סוכה ו

Through this one rectifies Aishes Chayil — the aspect of Malchus — extracting her from her galus, from l'vushin uchamin [dark garments], garments of kelipah in which she is clothed in galus. She becomes a kain [nest] for HaKadosh Baruch Hu. The essential kavvanah should be to rectify the Sh'chinah — to unite her with her Husband. For first there must be is'arusah dil'satah [an awakening from below]. Then the Sh'chinah clothes herself in l'vushin n'horin [luminous garments] — white, red, green — the aspect of the Avos. She becomes the aspect of sh'vu'ah [oath], the aspect of shiv'ah [seven] — and it is as if the oath to the Avos is renewed today. Thus through tefillah b'ko'ach, the oath to the Avos is renewed. End quote; see there. 5

This is the aspect of: "Tefillos Avos tikknum" — "The Avos established the tefillos" — for the essential tefillah is in the aspect of the Avos. Through tefillah b'ko'ach, the oath to the Avos is renewed. 6

The principle is that every person must extract himself from the power of ha-m'damaeh — the imaginative faculty — which is the force of animalistic nature, which encompasses all of the desires. He must rise up to the intellect. See there. And thereafter, even as one breaks the imaginative faculty, when one returns to ascend from level to level, the imaginative faculty and all its confusions spread out again, and one must again subdue them. Subduing them is accomplished through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator — that is, through tzedakah (charity). See there. And this is the inner meaning of the verse, Hodu la-Shem kir'u vi'shmo — "Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name" — which corresponds to ascending from the world of Action (Asiyah) to the world of Formation (Yetzirah). Therefore one mentions the greatness of the Creator in order to subdue them. See there.

This is the aspect of Chanukah — it is the first illumination of the entire year (as is brought in the holy books), and it alludes to the beginning of a person's initiation (chinuch) into Divine service. This is the meaning of the word Chanukah: that a person becomes initiated (mitchanaych) in the service of the Blessed Name. And one cannot begin the service of the Blessed Name except by first waging war to break the imaginative faculty, as described above. This is the aspect of the war against the wicked idol-worshippers that preceded Chanukah — the evil idolatrous empire that sought to cause Israel to forget the Torah of God and transgress the statutes of His will. This corresponds to the imaginative faculty, the animalistic power, which spreads over a person and seeks to prevent and divert him from the Torah of God, Heaven forbid, as it is written (Daniel 8): V'ha-tzafir ha-sa'ir — "And the hairy goat…" etc. And thereafter, when one merits to prevail over the aforementioned wicked empire and to break the imaginative faculty, one then begins to kindle the Chanukah lamp — that is, one merits to ascend to the intellect, which is the aspect of a burning lamp, as is explained in the teaching beginning Pasach Rabbi Shimon (§60). And one adds more each day, for it is forbidden to remain on a single level — rather, one must add in holiness each day, and one's intellect must increase and grow each day. This is why we add one more candle each time upon the previous one, and the first candle remains present through all the days — for when one kindles two candles on the second night, they correspond to the first and second nights; and so too on the third night; so it emerges that the first night's candle goes along with all the candles of all the nights. This corresponds to what Rabbainu wrote (§62) — that all beginnings are difficult, because one is going from one extreme to another; and thereafter, as one progresses and becomes more holy, all the service of all the days draws its strength from the beginning, and the power of the beginning accompanies all the days. This is the aspect of ta'anis, the aspect of the Divine Name Havayah spelled in reverse (b'achorayim), where the first letter accompanies all the letters — just as one writes: Yud-Yud, Yud-Kay, etc. This is the aspect of the Chanukah lights: at first one kindles one, then aleph-beis (one and two), then aleph-beis-gimel — so the first light goes with all the days, because all the days draw their strength from the beginning of the initiation of service, which was when one first began to rise to the intellect — that is the first candle of Chanukah. And thereafter, as one's intellect continues to increase each day, all the days draw their power from the beginning, for all beginnings are difficult, as above.

Avraham — the man of Chesed — is the essential connection and divaikus to Hashem that one merits through tefillah. Avraham = Chesed = love, yearning, connection, and divaikus to Hashem — all aspects of chesed and ahavah. Avraham was the first to engage in tefillah in completeness and to draw the path of tefillah into the world — for he began drawing emunah into the world, which is the aspect of tefillah. 7

And this is why we say Hallel on Chanukah — it is the aspect of praising the Blessed Name, in order to reveal the greatness of the Creator, in order to subdue the imaginative faculty that spreads anew each time one seeks to ascend from level to level, as above.

Yitzchak — the aspect of Gevuros — the aspect of power and might: davening with great force and gevurah to subdue and shatter malchus har'sha'ah (the gadlus that rises in the heart during tefillah). In Avraham and Yitzchak there was still the hold of malchus har'sha'ah — Aisav and Yishmael who emerged from them. Therefore one must draw the holy Gevuros of Yitzchak — davening with force and gevurah — to subdue malchus har'sha'ah (of Aisav and Yishmael) so they do not nullify the tefillah through thoughts of gadlus. 8

This is the aspect of the tzedakah — the practice of giving Chanukah money (ma'os Chanukah) generously to the poor — in order to break the imaginative faculty at each level through the revelation of colors, which is the aspect of the greatness of the Creator that is revealed through tzedakah, as above. And this is the aspect of the play (s'chok) that even the early righteous ones were accustomed to engage in during Chanukah — permissible forms of play. (However, in our many sins, people today come to transgression by playing forbidden games.) This corresponds to the descent that is the ultimate purpose of ascent — for on Chanukah one ascends from level to level in the manner of mosif v'holeych — continuously adding — as above.

Therefore the essential sustaining of the world was through Akeidas Yitzchak. The Akaidah is the aspect of m'siras nefesh — surrendering his life for Hashem. This is the aspect of tefillah b'ko'ach: one must place all one's strength and life-force into the words of tefillah — the aspect of m'siras nefesh, the aspect of Akeidas Yitzchak (who surrendered all his life-force for Hashem). All in order to nullify malchus har'sha'ah — the Gevuros of the Sitra Achra that clung to him (Aisav and Yishmael). Through the Akaidah (m'siras nefesh = tefillah b'ko'ach), he subdued and nullified them. 9

The general principle: through arichas ha-ruach — a spirit of patience and expansiveness, that is, through sighing (g'nuchay) — one draws vitality of spirit (ruach chayyim) into the deficiency. And the essential vitality of spirit is drawn from the tzaddik and the Rav (teacher) of the generation, for he is the man in whom there is spirit, and from him flows the source of life for every single person attached to him. However, there are wicked people who are not attached to the tzaddik, and they receive their arichas ha-ruach from the rav of the kelipah (the outer husk of impurity) etc. And whoever wishes to stand against the wicked cannot do so except as a completely righteous person (tzaddik gamur) — that is, one who has separated the evil from the good. For when one wants to subdue the wicked, one must descend into the bad trait of the wicked person, which is his conduit, in order to subdue and humble it. Through this one humbles the wicked utterly (adei aretz), the initials of which spell Aleph-Reish-Mem-Ayin, corresponding to the four fundamental elements from which all the traits derive, etc. See there. And through Torah and prayer the evil is separated from the good, etc. See there. We have also heard from his holy mouth that even when one is close and attached to such a tzaddik — that is, a completely righteous one — one can thereby also stand against the wicked and prevail over them.

Therefore whenever one wishes to invoke before Hashem the bris and oath sworn to the Avos, one recalls the merit of Akeidas Yitzchak — as we say on Rosh HaShanah and each day: "U'z'chor lanu Hashem es habris v'es hachesed v'es hashivoo'ah... v'es ha'Akaidah..." — for the essential invocation of the oath to the Avos is through tefillah b'ko'ach, the aspect of Akeidas Yitzchak. 10

This is the aspect of Chanukah, for on Chanukah one must stand against the wicked who seek to prevent and nullify one from the service of God. For what has been, shall be again — just as at the time of the Chanukah miracle the evil kingdom of Greece rose against us to cause us to forget His Torah and to divert us — Heaven forbid — from the statutes of His will, so too this occurs in every generation: we must stand during the days of Chanukah against the wicked empire that strengthens itself in every generation — the wicked who rise against us to nullify us, Heaven forbid, from His service. And we must prevail and stand against them. And one cannot stand against them except through the power of the tzaddik, as above. This is the aspect of the Chanukah lamp — for the tzaddik is called light, as it is written: Imru tzaddik ki tov — "Say of the righteous man that he is good" — and there is no good except light, as it is written: Va-yar Elokim es ha-or ki tov — "And God saw the light that it was good." For this tzaddik is completely good — he has separated himself entirely from evil and remains wholly good, and therefore he is called tov (good), which is the aspect of light, as above. This is the aspect of the Chanukah candle: we draw and receive the power of the tzaddik who is called light, the aspect of Ner Hashem nishmas adam — "The lamp of God is the soul of man." And through this power — through the light of the tzaddik who is the aspect of tov, as in "God saw the light that it was good," as above — we can stand against the wicked empire, as above, for one can only stand against them through the aspect of kulo tov — entirely good — the aspect of the completely righteous one, as above.

Yaakov — his bed was complete, without any blemish. Therefore the essential tikkun is through Yaakov — who is the aspect of the complete tikkun of tefillah: to unify the Sh'chinah with her Beloved. Yaakov merited this in completeness — a mitah sh'laimah [complete bed] without any blemish — causing upper yichud and zivug: "Vayishtachu Yisrael al rosh hamitah" — "Yisrael bowed at the head of the bed" — the bed was complete and the Sh'chinah rested upon his bed always, for he caused upper yichud and zivug (the complete bed). 11

This is the aspect of the mitzvah to kindle the Chanukah lamp below ten handbreadths (tefachim), in the public domain (reshus ha-rabbim), within the handbreadth adjacent to the doorway. For the principal foothold of the Sitra Achra (the Other Side) is below ten handbreadths, since the Divine Presence (Shekhinah) never descended below ten, and there is the principal aspect of the world of Action (Asiyah) — that is where they hold. Furthermore, the public domain (reshus ha-rabbim) is the place of the kelipot (husks), as is known. And precisely there must the Chanukah lamp be kindled — that is, the light — which is the aspect of the power of the tzaddik descending into the grip of the wicked to subdue and humble it. Through this we prevail over him, as above. And therefore it is placed at the handbreadth adjacent to the doorway, for their grip is only at the aspect of the doorway — inside, they cannot enter. Only at the aspect of the entrance do they lie in ambush to suckle, as in the verse: La-pesach chatas roveitz — "Sin crouches at the door." Therefore we were commanded to place a mezuzah at the entrance to drive away the kelipah that stands precisely at the doorway (as brought in the holy Zohar). And this is why we kindle the Chanukah lamp adjacent to the doorway — to subdue and break them in the place of their grip, as above.

