פסח ה

Vaannee usheer oozechu vaaranain laboakehr chasdechu key hu-yeessu meesguv lee oomunoas bi-yoam tzar lee.

But I will sing of Your strength, extol each morning Your faithfulness; for You have been my haven, a refuge in time of trouble.

Based on the Torah "V'Aileh HaMishpatim" — Emunah, in the first volume, Siman 7, on page 8b — see there the entire Torah from beginning to end.

And this is the aspect of Pesach and Yetzias Mitzrayim. For the essential galus Mitzrayim was on account of the blemish of Eretz Yisrael, which is the aspect of the blemish of emunah, t'filah, and nissim — through Avraham having said, "Bamah aida?" ("How shall I know?"). And through this he blemished the aspect of Eretz Yisrael, which is the aspect of emunah, etc. (as all this is explained well there in the Torah cited above). And now on Pesach is Yetzias Mitzrayim, the time of geulah and the nissim which Hashem Yisbarach performed for us — wondrous and awesome and mighty miracles and wonders — and He took us out of Mitzrayim in order to bring us to Eretz Yisrael, as explained in many p'sukim. As it is written, "And He took us out from there in order to bring us to the land which He swore to our forefathers." And similarly in many p'sukim and throughout the entire Torah: that the essential purpose of Yetzias Mitzrayim was to come to Eretz Yisrael. And all of it is for the sake of the holy emunah — in order to merit complete emunah, which is the very essence of everything. And this is the essential avodah of a person all the days of his life. And for this reason a person comes to this world — in order to merit emunah, in order to recognize Him Yisbarach, which is the ultimate purpose of all purposes. And the entire purpose of Yetzias Mitzrayim, Mattan Torah, and all the awesome signs and wonders which Hashem Yisbarach performed with our forefathers and with us from the day of Yetzias Mitzrayim until this very day, in every generation — all of it is in order to publicize His Divinity, to know and to make known and to become known that He is the Ruler, He is the Former, He is the Creator, Yisbarach v'Yis'aleh Sh'mo forever — so that we should merit complete emunah in truth.

18 עֻזִּי אֵלֶיךָ אֲזַמֵּרָה כִּי-א-לֹהִים מִשְׂגַּבִּי א-להי חַסְדִּי And behold, it is explained in the Torah cited above that it is impossible to merit emunah except through emes, as it is written, "And righteousness shall be the belt of his loins, and emunah the belt of his waist." And the Zohar asks: this is righteousness, this is emunah — what is the difference? Rather, when tz'dek is joined with emes, it becomes emunah. It turns out that the essence of emunah is through emes. And we have already explained these matters somewhat. And there is yet more to explain further, with Hashem's kindness. For in truth, the essence of emunah is in that which the intellect does not comprehend, for in that which the intellect does comprehend it is not called emunah, since one understands the matter from one's own da'as. And if so, since one does not understand the matter, how can one come to emunah? Therefore, the essence of emunah is through emes. For it is fitting for a person of understanding, one who has a brain in his head and desires the tikkun of his soul and his true success, to look at the emes very, very well, with the eye of truth, without contentiousness or provocation. For through contentiousness one can turn all manner of truths into falsehood, chas v'shalom. And all the arguments that are spoken in truth can be turned from one extreme to another without end or limit. Nevertheless, the emes is one.

Oozee aillechu azamairu key Eloaheem meesgabee Eloahay chasdee. Therefore, every person who wishes to have compassion on himself and on the neshamos of his sons and daughters and on all the future generations that will descend from him until the end of all generations — he must not deceive himself, chas v'shalom. For every person deceives no one but himself, and the word of our G-d shall stand forever, for "kushta ka'ai v'shikra la ka'ai" — truth stands and falsehood does not stand. As it is written, "The lip of truth shall be established forever." It does not say "was established" but "shall be established" — for the emes is destined to be fulfilled, for in the days of Mashiach and in the future the emes will be fulfilled. And then they will know the difference between a tzaddik and a rasha, etc. And although falsehood too, when it clothes itself in emes, says the same thing — until it is impossible to distinguish at all in any way (except through much crying out and pleading to Hashem Yisbarach) — nevertheless, in the future the emes will certainly be known, and in the end of the end the emes in its truest form will become known, where it is.

O my strength, to You I sing hymns; for G-d is my haven, my faithful G-d.

And the general principle is that when a person wants to merit complete emunah in Hashem Yisbarach and in the true tzaddikim and in genuinely upright people, he must look at the emes in its truest form and not deceive himself at all; rather, he should look at the emes in truth, and then he will certainly merit complete emunah. For even though he will not merit to understand the matter well with his da'as, nevertheless, if he looks at the emes in its truest form, he will merit to understand with his da'as that it is fitting for him to believe. For example, regarding the very foundation of holy emunah — to believe in Hashem Yisbarach and in His Torah given through Moshe Rabbainu, alav hashalom, in writing and orally, and in His specific Providence, etc. — even though there are various strange and corrupted opinions of the philosophers and heretics, such that many of the great ones of B'nai Yisrael were ensnared by them, to the extent that among the printed commentaries found alongside the Mikra'os G'dolos one finds the claim that the speaking of Bil'am's donkey was merely a vision, Rachmana litzlan, Rachmana l'shaizvan, from this deranged opinion, which is outright k'firah and there is no greater heresy than this, Rachmana litzlan — and some of them say strange opinions of k'firah, of foolishness and vanity, regarding the other awesome wonders, as is found in their books — fortunate is one who merits never to look into them at all. But nevertheless, one who wishes to look at the emes in its truest form, according to what has been received by us from generation to generation, will understand and know in truth that all the nissim and wonders were in the physical, literal sense, as is explained in the holy Torah and in the N'vi'im and in the K'suvim and in the Babylonian and Yerushalmi Talmud and in the Midrashim.

Psalm 77 · פרק עז

For Hashem Yisbarach took them out of Mitzrayim with wondrous nissim in the physical sense — that water turned into blood for the Egyptians while for Yisrael it remained water, and similarly with the rest of the plagues. And He split the sea for us and brought us through it on dry land, and the Egyptians pursued after them and were drowned in it by His command and decree, Yisbarach. And there were ten awesome nissim at the sea, as explained in the Midrashim and the Gemara. And similarly all the other awesome nissim — all the signs and wonders and the great awe which Moshe performed before the eyes of all Yisrael: that he brought down the mahn for forty consecutive years — has such a thing ever been heard or has anything like it ever been seen?! As it is written, "For ask now regarding the earlier days which were before you — has there ever been such a thing as this, has anything like it been heard?" etc. And likewise the awesome wonders that occurred afterward in every generation — in the days of Yehoshua, who made the sun stand still in the world until his fame spread throughout the entire world, and the rest of the nissim and wonders explained in the books of Tanach and in the words of Chazal. And the rescue of Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah from the fiery furnace, and Daniel from the lion's den, and the downfall of Haman which was reversed from one extreme to another — that initially he killed his wife on account of his beloved Haman, and afterward it was reversed from one extreme to another, that he killed Haman on account of Esther. And Mordechai was elevated and made great in his place, etc., as it is written, "And it was reversed," etc. And similarly all the other awesome nissim that Hashem Yisbarach performed for our forefathers and for us, in the revealed and in the hidden.

Although there are heretics who deny them through paths of foolishness and vanity, one who wishes to look at the emes in its truest form will see with his own eyes that they open their mouths with vanity and there is no need to refute them, for falsehood and foolishness falls on its own, and the emes is its own witness. And it is fitting for us to thank Hashem Yisbarach greatly all the days of our lives, for He separated us from those who go astray and gave us a Torah of emes and enlightened our eyes to look at the emes, so that we merited to believe in Hashem and in Moshe His servant until this very day. And likewise now, regarding the controversy and opposition among the tzaddikim and those who fear Hashem, such that no one knows where the emes is — if a person wishes to look at the emes in its truest form and not deceive himself, he will certainly merit to know the emes and will come to complete emunah. For emunah depends on emes as mentioned above. That is, when one wishes to merit complete emunah, one must look only at the emes, and desire the emes always, and never allow any word of falsehood to leave one's mouth, and not deceive one's fellow and certainly not deceive oneself. Rather, one should look at the emes in its truest form, and then one will understand that it is certainly fitting for one to believe in Hashem Yisbarach and in the true tzaddikim. Even though one has many questions and confusions that one cannot resolve, nevertheless, one will understand from afar that it is fitting to believe. For one will understand that the emes is so — that even in our days there was the Ba'al Shem Tov, zecher tzaddik v'kadosh livrachah, an exceedingly great and awesome ba'al mofeis. Although there are many scoffers who ridicule the praises of the Ba'al Shem Tov, zecher tzaddik livrachah, to the extent that many upright and righteous people were caught in their net and dispute the publication of the Sefer Shivchei HaBa'al Shem Tov, zichrono livrachah — and some say the wonders are true but should not have been published — with all due respect to their great honor, they too erred in this. For the main fear of the upright ones who say they should not have been published is on account of the mockery of the scoffers and opponents. But on account of that, it is not fitting to withhold the emes from one who desires the emes. Let them and a thousand like them be lost, but not a single matter of Torah should be nullified. For in truth, most of what is printed in the Shivchei HaBa'al Shem Tov, zecher tzaddik v'kadosh livrachah — most of it was already being told by everyone long ago, and the awesome wonders of the Ba'al Shem Tov, zecher tzaddik v'kadosh livrachah, are famous throughout the entire world, especially among those who fear Hashem and think upon His name. And a great tzaddik, one of the greatest of his talmidim, already told over and said explicitly in the beis hakneses publicly during a d'rashah: that even if there were not found more praises of the Arizal, zichrono livrachah, than what has been published — we ourselves saw from our Rebbe more than that, as this story is well-known. And the general principle is that the essence is the emes — to look at the emes in its truest form, as mentioned above, and through this one will merit complete emunah as mentioned above.

