ענין שבת ויום טוב א

It is found there that the essential t’fillah is mercy and supplication, and mercy depends on Daas. When the Sitra Achara suckles from the compassion, the compassion becomes ruined and turns into cruelty, and the Daas is blemished. Then the craving for promiscuity strengthens, G-d forbid — for beneath the Mochin [brains / intellects] are three partitions spread as a barrier against this craving. Therefore, when the Daas is blemished, this craving strengthens, G-d forbid, and then the t’fillah is in the aspect of Din [Judgment]. For the three daily prayers correspond to three kinds of compassion — the three Mochin, as above.

Zera Avruhum avdoa binay Yaakoav bicheeruv.

O offspring of Abraham, His servant, O descendants of Jacob, His chosen ones. And then, when the t’fillah is in the aspect of Din, G-d forbid, the Sitra Achara suckles from it. Then a Baal Koach [a man of great power] is needed who can pray a prayer in the aspect of Din. And then, when the Sitra Achara wants to swallow this prayer of the Baal Koach — which is in the aspect of Din — this prayer stands in its throat, in the aspect of “In his neck dwells strength” (Iyov 41:14). And through this, it is forced to give forth vomitings, in the aspect of “the wealth he swallowed he shall vomit up” (Iyov 20:15) — it vomits and expels from itself all the holinesses and the Daas and the compassion and the prayers that it had swallowed, and even the essence of its own vitality it is forced to expel, in the aspect of “from his belly G-d shall drive it out” (Iyov 20:15), etc.

Like Pinchas, who prayed a prayer in the aspect of Din at the time of the act of Zimri — in the aspect of “And Pinchas stood and prayed [vay’falail]” (Tehillim 106:30). And “vay’falail” is the roshei taivos [acronym] of “V’hashlaich l’fnai faroh y’hi l’sanin” [“And cast before Pharaoh — it shall become a serpent”] (Sh’mos 7:9). For one casts the aspect of the matteh oz [the staff of power] — which is the prayer in the aspect of Din — before the Sitra Achara, so that it will swallow it — in order to extract through this all the holinesses, etc. For it is forced to vomit everything, as above.

7 הוּא יי אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ בְּכָל-הָאָרֶץ מִשְׁפָּטָיו And through this, gairim [converts] are made, and His glory is magnified — the aspect of thunder, etc. And the glory is the root of the souls of Yisrael, and from there comes prophecy. And through prophecy, the imaginative faculty is rectified, and through this one merits complete emunah of holiness. And for this, one needs to draw close to the true Tzaddik — to merit through him complete emunah of holiness. And through emunah, there will be the renewal of the world in the future, and the renewal will be in the aspect of Eretz Yisrael — the aspect of Hashgachah [Divine Providence] and wonders. And then the new song of Hashgachah and wonders beyond the natural order will be awakened. And through this song, all the fragrances and fears grow — which are the nourishment of the soul — through which the nourishment of the body is weakened, etc. And through this, one is able to give rebuke, etc. (see there, all of this well).

Hoo Adoanuy Eloahainoo bichul hu-uretz meeshputuv. And this is the aspect of the Three R’galim [the three pilgrimage festivals]. For the Three R’galim are the aspect of the three daily prayers, which were established corresponding to the three Avos. This is the aspect of the three r’galim, as is known — for the three r’galim are “beneath the Mochin,” as brought elsewhere — and from there the three kinds of compassion flow, the aspect of the three prayers, as above.

He is the LORD our G-d; His judgments are throughout the earth.

