לא ילבש ג

Although there are thousands upon thousands of levels contained in these three, they are all included in three t'shuvos: the first beginning of drawing close, then the constant strengthening and beginning anew (never letting oneself fall), and the third level of transcending one's very perception. Each t'shuvah = Ehyeh (= "Ana zamin l'maihavai" — preparing to begin anew). This is the three times "Ehyeh" that Hashem revealed to Moshe — that he should lead Yisrael on this path: to begin anew each time. Even if one cannot accomplish anything due to the overwhelming galus in body, soul, and livelihood — nevertheless, begin each time to prepare and ready oneself: Ehyeh — "Ana zamin l'maihavai." Through this path He will certainly bring them out of their contamination and impurity (which is the essence of galus) and draw them close to His Name. 20

Therefore immediately afterward He revealed the essential holy Name — the Shem Hava'yah: "Hashem Elokay avosaichem sh'lachani alaichem... Zeh Sh'mi l'olam v'zeh zichri l'dor dor." For now His Name and remembrance will certainly endure forever, generation to generation — since He already preceded with the above aittzah (= the remedy before the wound, as is His way). The secret of three times "Ehyeh" = planting in Yisrael's heart to begin anew each time → they remain established in the kedushah of Yisrael always, no matter what befalls them in all the galusos in body, soul, and livelihood → they draw close to His great Name (the Shem Hava'yah) → it endures with them forever: "Zeh Sh'mi l'olam v'zeh zichri l'dor dor." 21

Now we can say: this is why the Sages established beginning each sidrah three times every week — Shabbos Minchah, Monday, and Thursday — each time returning to the beginning and starting the sidrah anew. Then on the following Shabbos they begin again and complete it. As already explained: public Kri'as HaTorah = to remind and arouse a person to begin anew each time (= the essential Kabbalas HaTorah). Therefore each sidrah is begun three times each week — corresponding to the three times "Ehyeh" that Hashem revealed to Moshe at the beginning of the ge'ulah (whose essence was Mattan Torah) — hinting that one must begin anew each time. 22

This is what is hinted by beginning the sidrah three times, returning each time to the start — corresponding to the three times "Ehyeh." Then on Shabbos we begin and complete the sidrah — for through all these beginnings (included in the three) one merits afterward to begin and finish in completeness. "Lais r'usa tava d'is'avid" — "No good desire is ever lost" — all the more so, no good deed or action performed each time one begins in avodas Hashem. They all gather together to help him → he merits to begin and finish his avodah properly. This is the aspect of what follows these three beginnings of the sidrah: on the following Shabbos we begin and complete it — for this is indeed how it works in avodas Hashem (= Kabbalas HaTorah). 23

Translator's Overview 24

The following summary and diagram are not part of the original text. 25

The heart of this section is the breathtaking drasha on Moshe's question "Mah Sh'mo?" at the burning bush. Moshe's real question was not "What is Your Name?" but "How will Your Name endure with them forever — through all the galusos, all the failures, all the stumbling?" Hashem's answer: three times "Ehyeh" — "I am preparing to come into being." Three levels of t'shuvah, three types of beginning anew. Only after giving this aittzah (the remedy before the wound) did He reveal the essential Shem Hava'yah — because now it will endure forever. Reb Noson maps this directly onto the weekly reading cycle: Shabbos Minchah, Monday, Thursday = three beginnings of the sidrah from scratch. Then Shabbos = completion. "Lais r'usa tava d'is'avid" — no good desire is ever lost. The worst of the worst, standing today at whatever lowly level, magnifies Hashem's Name in a way that angels in Gan Aidain cannot. 26

Likutay Halachos — Hilchos Kri'as HaTorahHalacha 6 – Part D (§22–28)

Based on LM II:8 — "Tik'u-Tochachah" (continued)The Name Written Backwards · Simchas Torah · "Ain Olin Min HaCheshbon" · Haftorah · Shnayim Mikra 1

