סוכה ד

Section Yud-Beis [יב] And this is the bechina of the prohibition of chametz [leavened bread] and the commandment of eating matzah — for between chametz and matzah there is only a hair's breadth, meaning the hair's breadth between anger and wealth [which also hangs by a thread] (as is evident from the Torah teaching cited above) — for the essential distinction is in the single point between ches and heh. For matzah with a heh — this is the bechina of wealth, the bechina of "behold, here is seed for you", the bechina of the downflow of wealth that Yosef drew down in Egypt — for Hashem, blessed be He, arranged in advance that the wealth should be channeled through Egypt by Yosef specifically, so that they would have the power through this to clarify it from there and restore it to its original Owner. And chametz with a ches — this is the bechina of chemah [fury] and anger, for there is no chemah without a ches. And therefore the matzah is called lechem oni [bread of affliction] — which is a rectification for the poverty and affliction they suffered in exile, as Rashi explained that it recalls the affliction. For the essential rectification of wealth is through poverty — meaning, one who does not grow arrogant in his mind and always holds himself as a pauper, at whatever station he is at, whether he is truly poor or middling or exceedingly wealthy — he always holds himself as a pauper and a great destitute. In the bechina of King David — who in the greatness of his kingship and his grandeur and his immense wealth always said: "for I am poor and destitute" and "but I am poor and destitute." For a person ought to understand the extent of his poverty in this world — for even the tzaddik cannot fully discharge his obligation in this world before Hashem, blessed be He, as it is written: "for there is no righteous man on earth who does good, etc." — how much more so all other people of the world. And if so, even dry bread and pressed water is more than he deserves, G‑d forbid, according to his deeds — only Hashem, blessed be He, feeds the world in His kindness, as it is written: "He gives bread to all flesh, for His kindness is forever." And if so, there is none poorer than he — for he eats what is not his. And when he takes this truth to heart and knows it clearly — then it is always good for him, and he merits true wealth — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Who is rich? One who is content with his portion." For he shall always rejoice in his portion, since he knows that everything is a great kindness from Hashem, blessed be He, even if only dry bread and pressed water — and through this he merits actual material wealth and all the world's riches, in the bechina of "man d'eehoo z'eir hoo rav" [one who is small is truly great] — for one who is small in his own eyes and has contentment and receives everything with love and joy will afterward merit wealth and greatness. And as it is said: "there is one who makes himself poor yet has great wealth" — and it is written: "He raises the poor from the dust, etc., to seat them with princes" — "raises from the dust" specifically — meaning one who places himself as dust, as stated. And also afterwards, when he merits actual wealth — in silver and gold and many objects — he shall not fall through this into desiring what is not his — for even in the midst of his great wealth he shall hold himself as a pauper and always be content with his portion, as stated. Not so the wicked — who are the opposite of all this: when he is poor he is angry at Hashem, blessed be He, over his poverty and his lack; and immediately when he has some money he dresses himself in garments not befitting his wealth, and through this he lacks more than before. And when he earns still more money he begins to acquire silver utensils and pearls and jewelry — and all of this beyond his means by double and double — and through this his life is always bitter and wretched. Until there are many who, in the days of their wealth, lead lives more wretched than in their days of poverty — to the point that many took their own lives because of this, as is known — the evil matter done under the sun through this. And in most cases through this they come to actual poverty and die indebted (which they call ob Schuldners), and even in the days of their wealth they were great paupers — for they always lacked more, according to their ways and their immense needs. And all of it is because of their terrible arrogance — and they do not think of their eternal purpose, and they act as if all wealth belongs to them alone. And "man d'eehoo rav hoo z'eir" [one who is great is truly small] — and one who is arrogant, the Holy One, blessed be He, humbles him and he dies poor and indebted. And this is the bechina of "poverty is becoming to Israel" — for the essential beauty and grace is poverty — meaning one who always holds himself as a pauper, he is always beautiful and gracious — for everything he has is beautiful and gracious to him always, even a linen garment with patch upon patch is all beautiful and gracious to him and he greatly rejoices in it — for he has at any rate such a garment with which to cover himself, for he knows that according to his deeds even such a garment is more than he deserves. And then he is always beautiful and gracious — for afterward when he has silk garments and of silver and gold they too shall be beautiful and gracious to him always. But one who does not hold himself as a pauper, and whatever he has makes him desire more — he shall never merit beauty and grace, as one sees tangibly — that even one who wears the most expensive silk garments, etc., always lacks still more precious garments of the greatest noblemen, and so on and so on — as is all known, and understand this well.

The esrog = hispa'airus of Knesses Yisrael → the tzaddik discovers good/worth in every Jew → thereby attaining all of Hashem's ritzonos in creation → this is the wavings (searching all six directions). The four species map onto the journey: esrog (Knesses Yisrael / hispa'airus), lulav (tzaddik), hadas (souls returning from exile / gairim / shleimus of mizbaich / raiach), aravos (sinners / submerged good in nations / those who convert). Rosh Hashanah = yirah (Pachad Yitzchak) → Sukkos = ahavah (chesed / Avraham). Tzedakah creates the pure aveer through which the holy voice travels far → gairim hear and come → mizbaich is completed → saichel is rectified → yirah and ahavah received from the tzaddik. The 70 bulls of Sukkos = sustaining the 70 nations so their hidden good (= future gairim) can be refined. The connections drawn to Mordechai/Hadassah and to "And I will make your name great" (Avraham's blessing) show how Reb Noson weaves the entire year — from Beraishis through the Yamim Nora'im through Sukkos — into a single garment.

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