פסח ז

He-ufais lunetzach chasdoa gumar oamehr lidohr vudohr. 9 הֶאָפֵס לָנֶצַח חַסְדּוֹ גָּמַר אֹמֶר לְדֹר וָדֹר All of this is the matter of Pesach, for Moshe Rabainu is the merciful leader, who opened for us the light of Daas [knowledge / awareness] to know and to make known that Hashem is G-d, etc.; see there. And all of this took place at the time of the Exodus from Egypt on Pesach, for then he began to open for us the light of Daas to make known to us the knowledge of His truth, blessed be He, through all the awesome signs and wonders that He performed with us then. And this illumination extends to all generations, in every single year, for in every generation a person is obligated to see himself as if he went out from Egypt. For in every generation and every single year, one must draw anew this holy, true knowledge — to know at every moment with a new awareness that Hashem is G-d — as our Sages of blessed memory said regarding K’rias Sh’ma: “Each day they should be in your eyes as new” (Sifrei, VaEschanan). All the more so on the Shalosh R’galim [three pilgrimage festivals], in which there is renewal of Daas and mochin [mentalities / states of mind] — in particular on Pesach, which is the head of the festivals, the beginning of the revelation.

And the essence of Daas is the aspect of the illumination of bain [son] and talmid [student] — namely, to make known to daray matah [the dwellers below], the aspect of “those who dwell in the dust,” who are placed in the place where they are placed, in the very lowest level — to make known to them that Hashem is with them and near them and close to them always, for “the whole earth is full of His glory” (Yeshaya 6:3), etc. And conversely, to daray maalah [the dwellers above] — to make known the aspect of Ayeh [“Where?” — the transcendent perception of G-d’s unknowable hiddenness], the aspect of “What did you see?” etc. And one must include the worlds, etc. And through this one merits the illumination of the Ratzon [Will / desire] at the time of eating, etc., the aspect of ka’ais [“at the time”], etc. — “What has G-d wrought?” (B’midbar 23:23) — “How great is Your goodness that You have hidden away” (Tehillim 31:20), etc. And this is the aspect of “One does not converse during a meal” (Taanis 5b) — the aspect of “Make a fence for the Torah” (Avos 1:1) — the aspect of “A fence for wisdom is silence” (Avos 3:13), etc.; see there.

Has His faithfulness disappeared forever? Will His promise be unfulfilled for all time?

And this is the aspect of matzah, which is an exceedingly holy eating, the aspect of mahn [the manna], the aspect of the cake that they brought out from Egypt — they tasted in it the taste of mahn. And the mahn is the aspect of mah [“what?”], the aspect of “For they did not know what it was” (Sh’mos 16:15) — namely, the aspect of the illumination of the Ratzon. And therefore it came down “the matter of the day in its day” (Sh’mos 16:4), the aspect of “And You give them their food in its time” (Tehillim 145:15).

10 הֲשָׁכַח חַנּוֹת אֵל אִם-קָפַץ בְּאַף רַחֲמָיו סֶלָה For throughout the year, since we have already merited receiving the Torah, which is the aspect of the all-inclusiveness of bain and talmid, then one can draw the illumination of the Ratzon even through the eating of chametz, for the partition of the mochin has already been rectified — [the mochin] which are the aspect of silence, which one merits only at the time of the Splitting of the Sea of Reeds, the aspect of “Hashem will fight for you, and you shall be silent” (Sh’mos 14:14). But now, the illumination of bain and talmid has not yet been drawn in completeness through an is’ar’usa dil’sasah [arousal from below]; rather, the illumination comes from Above — very great mochin — in haste, in a single moment (as explained in the writings [of the Ari z”l]). And the partitions of the mochin have not yet been rectified. And if they were to eat chametz, G-d forbid, they could leaven the mind until one enters into kushyos [questions / difficulties] and tairutzim [answers / resolutions] for which time does not suffice to explain them, for they are above time.

Hashuchach chanoas ail eem kufatz bi-af rachamuv sellu. Therefore, now, the essential tikkun is through being careful with chametz even in a mashehu [the most minuscule amount] — that immediately when water is placed into the dough, which is the aspect of the waters of Daas that are drawn from an exceedingly lofty place, one must bake the dough immediately, in haste. And the baking is through fire, which is the aspect of yirah [fear / awe], the aspect of tzimtzum [contraction / restraint] — to contract the mochin immediately, so that one does not begin at all to investigate that which is above him, but rather turns back to give thanks and praise to Hashem for all the miracles and wonders that He performed with us — that He raised us and elevated us far, far above our level, in the aspect of “He raises up the poor from the dust, from the trash-heaps,” etc. (Tehillim 113:7).

Has G-d forgotten how to pity? Has He in anger stifled His compassion?” Selah.

And this is lechem oni [“bread of poverty” / “bread over which one answers”] — that one answers over it many things (P’sachim 36a; 115b) — which is the complete Hallel and the telling of the Exodus from Egypt. For this is the essential tikkun now — to be saved from entering into investigations that are above time, which are the aspect of the sin of Adam HaRishon with the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil — who gazed at that which he had no permission [to gaze at] (Zohar) — which we need now to rectify at the time of the Exodus from Egypt, on Pesach, as is known.

11 וָאֹמַר חַלּוֹתִי הִיא שְׁנוֹת יְמִין עֶלְיוֹן And likewise it is with every person: each one according to his level — even if he is placed in the place where he is placed — one must illuminate upon him the Daas and make known to him that Hashem is still with him, the aspect of “Awaken and sing, you who dwell in the dust” (Yeshaya 26:19), for “the whole earth is full of His glory.” But immediately, many kushyos [questions] will enter him regarding Hashem, blessed be He, and regarding the tzaddikayya [righteous ones]. Therefore, one must be careful to go out from chametz to matzah — not to leaven his mind at all — but rather strive to gaze upon Hashem and His wonders, how He made wondrous His kindness with us, and to answer to Hashem many things — to give thanks and to praise Him, blessed be He, for His kindness and His wonders. And this is the aspect of lechem oni, which recalls the poverty, etc. — as Rashi explained — or “that one answers over it many things,” or lechem oni [meaning] “what is the way of a poor person? With a piece,” etc. — and it is all one.

Vu-oamar chaloasee hee shinoas yimeen elyoan. And this is the aspect of the afikoman — that one breaks the second matzah, and over the [one] half he blesses “on the eating of matzah,” and the second [half] is hidden for the afikoman. For this is the essential aspect of matzah — the aspect of tzafun [“hidden”], the aspect of “How great is Your goodness that You have hidden away for those who fear You” (Tehillim 31:20) — from where the illumination of the Ratzon [emanates]. For the illumination of the Ratzon is the essential completeness of the tikkun of all who draw close to Hashem, blessed be He — in particular, those who are very far, when they draw close, their essential tikkun is when they merit the illumination of the Ratzon, which one merits at the time of eating, for whoever has a portion in malchus dik’dusha [the kingship of holiness], etc. — the aspect of “Happy is the land whose king is a free man” (Koheles 10:17), etc. — the aspect of the freedom of Pesach, which is the aspect of Yovel [the Jubilee year], for from the side of Yovel they went out from Egypt (as it is written in the Holy Zohar).

And I said, “It is my fault that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”

For to draw close those who are far away is very difficult — in particular, those who are extremely far — for since they have already become so entrenched in their evil ways, and especially since the minds of most of them are very blemished through the blemishing of the bris, therefore it is certainly very difficult to introduce Daas into him and to expel from him the spirit of folly and to extricate him from sins and blemishes. And therefore, one needs for this a tzaddik who is exceedingly merciful, like Moshe Rabainu, whose mercy was without measure — for even afterward, when Yisrael did what they did, to the point that Hashem, blessed be He, said to him to destroy them and He would make him into a great nation — even so, he did not care about that and gave over his soul on their behalf always. And so too, the tzaddik, the true leader, must be so merciful in every generation. For from beginning to end, he must conduct himself with those who draw close with wondrous, immense, and exceedingly great mercy, and with wondrous and awesome Daas and intellect, in a manner that will introduce into them the fear of Hashem for good — that they will return to Hashem, blessed be He, through this, and not become more distant, G-d forbid, through the fear. That is, his words should not give rise to a grip of evil fear, which is the aspect of dinim [harsh judgments], the aspect of sadness and marah sh’chorah [melancholy / black bile], from which come k’firos [denials / heresies] — for all of this is the aspect of chametz and s’or, which is called sorrow and sighing. And through this, the force of the dinim intensifies, the Merciful One save us. Rather, one needs that the fear come only for good — to draw close and not to push away (as all of this is explained above in Hilchos Purim that pertains to this; see there).

12 אֶזְכּוֹר מַעַלְלֵי-יָהּ כִּי-אֶזְכְּרָה מִקֶּדֶם פִּלְאֶךָ And therefore, the essential holiness of Pesach is to sanctify the eating — namely, to be careful of chametz even in a mashehu and to eat matzah specifically. For the essential fear arrives at the time of eating (as explained regarding the statement of our Sages of blessed memory about the r’tzuah [strap], etc.). And this teaching (of the r’tzuah) is connected to the matter of the illumination of the Ratzon at the time of eating that is explained in this teaching of “An Incident with Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua,” as explained there — for the one depends on the other: the illumination of the Ratzon through the fear. For the essential illumination of bain and talmid is to introduce into them fear, as explained there. And the essential thing is that the fear should be for good, as above — the aspect of “The fear of Hashem is for life” (Mishlei 19:23), the aspect of “The fear of Hashem adds days” (Mishlei 10:27) — and not the opposite, G-d forbid, as above.

Ezkohr ma-alilay yu key ezkiru meekedem peelechu. And therefore, one must illuminate in daray matah with the aspect of “the whole earth is full of His glory,” the aspect of “Awaken and sing, you who dwell in the dust” — to arouse them and to strengthen them that they should not despair and not fall in their spirits in any way whatsoever, but rather know that Hashem is still with them always. And even so, they should have great fear, for He includes them also in the aspect of mah [“what?”], etc., as explained there. And through the k’laliyus ha’olamos [the inclusion / unification of the worlds], through which fear is drawn — and the fear, the aspect of malchus [kingship], approaches and comes at the time of eating, in the aspect of “At mealtime, draw near here” (Rus 2:14) — and then, through this, the wondrous illumination of the Ratzon shines, as explained there. For the Ratzon shines because malchus, the source of fear, receives the eating and the sustenance from the Sea of Wisdom, where the makifin [surrounding / transcendent lights] shine, which are the aspect of mah, etc. (See there all of this and understand well.)