Lamnatzai-ach al yidoosoon li-ussuf meezmohr.

However, it is explained in the Torah cited above that it is impossible to merit emes except through receiving all the aitzos from the tzaddikim of the generation. For their aitzos are the aspect of "kullo zera emes" ("entirely seed of truth"). For the kidneys advise, and the kidneys are the organs of procreation where the seed that descends from the brain is developed. And similarly, the aitzah that descends from the brain to the advising kidneys is developed and completed there. Therefore, when one receives aitzah from a person, it is as if one receives seed from him, and it is the aspect of nissu'in (marriage). And everything depends on what kind of person he is. For when one receives aitzos from the tzaddik, it is the aspect of nissu'in in k'dushah, and through this one merits emes. For the aitzos of the tzaddik are the aspect of "kullo zera emes." And conversely, when one receives aitzos from the wicked who oppose the tzaddik, it is the aspect of nissu'in of the k'lipah, the aspect of "the serpent seduced me," etc. (See there all of this well.)

For the leader; on Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm. And it is explained there that through the mitzvah of tzitzis a person is saved from the aitzah of the serpent, from the aitzos of the wicked, from the aspect of adultery, and merits the aitzos of the tzaddikim. And this is the aspect of "Ben poras Yosef, ben poras alai ayin," for tzitzis are the aspect of eyes, the aspect of "meitzitz min hacharakim" ("peering through the lattices"), etc. And through this one merits the aspect of "ben poras," which is the aspect of nissu'in dik'dushah, etc. — that is, to receive the aitzos of the tzaddikim, through which one merits emunah, and through which the geulah will come, in the aspect of "tavo'i tashuri mairosh amanah" ("come and gaze from the peak of emunah"), etc. (See there all of this well.)

2 קוֹלִי אֶל-א-לֹהִים וְאֶצְעָקָה קוֹלִי אֶל-א-לֹהִים וְהַאֲזִין אֵלָי And this is the aspect of matzah, maror, charoses, and four cups of wine. For it is explained in the Kisvai Arizal the matter of the intensity of the nes of Pesach. And likewise this illumination of the intensity of this awesome nes is drawn down every single year on every Pesach. And the matter in brief: at that time the Egyptians — which are the k'lipos — were clinging to them very, very greatly, until, had the light and the mochin descended to them gradually in order, as it descends throughout the rest of the year in order and gradually, it would have been impossible for them to leave in any way. For the k'lipos were clinging to them exceedingly. Therefore Hashem Yisbarach performed for them a wondrous and awesome nes — He illuminated a great and awesome light suddenly, all at once, not gradually and not in order. For on leil Pesach, at the beginning of the night, all the mochin of gadlus rishon and gadlus shaini and katnus rishon and shaini descend all at once, not gradually and not in order. This is unlike the rest of the year, when one does not receive the mochin at night but only during the day, and even during the day one must receive them gradually in order. But now, Hashem Yisbarach has compassion upon us with great compassion and illuminates upon us all the mochin at night, all at once, not gradually or in order. And through this specifically we are redeemed, for through this great light the k'lipos are nullified and we go out from galus Mitzrayim, etc. — see there.

Koalee el Eloaheem vi-etzuku koalee el Eloaheem vihaazeen ailluy. And this corresponds to what is written in the Torah cited above: that it is impossible to leave galus Mitzrayim, and similarly from all the exiles which are called by the name Mitzrayim — as is known — except through emunah, as mentioned above. For the essence of the galus was on account of the blemish of emunah, and the essence of the geulah will be only through the tikkun of emunah. And one cannot merit emunah except through emes, and one cannot receive emes except through the aitzos of the tzaddikim which one receives from them, which are the aspect of "kullo zera emes." They are the aspect of the 613 aitzos of the Torah, to subdue and nullify the aitzos of the wicked who oppose the emes, who are the aspect of the aitzah of the Nachash HaKadmoni (Primordial Serpent), etc., as mentioned above. And now, at the time when they needed to leave galus Mitzrayim, they had not yet received the 613 aitzos of the Torah, for it was still before Mattan Torah. And had Hashem Yisbarach wanted to wait until they would not merit the light of emes until they first received all the holy aitzos — which are the 613 aitzos of the Torah — chas v'shalom they would have sunk there, for it would have been impossible for them to receive the aitzos gradually there, because the tumah of Mitzrayim was clinging to them greatly, which is the aspect of the aitzah of the serpent, which opposes the holy aitzos. For it is known that galus Mitzrayim was on account of the sin of Adam HaRishon, through which the zuhamah (contamination) of the serpent was drawn down — which is the evil aitzos of the idolators and heretics and wicked, and similarly all manner of aitzos that are not good, of all who oppose the point of emes — all of them are drawn and derive from there, from the aspect of the aitzah of the Nachash HaKadmoni, which is the aspect of the zuhamah of the serpent, which is the essential aspect of galus Mitzrayim that came about through the sin of Adam HaRishon, as is known.

I cry aloud to G-d; I cry to G-d that He may give ear to me.

And because of the intensity of galus Mitzrayim, it was not possible to illuminate upon them any aitzah. For had they revealed to them the aitzos of the Torah there, chas v'shalom the holy aitzos too would have been blemished through the aitzos of the serpent — which is the aspect of the tumah of Mitzrayim that was clinging to them then greatly. And if so, from where would they merit the geulah? Since they could not receive the holy aitzos of Moshe Rabbainu, they could not merit emes, and without emes one does not merit emunah. And if so, how could they be redeemed and leave Mitzrayim? For it is impossible to be redeemed except through emunah, as mentioned above. Therefore, Hashem Yisbarach performed wondrous kindness with us and illuminated upon us a great and awesome light, not gradually — that is, Hashem Yisbarach had compassion upon us and illuminated upon us the light of emes before we merited to receive the holy aitzos, which are the 613 aitzos of the Torah that we received at the standing at Har Sinai. And through this we merited great emunah, and through this was the geulah from Mitzrayim. For at the time of Yetzias Mitzrayim they merited complete and exceedingly great emunah, as explained in many p'sukim, as it is written, "Your going after Me in the wilderness," etc. And as Rashi explains: they are worthy on account of the emunah with which they believed in Me and went out, etc., for they did not say, "How shall we go out to the wilderness without any provisions for the journey?" etc., as is known. It turns out that they merited then exceedingly great emunah, and through this was the essential geulah, for the essential geulah is through emunah, as mentioned above. And this great emunah they merited through the great light of emes that Hashem Yisbarach illuminated upon them in His kindness, not gradually — that is, they merited the very essence of emes before they received the holy aitzos which are the 613 aitzos of the Torah. And this is the aspect of the great and awesome mochin that Hashem Yisbarach illuminated upon them not gradually at the time of Yetzias Mitzrayim — namely, the aspect of the light of emes that illuminated upon them not gradually, that is, before they received the holy aitzos, as mentioned above.

For emes encompasses all manner of mochin in the world, for the essential ultimate purpose of the greatness of the mochin is the emes. And as is understood from the words of Rabbainu, zichrono livrachah, in another place: that the essential completeness of the moach and all the Torah chiddushim is only when it is in emes, as explained in the holy sichah printed in Likutay Tinyana beginning, "The great preciousness of thought has become known to me now," etc. — see there — that the essence is the emes. For the essential completeness of the moach dik'dushah is the emes. For certainly it is not called moach and chochmah when one uses one's chochmah to distort the emes. For the external wisdoms, even though sometimes they arrive at some wisdom regarding matters of this world, since through their wisdom they distance themselves from the very essence of the emes — namely, from Hashem Yisbarach — therefore their wisdom is not considered wisdom at all, as it is written, "Behold, they have rejected the word of Hashem — and what wisdom do they have?" And similarly all manner of wisdoms of human beings, through which one distances oneself, chas v'shalom, from Hashem Yisbarach — they are not called wisdoms at all. And the essential wisdom and moach is when through this wisdom one merits to draw close to Hashem Yisbarach and to His Torah and to His service in truth. And the more one draws close to the emes, the more it is called mochin d'gadlus.

Bi-yoam tzurusee Adoanuy durushtee yudee laylu neegiru vilow sufoog mai-anu heenuchaim nafshee.

And this is the aspect of: at age five for Mikra, at age ten for Mishnah, at age fifteen, etc. — which is explained in the kavanos of Pesach as the totality of all the mochin of katnus and gadlus rishon and shaini, which is alluded to in this Mishnah — see there. And all these mochin are encompassed in emes. For at age five for Mikra — then one merits to receive a true moach through Mikra, which is a moach of emes. For all the mochin are encompassed in the Torah, which is the aspect of emes, as it is written, "Toras emes," etc. But since the child can only receive then the Mikra in its simple sense, therefore it is still called mochin d'katnus, because he does not yet know the very essence of the emes that is concealed within the Mikra — which is all the laws of the mitzvos of the Torah that are concealed in the Mikra. For from Mikra alone one still cannot derive any law, and one does not yet know how to fulfill any mitzvah. For the entire mitzvah of t'fillin is stated in the Torah in one pasuk, "And it shall be a sign upon your hand," etc. — and one does not know how to write them or put them on, nor any of the detailed halachos, until one studies Torah Sheb'al Peh. And similarly with the rest of the mitzvos. Therefore, when the child studies Mikra — even though it is a true moach — since the very essence of the emes is still concealed there, it is called mochin d'katnus. And afterward the moach grows further and one merits Mishnah, and there the emes is explained more, for there the laws of the Torah are explained. But since even from the Mishnah one cannot derive a law, as Chazal said, therefore the moach has not grown to completeness, for one has not yet merited to attain the emes in its completeness. And afterward, when one merits Gemara and to establish the halachah in its final, authoritative form, and studies Gemara and Poskim and merits to know every law of the mitzvos of the Torah in truth — this is the aspect of mochin d'gadlus in truth. And the essential greatness of the mochin is that one merits to know the true halachah properly. However, even within mochin d'gadlus there are many levels, for even when one knows the true din and mitzvah, one still needs to attain and know how to merit to serve Hashem in truth, to fulfill all the mitzvos in truth according to His will, Yisbarach. For the study is not the essential thing, but rather the deed. And for this one must toil all one's days, until one merits avodas Hashem in truth. And through this one merits to recognize Him Yisbarach, Who is the very essence of emes — which is the ultimate purpose, as it is written, "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom... but rather, let one who boasts, boast of this — that he understands and knows Me," etc.