Therefore from him emerged the twelve Sh'vatim, corresponding to the twelve middle berachos of the Sh'moneh Esrai — which encompass all supplications and requests, the essential tefillah. The first three and last three berachos are the aspect of "before" and "after" the tefillah (brachos 34). The essential tefillah = the twelve middle berachos corresponding to the twelve Sh'vatim = the mitah sh'laimah = the zivug accomplished through tefillah. These twelve middle berachos exclude Bircas HaMinim — for all twelve middle berachos (the totality of tefillah) serve to subdue the Minim and malchus har'sha'ah (avodah zarah and minus). 12

The Chanukah lamp also alludes to the vitality of spirit (ruach chayyim) of the tzaddik, through which one prevails against the wicked — if he is a completely righteous person. For through length of breath (arichas ha-n'shimah) the intellect is sustained — for the intellect is the aspect of a wick burning through the oils of the body. And the essential sustenance of the body's oils is through breathing. As the Talmud teaches: were it not for the wings of the lungs that blow upon the heart, the heart would burn the whole body. This is the aspect of Ner Hashem nishmas adam — "The lamp of God is the soul of man": the essential sustenance of the lamp of God, which is the intellect, is through the breath. For through breathing — which is the expansiveness of the windpipe of the lung — the lungs blow upon the heart and cool the warmth of the heart, and thereby the oils of the body are sustained and not burned by the heart's heat, and then the oils rise to the brain and the intellect is sustained — which is the lamp of God burning through the body's oils, as above. All this is explained thoroughly in the teaching beginning Pasach Rabbi Shimon v'amar Ays la'asos la-Shem (§60). See there. And this is the aspect of the Chanukah lamp that we kindle with oil — this is the aspect of the lamp of God, etc. — and this is the aspect of drawing the vitality of spirit (ruach chayyim), which is the expanded breathing of the tzaddik. For the kindling of the lamp, which is the aspect of the lamp of God, is the aspect of the expanded breath: through the expansion of breath the lamp of God burns, as above. And through the expanded breath of the tzaddik we stand against the wicked, as above.

The essential completeness of tefillah (the upper yichud) is through Yaakov. Therefore: "Tefillos Avos tikknum" — all tefillah must be comprised of the three Avos: connection and divaikus to Hashem (Avraham); davening b'ko'ach (Yitzchak); and the essential thing — unifying Kudsha Brich Hu and His Sh'chintaih in completeness (Yaakov, who merited a mitah sh'laimah). 13

This is the aspect of the Chanukah miracle — for the evil kingdom of Greece contaminated all the oils, and they found a flask of oil sealed with the seal of the Kohain Gadol (High Priest) that contained sufficient oil to kindle for only one day, and a miracle occurred and it burned for eight days — for the wicked empire, when it prevails through its arichas ha-ruach — which is the aspect of a raging wind, etc. — as explained there, then contaminates all the oils of the body, since the essential sustenance of the body's oils is through the expansiveness of the breath. Therefore when the breath is drawn from holiness, all the body's oils are holy. And conversely, when — Heaven forbid — the breath and spirit of the kelipah prevail, they contaminate all the body's oils whose sustenance depends on the breath, as above — for through their expanded breath they literally swallow one who is not a completely righteous person, in the aspect of "the righteous one is swallowed from him" (as explained there). Therefore they contaminate, Heaven forbid, all the body's oils — which are the oils of the intellect — through the prevailing of their breath and spirit.

We have explained that the twelve middle berachos correspond to the twelve Sh'vatim of Yaakov — the mitah sh'laimah, the essential tefillah. Now, with Hashem's kindness, we will explain in detail the twelve middle berachos — how each corresponds to one of Yaakov's twelve sons: 14

And thereafter, when the Hasmonean dynasty prevailed over them and defeated them, they found the flask of oil, etc. — that is, they found afterwards the essential power through which they had prevailed over the wicked empire. The essential power by which one prevails over the wicked empire is the power of the tzaddik — the holy expanded breathing of holiness that one receives from the tzaddik — through which the oils of the intellect are holy, as above. The Kohain Gadol is the aspect of the teacher (rav) of holiness, for he is greater than his brothers — the aspect of rav. As it is written: Ki sifsei kohain yishmiru da'as v'Torah yivakshu mi-pihu — "For the lips of the kohain shall guard knowledge and Torah shall be sought from his mouth" — and our Rabbis of blessed memory interpreted (Moed Katan 17): "If the teacher resembles an angel of God of hosts…" Thus the kohain is the aspect of teacher (rav), and he is the aspect of rav chesed — great in lovingkindness — for the kohain is a person of chesed. This is why they found oil sealed with the seal of the Kohain Gadol — that is, holy oil of the intellect drawn through the expanded breathing of the tzaddik who is the aspect of the Kohain Gadol, sealed with his seal — meaning it was sealed in holiness without alien contact, for the tzaddik is wholly good and evil has no grip on him, and the wicked empire has no power to contaminate the oil of the completely righteous tzaddik through their expansiveness of spirit. For the completely righteous one is not swallowed. And through this power of the tzaddik — the expanded breathing of the tzaddik, which is the aspect of holy oil, as above — one prevails against the wicked empire, as above. For through this one can enter into the evil trait of the wicked to subdue and break it, and through this one subdues him, as above.

"Atah Chonain l'adam da'as" [You graciously grant man knowledge] — corresponds to Reuven. 15

And this is the meaning of: "there was not sufficient in it to kindle except for one day, and a miracle occurred and it burned for eight days." For the goodness of the tzaddik is the aspect of kulo tov — entirely good — and kulo tov is the aspect of one day (yom echad), as it is written (Bereishis 1): "And there was evening and there was morning, one day" — and Rashi explains that the Holy Blessed One was alone in His world, not even the angels had yet been created. And when the Holy Blessed One is alone in His world — that is, before creation — that is the aspect of kulo tov, certainly. But the essential purpose and perfection is after existence begins, when the world comes into being — for then evil has a foothold, and when one refines and extracts the good from the evil, and evil is transformed into good, then His sovereignty is revealed in all the worlds, even the lowest ones, in the aspect of u-malchuso ba-kol mashalah — "His sovereignty rules over all." This is the ultimate purpose and completion, for which was the intention of creation. And then, after existence, when the good is elevated from the evil, the complete Name is formed — so to speak — in the aspect of Hashem Echad u-shmo Echad — "God is One and His Name is One." This is the aspect of eight days, corresponding to the eight letters of the two combined Names Ya-kad-va-n-hay. This is the ultimate Oneness when His Unity and Oneness is revealed in all the lower worlds, even in the depths of evil — that all will testify and declare that God is One and His Name is One — for evil is transformed to good through the righteous ones of each generation. This is the aspect of "a miracle occurred and it burned for eight days" — lashon arimi nissi, "the language of I will raise My banner" — meaning: through elevating the lower levels into holiness, by refining the good from the evil, which is of the very essence of the Chanukah miracle — to descend into the evil of the wicked in order to subdue and break it, and then all the holy sparks are extracted from there, all the holiness and good that was there, and then the eight days are formed — the aspect of Hashem Echad u-shmo Echad — as above. For the good rises from the four elements and joins with its root, which is the aspect of the four letters of the Name Havayah, and then His Name is unified — the aspect of Hashem Echad u-shmo Echad, which is eight letters, the aspect of eight days, as above.

For Reuven connotes "seeing" — "Ki ra'ah Hashem b'onyi" — "Hashem saw my affliction" (Beraishis 29). And: "R'u ven" — "See, a son!" (brachos 7). Seeing is the aspect of Da'as: "V'libi ra'ah harbai chochmah vada'as" — "My heart has seen much wisdom and knowledge" (Koheles 1). And: "Vatipakachnah ainai sh'naihem" — "The eyes of both were opened" (Beraishis 3) — which Rashi explains regarding Da'as. For "eyes" are said regarding chochmah. 16

This is the aspect of the eight days of circumcision (milah). For the Holy Blessed One did not create man already circumcised — as the heretics question — and the reason is in order that man should pass through the path of evil, and afterwards it is subdued and the foreskin (orlah) which is the evil is cut away. Then there is "the advantage of the light from the darkness" — specifically "from the darkness" — for when darkness is transformed to light, evil to good, that is the ultimate perfection, as above. And then the aspect of eight days of circumcision is formed, in which all eight days are included in holiness, in the eight letters mentioned above, the aspect of Hashem Echad u-shmo Echad, as above.

"Hashivainu" [Return us] — corresponds to Shimon. 17 This is the aspect of the recitation of Hallel and the Torah reading of Chanukah — this is the aspect of Torah and prayer through which the good is refined from the evil. For Hallel is prayer, and afterwards Torah is read, since through Torah the good is refined from the evil (as explained there). And therefore the portion of Chanukas ha-Mizbeach (the dedication of the altar) is read — for the dedication of the altar is to purify it from the grip of evil. For the principal hold of the Sitra Achra is from the blemish of the altar (as explained elsewhere). Therefore the offerings of the altar's dedication came to purify and sanctify it from the grip of evil, as it is written regarding the future dedication of the altar: V'chippartem al ha-Mizbeach me-ish shogegh u-mi-pesi — "And you shall atone for the altar, for one who errs and for the simple-minded" — meaning it must be dedicated in order to purify it from ish shogegh u-fesi, which is the Sitra Achra that grips it. Thus the dedication of the altar is to subdue evil and refine the good from the evil. And on this account it is called chinuch (education/initiation), the aspect of Chanoch — Metatron, who is composed of the six orders of Mishnah, forbidden and permitted, etc. — which is the aspect of refining that must be done to distinguish good from evil, permitted from forbidden, etc. Therefore the portion of Chanukas ha-Mizbeach is read on Chanukah, for it is the aspect of refining the good from the evil — which is the aspect of Chanukah — for through this one prevails over the wicked empire and subdues them, in the aspect of mashpil r'sha'im adei aretz — "humbling the wicked to the earth" — and then His Name is magnified and sanctified in the aspect of Hashem Echad u-shmo Echad, as above.

Named for: "Ki shama Hashem ki s'nu'ah anochi" — "Hashem heard that I am hated" (Beraishis 29). This is the aspect of the ba'al teshuvah — initially trapped in sins, hated in Hashem's eyes and his own. When Hashem helps him and he is aroused to teshuvah, Hashem has compassion on his disgrace — that he is so hated — in the aspect of: "Ki ch'salai mal'u nikleh" — "My loins are filled with disgrace" (Tehillim 38). "Gam l'rai'aihu yisanai rash" — "Even to his friend the poor man is hated" (Mishlai 14) — one impoverished of Torah and good deeds. We beseech Hashem to have mercy, hearing that "I am hated" through my evil deeds, and to return us in complete teshuvah. 18

This is why the Chanukah lamp is kindled until tikhleh regel min ha-shuk — "the foot traffic in the marketplace ceases" — meaning to elevate all the lower levels, which are the "feet" of holiness that are clothed and descend into the outer places (the shuk — marketplace — which is the aspect of the public domain, reshus ha-rabbim). The kindling of the Chanukah lamp is to elevate the holiness from the Sitra Achra, as above — for the essential purpose of the Chanukah lamp is to draw the light of holiness downward, to the aspect of the six weekdays, to subdue evil and refine the good. Blessed be God forever, Amen and Amen.

