ענין שבועות א

Based on Likutay Moharan II:73

The general principle is: the essential thing is emunah (faith), etc. And to raise the fallen emunah, one must dig for the waters from which emunah grows — these are the deep counsels (aitzos amukos). For one must cry out from the depths of the heart, in the aspect of "From the depths I called to You, Hashem"; the aspect of "Their heart cried out." Through this one digs for the waters — the aspect of "deep waters are counsel" — through which emunah grows, in the aspect of "I will give thanks to Your Name, for You have done wonders — counsels from afar, emunah, amen" — and through this all the aspects of pele (wonder) are rectified, etc. — see there.

But for this one needs a "man of understanding" (ish t'vunos), etc. And this is through having a neshamah in the aspect of "and the soul of Sha-dai gives them understanding." And one must polish the neshamah. This is through drawing spiritual G-dliness into tzimtzumim (contractions), through which creatures are formed and then livelihood is drawn, through which the neshamah is polished, etc. And when emunah is raised, converts are made, etc.

And one needs the power of the "shields of the earth" (maginai eretz) to ascend from the aspect of "engraved in his flesh" to the aspect of "engravings of a seal — holy to Hashem," the aspect of tefillin, the radiance of the mochin. Through this one is saved from mikreh lailah (nocturnal emission), from a dream through a shaid. And one merits a dream through an angel, etc. And through this, pure utterances are formed to revive the souls that have fallen, etc. — through the seven who restore flavor (shiv'ah m'shivai ta'am), the aspect of "refined sevenfold," etc. But the foods have a share in the dream. And for this one needs the strengthening of the angel through simchah (joy). This is the aspect of Nissan, etc.

And then it would have been fitting that the above-mentioned tumah of mikreh lailah would be nullified, but sometimes this comes, chas v'shalom, through the distortion of justice (ivvus hamishpat), etc., which comes through elevating the "drop" of Aisav and Yishmael, etc. For this one needs the "bond of the Chariot" (kesher hamerkavah), the aspect of "His chariot is argaman," etc. This is the aspect of Rosh HaShanah, etc. This is the aspect of the sitting of the Rav with the students — through which all the above-mentioned aspects are rectified, up to the rectification of justice through the aspect of sleep — that is, through t'mimus (simplicity/wholeheartedness) and p'shitus (straightforwardness), that one casts away all wisdoms — not only worldly wisdoms, but even genuine wisdoms must be cast away when one wishes to perform any act in the service of Hashem, for "not the study is essential but the action," etc. And one must roll oneself through every sort of mud and mire in order to do something that is His will, blessed be He, etc. And then one merits to attain the aspect of "a tzaddik who has it good," etc. — these are the ways of Hashem, which initially appeared as a distortion of justice, but now through the t'mimus mentioned above one attains this understanding, which is the rectification of justice, etc. See there what is explained at the end. And in truth it is a great thing to cast away all wisdoms, etc. — that one raises the judgment from the aspect of "Your judgments are a great deep," in the aspect of "deep calls unto deep at the sound of Your channels"; the aspect of "and justice shall roll like water," etc. — see there, all of this very well.

And this is the aspect of Rosh Chodesh, the aspect of the mitzvah of Kiddush HaChodesh (sanctification of the new month), which is the tikkun of the blemish of the moon. For all the tikkunim mentioned above are all in the aspect of the tikkun and filling of the blemish of the moon. For the tikkun of emunah — this is the essential aspect of the tikkun of the blemish of the moon, which is the small luminary that governs the night. For then is the essential growth of emunah, in the aspect of "and Your faithfulness in the nights" — as is explained there — so that in the morning it should grow in completeness, in the aspect of "new every morning," etc. For emunah, the aspect of Malchus, is the aspect of the moon, which is the aspaklarya d'lo nahara migarmai (the mirror that does not shine on its own). And this is the aspect of emunah, which is specifically in what the intellect does not grasp — rather one relies on our forefathers and the true tzaddikim, as we received from them. And this is the aspect of the moon, which has no light of its own but only what it receives from the sun — which is the aspect of the light of the tzaddik, as it is written: "And the sun rose and the sun set." And our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded: "Before the sun of Eli set, the sun of Shmuel rose," etc.