I recall the deeds of the LORD; yes, I recall Your wonders of old;

And all of these tikkunim the tzaddik must draw through exceedingly wondrous and awesome ways, as is understood there. And he must be very careful with his words, to make a fence for his words, so that [his listeners] should not enter, G-d forbid, into kushyos and tairutzim that are above time — for which time does not suffice to explain the questions and answers that exist there. Therefore, the essential completion of the tikkun is when one merits the illumination of the Ratzon. (And as is understood from his [Rabainu’s] words, of blessed memory, elsewhere) — that it is impossible to serve Hashem, blessed be He, except through the Ratzon; see there. All the more so for those who are extremely far, who have already done what they have done, and certainly who knows what will yet pass over them all the days of their lives, in their youth and in their old age. And who knows if they will have the strength to hold firm and to remain in their standing always, in all that will pass over them. Therefore, their essential tikkun is through the illumination of the Ratzon, for the Ratzon ascends above everything and nullifies and eradicates all the kushyos and the crookedness of the heart and all the confusions, etc.

For since the truth has illuminated upon him, and he knows from afar that the essential purpose is to go out from the degradation of his lowliness and to draw close to Hashem, blessed be He, and he wants and yearns for this with a strong and extraordinary ratzon, even in the midst of his extreme distance — therefore, he certainly has hope to draw close to Hashem, blessed be He, always, however things may be, for the ratzon is always free — for there is the essential freedom, for it is drawn from an exceedingly lofty place, as above. And this is the aspect of “Do not arouse and do not awaken the love until it desires” (Shir HaShirim 2:7) (as explained in our words elsewhere, in Hilchos Arav; see there).

Vihugeesee vichul pu-ulechu oovaaleeloasechu useechu.

And this is the aspect of matzah, which is the aspect of mahn, the aspect of afikoman — afikoo mahn [“bring out the mahn”], the aspect of the cake that they brought out (afikoo) from Egypt — they tasted in it the taste of mahn, the aspect of “For they did not know what (mah) it was” — the aspect of the illumination of the Ratzon as above. For one always needs great effort to sanctify the eating, through the illumination of bain and talmid, through the inclusion of the worlds, etc. And then specifically one merits the illumination of the Ratzon at the time of eating, which is the essential completion of the tikkun.

I recount all Your works; I speak of Your acts. But now, on Pesach, at the time of the Exodus from Egypt, it is certainly not within our power to draw these tikkunim on our own, through an is’ar’usa dil’sasah [arousal from below]. Therefore, it was very difficult to go out from Egypt. But Hashem, blessed be He, had compassion on us and illuminated upon us from Above a wondrous illumination, not in the ordinary order, etc. — namely, He draws upon us the illumination of the Ratzon from Above, even though we have not yet merited it.

14 א-לֹהִים בַּקֹּדֶשׁ דַּרְכֶּךָ מִי-אֵל גָּדוֹל כֵּא-לֹהִים Therefore, one must eat matzah and be very careful of chametz, even in a mashehu. For we must be careful that immediately when water is placed into the dough — namely, the waters of Daas that are drawn now from an exceedingly lofty place — one must immediately not allow it to become chametz, G-d forbid; not to delay between placing the water on the flour and the baking in the fire. For one must hurry in great haste to bake it in the fire before it leavens — so as not to give sustenance to the k’lipos that draw sustenance from the leavening of the mind — namely, from one who is not careful and enters, G-d forbid, into kushyos that are loftier than his intellect, which are for him in the aspect of “above time” — from where come all the k’firos [heresies], which are the essence of the Evil Inclination and the k’lipos.

Eloaheem bakoadesh darkechu mee ail gudoal kailoaheem. And one needs great guarding from them. But now we do not have it in our power to guard from them on our own, because we have not yet received the Torah. Rather, Hashem, blessed be He, Himself guards us from them, for “It is a night of guarding for Hashem” (Sh’mos 12:42). And in His compassion, He commanded us to guard the matzos — that we must now eat matzah, which is the aspect of mahn, the aspect of a supernal food — namely, that the food itself comes from Above in such holiness that the chitzonim [external forces] cannot introduce the aforementioned kushyos into the heart through this holy food — namely, matzah, when one merits guarding it well from any suspicion of leavening, G-d forbid. Rather, on the contrary, through this holy food, which is matzah, one merits the aforementioned extraordinary illumination of the Ratzon. For this illumination of the Ratzon is the opposite of the aforementioned kushyos and is their rectification (as is understood from this teaching for one who studies there well).

O G-d, Your ways are holiness; what god is as great as G-d?

And because now we do not have the power in ourselves to rectify the partitions of the mochin to guard ourselves from the aforementioned kushyos — from which come all the exiles, which come from the blemish of emunah [faith] that is drawn from there — therefore, Hashem, blessed be He, had compassion on us and commanded us to eat matzah, as above. And the essential tikkun is through the aspect of lechem oni — not to enter into kushyos that are above our understanding, but rather to turn back and to contemplate the kindnesses of Hashem that He performed with us — that He took us out from Egypt, etc., as above.

15 אַתָּה הָאֵל עֹשֵׂה פֶלֶא הוֹדַעְתָּ בָעַמִּים עֻזֶּךָ And this is [the explanation of]: One does not end [the Pesach meal] after the Pesach[-offering] with afikoman (P’sachim, Mishnah 10:8). Pesach is peh sach [“a mouth that speaks”], the aspect of “Speak of all His wonders” (Divrai HaYamim I, 16:9) — namely, the mitzvah of telling the Exodus from Egypt: to speak and to tell at all times of His awesome wonders that He performed with us in the Exodus from Egypt, and likewise what He does with us in every generation and at every time. For “not one alone has risen against us to destroy us, and the Holy One, blessed be He, saves us from their hand” (Haggadah) in exceedingly wondrous and awesome ways. And it is a great mitzvah upon each and every one of Yisrael to speak and tell of this always, the aspect of “Speak of all His wonders.”

Attu hu-ail oasay felle hoadaatu vu-ameem oozechu. And just as it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of this always, so too it is forbidden for us to ask and to investigate that which is above our intellect — to ask and to raise kushyos, G-d forbid — questions that are impossible to understand and to resolve. For the ways of Hashem are exceedingly wondrous (as explained in the aforementioned teaching) — and because of this, the chacham [wise one] must make a fence for his words, so that [people] should not enter into investigations and kushyos that are above time, for which time does not suffice to explain the questions and answers that exist there; see there.

You are the G-d who works wonders; You have manifested Your strength among the peoples.

And this is [the explanation of] what they answer the chacham who asks: “What are the testimonies, the statutes, and the laws that Hashem our G-d has commanded you?” (D’varim 6:20) — “And you, too, say to him: according to the hilchos of Pesach — one does not end [the meal] after the Pesach[-offering] with afikoman.” And at first glance, the answer is a deep wonder — what kind of answer is this to his question, “What are the testimonies,” etc., that they answer him, “One does not end,” etc.? And also, what is the expression “according to the hilchos of Pesach”?!

16 גָּאַלְתָּ בִּזְרוֹעַ עַמֶּךָ בְּנֵי-יַעֲקֹב וְיוֹסֵף סֶלָה But the essential answer that they give him is that it is forbidden for him to investigate and to ask about that for which he has no permission. That is, if he wishes to ask that they should explain to him all the words of the Torah to their ultimate depth, this is forbidden to him with a severe prohibition. For “exceedingly deep are His thoughts” (Tehillim 92:6), and it is written: “The heights of the heavens — what can you do?” (Iyov 11:8). And it is written: “Of every end I have seen a limit” (Tehillim 119:96). And permission was not given to ask except about that for which we have permission, as it is written: “For inquire, please, regarding the former days, and from one end of the heavens to the other end of the heavens” (D’varim 4:32). And our Sages of blessed memory expounded: “from one end of the heavens you may ask, etc., but you may not ask what is above,” etc. (Chagigah 11b).

Gu-altu beezroa-a amechu binay yaakoav vi-yoasaif sellu. That is, we have permission only to ask and investigate the wonders of the awesome miracles and signs that Hashem, blessed be He, performed with us when He took us out from Egypt and at the Splitting of the Sea of Reeds, etc., and from then until now. And through this we see His truth and His greatness and His might and the magnitude of His kindness upon us, and that He watches with individual providence at all times, and desires our service. And it is fitting for us to serve Him and to accept the yoke of His kingship with a complete heart, to fulfill all the Torah of Moshe, in writing and orally. For all of this is the aspect of “For inquire, please, regarding the former days: has there been [a matter] as great as this?” etc. (D’varim 4:32). But beyond this, it is forbidden to investigate at all, for it is certainly impossible to understand His ways, blessed be He, and the reasons for His commandments.

By Your arm You redeemed Your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.

And therefore, on Pesach, it is a mitzvah that the son ask Mah Nishtanah, so that they will answer him: “We were slaves,” and the entire telling of the Exodus from Egypt. But certainly this is not a sufficient answer to explain and resolve in completeness all the questions of Mah Nishtanah. For according to our meager understanding, the detailed observances performed on the night of Pesach alone are still difficult [to understand] — all the more so the rest of the year — what connection do they have to the matter of the Exodus from Egypt? And why are we specifically obligated to dip twice as a remembrance of the Exodus? And likewise, why is chametz forbidden even in a mashehu? And if it is because of remembering the haste that their dough did not have time [to rise], etc., it would suffice with the mitzvah of eating matzah as a remembrance of the haste — like the mitzvah of sukkah, which is a remembrance of the Clouds of Glory, but the house is not entirely forbidden because of this, and casually entering it is permitted. So why is chametz entirely forbidden, even in a mashehu, in “it shall not be seen and it shall not be found” (Sh’mos 13:7)?!

