פסח ד

Eloahay chasdiy yikadimainee Eloaheem yarainee vishoariruy.

My faithful G-d will come to aid me; G-d will let me gloat over my watchful foes. Based on the discourse "They asked Rabbi Yosai ben Kisma: When will the son of Dovid come," etc. — see there the entire discourse in the first volume, Siman 57.

The general principle is that through a vow (neder) — when one vows something and fulfills it immediately — one merits emunas chachamim (faith in the Sages). And through this the lights of the Patriarchs (oros ha'Avos) are illuminated within him, etc. And through this one merits oneg Shabbos — that is, eating in holiness. And then one can accomplish through one's eating what one accomplishes through fasting — that is, to cause one's enemies to fall before him through the merit of oneg Shabbos, just as one accomplishes through fasting, etc. For through fasting one's enemies fall before him — for through fasting one subdues the liver (kavaid) before the brain (moach) and gives dominion to the brain. That is, one subdues the angry liver (kavaid ko'ais), which is the head of the accusers — which is Eisav, who is Edom, whose hold is in the liver that is full of blood. And through fasting one subdues it and rectifies the brain and causes all the enemies and adversaries who are attached to the great accuser — who is attached to the angry liver — to fall. But when one merits the aspect of oneg Shabbos, then one does not need to fast, for one accomplishes through eating what one accomplished through fasting — that is, to quell the enemy — for the eating of Shabbos is holy, etc. But to increase shalom, one must increase tz'dakah, etc. And there is a difference between the shalom of a weekday fast and the shalom of oneg Shabbos — for the former has no mouth, and the latter has a mouth. And this is: the difference between chamaitz and matzah is only a mashehu — whose letters are an acronym for "V'hayah ma'asai hatz'dakah shalom" ("And the work of tz'dakah shall be shalom") — see there well.

12 אַל-תַּהַרְגֵם פֶּן-יִשְׁכְּחוּ עַמִּי הֲנִיעֵמוֹ בְחֵילְךָ וְהוֹרִידֵמוֹ מָגִנֵּנוּ אֲדֹנָי And this is the aspect of Pesach. For the essential purpose of the Exodus from Mitzrayim was to reveal the holy emunah. For this is the essence of the Exodus — to receive the Torah, which is emunah, as it is written: "All Your commandments are emunah." As it is written: "When you bring the people out of Mitzrayim, you shall serve G-d," etc. And the essential emunah is through emunas chachamim — the aspect of: "And they believed in Hashem and in Moshe His servant." For it is impossible to believe in Hashem except when one believes in Moshe His servant — which is emunas chachamim. For His greatness is beyond investigation, and He, blessed be He, is exalted and elevated and uplifted far beyond our understanding. And it is impossible to attain the holy emunah except through the true tzaddikim, who instill the holy emunah within us. And we must believe in them and not deviate from their words to the right or to the left.

Al tahargaim pen yeeshkichoo amee haneyaimoa vichailichu vihoareedaimoa mugeenainoo Adoanuy. And all the corruption of all the generations that were continually provoking, before matan Torah — the generation of the Flood and the generation of the Dispersion — was all through the blemish of emunas chachamim, as it is written: "He will not turn to the way of the vineyards." And Rashi explains that "vineyards" refers to the tzaddikim — they would swear not to turn to the path of the true tzaddikim who stand at the heights of the world. For in every generation there were certainly lofty, true tzaddikim — such as M'suschelach, Noach, Shem, Eiver, Chanoch, and the like. And if they had believed in them, they would have merited through them the holy emunah and the straight path of serving Hashem. And they would have been saved from the Flood and other calamities. But they lost this world and the next — all through the blemish of emunas chachamim.

Do not kill them lest my people be unmindful; with Your power make wanderers of them; bring them low, O our shield, the Lord,

And so in every generation, the essential hope to merit the eternal goal — everlasting life — is through faith in true chachamim who merited to overcome their inclination, subdued their desires, turned their faces completely from the vanities of this world, chose true life, and toiled with great effort for His Name until they merited what they merited. They attained hashagas Elokus, and through the greatness of their power they can draw us close as well to Him, blessed be He. And we are obligated to believe in them — as it is written: "You shall not deviate from the word they tell you," etc. For they know how to instruct us in the path upon which we should walk and the deeds we should do.