And the essential tikkun of emunah, which is the aspect of the tikkun of the blemish of the moon, is through the cry of the heart from the depths, etc. And therefore Rosh Chodesh was established for atonement, as it is written: "A time of atonement for all their generations," etc. For then is the root of teshuvah, as Rabainu, of blessed memory, wrote in another place, in the Torah [discourse on] Mishpatim in Siman 10. And the essential teshuvah is through the cry of the heart to Hashem, blessed be He. And therefore the custom is to observe Yom Kippur Katan on the eve of Rosh Chodesh, and to cry out greatly from the depths of the heart to Hashem, blessed be He. And similarly the custom is to go and travel to the graves of tzaddikim on the eve of Rosh Chodesh, and to pray and cry out there from the depths of the heart. For the essential tikkun of Rosh Chodesh, which is the aspect of the tikkun of the blemish of the moon, is accomplished through the cry of the heart, as mentioned.

And therefore the essential fixing of the months was done by the great sages, who are the "man of understanding" mentioned above. For through them specifically one can dig the deep waters mentioned above, through which emunah grows — which is the aspect of the tikkun of the blemish of the moon, as mentioned. And this is the aspect of: "And you shall guard and you shall do, for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the eyes of the nations," etc. And they said: "Surely a wise and understanding nation is this great people." And our Sages, of blessed memory, said: "This refers to the calculation of the seasons and the constellations" — that is, the fixing of the months, etc. For the essential fixing of Rosh Chodesh, which is the aspect of the tikkun of the blemish of the moon, is through the "man of understanding" — the aspect of "for this is your wisdom and your understanding"; the aspect of "surely a wise and understanding nation." For through this specifically one merits to dig the deep counsels mentioned above, from which emunah grows — which is the tikkun of the blemish of the moon, as mentioned. That is, that the blemish of the moon should be filled, and there should be no diminishment in it, and the light of the moon should be as the light of the sun, etc. That is, that emunah should be completed and perfected in fullness, without any blemish or diminishment whatsoever — rather it should be as the light of the sun. Meaning, one should be so strong in his emunah — which is the aspect of the moon, which is in what the intellect does not grasp and understand — one should be so strong in it that it shines in his mind as though he sees and understands it with his intellect literally. For this is the essential completeness of emunah: that it should seem to him as if he sees with his very eyes. And this is the aspect of the light of the moon being as the light of the sun, as mentioned.

For at the beginning of its creation it was thus, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said on the verse: "the two great luminaries." For they were created equal. But through the complaint of the moon, which said, "It is impossible for two kings to use one crown" — through this she was diminished. That is, Hashem, blessed be He, created the moon so that its light would be as great as the sun — that emunah should be so strong and great and luminous as the sun, which is the intellect itself. For this is the essential completeness of true emunah — that there should be no difference whatsoever between what one understands with one's intellect and what one does not understand but only believes. But the moon complained and said, "It is impossible for two kings to use one crown." That is, she immediately blemished this matter, for she said it is impossible for emunah to be equal to the intellect. And this is the aspect of the blemish of all who blemish emunah, for they do not wish to constrict their intellect and they crave specifically to understand the matter with their intellect immediately. For they do not wish to nullify their intellect and rely on emunah as though they see the thing with their very eyes — in which case emunah would be equal to the intellect. But those who blemish in this way — this is the aspect of the blemish of the complaint of the moon, which said, "It is impossible for two kings to use one crown," as mentioned.

Therefore Hashem, blessed be He, said to her: "Go and diminish yourself." For the moon in her complaint wished to be greater than the sun, as is understood from her words, "It is impossible for two kings to use one crown" — therefore she wished to be greater than the sun, as is understood from the words of our Sages, of blessed memory. That is, in truth, through emunah in its completeness, one can ascend far, far above the intellect — as is found in many places in the words of Rabainu, of blessed memory, as is printed in connection with the book Sipurai Ma'asiyos — that through emunah one merits to ascend above the intellect.