In my time of distress I turn to the Lord, with my hand [uplifted]; [my eyes] flow all night without respite; I will not be comforted.

Therefore it is fitting for us to weep and cry out day and night — "nivtosh raisha b'kosla d'vaisa" (bang our head against the wall of the house). "O daughter of my people, gird yourself with sackcloth, roll in ashes, make for yourself mourning as for an only child, a lamentation of bitterness" — over the great calamity and terrible trouble that is heard in the world, the likes of which have never before existed. For in many places, groups of famous, outright r'sha'im have banded together and formed societies for the education of youth, to teach the young children of Yisrael external wisdoms and the languages of the nations. And they defile the holy breath of their mouths and uproot them during their lifetimes from their youth, from Hashem Yisbarach and from the Torah. For they accustom them to the ways of the nations and their garments from their youth, and they hunt precious souls to cast them to Gehinnom. Woe to us, for we have been plundered! Woe to us over our brokenness! Woe and alas! And if I were to attempt to describe even a fraction of the immensity of this calamity, endless scrolls would be consumed, for there is no evil greater than this, as we see with our own senses — that all those youths who were raised according to these evil ways are notorious heretics, worse than converts, and they desecrate the Shabbos publicly and mock the entire Torah, and especially the Torah Sheb'al Peh, the words of the Talmud and the Aggados of Chazal — to the point that it is forbidden to repeat or commit to writing, and certainly to say orally, their evil and bitter words. For these are the very outright heretics that Chazal mentioned, for Chazal said that even one who denies a single teaching of Chazal is called an apikorus — how much more so these who deny most of the teachings of Chazal and the entire Torah.