13 חַטַּאת-פִּימוֹ דְּבַר-שְׂפָתֵימוֹ וְיִלָּכְדוּ בִגְאוֹנָם וּמֵאָלָה וּמִכַּחַשׁ יְסַפֵּרוּ It follows that the essential thing is emunas chachamim. And this was the essence of the Exodus from Mitzrayim — to reveal the holy emunah, to reveal that Hashem is the G-d — which one merits only through emunas chachamim. And therefore at the very beginning of Moshe's mission to Yisrael, he immediately responded to Hashem: "But behold, they will not believe me and will not listen to my voice, for they will say: 'Hashem did not appear to you.'" For Moshe asked Hashem this: How can emunas chachamim be instilled in Yisrael? For he saw immediately that the essence of the redemption depended on their believing in him and fulfilling his words and following his counsel in everything he would instruct them. Therefore he immediately asked Hashem about emunas chachamim — how to instill it in them — for he thought they were far from emunas chachamim, as it is written: "But they will not believe me," etc.

Chatas peymoa divar sifusaymoa vi-yeeluchidoo veegoanum oomai-ullu oomeekachash yisapairoo.because of their sinful mouths, the words on their lips. Let them be trapped by their pride, and by the imprecations and lies they utter.

And this is the aspect of the three signs that Hashem gave into his hand so that they would believe in him. For Hashem commanded him to show Yisrael the punishment and the blemish that results from the blemish of emunas chachamim — so that they would strengthen themselves in emunas chachamim all the more. For the first sign was that his hand became leprous — this is the aspect of the wondrous afflictions that come upon one through the blemish of emunas chachamim, which is the aspect of "an affliction not written in the Torah" (as explained in the discourse). And therefore the sign of the affliction of leprosy was specifically in his hand — for it is specifically the hands that are blemished through the blemish of emunas chachamim (as our Rebbe wrote there, on the teaching of our Sages: "Give me your hand," etc.).

And afterward He showed him the sign that the staff turned into a serpent — this is also the aspect of the blemish of emunas chachamim, which is the aspect of: "He who breaches a fence — a serpent shall bite him" — the aspect of: "Perhaps the serpent of the Rabbis has bitten him, for which there is no remedy" (as explained in the discourse). And afterward He showed the third sign — that He turned water into blood — this is also the aspect of the blemish of emunas chachamim. For through emunas chachamim, which one merits through a neder, one merits oneg Shabbos. And then the liver that is full of blood is subdued before the brain (as explained in the discourse). But when one does not merit emunas chachamim, chas v'shalom, then, chas v'shalom, the liver that is full of blood overpowers the brain, which is the aspect of water, the aspect of da'as — as it is written: "The earth shall be full of the knowledge of Hashem, as the waters cover the sea."

Kalay vichaimu kalay vi-aynaimoa vi-yaidoo key Eloaheem moashail biyaakoav li-afsay hu-uretz sellu.

And therefore the first plague of Mitzrayim was that the water turned to blood. For the Mitzrim did not believe in the prophecy of Moshe; therefore they were stricken with blood — the blood overpowered them, from where their hold was — the aspect of the liver full of blood. And now they were stricken through this itself, for all their water turned to blood — the aspect of the blood of the liver overpowering them, because they blemished emunas chachamim and did not believe in Moshe and did not want to send out Yisrael.

In Your fury put an end to them; put an end to them that they be no more; that it may be known to the ends of the earth that G-d does rule over Jacob. Selah.

And this is the aspect of the plague of the firstborn, through which Yisrael left Mitzrayim. And the essential element of the plague of the firstborn and the salvation of the firstborn of Yisrael was through the mitzvah of the Korban Pesach, as it is written: "And Hashem will pass through to smite Mitzrayim, and He will see the blood... and I will pass over you." For the essential Exodus from Mitzrayim was to raise up and establish the fallen emunah — which is emunas chachamim, the essential avodas Hashem, the ultimate purpose of the Exodus — as it is written: "When you bring the people out of Mitzrayim, you shall serve G-d." And the essential service of Hashem depends on emunas chachamim.