To explain the matter somewhat. For it is known that there are ten S'firos, which are ten rectifications, from Keser down to Malchus. And Malchus, the last attribute, is the aspect of emunah, as is explained in the Torah [discourse] "Ashrai Ha'Am Zarka" in Siman 35. For she is the gate to Hashem — it is impossible to draw close to Hashem, blessed be He, or to any holiness or service except through emunah. And the essential emunah is in what the intellect does not understand. For what the intellect understands — that is not emunah. And there, in the place where the intellect does not understand — there is the essential test. And when one merits to strengthen oneself in emunah and to nullify one's coarsened intellect and to rely on our forefathers and our holy teachers — through this one will merit afterward to understand the matter with one's intellect. What one previously did not understand and needed to strengthen oneself in emunah, one now understands with one's intellect. Only there are still yet loftier things that one does not comprehend, and one must strengthen oneself in emunah more and more. And then one understands even those things with one's intellect — only one has emunah in still loftier levels of knowledge that one does not yet grasp. And so on from level to level, as all this is understood from the words of Rabainu, of blessed memory, in the Torah [discourse] "And his hands were emunah until the sun set" in Siman 91, and in other places.

For there is an aspect of emunah at every level and in every world, for in every world and at every level there are ten S'firos, as is known. And emunah, the aspect of Malchus, is the last attribute — which is the first from below to above — in that world and level. But afterward, when one merits through emunah the comprehension of the intellect that is in that world — which is the aspect of the other, higher S'firos up to Keser — then one must return to emunah, which is the aspect of the last level of the higher world. And that is higher than the highest level of the lower world beneath it, for Malchus of Yetzirah is far higher than Keser of Asiyah, for it is the aspect of Atik of Asiyah, as is known from the writings [of the Ari]. And therefore there are many levels in emunah. For the more one strengthens oneself in emunah, the more one merits to attain the intellect of that level — if one merits to stand the test for however many days and times as are fitting according to one's deeds. For certainly it is impossible to skip in one leap, especially if one's deeds are not going well.

And afterward, when one merits to attain the intellect according to that world and level, then one merits ratzon (will/desire), which is the aspect of Atik — the aspect of the root of Keser, which is drawn from the aspect of Malchus/emunah that is in the higher world. And then one must ascend to the emunah that is higher than this intellect that is in the lower world. And afterward, when one merits through the higher emunah to attain also the intellect that is in the higher world, then one must ascend to the emunah that is higher still — which is the emunah of the yet higher world and level, the aspect of the emunah of the world of Beriah. And so from level to level and from world to world, until the head of emunah — for "the ultimate of knowledge is that we do not know," and there is the essential emunah.

It comes out that emunah is below the intellect and above the intellect, as mentioned. But it is impossible to merit the comprehension of the intellect that is in any world and level until one first ascends above the intellect — only when one first stands in the test, in that one does not understand the matter and it is difficult and there are questions, and one nullifies one's intellect and strengthens oneself in emunah. Through this one merits to ascend to the intellect until one ascends above the intellect — which is the aspect of Atik, the aspect of the illumination of the ratzon, which is drawn from the aspect of emunah that is in the higher world, as mentioned.

But the complaint of the moon — this is the aspect of one who wants to aggrandize himself, who wants to attain immediately the thing that one must believe, and to ascend immediately to the higher emunah. This is the aspect of what the moon said: "It is impossible for two kings to use one crown." She wished to aggrandize herself immediately, to be greater than the sun, as mentioned. That is, she said it is impossible for emunah to shine like the intellect — rather she wanted to attain the intellect of that level immediately and to aggrandize herself, to ascend to the illumination of the ratzon — which is the aspect of emunah in the higher level. Therefore Hashem, blessed be He, answered her: "Go and diminish yourself." Since you do not wish to be equal to the sun but rather to aggrandize yourself immediately — therefore you must necessarily diminish yourself, so that the light of the moon is diminished — which is the aspect of the diminishment and smallness of emunah. And many tikkunim are needed, through the great tzaddikim who engage in the tikkun of the blemish of the moon, which is the tikkun of emunah. And the essential tikkun is through this very thing — that one who strengthens himself during the time of diminishment with strong emunah, until it seems to him as though he sees with his very eyes, as mentioned — through this he fills the blemish of the moon. And he also merits to ascend above the intellect, as mentioned, for one must stand in this test, as mentioned.