This is: "Sh'ma Hashem kol Yehudah v'el amo t'vi'enu" — "Hear, Hashem, the voice of Yehudah, and bring him to his people" (Devarim 33) — said regarding the teshuvah of Yehudah who confessed and repented (Sotah 7). "Who caused Reuven to confess? Yehudah." Reuven was the first to begin teshuvah: "You opened with teshuvah first" (Beraishis Rabbah 84). In the words "Sh'ma Hashem," Moshe hinted a berachah for Shimon, as Rashi explains. Thus "Sh'ma Hashem" = Shimon = teshuvah. Therefore Bircas Hashivainu corresponds to Shimon. 19

The general principle: the Blessed Name is everywhere — m'lo kol ha-aretz k'vodo — "the whole earth is full of His glory" — and i-hu m'mallei kol almin — "He fills all the worlds," etc. Therefore there is absolutely no despair in the world whatsoever, for in every place one can find the Blessed Name and the Torah and draw near to Him. And the essential means is through the true tzaddik of the generation who has conquered his evil inclination and who resembles an angel of God of hosts literally. And through this, wherever he looks and sees evil traits and evil desires and the like, the evil that rests upon the good immediately falls and is nullified — for the evil that covers the good becomes confused and falls in the face of the true tzaddik who has conquered his evil inclination, etc. (See there, all this in detail.) For there are "days of good" and "days of evil," etc. (See there, all this in detail.) It emerges that the tzaddik can build the letters of the Torah from anything in the world — for even the Torah that lay hidden and concealed among the idolaters and wicked, where no person knew of it, he can extract it and build it anew, through the "days of evil" falling and being nullified before him, and thus the aspect of "days of good" is revealed — which is the Torah that is revealed from within its garments and constrictions. Then great additional light from above is added to that good, for previously when the good was covered among the kelipot only a minimal light was drawn upon it, just enough for its survival in constriction, so that the kelipot would not draw too much. But now that the evil and the kelipot have been nullified and the good is revealed in itself, great additional light is drawn upon it from above, etc. And through the revelation of the Torah one merits peace, etc., in the aspect of baHashem ahalel davar b'Elohim ahalel davar — "In God I will praise a word, in Elohim I will praise a word" — that is, whether in the good or in the difficult, one finds the Blessed Name, etc. And within the Torah there is revealed and hidden — the hidden is the aspect of orayta d'atika s'tima'ah — the Torah of the most hidden ancient one — the aspect of ahavah she-ba-da'as — love that is within knowledge (da'as). For there is love that is within time and within the attributes (middos), and there is love that is within knowledge (da'as), which is the aspect of the hidden Torah, the innermost Torah, etc. And every person can taste the quality of the light of this love even within time and within the attributes through attaching his heart to his knowledge, so that his heart will be in his own domain, etc. Each person according to his level has an aspect of love-in-time and love-in-knowledge, etc. — for the love-in-knowledge of the lower level is the aspect of love-in-time of the higher level, etc., etc. (See there very carefully.) This is the aspect of Chanukah, whose mitzvah is performed with oil — to kindle the Chanukah lamp — for in the days of Mattityahu the evil kingdom of Greece prevailed over Your people Israel to cause them to forget Your Torah and transgress the statutes of Your will. They sought to nullify Israel from all the Torah. The miracle came about through the Kohain Gadol — for when the wicked empire, which is the Sitra Achra, prevails over Israel in general or in particular, and does not allow Israel to walk truly in the ways of God, to engage in Torah and mitzvos, and seeks to cause the Torah to be forgotten and utterly hidden — Heaven forbid — and sometimes — Heaven forbid — it prevails greatly, so greatly that the good that exists within Israel within each individual person becomes utterly concealed until they do not know at all how to arouse themselves to return to the Blessed Name in truth — then the essential remedy is through the true tzaddik of the generation. For through meriting to draw near to the true tzaddik, then when the true tzaddik engages with a person, speaks with him, and sees his deeds and traits, the evil is completely nullified and confused before the true tzaddik who has conquered his inclination and subdued the "days of evil," and then the evil falls and the good is revealed even from the depths of depths of the kelipot (as explained well in the above teaching). For the tzaddik can build the Torah and reveal the good from every person in the world, wherever they may be. And this was the strength of the Chanukah miracle: the wicked empire thought that by prevailing over Israel to nullify them from Torah and mitzvos, there was no recovery for them — Heaven forbid — since our essential vitality and strength is only from Torah and mitzvos. But the Blessed Name performed wonders of kindness with us and sent us then Mattityahu the Kohain Gadol, and his priestly companions who were mighty in strength — and their might was from holiness, through their meriting to prevail over their inclinations, through which they merited their great power, for they were very great tzaddikim. And through being mighty in strength, in the aspect of giborei ko'ach osei d'varo — "mighty in strength who do His word" — as mentioned in the above teaching — through this they merited to subdue, humble, and nullify the evil empire of Greece. For the evil fell before them and they could reveal the good — the Torah — even at a time when Israel was detached from Torah and mitzvos through the prevailing of the wicked empire. For the mighty-in-strength tzaddikim can build the Torah from anything, as above — for he strips the "days of good" from the garments and constrictions of the "days of evil," through his subjugation of the "days of evil" through subduing the evil inclination, etc. Then great light from above is added to the good — for previously it was not so illuminated, etc., as above. This is the aspect of the Chanukah lamp that we now merit to draw and reveal the light of Torah even below ten handbreadths — where the outer forces grip, as is known. And now, through the power of the mighty-in-strength tzaddikim — who are Mattityahu and his sons — through this the evil falls, the "days of evil," the grip of the outer forces, and the good is revealed — the "days of good" — even below, until we can build the Torah and reveal light in every place. Therefore the mitzvah of the Chanukah lamp is outside, in the public domain, as is the law — for the public domain is the place where the Sitra Achra grips, being the aspect of reshus ha-rabbim as is known. But now even there the light of Torah is revealed, for the evil — the "days of evil" — falls through the power of the mighty-in-strength tzaddikim as above, and the good — the Torah — is revealed in every place, and great light from above is added to it. This is the aspect of the light of the Chanukah candles — for the one who kindles must kindle until tehei shalheves olah me-eilehah — "the flame rises on its own." For when the light of the Torah is revealed below, and one builds and creates the Torah that was garbed and hidden in the dwelling of the kelipot, great light is then added from above, as above. This is the aspect of the Chanukah lights increasing and adding, for one ascends in holiness — for each time the Torah is further revealed, yet more light from above is added, in the aspect of lishmoa b'kol d'varo — "to hear the voice of His word" — as above. This is why the essential miracle was performed through the Kohain Gadol — for the teacher (rav), who is the tzaddik, is called by the name kohain, as it is written: ki sifsei kohain yishmeru da'as etc., and our Rabbis of blessed memory interpreted: "if the teacher resembles an angel of God of hosts," etc. (as brought in the above teaching). For the kohain is the aspect of chesed, the aspect of love — which is the aspect of the Torah that the teacher reveals, the aspect of love, for all of the Torah is suffused with His love (as explained in the above teaching). But the essential revelation of the Torah and subduing of the "days of evil" is through the true tzaddik and teacher of the generation who has merited the aspect of love-in-knowledge, as explained in the above teaching. For it is all one — through the tzaddik being mighty in strength who conquered his inclination, his heart came to be in his own domain and he attached his heart to his knowledge, and through this the attributes of the heart absorbed the light of love-in-knowledge, and through this he merited love-in-knowledge (as explained at the end of the above teaching). And precisely because of this he can subdue and conquer the "days of evil" — so that wherever he looks and gazes, the evil falls and the good is revealed — for the evil is nullified before him. For the principal grip of evil is only below, within time and within the attributes — and there are "days of good" and "days of evil," and therefore they have a grip there. But above, in the aspect of love-in-knowledge, the aspect of the hidden Torah, they have no grip at all. Their principal grip below — Heaven forbid — is only because one does not merit that the love-within-time be connected with love-in-knowledge and draw light from it — because one does not strengthen oneself so that one's heart be in one's own domain and does not attach one's heart to one's knowledge. Then one is, Heaven forbid, in the aspect of nirgon mafreed aluf — "a whisperer separates a close friend" — and the love-within-time, the aspect of "days of good," is separated — Heaven forbid — from the love-in-knowledge, and then the "days of evil" strengthen themselves — Heaven forbid — and draw sustenance from them and cover them, as above. But the tzaddik who conquered his inclination and merited the attachment and inclusion of the "days of good" — the aspect of love-within-time — in the love-in-knowledge, since his heart is in his own domain — as above — therefore evil has no dominion against him, and the evil falls and is nullified before him. For the "days of evil" have no dominion or grip in the aspect of love-in-knowledge. And even in the aspect of love-within-time they have no dominion when it is attached and included in the love-in-knowledge. Therefore, immediately when the true tzaddik subdues the "days of evil" among the wicked through his great power and reveals the aspect of "days of good," great light from above is immediately added to them — as above. And this is itself the aspect of the light of love-in-knowledge that is revealed through the true tzaddik — which is the great light from above. For the essential light comes from there, for immediately when the tzaddik subdues the "days of evil" and reveals the "days of good," the good — the aspect of love-within-time — is immediately attached to its root, which is love-in-knowledge, through which the grip of the outer forces is completely nullified, as above. And this itself is the aspect of great light from above, as above. (Understand this well.) And therefore this tzaddik who has this power — for he merited love-in-knowledge — is the aspect of Kohain Gadol, which is the aspect of the highest love-in-knowledge, the aspect of great love (ahavah gedolah), the aspect of Kohain Gadol. Therefore it was specifically through him that the essential Chanukah miracle occurred — for the Greeks, the wicked empire, contaminated all the oils, which is the aspect of da'as (knowledge), the aspect of da'as and Torah that is garbed below — where there are "days of good" and "days of evil" — and there too is the aspect of da'as which is Torah. For da'as extends throughout all the days and attributes (middos). And since there are "days of good" and "days of evil" there, when they strengthened themselves they contaminated all the oils — the aspect of da'as and Torah of the "days of good" — through the grip of the "days of evil," as above. When the Hasmonean dynasty prevailed and defeated them, a miracle occurred and they found a flask of oil sealed with the seal of the Kohain Gadol — this is the aspect of holy anointing oil, the supreme knowledge where love-in-knowledge resides, which is