17 רָאוּךָ מַּיִם א-לֹהִים רָאוּךָ מַּיִם יָחִילוּ אַף יִרְגְּזוּ תְהֹמוֹת And likewise with the rest of the details of the mitzvos, we certainly do not understand their reasons. And what is the connection of the Exodus from Egypt to the mitzvah of tzitzis, and likewise with the rest of the mitzvos? Rather, in truth there is a great connection between the Exodus from Egypt and the entire Torah and all the mitzvos and their details. But we do not understand all of this in its specifics. We only understand that we are obligated to fulfill His commandments, since we saw with our own eyes His G-dliness, blessed be He, and His dominion and His greatness and His goodness through the signs, etc., of the Exodus from Egypt and the Splitting of the Sea of Reeds and the Giving of the Torah, etc.

Ru-oochu ma-yeem Eloaheem ru-oochu ma-yeem yucheeloo af yeergizoo si-hoamoas. And this is the essential answer to the question of Mah Nishtanah, etc. That is, we answer him: “We were slaves,” etc. And because of this, we are obligated to fulfill His commandments, everything that He commanded us through Moshe, His servant, the faithful one of His house. But this chacham asks in the way of wisdom: “What are the testimonies, the statutes, and the laws that Hashem our G-d has commanded you?” — that is, he affirms that Hashem our G-d commanded the entire Torah, the statutes, etc., and it is fitting for us to fulfill them. He is only asking “What are the testimonies,” etc. — wanting them to inform him and explain to him the reasons for each thing in its specifics. And this is “What are the testimonies, the statutes, and the laws” — that he wants to understand the reason for every part of the Torah.

The waters saw You, O G-d, the waters saw You and were convulsed; the very deep quaked as well.

