חנוכה ב

Section Chuf-Aleph [כא — Final Section] And therefore the disciples of Reb Akiva passed away in the days of the Omer — through the grievances that were between them — and through this they did not sweeten and nullify anger as was proper. And therefore they passed away in the days of the Omer specifically — when one is engaged in nullifying anger — and they blemished in this. Therefore they passed away then specifically. And therefore Reb Shimon bar Yochai said: "Anan b'chavivusa talya" [for us it depends on love] — for this is the essential rectification: to nullify the anger and grievances and draw forth love and kindness, as stated. And this is the bechina of Lag Ba'omer — which is the bechina of "this mound is witness" [eid hagal hazeh] (as cited in the sacred writings). For Lavan pursued Yaakov with all the souls of his household — and the essential jealousy was over the great wealth that [Yaakov] had gathered in his [Lavan's] house, as it is written there in the portion Vayishma Yaakov, etc.: "Yaakov has taken all that belonged to our father, etc." — for the souls depend upon wealth, as stated. And had it not been that Hashem, blessed be He, was aiding Yaakov, Lavan would have uprooted everything, G‑d forbid — as it is written: "An Aramean sought to destroy my father, etc." And it is for this reason that the Haggadah, after mentioning "and afterward they shall go out with great wealth", immediately says: "and it is that which has stood for our fathers and for us, etc., that in every generation they stand against us to destroy us, and the Holy One, blessed be He, saves us from their hand." Tzeh ulmad — go and learn what Lavan the Aramean sought to do to Yaakov our father. And the essential provocation of Lavan against Yaakov was over the wealth he gathered there — for in it our souls were rooted, as stated. And therefore Yaakov especially emphasized this — as it is written: "Were it not for the G‑d of my father, the G‑d of Avraham, etc., surely you would have sent me away empty-handed, etc." And when Hashem, blessed be He, saved Yaakov from Lavan and the wealth with the holy souls remained with him, it is written there: "this mound is witness, etc., that I will not cross to you, etc." — and there is alluded the secret of Lag Ba'omer. And then is the essential sweetening of the judgments of the days of the Counting — through which wealth is drawn to holiness, and the shell of Lavan the Aramean — who provokes the holy wealth — is subdued. For one draws down the bechina of "this mound is witness" — which is the bechina of the subduing of Lavan the Aramean before Yaakov our father — and all the wealth and souls return to holiness, as stated.

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.

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