the aspect of hidden Torah, sealed with the seal of the Kohain Gadol — for none can merit this except one who is in the aspect of Kohain Gadol, the supreme love-in-knowledge. And through this oil sealed by the Kohain Gadol — the aspect of hidden Torah, the light of love-in-knowledge — the miracle was performed. For it could only kindle for one day — since this light of supreme da'as will only be revealed in the future, which is the aspect of "one day that will be known to God," etc. (as explained in the above teaching). And a miracle occurred and it burned for eight days — for through the power of the mighty tzaddikim who prevail over their inclinations, they draw the light of love-in-knowledge until the light of love-in-knowledge illuminates within the love-within-time and within the attributes. For their hearts are in their own domain and they attach the days and attributes of the heart to the light of love-in-knowledge, and the days and attributes receive light from there — through which one merits to taste the light of love-in-knowledge even within time and within the attributes. This is the aspect of the aforementioned Chanukah miracle: the oil of the Kohain Gadol — the aspect of love-in-knowledge, as above — whose essential illumination is only for the future, the aspect of "one day that will be known to God," etc. — this is the "one day" it could only kindle, as above. And a miracle occurred and it burned for eight days — for the light of love-in-knowledge, which is the aspect of "one day," illuminated within the love-within-time, which is the seven days of creation, corresponding to the kindling of the Chanukah lights for eight days — in order that the light of love-in-knowledge illuminates within the seven days, which are the seven attributes (middos), the aspect of middos yamai — "the days of my attributes." This is the aspect of the sprinklings (hazaos) of the Kohain Gadol on Yom Kippur — in the innermost chamber and in the sanctuary — one above and seven below, in order that the light of love-in-knowledge, which is the aspect of one above, should illuminate within the seven below, which are the seven attributes (middos) and seven days — the love within time and attribute. For I have heard that the eight days of Chanukah correspond to the eight sprinklings of the Kohain Gadol on Yom Kippur, as above. And therefore he counted the first sprinkling above together with each of the seven below, as it is written: "One, one and one, one and two," etc. — in order that the light from above, the aspect of love-in-knowledge, the aspect of one above, should illuminate within the seven below, in the aspect of seven days and attributes, as above. For the Kohain Gadol — who is the aspect of the great supreme love — would enter on Yom Kippur into the innermost chamber, to the place of the Ark and the Tablets, which is the aspect of supreme da'as. For the Temple in general is the aspect of da'as, as Rabbainu of blessed memory wrote many times, as our Rabbis of blessed memory said (Berachos 33): "Whoever has da'as — it is as if the Temple were built in his days." Yet even in the aspect of da'as there are many levels (as Rabbainu of blessed memory wrote in the above teaching). For the aspect of love-in-knowledge of the lower level is the aspect of love-within-time of the higher level, and therefore within the Temple itself there were many and many degrees of holiness — many levels — as our Rabbis of blessed memory said: "The Israelites' Court is more holy than it" — and so on, the place of the priests' footsteps, etc., between the Porch and the Altar, the Sanctuary — until the innermost chamber, which is the most holy, the ultimate supreme da'as, where only the Kohain Gadol could enter on Yom Kippur. For there is the ultimate holiness, the ultimate supreme knowledge. There stood the Ark and the Tablets that Moshe Rabbainu received from the hand of the Holy Blessed One. There is the essential love between Israel and their Father in Heaven, the aspect of bein shadai yalin — "between my breasts he will lodge" (Song of Songs 1) — which are the poles of the Ark. There the Kohain Gadol would place the incense upon the coals on Yom Kippur, and there he performed the sprinklings — one above and seven below — to atone for all of Israel. For all atoning for all sins depends on the kohanim who offered the sacrifices for Israel. For the kohain, a person of chesed, is the aspect of mighty in strength (gibor ko'ach) — for the kohanim were mighty men of valor, as our Rabbis of blessed memory said. For the essential attainment of the priesthood came through the sanctity of the covenant (b'ris), as it is written (Devarim 33): Ki shamru imrasecha u-vrischa yintzoru — "For they kept Your word and Your covenant they guarded" — this is the aspect of the mighty-in-strength mentioned above: ilein innun d'misgabrin al yitzreiyon — "these are those who prevail over their inclinations." For the essential prevailing over one's inclination is only in this desire. Therefore since the kohain is a person of chesed — the aspect of mighty in strength who conquered his inclination and merited love-in-knowledge — in the aspect of ki sifsei kohain yishmeru da'as — they are the aspect of the true tzaddik as above — for the kohanim in general are the aspect of love-in-knowledge corresponding to all of Israel. Therefore when one of Israel fell into some sin — Heaven forbid — he would bring an offering to the kohain. They would lay hands upon the sacrifice and confess all their sins. Through this all the sins were drawn onto the sacrificial animal. And when the kohain took it to offer it, the evil — the sins and transgressions — fell and were immediately subdued and nullified, and the "days of good" were revealed and clarified, the Torah that was hidden there — for the evil fell and was nullified before the kohain, the person of chesed, the mighty-in-strength, the tzaddik who merited to conquer his inclination, etc., as above. Therefore the essential atonement was in the Temple, for there is the aspect of da'as, the aspect of love-in-knowledge — through which is the essential power of the tzaddik to subdue and nullify evil from Israel, having merited the aspect of love-in-knowledge, etc., as above. And the greater the atonement needed, the greater the tzaddik required — in order to draw more from the supreme light of love-in-knowledge. Therefore on Yom Kippur, when atonement is needed for all the sins of all Israel, all the services of Yom Kippur were only valid performed by the Kohain Gadol — who is the aspect of the great tzaddik who has the power to enter the innermost chamber and draw from there the supreme light of love-in-knowledge, and through this he could atone for all of Israel. For he had the power to subdue and nullify all the evil of all the sins of all Israel and reveal the good — the "days of good" — and illuminate them with great light from above, the aspect of love-in-knowledge. This is the aspect of one above and seven below, etc., as above. This is the aspect of the Hallel of Chanukah — the aspect of ba-Shem ahalel davar b'Elohim ahalel davar — mentioned in the above teaching, which is the aspect of the peace one merits through the Torah that one reveals and builds from the depths of the kelipot through subjugating the inclination, etc. (as explained there). For this is the essential Hallel — when one merits to find the Blessed Name in every place, whether in the good or in the difficult, etc., in the aspect of m'hulal ekra Hashem u-min oyevai iva-she'a — "I will call upon the praised God and from my enemies I will be saved" (Psalms 18), the aspect of min ha-meitzar karas Yah — "from the narrow place I called out to God" (Psalms 118) — this is the aspect of ba-Shem ahalel davar b'Elohim ahalel davar, which is the essential Hallel, as above. This is the aspect of the tzedakah that is customary to give on Chanukah. For the essential poverty — Heaven forbid — comes from the prevailing of the "days of evil" over the "days of good," which is the aspect of the blemish of the moon (p'gimas ha-l'vanah) from which poverty derives — which is the aspect of the seven years of famine prevailing over the seven years of plenty — Heaven forbid — in the aspect of kol y'mei ani ra'im — "all the days of the poor are evil." And one who gives tzedakah to the poor is in the aspect of the tzaddik — tzaddik chonen v'nosain — "the righteous one is gracious and gives" — and he subdues the "days of evil" from the poor person and the "days of good" are revealed, in the aspect of tov ish chonen u-malveh y'chalkel d'varav — "Good is the man who is gracious and lends, he conducts his affairs with justice" (Psalms 112) — the aspect of osei d'varo as above. The essential tzedakah is to give to a worthy poor person who engages in Torah and mitzvos — to be among the supporters of Torah (tamchei orayta). When one gives to such a poor person, one is literally building the Torah through the tzedakah one gives him — for one supports the Torah scholar and through this he is able to engage in Torah. For previously he was prevented from Torah study due to lack of sustenance, as it is said: "If there is no flour, there is no Torah" (Avos 3). And now through the tzedakah one gives and supports him, he is able to engage in Torah — it emerges that this one is engaging in Torah through his benefactor. It emerges that he is in the aspect of building the Torah — the "days of good" — revealing it from within the "days of evil," from within the poverty and distress, which are the "days of evil," the aspect of kol y'mei ani ra'im. Therefore he is in the aspect of the tzaddik who also builds the Torah — the "days of good" — and subdues the "days of evil," as above. And therefore through tzedakah one merits the aspect of love-in-knowledge, which is the aspect of hidden Torah, the aspect of oros ha-tzachtzachos — supernal lights of brilliance — as is known, in the aspect of v'safek la-ra'eiv nafshecha etc. az yibaka ka-shachar orecha etc. v'hisbiya b'tzachtzachos nafshecha — "And you draw out your soul to the hungry," etc., "then your light shall break forth like the dawn," etc., "and your soul shall be filled with radiance" (Yeshayah 58). For from there is the essential abundance — in the aspect of banei chayyei u-m'zonei lav b'zchusa talya milsa ki im b'mazala talya milsa — "children, life, and sustenance do not depend on merit but on heavenly destiny (mazal)" — which is the supernal mazal, the aspect of love-in-knowledge, the aspect of the hidden Torah, the aspect of orayta d'atika s'tima'ah, as is known. This is the aspect of the fact that the Torah portion of Mikaitz is always read on Chanukah — for this portion speaks of the greatness of Yosef the Tzaddik, who rose to greatness in the land of Egypt through his conquering of his inclination. Through this he merited that the evil fell before him — the "days of evil" — and therefore he became ruler over all the land of Egypt, which is the stronghold of evil, the nakedness of the earth (ervas ha-aretz). For the stronghold of evil of Egypt fell before him until he became ruler over it, and subdued all the evil of Egypt until Israel was able to dwell there later in exile. (As brought in the holy books, this is why Yosef was compelled to be there first — for otherwise Israel could not have borne the Egyptian exile, where the evil was so very strong. But through the power of Yosef the Tzaddik who prevailed over his inclination, the evil of Egypt was subdued and nullified before him.) And therefore Yosef was able to interpret dreams — for the dream is mingled with vain matters, as our Rabbis of blessed memory said — which is the aspect of the intermixing of good with evil. For the truth in the dream is the aspect of good — the "days of good" — and the falsehood and vain matters of the dream are the "days of evil." Since the "days of evil" cover the "days of good," particularly during sleep in dreams when they have their grip (as is known), therefore it is impossible to determine the interpretation of the dream. But a tzaddik like Yosef the Tzaddik who conquered his inclination and subdued the "days of evil" — immediately when he hears the dream, the evil — the "days of evil" — falls and is nullified, and only the "days of good" are revealed — which is the truth and good of the dream, which is its interpretation. This is the dream of Pharaoh, which none could interpret — for his dream was the seven years of plenty and the seven years of famine, which is literally this aspect: the seven