15 וְיָשׁוּבוּ לָעֶרֶב יֶהֱמוּ כַכָּלֶב וִיסוֹבְבוּ עִיר For the essential exile of Mitzrayim was to rectify the blemish of the generation of the Flood and the generation of the Dispersion, as is brought — they blemished emunas chachamim, and now this needed to be rectified. And therefore the essential Exodus was through the aspect of neder, which is the aspect of peleh (wonder) — as it is written: "As in the days of your leaving from the land of Mitzrayim, I will show him wonders." Therefore the essential Exodus was through the mitzvah of the Korban Pesach, which is a neder — for all korbanos are through a neder, that one vows and consecrates the animal for the Korban Pesach and the like. And through this specifically Yisrael left Mitzrayim — for through the neder that they vowed and fulfilled with the Korb'nos Pesach that they offered, they merited to raise the fallen emunah, which is the essence of the Exodus. And through this the lights of the Patriarchs were illuminated within them — for the entire Exodus from Mitzrayim was in the merit of the Patriarchs, as mentioned in many verses. And through the neder of the Korban Pesach they merited that Hashem remembered for them the merit of the Patriarchs and their lights were illuminated within them, and through this they were redeemed. And this is what is written: "Before their fathers He performed a wonder (peleh) in the land of Mitzrayim, the field of Tzo'an" — through the above peleh, which is the neder, through this the light of the Patriarchs was remembered and illuminated within them (as this verse is explained in the discourse). And through this was the essence of the Exodus — "before their fathers He performed a wonder in the land of Mitzrayim."

Vi-yushoovoo lu-erev yehemoo chakulev veysoavivoo eer. And through the light of the Patriarchs they merited oneg Shabbos, which is eating in holiness — which is the aspect of eating matzah, as it is written: "l'ma'an tamotz v'his'anagtem" ("in order that you shall find [satisfaction] and delight"), as is explained in the discourse.

They come each evening growling like dogs, roaming the city. And therefore the essential beginning of the sprouting of the redemption was through the holiness of Shabbos — which is the aspect of Shabbos HaGadol that precedes Pesach. And the essential miracle of Shabbos HaGadol was that then they drew and took the Korban Pesach. That is, the essence of the redemption was through the neder that they vowed for the Korban Pesach and consecrated it. And therefore Hashem arranged that they fulfilled this specifically on Shabbos — on the Shabbos before Pesach — for through this itself, through the neder of the Korban Pesach, they merited Shabbos, which is the aspect of matzah — the essence of the Exodus, when they merited eating matzah, which is the aspect of oneg Shabbos. And all this was through the neder — the Korban Pesach that they vowed on Shabbos HaGadol, when they consecrated the Korban Pesach on the tenth of the month, as our Sages said. For through the neder one merits oneg Shabbos, which is the aspect of matzah, as explained in the discourse.

16 הֵמָּה יְנִיעוּן לֶאֱכֹל אִם-לֹא יִשְׂבְּעוּ וַיָּלִינוּ And therefore through the Korban Pesach the firstborn of Yisrael were saved and the firstborn of Mitzrayim were slain. And through this was the essential redemption. For the essential b'chorah (right of the firstborn) in truth belongs only to Yisrael, who are the true firstborn of holiness — the aspect of: "My son, My firstborn, Yisrael." For Yisrael arose in thought first — as it is written: "In the beginning (B'raishis) G-d created" — for the sake of Yisrael who are called raishis (the first). And raishis is the aspect of b'chor (firstborn), who is called raishis — as it is written: "For he is the beginning of his strength."

Haimu yinee-oon le-echoal eem low yeesbi-oo va-yuleenoo. But through the sin of Adam HaRishon, when all things became intermingled and overturned and changed from their true order — this caused Eisav to emerge first, and it appeared that he was the firstborn. And therefore Ya'akov seized him to restrain him — for in truth the b'chorah does not pertain to Eisav at all, only to Yisrael alone. And therefore Ya'akov our father toiled and labored until he took the b'chorah from Eisav. And he took the b'chorah from Eisav through Eisav's craving for food — as it is written: "Pour into me, please, from this red, red stuff." And through this he sold him the b'chorah. For the b'chor is raishis, the aspect of mochin. And when one merits to break the craving for food, then the brain is elevated above the liver full of blood, which is Eisav — this is the essential aspect of the b'chorah of holiness: the elevation of the brain above the entire body. For the brain is raishis, the aspect of b'chor. But when, chas v'shalom, Eisav — who is the liver — overpowers the brain, which comes through the anger that results from the craving for food (as explained in the discourse) — this is the aspect of the b'chorah of the Sitra Achara: Eisav, the aspect of the liver full of blood, takes the b'chorah and dominion and rules over the brain, chas v'shalom.