And to this it concludes: “You, too, say to him: according to the hilchos of Pesach — one does not end after the Pesach[-offering] with afikoman.” That is: just as the laws of Pesach — it is a great mitzvah to engage in this, to speak and to tell always of the Exodus from Egypt, as it is written: “So that you remember the day of your departure from the land of Egypt all the days of your life” (D’varim 16:3) — which is the aspect of peh sach as above — so too, one does not end after the Pesach. “After the Pesach” specifically — namely, that which it is forbidden to speak and discuss — this is the aspect of “after the Pesach,” which is after the peh sach [the speaking mouth], after the speech and the words — namely, about that which one must be silent, there it is forbidden to open one’s mouth (as Rashi explained regarding mafteerin — like “one who releases waters” (Mishlei 17:14), etc.) — to understand His secrets and hidden things that cannot be revealed in this world. And this is the aspect of afikoman, which is the aspect of tzafun — “How great is Your goodness that You have hidden away,” etc. — where one must be silent, and it is forbidden to ask and to say afikoman [meaning “bring out”] — that they should bring out and reveal the aspect of mahn, which is the aspect of mah that is hidden and exceedingly concealed, the aspect of “For they did not know what it was.” For there, it is forbidden to ask and investigate at all, for “Into that which is beyond you, do not inquire” (Chagigah 13a), etc. But the rasha [wicked one] asks: “What is this service to you?” (Sh’mos 12:26) — for he denies everything and does not say “that Hashem our G-d has commanded.” And also, he calls everything by the name “service” [avodah], as if it were merely labor — as if to receive some servitude, and there is no clear reason in each and every detail of each mitzvah. Like the investigators and heretics, all of whose reasoning for the mitzvos is in this manner: that the mitzvos are merely for the sake of servitude, so that people will be careful in matters between man and his fellow, etc. For their evil and bitter words are well known — their stabbings regarding the reasons for the mitzvos — stabbings like the thrusts of a sword. And also, he has removed himself from the collective, saying “to you” and not “to him.” And even though the chacham also says “you” [eschem], the chacham has already included himself within the collective by first saying in his wisdom, “that Hashem our G-d has commanded us,” and has accepted upon himself the yoke of His mitzvos, blessed be He. He only said “you” regarding the commanding — for he affirms that he is not worthy that Hashem, blessed be He, should speak with him and command him [directly]. Therefore, he asks those to whom Hashem spoke and whom He commanded the mitzvos, that they should command us to perform them. He asks them: perhaps they will inform him of their true reasons. But the rasha has removed himself from the collective entirely. Therefore, “you, too, blunt his teeth,” etc. And this is [the meaning of] what the chacham says: “What are the testimonies” — and he calls the Torah by the name “testimony” [aidus] that is fitting for it, for it is called in most of the Torah by the name “testimony,” as it is written: “And you shall place into the Ark the Testimony” (Sh’mos 25:16). And so everywhere, He calls it the Ark of the Testimony. For certainly the holy Torah is a great testimony to His G-dliness, blessed be He. For whoever sets his eye and heart well upon all the words of the Torah — in writing and orally, in all the books of Tanach and Shas and Midrashim and the books of the Holy Zohar and the writings of the Ari z”l of blessed memory and the books of the true tzaddikayya of our generation — they all testify and declare that Hashem is One and His Name is One. For certainly no foolish rasha would be found who could say that it is possible to fabricate from the heart, G-d forbid, a Torah such as this that has been revealed to us from Him, blessed be He, since the day of the Giving of the Torah through Moshe Rabainu until this day. And who wrought and made such a thing? From whose womb came forth all these words and wonders and chiddushim [novel insights] if not that the hand of Hashem has done this? From His mouth He called forth all the words of this Torah to Moshe, His servant, the faithful one of His house, and he transmitted it to Yehoshua, etc. And likewise, all the wondrous and awesome chiddushim that the great tzaddikayya, men of ascent, revealed — they all testify and declare and reveal His G-dliness, blessed be He, to all who desire the truth. For everyone who admits to the truth will understand and see with the eyes of his intellect that it is impossible for human intellect to reveal such chiddushim in any way, except that from Hashem of hosts they came forth, and He, blessed be He, in His kindness, shone upon them and informed them of all these wonders and awesome things. It emerges that the Torah is testimony to His G-dliness, blessed be He. Therefore the Torah is called “testimony.” And this is the aspect of “And wisdom — from where (may’ayin) shall it be found?” etc., until: “G-d understands its way” (Iyov 28:12, 23), etc. (And see elsewhere, more on this, in Hilchos Aidus, Halacha 4.) And this is the aspect of the mitzvah of redeeming the firstborn donkey (pidyon peter chamor), as it is written: “And every firstborn donkey you shall redeem with a lamb” (Sh’mos 13:13), etc. For seh [lamb] is the aspect of the holiness of Yisrael, the aspect of “A scattered lamb is Yisrael” (Yirmiyahu 50:17), the aspect of Yaakov, of whom it is said: “And the lambs Yaakov separated” (B’raishis 30:40). And as our Sages of blessed memory said: “This ewe — all of it is holy: its wool for t’chailes, its skin for a drum,” etc. — as brought in Rashi’s commentary on the verse “Your teeth are like a flock of ewes” (Shir HaShirim 4:2). And the chamor [donkey] is the opposite of the holiness of Yisrael and the Torah, for it is an impure animal. And the Egyptians, in whom all the exiles are included (as brought elsewhere), are compared to donkeys, as it is written: “The flesh of donkeys is their flesh” (Yechezkel 23:20), as our Sages of blessed memory said. And therefore Rabbi Akiva said: “When I was an am ha’aretz, I said: Who will give me a talmid chacham and I will bite him like a donkey” (P’sachim 49b) — like a donkey specifically, as our Sages of blessed memory said there: “For this one bites and breaks the bone,” etc. For chamor [donkey] is the aspect of the zuhamas haguf [the filth / contamination of the body], which is called chomer [matter / materiality], an expression related to chamor [donkey]. But even though the donkey, which is the aspect of the zuhamah of the chomer and the body, is far from Yisrael and the Torah, even so, the great tzaddikayya are able to transform even the chomer — to subjugate everything to the k’dusha [holiness] so that it becomes a merkavah [chariot / vehicle] for the holiness, the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said: “A person should always make himself like an ox for the yoke and like a donkey for the burden” (Avodah Zarah 5b). For this is the essential elevation of man, the master of free will, who is higher than the angels, because he has such coarse materiality, which is the aspect of a literal donkey, the ultimate foolishness — and even so, through the power of the holiness of his soul, he has the power to transform and to introduce the aspect of the donkey, which is the materiality of the chomer, into the holiness of the Torah, so that it is subjugated to the Torah and the service like a donkey for the burden. And this is the aspect of “Yissachar is a strong-boned donkey” (B’raishis 49:14), etc. And Rashi explained that he accepted upon himself the yoke of Torah like a donkey, etc. “Like a donkey” specifically, as above. For Yissachar — this is the aspect of the great tzaddik described in the aforementioned teaching, who has the power to illuminate in daray maalah [those above] and in daray matah [those below], the aspect of the illumination of bain and talmid as above, so that they will have fear, etc. And the essential thing is the illumination of the talmid, which is the illumination of daray matah — for this is the essential delight and pleasure of the Blessed One, when the service rises from them, because they are so coarsely material, in the ultimate materiality, as explained there in the aforementioned teaching. And the illumination of daray matah is that one illuminates within them the aspect of “the whole earth is full of His glory,” the aspect of “Awaken and sing, you who dwell in the dust” — namely, that one strengthens all those who are placed in the very, very lowest level, so that they should not despair of themselves in any way whatsoever (as explained there; see there). And this is the aspect of Yissachar — the aspect of yaish sachar [“there is reward”] — who makes known to all who come into the world, even to the very worst, that there is still reward, the aspect of “For there is reward for your labor, and there is hope for your future” (Yirmiyahu 31:15–16). For when a person becomes distant from Hashem, blessed be He, G-d forbid — all the more so when he falls into evil cravings and transgressions, G-d forbid — then he is the aspect of “Rachel weeping for her children” (Yirmiyahu 31:14), etc. For the Sh’chinah [Divine Presence], which is the holiness of Yisrael, is called “Rachel,” as is known. And then she is in the aspect of “Like a ewe before her shearers, she is silent” (Yeshaya 53:7) — namely, the holiness of the soul of [a person from] Yisrael, which is the aspect of Rachel, is among the k’lipos and sitrin achranin [Other Sides] that oppress and constrict her. And from the great weakness [of the soul] through the abundance of his sins, she is “like a ewe before her shearers, she is silent” — for they shear and rob her and take from her her glory and her splendor, and she is silenced among them. And when this extremely distant person is aroused in the midst of his extreme distance and does not despair of himself in any way, and weeps and cries out to Hashem, blessed be He, always — this is the aspect of “A voice is heard on high, lamentation, bitter weeping: Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, for he is not” (Yirmiyahu 31:14) (as it is found in the Holy Zohar) — namely, the holiness of the soul of a Jew, which is the aspect of Rachel, weeps for her children — namely, for her good deeds that she lost through her evil cravings. For good deeds are called “children,” for the essential offspring of the righteous are their good deeds (B’raishis Rabbah 30:6). And she weeps with very great bitterness, in the aspect of “lamentation, bitter weeping,” until “a voice is heard on high” — as the Targum [translates]: “A voice in the heights of heaven is heard,” etc. And from the greatness of her pain — that she sees that it has been such a long time and still no healing has risen for her wound, and she has been crying out and weeping for such a long, long time and she is still so far from Hashem, blessed be He — therefore, “she refuses to be comforted for her children, for he is not” (as it is written in the Zohar: “because he is not”) — namely, she says in her heart: “How is it possible to comfort me, when I know that ‘he is not’?! For Hashem, blessed be He, is not with me yet, for I am exceedingly far from Hashem, blessed be He.” But even so — even though she is so far away — since she continues to strengthen herself to cry out and weep to Hashem, blessed be He, always, then the mercies of Hashem, blessed be He, are aroused, and He illuminates upon her an illumination and encouragement from Above, in the aspect of: “So says Hashem: Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for there is reward for your labor, and there is hope for your future” (Yirmiyahu 31:15–16), etc. And all of this is through the tzaddik of the generation, who is exceedingly great in level — who is the aspect of Yissachar — who illuminates in every single soul and makes known to it that there is still reward. As Rabainu, of blessed memory, said: There is no despair in the world at all. For no word and no cry is ever lost — even a cry from the lowest depths is never lost (as explained in our words many times). And this is the aspect of “Yissachar is a strong-boned donkey, crouching between the boundaries” (B’raishis 49:14) — that the tzaddik, the aspect of Yissachar, who illuminates in all daray matah, in all who are very low, so that they should not despair of themselves from mercy in any way — until he returns them all to Hashem, blessed be He, even those who are in the aspect of a “donkey,” the aspect of an impure animal, the aspect of the zuhamah and materiality of the chomer. For he illuminates the truth into them until they too become a merkavah to the holiness and bear upon themselves the yoke of Torah. And this is the aspect of “a strong-boned donkey” — which Rashi explained: like a donkey to bear upon it the yoke of Torah — namely, as above. And this is “crouching between the boundaries (mishp’sayim)” — this is the aspect of “If you lie between the boundaries (sh’fasayim), the wings of the dove are covered with silver” (Tehillim 68:14), etc. That is, mishp’sayim means the edges, borders, and boundaries of the nations and the Sitrin Achranin [Other Sides], who lie in wait at the borders that are called sh’fasayim [boundaries] and do not allow the man of Yisrael to leave their territory to draw close to the holiness, in the aspect of “All her pursuers overtook her between the narrow straits” (Aichah 1:3). And the verse says that this is the essential praise and elevation of Yisrael: “If you lie between the boundaries” — namely, when you, the nations and Sitra Achara, when you were lying and ambushing between the boundaries — the borders and straits — to prevent the man of Yisrael from drawing close to Hashem, blessed be He — even then, “the wings of the dove” — which is the Assembly of Yisrael — “are covered with silver,” etc., as Rashi explained: with the desire and preciousness of Torah and mitzvos. For the man of Yisrael who truly desires the truth and does not want to deceive himself — then even when the cravings and the obstacles, etc., overpower him, as they overpower and extend themselves far and wide and spread against him greatly until he cannot escape them, even then, in the midst of his extreme distance, he yearns and desires at all times for Hashem, blessed be He, and never abandons the ratzon and the longings. And this is exceedingly precious in the eyes of Hashem, blessed be He, for the essential thing is the ratzon and the longings, as explained in the words of Rabainu, of blessed memory, in many places. And Hashem, blessed be He, praises Yisrael for this — that through this they merit what they merit. For “if you [enemies] lie between the boundaries” to ambush and prevent Yisrael, as above — even then “the wings of the dove are covered with silver” — with the desire and preciousness of Torah and mitzvos, as above. And this is the aspect of “Yissachar is a strong-boned donkey, crouching between the boundaries” — that even there, between the boundaries and straits and borders that lie in wait against him and lead him astray greatly through the overpowering of the cravings and the obstacles, even there he strengthens himself to subjugate and nullify himself before the Torah and the tzaddik, and subjugates his body and his coarse materiality like a donkey to bear upon it the yoke of Torah. And through the Torah, he merits to transform everything to the holiness. And this is the aspect of “And of the children of Yissachar, those who had understanding of the times, to know what Yisrael should do” (Divrai HaYamim I, 12:33). For many, many times pass over each and every one of Yisrael — for there are twenty-eight times: times for good, times for bad — and within them are included all the times that pass over each and every one from the day of his birth until the day of his death — regarding which David pleaded: “In Your hand are my times; save me from the hand of my enemies and from those who pursue me” (Tehillim 31:16). And this is the essential completeness of the great tzaddik who teaches Torah and Daas to Yisrael — like Yissachar — that he can illuminate in each and every one of Yisrael, so that he can strengthen himself and remain in his standing through all the times and seasons that pass over him, in the aspect of “And of the children of Yissachar, those who had understanding of the times” — who know how to introduce into Yisrael understanding and true wisdom so that they will know, in every time and season that passes over them, however things may be, not to fall in their spirits, G-d forbid, and never to become distant from Hashem, blessed be He. And this is “to know what Yisrael should do” — that each one of Yisrael should know what to do at every time: how to strengthen himself at every time — sometimes through Torah, sometimes through prayer, sometimes through crying out and supplication and weeping, sometimes through joy and gladness, sometimes through speech, sometimes through silence. And there are times when one is compelled to nullify himself specifically from the service, in the aspect of “It is a time to act for Hashem; they have abrogated Your Torah” (Tehillim 119:126) — as our Sages of blessed memory said: “The nullification of Torah is its sustaining” (M’nachos 99b). For there are times when one must eat or sleep for the sustaining of the body, or speak with people in order to broaden his Daas, and similar things in great abundance. And likewise, all the times, both in general and in particular, that pass over a person — sometimes he is in the aspect of ascent, and sometimes he is in the aspect of descent. And also within the ascent itself, there are thousands and myriads of levels. And likewise, there are the days of youth and young adulthood, days of ascent and days of standing, and days of descent, which are the days of old age and gray hair, etc. And likewise all that passes over a person in all of these times — as our Sages of blessed memory said regarding Rabbi Eliezer, who would stand even before an elderly gentile, saying: “How many misfortunes have passed over him!” (Kiddushin 33a). For it is inevitable that many, many kinds of diverse times pass over every person — and in particular over the man of Yisrael who desires to draw close to Hashem, blessed be He, for whose sake all was created. And the true tzaddik of the generation, the aspect of Yissachar, illuminates in Yisrael “understanding of the times, to know what Yisrael should do” — that each one of Yisrael should know what to do at every time, in a manner that he should never fall and never become distant from Hashem, blessed be He. And likewise it is written regarding David, king of Yisrael, when he passed away: “And the times that passed over him and over Yisrael” (Divrai HaYamim I, 29:30). And Rashi explained there: “times” — troubles that passed over him. And this is what David said: “In Your hand are my times; save me,” etc. (Tehillim 31:16) — namely, as above, that upon every person, according to his level, many kinds of times must pass, as Rashi explained nearby, regarding “and over Yisrael” — namely, as above. And the essential thing is to strengthen oneself at every time, as above. And this is the aspect of “And every firstborn donkey you shall redeem with a lamb” — that one must redeem the donkey with a lamb, which is the aspect of the holiness of Yisrael, to transform even the aspect of the donkey into holiness. For we have the power for this through the true tzaddik who illuminates in bain and talmid — who is the aspect of a Kohen, who is the Rav and the true tzaddik, the aspect of the all-inclusiveness of bain and talmid (as is written there in the aforementioned teaching). And therefore, the lamb is given to the Kohen, as above. And this is the aspect of the sweetening of Pachad Yitzchak [the Fear of Yitzchak] through the lamb for an olah [elevation-offering], the aspect of “And Avraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey” (B’raishis 22:3) — to sweeten the evil fear, false humility, etc., as above. “Let the master sing for us — woe to us that we die,” etc. — “What Torah and what mitzvos protect us?!” (B’rachos 31a). For he was in such great joy that the dread of death did not cause him to fall at all. On the contrary, through this he was aroused toward Hashem, blessed be He, in the aspect of “And behold, it was very good” (B’raishis 1:31), etc. — the opposite of the wicked, of whom it is said: “This is their way — their folly — and after them, with their mouths they show acceptance” (Tehillim 49:14). And this is “Tremble and do not sin” (Tehillim 4:5) — that the trembling and the fear should be for good, as above, to prevent sin, etc. And this is: “If this [fear-for-good] goes — well and good. And if not” (B’rachos 5a) — [i.e., “if not” is] because of the aforementioned evil fear — therefore, let him engage in Torah, which is comprised of the illumination of bain and talmid, which restores the soul and illuminates within them the true Daas, which is the fear of Hashem for life and for good, etc. “And if not — let him remember the day of death” — the aspect of “and be silent, Selah.” And therefore he does not mention the day of death until he engages in Torah and receives the aforementioned Daas of encouragement. For otherwise, he could fall even more, G-d forbid, as above. But through the Torah that teaches him to remember the fear of punishment for good, as above, therefore specifically then let him remember the day of death, in the aspect of “Let the master sing for us,” as above. For the essential falling is through gadlus [arrogance] — that it does not befit him to serve such labor and effort, and he has not accomplished anything; on the contrary, it seems to him, etc. But the one who desires the truth says in his heart: For one single point of a flash of G-dliness, all the effort is worthwhile, in multiples upon multiples. And like the tzaddik who made himself happy through [the blessing] “Who has not made me a gentile” (see Likutay Moharan I, 282, “Azamrah”; etc.). And therefore, specifically through “what Torah and what mitzvos” they came to joy — for they did not fall through this; rather, they came to true humility through this — of whom it is said: “And the humble shall increase” — in Hashem — “joy” (Yeshaya 29:19). “And the destitute of mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Yisrael.” And it is written: “In Hashem my soul shall praise itself; the humble shall hear and be glad” (Tehillim 34:3) — the opposite of others and the like, who fell because they did not strengthen themselves in the aforementioned manner, etc., and said: “Let me go and enjoy,” etc. — the aspect of “Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (Yeshaya 22:13) — the aspect of “This is their way — their folly — and after them, with their mouths,” etc. — that precisely through remembering the day of death and the fear of punishment, they fall even more, G-d forbid. But those who are drawn close and attached to the aforementioned true tzaddik — upon them is drawn an illumination from the supernal and wondrous fear, which is the aspect of Rosh HaShanah, the aspect of the sprouting of the horn of Mashiach, which is the aspect of the sweetening of Pachad Yitzchak. And through this, the fear comes only for life — to draw close and not to push away, G-d forbid. And the sum of the matter: a person must be very careful to draw upon himself the fear of Hashem. And the essential fear is drawn upon a person through yiras ha’onesh [fear of punishment], as our Master, our Teacher and our Rav [Rabainu], of blessed memory, wrote — that even tzaddikayya need the fear of punishment, for the essential fear is the fear of punishment, etc.; see there. But everyone who does not want to deceive himself must be exceedingly careful that he draws upon himself the fear of punishment for good and not for evil, G-d forbid. For there are many who, through the intensity of their fear, fall even more. As is common among many people: when they sit with the holy book Raishis Chochmah or other books of mussar [ethical instruction] that speak of the great bitterness of the harsh punishments that come for every transgression, the Merciful One save us — they fall in their spirits even more, the Merciful One save us, because they know of themselves that they have transgressed all of these things many, many times, even more, the Merciful One save us. And from the great marah sh’chorah [melancholy] and sadness that falls upon them through this, they fall even more than before — to the point that some come through this to k’firos [heresies], G-d forbid. For because they cannot bear upon themselves the dread of such great fear of punishment, and to overcome their Evil Inclination they do not overcome — therefore, woe to them from their Inclination and woe to them from their Creator. And because of this, they end up coming through this to heresy, G-d forbid. And all of this is because the fear of punishment is the aspect of dinim [judgments], and from the aspect of dinim derives the entire grip of the Evil Inclination and the Sitra Achara (as explained elsewhere). And therefore, when one does not merit, then, G-d forbid, the fear is transformed for him for evil, the Merciful One save us — for he falls into sadness and marah sh’chorah, G-d forbid, through which the cravings intensify even more, etc., as above. Therefore, the essential tikkun is through the aspect of the aforementioned great tzaddik, who merits to draw into the world the Daas, which is the aspect of the illumination of bain and talmid. And the essential thing is the illumination of the talmid, which is the aspect of “the whole earth is full of His glory,” the aspect of “Awaken and sing, you who dwell in the dust,” etc. — that strengthens all those who have fallen and those who are far, so that they should not despair of themselves in any way, etc., as above. And all of this is in order to draw upon them fear, as explained there — namely, this tzaddik merits to illuminate a wondrous and awesome Daas, through which a supernal and wondrous fear is drawn — until this fear can reach and illuminate and arouse all those who are exceedingly, exceedingly far. And the essence of the matter is that through the wondrous ways that this tzaddik draws with his wondrous Daas, through this, the fear comes upon each one only for good and not for evil. Even one who is very far receives the fear only for good. For he illuminates and makes known in the world the ways of His goodness and His great kindness that never ceases, and makes known to each one that Hashem, blessed be He, is still with him and near him and close to him, and He vivifies and gladdens and comforts all, and illuminates His ways within them, so that they too can gladden and strengthen themselves in the midst of their extreme distance, etc. And then the fear is drawn upon them always for good and not for evil at all. For immediately when they remember themselves or when they see some book of mussar about the intensity of the fear of punishment, they are aroused to t’shuvah immediately, as is fitting. And immediately, when the baal davar [the adversary / the Evil Inclination] wants to introduce into them marah sh’chorah and sadness, as if all hope is lost, G-d forbid, they immediately remember the kindnesses of Hashem and His goodness and His wonders, and all the wondrous ways of the tzaddik that he illuminated within them. And through this, they can strengthen themselves and gladden themselves always — such as through this teaching [of Rabainu], and through the teaching “Azamrah LailoKai B’odi” (Likutay Moharan I, 282), etc. For this is a great principle: “The ways of Hashem are straight; the righteous walk in them, and transgressors stumble in them” (Hoshea 14:10). And as our Sages of blessed memory said: “If he merits, it becomes for him a potion of life; if he does not merit” (Yoma 72b), etc. And all the things that Hashem, blessed be He, sends upon a person, whether good or the opposite — His entire intention, blessed be He, is always for good. It is only that a person is always in the balance and being tested. And therefore, even when Hashem, blessed be He, sends suffering upon a person, G-d forbid, or when he sees the sufferings and punishments of others — and His entire intention, blessed be He, is so that he will be aroused to return to Him — but in this world, a person always has free will, so that sometimes the adversary overpowers him with marah sh’chorah and sadness until he falls even more through this, as above. And therefore, one must always strengthen himself, whenever any fear comes upon him, that it should be for good — being very careful that as soon as the thoughts want to weaken his Daas and to intensify the sadness and