4 אֶזְכְּרָה א-לֹהִים וְאֶהֱמָיָה אָשִׂיחָה וְתִתְעַטֵּף רוּחִי סֶלָה As Chazal said: "Is it permissible for a person to teach his son Greek wisdom?" And they answered: "He may teach it at a time that is neither day nor night." And as explained in the Alshich and the Shelah and other sefarim — the great prohibition of studying external wisdoms and languages, Rachmana litzlan. Aside from the fact that they waste the holy breath of the mouths of the tinokos shel bais rabban by engaging in external matters that are forbidden to engage in. And it is impossible to debate and argue with them about their ways, for they distort the words of the living G-d and find for themselves inverted reasoning of foolishness and vanity — that it is necessary, chas v'shalom, to accustom the child in these misguided, evil ways, in evil ways that have never before been heard. And all their ways and practices are only to draw the child into the ways of the nations from his youth — which the holy Torah warns us to distance ourselves from them and their ways, as it is written, "And they mingled with the nations and learned their deeds." And as it is written, "And in their statutes you shall not walk." And as explained in the Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Dei'ah, Siman 178 — that one must be distinct from them in one's garments and deeds, etc. And there is no need to elaborate and explain the immensity of this terrible calamity, the likes of which has never existed, about which all the prophets prophesied — that at the end of days there would be a trouble the likes of which has never existed, as it is written, "And there shall be a time of trouble for Ya'akov, the likes of which has never existed," etc. Fortunate is one who merits in these days to distance himself and his children from them. And if it is not in our power to prevent them, in our many sins, at the very least it is an obligation upon every upright member of Yisrael to warn his children and grandchildren for all generations that they should distance themselves with every manner of distancing from these ways. And not to place one's children in a school where even one of the students follows these evil ways mentioned above — even if that particular teacher does not engage in this evil study but teaches only holy Torah, Gemara and Poskim, and it is just that some students study these things elsewhere — nevertheless, it is forbidden to associate with them at all, lest they draw his children, chas v'shalom, to their evil way and their bitter reasoning, lest they instill in him, chas v'shalom, some desire to study their evil books, Rachmana litzlan. And Hashem Yisbarach should have mercy on the entirety of Yisrael and hasten our geulah and bring us our righteous Mashiach speedily in our days. Then the emes will be revealed, as it is written, "Emes will sprout from the earth," etc. Let us return to our subject — that the essence of all the mochin are encompassed in emes, as mentioned above. And this is the immensity of the nes of Pesach: that the very essence of emes illuminates upon us then, which encompasses all the mochin, before we merit to receive the holy aitzos which are the aspect of the 613 aitzos of the Torah, as mentioned above. And therefore we must eat matzah then, and chamaitz is completely forbidden to us — even the slightest amount, in the prohibition of "bal yairah'eh" and "bal yimatzai." For it is explained in the Kisvai Arizal that matzah is the aspect of mochin d'gadlus d'Abba, which is Chochmah — which are great and awesome mochin. That is, now we are drawing down the very essence of emes, which is a light from Chochmah itself — which is the great and awesome supernal light that illuminates upon us now on Pesach, not gradually. For before we merited to draw down the drops of moach that are drawn from Chochmah downward to the place of the advising kidneys where the holy aitzos are made — the aspect of the 613 aitzos of the Torah — since at all other times it is impossible to receive any moach, which is the aspect of emes, as mentioned above, except through these aitzos, as mentioned above. But now, the very essence of the moach illuminates upon us — which is the light of Chochmah itself, which is the aspect of the very essence of emes. For the true, supernal Chochmah is the aspect of the very essence of emes. For this is the essential greatness of the moach — that one merits the inner essence of emes to a greater degree. But at all other times, throughout the year, it is impossible to receive any moach, which is the aspect of emes, except through the holy aitzos, which themselves are drawn from the emes. Through them we merit the light of the very essence of emes. But now, on leil Pesach, the light of emes itself illuminates upon us — which is the light of Chochmah Ila'ah, before it descends below to be clothed in the aspect of aitzos. For we have not yet merited to receive the 613 aitzos of the Torah through which one merits emes. And nevertheless, we merited that the great light of emes in its very essence illuminated upon us. And through this specifically we merited complete emunah, through which Hashem Yisbarach redeemed us from galus Mitzrayim. And this is the aspect of matzah, which is mochin d'gadlus d'Abba — Chochmah Ila'ah — which is the aspect of the light of the very essence of emes. And therefore we must guard it from chamaitz. For we must hasten to bake it immediately before it becomes chamaitz, for now we cannot wait until the dough leavens, chas v'shalom, lest the zuhamah of the serpent cling there — which is the evil aitzos that are drawn from the eating of the Aitz HaDa'as Tov VaRa, in the aspect of "the serpent seduced me and I ate." For it is known that eating is the aspect of da'as, for the moach and da'as of a person are drawn according to one's eating, which is one's life-force (as explained in the words of Rabbainu, zichrono livrachah, elsewhere). And therefore, after Mattan Torah when we merited to receive the 613 aitzos of the Torah, the chamaitz is permitted. For through the holy aitzos the chamaitz is sweetened. For the holy aitzos are through settled da'as, for wherever there is aitzah, there is no haste or panic. Rather, one must settle one's mind well, to think thoughts and devise aitzos within one's soul — how to conduct oneself in a manner that one will merit the true ultimate purpose for which one was created in this lowly world full of pain, etc. And this is the aspect of the leavening of the moach of k'dushah, which encompasses all that one delves into with great contemplation in all the words of the Torah in order to clarify the holy din properly. Or one who contemplates in truth in order to produce true Torah chiddushim according to one's level. Or one who thinks thoughts about how to merit a true aitzah, how to be saved from the vanities of this world and to merit avodas Hashem in truth — all of this is the aspect of holy aitzos, which is the aspect of the leavening of the moach of k'dushah. For the aitzah is the drop of moach that was drawn from the brain and developed in the advising kidneys, which is the aspect of the drops of seed drawn from the brain and also developed in the kidneys, which are the organs of procreation (as explained in the Torah cited above). And the development of the drops of moach in the kidneys for the sake of producing holy offspring or producing a holy aitzah — this is the aspect of chamaitz and s'or (leaven) of k'dushah, which leaven the dough to make it tastier for eating. But one must guard very, very carefully these drops of moach so that they should not leaven, chas v'shalom, except in great k'dushah, at the time of necessity alone, for the sake of holy offspring or for the sake of a holy aitzah. For when one does not guard the moach well, it can easily leaven, chas v'shalom, through evil thoughts and evil desires, until chas v'shalom one can blemish the drops of moach, Rachmana litzlan. And therefore the yetzer hara is called "s'or sheba'isah" (leaven in the dough), as Chazal said: "And who prevents? — the s'or sheba'isah." For the entire yetzer hara is the aspect of the leavening of the moach — that it leavens the moach with evil thoughts and evil imaginings and evil desires, through which the drops of moach are blemished, chas v'shalom, and from this come all the blemishes and all the sins, Rachmana litzlan. And there is no wisdom and no understanding and no aitzah to stand against it except through the holy Torah, which encompasses the 613 aitzos of the Torah — which is the aspect of the leavening of the moach of k'dushah, as mentioned above. As Chazal said: "I created the yetzer hara; I created the Torah as its antidote." And therefore on Shavuos, when we have Mattan Torah and we merit to receive the 613 aitzos of the Torah, therefore it is a mitzvah to bring the Sh'tai HaLechem from chamaitz specifically. For then the chamaitz is sweetened through the 613 aitzos of the Torah. And then the din is sweetened at its root. For specifically through chamaitz one subdues the zuhamah of the serpent — the aspect of "the serpent seduced me," which is the aitzah of the serpent, which is the leavening of the moach of the Sitra Achara, as mentioned above. For now on Shavuos, the chamaitz is sweetened, for now all the power of leavening the dough is drawn from the leavening of the moach of k'dushah, which is the 613 aitzos of the Torah — that is, the contemplation and leavening of the moach in Torah and in avodas Hashem in truth, in order to know the true will of Hashem Yisbarach, each person according to his level. But now on Pesach, before Mattan Torah, when we have not yet merited to receive the 613 aitzos of the Torah, and it is impossible to wait until they receive the aitzos gradually in order lest the k'lipos cling to them — which are the aitzos of the serpent that were clinging to them, as mentioned above — therefore it is forbidden to eat chamaitz at all. For now the light of the supernal mochin illuminates in its very essence, before it has come to be leavened, to be developed in the kidneys in the aspect of aitzos, as mentioned above. And therefore, now the chamaitz does not draw sustenance from k'dushah at all. On the contrary, on Pesach all the chamaitz is drawn from the aspect of "the serpent seduced me" — from the aitzah of the serpent, from the zuhamah of the serpent, which is the essential chamaitz and s'or of the Sitra Achara. For now it is still impossible to draw the light of emes through the aspect of the leavening of the moach of k'dushah, which is the aspect of holy aitzos, for now it is still impossible to receive any holy aitzah because of the intensity of the clinging of the zuhamah, which is the aitzah of the serpent, as mentioned above. Rather, we must receive the light of emes in its very essence, before it is leavened and clothed in the aspect of aitzos. And this is the aspect of matzah, as mentioned above. For on account of the intensity of the galus, it is impossible to wait at all until the emes becomes clothed in the aspect of aitzos. For as soon as aitzos are formed, the clinging of the zuhamah — which is the aitzah of the serpent — will cling to them and overturn all the aitzos from one extreme to another. Therefore we must go out in haste, through the very essence of the light of emes — which is the aspect of matzah, as mentioned above. As we say: "This matzah that we eat — for what reason? Because the dough of our forefathers did not have time to leaven before the King of all kings, the Holy One, Blessed is He, revealed Himself upon them and redeemed them. As it says, 'And they baked the dough... and they could not tarry.'" That is, as mentioned above — it was not possible for them to be redeemed from the intensity of the galus except in haste, through the revelation of Elokus, which is the very essence of emes that was revealed upon them before the leavening of the dough — which is the aspect of before the development of the aitzah. For they could not tarry until the aitzah was completely developed, lest the k'lipos — which are the aitzah of the serpent, which was the essential galus that derived from the sin of Adam HaRishon, from the aspect of "the serpent seduced me" — cling to them, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the maror that we eat, because the Egyptians embittered the lives of our forefathers in Mitzrayim, as it is written, "And they embittered their lives with hard labor, with mortar and with bricks," etc. For maror is the aspect of "And I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, her hands are chains; one who is good before G-d will escape from her, but the sinner will be caught by her" — which is the aspect of the aitzah of the Nachash HaKadmoni who brought death to the world. From there are drawn all the evil aitzos in the world, of all the various groups who distance from avodas Hashem in truth. And this is the aspect of all the traps and nets and snares and draggers that the yetzer hara spreads over a person every day, as it is written, "A net they have prepared for my steps." And as it is written, "On this path that I walk, they have hidden a trap for me." For it confuses a person at every moment with evil aitzos in order to distance him from Hashem Yisbarach. And this is the essential bitterness — what every person must endure before he merits