סוכה ג

The essential Pesukay dizimra — which are the aspect of the ten kinds of niggun — derive from David's Kinnor [harp], upon which a northern wind blew. From there all Pesukay dizimra that David HaMelech composed derive. 16

All this is the aspect of the Yad [the Hand] described in the Story. Set your heart well upon this awesome and wondrous matter explained there: the King possessed a "Yad" that was a map of all the worlds — a land-kart [map] of all the worlds. Written there were all the roads and paths from place to place, from city to city, from country to country, and all people with all the events that would befall them, and all the roads from world to world, and all the roads from earth to ascend to heaven — the road through which Chanoch ascended, the road through which Moshe and Eliyahu ascended — everything, absolutely everything, was written on the Yad — in the lines of the hand, all this was depicted and explained. Set your heart well to these things and you will stand trembling and astonished, contemplating the wonders of God. Has anything like this ever been heard? 17

On Rosh Hashanah, the essential avodah is to rectify holy emunah — and the essential emunah is through emunas chachamim (as explained above, see there). That is when one begins doing teshuvah, for Rosh Hashanah is the first of the Ten Days of Teshuvah. The essential teshuvah is upon emunas chachamim, which is the foundation of all Torah. And through teshuvah for blemishing emunas chachamim, the holy books of Torah are greatly multiplied (as explained in that Torah [LM I §61]). This is why we petition on Rosh Hashanah and the Ten Days of Teshuvah for the multiplication of the holy books of Torah — which is what is hinted at in our many petitions: "Write us in the Book of Life," "in the Book of Life and good"…, for then books are multiplied even above, in the aspect of "three books are opened on Rosh Hashanah…," for truly it is all one. The holy books of Torah and the books of life of Israel written therein for life are truly one and the same aspect, for Israel is the Torah — the root of Israel's souls is in the holy Torah, and each one of Israel has a letter and a portion in the Torah, and from there comes all his vitality: "for it is your life and the length of your days" (Devarim 30).

The essential intent of our petition on Rosh Hashanah and throughout the Ten Days of Teshuvah, to "be written for life," means for eternal life — true life — meaning that we merit to fulfill all words of Torah, which is our life. As explained in the Shulchan Aruch and other works regarding "Zachraynu l'chayyim b'fatach" — see there — which alludes to "good life" as they explain there. It follows that all our vitality, physical and spiritual, is the holy Torah. Therefore when we petition to be written in the Book of Life, we mean: in the Book of Torah, which is the Book of Life — that we should be written and rooted in the holy books of Torah, where life resides. And the more Israel is rooted and included in the holy Torah, the more the Torah shines and radiates, becoming more complete — through the great multiplication of books that Israel brings forth, as a great illumination flows upon them from the root of their souls in the holy Torah by virtue of being written and rooted there all the more. Until they merit to innovate many Torah innovations, and holy books multiply greatly. Thus we labor on Rosh Hashanah to produce books without end — that holy Torah books should multiply — as above. And all this is merited through emunas chachamim that is rectified then, through which books multiply all the more.

It is explained there that the essential tikkun of the country that fell into the desire for money — together with the tikkun of all the other groups — was entirely through the Yad, where the road was written through which the Gibor could receive his might. Through that road specifically one could extract people from the desire for money. Also written there were all the roads of all the King's men — from where each one could receive his particular matter and midah. For example: the King showed the Orator the road from where he could receive melitzah d'kedushah. And so the Wise Man, and all of them. All these roads were written on the Yad, and through this they subsequently rectified all the groups that had strayed — each one rectifying his group through his holy midah received via his road obtained from the King through the Yad. 18

So too throughout the Ten Days of Teshuvah we work on this rectification — to rectify emunas chachamim through the teshuvah we do then, through which books multiply — which is the aspect of what we petition throughout the Ten Days of Teshuvah: "in the Book of Life…" and "Write us in the Book of Life." And through the multiplication of holy Torah books, we merit to sweeten all the dinnim in the world, wherever any din is found — for Torah is included within the Even hashetiyah, which is the aspect of the comprehensive intellect, the aspect of supernal Chachmah from which Torah issues forth — where all the dinnim of the world are sweetened at their supernal encompassing root, which includes all the tzimtzumim and all the dinnim in the world, for every tzimtzum and din is rooted in chachmah and saichel, for all of them were formed in thought. And every din is sweetened in the saichel where its root lies — for a din is only sweetened at its root. But there is a comprehensive saichel that is the root of all saichel-aspects, which are the roots of all dinnim. And there in the comprehensive saichel all dinnim are sweetened — for in a particular saichel only the din belonging to that saichel (where its root is) can be sweetened, but in the comprehensive saichel that includes all — there everything is sweetened, every din and tzimtzum in the world, for there is the root of all. Even when one wishes to sweeten a particular din through a particular saichel, it cannot be sweetened except by that particular saichel receiving illumination from the comprehensive saichel — only then does it have the power to sweeten.

Thus the essential tikkun of all the groups — especially the desire for money, which is primary — was entirely through the Yad. This is the aspect of Pesukay dizimra — which are the aspect of the Yad upon which are written all the worlds with all their roads. For Pesukay dizimra derive from David's Kinnor, whose essential source is the Yad: "V'nigain b'yado v'tov lach" — "He played with his hand, and it was good for you" (Shmuel I 19). As explained in the teaching "Vayhi Mikaitz" (LM I:54): niggun and zimrah are the aspect of yad — "he played with his hand." 19

It follows that the essential sweetening is through the comprehensive saichel, through which everything is sweetened — both in general and in particular. But it is impossible to receive from the comprehensive saichel, which is supernal Chachmah, the root of holy Torah (for from there Torah issues forth), except when Torah has shleimus (completeness). And the shleimus of Torah comes through the multiplication of books in holy Torah, for there are now many books, and there will be many more books in the future — all are needed by the world. One may not scoff at any of them, for they are the shleimus of Torah, for the shleimus of Written Torah comes through Oral Torah — the holy books that true and righteous tzaddikim compose in every generation. Through this the holy Torah is completed, and then rises and is completed at its root, which is supernal Chachmah, the supernal comprehensive saichel. Then Torah is in the aspect of "Luchos ha'even," for it becomes included in the Even hashetiyah, which is Kodesh Kodashim — and from there come all the sweetening of all the dinnim in the world, in the aspect of "May He send you help from the holy place" (Tehillim 20). All this is explained in that Torah [LM I §61], but I have repeated the words here to explain the matter more fully, for some things were written there briefly and here I have elaborated (see there and here and you will understand well).