And as the prayer, so the livelihood, as brought in the words of Rabainu of blessed memory elsewhere — that livelihood corresponds to prayer. For all sustenance flows through prayer. Namely, when one merits that the prayer is in Daas, in the aspect of mercy and supplication, then one has livelihood with ease — without tasks, exertions, and burdens, which are the aspect of Dinim — rather, with ease, which is the aspect of mercy and Daas. For easy livelihood corresponds to the completeness of Daas (as explained in siman 56 in the words of Rabainu of blessed memory). For the essential burden and heaviness of livelihood — that one must perform tasks and labors and exertions for the sake of livelihood, the aspect of “By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread” — is only due to the blemish of Daas, the aspect of “the people spread out and gathered” (BaMidbar 11:8) — “in foolishness” (b’shtusa), as written in the Holy Zohar. For when the Daas is not in completeness, then the prayer is in the aspect of Din, G-d forbid. Likewise, the livelihood is drawn to him in the aspect of Din — namely, the exertions and burdens of the 39 labors, the aspect of “by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread” — which is the aspect of Dinim. And all of this is due to the foolishness of the blemish of Daas, as above. For the blemish of Daas is the blemish of the Bris, as above. And through the blemish of the Bris, the livelihood comes with difficulty (as brought in siman 29). It emerges that all the exertion and heaviness of the 39 labors that one must perform during the weekdays is only due to the blemish of Daas, the blemish of prayer — in the aspect of Din. For Adam HaRishon blemished the Daas through eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, as is known. Through this, sustenance was drawn to the Sitra Achara, G-d forbid, the aspect of “and the serpent was cunning.” And through this, the exertions of the 39 labors were drawn, as is known. And therefore, on Shabbas, which is the completeness of Daas, as is known — the aspect of compassion — therefore the 39 labors have no dominion whatsoever. And then it is cessation and rest completely from all labors, because then the Daas is in completeness and everything is compassion and will and chesed. And then on Shabbas — then specifically — all livelihood is drawn without any action or labor, “for from it all six days are blessed,” as brought. And this is the aspect of the Three R’galim. For during the six weekdays, when the 39 labors hold sway — the filth of the serpent, the aspect of Dinim — it is then very difficult to draw livelihood. For from the 39 labors, which are the aspect of Dinim, from there is the sustenance of the serpent’s filth. And therefore it is impossible to draw livelihood during the six weekdays except through the aspect of the Baal Koach who prays a prayer in the aspect of Din — which stands in the throat of the Sitra Achara. Through this, he extracts from it all the Daas and all the holinesses it had swallowed, etc., as above. And then livelihood is drawn to holiness. And this is the aspect of “A man’s sustenance is as difficult as the Splitting of the Sea” (P’sachim 118a) — “as the Splitting of the Sea” specifically. For the essential aspect of the Splitting of the Sea is in the above aspect, as explained there well (in the aforementioned teaching): that the Splitting of the Sea is the aspect of “You broke the sea with Your strength, You shattered the heads of the sea-serpents upon the waters” (Tehillim 74:13) — that one shatters the heads of the serpents, the filth of the serpent, through the matteh oz, which is the prayer in the aspect of Din that stands in its throat, etc., as above. And then it is forced to expel all the Daas and holinesses it had swallowed — which is the aspect of water, the aspect of “for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Hashem as the waters cover the sea” (Yeshaya 11:9). And this is the aspect of thunder — the aspect of “clouds that pour water,” etc.; see there. And through this, livelihood is drawn. For the essential livelihood depends on the completeness of Daas, as above. And this is the aspect of g’vuros g’shamim [the mighty acts of rainfall]. For the rains, which are livelihood, are drawn through the aspect of g’vuros [mighty acts / severity] — through the prayer of the Baal Koach, which is in the aspect of Din, which is the aspect of the Splitting of the Sea, the aspect of thunder, the aspect of “clouds that pour water,” etc., as above. And therefore, they