avodas Hashem in truth. For there is no greater bitterness than when one does not know how to devise aitzos within one's soul — how to conduct oneself. And especially and essentially regarding avodas Hashem, which is the essential ultimate purpose and end of a person. And every person knows that there is no purpose whatsoever in the world except to hold fast to avodas Hashem all the days of one's life. But few are those who know true aitzos — how to turn and return from darkness. And they do not know how to devise aitzos within their souls — how to conduct themselves in a manner that they will merit to be a truly upright person. As Dovid HaMelech cried out about this, "How long shall I set aitzos in my soul, sorrow in my heart by day?" etc. And this is very well-known to anyone who wishes to have compassion on his life and enter into avodas Hashem — that one must endure great bitterness before one merits a true aitzah, one that is fitting for him in truth, according to his level. And in truth, it is impossible to receive any aitzah except from the true tzaddikim of the generation (as explained in the Torah cited above). But the ba'al davar (the Adversary) has set himself against this too and confused the world and introduced great machlokas among the tzaddikim, such that no one knows the emes — to whom to draw close — until, chas v'shalom, aitzah has been lost from B'nai Yisrael, the treasured nation, who desire to return to Him Yisbarach. But in truth, Hashem Yisbarach has compassion upon us in every generation and every single day, and sends us and illuminates upon us the light of emes in its very essence — which is the aspect of Yetzias Mitzrayim, the aspect of matzah, as mentioned above. And through this we merit emunah and draw close to Him Yisbarach and are redeemed from the galus, both in the general and the particular sense. And through this light of emes, the bitterness of the aitzah of the serpent is sweetened and nullified, and afterward one merits to receive a complete aitzah of k'dushah. And this is the aspect of eating maror — to sweeten and nullify the bitterness of the aitzah of the serpent, which is more bitter than death, through which one cannot devise aitzos within one's soul — which is the bitterness that is harder for a person than everything. And through the aspect of matzah — the aspect of the light of the very essence of emes that was revealed at the time of Yetzias Mitzrayim, and likewise in every generation — through this one is redeemed and afterward merits to nullify the evil aitzos that are not true, which are drawn from the aitzah of the serpent, and to receive holy aitzos, which are the aspect of the 613 aitzos of the Torah which one receives on Shavuos after we merited the geulah on Pesach through the very essence of the light of emes, as will be explained further below. And this matter of Yetzias Mitzrayim is enacted in every generation and in every person and at every time. For whenever a person is sunken, chas v'shalom, in the galus of the soul — each one according to the degree he has been caught in his sins and desires, Rachmana litzlan — and there are times when a person is sunken in the galus of the soul so deeply that it is impossible to reveal to him any holy aitzah of how to leave the darkness and galus. For whatever aitzos are given to him, the opponents of emes will come and ruin them through their evil aitzos drawn from the aitzah of the serpent, as mentioned above. But when Hashem Yisbarach wants to have compassion upon him and redeem him and incline him toward life, to instill in him an awakening to t'shuvah so that he shall not be cast away, chas v'shalom — then Hashem Yisbarach illuminates in his da'as the very essence of emes before revealing to him the holy aitzos. And through the very essence of emes he merits emunah, and through this he draws close to the true tzaddik and to genuinely upright people. And afterward they show him the path to walk in and the deeds to do, according to the aitzos of the Torah as our Sages have taught us. For after Yetzias Mitzrayim, when they merited the very essence of the light of emes — but the light was only for a time, as explained in the kavanos — afterward, through the S'firah, one merits to draw down the light of aitzos gradually and in measure, until one merits on Shavuos to receive the 613 aitzos of the Torah, as will be explained further, with Hashem's help. And this is the aspect of: "This maror that we eat — because," etc., as it is written, "And they embittered their lives with hard labor," etc. All of this is the aspect of the aitzah — that one cannot devise aitzos within one's soul — through the confusion of the aitzah of the serpent, which encompasses all the doubts and confusions and all the aitzos of the wicked drawn from there. And as the Zohar HaKadosh writes: "And they embittered their lives with hard labor" — with kushya (difficult questions); "with mortar" — with the stringencies of halachah and the clarification of the discussions of the Talmud, etc. And all of this is the aspect of the bitterness of the aitzah that is drawn from the aspect of the sin of Adam HaRishon, from the aspect of "the serpent seduced me." For through this, many questions arise in halachah and it is difficult to establish the halachah in its final, authoritative form. All of this is the aspect of not knowing the aitzah properly. For the entire Torah and halachos in their entirety are the aspect of aitzos, as it is written, "To Me is aitzah and counsel" — the aspect of the 613 aitzos of the Torah. And when one cannot clarify the din — for example, when one does not know a certain law of t'fillin completely — this is the aspect of being unable to clarify this aitzah, the mitzvah of t'fillin, completely. It turns out that all the questions and stringencies of the halachos are the aspect of the bitterness of the aitzah — that one must endure great bitterness before clarifying the aitzah, which is the aspect of the clarification of halachah, the clarification of the laws and mitzvos of the Torah. And likewise, all the aitzos in their detailed particulars that every individual needs in avodas Hashem, all of which are encompassed in the 613 aitzos of the Torah — when a person does not merit to know the clarification of the aitzah completely — this is the aspect of "and they embittered their lives with hard labor" — with kushya; "with mortar," etc. — with the clarification of the discussions, etc. For it is all one, as mentioned above. And therefore Dovid HaMelech opened his Sefer with the praise of one who merits to be saved from these evil aitzos of the wicked and the opponents of emes, as it is written, "Fortunate is the man who has not walked in the aitzah of the wicked," etc. Behold, the very first praise in his Sefer with which he praises the righteous and upright is that they merited not to walk in the aitzah of the wicked who are distant from the emes. For this is the essence — to be saved from their evil aitzos, which are the aitzah of the serpent. Through this one merits to receive the holy aitzos of the true tzaddikim, which are the aspect of the 613 aitzos of the Torah. Through this one merits emes and emunah, and through this is the essential geulah, etc., as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of charoses, which is a remembrance of the mortar. For it is explained in the Torah cited above that through tzitzis — which is the tikkun of the bris — one is saved from the aitzah of the serpent and merits aitzos of k'dushah, etc. And this is the aspect of "v'kaimai, ki chamrai chivrai" — the aspect of a seal of clay, etc. — see there. And now, at the time of Yetzias Mitzrayim, they had not yet merited the light of tzitzis, because they had not yet received the mitzvos of the Torah. And therefore, during galus Mitzrayim, their lives were embittered with mortar and bricks — which is the aspect of the opposite of the tzitzis, which are the aspect of "chamrai chivrai" — the aspect of a seal of clay — which is the white tzitzis, as mentioned above. And now we make the charoses as a remembrance of the mortar, and they allude to the light of the tzitzis that we are destined to receive on Shavuos, which is the essence of the fulfillment of the Torah, as mentioned above. For charoses is the letters ches-samech Rus ("chas Rus"), as explained in the kavanos. Rus is the aspect of tzitzis, as it is written regarding Rus, "And spread your wings over your maidservant." For from Rus came forth Dovid — who is Malchus-Mashiach, which is the essential completeness of Malchus dik'dushah, which is the aspect of tzitzis — which are the mochin of the Malchus dik'dushah, which is the aspect of emunah, through which is the essential geulah that will be through Mashiach ben Dovid. And ches-samech (68) — this is the aspect of the 32 doubled threads of the tzitzis which equal 64, and the four tzitzis themselves — altogether totaling 68, which is the gematria of chaim (life). These are the mochin of Rus, which is the aspect of Malchus Dovid, as mentioned above. And through these charoses, which sweeten and nullify the mortar of Mitzrayim — which is the aspect of "and they embittered their lives... with mortar and with bricks," as mentioned above — for through them one draws the light of the tzitzis, as mentioned above — through this one sweetens the maror, which is the bitterness of the aitzah that is sweetened through the light of the tzitzis, which nullify the aitzah of the serpent — which is the aspect of the venom of the maror. And one merits the aitzos of the tzaddikim, the holy aitzos drawn from the 613 aitzos of the Torah, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the four cups of wine on Pesach, corresponding to the four expressions of geulah: "v'hotzaisi" (and I shall take out), "v'hitzalti" (and I shall save), "v'ga'alti" (and I shall redeem), and "v'lakachti" (and I shall take). These correspond to the four aspects explained in the Torah cited above, which are all aspects of emunah: emunah, t'filah, nissim, and Eretz Yisrael. It is explained there that they are all one aspect. And corresponding to these four aspects one must drink the four cups. Therefore, over the first cup we make Kiddush — the sanctification of the day. This is the aspect of the very essence of emunah, which is the essence of k'dushah. For the essential praise of the sanctity of the day is through emunah, which encompasses all the k'dushos, as it is written, "And with the holy ones He is faithful." As Rabbainu, zichrono livrachah, wrote in the Torah "Chosam b'soch chosam" — that emunah is the totality of k'dushah. And the second cup is the aspect of nissim, for over the second cup we tell the entire essential nes of Yetzias Mitzrayim and the entire intensity of the nissim of the ten plagues, etc. So the essential revelation of the nissim is told over the second cup, for it corresponds to the aspect of nissim. And the third cup — we say over it Birkas HaMazon, which is to bless Hashem Yisbarach for Eretz Yisrael which He gave us, as it is written, "And you shall eat and be satisfied and bless Hashem your G-d for the good land which He gave you." And the fourth cup is the aspect of t'filah, for over the fourth cup we complete the Hallel and the Hallel HaGadol and Nishmas — which are the totality of all the praises and thanksgivings and blessings — and this is the aspect of t'filah. It turns out that the four cups correspond to the four aspects encompassed in emunah, as mentioned above. And for this reason we recite the blessings over wine, for wine elevates the da'as above its ordinary level. And therefore wine comprises two aspects — for good or for harm, chas v'shalom — as Chazal said: "If he merits — he becomes a head (rosh); if he does not merit — he becomes poor (rash). If he merits — it gladdens him; if not — it desolates him." Therefore it is impossible to drink wine except with great k'dushah, when one merits to rectify the bris — which is the aspect of Yosef, the aspect of tzitzis — through which one merits holy aitzos and emes and emunah, as mentioned above. And then one can merit through the wine that one's moach will be elevated in k'dushah, and one can become more inflamed toward Hashem Yisbarach and more aroused in avodas Hashem Yisbarach. For since one's moach is elevated and one's da'as is expanded, one can ascend to the root of the da'as, which is the aspect of the root of the Torah and the mitzvos. There, it is above all the mitzvos of the Torah, yet all the mitzvos receive their life-force and illumination from there. And when one ascends there, one becomes more inflamed and more strengthened to fulfill the mitzvos of the Torah, because one draws upon oneself the light of the root of the mitzvos, through which one's fulfillment of the mitzvos is strengthened further. But conversely, chas v'shalom, when one does not merit the aspects mentioned above and one's emunah is not yet complete — then through drinking wine and intoxication one can cause great damage. As it is written, "He sets his eye upon the cup; it goes smoothly" — that all paths seem smooth to him. For since his moach is elevated above the vessels of his moach, he no longer sees, according to his level, all the warnings of the mitzvos of Moshe Rabbainu. As Rabbainu, zichrono livrachah, wrote: that through intoxication one