In Pesukay dizimra we praise and glorify Him for all creatures above and below — for all that He made, formed, created, and emanated: all the emanated, created, formed, and made beings. As mentioned multiple times in Pesukay dizimra, the wonders of the entire creation — as we say: "He makes heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them." Especially in the Mizmor: "Hall'lu es Hashem min hashamayim" — "Praise Hashem from the heavens," where everything is enumerated: "Praise Him in the heights... praise Him heavens of heavens... for He commanded and they were created... Praise Hashem from the earth..." By singing to Hashem, praising and glorifying Him for the entire Creation — revealing and publicizing and making known that He created everything ("for He commanded and they were created") — through this we reveal and illuminate all the roads and paths of all the worlds. This is the aspect of the Yad — the map of all worlds. 20

This is the aspect of Yom Kippur, which is the end and completion of teshuvah, being the last of the Ten Days of Teshuvah. Then, through the multiplication of books rectified through the rectification of emunah during the Ten Days of Teshuvah, one merits to ascend and be included within the Even hashetiyah, which is Kodesh Kodashim — where the Kohen Gadol enters on behalf of all Israel on Yom Kippur into the Bais Kodesh Kodashim. From there he sweetens all the dinnim of the world — which is the aspect of the forgiveness and pardon of all sins on Yom Kippur, for sins are dinnim (for "there are no afflictions without sin"), and forgiveness of all sins is the aspect of the sweetening of all dinnim, drawn from Kodesh Kodashim, from the Even hashetiyah, where the Kohen Gadol entered on Yom Kippur. For then Moshe Rabbainu received the second Luchos, and Hashem was appeased with him in joy and said to him "I have forgiven as you have spoken" — for then Torah is included in the supernal saichel in the aspect of "Luchos ha'even," the aspect of Even hashetiyah, and from there all the dinnim of the world are sweetened — which is the aspect of forgiveness of all sins on Yom Kippur, as above.

For all roads and paths from place to place, city to city, village to village, country to country, on land and sea, and from world to world, from earth to heaven and from heaven to the heavens of heavens — all are the aspect of connection and unification among the particulars of Creation. They connect and join together, one with another, in order to ascend ever higher — on the road ascending to Bais Ail, on the holy road — from world to world — so they may return and be included in the root of unity: the singular Creator, blessed be His Name. This is the essential tachlis of everything. 21

Therefore, after Yom Kippur we make Sukkos — which is the aspect of the tikkun of aitzah, as explained above in our earlier words. For through the rectification of emunas chachamim, through which all dinnim are sweetened — which is the aspect of Yom Kippur — one merits complete aitzah. This is the aspect of sukkah — which is the aspect of the tikkun of aitzah, in the aspect of "spread over us the sukkah of Your peace and direct us with good counsel from before You" — as above. Therefore the walls of the sukkah are the aspects of netzach, hod, yesod (as explained in the Kavanos, which are the aspects of aitzos — as is known). For when one blemishes emunas chachamim, aitzah splits in two, and one cannot give oneself counsel as to how to conduct oneself — for the aitzah is split in two, so that first it seems to him he must do such-and-such and conduct himself thus, and then the opposite view comes to mind, for his aitzah is divided in two — all this through the blemish of emunas chachamim. Then it is the aspect of sukkas Dovid hanofalas — "the fallen tabernacle of David" — the aspect of "his counsel falls," for Dovid is the aspect of emunah, which is the aspect of malchus, the aspect of "My emunah and My chesed are with him" — said of Dovid — meaning the aspect of emunas chachamim, which is the aspect of Oral Torah, which is the aspect of "the faithful kindnesses of Dovid" (as is known and explained in Rabbainu's words elsewhere). When one merits to complete aitzah through the rectification of emunas chachamim, one raises the fallen sukkah of Dovid from its falling, in the aspect of "On that day I will raise up the fallen tabernacle of Dovid" — for sukkah is the aspect of the rectification of the mochin and da'as that one merits through emunas chachamim, through which aitzah is rectified. For sukkah is the aspect of ima d'mesakkecha al benin (the mother that shelters over her children), which is the aspect of binah, ima ila'ah — the aspect of "Call understanding 'mother'" — there is the source of aitzah, for ima extends until hod, where the aitzos are — as is known.

Through the roads from place to place, those two places connect and unite — the road joins and encompasses them together. Through the road, one can bring the abundance of one place to another: in this place there is abundant grain, in another place abundant clothing — grain is transported there, clothing is transported here. Through this they connect, unite, and sustain each other. Thus all roads are the aspect of connection and unification of places. The essential intention is for the tachlis: that everything be included together, so they can return to their root — to be included in the One. 22

This is what is written regarding Mashiach: "And the spirit of Hashem shall rest upon him — a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and strength… a spirit of knowledge and fear of Hashem" — for aitzos flow from binah, which is the aspect of sukkah, which one merits through the rectification of emunah. Through this one raises the sukkah of Dovid from its falling — from the aspect of "his counsel falls" — and through this the kingdom of the House of Dovid is literally rectified and unified. For it is all one (as explained above). Therefore the rectification of aitzah — that it not be split — is hinted at in the verse "they shall no longer be divided into two kingdoms" (Yechezkel), which speaks of the rectification and unity of Bais Dovid. For the essential rectification of Bais Dovid will come through Mashiach, may he come speedily in our days, as it will then be fulfilled: "One shepherd shall be over all of them as king… and My servant Dovid shall be their prince forever." And the coming of Mashiach depends only on teshuvah, as it is written: "A redeemer shall come to Zion and to those who turn from transgression…" And the essential rectification of teshuvah is through shleimus of aitzah — for the essential reason people are far from Hashem is only because they do not know the complete aitzah of how to return to Hashem from wherever they have strayed. For in truth all desire to fear His Name and long to return to Hashem, but they do not know the aitzos of how to emerge from the darkness in which each one has become ensnared according to his level. The essential problem is through the blemish of emunas chachamim — for one cannot know the aitzos of how to return to Hashem except through the true tzaddikim of each generation who show us "the path we should walk and the deeds we should do" — for in truth, the essential rectification of shleimus of aitzah concerns only divine service. Certainly whoever devises a plan to commit some sin — to steal or commit adultery — that is certainly not called aitzah, since through this "counsel" he condemns himself to afflictions and death in this world and the next, descending to the lowest pit. Likewise even when someone devises a plan to earn money, if that money is not suited to draw him toward divine service but on the contrary distances him from Hashem — that too is not good aitzah, for it is "wealth stored against its owner's harm," since he has distanced himself from Hashem, who is our life and the length of our days forever. For certainly the plans of thieves and adulterers who accomplish their deeds through many schemes and stratagems — and who are mostly caught in chains of iron and shackles and whose end is utter destruction — their "counsel" is certainly not called aitzah. Likewise all counsel of the wicked and those distant from Hashem — since they do not achieve the true eternal goal through their counsel, on the contrary they distance themselves further from Hashem — these are certainly not called aitzos at all. Of such counsel it is said: "For this is a nation that has lost its counsel" (Devarim 32). And it is written: "There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel against Hashem" — meaning when it is against Hashem, when it does not bring one to draw near Hashem, it is not called wisdom and counsel at all. For one who is truly wise and wishes to settle his mind truthfully and look at himself and his true purpose, not wishing to deceive himself — certainly it is fitting for him to think only of stratagems and aitzos of how to save himself from the lowest pit, for every person sees the greatness of the degradation of this world, full of sorrows, all his days in anger and pain. No person in the world has rest and good in this bitter world full