They wander in search of food; and whine if they are not satisfied.

From this come all the exiles, where the nations rule over Yisrael. For Yisrael's hold is in the brain — for Yisrael arose in thought first, and thought is the brain, and they are called raishis, the aspect of raishis chochmah, the aspect of mochin. And when the nations, whose hold is in the liver full of blood — which is Eisav, through whom all the exiles come — when they rule over Yisrael, chas v'shalom, this is the aspect of the liver overpowering the brain — from whence comes "tichbad ha'avodah" ("let the work be heavy") — as is brought in the Tikkunim. And this is the essential exile of Mitzrayim — the aspect of "tichbad ha'avodah." For the essential exile of Mitzrayim was through Eisav, who is the aspect of the liver full of blood, who is the minister (sar) of Mitzrayim, as is brought.

And this is why it is customary for firstborns to fast on erev Pesach — for the subduing of the liver before the brain is through fasting (as explained in the discourse). And this is what is written regarding the Korban Pesach: "With matzos and bitter herbs they shall eat it." For Hashem performed wondrous kindness with us then — and so in every generation — for to subdue the liver before the brain, which is the essence of the Exodus from Mitzrayim, the aspect of the slaying of the firstborn of Mitzrayim and the salvation of the firstborn of Yisrael — this is accomplished through fasting, through which one subdues the liver before the brain (as explained there). But at the time of the Exodus it was impossible to wait to take them out until they subdued the liver through fasting — for they were deeply sunken in the impurity of Mitzrayim (as is brought in the Writings). And if He had wanted to wait until they merited to subdue the impurity of Mitzrayim — which is the aspect of the liver full of blood — through fasting, they would have, chas v'shalom, remained stuck there. Therefore Hashem performed wondrous kindness and took them out through the aspect of peleh — through the aspect of neder, which is the Korban Pesach. Through this they merited oneg Shabbos, which is eating in holiness — the aspect of matzah, which is very great mochin, the aspect of oneg Shabbos. And through this specifically they left Mitzrayim — which is the aspect of Shabbos HaGadol before Pesach, for the essential Exodus was through the aspect of Shabbos. And they merited through eating specifically — through eating matzah, which is eating in holiness, the aspect of oneg Shabbos — to subdue through this the impurity of Mitzrayim, the aspect of the bitterness of the enslavement of the liver, the aspect of "tichbad ha'avodah." And all this they merited through the neder, which is the Korban Pesach. And this is what is written regarding Pesach: "With matzos and bitter herbs they shall eat it." For through the Pesach offering, which is a neder, one merits matzah, which is oneg Shabbos — through which one subdues the liver, the aspect of "tichbad ha'avodah" — which is the bitterness of the enslavement, the aspect of maror. And all this one merits through eating in holiness specifically — "with matzos and bitter herbs they shall eat it." And this is also the aspect of: "Pesach" is called peh sach (a mouth that speaks), as is brought. This is the aspect of the shalom that has a mouth, which one merits on Pesach — which is the aspect of matzah that one merits to eat on Pesach — the aspect of the shalom that has a mouth, as explained in the discourse. And this is the aspect of the great abundance of wealth that they merited at the time of the Exodus from Mitzrayim — as it is written: "And afterward they shall go out with great possessions." And this is the aspect of the blessing that Ya'akov took from Eisav — and all of this was because he first took the b'chorah from him — as it is written: "He took my b'chorah, and behold, now he has taken my blessing." For when the brain is elevated above the liver — which is the b'chorah of holiness — then Yisrael are nourished first, and all the shefa and blessing flows to the brain first — that is, to Yisrael. And then all the shefa and wealth belongs to Yisrael, for whose sake the world and all within it were created — all the sustenance, all the wealth, all the good of all the worlds — it all pertains to them alone, for whose sake everything was created. Only when, chas v'shalom, Yisrael blemish, and the yoke of the exile of the liver overpowers the brain, chas v'shalom — then the liver is nourished first, and they seize the shefa first, and Yisrael are nourished from the leftovers, as is brought. And therefore at the time of the Exodus, when the firstborn of the Sitra Achara was subdued and the liver was subdued before the brain — the shefa