forgets all the warnings of Moshe. For Moshe Rabbainu is clothed in every single member of every person of Yisrael, and he reminds every single member of the mitzvah pertaining to that member. And through intoxication one strips away the da'as until one does not hear any of these warnings — until all paths seem smooth to him. And therefore on Pesach, when the light of emes itself is revealed — which is above the levels of the mochin, before they received the garments of the mochin which are the holy aitzos — therefore it is then an obligation to drink wine, four cups. For now, through the wine specifically, the moach is elevated and one receives the light of emes in its very essence, through which emunah is completed in all its four aspects — which are the aspect of the four cups, as mentioned above. For now we merit to receive the light of emes, which is the light of the mochin in their very essence, above the level of the vessels of our mochin. And Hashem Yisbarach has compassion upon us and gives us the strength to receive this illumination in k'dushah, through which is the essential geulah, as mentioned above. And therefore we must specifically drink wine, which is the aspect of the elevation of the moach above its level, as mentioned above. And in these four cups of wine, which are the aspect of emunah, we allude to the tikkun of the four tzitzis, through which is the essential tikkun of emunah, as mentioned above. For the four cups correspond to the four tzitzis, which are the aspect of eyes — the aspect of "ben poras alai ayin." For wine is the aspect of eyes, as it is written, "Chachlili ainayim miyayin" ("red-eyed from wine"), etc. And through this we rectify the blemish of Noach, who drank from the wine and became drunk and was uncovered within his tent. The tikkun for which was through the aspect of tzitzis, as explained in the Torah cited above on the pasuk, "And Shem and Yefes took the garment" — "da tzitzis" (this is tzitzis), etc. And through this, "the nakedness of their father they did not see" — the aspect of tikkun habris, the opposite of Cham, etc. So through the garment — the aspect of tzitzis — they rectified the blemish of the wine and intoxication of Noach, which is itself the aspect of the blemish of the sin of Adam HaRishon — the aspect of "the serpent seduced me" (as is understood from the Tikkunim and the sefarim). For Noach thought he could already drink the wine in k'dushah to elevate the moach above its vessels in k'dushah. But in truth, at that time the sin had not yet been rectified and he did not merit, etc. And therefore he came to blemish through this. And the essential tikkun is through tzitzis, which is the fulfillment of the entire Torah, through which one merits to receive the 613 aitzos of the Torah and to nullify the aitzah of the serpent, etc., as mentioned above. And this one merits on Shavuos, as mentioned above. But now on Pesach, we do not yet merit the light of tzitzis and the 613 aitzos, etc. Rather, Hashem Yisbarach illuminated upon us the mochin above our level and gave us the strength to receive them, in order to be redeemed. And therefore now it is an obligation upon us to drink wine specifically — four cups. For specifically through the wine we rectify the blemish of Noach, which is the aspect of the sin of Adam HaRishon. For now is the time of geulah, the aspect of tikkun habris — for in the merit of our Avos, who are the aspect of guarding the bris, and in the merit of Yosef HaTzaddik who withstood the trial and guarded the bris, He redeems us. And through this we have the strength to drink the wine in k'dushah, and through this is the essential tikkun. And one merits through this specifically to receive the light of emes, through which emunah is completed — which is the aspect of the four cups of geulah, as mentioned above. For the geulah is through emunah, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the blessing for Tal (dew) that we say on the first day of Pesach. For the dew is never withheld. The rains descend in the merit of emunah (as explained in the Torah cited above). And when emunah is blemished, chas v'shalom — which is the aspect of avodah zarah — then the rain is withheld, chas v'shalom, as it is written, "And you turn aside and serve," etc., "and He will shut the heavens," etc. But the dew is the aspect of the light of emes that descends from above to arouse sleepers and awaken those who slumber. For the aspect of Pesach and Yetzias Mitzrayim is in every person and at every time, in every single year. And also in every single day there is the aspect of Pesach and Yetzias Mitzrayim. And therefore one must mention Yetzias Mitzrayim every day, as it is written, "So that you remember the day you left the land of Mitzrayim all the days of your life." For every awakening and supernal arousal that comes from above upon every person every single day — this is the aspect of the illumination of Yetzias Mitzrayim, which is a supernal illumination that comes not gradually, before a proper awakening from below. For this matter is enacted in every generation and every year and every day, in the general and particular sense. For Hashem Yisbarach orchestrates for a person through many means to bring him back in t'shuvah, to give him the merit of eternal life. And the general principle: what Hashem Yisbarach sends upon a person initially — the awakening until one begins to be aroused in t'shuvah and to walk in the ways of Hashem — this is the aspect of Yetzias Mitzrayim, where the illumination comes from above, not gradually, without a proper awakening from below, all in order that one should leave one's harsh galus. But afterward, when one begins to walk in the ways of Hashem, then the illumination is taken from him and he is left to walk on his own, gradually, in order, from day to day. And afterward one needs fresh strengthening. And therefore the intensity is not like the beginning of one's chassidus — because then one is inflamed with great enthusiasm on account of the supernal awakening that has come upon him. But the essence is that afterward, when this supernal light is withdrawn from him and he is left to walk on his own, he should strengthen himself in his service of Hashem Yisbarach from day to day, gradually, in order. (As the mashal brought in the name of the Ba'al Shem Tov, zecher tzaddik v'kadosh livrachah: like a child who begins to walk — at first they lead him, and afterward they let him walk on his own.) And this is the matter of Pesach and S'firas HaOmer — that at first the light comes from above, and afterward it is withdrawn and one must walk on one's own, gradually, until one merits to receive the k'dushah, which is the aspect of receiving the Torah on Shavuos. And also within a single day itself this takes place. For every single day, hirhurei t'shuvah come even to complete r'sha'im. And these hirhurei t'shuvah and supernal awakening that come from above every single day — this is the aspect of the supernal proclamation that cries out every day, as is written in the Zohar HaKadosh, as is known. And all of this is the illumination of Yetzias Mitzrayim, where the illumination comes from above. And one who merits to draw himself to the light of emes can merit t'shuvah through this. And this is the aspect of the dew that is never withheld. For dew is the aspect of the first three letters of the Name in their expansion, which equal Tal (39) — as is known — which are the letters yud-kuf-vav, all of which are encompassed in the Vav of the Name, which is the aspect of emes, as is known. For emes comprises three: beginning, middle, and end — which are the aspect of these three letters (as is understood from the sefarim). So Tal is the aspect of the illumination of emes. And therefore we draw this Tal on the first day of Pesach, when the supernal illumination shines without an awakening from below — in order to bring Yisrael out of the galus of their soul, from the 49 gates of tumah to the 49 gates of k'dushah. And therefore we draw this illumination through the aspect of Tal, which is the aspect of the light of emes, as mentioned above. For even though after the first day of Pesach the great illumination is withdrawn, nevertheless the r'shimah (impression) remains. And from this r'shimah the dew descends every day, drawn from the aspect of the supernal illumination that descends every day to arouse the wicked to t'shuvah. And this is the aspect of the Tal of t'chiyah (resurrection) — to revive the dead with great compassion. That is, the wicked who in their lifetimes are called dead — Hashem Yisbarach revives them through the aspect of Tal, which is the aspect of supernal awakening and hirhurei t'shuvah that descend upon them every day, until in the end they must return in t'shuvah, in this gilgul or in another. For Hashem Yisbarach will certainly accomplish His will, and His hand is always uppermost. And also, all these hirhurei t'shuvah are never lost — not a single one of them — even if one does not yet merit to return in complete t'shuvah, and even if afterward the ba'al davar overpowers one and one falls lower and lower. Nevertheless, whatever was aroused initially — even some tiny bit at times — is never lost forever. And in the end it will bring about tikkun through the accumulation of the hirhurei t'shuvah that one had at times during one's life, through the supernal kindness of Hashem Yisbarach Who illuminated upon him every day the Tal of t'chiyas hamaissim, to incline him toward life, in the aspect of "Your dead shall live, my corpses shall arise; awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust, for Your dew is a dew of lights." And therefore they placed the blessing of Tal within the blessing of t'chiyas hamaissim, etc. And this Tal nullifies the zuhamah of the serpent — the aspect of "the serpent seduced me" — from which are drawn all the 39 m'lachos, as is known. For Tal (39) is the opposite of the 39 m'lachos, as brought in the words of Rabbainu, zichrono livrachah (in Siman 11). And therefore we mention Tal on the first day of Pesach, for all of this is drawn from the great illumination that was drawn on Pesach at the time of Yetzias Mitzrayim, as mentioned above. And the essential illumination of Pesach is in order to merit emunah, even though we have not yet merited the 613 aitzos of the Torah whose fulfillment is through tzitzis. Nevertheless, Hashem Yisbarach illuminates upon us the light of emes in His kindness. But afterward we merit to receive the emes through the 613 aitzos of the Torah gradually, until we merit on Shavuos to receive the Torah, whose fulfillment is through tzitzis, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of Tal corresponding to the 39 windings of the tzitzis, through which is the essential fulfillment of the 613 aitzos of the Torah. And now all of this is encompassed in the supernal illumination that comes from above at the time of Yetzias Mitzrayim, which is the aspect of Tal. And this is the aspect of the mahn which would descend with the dew and was nestled within the dew as in a box, as Rashi explains. For the mahn is the aspect of matzah, as Chazal expounded: the cake (ugah) that Yisrael took out of Mitzrayim — they tasted in it the taste of mahn. For it is bread that descends from heaven without any action by those below at all. All of this is drawn from the r'shimah of the supernal illumination that was revealed at the time of Yetzias Mitzrayim, which is the aspect of matzah, as mentioned above, from which comes the aspect of the mahn. And it nullifies the zuhamah of the serpent — the aspect of "in sorrow you shall eat of it"; "by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread" — which is sustenance that comes through great toil through the 39 m'lachos. For the mahn descended from above without any toil or labor at all. And therefore the mahn descends with the dew, for they are of one aspect, as mentioned above. And therefore Gid'on, when he wished to see a sign and nes from Hashem Yisbarach on the day of the waving of the Omer, tested through the dew upon the fleece of wool. The fleece of wool alludes to the tzitzis which come from wool, through which is the essential fulfillment of the Torah which we begin to prepare ourselves to receive on the day of waving the Omer. And the dew is the aspect of the illumination of Pesach, as mentioned above. And through these aspects — which are the aspects of dew and tzitzis — is the essential geulah from all the exiles which are all called by the name galus Mitzrayim. And therefore, when Gid'on wished to redeem Yisrael from their trouble, he tested through the dew upon the fleece, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of K'rias Yam Suf. For the essential splitting of the sea was through emunah, as Rashi explains on the pasuk, "Why do you cry out to Me?" etc. — they are worthy on account of the emunah with which they believed in Me and went out, to split the sea for them. For emunah in itself is the aspect of K'rias Yam Suf — the aspect of "He turned the sea into dry land." For the essential complete emunah is to set aside one's da'as entirely, as if one has no da'as at all, and to rely on emunah alone, which we received from our holy forefathers. And through this one is saved from all manner of questions, speculations, and confusions. For one has no