of afflictions from beginning to end, as cannot be described in writing — and there is no need to explain this to anyone with even a little sense in his head. And a person's end is death. "What profit has a man from all his labor?" And therefore certainly all the great wise men — even the wise men among the nations of the world — should gather together and think wise thoughts and stratagems in the path of truth as to what is the purpose of this world and for what a person was created, and spend their days and years on this, as Avraham Avinu did and all the Patriarchs before the giving of the Torah. All the more so, we, holy nation, children of Israel, who have already merited to receive the holy aitzos of how to merit eternal life — namely through the holy Torah, through the 613 counsels of Torah (taryag atin d'oraisa) — certainly it befits us to direct all our wisdom and da'as to fulfill all words of Torah with simplicity and wholeness: to learn and to teach, to observe and to do and to fulfill. For this is the greatest wisdom of all wisdoms and the true aitzos — when one merits through his wisdom and counsel to fulfill the Torah with simplicity. Fortunate is he. Therefore Dovid the King opened his book with: "Fortunate is the man who did not walk in the counsel of the wicked" — for one must distance oneself from the counsel of the wicked in the utmost, for all their counsel is for ill, even if sometimes it appears as wisdom. But since its end is bitter as wormwood — "for the end of the wicked is cut off" (Tehillim 37) — one must certainly flee from such counsel as one flees from fire. Therefore what is truly called aitzah is when one merits complete aitzah of how truly to serve Hashem and how to emerge from the darkness in which each one has become ensnared, to save his soul from the pit and come into the light of life — this is truly called aitzah, and this is the totality of Torah called aitzah, as it is written: "Mine is counsel and wisdom" (Mishlei 8) — the aspect of taryag atin d'oraisa. Complete aitzah in divine service cannot be merited except through the true tzaddikim of the generation, who are the aspect of Kodesh Kodashim — from whom one cannot receive any aitzah except through emunah, namely emunas chachamim. For Israel is called holy, as it is written "you shall be holy people to Me." And the tzaddik is the aspect of Kodesh Kodashim (as explained in that Torah), and from there — from the aspect of Kodesh Kodashim, which is the comprehensive saichel — the essential rectification of complete aitzah flows, that it not be split in two. For the splitting of aitzah into two flows from the blemish of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which is itself the blemish of emunas chachamim (as above in our earlier words). For the essential splitting of aitzah is in divine service — the doubts one sometimes has as to how to conduct oneself — and this flows from the blemish of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, through which good and evil became intermixed until one cannot distinguish between good and evil. All these doubts and confusions and the splitting of aitzah in divine service — all this is the aspect of "the flame of the turning sword guarding the path to the Tree of Life," for had Adam haRishon not eaten from the Tree of Knowledge he would have known the correct path to constantly cleave to Hashem and be included in the aspect of life — which is the aspect of the path of the Tree of Life. But since he sinned and ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and was expelled from Gan Eden, Hashem placed there the flame of the turning sword — from which flow all the reversals and alternations, for one's mind turns from thought to thought and from aitzah to aitzah, not knowing which path to approach the Tree of Life to merit eternal life. For all desire to fear His Name, yet each day their inclination overcomes them, "and were it not that the Holy One Blessed be He helps him…" "Like birds caught in a trap — so are human beings ensnared." And certainly there are aitzos everywhere one is — even there there are aitzos and stratagems and paths of how to emerge from there. But no person knows the straight and complete aitzah of how to save his soul from the pit except through emunas chachamim. For in truth, at its root, aitzah is all one — for at the root of everything it is all good, all one, for there is no evil at all and there is no relevant splitting of aitzah — since everything is one, everything is good. Only below, in the place where the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil takes hold, from there flows the splitting of aitzah into two — since where there is good and evil there are two things, and counsel is needed to attach oneself to the good and distance oneself from the evil. And through Adam haRishon's sin, or through each person's sins and iniquities, good and evil intermixed until one cannot distinguish between the good path and its opposite — "There is a path that seems straight to a person, yet its end is the ways of death" (Mishlei 14). From there flows the splitting of aitzah — that one cannot give oneself aitzah of how to emerge from the darkness in which his sins have ensnared him, to return from death to life — which is the aspect of "the flame of the turning sword guarding the path to the Tree of Life," as above. But the true tzaddik, who is the aspect of Kodesh Kodashim — the supernal comprehensive saichel — who is the root of all, where evil is transformed to good and intentional sins become merits, and everything is included as one — and there aitzah is in complete wholeness since it has not yet begun to divide at all — therefore he knows how to draw from there aitzos for each and every person according to his situation, time, and level. This is the aspect of the greatness of drawing close to tzaddikim — for one must specifically draw close to them, and books alone do not suffice. For this is the essential aspect of Oral Torah that one receives from the mouth of the true tzaddik — things that cannot be written at all, for it is utterly impossible to write them. For there is Written Torah and Oral Torah, which flow from the aspects of the revealed and hidden within Torah — for Written Torah is the aspect of the revealed, since what is written is openly manifest and all can see it. But Oral Torah is the aspect of things spoken from mouth to ear — this is the aspect of secret that cannot be revealed — the hidden. (Even though in truth within both Written Torah and Oral Torah there is revealed and hidden in each — as is known — nevertheless in their totality, Written Torah is considered the aspect of revealed and Oral Torah the aspect of hidden.) These two aspects — Written Torah and Oral Torah, which are revealed and hidden — flow from the totality of two aspects of chesed, one above the other: the aspect of "Hashem, Hashem, compassionate and gracious God…" Our Sages taught: "I am Hashem before one sins, and I am Hashem after one sins." "Hashem" is the aspect of chesed and compassion — as is known. Meaning there is a great chesed with Hashem that He extends toward a person before he sins. And there is an even greater chesed — the wondrous kindness Hashem extends in every generation after one sins: that He deals with him in His kindness to bring him back in teshuvah and restore him to life. And this second chesed — after one sins — is far greater than the first, which is the aspect of what the holy Zohar says: "Hashem Hashem — the cantillation mark separates them: the first is complete, the second is even more complete." For the first chesed — the aspect of "I am Hashem before one sins" — is also a very great chesed. But the latter chesed after sin — this chesed is wondrous and awesome, far greater than the first. And they are the aspects of Torah and teshuvah. For the first chesed is the aspect of the totality of Torah — meaning that Hashem created us in His kindness and gave us the Torah as pure kindness to sustain us this day, which is certainly a very great chesed. But this chesed is still the aspect of revealed, for Hashem revealed this chesed to all — He gave us Torah clearly explained and clarified to us every single commandment with all its details and conditions, how to conduct oneself to merit true life, as it is written "choose life." But for one who deviated from the ways of Hashem and transgressed, the first chesed — the aspect of Torah — requires that his punishment be meted out as written in the Torah. But there is still the latter chesed, which is "even more complete" — through which even he can be saved from punishment through teshuvah. And this chesed is so great that it can transform sins into merits. And this chesed is the aspect of the hidden Torah, the aspect of the root of Oral Torah — for this is the essential aspect of Oral Torah: this chesed cannot be revealed at all except from mouth to ear. For immediately when a person sins, Hashem as it were hides His face from him, as it is written "I will hide My face" (Devarim 31) and "I will surely hide My face…" — for so it is fitting to distance him and hide His face from him according to the ways of justice of the holy