established the mention of g’vuros g’shamim in the blessing of “Attah Gibbor” — for every prayer must contain the above aspect: the aspect of the prayer of the Baal Koach, which is in the aspect of Din. And this is the aspect of the blessing “Attah Gibbor,” which is the general inclusion within the prayer of the aspect of the prayer of the Baal Koach — and precisely there one mentions g’vuros g’shamim, which are drawn from the above aspect — from the aspect of the Splitting of the Sea, from the aspect of prayer in the aspect of Din, as above. And this is the aspect of what is written in the Holy Zohar: “The waters are from the right, and afterward He gives them to the left”, etc. For the essential waters, which are the aspect of livelihood, are from the right — the aspect of “He sustains life with chesed” — the aspect of “He gives bread to all flesh, for His chesed is forever” (Tehillim 136:25). But one must receive them from the left — in the aspect of g’vuros g’shamim — through the prayer of the Baal Koach, which is in the aspect of Din. Because Adam HaRishon sinned and the Sitra Achara suckled from the Daas and the compassion from the aspect of the right — through this, livelihood was blemished, and it was decreed that livelihood would come with exertion, in the aspect of Dinim, the aspect of “by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread.” Therefore, it is impossible to draw livelihood to holiness except through the above aspect — the prayer of the Baal Koach in the aspect of Din. Through this, the Sitra Achara vomits all the holinesses and all the waters of Daas — which is the aspect of the Splitting of the Sea. And then livelihood returns to holiness, and one merits easy livelihood through the completeness of Daas, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of the Three R’galim. For on the Three R’galim, three kinds of Mochin are drawn — which are three kinds of compassion, three prayers, as above. And then, when one merits compassion and Daas, one does not need any exertion, labor, or work, which are the aspect of Dinim that depend on the lack of Daas, as above. And then all labors are nullified, as on Shabbas, which is compassion and Daas, as above. But even so, one still needs to perform the labor of ochel nefesh on Yom Tov. For all the Yomim Tovim are in remembrance of Y’tzias Mitzrayim. And the essential Y’tzias Mitzrayim was through the matteh oz — through which Moshe Rabainu performed all the signs and wonders until he brought Yisrael out of Mitzrayim and split the Sea for them, which was the essential downfall of Mitzrayim. It emerges that the essential Y’tzias Mitzrayim was through the matteh oz — namely, the prayer of the Baal Koach in the aspect of Din. For the exile in Mitzrayim was due to the blemish of Daas, the blemish of the Bris, as is known — for which the prayer of the Baal Koach is needed, as above. And therefore, when Moshe came to Pharaoh in the beginning, Pharaoh hardened his heart even more and made the labor even heavier, as it is written: “Let the labor be heavier” (Sh’mos 5:9). For Moshe came to him and began performing wonders with the matteh oz, which he cast before Pharaoh and it became a serpent — which is the aspect of the prayer of the Baal Koach, as above. And then, when the Sitra Achara sees the prayer that is in the aspect of Din, it wants to swallow it and to grow even stronger, as above. And therefore Pharaoh strengthened himself even more, because he thought that now he would grow stronger through the prayer that is in the aspect of Din, which they swallow, G-d forbid. And he said: “Let the labor be heavier,” etc. And this is the aspect of “you are bringing straw to Afarayim, a city that is entirely straw” (M’nachos 85a) — for they thought that Moshe was using the matteh oz, which is the aspect of Din, which is the aspect of their sustenance — as if he were adding to their power, G-d forbid. And likewise, each time [Pharaoh’s] heart was strengthened more, because he saw that Moshe was using the matteh oz, which is prayer in the aspect of Din. And even when Yisrael went out, they said: “What is this we have done, that we have sent Yisrael away?” (Sh’mos 14:5). For the Sitra Achara kept thinking that now it would grow stronger through the prayer in the aspect of Din, from which is its sustenance — until they chased Yisrael to the Sea. And then was their essential downfall. For then Moshe showed his power — that on the contrary, through the matteh oz specifically, which is the prayer in the aspect of Din that they want to swallow — through