It comes out that the tikkun of emunah is the aspect of the tikkun of the blemish of the moon. And when one raises and rectifies emunah, one needs the power of the "shields of the earth" to ascend from the aspect of "engraved in his flesh" to the aspect of a holy seal — in order to be saved from mikreh lailah, from a dream through a shaid, chas v'shalom, etc., as is explained there. And this too is the aspect of the tikkun of the blemish of the moon. For the essential blemish of the bris — the aspect of mikreh — is drawn from the aspect of the blemish of the moon, the aspect of "Let there be luminaries" — spelled deficiently — "this is Lilis," from which is the essential blemish of mikreh, as is known.

But the foods also have a share in the dream, etc., as is explained there — see there. And for this one needs the strengthening of the angel through simchah, etc. And this is the aspect of the holiness of Rosh Chodesh Nissan, etc. — see there. And this too is the aspect of the tikkun of the blemish of the moon, that it should be as the light of the sun. For the essential growth of the foods is through the sun and moon, as it is written: "And from the bounty of the produce of the sun, and from the bounty of the yield of the moons." And therefore the essential tikkun of the foods is in Nissan, which is then the time of their simchah, etc., as is explained there. For Nissan is Rosh Chadashim (the head of the months) — that is, the aspect of the holiness of Rosh Chodesh, when the essential tikkun of the blemish of the moon takes place. And the essential holiness of Rosh Chodesh is drawn in Nissan, which is called Rosh Chadashim, for then we were commanded regarding Kiddush HaChodesh, as it is written: "This month shall be for you the head of the months," etc.

And this is the aspect of the mitzvah of the Rosh Chodesh meal. For Rosh Chodesh is a time of simchah, like Yom Tov, as it is written: "And on your day of joy, and on your festivals, and on your Rosh Chodesh days," etc. And as we say on it also: "This is the day Hashem has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." For then one needs simchah even more, for the sake of strengthening the angel, through which is the tikkun of the foods, and then the eating is in holiness. And therefore one is obligated in a meal then, for this is the aspect of a tikkun to be saved from mikreh through the foods, chas v'shalom. For all of this is the aspect of the holiness of Rosh Chodesh, the aspect of the tikkun of the moon, as mentioned. And therefore when Dovid did not come to the king's table at the Rosh Chodesh meal, Shaul said: "It is a mikreh; he is not tahor," etc. For mikreh is the opposite of the Rosh Chodesh meal, as mentioned. It comes out that the tikkun of mikreh in both aspects mentioned above is also the aspect of the tikkun of the moon.

But sometimes this matter comes about, chas v'shalom, through the blemish of justice (p'gam hamishpat), as is explained there. And for this one needs the bond of the Chariot to rectify the aspect of "thrones for justice," etc. — see there. And this too is the aspect of the tikkun of the luminaries — sun and moon — to fill the blemish of the moon so that the light of the moon should be as the light of the sun, in the aspect of: "And his throne is as the sun before Me, as the moon it shall be established forever." For this tikkun will be completed in fullness through Mashiach — for then the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and then will be the essential tikkun of justice, as it is written: "Give Your judgments to the king," etc. And it is written: "He shall judge the poor of the people," etc. And it is written: "And he shall judge the lowly with righteousness." For then the throne of Dovid will be rectified in completeness, in the aspect of "and his throne is as the sun before Me, as the moon," etc. — which is the aspect of "thrones for justice, thrones of the House of Dovid." For Dovid-Mashiach is the aspect of the completeness of the tikkun of the blemish of the moon, for "in the days of Dovid the moon stood in its fullness." And therefore we say at Kiddush L'vanah: "Dovid, King of Yisrael, lives and endures," as is known.