merit to reveal His G-dliness over all the world, and nevertheless the world has continued existence. This is the aspect of Kiddush HaChodesh. And then, when the light is revealed gradually and in measure through the secret of Kiddush HaChodesh, the nations have no sustenance at all, and then comes their downfall. For their sustenance is only through the excessive contraction of the light, in the aspect of Mitzrayim — when one does not merit to reveal the light of His G-dliness, blessed be He, within the contraction; then they have sustenance. And in truth, certainly it is impossible to reveal His G-dliness, blessed be He, to them — for then they would be completely nullified, since they have no vessels to receive it. But when we merit to reveal His Kingship, blessed be He, through the Torah and mitzvos — which is the aspect of Kiddush HaChodesh — through this, all their sustenance is nullified. And then we go out from the exile of Egypt, which comprises all the exiles — for we draw the light of the future, when His Kingship will be revealed over all the world and nevertheless the world will have continued existence. This is the aspect of Kiddush HaChodesh, etc., as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of Nissan, which is Rosh Chadashim (the head of months). For Nissan is Aviv — Alef with the two Baisen, Yud with the two Baisen — the upper house and the lower house that both have an ascent — the aspect of "Mi together with zos ascends" — the aspect of two kings using one crown — the aspect of the two great luminaries. This is the aspect of Rosh Chodesh, etc., as mentioned above. For there are twelve Roshei Chadashim corresponding to the twelve tribes. And every tribe has a Nasi (prince/leader). And every Nasi — the aspect of the Tzadik of the generation — is in the aspect of Moshe, who alone merits the aspect of the secret of Kiddush HaChodesh, as mentioned above. For only the Tzadik — the leader of the generation, the aspect of Moshe, the aspect of the Nasi — can draw this illumination to his people, to make known to them the path to walk in — to accept the yoke of His Kingship gradually and in measure, etc., as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of: "A well — the princes dug it, the nobles of the people excavated it, with the lawgiver, with their staffs" (Bamidbar 21:18). And our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded that every Nasi would draw with his staff the waters of the well to his tribe. For a well of living waters is the aspect of the revelation of the light of Ain Sof, which is the Source of Life, as it is written (Yirmiyahu 17:13): "Those who forsake the Source of Living Waters," etc. And it is impossible to draw the waters of the well — which are the revelation of His G-dliness, blessed be He — except through the Tzadikim of the generation, who are the aspect of the twelve N'si'im. Each one draws this light to his tribe gradually and in measure — in the aspect of "with the lawgiver (m'chokaik), with their staffs (mish'anosam)" — that is, through the staff, which is the aspect of a m'chokaik — the aspect of engraving and imprinting, the aspect of tzimtzum. The N'si'im know how to contract the light properly — to draw the aspect of the waters of the well to their tribe, which is the aspect of the revelation of His Kingship, blessed be He, gradually and in measure, etc., as mentioned above. Therefore, they are twelve N'si'im corresponding to twelve months — for this itself is the aspect of the secret of Kiddush HaChodesh, etc., as mentioned above. And therefore, in Nissan — which is Rosh Chadashim — all twelve N'si'im illuminate in the first twelve days. For each day, one Nasi brought his offering at the inauguration of the Mishkan. Because Nissan is Rosh Chadashim, and all twelve months are comprised in it — and they are the aspect of the twelve N'si'im, each of whom illuminates for Yisrael the aspect of the secret of Kiddush HaChodesh: the revelation of His Kingship, blessed be He, so that the blemish of the moon should be filled, etc., and nevertheless the world should have continued existence, as it will be in the future, etc., as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the inauguration of the Mishkan — when the N'si'im brought their offerings. For in the Mishkan there were vessels through which to receive the perception of His G-dliness, blessed be He, in the aspect mentioned above — in the aspect of "and the glory of Hashem filled the Mishkan" (Shemos 40:34), the aspect of "the whole earth is filled with His glory" — as explained above. The central paradox of Kiddush HaChodesh is the paradox of creation itself: the infinite light must be contracted for Malchus to be revealed, yet the contraction creates the space from which the Sitra Achra draws sustenance. The secret is how to fill the blemish of the moon — revealing the Infinite within the finite — without collapsing the world back into undifferentiated Ain Sof. Even Moshe had difficulty with this. For now, this understanding remains hidden: it is the "secret" of the intercalation, expressed in prayer in a whisper, in modesty, in the vessels of Torah and mitzvos that allow light to be received in measure. The nations, lacking these vessels, are sustained only by the contraction. Yisrael, through the Tzadikim of the generation — the twelve N'si'im — receive this secret: how to draw the waters of the well, the revelation of the Ain Sof, gradually and in measure. Nissan, Rosh Chadashim, embodies this: the upper and lower houses ascending together, the two great luminaries, the promise that in the future the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun.