פסח ח

Zohrmoo ma-yeem uvoas koal nussinoo shichukeem af chatzutzechu yeesha-luchoo. 18 זֹרְמוּ מַיִם עָבוֹת קוֹל נָתְנוּ שְׁחָקִים אַף-חֲצָצֶיךָ יִתְהַלָּכוּ T’shuvah is called Keser [Crown], for “one who comes to purify himself — they assist him” (Shabbas 104a) — they say to him: “Wait” (hamtain), which is the aspect of Keser, as it is written: “Wait (kattar) for me a moment” (Iyov 36:2), and it is the aspect of Ehyeh, etc.; see there. And it is impossible to merit this except through the aspect of “Be silent (dom) before Hashem” (Tehillim 37:7) — namely, when one hears his humiliation, he is silent and bears the insults and disgrace. For before t’shuvah, he is in the aspect of the “back of the face” of Ehyeh, which has the gematria [numerical value] of dam [blood].

And therefore, humiliations and bloodshed come upon him. And through the d’mimah [silence] and the sh’sikah [quiet], dam [blood] is transformed into dom [silence]; see there. And one must do t’shuvah upon t’shuvah, etc.; see there. And then, from this, the aspect of Adam [man] is made, who is fit to sit upon the Throne, in the aspect of “And upon the Throne,” etc. (Yechezkel 1:26); see there well.

Clouds streamed water; the heavens rumbled; Your arrows flew about; And behold, the days of the S’firah are days of t’shuvah, days of purification — from the aspect of dam niddah [the blood of impurity], the aspect of shivah n’kiyim [seven clean days], as is brought [in the holy writings]. They are in the aspect of “they say to him: Wait” as above. For this is the essential aspect of the S’firah collectively.

19 קוֹל רַעַמְךָ בַּגַּלְגַּל הֵאִירוּ בְרָקִים תֵּבֵל רָגְזָה וַתִּרְעַשׁ הָאָרֶץ As is brought in the name of the Baal Shem Tov: it is like, for example, a father when his infant begins to walk — at first, he leads him by the hand, and afterward he lets him go to walk on his own. So too, on Pesach, they assist him and lead him through the supernal arousal [from Above]. But immediately afterward, they let him go to walk on his own, so that he will arouse himself and rectify what he has distorted. And this is the aspect of S’firah — the aspect of “they say to him: Wait” — so that he will do t’shuvah and bear suffering and shame to rectify what he has blemished.

Koal ra-amchu bagalgal hai-eeroo virukeem taivail rugizu vateerash hu-uretz. And this is what is found in the Zohar: that the S’firah is to purify oneself from the aspect of dam niddah. For this is the essential t’shuvah — to rectify the aspect of the “bloods” (damim) that come from the “back of Ehyeh” as above, which are the aspect of dam niddah.

Your thunder rumbled like wheels; lightning lit up the world; the earth quaked and trembled.

For the essential tikkun of Yetzias Mitzrayim and Shavuos is in the aspect of Ehyeh, as it is written: “For I will be (Ehyeh) with you, and this is the sign for you: when you take [the people] out… you shall serve G-d” (Sh’mos 3:12) — namely, receiving the Torah. It emerges that at receiving the Torah [on Shavuos], the aspect of Ehyeh is revealed and completed — the aspect of Keser, where the Fifty Gates of Binah are revealed. And therefore, before this, one is in the aspect of the “back of Ehyeh” = dam, and one needs to rectify the dam niddah as above.

20 בַּיָּם דַּרְכֶּךָ וּשְׁבִילְךָ בְּמַיִם רַבִּים וְעִקְּבוֹתֶיךָ לֹא נֹדָעוּ And the essential tikkun is through shame — through d’mimah [silence] and sh’sikah [quiet]. And this is the aspect of the omer of barley, which is an offering of animal food — for this is the aspect of t’shuvah, whose essence is through shame, as above, through silence, as above. And likewise within the individual himself: the essence of t’shuvah is when he is ashamed before Hashem, blessed be He, and makes himself like a beast that does not speak — for he has no mouth to speak, no forehead [to show his face], etc., because of the shame. As is found in the Raaya M’haimnah: this is the essence of t’shuvah — when a person says, “I have no mouth to answer,” etc., because of the shame, and makes himself like an animal — then it is reckoned as a sacrifice; see there in the Zohar.

Ba-yum darkechu ooshveelichu bima-yeem rabeem vi-eekivoasechu low no-adu-oo. And this is the aspect of the omer of barley, which is the aspect of shame, the aspect of d’mimah and sh’sikah — that we offer animal food, for we liken ourselves to an animal, for we have no mouth to speak, etc., as above. And this is the essence of t’shuvah, as above, as it is written: “Let us lie down in our shame” (Yirmiyahu 3:25), etc. And this is the aspect of the omer hat’nufah [the omer of waving]. And it is found in the Holy Zohar: t’nufah = t’nu peh [“give a mouth”] — that we are requesting then that He give us a mouth to speak. For we are now like an animal, as above. And through this very thing, we rectify the speech and merit opening a mouth and speaking — in the aspect of: “Is it truly silence? Speak righteousness!” (Tehillim 58:2) — namely, when it is truly and honestly that he is mute, for he has no mouth to speak, etc., as above — then “speak righteousness!” — then he will open his mouth and speak, for Hashem, blessed be He, fulfills “Open your mouth for the mute” (Mishlei 31:8). This is the aspect of “Who placed a mouth in man, or who makes one mute?” (Sh’mos 4:11) — “mute” specifically — namely, the one who makes himself like a mute. For through the silence and shame — which is the aspect of “bloodshed” [the blood draining from one’s face in shame] — through this, the “back of Ehyeh” = dam is rectified, and from it is made dom laHashem [“be silent before Hashem”], etc., as above. And through this, the aspect of Adam is made (as explained there; see there). And the defining characteristic of Adam [man] is that he is a m’dabeir [speaker]. It emerges that through this very thing, one leaves the aspect of “animal” and enters the aspect of “Adam who speaks”. And this is the aspect of “Who (mi) placed a mouth” — mi specifically, which is the aspect of Binah, the aspect of Ehyeh that is revealed through the aspect of “mute” — namely, the d’mimah and sh’sikah, as above. And through this very thing, the mouth to speak is made — for through this, the aspect of Adam who speaks is made, as above. And therefore, on Shavuos, we offer the Two Loaves, which come from chitim [wheat], which is human food — namely, the food of Adam who speaks. Also, chitah [wheat] has the gematria of 22 — [corresponding to] the 22 letters [of the alef-bais], as is brought [in the holy writings]. For then the “bloods” are rectified through the days of the S’firah, as above, and then one merits the aspect of Adam, as above. And therefore, on Shavuos we read as the Haftarah: “And upon the Throne, a likeness like the appearance of Adam” (Yechezkel 1:26), etc. — for then, on Shavuos, this aspect is completed, as above. And this is the aspect of omer hat’nufah — “t’nu peh” [“give a mouth”] — for through this very thing, the mouth to speak is made, as above. For this is what the waving itself indicates: that we wave and raise up the omer of barley, which is the aspect of “animal,” to elevate it to the level of Adam who speaks. And this is the aspect of all the sacrifices — to elevate from the aspect of “animal” to “Adam,” as is brought [in the Zohar]. And also the Two Loaves of wheat that come on Shavuos require waving as well — to elevate them also above speech, namely, to the aspect of silence that is above speech, which is the aspect of Keser, the aspect of “A fence for wisdom is silence” (Avos 3:13) (as Rabainu, of blessed memory, wrote there). And that is the ultimate completeness. For there are two kinds of silence. There is a silence because one cannot speak — namely, because of the shame of his sins, that he has no mouth to speak, etc., as above. And although this is his tikkun, as above, even so, his essential tikkun is the speech — namely, that through this he merits having a mouth to speak, as above. For certainly it is not a virtue for a person to remain in silence, G-d forbid; rather, the essential tikkun is that he merit to speak in Torah and prayer, as it is written: “Take words with you and return to Hashem” (Hoshea 14:3). But afterward, when one merits the completeness of speech — then the ultimate completeness, the ultimate perception, is in the aspect of silence that is above speech, which is the aspect of Keser, the aspect of “Wait for me a moment” — where it is said: “Into that which is beyond you, do not inquire” (Chagigah 13a), etc. And it is the ultimate perception, which is the aspect of “Wait, and do not gaze beyond your partition” — which is the aspect of Keser, which is “the curtain” (p’risah), the aspect of the Arranger and Settler of the Mochin. And through this, the essential perception is in the aspect of “And the Chayos ran and returned” (Yechezkel 1:14) (as brought in the teaching “Emtzausah d’Almah,” siman 24; understand this). And this is the aspect of Shavuos, when one merits the secrets of the Torah, the aspect of “The glory of G-d is to conceal a matter” (Mishlei 25:2), the aspect of the Maaseh Merkavah [the Workings of the Chariot]. For then the aspect of Keser is made, as above. And therefore [Shavuos] is called Atzeres [“Holding Back” / “Assembly”] — the aspect of “restrained in words” (atzur b’millin), the aspect of silence that is above speech, as above. But the festival of Matzos is called “Pesach” — peh sach [“a mouth that speaks”] — for then, at the beginning of t’shuvah, the essential tikkun is to merit speech, as above. And therefore, the Two Loaves come from chametz specifically, and on Pesach we eat matzah specifically. For chametz and matzah are the aspects of “animal” and “Adam” (as brought in the words of Rabainu, of blessed memory, in the teaching “They Asked Rabbi Yosi ben Kisma,” siman 57). Chametz is the aspect of “having no mouth” — to which the Ches (ח) of chametz alludes, the aspect of chayas hasadeh [wild animal]. But matzah, which has a Hai (ה), is the aspect of the five (hai) outlets of the mouth. And everything depends on Daas, for speech depends on Daas, as is brought [in the Zohar]. That is, the Adam who has Daas has speech, and the opposite is a beast. And chametz is the aspect of the leavening of thought — the aspect of the blemish of Daas — and therefore it is the aspect of the blemish of speech, the aspect of “animal.” But matzah is Daas, the aspect of the Hai of Daas, which is the aspect of speech — the five outlets of the mouth — the aspect of Adam. And therefore, on Pesach, which is the beginning of t’shuvah, the essential tikkun is matzah — namely, to go out from chametz to matzah, from “animal” to “Adam,” to rectify the speech, to rectify the Daas so as not to leaven the mind, G-d forbid. For at the beginning of t’shuvah, when one needs to leave the Sitra Achara, the essential tikkun is not to leaven the mind, G-d forbid, with evil thoughts, fantasies, and evil cravings that overpower him at that time — since he has not yet been purified. And his tikkun is that he break the chametz — the leavening of the thought — and flee from there, and merit matzah, which is the tikkun of Daas, the tikkun of speech, as above. But afterward, when one is purified and sanctified completely through proper t’shuvah — which is the aspect of the S’firah — then one merits Shavuos, the ultimate perception, the aspect of Keser. And then the essential tikkun is in the aspect of “run backward” — in the aspect of “Wait” — which is the aspect of Keser, as above. And there, the aspect of chametz is the essential tikkun — namely, to “leaven the mind” specifically, to delay and to stand still — not to run, not to go beyond one’s partition. And this is the aspect of the Arranger and Settler of the Mochin — that one must delay