confusion or question in the world that can unsettle him, since he sets aside his da'as as if he has no intellect at all and relies only on emunah alone. For in truth our da'as is absolutely nothing compared to the da'as of our holy forefathers — Avraham, Yitzchak, Ya'akov, and Moshe, etc. — and all the tzaddikim in every generation from then until now. And we must rely only upon them, who bequeathed to us the holy emunah which is our life and the length of our days — and to nullify our da'as entirely and rely only on the emunah which they planted in us through Hashem's kindness. And Yisrael, the holy ones, by merit of having attained this — nullifying their da'as entirely and relying only on emunah — through this they merited afterward to receive the Torah. As Rabbainu, zichrono livrachah, wrote on the pasuk, "Am naval v'lo chacham" — "ama d'kabilu Oraisa v'lo chakimu" — that they set aside their da'as entirely and nullified their intellect completely and relied only on emunah. As it is written, "And they believed in Hashem and in Moshe His servant" — through this they merited then K'rias Yam Suf. For K'rias Yam Suf — the aspect of the sea being turned to dry land — is literally this same aspect: that one sets aside the waters of da'as entirely and relies only on emunah, which is the aspect of dry land and earth, in the aspect of "Dwell in the land and tend emunah." And this is the aspect of the creation of the world — the aspect of "Let the waters beneath the heavens be gathered to one place, and let the dry land appear." For da'as is the aspect of water, as it is written, "And the earth shall be filled with knowledge of Hashem, as waters cover the sea." But Yisrael, the holy nation, do not employ their da'as except when the da'as is in k'dushah and purity, when through it one can merit additional emunah. For they draw all manner of da'as and intellect into the aspect of emunah — which is the essential k'dushah. And through this is the essential sustenance of the world, which stands upon emunah, as it is written, "And all His deeds are in emunah." And as Chazal expounded: "Until Chavakuk came and established them on one — 'And the tzaddik lives by his emunah.'" And this is the aspect of "Let the waters be gathered from beneath the heavens to one place" — that all the waters of da'as should be drawn to one place. "To one place" specifically — the aspect of "Sh'ma Yisrael, Hashem Elokainu, Hashem Echad" — that one must draw all the waters of da'as found in the world to one place, to draw all the da'as into emunah in His unity, Yisbarach. And this is the totality of all the kavanos of K'rias Sh'ma — that the essential kavanah is in its simple sense, to believe in His oneness and unity, that He Yisbarach is the sole Master, who leads and rules and oversees. And in this are encompassed all the kavanos — which are to draw all the mochin through K'rias Sh'ma, and to unite Kudsha B'rich Hu and His Sh'chinah, etc. (as explained in the kavanos). That is, one must draw all manner of da'as and mochin into emunah in His unity, Yisbarach. And through this, "let the dry land appear" — for through this emunah is revealed, which is the aspect of earth. For at first the world was water within water, and then the world was tohu vavohu, as it is written, "And the earth was tohu vavohu, and darkness upon the face of the deep, and the spirit of G-d hovered upon the face of the waters." For as long as emunah was not revealed and drawn down — on account of the abundance of da'as, which is the aspect of the multitude of the waters of the deep — it was still tohu vavohu and darkness upon the face of the deep. For the essential sustenance of the heresy is from the abundance of da'as. And the essential sustenance of the world was only through "and the spirit of G-d" — which is the spirit of Mashiach — which was hovering upon the face of the waters. For the essential aspect of Mashiach is the aspect of emunah, as it is written, "And My emunah and My kindness shall be with him," etc. For he will reveal and introduce emunah in its completeness in all the inhabitants of the world, as it is written, "For then I shall turn to all the nations a clear language, to call in the Name of Hashem," etc. And similarly in many p'sukim. And therefore the spirit of Mashiach, which is the aspect of emunah, was hovering upon the face of the waters. For it sustains the world always, even at a time when the multitude of waters seeks to dominate — which is the aspect of the presumptuous waters, which are the heresy and apikorsus that rule and are drawn into the world, which seek to destroy the world, chas v'shalom. For chas v'shalom, chas v'shalom, if their evil opinion were to be fulfilled, the world would certainly be destroyed, for the world cannot endure except through emunah. But Hashem Yisbarach "frustrates the plans of the cunning, so that their hands cannot achieve counsel." For He Yisbarach sustains the world when the opinions of apikorsus grow strong in the world, through the aspect of "and the spirit of G-d" — which is the spirit of Mashiach — hovering upon the face of the waters. Just as He sustained the world at its beginning when it was tohu vavohu, etc., through this. For all the questions and heresy of each person are on account of an abundance of light relative to his level, for according to the vessels of his moach and understanding, this question and speculation is above his da'as. And therefore, if he does not set aside his da'as and does not rely on emunah alone, he comes to outright k'firah. And even if a sage of k'dushah resolves his question, he or another can raise another question even greater, drawn from yet greater abundance of da'as — and so on ever higher. For the essential source of the questions, confusions, and heresy is from the aspect of the abundance of light that causes the shattering of vessels — that is, as mentioned above, that the light of da'as exceeds the vessels of one's moach and understanding. And therefore the essential tikkun is through Mashiach who will come speedily in our days. For Mashiach — his neshamah and da'as ascend to the level of Atik, as it is written, "Until the Atik Yomin he reached," etc. And the aspect of Atik is above all the intellects and da'as in the world. And therefore for Mashiach there is no concept of abundance of da'as at all, for all the abundance of the light of da'as that is considered an abundance of da'as for the greatest of the great is, for Mashiach, a simple matter. For he can swallow all the waters of da'as in the world. And therefore he hovers upon the face of the waters — for he rises above all manner of waters of da'as in the world, for he is in the aspect of Atik, which rises above everything. And Atik is the aspect of rosh emunah (the peak of emunah) — the aspect of the emunah that is highest of all. For it is the aspect of emunah that is above all manner of da'as in the world. And therefore he will reveal emunah in its completeness in the world. And also in every generation, from the day the world was created until now and from now onward, the essential drawing of the holy emunah is from the aspect of the spirit of Mashiach — which is the aspect of the essential aspect of rosh emunah, which is above all the waters of da'as, in the aspect of "and the spirit of G-d hovers upon the face of the waters." And this sustains the world even when the heretics grow strong — when it is said, "And the earth was tohu vavohu and darkness," etc. For he draws emunah that rises above all their da'as, and nullifies their da'as, and turns the sea to dry land. For he draws emunah into the world until each person knows and understands from afar — through looking at the emes — that one must set aside one's da'as entirely and rely on the emunah of our forefathers alone, and walk only in the path that our forefathers trod since the beginning. And this is the aspect of K'rias Yam Suf. For Yisrael, through having merited such emunah that they set aside their da'as — which is the aspect of water — and relied on emunah alone, which is the aspect of earth, as mentioned above — through this they merited that the nes was performed for them also in the physical sense: the waters were turned into dry land, for the waters fled before them and were turned into dry land. By the merit that they too always set aside the waters of da'as before emunah, which is the aspect of dry land and earth, as mentioned above. And this is what is written in the Zohar HaKadosh: "Mah titz'ak Ailai?" ("Why do you cry out to Me?") — "B'Atika talya milsa" ("The matter depends on Atika"). For Atika is the aspect of Mashiach, as mentioned above, which is the aspect of rosh emunah. Through this, emunah is drawn down below to set aside the presumptuous waters — which are the evil opinions of the heretics — to turn them to dry land, in the physical and spiritual sense. And this is the aspect of K'rias Yam Suf, as mentioned above. And therefore K'rias Yam Suf was in the merit of Yosef HaTzaddik, as it is written, "The sea saw and fled" — "vayaitzai hachutzah" ("and he went outside"), as Chazal expounded. For the essential emunah is merited through Yosef, which is the aspect of guarding the bris — the aspect of tzitzis — through which one merits to draw and receive the aitzos of the tzaddikim, through which one merits emunah, as mentioned above. And therefore, in truth, it is found in the Midrash that K'rias Yam Suf was in the merit of the mitzvah of tzitzis. For through the mitzvah of tzitzis — the aspect of Yosef — one merits emunah, through which was K'rias Yam Suf, as mentioned above. And therefore after Sh'vi'i shel Pesach, after K'rias Yam Suf, chamaitz is permitted again. For as long as emunah has not been drawn down in its completeness, it is forbidden to leaven one's moach even in k'dushah, lest the k'lipos cling to it, as mentioned above. But after K'rias Yam Suf, when they merited emunah in its completeness — having drawn the complete emunah from the aspect of Atik d'Atikin, from the aspect of the light of Mashiach, from the aspect of rosh emunah — and therefore they merited the Shirah then, in the aspect of "tavo'i tashuri rosh amanah" — "tashuri" specifically, in the aspect of "and they believed in Hashem and in Moshe His servant — then Moshe sang." For the essential shirah is when one merits complete emunah, from which come all the songs and melodies. And therefore, through the complete emunah which they merited then in greater measure, through this the chamaitz was permitted afterward. For now we can eat chamaitz in k'dushah, and leaven our moach only in what is permitted to us — that is, in the laws and mitzvos of the Torah, etc. But in that which is beyond us we shall not inquire, and we shall not leaven our moach in what is forbidden to us. For we already have the strength to guard the leavening of the moach so that it should be only in k'dushah and not go beyond the boundary — through the greatness of the complete emunah that we merited to receive at K'rias Yam Suf. For we merited to reach the level that when the presumptuous waters — which are the strange opinions — grow strong, we set aside our da'as entirely, so that the waters fled before us in the physical sense, through this. Therefore we are no longer afraid of the chamaitz, for we can leaven our moach in k'dushah in what is permitted. For as soon as any strange opinion, chas v'shalom, arises in our mind, we set aside our da'as entirely before emunah — and this is the aspect of K'rias Yam Suf, as mentioned above. And this is the secret of what is written in the Zohar HaKadosh and in the kavanos regarding the secret of K'rias Sh'ma: "b'hahu milah, lo sish'al v'lo s'naseh es Hashem" — "in that word, do not ask and do not test Hashem" — which is the secret of mochin d'katnus, when it is impossible to draw the yichud except through Atika — see there. That is, at the time of K'rias Yam Suf, Yisrael were in great distress, both physically and spiritually, as is explained at length in the words of Chazal. And the essential source of all the distresses is from the aspect of mochin d'katnus, which are the aspect of dinim, from which the k'lipos derive their hold to oppress Yisrael, chas v'shalom. And the essential k'lipos are the heresies which cling to mochin d'katnus all the more. For when the moach is in greater katnus, then every speculation and question is vastly beyond one's da'as, so that one cannot resolve it. Even though in truth this question is a great foolishness in the eyes of one who has a truly great moach, but because of the smallness of his moach it seems to him like a great question. And not only that, but because his moach draws from mochin d'katnus, the k'lipos are provoked against him, chas v'shalom, until he has a great desire to inquire and enter into speculations. And he does the opposite of what is fitting, for according to the smallness of his moach he should flee even from the lightest of questions. And not only does he not recognize his place, but he wants to enter into great speculations that even those greater than him cannot enter. And from this come all the heresies and confusions of all the speculators — because they do not recognize their place and imagine that they have a great moach on account of having arrived at various wisdoms and discoveries regarding worldly matters. But they do not