Torah, which requires punishing the evil and distancing it, not drawing it close. But in truth Hashem desires chesed — and in deepest truth He watches over the wicked and desires their vindication. Therefore He revealed to the tzaddikim orally the paths of teshuvah, to show Israel how to conduct themselves in the midst of the concealment so that they return and draw close to their Father in heaven. This is the essential aspect of Oral Torah that was transmitted to the true tzaddikim of each generation — for this thing changes in every generation, for every person and at every time, for "not all faces are the same" — each one according to his soul and his blemish and his nature must be guided in straight paths and aitzos so that he returns to Hashem and He will have compassion on him. Therefore one cannot merit complete aitzah except through the true tzaddikim, who are the aspect of Kodesh Kodashim — they draw the aitzah from there, from Kodesh Kodashim, in the aspect of "May He send you help from the holy place" — for the essential help and salvation is complete aitzah in truth. For there, in the aspect of Kodesh Kodashim, supernal chesed overflows — it is the aspect of comprehensive saichel, the aspect of hidden Torah, from which flow all saichel-aspects and all aitzos in the world, and from there everything is sweetened. For aitzah is the sweetening and hammakah — as Rabbainu wrote elsewhere on the verse "salvation comes through abundant counselors." This is the aspect of the four species taken on Sukkos — for the four species correspond to the four letters of the Name, which correspond to the four flags, which are the totality of the twelve tribes that we now unite and join together so that "they become one in our hands" — which is the aspect of the shleimus of aitzah: hinting at the unification of malchus, the aspect of "they shall no longer be divided into two kingdoms," as above — meaning that the twelve tribes, which are the four flags, shall no longer be divided into two kingdoms, but shall all be one, all giving strength and splendor of kingship to the esrog — which is the aspect of the kingship of Mashiach ben Dovid, who will be one king over all. Therefore all the mitzvos of the four species involve species of trees — this is the aspect of the unification of malchus, as said in Yechezkel: "You, take for yourself one tree and write upon it 'For Yosef, the tree of Ephraim…' and take another tree… and they shall become one in your hand" — for through the unification of the four species the two kingdoms are included together, which is the aspect of the totality of aitzah being whole and not divided, for all is one — as above. For sukkah is the aspect of the root of aitzah — the aspect of ima d'mesakkecha al benin, from there the root of aitzah, as above. And afterward one takes the four species and waves them in all six directions, drawing the complete aitzah into the heart so that we know how to conduct ourselves in every matter — for we know that in all six directions, above and below and in the four directions of the world, in all of them Hashem is present, "and there is no place void of Him." Therefore wherever we have fallen, there too we have aitzah of how to return from there. And all this is through the true tzaddik — the aspect of "tzaddik katamar yifrach" (the tzaddik shall flourish like a palm tree) — which is the aspect of the lulav, through which the essential waving is performed: it waves the roots of da'as in the brain and draws the chassadim from there to malchus, and all the chassadim flow all the way to netzach and hod, which are aitzos — for the essential chesed is aitzah. Therefore through the wavings, through which chassadim are drawn to malchus, complete aitzos are drawn for each and every person wherever he is — for malchus is united, which is the aspect of the unification of aitzah, which is the aspect of the joining of the four species together, as above. For during Sukkos all the chassadim are drawn (as stated in the Kavanos), and all these chassadim are the aspect of the hammakos (sweetening), which are the aspects of good aitzos that we now draw from the comprehensive saichel, from Kodesh Kodashim — for we merited to be included there on Yom Kippur, as above — from which come all the sweetening and good aitzos in the world, which are the aspects of all the chassadim we draw on Sukkos after Yom Kippur. This is the aspect of what our Sages said and what is clarified in halachah in Choshen Mishpat: the Bais Din appoints a guardian (apotropos) over the property of orphans. And it is stated there: a guardian appointed by the father of the orphans need not take an oath; one appointed by the Bais Din must take an oath. "For all the toil of a person is for his mouth" (Koheles 6). For through the blemish of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil — which is the blemish of emunas chachamim — one must toil greatly and labor much in one's livelihood, and sustenance comes with great effort. All this flows from the aspect of "by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread" (Beraishis 3) — the aspect of "in sadness/labor shall you eat it" — which flows from the blemish of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which is the blemish of emunas chachamim. This is what is explained in that Torah [LM I §61] — that through blemishing emunas chachamim one is judged through motaros (excesses): the excess of eating rises to the brain and confuses and distorts his da'as. As our Sages said: "One who mocks the words of the Sages is judged in boiling excrement" — which is the motaros and refuse of eating that rises to the brain and confuses his da'as. Through this he cannot draw righteous judgments and straight conduct from all that he learns. And through this his aitzah is blemished — his aitzah splits in two and he cannot give himself aitzah in any matter (see there). And these motaros that confuse the brain flow from the aspect of "in sadness shall you eat it" — from there the hold of the motaros, which are the klippos, which are the aspects of atzavus (sadness/grief), in the aspect of "in all etzev (sadness) there is excess" (as explained in Rabbainu's words elsewhere). For the curse of "in sadness shall you eat it" flows from the blemish of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which is the blemish of emunas chachamim — through which one is cursed with "in sadness shall you eat it," which is the aspect of motaros — as explained in that Torah. The motaros confuse the brain because of the blemish of emunas chachamim. Then he has no complete aitzah, and this is the essential difficulty and heaviness of livelihood, flowing from the aspect of "in sadness shall you eat it." For in truth the essential heaviness of livelihood comes from the lack of aitzah — a person cannot give himself aitzos in commerce as to how to conduct himself, for no one knows by what means he will succeed. For certainly at every time and in every place there is some type of trade from which one can earn greatly — "there is no thing without its place" — for every type of commerce has its time and place. Only that no one knows which trade will succeed now — whether in wax, in wheat, and the like (this is known to anyone somewhat experienced in commerce). Therefore the essential success of commerce is when one merits to complete aitzah — to know what to trade and buy and sell in its proper time, moment, and place, in a way that he profits. Then he can earn greatly with ease and without strain. This is the meaning of what is written: "For it is He who gives you power to make wealth" (Devarim 8) — and its Aramaic translation: "For it is He who gives you the aitzah to acquire assets" — for the essential wealth comes through aitzah, when one knows what to trade at his place and time. As we find in the Gemara regarding the story of a certain pious man whose wife vexed him and he went to sleep in the cemetery, and he heard two spirits conversing… that whoever plants in the first rainy season… And the following year he heard the opposite — and through this he succeeded in both years, because he knew when to plant. It follows that the essential labor of livelihood comes from the lack of aitzah — that one does not know by what means he will succeed now — and all this flows from those motaros that confuse the brain, which flow from the aspect of "in sadness shall you eat it," which flows from the blemish of emunas chachamim, which is the blemish of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. And because of this a person must toil greatly before drawing and refining holy livelihood from the aspects of "in sadness shall you eat it" — the blemish of aitzah, as above. In truth, the essential toil of livelihood is that one must toil until he arrives at the true aitzah of what he needs to trade. And therefore in truth all labor is in vain, as the holy Zohar says: "The people went about and gathered — b'shtusa (in foolishness)" — for in truth the essential tikkun to draw livelihood is only through the rectification of aitzah, which depends on emunas chachamim, which is the totality of Torah — the aspect of the multiplication of holy Torah books, which