years of famine — the seven "days of evil" — prevailed over the seven years of plenty — the "days of good" — in the aspect of vativla'nah ha-paros ha-ra'os etc., until it was utterly covered and hidden by the "days of evil" that covered them, in the aspect of v'lo noda ki va'u el kirbenah — "and it was not known that they came into their midst." And therefore no person could determine the interpretation — to clarify the truth and good in it — except Yosef the Tzaddik, before whom the "days of evil" — the seven years of famine — were nullified. Therefore he knew the true interpretation of the dream: to sustain many people, to gather food during the seven years of plenty — the "days of good" — so that the years of famine — the "days of evil" — could not prevail over Israel, for they sustain themselves and prevail through the good gathered during the good days. As it is said: v'hayah ha-ochel l'fikadon — "and the food shall be for a deposit" — in order that the "days of evil" should not be able to rule over Israel, for they sustain themselves and prevail through the good that was gathered in the days of good. In the aspect of ki l'michyah sh'lacho ha-Elokim l'hachayos am rav — "for God sent him to sustain many people." For every person there are "days of good" and "days of evil," and when the "days of evil" strengthen — Heaven forbid — over a person and it is hard to stand against them, he must use the power of the "days of good" that he had previously — that is, what he merited to do good previously. Therefore at all times when it is possible for him to do some good, he must seize it eagerly and hasten to do much and much good before the evil days come — Heaven forbid — perhaps through this he will be able to prevail to subdue the "days of evil." This is the aspect of Pharaoh's dream: chalom Par'oh echad hu — "the dream of Pharaoh is one." For interpreting Pharaoh's dream — subduing the seven years of famine and revealing the seven years of plenty — is through the tzaddik who has merited the light of love-in-knowledge, which is the aspect of yom echad hu yivada la-Shem etc., as above. And this is chalom Par'oh echad hu. Therefore the portion of Mikaitz is read on Chanukah, for all this is the aspect of the eight days of Chanukah — the kindling of the Chanukah lights — in order that the light of love-in-knowledge should illuminate within the seven days, to reveal the seven years of plenty — the "days of good," etc., as above. This is why Moshe Rabbainu had difficulty with these three matters whose initials spell his name — Moshe — which are: the Menorah, the Sh'kalim (shekels), and the sanctification of the month (Kiddush Ha-Chodesh), as our Rabbis of blessed memory taught. For in all three of these one must draw the light of love-in-knowledge. The Menorah — as above — is the aspect of the Chanukah lamp, which is the aspect of the Temple lamps that must be lit and illuminated from the light of love-in-knowledge, in the aspect of el mul p'nei ha-m'norah ya'iru shiv'as ha-neiros — "toward the face of the menorah shall the seven lamps give light." And therefore the western lamp (ner ha-ma'aravi) was testimony for Israel that the Divine Presence rests among Israel — from which he would begin and with which he would conclude — for there among the Temple lamps the light of love-in-knowledge rests. Therefore that is the essential testimony to the love between Israel and their Father in Heaven. The Sh'kalim — this is the aspect of charitable donation of the heart (nidvas leiv), through which the light of love-in-knowledge illuminates and from which comes the essential abundance, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of Kiddush Ha-Chodesh — to fill the moon's diminishment (p'gimas ha-l'vanah), the aspect of revealing the "days of good" and subduing the "days of evil" whose grip comes from the diminishment of the moon, as is known. For when the "days of evil" prevail — Heaven forbid — the light of the "days of good" is constricted and diminished — which is the aspect of the moon's blemish, the diminishment of its light. And one must subdue the "days of evil" and fill the moon's blemish so that the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, etc., through drawing great light from above, through which the light increases and the constriction and diminishment is nullified. This is the filling of the moon from its blemish, the aspect of v'hayah or ha-l'vanah k'or ha-chamah v'or ha-chamah yihyeh shiv'asayim etc. — "the light of the moon shall be like the light of the sun and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold" etc. For even when the moon's diminishment is filled and one merits the aspect of the light of love-in-knowledge according to one's level, nonetheless on a higher level it is still the aspect of love-within-time. Therefore one needs the higher level to illuminate yet further and further — above the light of supreme love-in-knowledge. And this is v'hayah or ha-l'vanah k'or ha-chamah v'or ha-chamah yihyeh shiv'asayim k'or shiv'as ha-yamim — "the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of the seven days" — which is the hidden light of the seven days of creation, the aspect of the hidden Torah and the hidden tzaddikim, the aspect of va-yar Elokim es ha-or ki tov — "And God saw the light that it was good" (as explained in the above teaching). May it be His will that they be revealed speedily in our days, Amen. This is the aspect of u-v'ha'alos Aharon es ha-neros bein ha-arba'im yaktirenh — "And when Aaron kindled the lamps in the afternoon he would offer the incense" — for the incense is the aspect of subduing the kelipot and the "days of evil" and revealing and elevating the good — the aspect of the eleven incense spices, as is known. Therefore incense is offered at the time of the lamp-kindling: for when the "days of evil" are subdued and the good is revealed — that being the aspect of the incense — then great light from above is drawn and added to the good, which is the aspect of kindling the lamps — for additional great light from above is drawn and increases upon the good. That is the aspect of the light of love-in-knowledge, as above. There are m'orei or — lights of light — and m'orei aish — lights of fire — and they are this-against-that (zeh l'umos zeh). The lights of light are the aspect of the holy Name, the aspect of the three colors of the eye and the pupil (bas ayin), the aspect of Shabbas sh'ma d'Kudsha B'rich Hu — "Shabbos is the Name of the Holy Blessed One" — the aspect of the mochin (higher consciousness) of tefillin, the aspect of glory (pe'er), the aspect of the Temple, etc. (See there in detail.) This is the aspect of Chanukah — for the evil kingdom of Greece stood against the people of Israel to cause them to forget His Torah, etc. The Torah is also TaNTA [Tav-Nun-Tes-Aleph], which are the three colors of the eye and the pupil. And they sought to cause the Torah to be forgotten and to conceal His great Name. They decreed that one must write on the horn of the ox that one has no portion in the God of Israel. They sought to conceal the glory of Israel — for this is our glory: that we glorify ourselves in His Divinity, in His great and holy Name, in the aspect of es Hashem he'emarta — "You have declared God" — the language of glorification — that we glorify ourselves in His great Name through the Torah, which is the aspect of the glory of Israel (tiferes Yisrael). They sought to conceal all this — Heaven forbid — which is the aspect of concealing the glory and beauty of Israel, the aspect of concealing the lights of light — which are the aspect of the holy Name, as above. And this is the aspect of contaminating all the oils of the Temple — this is the aspect of the lights of light that illuminate in the Temple, which are the aspect of the holy Name, corresponding to oil — in the aspect of l'rei'ach shmanecha tovim shemen turak sh'mecha — "for your oils have a goodly fragrance, your name is oil poured forth" — and Rashi explains: a good name is called after good oil, etc. And they sought to conceal the aspect of the holy Name, the aspect of lights of light, and to strengthen — Heaven forbid — the name of impurity. When the Hasmonean dynasty prevailed and defeated them, they established them as a Yom Tov and fixed them with Hallel and thanksgiving, the aspect of l'hodos u-l'halel l'shimcha ha-gadol — "to give thanks and praise to Your great Name" — to magnify and sanctify His great Name, for then His Name was revealed, in the aspect of u-l'cha asisa sheim gadol v'kadosh b'olamecha — "and for Yourself You made a great and holy name in Your world." This is the aspect of the Chanukah candle — a candle of oil — which is the aspect of the lights of light, to kindle and illuminate, the aspect of the lights of light that are the aspect of the holy Name, as above. For the kindling of a lamp of mitzvah is in the aspect of the lights of light — for the sacred fire, that is, the lamp of mitzvah, is not in the aspect of lights of fire, but rather in the aspect of lights of light. For the Divine Presence is called — so to speak — aish ochlah — "a consuming fire" — as it is written: ki Hashem Elokecha aish ochlah hu etc. And it is brought in the holy Zohar (Bereishis 51) that it is called a consuming fire d'achlei kula v'sha'tzei kula — "that consumes all and destroys all." But Israel who cleave to it receive life from it, in the aspect of v'atem ha-d'vekim ba-Shem Elokeichem chayyim kulchem ha-yom — "And you who cleave to the Lord your God are all alive this day." That is, even though it is a consuming fire and everything it touches is consumed and burned — b'gin d'achlei kola v'sha'tzei kola — nevertheless Israel cleave to it and are not consumed, Heaven forbid. On the contrary, they receive life from it, in the aspect of v'atem ha-d'vekim etc. This is the aspect of lights of light and lights of fire. For toward the nations of the world it is in the aspect of lights of fire — which is the aspect of the strong judgment of the Divine Presence from which the lights of fire receive their sustenance. Therefore they are consumed and burned by this fire — d'achlei kula v'sha'tzei kula — as above. But Israel who cleave to it and receive life from it — the essential life being the mochin (higher consciousness), as it is written: v'ha-chochmah t'chayyeh — "wisdom gives life" — and the mochin are the aspect of lights of light, it emerges that for Israel it is not the aspect of lights of fire, Heaven forbid, but rather the aspect of lights of light — the aspect of life and mochin, the aspect of v'atem ha-d'vekim ba-Shem Elokeichem chayyim etc. — for in truth it is all one — Hashem Echad u-shmo Echad. Even the Sitra Achra holds onto holiness and has no vitality except through its grip on holiness — that is, even the lights of fire grip onto holiness, which is when the lights of light depart, the mochin that sweeten judgment — and when they depart strong judgment remains and the lights of fire hold on there. But Israel who cleave to the Divine Presence receive life, for the aspect of lights of light is drawn upon them — the aspect of mochin, which are life — the aspect of v'atem ha-d'vekim etc., as above. This is the aspect of the Chanukah miracle — that a small amount of oil burned, that had only been fit to kindle for one day and it burned for eight days — for the Blessed Name showed thereby that the Divine Presence rests among Israel, and Israel who cleave to it are not consumed — on the contrary, they receive life from it — which is the aspect of lights of light, the aspect of the holy Name that was revealed in the Chanukah miracle, as above. And this the Blessed Name demonstrated tangibly in the miracle of the oil — that a small amount of oil burned for so many days, to teach that the lights of fire have no dominion, for Israel cleave to the lights of light. For the lights of fire are the aspect of d'achlei kula v'sha'tzei kula — therefore one needs much oil for as long as one needs to kindle — since the fire burns the oil. But now, through the Chanukah miracle in which God's great Name was magnified and the lights of light prevailed and the lights of fire were subdued, the Blessed Name performed a miracle and showed tangibly even in physical reality that the lights of fire have no dominion, only the lights of light — for a small amount of oil burned and illuminated for a long time and was not immediately burned in one day as would have been expected, because the lights of fire were subdued, as above. This is the aspect