this specifically is their downfall. For this prayer stands in their throat, and then the Sitra Achara is forced to give forth vomitings — which is the aspect of the Splitting of the Sea. And then they expelled all the holinesses and all the Daas and all the sustenance that they had swallowed. They vomited everything and returned everything to Yisrael, who then merited an exceedingly great Daas and an exceedingly great wealth. And all the Yomim Tovim are in remembrance of Y’tzias Mitzrayim. And therefore, on Yom Tov the prayer must be somewhat in the aspect of Din — namely, the aspect of the prayer of the Baal Koach, the aspect of the matteh oz, the aspect of Y’tzias Mitzrayim. For on Yom Tov, the world is judged, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “At four seasons the world is judged” — and they are all the Yomim Tovim: on Pesach regarding the grain; on Atzeres regarding the fruits of the tree; on Rosh HaShanah [regarding people]; on the Chag [Sukkos] regarding the water (Rosh HaShanah 16a). And therefore, on Yom Tov, the prayer is somewhat in the aspect of Din — in the aspect of the prayer of the Baal Koach — for then the world is judged, as above. And therefore, on Yom Tov we say “u’mipnai chata’ainu” [“and because of our sins”]. It emerges that we mention somewhat the sins, which is the aspect of Din. For then, on Yom Tov, the miracle of Y’tzias Mitzrayim is drawn — which was through the matteh oz, the prayer of the Baal Koach in the aspect of Din, as above. Through this is the overturning of nature’s order — the change of nature. For nature is the aspect of Din, as is known — for Elokim in gematria equals HaTeva [nature], as brought. And then, on Yom Tov, nature’s order is overturned. And all of this is through the prayer of the Baal Koach, through which the Sitra Achara expels all the holinesses it had swallowed, together with the essence of its own vitality. And then Din is transformed into mercy, and nature is transformed into Hashgachah — nature is broken, which is the aspect of Din, and Hashgachah is drawn, and miracles and wonders are performed in the world. This is the aspect of Yomim Tovim, on which there were awesome wonders — the overturning of nature. For through the prayer of the Baal Koach, through which converts are made and prophecy is drawn, etc. — through this one merits the renewal of the world, where the world will be conducted through Hashgachah and wonders beyond the natural order, as explained in the aforementioned teaching. It emerges that on Yom Tov, one needs to make use somewhat of the aspect of the prayer of the Baal Koach, which is in the aspect of Din, as above. And this is the aspect of the labor of ochel nefesh that is done on Yom Tov — for one needs to perform some labor for ochel nefesh. And this labor of ochel nefesh that one performs — this is the aspect of prayer in the aspect of Din. For labor is the aspect of Din, as above, and eating corresponds to prayer. Therefore, since on Yom Tov — even though it is the aspect of Mochin, the aspect of compassion, as above — nevertheless, one needs to make use of the aspect of prayer in the aspect of Din in order to extract its swallowing from its mouth, as above. Therefore, one needs to perform some labor, which is the aspect of Din — namely, the labor of ochel nefesh. And through performing the labor of ochel nefesh, one extracts all the vitality and holiness that the Sitra Achara swallowed from the 39 labors of the weekdays. For the labor of ochel nefesh of Yom Tov is the aspect of the prayer in the aspect of Din of the Baal Koach — for eating and livelihood are drawn from prayer, which gives life to everything, and as the prayer, so the eating and livelihood, as above. And therefore, even though one performs the labor of ochel nefesh on Yom Tov, the Sitra Achara has no foothold whatsoever in this labor, G-d forbid. On the contrary, through this specifically, one extracts its swallowing from its mouth, as above. And this is: “Only that which is eaten by every soul — it alone shall be done for you” — specifically “for you.” For the Sitra Achara has no foothold, G-d forbid, in this labor. And this is: “for you and not for the nations; for you and not for dogs.” For the dogs and the nations, which are the Sitra Achara, have no foothold in the labor of ochel nefesh done on Yom Tov — for everything is entirely “for you.” For everything returns to holiness. For on the contrary, through this, one elevates and extracts all the vitality that the Sitra Achara swallowed from the 39 labors of the weekdays, and