cause him to fall, G-d forbid, through this, he should strengthen himself against them and encourage himself through all the methods of encouragement that are explained in our words many times. And then the fear will be for good — that he will merit t’shuvah through it. And he can come to great joy through the fear — even through the fear of punishment — even though he knows of himself that he is exceedingly, exceedingly far from Hashem, blessed be He, and is full of sins, the Merciful One save us. Even so, he should not fall in his spirits through this at all; rather, he should come through this to true humility, which is the aspect of joy, in the aspect of “The humble shall hear and be glad” (Tehillim 34:3). And it is written: “And the humble shall increase in Hashem joy, and the destitute of mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Yisrael” (Yeshaya 29:19). For “Hashem is close to the brokenhearted, and He dwells with the lowly” (Tehillim 34:19; Yeshaya 57:15). And immediately when one comes to true lowliness, Hashem, blessed be He, dwells with him and comforts and gladdens him with all kinds of joys and comforts, for in His place, blessed be He, there is always strength and gladness, as it is written: “Strength and gladness are in His place” (Divrai HaYamim I, 16:27). And it is written: “For in Him our hearts shall rejoice,” etc. (Tehillim 33:21). And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said (B’rachos 31a): At the hilula [wedding celebration] of Mar, the son of Ravina, the Rabbis said to Rav Huna Zuti: “Let the Master sing for us.” He said to them: “Woe to us that we die! Woe to us that we die!” They said to him: “And what shall we sing after you?” He said to them: “What Torah and what mitzvos protect us?!” And this is a great wonder — what is this song and this joy: “Woe to us that we die”? — Especially that he commanded them to sing after him: “What Torah and what mitzvos,” etc. — and how does this relate to song and joy?! But according to the above, the matter is well understood. For he was in such great joy that the dread of death, which is the fear of punishment, did not have the power to cause him to fall into sadness, G-d forbid. Rather, on the contrary, the more he remembered the fear of punishment, the more holy fear was drawn upon him, and through this, the joy was intensified even more, in the aspect of “And rejoice with trembling” (Tehillim 2:11). For the more he remembered the matter of death, etc., the more he strengthened himself that it should be for good — namely, that through this he should draw close to Hashem, blessed be He, and not become more distant through this, G-d forbid. Rather, on the contrary, from the greatness of the dread and fear of death, etc., he strengthened himself to fulfill the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, to gladden himself with the kindnesses of Hashem and His goodness that never cease. And therefore he sang before them: “Woe to us that we die,” etc., and commanded them to sing after him: “What Torah and what mitzvos protect us” — [meaning:] for we have nothing but His kindness and His great goodness, which never cease. For they merited that through this they came only to true humility — that they felt their true lowliness, and through this they drew closer to Hashem, blessed be He, which is the essential joy, the aspect of “I shall rejoice in Hashem” (Chavakkuk 3:18), as above. For the essential falling is through gadlus [arrogance] — that because of his haughtiness, it seems to him that he has already labored in the service of Hashem, and when he sees afterward the extent of his distance still from Hashem, blessed be He, he falls in his spirits greatly, for it seems to him that he is laboring in vain, G-d forbid. And through this he falls completely, G-d forbid. But whoever desires the truth knows his lowliness in truth and the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He, to the extent that all the labors and efforts in the world are worthwhile in his eyes for one single point of a flash of G-dliness. And he rejoices in every single good point that he finds within himself of the holiness of Yisrael — in particular, the fact that he merited that He did not make him a gentile, etc. (as explained in our words; see there). And on the contrary, the more he sees his distance, the more he comes to joy, because he comes to greater lowliness and humility. And this is the aspect of “the descent is the ultimate purpose of the ascent” — for through the descent, he comes to true lowliness. For he did not allow himself to fall through the descent, G-d forbid — which comes from haughtiness, that he cannot bear to still wait for Hashem, blessed be He, in such lowliness and descents. For he would have been willing to serve G-d if he had merited being a great and righteous tzaddik and chassid of the highest level, etc. But when he sees that he does not merit this and he is so far away and placed in such lowliness, he no longer wants [to serve] at all, G-d forbid, and seeks a pretext to separate himself, G-d forbid, entirely from behind the Omnipresent. But whoever wants to have compassion on his true, eternal life is willing to serve Hashem with whatever he can, even if, G-d forbid, he will not merit any level at all — only that it should lighten somewhat his punishments of Gehinnom, etc., or that he should merit some good point at all. And as I once heard from Rabainu, of blessed memory, who said regarding a matter like this: “And what will be if I will not have the World to Come? What is to be done? And if I will receive even Gehinnom…” And he raised his hands as if to say that a person must be willing to accept everything. For certainly Hashem, blessed be He, will not commit injustice against him, G-d forbid, for He is righteous and upright, etc. And whoever strengthens himself always, as above, comes through the descent to true lowliness and draws closer to Hashem, blessed be He. And he trusts in the kindnesses of Hashem and His goodness that everything will be transformed for good, through the power and merit of the true tzaddikayya, who have the power to transform everything for good. And then he merits great joy always and draws closer to Hashem, blessed be He, even more — in the aspect of “the descent is the ultimate purpose of the ascent” — for Hashem, blessed be He, dwells with the lowly, etc. And this is the aspect of “For with You is forgiveness, in order that You be feared” (Tehillim 130:4) — that because they trust that Hashem, blessed be He, forgives and pardons, through this specifically they merit good fear and return to Hashem, blessed be He. For one who does not strengthen himself with this cannot merit fear, for when some fear comes upon him, he is drawn to sadness, G-d forbid, and falls even more through this. But through knowing that “with You is forgiveness” and trusting in His kindness always, that everything can be rectified and transformed into merits — through this, one merits fear, the aspect of “in order that You be feared” — for he receives the fear for good, as above. And this is “I hoped for Hashem; my soul hoped, and for His word I waited. My soul [waits] for Hashem more than watchmen for the morning, watchmen for the morning. Let Yisrael hope for Hashem, for with Hashem is kindness, and with Him is abundant redemption” (Tehillim 130:5–7). And Rashi explained: hope after hope — namely, as above, that one must hope and wait for Hashem always, hope after hope, without limit. For there are with Him, blessed be He, many kinds of redemption, and He will certainly redeem us from all our sins. And “He shall redeem Yisrael,” etc. Only that one must hope and guard and wait, hope after hope, etc., until He looks down and sees from heaven, as above. And this is the aspect of S’firas HaOmer [the Counting of the Omer]. For through the waving of the omer of barley, one reveals and publicizes that “the whole earth is full of His glory” and “in all the places of His dominion” — which is the illumination of daray matah, which is the essential thing, as it is written: “And I desire praise from clods of earth” (Tehillim 113), etc. (as explained there) — namely, to reveal to all who have fallen and to all who are exceedingly, exceedingly far from Hashem, blessed be He, through their evil deeds, G-d forbid, to reveal to them that Hashem is still with them and near them and close to them always, the aspect of “Awaken and sing, you who dwell in the dust,” etc., for “the whole earth is full of His glory,” etc. (as explained there; see there). For s’orim [barley] is animal food, which is the absence of Daas. And this is the aspect of the blemish of sinners, who remove Daas from themselves and act like animals, G-d forbid — as our Sages of blessed memory said, and it is brought there in this teaching: “A person does not commit a transgression unless a spirit of folly enters him” (Sotah 3a). And therefore, barley is the minchas k’naos [meal-offering of jealousy] of the sotah [a woman suspected of infidelity], from where our Sages of blessed memory derived this [principle] that “a person does not commit a transgression,” etc. — as they expounded on the verse “If his wife goes astray” (B’midbar 5:12) — that “a person does not,” etc., “unless a spirit of folly enters him.” And because of this, she is compelled to bring a meal-offering of barley, for she has acted like an animal; even so, her offering is animal food, as Rashi explained there. And through the meal-offering of barley specifically, she is tested. And this itself is the aspect of the minchas ha’omer [meal-offering of the Omer] of barley, which is the testing of the “woman of valor” — which is the Assembly of Yisrael (as explained in the Zohar, in the Raaya M’haimnah; see there). That is, through bringing the omer of barley, animal food, and waving it and raising it up and down — to the One to Whom the heavens and the earth belong — and to all four directions of the world, to the One to Whom all four directions of the world belong, as Rashi explained there — through this one reveals and publicizes that “the whole earth is full of His glory.” That is, the aspect explained above — that even in the aspect of barley, which is the ultimate materiality, the aspect of animal food, the absence of Daas, the aspect of the blemish of all sins, as above — even there, [the earth] is full of His glory, blessed be He, for there is no place empty of Him, and He, blessed be He, vivifies them all. And therefore, there is no despair in the world at all. And this is the essential testing and trial of the Assembly of Yisrael, as it is written in the Raaya M’haimnah: “And it is the testing of the ‘woman of valor.’” For this is the essential testing and trial of each one of Yisrael, when he comes to purify himself from his zuhamah [contamination] — like the Assembly of Yisrael who must purify themselves from the contamination of Egypt in these days. The essential testing and trial is whether he can stand through everything that passes over him — that he will always strengthen himself in Hashem, blessed be He, and will not fall from anything in the world, for he will always believe that “the whole earth is full of His glory.” And however things may be, he will not hide his face from Hashem, blessed be He, from yearning for Him, from crying out and beseeching and supplicating, etc. For much, much must pass over each one, according to his level, etc. And therefore, the essential preparation for receiving the Torah, which is the revelation of the aforementioned Daas, is through the omer of barley. For through this, one begins to draw this illumination of the aforementioned Daas — to know and to make known and to become known that “the whole earth is full of His glory” — and even in the ultimate contamination and materiality, in the aspect of the omer of barley, even there one can reveal His glory, blessed be He. And on the contrary, specifically through this — through the aspect of the omer of barley — one reveals and publicizes His glory, blessed be He. For when those who are farthest, who are in the aspect of barley, the aspect of animality, when they acknowledge and make known His holy emunah, blessed be He — through this is the essential greatness and revelation of His glory, blessed be He, in the aspect of: When Yisro came, specifically then the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, was uplifted and honored above and below (as brought in his [Rabainu’s] words, of blessed memory, many times). But in truth, all of these thoughts and musings are only the doings of the adversary, who finds him a pretext to separate himself from behind the Omnipresent, G-d forbid, so that he will go after his cravings, G-d forbid. For in truth, there is no despair in the world at all — as Rabainu, of blessed memory, cried out with a great voice that never ceases (in these words: “Gevald! Do not despair of yourselves!” And he drew out the word “Gevald” very much, etc.). For every person must have much, much pass over him before he merits entering into holiness. Just as Adam HaRishon experienced one hundred and thirty years during which he wanted to repent, and specifically in all those 130 years, spirits came and, etc., and heated him, etc., as our Sages of blessed memory said. And certainly, his Daas was greatly weakened each time, for he already had a great Evil Inclination, as is explained in the words of our Sages of blessed memory. And certainly, the adversary wanted to cause him to fall in his spirits each time. But he strengthened himself against it at every time and did not abandon the ways of his t’shuvah that he engaged in throughout all 130 years — until he merited at the end of the 130 years to give birth “in his likeness, in his image” — to Shais, from whom the world was founded, and from whom came the Patriarchs and Moshe and Mashiach, etc. And even though Adam HaRishon sinned and we still need to rectify in every generation, even so, if he himself had not strengthened himself to rectify what he rectified, it would have been very difficult to rectify. And also, he would not have merited what he merited. But through his strengthening and his effort to return to Hashem, blessed be He, through all the descents and fallings that passed over him, he merited that he passed away with a good name, for all his days he was a great tzaddik and chassid, as our Sages of blessed memory said. For this is the essential trial of a person: that he strengthen himself through all the descents in