of v'atem ha-d'vekim etc. chayyim etc. — that even though Israel cleave to a consuming fire, they are alive — for for them it is the aspect of lights of light. Even this oil was attached to the fire and was not burned, as above. This is the aspect of the miracle that was constantly present in the Temple Menorah — the western lamp (ner ha-ma'aravi) that burned miraculously for a long time. Our Rabbis of blessed memory said: the western lamp is testimony that the Divine Presence rests among Israel — that is, as above — for Israel cleave to the Divine Presence and they are alive for the fire does not consume them, on the contrary they receive life. This was seen tangibly in the miracle of the western lamp that the oil was not burned by the fire as expected, for it burned beyond the measure. This is testimony to all who come into the world that the Divine Presence rests among Israel — for they are able to cleave to it, in the aspect of v'atem ha-d'vekim etc. And this is why it is called testimony — for surely testimony is needed for this, since the nations of the world would not believe that the Divine Presence rests among Israel: "How is it possible to cleave to God — is He not a consuming fire?" But in truth Israel cleave to it and on the contrary receive life from it. And this was seen tangibly through the miracle of the western lamp. And our Rabbis of blessed memory said: "How is it possible to cleave to Him, is He not a consuming fire? Rather, cleave to Torah scholars," etc. — for Torah scholars are the aspect of the glory (pe'er) of Israel, which is the aspect of lights of light. And through this it is possible to cleave to Him, as above. (See the above teaching.) This is the aspect of the Shabbos lamp — for on Shabbos the lights of light are revealed, for Shabbas sh'ma d'Kudsha B'rich Hu — "Shabbos is the Name of the Holy Blessed One" (as it is written there). Therefore then it is a mitzvah to kindle a lamp, for the Shabbos lamp — which is a mitzvah lamp — is the aspect of lights of light, as above. Therefore in the days of the Matriarchs one could see this physically — that the Shabbos lamp was the aspect of lights of light as above, and therefore it burned from Shabbos to Shabbos (as Rashi explains on the verse va-y'vi'eha Yitzchak ha-ohelah etc.). This is the aspect of the subduing of the lights of fire and the prevailing of the lights of light, as above. And even now — although we do not merit to see this physically — nonetheless in truth every mitzvah lamp, such as the Shabbos lamp, the Temple lamp, the Chanukah lamp, and the like, they are all the aspect of lights of light, as above — which is the aspect of v'atem ha-d'vekim ba-Shem etc. And this is the aspect of ki ner mitzvah v'Torah or v'derech chayyim tochachus mussar — "for a mitzvah is a lamp and Torah is light, and the way of life is the rebuke of correction" — derech chayyim tochachus mussar is the aspect of v'atem ha-d'vekim etc. chayyim — for the Divine Presence — so to speak — is the aspect of tochachus mussar, the aspect of asher yisratu immo — "which his mother rebuked him" — for She rebukes and reproaches the whole world through Her judgments. But the nations of the world are consumed and burned by the harsh judgments — in the aspect of consuming fire, d'achlei kula v'sha'tzei kula — as above. But Israel are not consumed by the judgments, Heaven forbid, in the aspect of ki e'eseh chalah b'chol ha-goyim oscha lo e'eseh chalah — "for I will make a full end of all the nations, but of you I will not make a full end." And of them it is said: v'atem ha-d'vekim etc. — for they receive life from Her, as above. And this is v'derech chayyim tochachus mussar, as above. This is the aspect of ki ner mitzvah — a mitzvah lamp literally — which is the aspect of lights of light, as above. And this is v'Torah or — for the Torah is the aspect of the three colors of the eye and the pupil, the aspect of the lights of light mentioned above. And this is v'derech chayyim etc. — for all this is the aspect of derech chayyim tochachus mussar, the aspect of v'atem ha-d'vekim etc., which is the aspect of lights of light, as above. This is the aspect of the vision that Moshe saw at the burning bush — he saw that the bush was burning in fire yet the bush was not consumed — which is the aspect mentioned above, the aspect of consuming fire d'achlei kula etc., yet nevertheless v'atem ha-d'vekim etc., as above. And therefore the Holy Blessed One showed this to Moshe at the very beginning of Israel's drawing near — for God wanted to show Moshe the greatness of the love of Israel that He chose them to draw near to Him above all seventy nations, and He alluded this to him at the bush — just as the bush burns in fire yet is not consumed, so too literally Israel are able to cleave to God even though He is a consuming fire. For of them it is said: v'atem ha-d'vekim ba-Shem Elokeichem chayyim etc., as above. This is the aspect of Chananiah, Mishael, and Azariah who gave their lives for the sanctification of God's Name and were thrown into the furnace of fire and were not burned — for they are called ba'alei sheim tov (owners of a good name), as our Rabbis of blessed memory said (Midrash Koheles on the verse "a good name"): "We find that owners of a good name who entered the place of death and came out alive," etc. — which are Chananiah, etc. It emerges that they were ba'alei sheim tov — the aspect of lights of light — and therefore the fire — the aspect of lights of fire — did not have dominion over them, as above. For of them it is said: v'atem ha-d'vekim etc., as above. And therefore the satraps and governors who threw them into the furnace were burned by the flames of fire — for against the nations the fire was in the aspect of consuming fire d'achlei kola v'sha'tzei kola. And the same fire against Israel — the ba'alei sheim — was in the aspect of lights of light, the aspect of v'atem ha-d'vekim etc., as above. And this is itself the aspect of Avraham Avinu of blessed memory who was thrown into the furnace of fire and came out alive while Haran died in that same fire — that is, as above, the aspect of consuming fire d'achlei kola etc. and v'atem ha-d'vekim etc., as above. This is the meaning of Atah hu Hashem ha-Elokim asher bacharta v'Avram v'hotzeisav me'ur Kasdim — "You are the Lord God who chose Avram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees." For through bringing him out of Ur of the Chaldees — from the furnace of fire — in this He chose him. For this is the holiness of Israel who are chosen from among seventy nations — the aspect of v'atem ha-d'vekim etc. — that they cleave to the consuming fire and yet are alive. Thus through this miracle of being saved from the furnace of fire — the aspect of v'atem ha-d'vekim etc. — God showed through this that He chose him from all the nations. For all of them are unable to cleave to Him — b'gin d'achlei kola v'sha'tzei kola — only Avraham and his descendants alone, as above, in the aspect of v'atem ha-d'vekim etc. And this is asher bacharta v'Avram v'hotzeisav me'ur Kasdim — bacharta specifically — for through being saved from the fire — the aspect of v'atem ha-d'vekim etc. — in this he is chosen from all the nations, as above. And this is v'samta sh'mo Avraham — this is the aspect of the magnification of the Name, which is the aspect of lights of light, opposite of lights of fire — through which he was saved from the furnace of fire, as above. This is the aspect of the timing of the kindling of the Chanukah lamp — from when the sun sets (mishkiah ha-chamah). For the setting of the sun is the aspect of the departure of the light — then the lights of fire are aroused (as explained there in the above teaching). And therefore precisely then is the time of kindling the Chanukah lamp, which is the aspect of lights of light, as above — in order to illuminate the aspect of lights of light to subdue the lights of fire. This is the aspect of the Chanukah miracle, as above — for through the greatness of the Chanukah miracle it becomes now as it is on Shabbos, when the lights of fire have no dominion, only the lights of light, as above. And therefore it is called Chanukah — on account of the dedication of the altar (chanukas ha-Mizbeach) that was dedicated then in the days of the Second Temple. And similarly, on Chanukah one reads the portion of the Princes (Nesi'im) — what they offered at the raising of the Tabernacle (Mishkan) — for the raising of the Tabernacle and the Temple is the aspect of lights of light, for there the lights of light illuminate (as explained there). And this is the aspect of the Chanukah lamp, as above. Therefore they are connected to each other, as above. It is brought in the words of our Rabbis of blessed memory that in this verse — b'ha'aloscha etc. — the Chanukah lamp is alluded to. That is: the Chanukah lamp is the aspect of the illumination of the encompassing lights within — through the aspect of the seven lamps. For the miracle was against the evil kingdom of Greece. The kingdom of Greece is the aspect of external wisdoms (chochmos chitzonyiyos) — which are the Greek wisdoms — as our Rabbis of blessed memory called external wisdoms by the name of Greek wisdoms, as our Rabbis of blessed memory said: "What constitutes teaching one's son Greek wisdom?" — and these are the external wisdoms which are Greek wisdoms, the source of all heresy. They rose against Israel to cause them to forget their Torah and divert them, etc. — that is, they strengthened themselves with the heresy of their wisdoms to remove the faith of our holy Torah — Heaven forbid. And this is the aspect of our Rabbis saying that they contaminated all the oils — the aspect of holy anointing oil, that is, the da'as and intellect — they contaminated all the intellectual dimensions of holiness through their wisdoms, casting heresy and questions into all the holy intellectual dimensions, which are the oils, as above. And a miracle occurred and they found a flask of oil sealed with the seal of the Kohain Gadol. For in truth their questions are not questions at all — it is only that it is impossible to understand because these questions belong to the encompassing intellect, as above. This encompassing intellect cannot be understood until the future. In this world this intellect is sealed and closed. And this is the aspect of what Rabbainu of blessed memory wrote (Likutay Moharan II, §12): that all the heresy and the Sitra Achra receive vitality from the supernal glory, from the aspect of ayeh ("where?") which is hidden and concealed — that is, all their power is from the encompassing intellect which is sealed and concealed, the aspect of ayeh — for since this intellect cannot be grasped, they raise all their questions and heresy, as above. It emerges that their sustenance and power is from the supernal holiness — which is the encompassing intellect, the aspect of ayeh. When one merits to understand that these questions flow from the aspect of ayeh, the aspect of encompassing intellect — that in truth it is impossible to understand this, and because of this very thing all their questions are difficult — then when one understands this, all their questions are nullified. For one knows it is not difficult at all — it is only impossible to understand because it is the encompassing intellect. On the contrary, one merits to know that there is supremely high and supreme holiness, from which these questions flow — which is the aspect of ayeh, the aspect of the encompassing intellect. And this is the aspect of the flask of oil sealed with the seal of the Kohain Gadol found in the Temple — that is, they found sealed oil — da'as that is sealed and concealed, the aspect of the encompassing intellect, the aspect of ayeh. And this is sealed with the seal of the Kohain Gadol — for the Kohain Gadol would enter the innermost chamber on Yom Kippur — that is, the aspect of Keser (Crown), the aspect of ayeh, which is the supernal intellect, the encompassing aspect of ayeh, as above. That is: they found and grasped that all the heresies flow through the fact that there is a supremely high intellect — the aspect of the encompassing intellect that cannot be grasped — from which all their questions flow. When they found and grasped this, that was the miracle against the evil kingdom of Greece — against the Greek wisdoms — for they grasped that the questions are nothing, only they reside in the encompassing intellect, as above. And this is: "there was not sufficient in it to kindle except for one day, and