returns everything to holiness, etc., as above. And this is what the donkey said to Bil’am: “What have I done to you... these three r’galim?” (BaMidbar 22:28). And Rashi explains: it hinted to him — “you seek to uproot a nation that celebrates Three R’galim” — which are in remembrance of Y’tzias Mitzrayim, when the intensity of the miracle of Y’tzias Mitzrayim is aroused — which was through the matteh oz, the aspect of the prayer of the Baal Koach in the aspect of Din, as above. This is the aspect of “And Pinchas stood and prayed” at the time of the act of Zimri, which was by the counsel of Bil’am, as it is written: “Behold, these were [the ones] through the word of Bil’am” (BaMidbar 31:16). For Bil’am drew sustenance from the blemish of Daas — the aspect of “and the serpent was cunning” — the aspect of the blemish of the craving for promiscuity, as is known. And therefore his essential subjugation was through Pinchas — namely, through the prayer in the aspect of Din of the Baal Koach, which is the aspect of the matteh oz of Y’tzias Mitzrayim, which is the aspect of the Three R’galim, etc., as above. And therefore the donkey reproved him: “How do you seek to uproot a nation that celebrates Three R’galim?” For through the Three R’galim is the downfall of Bil’am, as above. And therefore, a great change occurred then: the donkey opened its mouth and spoke and reproved him. For Bil’am had wanted to draw the Daas into the Sitra Achara, into animality itself — and therefore he performed marital acts with the donkey and wanted to strengthen himself against holiness through this. But Moshe Rabainu had the power to subdue him through the prayer in the aspect of Din of the Baal Koach — through which his swallowing is extracted from his mouth. And then speech — the revelation of Daas, as it is written: “From His mouth, Daas and understanding” (Mishlei 2:6) — returns from the grip of the Sitra Achara, from the animality, until the donkey itself opened its mouth and spoke and reproved Bil’am the wicked for going against Yisrael. It emerges that the intensity of the Sitra Achara itself — the animality itself — expelled the Daas and the speech that had been drawn into it. And it itself reproved him and disgraced and subdued him with its words — for going against Yisrael. It emerges that the Daas and speech that he had introduced into it were turned back to holiness — which is the aspect of “the wealth he swallowed he shall vomit up.” Until he himself was forced to turn the curse into blessing and to bless Yisrael. For all the Daas that he had introduced into the Sitra Achara — wanting to strengthen himself against Yisrael — he was forced to expel and vomit everything to holiness, and to give himself power and strength to the side of holiness, namely, to Yisrael. These are all the blessings that he was forced to bless them with — for everything was turned back to holiness through the prayer of the Baal Koach, etc. And this is the aspect of the Three R’galim, as above. [Note: Yom Tov Halacha 4 is included within Hilchos Rosh Chodesh, Halacha 5, from section 33 onward.] This halacha, built on LM II:8, introduces the stunning concept of the Baal Koach — the man of great spiritual power who can pray a “prayer in the aspect of Din.” The Sitra Achara thinks it can swallow this prayer (since Din is the source of its sustenance). But this prayer lodges in its throat and forces it to vomit up everything it had swallowed — all the Daas, holiness, and sustenance. From this single mechanism, Reb Nosson derives: why livelihood is “as difficult as the Splitting of the Sea” (same mechanism — the matteh oz forced the Sea to split and Egypt to disgorge); why we mention g’vuros g’shamim (mighty acts of rain) specifically in the blessing of Attah Gibbor (rain = livelihood, drawn through g’vuros = the Baal Koach’s prayer in Din); why all Yomim Tovim are in remembrance of Y’tzias Mitzrayim (the Exodus was accomplished through this same prayer); and why ochel nefesh is permitted on Yom Tov (the labor of food-preparation on Yom Tov IS the prayer of Din — and the Sitra Achara has no foothold in it whatsoever, because it is the very mechanism that extracts its swallowing). The Bil’am episode seals the teaching: Bil’am drew Daas into animality itself (literally), but through the Three R’galim — the prayer of the Baal Koach — even the donkey vomited up the Daas, speaking and rebuking him. Bil’am was forced to turn his curses into blessings: “the wealth he swallowed he shall vomit up.” ✺ Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman ✺