one must believe in all of them. Therefore the essential tikkun of commerce is through emunah — as our Sages said (Shabbos 31): "Did you conduct your business affairs b'emunah?" — meaning emunas chachamim, which is the essential foundation of emunah. This is the aspect of "Rejoice, Zevulun, in your going out, and Yissachar, in your tents" (Devarim 33) — for Zevulun, who is the aspect of the merchant, when he binds and draws himself close to the true tzaddik — who is the aspect of Yissachar, who engaged in Torah, whom Zevulun supported — then it is said: "Rejoice, Zevulun, in your going out — to trade," for certainly in all that you turn to do you will succeed in your commerce. For since the merchant binds himself to the true Torah scholar and supports him — which is the aspect of emunas chachamim — through this he merits complete aitzah and certainly will succeed in all he does. For the essential success is through aitzah, as above. Therefore one who wishes to engage in commerce must know and believe that "man does not prevail by strength" and "there is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel against Hashem" — but rather should seek mercy from the One to Whom all wealth belongs, that He bestow upon him good aitzah so that he know what to trade in order to earn his livelihood. And therefore in truth the merchant must draw himself close to the Torah scholar — which is the aspect of emunas chachamim — for the essential complete aitzah, which is the success of commerce, comes through emunas chachamim, as above. Even when one merits complete aitzah in his commerce and earns money, still the aitzah is not in complete wholeness except when one merits to conduct himself with the money in holiness as befitting: to give abundant tzedakah and be happy with one's portion and not rush to grow rich, not constantly craving more — in a way that through the money and livelihood he merits to engage in service of Hashem in truth. For the purpose of commerce and livelihood is for Torah — as our Sages said: "Good is Torah study together with worldly occupation." This is the essential good and complete aitzah — when one merits through the aitzah that Hashem illuminated for him in commerce, whereby he earned money, to succeed through it in the true and eternal success of doing Hashem's will through it. Then alone is it considered good and complete aitzah. But if, Hashem forbid, he earns money and does not conduct himself with it properly — all the more so if he falls and descends through it and diminishes his avodah — this is the aspect of "wealth stored against its owner's harm," and certainly it is not considered a complete aitzah that he earned money to his detriment — since he does not ultimately succeed and reach his purpose through it. For the essential rectification of good aitzah is when one succeeds through his aitzah in his ultimate future — eternally and forever — in the world to come, which is entirely long and good and eternal. "For the end of a matter is better than its beginning." Now, even though not everyone merits completely holy money, to succeed with one's money in eternal success, nevertheless in general Israel's money is considered holy money, since there is no theft and robbery in it. Also every person in Israel, even the least of them, certainly performs many mitzvos with his money — tzedakah, payment for Torah education for children, purchasing mitzvah items, Shabbos and Yom Tov expenses, and the like. Therefore all the money that Israel merits to earn is the aspect of birurim — refining from the aspect of the curse of "in sadness shall you eat it." And the essential beiur is the complete aitzah from which all profit and success flows — the aspect of "For it is He who gives you power to make wealth — aitzah to acquire assets," as above. This is the essential avodah of every person in this world: to refine all things from the contamination of the serpent — from the blemish of the Tree of Knowledge — from the aspect of "in sadness shall you eat it." And the essential beiur is through meriting to refine complete aitzah and straight path in all matters — this is the essential beiur from the aspect of "in sadness shall you eat it" — the motaros, from which come the confusion of da'as and the blemish of aitzah. Every person must toil to rectify this — to repel the aspect of "in sadness shall you eat it" — meaning to repel the blemish of aitzah and draw complete aitzah, as above. And the essential beiur is in money, where the essential hold of "in sadness shall you eat it" — "by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread" — is found. Therefore "all the toil of a person is for his mouth" — for one must toil greatly before drawing and refining holy livelihood from the aspects of "in sadness shall you eat it" — the blemish of aitzah, as above. Each person, to the degree he merits to refine money and holy livelihood throughout his living days — to that same degree he rectifies the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which is the aspect of "in sadness shall you eat it," as above. This is the essential avodah of a person throughout his life — to rectify the blemish of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which is the blemish of emunas chachamim. And to the degree he merits in his lifetime to rectify the blemish of the Tree of Knowledge — the blemish of emunas chachamim — to that same degree he merits complete aitzah, as above. And through this he merits after his death to know the aitzah and path to the Tree of Life — where all souls must ascend, as is known. For the path of the Tree of Life is the aspect of complete aitzah for divine service — this is the path of the Tree of Life. For there is the flame of the turning sword guarding the path to the Tree of Life — which is the aspect of the confusion of aitzah, reversing one's counsel from one extreme to the other at every moment — this being the essential guard preventing access to the Tree of Life. For the essential path of the Tree of Life is complete aitzah, as above. For the essential splitting of aitzah flows from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil — because one has not sweetened and nullified the evil to be included in the good, so that all is one. When there are two things — good and evil — and they are not unified, aitzah becomes difficult to refine (as explained above). Therefore it is impossible to refine aitzah completely until after death — for death was decreed through Adam haRishon's sin: "In sadness shall you eat it… by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread, until you return to the earth… for dust you are and to dust you shall return." All this comes from the blemish of complete aitzah — for had Adam haRishon not sinned with the Tree of Knowledge, he could have been included in the Tree of Life while alive, and would have lived forever — for he would have known the path and complete aitzah to be included in the place he needs to be included, in the Living of all lives — in the Creator, blessed be He — while still alive, forever and eternally. But since he ate from the Tree of Knowledge, his aitzah was blemished and split — for Hashem placed there the flame of the turning sword that confuses his aitzah, as above, so that he could not come to the Tree of Life in his lifetime. From then on it became impossible to come to the Tree of Life except after death, according to how much one merited to refine the complete aitzah in one's lifetime. For body and soul flow from the aspects of din and chesed — for the soul is the aspect of chesed, and the body is the aspect of din — which are the aspects of light and darkness, as explained in Rabbainu's words in the Torah "Dirshu Hashem v'uzzo" (LM I §37). And from the aspects of chesed and din flows the chain of the hold of good and evil. Therefore the hold of evil is in the body — which is from the aspect of din, from which the chain of the hold of evil descends — as is known. And the essential splitting of aitzah comes from the hold of evil that flows from the blemish of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Through this good and evil intermixed until one does not know complete aitzah. Had Adam not sinned, evil would have been subdued and nullified before the good — din would have been included in chesed, left in right — and everything would have been included as one. Then the body would have been pure and clear, and the body could have been included in the soul while still alive, and they would have been one — until he would have known the path of the Tree of Life while alive, which is the aspect of complete aitzah. For since evil is nullified and all is one, certainly aitzah is complete, as above. And then through complete aitzah he could have been included while alive in the Living of all lives and lived forever — as he was created for. But since he sinned with the Tree of Knowledge and evil was not nullified before the good — there are two things, good and evil — and aitzah splits in two, as above. And then the body cannot be included in the soul — therefore a person must inevitably die, body separating from soul and returning to dust, where the refinement