a miracle occurred and it burned for eight days." For this encompassing intellect will not be revealed and illuminated until the future — which is the one day that will be known to God, etc. And this is why the sealed oil mentioned above could only illuminate for one day — the future, which is "one day that will be known to God," etc. And a miracle occurred and it burned for eight days — that is, "one day" as above — the aspect of the World to Come — illuminated through the seven lamps, the aspect of the seven days, the aspect of this world. And through this they grasped that it was not difficult at all — because they received an illumination from the light of the encompassing intellect. It emerges that the essential miracle was accomplished within seven days (as brought in the legal decisors), that is: "one day" as above — the aspect of the World to Come, the aspect of the encompassing intellect — illuminated through the seven lamps, the aspect of the seven days, the aspect of this world. Therefore one must kindle all eight — in order to illuminate on "one day" of Chanukah the illumination of the aspect of the World to Come, which is the aspect of "one day" as above. And from there the illumination flows to all seven days — the aspect of this world, as above. For since they contaminated all the oils — they corrupted through their heresy all the intellectual dimensions of holiness — therefore it was necessary to arouse anew the intellect of the World to Come, the aspect of the encompassing intellect, in order to receive from it illumination into this world, into the inner intellect, as above. Therefore each day one adds increasingly — in order to return each day to the first day. For on the first day one kindles one, on the second day two — that is, aleph-beis — on the third day aleph-beis-gimel — it emerges that each day one returns to the first, for the first day illuminates through all seven days, as above. The general principle: prayer is the aspect of faith (emunah), the aspect of miracles beyond nature, the aspect of the Land of Israel, the aspect of Yaakov and his sons — for the twelve formulations of prayer correspond to the twelve tribes of the sons of Yaakov, etc. See there. But when a person stands to pray, foreign thoughts and confusions come upon him and he remains in darkness unable to pray. The essential counsel for this is when a person sees that he is greatly confused in his prayer and service, and has no advice or strategy to escape them, then the essential counsel is only truth (emes) — that is, see to it that the words come out of your mouth in truth, and even at your level in the place you are at, at least see to it that the word comes out of your mouth in truth. For the word that comes out in truth illuminates for him to come out of darkness — for in truth there are many openings in the darkness, etc. See there. Only the fool walks in darkness and does not see the opening. And truth is the light of the Blessed Name Himself — and therefore through the word one speaks in truth, according to one's level, through this the truth illuminates for him — God, as it were — how to come out of the darkness in which he is trapped, in the aspect of pesach d'varecha ya'ir — "the opening of Your words gives light." And this is tzohar ta'aseh la-teivah — "a skylight shall you make for the ark" — and some say it is a precious stone and some say it is a window. The difference between a precious stone and a window: a precious stone illuminates of itself — the aspect of truth that illuminates of itself — for there are distinctions within truth, and all according to the greatness of the truth. For the essential longing of the Blessed Name is only for truth, etc. (See there, all this very carefully.) This is a wondrous counsel for every soul to emerge from the depths of dark gloom — through truth, which is the light of the Blessed Name Himself — so to speak — in the aspect of Hashem ori — "God is my light" — for the Blessed Name is the very essence of truth. This is the aspect of the Chanukah lamp — for Chanukah is a time of prayer and thanksgiving to the Blessed Name, as it is written: "They established these eight days of Chanukah for giving thanks and praise," etc. For then great miracles occurred and one says al ha-nissim etc. And miracles are the aspect of prayer beyond nature, as above. And the essential prayer is through truth — the light that illuminates to come out of the darkness, as above. This is the aspect of the Chanukah lamp: the aspect of sh'lach orcha va-amisecha — "Send forth Your light and Your truth." For it is known that the Chanukah miracle — and similarly all miracles — recur each year, that is: when the wicked empire prevailed to cause them to forget Your Torah and divert them from the statutes of Your will, so too for every person and at every time — when the Sitra Achra prevails and spreads over a person and seeks to nullify and prevent him entirely from the service of God — Heaven forbid — and they say: "Write on the horn of the ox that you have no portion," etc. — then there is no advice or strategy to save one's soul except through truth — that is, one must see according to one's level to draw oneself only toward truth in truth, look only at the truth in truth. And similarly in prayer — even if it is impossible for him to pray in any way — even so he should see at least to speak the words of prayer in truth. Then truth illuminates for him to emerge from the darkness, as above. This is the aspect of the Chanukah lamp — the light of truth — the aspect of sh'lach orcha va-amisecha, as above, through which one emerges from the darkness and is able to pray. This is the aspect of the Chanukah days which were established in prayer — to give thanks and praise, etc. And therefore the Chanukah lamp is below ten handbreadths — for the Divine Presence never descended below ten — therefore that is the place of their grip. And precisely there the Chanukah lamp is kindled adjacent to the doorway, in the aspect of pesach d'varecha ya'ir etc. — to teach that precisely below ten handbreadths, in the place of the Sitra Achra's grip, even there one can find the opening to draw near to holiness through the light of truth — for one can draw truth even there. And through the light of truth — which is the Chanukah lamp — one can draw near to the Blessed Name in every place, even below ten handbreadths where the Divine Presence does not dwell — for one can find the opening through the light of truth, as above. This is the aspect of the Chanukah lamp adjacent to the doorway, the aspect of u-pesach ha-teivah b'tzidah tasim — "and the door of the ark you shall place at its side" (as explained in the above teaching). For Chanukah is the aspect of Noah's Ark (teivas Noach), as brought in the Tikkunim: the aspect of va-tanach ha-teivah — "and the ark rested" — the aspect of Chanukah, for the rains of the flood ceased on Chanukah, as Rashi explains that on the 27th of Kislev the rains ceased. It emerges that during the days of Chanukah the waters of the flood ceased. For Chanukah is the aspect of Noah's Ark — the aspect of speech issuing forth in truth, the aspect of tzohar ta'aseh la-teivah, as above. Through this one is saved from the flood waters. For when a person stands to pray and the thoughts greatly confuse him — and the foreign thoughts are the aspect of flood waters, as written in another place (§44) — and sometimes through a person's transgressions when one has damaged greatly, the confusions are aroused against him very greatly. This is the aspect of v'ha-mayim gav'ru m'od al ha-aretz va-y'chassu kol he-harim ha-g'vohim etc. chamesh esreh amah mil'malah gav'ru ha-mayim etc. — "and the waters prevailed greatly upon the earth and covered all the high mountains," etc., "fifteen cubits above the mountains the waters prevailed" — that is, the confusions prevail so greatly, above all settled ground, even above all the high mountains — meaning the foreign thoughts and confusions spread so greatly that one sees no chance of rescue and has no place to hold onto and stand — for the waters prevailed greatly above all the mountains — and it is as if one fell into the abyss itself. Then from where shall his help come? And how is it possible to pray or engage in service from within such abyss darkness? Then the essential remedy and salvation is only through the aspect of Noah's Ark — the aspect of tzohar ta'aseh la-teivah — that is, one should speak the word in truth, according to one's level, from where one is. Then through this, through the word of truth — the aspect of Noah's Ark — the flood waters are subdued. And so too one sees the opening how to emerge from the darkness, as above. This is the aspect of the Chanukah lamp which is the aspect of Noah's Ark, etc., as above. This is the aspect of the flask of oil sealed with the seal of the Kohain Gadol, through which the Chanukah miracle was performed. For the Greeks contaminated all the oils — the aspect of holy anointing oil, the sanctity of da'as — and through contaminating all the mochin (higher consciousness), it was impossible to speak any word of holiness, since speech follows da'as, as it is written: mi-piv da'as u-v'unah — "from His mouth come knowledge and understanding." And the miracle was through the oil that was sealed with the seal of the Kohain Gadol — this is the aspect of the seal of truth. For truth is the aspect of the seal, the aspect of chotamo shel Hakadosh Baruch Hu emes — "the seal of the Holy Blessed One is truth." For the Kohain Gadol would enter the innermost chamber on Yom Kippur to atone there for the sins of the children of Israel, to purify them and extract them from all their sins — through the incense that he placed upon the Even Sh'tiyah (Foundation Stone). For the Foundation Stone where the Ark stood with the tablets of stone — this is the aspect of the point of truth. For the Foundation Stone — mimenu hushat ha-olam — "from it the world was founded" — and the essential foundation of the world is truth, for the world stands upon truth, as our Rabbis of blessed memory said (Avos 1): for the Blessed Name sustains the world, and the seal of the Holy Blessed One is truth. And therefore the point of the Foundation Stone — which is the foundation of the world — is the aspect of the point of truth, which is the essential foundation and sustenance of the world from which the world was established. And therefore there stood the Ark in which the tablets reposed — the Torah being the essential truth, the aspect of Toras emes — "Torah of truth." Therefore it is called the Foundation Stone, the aspect of the Tablets of Stone — the aspect of the good stone (even tov) mentioned above — which is the essence of truth that illuminates of itself, the aspect of even tov, as above. For the tablets were of precious stone, as our Rabbis of blessed memory said they were of sapphire, etc. Therefore at the place of the Foundation Stone, there is the essential ascent of prayer — for that is the gate of heaven. For the essential ascent of prayer is through truth. Therefore there the Kohain Gadol could purify Israel from their sins, to extract them from darkness — through entering the innermost chamber and approaching the very point of truth. And through this he could draw the light that illuminates the way out of the darkness of sins, which is the light of truth, as above. And through this all the sins were atoned — for all the holy sparks and all the holy forces are elevated from the Sitra Achra through the openings that are revealed through the light of truth, as above. For then all the holy sparks see the openings and come out of the darkness into the light, and then the Sitra Achra is nullified and all the sins are atoned. Therefore Yaakov Avinu of blessed memory — when he came to that place which was the place of the Foundation Stone — it is written there: va-yishkav ba-makom ha-hu — "and he lay down in that place." This alludes to the exile — for Yaakov saw that that is the place of prayer. But when Yaakov Avinu saw the great strength of this exile — that in this exile prayer fell greatly, and people do not set their hearts to prevail in prayer as they should, all because the Sitra Achra greatly prevails and spreads over a person and surrounds him with many kinds of confusion until he cannot pray at all — so greatly that many people, almost the majority, have almost despaired of praying with intention and pray only with the mouth alone without any heart intention whatsoever, because it seems