the world, the Merciful One save us — through everything that passes over him — that always, each day and at every time, he will begin anew, and will accustom himself to forgetting — to forget what has passed over him, and consider in his mind as if he were born today, etc. — as is explained in our words, many counsels and wondrous ways regarding this matter of how to strengthen oneself at every time; see there — it will be sweet to you forever. And this is “And you shall count for yourselves” — “for yourselves,” “for your own selves” specifically — that each one must count the S’firas HaOmer, which is the aspect of the aforementioned encouragement, for himself, according to what he is. And he should not fall in his spirits because it seems to him that his friends, his peers, are much better than him. For even though it is a good trait to be humble and to consider every person better than him, but if he falls in his spirits through this, G-d forbid, this is not humility; on the contrary, it is great arrogance — that it does not befit him to do some service for Hashem, blessed be He, and he is still so far, and his friends have already merited what they have merited. For it is forbidden to question the Omnipresent, and who knows from what place he comes and in what places he has been drawn through his deeds? For no person is similar to his fellow at all. And likewise, every person who wants to emerge from his impurity and contamination — which is the aspect of S’firas HaOmer, so that they may be purified, etc. — must count the days for himself specifically, and his peers should not cause him to fall at all, G-d forbid. And this is “And you shall count for yourselves” — “for yourselves,” “for your own selves” specifically — and understand well. And it is similar to what Rabainu, of blessed memory, wrote on the verse “Avraham was one” (Yechezkel 33:24) — that the essential manner of Avraham Avinu’s, peace be upon him, drawing close to Hashem, blessed be He, was through always thinking that he was only one in the world, and he did not look at any obstructor or impeder or confuser, etc.; see at the beginning of Likutay Tinyana regarding this matter. And in truth, just as there are many kinds of obstacles from the wicked obstructors or opponents who wish to prevent [a person] from the truth through various persuasions and enticements and words of mockery and smooth-talk, etc., so too there are many kinds of obstacles and discouragement even from one’s friends and true loved ones. And all of this is impossible to explain in writing; rather, each one will understand for himself according to his situation. And against all kinds of obstacles and discouragement in the world, one must go in the aforementioned way — in the aspect of “Avraham was one” — to think as if he were alone in the world, as above. And this is the aspect of “And you shall count for yourselves” — “for yourselves,” “for your own selves,” as above. And as is brought in the story of the Wise Man and the Simple Man (HaChacham v’HaTam) (Sipurai Maasiyos, Story 9): it is explained there that the Tam [Simple Man] was a shoemaker, etc., and he could not do the craft properly, and his shoe had three corners, etc. And he would take great pride in it — how beautiful and lovely this shoe is, etc. And his wife would ask him: “If so, why do the other craftsmen take three gold coins for a pair of shoes and you take only one and a half?” He answered her: “What does that matter to me? That is his work and this is my work.” (“Dos iz yenems maaseh in dos iz main maaseh.”) “And further, why should we talk about others? Let us rather begin to reckon how much I earn on this shoe, from hand to hand: the leather costs such-and-such,” etc. (see there, all of this well.) And understand, for in this story, most of the world understands many things that pertain to the service of Hashem, blessed be He — that one must conduct himself in the ways of t’mimus [simplicity / wholesomeness] and be in joy always, even in poverty and great financial pressure. And also, his service and his prayer are not complete at all; even so, he should be joyful in his portion always. And he should not look at the world at all — that they have livelihood many times more than him, and they have food and drink and fine garments, etc. (and even so, they are always full of worries and many deficiencies). And also in the service of Hashem, in Torah and prayer, they are thousands of times greater than him. And even so, he should not fall in his spirits from this at all; rather, he should be joyful in his portion always. As explained there: that his bread was to him all the foods in the world, etc. And his shoe, which he finished over many days with great effort, and which was full of deficiencies, and from which he earned far less than others — even so, it was exceedingly precious in his eyes, and he took great pride in it, and did not look at others at all, and said: “What does that matter to me? That is his work and this is my work,” as above. And Rabainu, of blessed memory, himself hinted, after telling this story, that his intention was regarding prayer and the service of Hashem — as is brought there at the end, where Rabainu, of blessed memory, said: “And if the prayer is not as it should be, it is a shoe with three corners” — and understand; see there. That is, as above: that one must conduct himself with great simplicity, like the ways of the aforementioned Tam, and one must examine all the details of the story to take for himself mussar and counsel from the words of the aforementioned Tam, and go in his ways, and be in joy always. And the world should not confuse him at all. And even his friends who merit far more prayer and service than him — even so, he should not fall in his spirits from this at all, but rather be in joy always, in every single good point that he earns from his prayer and service, however it may be; see there in the story and understand. And this is the aspect of Shavuos, when the Torah was given. For the Torah is the essential Daas of the aspect of Moshe, who illuminates in bain and talmid, in daray maalah and daray matah, and makes known to them that Hashem is G-d. The essential revelation of this Daas was on Shavuos through the receiving of the Torah, regarding which it is said: “You have been shown to know that Hashem is G-d,” etc. (D’varim 4:35). As it concludes there: “From the heavens He let you hear His voice, and upon the earth He showed you His great fire,” etc. (D’varim 4:36) — which was said regarding the Giving of the Torah. For during all the days of the S’firah, we prepare ourselves for receiving the Torah, and we are engaged in drawing upon us an illumination from there, from the aspect of the Daas of the Torah, so that we can prepare ourselves to receive it (as is explained by us elsewhere: that at the time of preparation for a mitzvah, there is drawn upon a person assistance from Above from the holiness of the mitzvah itself that we are preparing ourselves to perform; see there). And therefore, in all the days of the S’firah, we draw the mochin (as explained in the Kavanos [of the Ari z”l], explaining in detail each specific moach that is drawn each and every day of the days of the S’firah; see there) — namely, the illumination of the aforementioned Daas that is drawn from the chacham, the true tzaddik, who is the aspect of Moshe, as above. But the essential drawing of this Daas in its completeness is on Shavuos, through receiving the Torah, which is the essential aforementioned Daas. And this is the aspect of the Ten Commandments that were given on Shavuos. For the Ten Commandments are the aspect of all the tikkunim explained in the aforementioned teaching. “I am Hashem your G-d,” etc. — this is the essential aforementioned Daas, to make known that Hashem is G-d. And this is the aspect of the first statement, “I am Hashem your G-d” — through which He illuminated within them to make known to them that Hashem is G-d; there is nothing else besides Him. “You shall have no other gods,” etc. — this is the aspect of the warning to expel the spirit of folly of the Evil Inclination, from where come all transgressions, the Merciful One save us. And this is the essential mercy: to extricate Yisrael from transgressions that come through the spirit of folly. And this is the aspect of “You shall have no other gods,” etc. For the Evil Inclination is called “an alien god” — heresy — for it is the essential spirit of folly, for it is called “an old and foolish king” (Koheles 4:13), and it is the aspect of “other gods,” idolatry, which is the ultimate foolishness and spirit of folly, as is known to every person of Daas. It emerges that “I am” and “You shall have no” are the totality of the entire Torah. For “I am” is the aspect of drawing the aforementioned Daas, from which derive all the positive commandments of the Torah — for through each and every mitzvah, moach and Daas are drawn to recognize the Creator, blessed be His Name. And “You shall have no” includes all the negative commandments, which come from the spirit of folly, which is the aspect of idolatry, as above. It emerges that “I am” and “You shall have no” are the sum of the entire Torah — which is the essential mercy explained in the aforementioned teaching: to draw Daas, to make known that Hashem is G-d, to expel through this the spirit of folly, which is the opposite of Daas — in order to extricate Yisrael from transgressions (as explained there well; see there). “You shall not take the Name of Hashem your G-d [in vain]” — this is the aspect of the fear explained in the aforementioned teaching. For the essential drawing of Daas is in order to merit fear (as explained there; see there). And this is the aspect of “You shall not take the Name of Hashem your G-d [in vain]” — for the essential fear is from the Name of Hashem — “to fear this glorious and awesome Name,” etc. (D’varim 28:58). And it is written: “And they shall see… that the Name of Hashem is called upon you, and they shall fear you” (D’varim 28:10). And it is written: “And the nations shall fear the Name of Hashem, and all the kings of the earth Your glory” (Tehillim 102:16). And it is written: “Because of My Name, he was humbled” (Malachi 2:5). And therefore, the Torah was given with an oath and imprecation, so that His fear would be drawn, that we should not sin. And therefore, the world trembled when He said “You shall not take the Name of Hashem” — for there is the essential fear, as above. And this is the aspect of: one who swears — like one who takes an oath — [is one who] fears (Koheles 9:2; see Nedarim 8a) — for there is the essential fear. And this is the aspect of “and His oath to Yitzchak” (Tehillim 105:9) — the aspect of Pachad Yitzchak [the Fear of Yitzchak]. And therefore, “You shall not take [in vain]” is the aspect of fear, which is the tikkun of the aforementioned Daas — whose essential completeness and tikkun is when one merits fear, the aspect of “The fear of Hashem is the beginning of Daas” (Mishlei 1:7). As is explained there in the aforementioned teaching regarding the matter of fear in several aspects; see there. “Remember the day of Shabbas to sanctify it” and “Honor your father and your mother” — these are the aspect of the two aforementioned illuminations, which are the aspect of the illumination of daray maalah and the illumination of daray matah, and each one is included in both of them (as explained there; see there). For “Remember the day of Shabbas” — this is the aspect of the perception of the chacham himself, which is the perception of daray maalah, which is the aspect of mah, the aspect of Ayeh, the aspect of “What did you see?” etc. — which is the aspect of “How great is Your goodness,” etc. — the aspect of the perception of the makifin [transcendent lights], which are the aspect of the flow of the Keser, the delight of the World to Come, etc. (as explained there). For all of this is the aspect of Shabbas, which is the aspect of the World to Come, where one merits the ultimate knowledge — “that we do not know” — which is the aspect of makifin (as brought in Likutay Tinyana, siman 83). For Shabbas is a day of rest and holiness, splendor, greatness, and “a crown of salvation” — the aspect of Keser, the aspect of Ayeh that is said on Shabbas in the K’dushas Keser. For Shabbas is the aspect of rest and bittul [nullification], which is the aspect of mah, the aspect of the World to Come. And then there is the ultimate completeness of Daas — the aspect of the perception of daray maalah, which is the perception of the aforementioned chacham. And the perception of daray matah, the aspect of “the whole earth is full of His glory,” is included within it, for the six days of action are included in Shabbas — for all of the six days of action, their entire vitality and sustenance come from Shabbas, as is known, and as explained in the Holy Zohar: “From it [Shabbas], all the six days are blessed.” And the six days of action are the aspect of daray matah, the aspect of this world, corresponding to Shabbas, which is the aspect of the World to Come. For in the six days of action, Hashem, blessed be He, created the entire creation with the Ten Utterances for the sake of His glory, blessed be He, for “everything that the Holy One, blessed be He, created, He created only for His glory,” etc. — which is the aspect of “the whole earth is full of His glory” — the aspect of the perception of daray matah. For the entire creation in the six days of action was for this purpose: that they should know and recognize Him, blessed be He, and His glory should fill the entire earth. But on Shabbas, He rested and ceased even from speech, and did not create anything in it; rather, the entire creation of all the six days of action — their entire vitality and sustenance come only from Shabbas, as is known. For Shabbas is the aspect of bittul, the aspect of mah, the aspect of the perception of daray maalah. For the lower is included within the upper. And through the mitzvah of resting on Shabbas, it is revealed that the entire creation of all the six days of action — everything is drawn from Him, blessed be He, Who is above everything. That is, all of His glory, blessed be He, that is revealed in the entire creation that was created in the six days of action — which is the aspect of “the whole earth is full of His glory” — everything is drawn and sustained only through Shabbas, which is the aspect of mah, the aspect of “Where (Ayeh) is the place of His glory?” For