returned to its true place, to Yisrael. And they despoiled Mitzrayim — for they took from them all the wealth that truly belonged to Yisrael, for all good pertains only to Yisrael who are called raishis, who are the true b'chor for whose sake everything was created — as is explained: "B'raishis — for the sake of Yisrael who are called raishis" — the aspect of the b'chor of holiness. And therefore Ya'akov, by taking the b'chorah from Eisav, through this he took the blessing from him — as it is written: "He took my b'chorah, and behold, now he has taken my blessing." For one depends on the other. And therefore Ya'akov took the blessing from his father through the delicacies (mat'amim) he made for his father as he loved — for the mat'amim of Ya'akov are the aspect of eating in holiness, the aspect of oneg Shabbos, as it is written: "See, the fragrance of my son is like the fragrance of a field that Hashem has blessed" — which is the chakal tapuchin kadishin (holy apple orchard), as Rashi explains there — which is the aspect of the seudas Shabbos, known as chakal tapuchin kadishin. And therefore Ya'akov received the blessing on the night of Pesach, through the two kids of goats he made for his father — one he offered for Pesach and one for the chagigah. For korbanos are the aspect of neder, through which one merits oneg Shabbos and subdues the liver full of blood, which is Eisav — and one takes from him the b'chorah and the blessing and restores them to the brain, which is the b'chor of holiness, the aspect of Ya'akov. This is the essential aspect of the Exodus from Mitzrayim, which was on the night of Pesach, when Ya'akov received the blessing — all the sustenance and all the wealth, as it is written: "And G-d shall give you from the dew of heaven and from the fatness of the earth," etc. — the aspect of: "And afterward they shall go out with great possessions." And this is why we read the parashah of "Im kesef talveh" ("If you lend money") during the days of Pesach. For the essential poverty and the debts, chas v'shalom, are drawn from the above — from the overpowering of the liver over the brain, chas v'shalom. For then the nations, whose hold is in the liver in the aspect of Eisav — who is appointed over all the exiles — they rule over Yisrael, chas v'shalom, and they take all the shefa, chas v'shalom, and Yisrael are nourished from the leftovers. And through this poverty, chas v'shalom, is drawn to Yisrael. For at the time when Yisrael do the will of the Omnipresent, then is fulfilled: "There shall be no needy among you, for Hashem shall surely bless you." That is, Yisrael receive the blessing and the b'chorah from Eisav, and they rule over him — and then the needy are among others and not among you, as our Sages said. For the essential poverty, chas v'shalom, is from the overpowering of the liver over the brain — which comes through the blemish of the craving for food, which is the blemish of eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Through this, chas v'shalom, the toil and burden of earning a livelihood is drawn — the aspect of: "In sorrow shall you eat of it"; "By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread" — the aspect of the overpowering of the liver, "tichbad ha'avodah," the aspect of the slavery and toil of earning a livelihood. And this is the aspect of "The people spread out and gathered" — "b'shtusa" (in foolishness), as the Zohar HaKadosh explains — that due to foolishness and absence of da'as one must toil greatly and wander about for a livelihood. For the essential toil and heaviness of livelihood, chas v'shalom, is only because of the overpowering of the liver over the brain — the aspect of the blemish of da'as. And through this, chas v'shalom, "tichbad ha'avodah" intensifies — the aspect of the liver full of blood. For damim has a double meaning: Eisav, whose hold is in the liver, is a shedder of damim (blood) and also takes damim (money) and the possessions of Yisrael, chas v'shalom, when he overpowers, chas v'shalom, through the sins of Yisrael. And this is: "Whoever accepts upon himself the yoke of Torah, the yoke of government and the yoke of worldly occupation are removed from him. And whoever casts off the yoke of Torah — upon him are placed," etc. For the Torah is da'as. And therefore whoever accepts the yoke of Torah — which is the aspect of the brain overpowering the liver, the side of the body, the side of Eisav — then "when this rises, this falls," and the yoke of government and the yoke of worldly occupation are removed from him. For the dominion and kingdom of Eisav, whose hold is in the liver, is nullified — and automatically the yoke of worldly occupation is also nullified, that is, the yoke of the toil and burden of livelihood. For the