from the contamination of the serpent is completed in the dust. Until it is purified as at first, until it is fit to be included in the soul — then it will arise in ticheyas hamaisim (resurrection of the dead) and live in body and soul. Then it will be included in body and soul in the Living of all lives — for then it will know the complete aitzah, which is the path of the Tree of Life. And all this is according to how much one merited to refine and rectify the contamination of the serpent — accordingly one merits the path of the Tree of Life, as above. This is the avodah of a person throughout his life — through which he merits after ticheya to know the path of the Tree of Life. For in his lifetime it is utterly impossible to be included in the Tree of Life, even if he is a great tzaddik — due to Adam haRishon's sin, which decreed death for all generations. For because of the sin it is impossible for the body to be included in the soul in complete wholeness except after ticheya. It follows that ticheyas hamaisim depends on the beiur of complete aitzah from the motaros that confuse the brain — which is the aspect of "in sadness shall you eat it," as above — from which all livelihood flows. This is why our Sages established the remembrance of rain and livelihood within the blessing of ticheyas hamaisim: "Who sustains the living with chesed, Who revives the dead with great compassion" — for it is all one. For ticheyas hamaisim is the aspect of the totality of body and soul together in great unity in the future — which is the essential purpose of the shleimus of aitzah: to be included in the Tree of Life. For it is all one — from which livelihood flows, for the essential livelihood flows from the beiur of shleimus of aitzah, as above. This is the aspect of inheritance that belongs to the children. For it has been explained that a person's avodah in this world is to refine the complete aitzah from the blemish of the Tree of Knowledge. And the essential beiur is in money, where Adam was cursed with "in sadness shall you eat it." Therefore one must toil to refine the money from this curse — to repel this curse of "in sadness shall you eat it," which confuses aitzah, and draw complete aitzah. Through this holy wealth of holiness is drawn, to merit through it the true complete aitzah for divine service and to be included in the Tree of Life, as above. But each person only refines the holy sparks in the money belonging to his portion and soul. And if only a person would merit to refine what belongs to him according to his soul's root — for a complete beiur is impossible, since the beiur will not be complete until the future when "death is swallowed up forever" (as explained in the writings). Therefore one must refine all matters — in particular money, where the essential beiur is from generation to generation. This is the aspect of the inheritance that the Torah commanded: to give one's money and property to his children after him, so that they complete the beiur of his money and property. And the more they refine his money and property with added holiness — when they conduct themselves with their money properly according to the Torah, giving much tzedakah — then "a son vindicates the father" (bera mezakeh aba). For they do great good for his soul through this — for the more the money is refined, the more the contamination of the serpent is repelled, and then his soul is closer to being included in the Living of all lives. For everything depends on the beiur, as is known. And the essential beiur is in money, as above. Therefore specifically the children receive his inheritance — the property and estate he leaves behind. For they complete the beiur of his money and estate. As long as he has offspring from his own body — all of them precede all his family. For the essential shleimus is that the inheritance passes downward to his own offspring, not upward to his father's family. For it is explained in that Torah [LM I §61] that through the rectification of emunas chachamim the books of holy Torah multiply, and through this all dinnim are sweetened — for Torah is included in its root in the aspect of Kodesh Kodashim, the comprehensive saichel, the aspect of Even hashetiyah, where all is sweetened. For it is impossible to be included there except through the multiplication of the holy Torah books that multiply through the rectification of emunas chachamim (as explained there — see there). And through the rectification of emunas chachamim one merits complete aitzah, as above. And it has been explained that the essential rectification of the soul of the deceased is to merit to rectify the Tree of Knowledge — the blemish of emunas chachamim, the blemish of aitzah — so that the soul can be included where it needs to be, in the Living of all lives. This is known from the holy Zohar — that the ascent of the soul of the deceased, if he merits, is in the place called Kodesh Kodashim — the aspect of "Who shall ascend the mountain of Hashem, and who shall stand in His holy place?" — as above. For its ascent is through the rectification of emunas chachamim, through which one merits to the aspect of the many books of Torah, through which one ascends to the aspects of Kodesh Kodashim — the comprehensive saichel. This is the aspect of the obligation to leave children behind. For the children one leaves behind are the aspects of particular intellects that flow from him — which are the aspects of the multiplication of Torah books. For each one of Israel is an aspect of a Sefer Torah, as it is written "this is the Torah: Adam" — for a person consists of 248 limbs and 365 sinews, which are the aspects of 248 positive commandments and 365 negative commandments — the totality of Torah. It follows that a person is Torah, and the more Israel multiplies the more Torah books multiply. Therefore in every generation books multiply — for Israel multiplies. Therefore everyone is obligated to leave children after him — for the children he leaves are the aspects of the multiplication of Torah books, as above. For the essential thing is that he ensure his children observe Hashem's Torah. And when his children after him fulfill the Torah — he has merited that Torah-observant children of Israel went forth from him — this is the aspect of the multiplication of Torah books, for "not the learning is essential but the deed," and whoever merits to fulfill the Torah brings great illumination to the Torah as if it were written and given this very day. It follows that the more Torah-observant Israel multiply, the more books multiply and one can be included all the more in the aspect of Kodesh Kodashim — where the soul needs to ascend, as above — which is impossible to ascend to except through the multiplication of books, which are the aspects of the children he left behind, as above. Therefore specifically the children receive the inheritance — his money and property. For money is the aspect of the beiur of aitzah that was refined from the blemish of the Tree of Knowledge, from the blemish of emunas chachamim — rectified tikkun after tikkun through his children after him, which are the aspects of the multiplication of books that also flow from the rectification of emunas chachamim. Through all this his soul can ascend to the place it needs to ascend — the aspect of Kodesh Kodashim, as above. For children rectify the shleimus of aitzah — "bera ka'ra da'avuhei" (a son is the leg of his father), and the legs are the aspects of aitzos (as Rabbainu wrote elsewhere) — as it is written "all the people who are at your feet, who follow your counsel." For the essential production of children comes from the aspects of aitzos — for "the kidneys counsel" (Berachos 61), and the kidneys are the vessels of procreation. Therefore the children who flow from the aspect of aitzos rectify and complete the tikkun of shleimus of aitzah — which is the essential rectification of the soul of the deceased. Therefore they receive the inheritance, which is money — flowing from the beiur of aitzah, as above. And through the beiur of aitzah — which is the aspect of the rectification of emunas chachamim, the aspect of the multiplication of holy Torah books, which is the aspect of children, as above — through this the soul ascends to the place it needs to ascend, which is the aspect of Kodesh Kodashim. And there all is sweetened, as above. For the multiplication of holy Torah books is the aspect of the multiplication of complete aitzos — for the holy Torah is called aitzah, as it is written "Mine is counsel and wisdom" — the aspect of taryag atin d'oraisa. And the more holy Torah books multiply, the more aitzos multiply — how to draw close to Hashem, each and every one from his place. Therefore all are needed by the world (as explained there in that Torah). Therefore the father's family is called family (mishpachah) and the mother's family is not called family — as our Sages ruled in the matter of inheritance (Bava Basra 111): the inheritance passes upward to the father's family when he has no children, and not to the mother's family. For in truth the essential rectification of the deceased is when he leaves children behind — for the children are particular