to them that it is impossible to prevail against the multitude of greatly confusing thoughts. Yaakov Avinu, seeing all this, therefore lay down in that place — he placed himself into the aspect of sleep. In that place — alluding to the strength of this exile in which prayer is in the aspect of sleep, without intention as it now stands. And he saw then that in the aspect of sleep — that is, in the full strength of the exile when the Sitra Achra greatly prevails over the service of prayer — then there is no counsel for salvation except through truth, as above — that is, to see to speak the word in truth in the place where one is. And through this one can emerge from darkness and ascend to the ultimate ascent. And this is: va-yachlom v'hinei sulam mutzav artzah v'rosho maggea ha-shamayimah etc. — "And he dreamed and behold a ladder was set upon the earth and its head reached to the heavens." Sulam (ladder) in gematria (numerology) equals kol (voice) — the aspect of ha-kol kol Yaakov — "the voice is the voice of Yaakov" — the voice that issues in truth, the aspect of titen emes l'Yaakov — "Give truth to Yaakov." For voice (kol) is composed of fire, water, and spirit — the aspect of truth which is composed of three extremes, as is known. That is: through the voice that issues in truth — which is the aspect of sulam mutzav artzah — "a ladder set upon the earth" — that even though the voice that issues in truth stands in a very low place, the aspect of a ladder set upon the earth, the aspect of emes me-eretz titzmach — "truth shall spring from the earth" — nevertheless v'rosho maggea ha-shamayimah — "its head reaches to the heavens" — for immediately upon speaking the word and voice of truth, truth illuminates for him and he ascends to the ultimate ascent to the heavens. And this is: v'hinei malachei Elokim olim v'yordim bo — "And behold the angels of God ascending and descending upon it." That is, the aspect of the world of angels, which is the highest of the three worlds explained in the above teaching — the lower world, the world of stars, and the world of angels — that a person sustains them through his prayer, through the word that issues from his mouth in truth. See there. And this is: v'hinei malachei Elokim etc. — the aspect of the world of angels, which is the highest. And the lower is included in the higher: they ascend and descend upon it — that is, their essential ascending and descending, their essential sustenance, is through the aforementioned ladder — through the voice that issues in truth, which sustains all the worlds, as above. And then: va-yira va-yomer etc. ein zeh ki im beis Elokim v'zeh sha'ar ha-shamayim — "And he feared and said: this is none other than the house of God and this is the gate of heaven" — Yaakov recognized that the essential ascent of prayer and its repair is only through truth, as above. This is the aspect of va-yitzok shemen al roshaih — "and he poured oil upon its head" — the aspect of light, the aspect of the Chanukah oil, which is the aspect of the light of truth, as above. And it was specifically Yaakov who saw all this, for he revealed the place of the Temple — the place of prayer — more than any of the Patriarchs. For Avraham called it a mountain, etc. (as our Rabbis of blessed memory said, Pesachim 88). For Yaakov is the aspect of truth, as above — the aspect of titen emes l'Yaakov — and therefore specifically through him the place of prayer was revealed — the Temple — in the aspect of ki beisi beis t'filah — "for My house is a house of prayer." For the essential prayer is through truth, as above — which is the aspect of Yaakov, as above. This is the aspect of Chanukah, which is the aspect of the dedication of the Temple, the aspect of prayer, as above — for through the Chanukah lamp, the aspect of the light of truth, as above, the essential repair of prayer is accomplished, the aspect of ki beisi beis t'filah, as above. Therefore on Chanukah one reads the twelve Princes of the twelve tribes — which is the aspect of the ascent and repair of prayer, the aspect of the twelve formulations of prayer corresponding to the twelve tribes, so that the prayer ascends through the tribe and matteh (staff/tribe) that belongs to it, in the aspect of ish l'matteh avosav tishlachau — "each man according to his father's tribe shall you send" (as explained in the above teaching. See there.) This is the aspect of the eight days of Chanukah — for the ascent and repair of prayer is in the aspect of eight days, the aspect of t'manei parsai (the eight parsah-lengths, as explained in the above teaching regarding Rabbah bar Bar Chanah. See there). All five books of Torah and three daily prayers — through which these eight aspects the prayer is complete. For the essential light of truth one merits through Torah, which is the Toras emes — "Torah of truth." Therefore our Rabbis of blessed memory said (Midrash Rabbah, Eichah introduction): "Would that they had abandoned Me and kept My Torah — through engaging in it the light within it would have returned them to the good." For through Torah one merits the light of truth, through which one sees the openings how to emerge from darkness — and through this one returns to the good. Therefore the perfection of prayer is through Torah, as our Rabbis of blessed memory said: meisir azno mi-sh'mo'a Torah etc. (one who turns his ear away from hearing Torah, even his prayer is an abomination). This is the aspect of the eight days of Chanukah — all the aspects of t'manei parsai mentioned above — which are the perfection of prayer, as above. This is the aspect of Mashiach who includes all the prayers and elevates all the prayers of Israel to the gate that belongs to them. And all this is because he is in the aspect of truth — for of Mashiach it is said: sh'lach orcha va-amisecha etc. And the essential meaning of the name Mashiach is because he is anointed (mashuch) with holy anointing oil, which is the aspect of the light of truth, as above — the aspect of the Chanukah oil. And this is the aspect of the Kohain Gadol who merits to enter the innermost chamber to approach the very point of truth — the place of the Ark, the point of the Foundation Stone, the gate of heaven, as above. And all this is through the aspect of truth — the aspect of the oil mentioned above — which is the aspect of light, as above. For the Kohain Gadol was anointed with the anointing oil, as it is written: v'ha-kohain ha-gadol asher yitzak al rosho shemen ha-mischa etc. Therefore specifically Yaakov descended into the exile of Egypt (as explained in the above teaching). And the Blessed Name promised him: anochi ereid imcha Mitzraymah v'anochi a'alcha gam aloh — "I will descend with you to Egypt and I will surely bring you up again." Through truth — the aspect of Yaakov, as above. Ha-lo anochi tov lach etc. — "Am I not better for you," etc. For when a person remembers the word anochi — that is, Anochi Hashem etc. — the aspect of truth — surely he can ascend from all falls and descents, for God is found everywhere. And this is: anochi ereid imcha etc. v'anochi a'alcha gam aloh — "I will descend with you," etc., "and I will surely bring you up." For Chanah is the aspect of prayer, the aspect of a woman who fears God, and Chanah is the language of supplication and entreaty. And Chanah was bitter of soul, as it is written: v'hi maras nefesh ki ki'asatah tzarasah gam ka'as — "and she was bitter of soul for her rival tormented her greatly." That is, the Sitra Achra — which is the rival of prayer — prevails over prayer and torments it and confuses a person from prayer with many kinds of confusion, as above. And then prayer is in the aspect of bitter of soul — the aspect of v'nafshah marah lah — "and her soul was bitter to her." And the counsel and repair for this is only to see that the word should issue in truth, as above. And this is va-yomer lah Elkana ishaih ha-lo anochi tov lach me-asarah banim — "and Elkana her husband said to her: am I not better for you than ten sons?" — anochi specifically — the aspect of Anochi Hashem Elokecha — the aspect of anochi ereid imcha Mitzraymah v'anochi a'alcha gam aloh said at the time of the descent of him and his sons to the exile of Egypt — which alludes to the twelve formulations of prayer in the exile of Egypt (as explained in the above teaching). And then God promised Yaakov: anochi ereid imcha v'anochi a'alcha etc. For through the aspect of anochi — when a person remembers in every place the word anochi — that is, Anochi Hashem — that God is found everywhere — then in every place one can draw near to God through speaking the word in truth according to one's level, and then this word of truth illuminates for him — for truth is the light of the Blessed Name Himself, as above. And this is: v'anochi a'alcha gam aloh — ascent upon ascent. And this is: ha-lo anochi tov lach me-asarah vanim — "am I not better for you than ten sons?" The "ten sons" are the aspect of ten crowns (k'sarin) etc. — that is, the ten Sefiros, as is known. And sometimes there is one who has blemished and fallen from all ten crowns of holiness, and all ten opposite crowns have prevailed against him — then certainly he cannot pray at all and his soul is bitter. And God has compassion on him as well and thinks thoughts so that none be cast away from Him — and gives him counsel: ha-lo anochi tov lach me-asarah vanim — for when you remember the aspect of anochi — that is, Anochi Hashem — this is better than all the ten sons. For even though all ten crowns of impurity have prevailed through one's having blemished all the attributes of holiness — even so the aspect of anochi is better than all of them. For God is found everywhere and karov Hashem l'chol kor'av l'chol asher yikra'uhu ve-emes — "God is close to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth," etc., as above. This is the aspect of Chanukah which is the aspect of Chanah-Kaf-Vav (as explained in the kavvanos). Kaf-Vav (twenty-six) is the aspect of the holy Name — which is the aspect of the essence of truth — so to speak — the aspect of anochi, as above, the aspect of va-Hashem Elokim emes — "and the Lord God is truth." Through this the prayer is completed — which is the aspect of the woman who fears God, the aspect of Chanah, as above. And this is the aspect of Shmu'el the Prophet who came from her — whose attribute is truth, the aspect of v'gam netzach Yisrael lo y'shaker — "and the Eternal One of Israel will not lie" — for Shmu'el corrected the aspect of netzach (eternity/victory), as is known. And this is the aspect of Chanukah, as is known. And this is the aspect of v'nasata la-amascha zera anashim — "and You will give to Your maidservant the seed of men" — which our Rabbis of blessed memory interpreted as meaning he would anoint two men — Shaul and David. For through correcting the aspect of netzach — which is the aspect of truth, as above, in the aspect of v'gam netzach Yisrael etc. — he merited to anoint kings who are anointed with holy anointing oil, which is the aspect of the light of truth, as above. For the king is in the aspect of prayer, the aspect of malchus. And therefore the essential kingship is through being anointed with oil — the aspect of the light of truth — through which the essential repair of prayer is accomplished, which is the aspect of malchus, as above. This is the aspect of the Chanukah lamp increasing each day — for one ascends in holiness and does not descend (ma'alin b'kodesh v'lo moridin), as our Rabbis of blessed memory said. For at first truth is greatly constricted at a time when one is placed in the full strength of the exile. But through drawing oneself toward truth according to one's level, through this a small point of truth illuminates for him until he emerges from the darkness — for each day the light increases. For each day the truth illuminates more and more until one ascends to the ultimate ascent, in the aspect of v'anochi a'alcha gam aloh — ascent upon ascent — the aspect of ascending in holiness, etc. This is the aspect of Chanukah — chanu-kaf-heh ("they rested on the twenty-fifth"), the aspect of the twenty-five letters by which Israel unify God each day — that is, the aspect of faith (emunah) — for through the Chanukah lamp, which is the aspect of the light of truth, one merits faith and prayer, as above. For the essential faith is through truth, as explained elsewhere (§7): tzedek kad is'chaberah be-emes is'abidas emunah — "when tzedek (righteousness) is combined with truth it becomes emunah (faith)." See there.