and wait, so as not to be nullified from existence entirely. And this is the aspect of chametz, which comes through delay — and this is what is needed on Shavuos specifically, as above. But matzah is specifically through haste — that one must hurry so that it does not leaven, as it is written: “Seven days you shall eat matzos, for in haste you went out from Egypt” (D’varim 16:3). For when one is leaving the Sitra Achara, one needs great haste to flee from the leavening of the thought, lest his thought be leavened, G-d forbid, with fantasies and the like that come from the Sitra Achara that pursues him at the beginning of t’shuvah. But afterward, when one merits the tikkun and subdues the Sitra Achara completely, and then merits perception — then his tikkun is specifically through the aspect of “leavening the thought” — through delay, that he delays and does not hurry to run ahead, in the aspect of “Wait,” the aspect of Keser, as above. And therefore on Shavuos, we offer chametz specifically, as above. And therefore, the days of the S’firah are seven weeks — the aspect of t’shuvah, which is the aspect of Shabbas, as it is written: “And you shall return (v’shavta) unto Hashem your G-d” (D’varim 30:2) (as explained there). And therefore, one needs seven Shabbosos, for one must do t’shuvah upon t’shuvah (as explained there; see there). And the essence of t’shuvah is the aspect of Shabbas, as above — for through Shabbas, the weekdays are rectified. For the seventh day, which is Shabbas, is the aspect of t’shuvah, which rectifies all the seven days. And therefore, every seven days constitute one Shabbas. And therefore, when one wishes to merit t’shuvah in its completeness — namely, to do t’shuvah upon t’shuvah — one needs seven Shabbosos specifically, which are the aspect of Shabbas after Shabbas, t’shuvah after t’shuvah — until all the Shabbosos, all the returns, become themselves in the aspect of “six days” — until one merits to do t’shuvah upon them — namely, the seventh Shabbas, which is t’shuvah upon all the returns, which rectifies all the returns. And then the t’shuvah is in its completeness — in the aspect of t’shuvah upon t’shuvah. And then one merits Shavuos, the aspect of Keser, as above. And this is why Shabbas is mentioned at the beginning and end of the S’firah, as it is written: “And you shall count for yourselves from the morrow of the Shabbas… until the morrow of the seventh Shabbas you shall count” (VaYikra 23:15–16) — the aspect of the two Shabbosos as above, the aspect of t’shuvah upon t’shuvah, as above. And therefore, within the first single week of the S’firah, they merited Shabbas — for the commandment of Shabbas was given at Marah, and they arrived at Marah immediately after the Splitting of the Sea of Reeds, which was on the seventh of Pesach. And afterward, they were again commanded regarding Shabbas on Shavuos, in the Ten Commandments. This is the aspect of the two Shabbosos — the aspect of the two returns that Yisrael merited, as above. The first Shabbas was made from seven days — namely, the first t’shuvah. And the second Shabbas was made through the aspect of seven Shabbosos — through the aspect of t’shuvah upon t’shuvah — until one merits the ultimate perception, which is the ultimate t’shuvah (as explained there). And then one merits the fiftieth day, which is the aspect of Yovel [Jubilee], which also comes after seven sabbaticals of years. And it is the aspect of the supernal gate, the ultimate perception — where the essential tikkun is in the aspect of “Wait,” the aspect of Keser, the aspect of “the ultimate knowledge — that we do not know,” as above. And this is the aspect of the two Shabbosos that our Sages of blessed memory spoke of: “If Yisrael were to keep two Shabbosos, they would immediately be redeemed” (Shabbas 118b). For the redemption depends on t’shuvah, as it is written: “And a redeemer shall come to Tzion, and to those who return from transgression” (Yeshaya 59:20). And the completeness of t’shuvah is through the aspect of the two Shabbosos — namely, t’shuvah upon t’shuvah, as above. And this is the aspect of “refined seven times over” (Tehillim 12:7) — seven times seven, the aspect of Shabbas Shabboson [a Shabbas of Shabbosos] — namely, that one does t’shuvah upon t’shuvah, until one makes a Shabbas for the seven Shabbosos, just as the first Shabbas was for the seven days, as above. And this is the ultimate refining and purifying, the ultimate t’shuvah, as above. Belongs to [the section] above: And therefore, regarding the ultimate redemption, it is written: “For not in haste shall you go out… for Hashem goes before you, and the G-d of Yisrael gathers you in” (Yeshaya 52:12). For in Egypt, when the tikkun was not yet in its completeness, and the Egyptians and the Sitra Achara still pursued them, they needed to go out in haste — to flee and escape from there quickly. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of chametz — not to leaven the mind, as above. But in the future, when we will merit the ultimate tikkun in its completeness, and then the subjugation of the Sitra Achara will be complete, and then they will merit the ultimate perception, as it is written: “And the earth shall be full of knowledge” (Yeshaya 11:9), etc. — then “not in haste shall you go out” — “not in haste” specifically. For in the ultimate perception — the Daas that will be revealed in the future — the essential tikkun is through the aspect of “Wait,” as above. And this is: “For Hashem goes before you, and the G-d of Yisrael gathers you in” — namely, ahead of the running of the thought, so to speak, Hashem, blessed be He, Himself is the Gatherer Who gathers and collects the thought so that it should not extend beyond the partition. And this too is an aspect of the revelation of His G-dliness, blessed be He — namely, the aspect of Elokim [G-d], which is the aspect of the holy tzimtzum [contraction]. For through this is the essential perception, as above. And therefore, “not in haste shall you go out” — “not in haste” specifically. For this is the essential perception — in the aspect of “Wait,” as above. For there is no pursuer chasing the thought — the aspect of Egypt and the Sitra Achara, which would require haste to flee, as above. Rather, their perception is in its completeness in the aspect of “Hashem [is] Elokim” — in the aspect of “running and returning” (Yechezkel 1:14) — in the aspect of “Wait,” the aspect of Keser, as above. And this they will merit in the future, when the aspect of the Full Name will be revealed — that “Hashem is HaElokim”. Blessed is Hashem forever, Amen and Amen. This halacha is built on Likutay Moharan I:6 (“Call Yehoshua”), which teaches that t’shuvah = Keser (Crown), and that the one who comes to purify himself is told “Wait” — a word whose root (k-t-r) is shared with Keser. One merits this through silence in the face of humiliation: the “back” of the Divine Name Ehyeh equals dam (blood, 44), which is transformed through silence (dom) into the aspect of Adam (man). Reb Nosson maps this onto the Pesach–S’firah–Shavuos arc with breathtaking precision. Pesach = the father taking the child’s hand (arousal from Above). S’firah = the father lets go; the child must walk on his own (seven “clean weeks” of purification from dam niddah). Shavuos = Keser, the ultimate perception, the silence that is above speech. The omer offering is barley — animal food — because the penitent, in genuine shame, makes himself like a speechless beast. The waving (t’nufah = t’nu peh, “give a mouth”) itself is the prayer to be elevated from animal to speaking man. And the visual key to the whole teaching: chametz (ches = closed = no mouth) versus matzah (hai = open = five outlets of speech). At the beginning of t’shuvah, one must flee chametz (the leavened mind) in haste. But at the summit — Shavuos — the Two Loaves are chametz, because there the “leavening” is holy: one deliberately slows down, waits, does not rush past the partition. The ultimate knowledge is “that we do not know.” The seven weeks are t’shuvah upon t’shuvah: each Shabbas rectifies its seven days, and the seventh Shabbas rectifies all seven Shabbosos — seven times seven, Shabbas Shabboson. This is why, if Yisrael kept two Shabbosos, they would be immediately redeemed. And in the future, “not in haste shall you go out” — for there will be no Sitra Achara to flee, and the Full Name (“Hashem is HaElokim”) will be revealed. ✺ Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman ✺