intellects that flow from him, and he is in the aspect of comprehensive saichel relative to them, and he needs to be included in the supernal comprehensive saichel — which is impossible except when he has shleimus through the many particular intellects he drew forth in this world, which are the aspects of the children he left behind — the aspects of the multiplication of books, as above. For it is all one — the books that flow from Torah are also the aspects of particular intellects flowing from Torah. For there is the supernal comprehensive saichel that encompasses all, and from it flow many many particular intellects. And from each particular saichel flow yet more particular intellects, and that particular saichel is considered a comprehensive saichel relative to the particular intellects flowing from it. And so on further — for there are branches and branches of branches, and so on. And the more particular intellects multiply, the more the comprehensive saichel of theirs — the saichel from which those particular intellects flow — is completed. And then that saichel can be included in the higher comprehensive saichel where all is sweetened — the aspect of Kodesh Kodashim. This is true in Torah and in people alike, for both are one aspect, as above. For the Holy One Blessed be He and Israel and Torah are entirely one. Therefore the essential thing is when he leaves children in this world — which are the aspects of particular intellects, the aspects of the multiplication of books — through which he can be included in the supernal comprehensive saichel, the aspect of Kodesh Kodashim. But if he did not merit in this world to produce offspring to multiply holy saichel in the world through the multiplication of Israel's children — then he needs to ascend through his father in the higher saichel until he is included in the supernal comprehensive saichel. For "Av b'chachmah" (father in wisdom) and is called kodesh — which is the aspect of Chachmah — as is known. Therefore through his father's family — the aspect of kodesh — he can return and be included in the aspect of Kodesh Kodashim. This is why the inheritance passes upward to Yaakov Avinu when he has no children — as our Sages stated — specifically to Yaakov Avinu. For Yaakov is the aspect of the supernal comprehensive saichel encompassing all souls of Israel, and he slept in that place — the place of the Even hashetiyah, Kodesh Kodashim — where all the stones were included in one stone. This is the aspect above (as explained well in that Torah). And the deceased needs to ascend all the way there — to Yaakov — to the comprehensive saichel, the aspect of Kodesh Kodashim. And therefore his inheritance should be given to his father's family — the aspect of saichel, the aspect of kodesh — so the estate is sweetened through the saichel pertaining to this estate, for it passes upward all the way to Yaakov — the supernal comprehensive saichel, Kodesh Kodashim, where all is sweetened, and where the soul of the deceased ascends, as above. Therefore specifically the father's family inherits and not the mother's family — for the essential mitzvah of inheritance is the beiur of aitzah, which is the aspect of the rectification of emunas chachamim, the rectification of the soul of the deceased, as above. For it is explained in Rabbainu's words that the splitting of aitzah is the aspect of "counsel of women" — see there. It follows that the essential hold of the splitting of aitzah is specifically in women. Therefore the mother does not inherit but the father does — for the essential rectification of inheritance is the aspect of the rectification of shleimus of aitzah, which is accomplished through the male aspect (sitra d'dichora) — the father — and not through the mother, who is the female aspect (sitra d'nukva), where the essential hold of the splitting of aitzah — the aspect of "counsel of women" — is found. Therefore even among the inheritance belonging to the children when he does leave children — the son precedes the daughter. For the essential rectification of aitzah — the aspect of the mitzvah of inheritance to give to the children, as above — is accomplished through the male aspect specifically, as above. Nevertheless, even among the children he leaves behind, there is sometimes the right of inheritance for the daughter where there is no son — for the children he leaves are themselves the aspects of the rectification of aitzah — the aspects of children, as above. As clearly explained above: the children he leaves are the aspects of particular intellects, the aspects of the multiplication of books, the aspects of the rectification of aitzah. Therefore since he has left blessing after him, even a daughter who is from his own body — there is in this also the aspect of rectification of aitzah, since at any rate he left offspring after him who are the aspects of the rectification of aitzah, as above. For certainly even women, in whom the essential hold of the splitting of aitzah is found, nevertheless ultimately they too merit to the aspect of the rectification of aitzah — it is the aspect of the rectification of the person to merit eternal life in the World to Come, which is the essential shleimus of aitzah, as above. For certainly women of Israel also merit the World to Come, as stated in the Gemara "These women by what merit?" and in the holy Zohar at length. Only for them the beiur is harder, since in them the sitra d'mosa (the aspect of death) takes hold more — which is the aspect of the splitting of aitzah, the aspect of "counsel of women." But ultimately all is refined, as above. Therefore he who left offspring — even if he left only a daughter or the daughter of a daughter — she precedes all his family, even the father's family. For the essential beiur and rectification of the deceased — the rectification of aitzah and the rectification of his soul — is accomplished essentially through his own offspring and those from his body, as above. Therefore even a daughter and her descendants precede all the father's family — for they have more power to rectify his soul through the rectification of aitzah, since they flow from him. For the drawing forth of children — whether son or daughter — flows from the place of aitzah: from the aspects of netzach, hod, yesod — from the aspect of "the kidneys counsel" — as above. Therefore the essential rectification comes specifically through them. But if he did not merit — heaven forbid — to leave offspring after him — which are the aspects of the rectification of aitzah, the rectification of his soul — then this is a very great damage to his soul, as explained in the words of our Sages and in particular in the Zohar at length. And they must give his inheritance upward to his father's family. Then certainly the mother's family is not fit to inherit him — for they cannot rectify even his aitzah, since they are of the female aspect, where the essential hold of the splitting of aitzah is found. For he needs great rectification since he died without children — heaven forbid — and if only the father's family will merit to rectify him. Therefore the mother and her family do not inherit — only the father's family. It follows that the inheritance and estate left by the deceased is the aspect of the beiur of aitzah that was refined through him — from which comes all money and livelihood, in the aspect of "For it is He who gives you power — aitzah to acquire assets," as above. This is the essential avodah of a person: to refine aitzah in complete wholeness, as above. And now too they must give the money to his heirs so that they refine the money in beiur after beiur — meaning to refine aitzah further — so that the deceased merits through the beiur of aitzah to attain the eternal aitzah, which is the path of the Tree of Life, as above. Therefore if his heirs are minors who lack complete aitzah, the Bais Din must appoint a guardian for them. And the guardian stands in place of the father and manages the assets according to his counsel — through this he rectifies and refines the assets, which is a benefit to the deceased, for his ascent comes through the beiur of aitzah, as above. For the root of the apotropos (guardian) flows from the aspect of the supernal guardian — the aspect of Micha'el, the great Kohen, the great guardian of Israel (apotroposa rabbah d'Yisrael). And Micha'el the Kohen Gadol brings up and elevates the souls of Israel upon the supernal altar before Hashem — for the supernal Kohen Gadol is the counterpart of the earthly Kohen Gadol, who ascends to the place called Kodesh Kodashim, where he brings up the souls. For there is the ascent of all souls whose rectification is complete, to ascend, as mentioned above. And from the supernal apotropos flows the lower apotropos — who is the guardian over the property of the deceased — the aspect of the ba'al ha-aitzah (master of counsel) over the property of the deceased, which is a rectification for the deceased, as above. For aitzah flows from the aspect of Kodesh Kodashim, where all is sweetened — where one ascends through the pure waters, through the multiplication of books, through the rectification of emunas chachamim — from which comes