know that all these wisdoms derive only from mochin d'katnus, and they have not even begun to touch any moach derived from mochin d'gadlus. Yet they wish to enter into great speculations — for such is the nature of mochin d'katnus. For one who has a truly great moach knows and understands and perceives in truth that it is impossible to comprehend the ways of Hashem, and draws upon himself true emunah. But because of the smallness of the mochin — where the k'lipos, which are the heresies, cling — through this it seems to them that they are wise, and they enter into speculations until they fall into great confusions from which all the troubles derive. For all the troubles derive only from the aspect of the k'lipos — which are the heresies — that cling to mochin d'katnus, as mentioned above. And this was the aspect of all the distresses that Yisrael experienced at the time of K'rias Yam Suf, when they were in great distress, as it is written, "My dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the covert of the cliff... show Me your appearance" — to whom do you turn in a time of distress? And the essential nes of K'rias Yam Suf was through their meriting then to set aside their da'as entirely, only to cry out to Hashem and to strengthen themselves in emunah alone. And they leaped into the sea relying on emunah alone. And through this they removed from themselves the hold of the k'lipos — which are the heresies — which are the aspect of the presumptuous waters that cling to mochin d'katnus. For they drew upon themselves the light of holy emunah from Atik d'Atikin — which is the essential aspect of K'rias Yam Suf, as mentioned above. And this is "b'hahu milah, lo sish'al v'lo s'naseh" — for the essential secret of K'rias Yam Suf is to flee from speculations and confusions which it is forbidden to enter into, which are drawn from mochin d'katnus, which one must only flee from, in the aspect of "vayanas Moshe mipanav" ("and Moshe fled from before it"). For they are the zuhamah of the serpent. And Yisrael, through fleeing from these confusions and strengthening themselves in emunah alone, through this they merit to turn the sea to dry land — which is the aspect of K'rias Yam Suf, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of S'firas HaOmer. For the Omer of barley is animal food, which is the aspect of "And I am brutish and I know not; I was as a beast before You" — that is, the aspect of emunah, that one sets aside one's da'as and makes oneself like a beast and relies on emunah alone. And then we begin to count the days and weeks toward the Omer, to draw all the middos — which are the aspect of days, which are the aspect of holy intellects, in the aspect of "Days shall speak, and the multitude of years shall make known wisdom." And now we draw all the days and middos, which are all the wisdoms, into the emunah — which is the aspect of the Omer of barley. For we count and reckon all the days toward the Omer, drawing everything toward emunah, as mentioned above. Through this, one merits afterward to receive the Torah, for the essential receiving of the Torah is through emunah. For in truth, the beginning is from emunah, and the end is emunah, and the middle is emunah. For the essential emunah is merited through the 613 aitzos of the Torah — which is the aspect of receiving the Torah — which is the aspect of the aitzos of the true tzaddikim, as mentioned above. But it is impossible to come to the aitzos of the tzaddikim because the aitzos of the wicked confuse them — which are drawn from the aitzah of the Nachash HaKadmoni — and it is impossible to subdue them except through the mitzvah of tzitzis, which is the aspect of guarding the bris, the aspect of Yosef, as mentioned above. And in truth, the tzitzis themselves are of the aspect of emunah, as is known. That is, through the mitzvah of tzitzis one merits to draw the light of emunah from its root, from the aspect of Atik d'Atikin, from which the light of the tzitzis is drawn. For the tzitzis are drawn from the aspect of Atik, as it is written, "And until the Atik Yomin he reached; his garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool" — which is the aspect of the tzitzis of wool, as is known. And this is the aspect of what the Holy One, Blessed is He, wrapped Himself in a white tallis and arranged the 13 middos of rachamim that are drawn from Atik. For the tallis and tzitzis are drawn from there, from the aspect of Atik — from the aspect of the 13 attributes of mercy, which is the aspect of what we wrap ourselves in a tallis on Shabbos at Minchah, at the time we say "Va'ani s'filasi l'cha Hashem ais ratzon" ("And as for me, my prayer is to You, Hashem, at a time of favor"). For "ais ratzon" (time of favor) is the aspect of ra'ava d'ra'avin, which is the 13 attributes of mercy drawn from Atik, as is known. And therefore through the mitzvah of tzitzis specifically, which are drawn from Atik, through them one merits to receive the 613 aitzos of the Torah, through which one merits complete emunah. For the tzitzis draw the light of emunah from its root, from the aspect of Atik d'Atikin. And it is drawn from level to level and from world to world, all in the aspect of emunah — in order to vitalize the holy emunah in every single world. Until the emunah is drawn below as well, to reveal His emunah even in the domain of the k'lipos, to fulfill "And His kingdom rules over all." And therefore the tzitzis are a protection, for they nullify the power of the k'lipos so they cannot harm in the world, by revealing to them the holy emunah. And therefore there are four tzitzis, corresponding to the four aspects of Atik in the four worlds, from which emunah is drawn into every single world. For the Atik between one world and the next is the aspect of the emunah of the supernal world that becomes, in the world below it, the aspect of Atik, through which all the lights and intellects of the lower world are drawn toward emunah of that world. For emunah is the beginning and the end of all the worlds and intellects, and all of them receive from the root of emunah, which is the aspect of Atik d'Atikin. And from there the tzitzis are drawn in their root, as mentioned above. And therefore the tzitzis vitalize all the sparks of emunah rooted in every individual of Yisrael. And through this one has the strength to receive the aitzos of the true tzaddikim and to be saved from the aitzos of the wicked — for this itself requires emunah, to believe in the aitzos of the tzaddikim and to reject the aitzos of the wicked. But for this one merits through the mitzvah of tzitzis, as mentioned above, through which one vitalizes the root of emunah rooted within oneself, until one has the strength to receive the aitzos of the tzaddikim — the aspect of the 613 aitzos of the Torah. And through these holy aitzos one merits to receive the aspect of zera emes, and then through the emes one merits afterward emunah in even greater completeness, through which the geulah will come, as mentioned above. And now during the S'firah, when we need to receive the Torah — the 613 aitzos of the Torah — on Shavuos, and we do not yet have the light of tzitzis to merit through them to receive holy aitzos as mentioned above — for the light of tzitzis is not drawn in its completeness until Shavuos, when we ascend to Atik, as is known, where the 13 attributes of mercy are, which are the aspect of the 13 middos through which the Torah is expounded, which we receive on Shavuos, from which the tzitzis are drawn, as mentioned above — but in His great kindness, Hashem Yisbarach draws upon us light from the holy Atika through S'firas HaOmer, through our setting aside our da'as and making ourselves like a beast, which is the aspect of the Omer of barley. And we count and draw all the da'as and intellect into the aspect of emunah. And through this we merit to receive and draw the light of the tzitzis throughout all the days of the S'firah, until we merit to receive them on Shavuos. And through this we merit to receive the Torah, as mentioned above. And this is why we make Lag BaOmer a yom tov. For after we have merited to count 32 days, corresponding to the 32 threads of the tzitzis, then the din is sweetened — the din from which the heresies derive their hold — and then the light of Shavuos is drawn upon us in greater measure, which is the light of Atika — which is the aspect of the 13 tikunai dikna (rectifications of the beard), the aspect of tzitzis, as mentioned above. And therefore Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, zichrono livrachah, passed away then, for he revealed and rectified the aspect of the 13 tikunai dikna which he revealed in the holy Idra — which is the aspect of tzitzis, as mentioned above. And therefore, when he began to reveal the Idra, "is'ataf Rabbi Shimon" — he wrapped himself — "is'ataf" specifically, for there is the aspect of tzitzis, as mentioned above. And this is drawn on Lag BaOmer, as mentioned above. And this is why tzitzis precedes t'fillin. For t'fillin is the aspect of mochin — that is, the aspect of the totality of the Torah, the aspect of the totality of the 613 aitzos of the Torah, which are the aspect of "kullo zera emes," the aspect of mochin encompassed in the t'fillin, which are the totality of the Torah, as it is written, "So that the Torah of Hashem shall be in your mouth." And Chazal said: "The entire Torah is compared to t'fillin." But it is impossible to receive the totality of the mochin — the totality of the 613 aitzos, which are the t'fillin — except through the tzitzis, for through them specifically one can receive the holy aitzos, which are the holy mochin. And therefore one must wrap oneself in tzitzis first, for it is impossible to receive the holy aitzos — which are the aspect of mochin, t'fillin — except through the tzitzis, as mentioned above. And therefore, even on Shabbos when we do not put on t'fillin, tzitzis is still practiced on Shabbos as well. And at first glance this is puzzling: if the k'dushah of the day of Shabbos and yom tov is so great that it is even forbidden to put on t'fillin on them — for they themselves are a sign, for the holiness of the day itself draws upon us all the holy mochin — then it should certainly exempt one from tzitzis, whose k'dushah is less than that of t'fillin! But in truth, based on what was explained above, it is well understood. For t'fillin is the mochin — the aspect of the holy aitzos — which is the aspect of the totality of the Torah. And this we draw on Shabbos and yom tov through the holiness of the day itself. But the light of the tzitzis, through which the Torah is fulfilled — for through them one is able to receive the light of the aitzos, as mentioned above — this must be drawn even on Shabbos and yom tov, in order that we should have the strength to receive the holy aitzos, which are the mochin. For we do not have the strength to receive the holy aitzos, which are the mochin, except through the mitzvah of tzitzis, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the Omer of barley — the aspect of "and the hair of his head like pure wool" — the aspect of the light of tzitzis that we draw through the Omer of barley, as mentioned above. It turns out that the essence of Yetzias Mitzrayim is to leave the zuhamah of the serpent — the aspect of "the serpent seduced me" — through which was the essential galus Mitzrayim, as is known. And the essential Yetzias Mitzrayim is to leave this zuhamah of "the serpent seduced me" — that is, to merit to be saved from the aitzos of the wicked and the opponents who prevent one from the point of emes in which our holy forefathers trod since the beginning, and who distort the words of the living G-d from one extreme to another, and say of good that it is evil and of evil that it is good, and make sweet into bitter and bitter into sweet. May we merit to leave and be saved from them, and to merit holy aitzos drawn from the 613 aitzos of the Torah — which is the aspect of receiving the Torah on Shavuos — through which one merits complete emunah, through which the geulah will be. And this is the aspect of Yetzias Mitzrayim in every generation and every year, as Chazal said: "In every generation a person is obligated to see himself as if he went out of Mitzrayim," etc. For many are sunken in the galus of their soul and their desires, through the zuhamah of the serpent that clings to them — which are the aitzos that are not good, of the opponents of emes. And all of this one merits through the mitzvah of tzitzis, as mentioned above. And therefore in truth it is written regarding tzitzis, "So that you shall remember and do all My mitzvos," etc. For through tzitzis one merits to receive the 613 aitzos of the Torah, from which are drawn all the holy aitzos of the true tzaddikim, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of Yetzias Mitzrayim. And it is taught that Mitzrayim has the letters "maitzar yam" ("the straits of the sea") — that all the mochin were in galus and in straits. For "maitzar" (straits) has the same letters as "tzemer" (wool), as is known, as brought in the kavanos on the pasuk "Min hamaitzar," etc. That is, through the tzitzis of wool one merits to leave galus Mitzrayim and the evil aitzos, and to merit holy aitzos — which is the aspect of receiving the Torah on Shavuos, as mentioned above.