essential burden of livelihood is only from the overpowering of the liver — "tichbad ha'avodah" — the aspect of slavery. And whoever casts off the yoke of Torah and da'as is weakened, chas v'shalom, and the liver overpowers — then the yoke of government and the yoke of worldly occupation are placed upon him. For one depends on the other: the yoke of worldly occupation — the burden of livelihood — is drawn from the yoke of government, the evil kingdom — the kingdom of Edom, whose hold is in the liver, from whence the essential burden of livelihood comes. But when one accepts the yoke of Torah and strengthens da'as and the liver is weakened and subdued before the brain — then the yoke of government and the yoke of worldly occupation, which are attached to the liver, are removed. And this is why the Torah warned to deal kindly with the poor borrower and not to be as a creditor to him. For this poor person, whose hand has declined until he was compelled to borrow from others — this results from the overpowering of the liver, chas v'shalom, from which the essential poverty comes. And therefore he comes to borrowing, which is the aspect of slavery — the aspect of: "a borrower is a slave to the lender" — the aspect of "tichbad ha'avodah," the aspect of the liver, from which poverty and debts essentially stem. And therefore the Torah warned Yisrael to have compassion on the borrower and not to act as a creditor — to rescue him and elevate him from the aspect of slavery, from the aspect of "a slave who borrows," and rather to conduct oneself with him as a free person — to elevate him from slavery to freedom. For the essential purpose of lending is to support the borrower — perhaps he will be able to broaden his means and merit a livelihood through this — as it is written: "And if your brother becomes poor and his hand declines with you, you shall support him." And as Rashi explains there: Do not let him fall, but hold him up before he falls. For poverty, chas v'shalom, results from the overpowering of the liver over the brain. And therefore one who comes to poverty — the overpowering of the liver, chas v'shalom, over the brain — and because of this, poverty drives him beyond the bounds of his da'as, for his da'as becomes confused because the hold of the liver has overpowered, chas v'shalom. And the more poverty intensifies, the more da'as weakens each time — and correspondingly the liver overpowers all the more. And because of this the poor person is constantly in anger — for anger is the aspect of the angry liver, which is the aspect of poverty. And because of this, "after a poor man, poverty follows." And therefore one who has compassion on the poor person and provides him a livelihood truly revives his soul and can save the poor person from poverty entirely. For by giving to him and reviving his soul and broadening his da'as — through this the da'as overpowers the liver, and the more the da'as overpowers, the more the liver is subdued, and through this the poverty is nullified. And this is the aspect of the mitzvah of g'milus chasadim, which is greater than tz'dakah — for through g'milus chasadim, lending to him and broadening his means temporarily, through this one can save him from poverty forever. For by helping him, lending to him, and broadening his da'as — the liver is subdued, and the more the liver is subdued the more the brain is enlarged, and the more the brain is enlarged the more the liver is subdued — until one can nullify the poverty entirely. And therefore the Torah warned the lender not to act as a creditor — to rescue him from slavery, from the aspect of "a slave who borrows," to rescue him from the overpowering of the liver — "tichbad ha'avodah" — the aspect of slavery, from which poverty and debts essentially come. Rather, one should conduct oneself with the borrower as if he never borrowed from him at all, and not be as a creditor to him — to rescue him from the aspect of slavery, to subdue "tichbad ha'avodah" — the aspect of the liver full of blood — to nullify poverty from Yisrael. For by not acting as a creditor to the borrower, through this one subdues the aspect of the liver, the aspect of slavery. And through this the borrower can merit to broaden his means and repay the lender and be saved from poverty entirely. And therefore we read this parashah — "If you lend money... do not be as a creditor to him" — during the days of Pesach, which is the time of our freedom. For this is the aspect of the Exodus from Mitzrayim, when we merited to leave from slavery to freedom — all of which was through the subduing of the liver before the brain. And this is the aspect of "do not be as a creditor to him" — to rescue Yisrael from the aspect of slavery, to elevate them from slavery to freedom.