the tikkun of shleimus of aitzah. Therefore specifically the Bais Din appoints the guardian — for the Bais Din are the wise men of the generation, who are the aspects of emunas chachamim — whom one must believe in, for "you have only the judge of your time." From them emerge true judgments, and from there all aitzos, as above. Therefore when the deceased leaves his assets to minors who lack complete aitzah to rectify the assets — the Bais Din, in the aspect of the ba'al aitzah for their property, can draw aitzah for each one in particular as needed. And this guardian they appoint draws and receives strength from the supernal guardian — Micha'el the Kohen Gadol, who enters before and within, from whose Kodesh Kodashim comes the tikkun of shleimus of aitzah — the aspect of the sweetening of dinnim. As Rabbainu wrote elsewhere on the verse "salvation comes through abundant counselors" — that aitzah is the sweetening of dinnim. And the rectification of aitzah is the rectification of the deceased, as above. Therefore: a guardian appointed by the father of the orphans does not take an oath; one appointed by the Bais Din must take an oath. For aitzah is the aspect of the sweetening of dinnim, as above. For all the birurim in the world — all commerce and all matters — are the aspects of sweetening the dinnim. For as long as the good has not been refined from the evil, the din strengthens. When the good is refined, the din is sweetened and nullified. And a din is only sweetened at its root — the saichel that pertains to it (as explained well in that Torah). And this saichel that sweetens the din belonging to it — this is the aitzah flowing from that saichel, through which the din is sweetened. For aitzah is the sweetening of dinnim, as above. Since each din can only be sweetened by the saichel belonging to it and not by another saichel — therefore people differ in their opinions in commerce: one is drawn to trade in types of grain, another in wine, another in types of clothing, and so on — many other differences. And generally each one can succeed only in that particular type of commerce — for in all that he deals with, the purpose is the beiur — the aspect of sweetening the din, as above — and this person must refine and sweeten this particular din according to the root of his saichel. Through this he is drawn to counsel to engage specifically in this type of commerce, and can succeed specifically in this commerce and not another — and another person in another commerce — all according to the saichel one has, with which one has the power to sweeten this particular din — which is the aspect of this type of commerce, through which aitzah flows from that saichel specifically to engage in this particular commerce. Therefore before his death, one must himself appoint a guardian over his assets — for he himself must draw aitzah for his assets according to the root of his particular saichel, as above. Now that he must depart from this world, he must himself appoint a guardian who is a ba'al aitzah to stand in his literal place — for since he himself appointed him, the guardian is as himself and can draw aitzah according to the saichel of the deceased as needed for these assets — and according to the beiur and hammakah that needs to be drawn for these assets from the particular saichel belonging to them — specifically that saichel can sweeten them, not the saichel of another person, as above. Therefore the essential rectification of the assets comes through the guardian appointed by the father of the orphans — who draws aitzah from the particular saichel belonging to these assets, as above. But even so, the Bais Din have power to appoint a guardian — for the Bais Din are the aspect of emunas chachamim, the aspect of Oral Torah, which is the shleimus of Written Torah, through which they can ascend to the supernal comprehensive saichel — the aspect of Kodesh Kodashim — through which all is sweetened in general and in particular, and from there all sweetening and hammakah of all the tzimtzumim in the world are received (as explained there). Therefore the Bais Din can appoint a guardian over the orphans' property — for they know how to draw saichel from the comprehensive saichel to sweeten and refine the assets according to its counsel, for they draw aitzah and hammakah from the comprehensive saichel, where the totality of all particular intellects of the world resides, and from there come all the aitzos of the world, and all is sweetened there, whatever tzimtzum and din there may be, as above. But because of this, a guardian appointed by the Bais Din must take an oath with the taking of an object — for it is impossible to ascend to the comprehensive saichel except through the shleimus of Torah. Therefore we suspect the guardian: perhaps he did not merit to ascend and draw aitzah from there, and therefore blemished the assets. For all the thefts and falsehoods in commerce — everything flows from the blemish of aitzah — the aspect of "in sadness shall you eat it" — from which comes poverty, since not everyone merits to know the aitzah of how to succeed, as above. And through this one comes to falsehoods and denials in commerce — "for the wicked man uses a deceitful hand." And this too is a bad aitzah for his own soul — he imagines he will profit by theft or trickery, yet in truth "deceit shall not save what it hunts, and he who labors at iniquity begets trouble." Therefore when there is a dispute in commerce, an oath is administered — for an ordinary oath is with the taking of an object. And when he takes the Torah scroll in his hands — which is the aspect of the "Luchos ha'even" — through this he ascends and connects himself to the root of aitzah, the aspect of Even hashetiyah, Kodesh Kodashim, where all is sweetened and all aitzos are rectified. Then it is fitting for him to admit his falsehood, which came from the blemish of aitzah — for now complete aitzah has flowed upon him from the root of aitzah, which is Torah. Therefore a guardian appointed by the Bais Din, who must receive aitzah from the root of aitzah — the comprehensive saichel — must take an oath with taking of an object. For it is impossible to receive from there except through Torah. But a guardian appointed by the father of the orphans stands in the father's literal place — for since he himself appointed him, and aitzah for the assets flows from the father of the orphans himself — the aspect of the particular saichel belonging to these assets — therefore he need not take an oath, for he need not ascend all the way to the supernal comprehensive saichel. For he draws aitzah from the particular saichel belonging to these assets — which is the father of the orphans who appointed him — as above. The organizing structure (from LM I §61) flows as follows: The vertical axis: Rosh Hashanah → emunas chachamim → multiplication of holy Torah books → inclusion in saichel hakolel (Even hashetiyah / Kodesh Kodashim) → sweetening of all dinnim → Yom Kippur forgiveness → sukkah as tikkun ha-aitzah → four species as unification of the twelve tribes (= shleimus of aitzah, "no longer divided into two kingdoms") → Shemini Atzeres / Simchas Torah. The anthropological axis: Adam's sin with the Tree of Knowledge split aitzah into two and placed "the flame of the turning sword" between humanity and the Tree of Life. The entire work of a human life is to refine (birurim) the contamination — chiefly through commerce and livelihood — drawing complete, undivided aitzah. Death itself is explained as the inevitable result of this unfinished beiur: body (aspect of din) cannot yet be included in soul (aspect of chesed). Ticheyas hamaisim (resurrection) is when the beiur is finally complete. The legal axis: The laws of inheritance (Choshen Mishpat) — who inherits, who is the guardian, whether an oath is required — are revealed as precise structural reflections of the metaphysics of aitzah: children as the "particular intellects" of their father; inheritance as the continuation of beiur; the father's family (aspect of saichel/kodesh/chachmah = Yaakov) preceding the mother's family (aspect of splitting of aitzah); the Bais Din as emunas chachamim — whose guardian must take an oath (connecting himself to the Torah/Even hashetiyah/saichel hakolel) — while the father-appointed guardian draws from the particular saichel without needing to ascend all the way to the saichel hakolel. The teaching that "a person is Torah" (zos ha-Torah: Adam) — that each Jew is a Sefer Torah, consisting of 248 limbs = 248 positive commandments and 365 sinews = 365 negative commandments — forms the bridge between metaphysics and action: the obligation to have children, to give them inheritance, to write Torah books, to have emunas chachamim — all are one unified chain whose ultimate purpose is the elevation of souls to Kodesh Kodashim. Note also the remarkable digression on "wise men who came to ruin through their own wisdom" (§3) — Socrates, the inventor of the lightning rod, Columbus — cited as illustrations that worldly wisdom divorced from Torah is not aitzah at all. This passage expresses one of Rabbainu's most characteristic teachings, here given its full halachic grounding.