in truth, the two perceptions are one, for Hashem, blessed be He, is hidden and revealed. And the aspect of “full [of His glory]” receives from the aspect of Ayeh and is included in it, for it is all one. And all of this is revealed through Shabbas, which testifies that Hashem is One and His Name is One. It emerges that Shabbas is the aspect of the perception of daray maalah, and within it is included the perception of daray matah. “Honor your father and your mother” — this is the aspect of what is needed to illuminate in daray matah, for which purpose one must leave behind sons and students, so that replacements remain from him who will draw his Daas into daray matah, as explained there. And this is the aspect of the mitzvah of “Honor your father and your mother” — that honor is due to them. And [the Torah] equated their honor to the honor of the Omnipresent, for all the honor of the Omnipresent is drawn through them — through their having drawn Him [His honor] into the world for the sake of the magnification of His glory, blessed be He, which is revealed only through human beings in this lower world specifically (as explained there; see there). It emerges that “Honor your father and your mother” is the aspect of the perception of daray matah, and within it is included the perception of daray maalah, as explained there. And the entire Ten Commandments are five corresponding to five, as our Sages of blessed memory said (M’chilta; Sh’mos Rabbah). The commandment “You shall not murder” corresponds to “I am [Hashem your G-d].” For a murderer diminishes the [Divine] image. That is, the mitzvah of “I am” is to illuminate the holy Daas, to make known that Hashem is G-d, as above. And corresponding to this is the prohibition of “You shall not murder” — that it is forbidden to kill a soul of Yisrael, which is reckoned as though one diminishes the image. That is, this knowledge — to make known His G-dliness, blessed be He, in all the worlds — this is impossible except through the multitude of souls of the children of Yisrael who are in this lower world specifically. For each and every one, according to his root, has a portion in the revelation of the knowledge of His G-dliness, blessed be He. And the more the souls of the children of Yisrael multiply in this world, the more the glory of His G-dliness is revealed, for “in the multitude of the people is the King’s splendor” (Mishlei 14:28). And therefore, the murderer who kills a soul of Yisrael diminishes the image — by diminishing the portion of the holy Daas that is revealed only through that soul specifically. And therefore “You shall not murder” corresponds to “I am” — which is the aspect of the revelation of the holy Daas to make known His G-dliness, blessed be He, in the world, as above. “You shall not commit adultery” corresponds to “You shall have no [other gods]” — which is the warning to expel the spirit of folly, as above. This is the aspect of the prohibition of “You shall not commit adultery” — for there is the essential spirit of folly, as our Sages of blessed memory said on the verse “If any man’s wife goes astray” (B’midbar 5:12): “Adulterers do not commit adultery unless a spirit of folly enters them” (Sotah 3a). For the essential Evil Inclination, which is the spirit of folly, is directed toward adultery, for the root of the Evil Inclination is upon forbidden relations. “You shall not steal” corresponds to “You shall not take [the Name of Hashem in vain]” — as our Sages of blessed memory said. For “You shall not take” is the aspect of fear, to fear the Name, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of “You shall not steal” — for the thief removes his fear [of G-d] from his face, as if Hashem, blessed be He, does not see him, G-d forbid — as our Sages of blessed memory said: “He has made the Eye above as if It does not see,” etc. (B’rachos 28b). And this is the aspect of the blemish of all transgressions — that they blemish the fear. For all transgressions, G-d forbid, are done in theft and in secret, as it is written: “And their deeds were in the darkness, and they said: Who sees us?” (Yeshaya 29:15), etc. “You shall not bear false witness” corresponds to “Remember the day of Shabbas” — for whoever desecrates the Shabbas is as if he testifies falsely about the Creator, as our Sages of blessed memory said. For Shabbas testifies to the renewal of the world — that Hashem, blessed be He, created the entire world in the six days of action and rested on Shabbas. [Reb Nosson explains the concept of testimony and how two witnesses parallel the two perceptions of daray maalah and daray matah — the aspects of mah and malei — that must be united as one. When two witnesses testify to one matter and their testimony is aligned, this is the aspect of the two perceptions being included together — the unification of mah and malei, which is the essential truth and emunah. And therefore they are believed in all matters. And therefore the Torah is called “testimony” and is comprised of two Luchos [tablets], as it is written: “And the two tablets of testimony,” etc. (Sh’mos 31:18) — for there is no testimony with less than two, corresponding to the two aspects of mah and malei that must be included together, which is the essential testimony of the Torah — that testifies that Hashem, blessed be He, is exalted above all, and created everything in the six days of action, as it is written: “In the beginning, G-d created the heavens and the earth” (B’raishis 1:1). And all of this is revealed through Shabbas, which testifies to His oneness — that He created everything in the six days of action to reveal His glory, and He rested and ceased on Shabbas, which then is the aspect of bittul and rest entirely, the aspect of mah, etc., as above. And therefore, the commandment “You shall not bear false witness” corresponds to “Remember the day of Shabbas.”] “You shall not covet” corresponds to “Honor [your father and your mother]” — for the mitzvah of “Honor,” which is the end of the first five commandments, is the aspect of the obligation to leave the Daas behind in this world, as above — in order to include the worlds together, as explained there. For one world alone has no completeness. And the essential completeness is when the n’shamah [soul] is above in the highest heights while also illuminating below in the lowest depths, through the replacements that remain from him — son and student — which is the aspect of the mitzvah of “Honor,” as above. And through this — namely, through the inclusion of the worlds — the wealth and the sustenance are drawn, which Malchus receives from the Sea of Wisdom. And therefore, through this, one merits the extraordinary illumination of the Ratzon at the time of eating, which is the aspect of “And You give them their food in its time” (Tehillim 145:15), the aspect of “And He satisfies every living being with ratzon [desire / will]” (Tehillim 145:16), etc. (as explained there well; see there). And this is the aspect of “You shall not covet” — which is the conclusion of the Ten Commandments. For it is forbidden to covet all the possessions of one’s fellow and his livelihood and his wealth. For Hashem, blessed be He, “satisfies every living being with ratzon” through the illumination of bain and talmid, which is the aspect of the inclusion of the worlds — which is the aspect of the mitzvah of “Honor.” For desire and craving for the possessions and wealth of one’s fellow, G-d forbid, is the opposite of the illumination of the Ratzon that is received from the Sea of Wisdom, etc. For one who has a forbidden desire — coveting and wanting the possessions of his fellow — this is against the ratzon of the Creator, blessed be He, Who gave in His ratzon this wealth to his fellow specifically, according to the distribution of sustenance that is drawn from the Sea of Wisdom, etc., as above. And therefore he blemishes the ratzon, and it is the direct opposite of the illumination of the Ratzon that one must receive at the time of eating. For each one must strive to merit the illumination of the Ratzon, which is above everything — namely, that he should merit having no other ratzon against Hashem, blessed be He, but rather merit a strong and wondrous ratzon for Hashem, blessed be He, until he reaches the aspect of bittul — until he does not know at all what he is, etc. (as explained there; see there). And all of this one merits through the inclusion of the worlds, through the illumination of bain and talmid — which is the aspect of the mitzvah of “Honor,” as above. And therefore, “You shall not covet” corresponds to “Honor.” Regarding the Story of the Sixth Day of the Seven Beggars (the one who had the power in his hands to extract the arrows, etc.) [Reb Nosson outlines the four worlds — Atzilus, B’riah, Y’tzirah, Asiyah — whose roots are the four letters of the Divine Name, corresponding to the four Names Ayin-Bais (72), Samech-Gimmel (63), Mem-Hai (45), Bais-Nun (52), corresponding to taamim (cantillation marks), n’kudos (vowel-points), tagin (crowns on letters), and osiyos (letters). From these derive the four elements — fire, air, water, earth — which are the aspects of domem (inanimate), tzomay’ach (vegetation), chai (animal), and m’dabeir (human). These correspond to the four sections of the prayer service.] [The extraction of the arrows is the aspect of ascending from impurity to purity. The arrows are the k’lipah and the dross that have not yet been refined from the malchus dik’dusha. The flight of the malchus [the princess] into the walls of water is the aspect of the creation of the world, whose foundation is water — as it is written: “Who spreads out the earth upon the waters” (Tehillim 136:6). And the entire earth and its offspring came into being from the water that was created first. And there the entire creation came into being through the Ten Utterances — therefore they are the aspect of ten walls. And this is the aspect of “And the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep” — these are the aspect of the arrows. “And the spirit of G-d” — this is the spirit of Mashiach, the malchus dik’dusha. “Hovered over the face of the waters” — for there she fled. And the entire work of the tzaddikayya and the Assembly of Yisrael is to extract the arrows.] [The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the aspect of vegetation, which is the water element — there is the essential place of free will, which is in the aspect of water, the aspect of purification. For earth is the aspect of Bain (52), water is the aspect of Mah (45). Initially it arose in [His] thought to create with the attribute of Judgment, the aspect of Bain–earth, where the Sitra Achara has its essential grip. He saw [the world could not endure] and combined [it with mercy], the aspect of Mah–mercy — and created from both. And there is the essential place of free will. This is the aspect of the Splitting of the Sea of Reeds, the aspect of “And the water was a wall for them on their right and on their left” (Sh’mos 14:22).] [Reb Nosson connects many verses about arrows, bows, and the power of the hands to the themes of the story and the teaching. “Which I took from the hand of the Emori with my sword and my bow” (B’raishis 48:22) — “For not in my bow do I trust.” “They set their arrow upon the string” (Tehillim 11:2); “For Your arrows have sunk into me, and Your hand has come down upon me” (Tehillim 38:3); etc. The essential speech of the Ten Utterances through which the world was created was in the merit of the tz’dakah [charity] that people did, for because of this the world was created, in the aspect of “For I said: the world is built on kindness” (Tehillim 89:3), the aspect of “These are the generations,” etc. “when they were created” — “through Avraham,” the man of kindness.] This is the longest and most encompassing Pesach halacha, weaving together Pesach, S’firas HaOmer, Shavuos, and the Ten Commandments into a single arc. The underlying Torah is Likutay Moharan II:7 (“An Incident with Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua”), which teaches that the merciful leader (Moshe) opens the light of Daas — making known to those “below” that Hashem is with them always, and to those “above” the transcendent “Where?” of His unknowable hiddenness. Unifying these two perceptions generates holy fear and the illumination of the Ratzon (Will) at the time of eating. The practical center of the teaching: Matzah is the food of Daas. Because the awesome mochin (mentalities) that descend on Pesach arrive “not in the ordinary order” — as a gift from Above before we have earned them — any contact with chametz (leavening of the mind = entering questions beyond our grasp) would damage them. Instead, one must immediately “bake the dough” in the fire of awe, turn backward, and pour out gratitude: lechem oni, bread over which one answers many things — Hallel and the telling of the Exodus. From afikoman (= afikoo mahn, “bring out the mahn”) Reb Nosson learns both the source of the Ratzon and its limit: the hidden goodness (“tzafun”) must not be pried open with investigation. The Four Sons of the Haggadah are mapped onto this: the chacham asks wisely but is told not to investigate beyond “after the peh-sach”; the rasha severs himself from the collective and calls the mitzvos mere “labor.” The middle and longest arc (sections 11–22) develops the chamor (donkey / chomer = materiality) theme. The tzaddik-as-Yissachar (“there is reward”) transforms even the “donkey” of gross materiality into a chariot for Torah. Reb Nosson’s passionate core message emerges: fear of punishment must come “for good and not for evil” — leading to t’shuvah and joy, not melancholy and further descent. The proof-text is the enigmatic Talmudic song: “Woe to us that we die — what Torah and what mitzvos protect us?” which, far from despair, is the ultimate expression of the joy of true humility. The S’firah and Shavuos sections (20–27) teach that barley (“animal food” = absence of Daas) is waved in every direction to proclaim that even there, in the lowest animality, Hashem’s glory fills the earth. “Count for yourselves” = do not compare yourself to others; like Avraham, act as if you are alone in the world; like the Tam (Simple Man) in Rabainu’s story, rejoice in your own imperfect shoe. Finally, the Ten Commandments are shown to be the architecture of the entire teaching, and the appendix sketches connections to the Sixth Day of the Seven Beggars. ✺ Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman ✺