All this is the aspect of shir pashut, kaful, m'shulash, m'ruba — the holy niggun merited through Kabbalas HaTorah (= n'vu'ah drawn through all the above tikkunim). Shir pashut, kaful, m'shulash, m'ruba = the Shem Hava'yah b'achorayim [the Name written in "backwards" expansion]: first Yud; then Yud-Hay; then Yud-Hay-Vav — each time returning to the beginning of the Name. This = beginning anew each time (as also explained in Torah "Vayasaiv Elokim" (Siman 62, part 1): beginning anew each time = the Name written b'achorayim). 2

So too the three times = shir pashut, kaful, m'shulash = Yud / Yud-Hay / Yud-Hay-Vav. In all three, we return to the beginning and do not complete the Name. Then we begin and complete it = m'ruba [quadruple] = the complete Shem Hava'yah. This corresponds to: the fourth time (= the following Shabbos) we begin the sidrah and complete it → meriting Kabbalas HaTorah in completeness (= Sh'mah d'Kudsha B'rich Hu) → the shir and niggun are completed: shir pashut, kaful, m'shulash, m'ruba. Pashut, kaful, m'shulash = the three pre-Shabbos readings; m'ruba = Shabbos (beginning and completion). Then: "Zeh Sh'mi l'olam" is fulfilled. 3

All this is the cycle of one week. Then immediately at Shabbos Minchah we begin the next sidrah and proceed the same way — and so every Shabbos until we complete the entire Torah each year from B'raishis to "l'ainay kol Yisrael" — all to draw emunas chiddush ha'olam into the entire world. Then immediately upon completing it on Sh'mini Atzeres / Simchas Torah, we begin again from B'raishis — for in every generation, every year, every week, every day, we must begin the Torah anew. Many, many times one must begin without completing — all included in the three times "Ehyeh." Then when we complete according to the completion, we merit unifying the Shem Hava'yah where the essential tikkun lies. 4

Also explained in the writings of the Ari z"l: the Name Ehyeh = the aspect of the Name Y-K-V [the first three letters of the Shem Hava'yah], since each letter's numerical value equals that of "Ehyeh." Thus shir pashut, kaful, m'shulash (= only up to the third letter of the Shem Hava'yah) = the aspect of Ehyeh. This is merited through the three pre-Shabbos readings. Then on the following Shabbos we read the entire sidrah from beginning to end → the complete Shem Hava'yah = shir pashut, kaful, m'shulash, m'ruba = the above niggun merited through Kabbalas HaTorah. 5

Therefore on Simchas Torah, when we finish the Torah, we engage in shir and niggun with great simchah — for all this is drawn from the simchah of the above holy niggun, merited through Kabbalas HaTorah. 6

Now the holy language of the above Mishnah is precisely explained: "On Monday, Thursday, and Shabbos Minchah they read in sequence — v'ain olin lahem min hacheshbon" — "it does not count for them." This hints that Torah fulfillment requires beginning anew each time. "V'ain olin lahem min hacheshbon" — its plain meaning: the three readings (Monday, Thursday, Shabbos Minchah) do not count at all — as if they never began the sidrah; they must begin again from the start on the following Shabbos. 7

This is exactly the awesome aittzah for Torah fulfillment above (= Ehyeh = beginning anew each time). "V'ain olin lahem min hacheshbon" — a person must remove from his mind every day and every time everything that passed upon him until this day and this hour. It should not "count" for him at all — as if he had never begun at all. 8

If you contemplate the descents and falls that pass over every person: the essential cause of each person's fall in his own mind is that it seems to him that he already tried, already began a little in avodas Hashem and fell, then strengthened himself to begin again and fell again — this happened many times. Therefore the Ba'al Davar entices him to despair completely, chas v'shalom, telling his heart: "You see that there is no hope!" This is known to everyone engaged in the holy study of drawing youth close to avodas Hashem. 9

But whoever merits connecting to kosher, true companions constantly until he merits receiving and implanting in his heart the above holy aittzah — to forget each time everything that passed, even if he already began thousands of times without number — and now begin anew: whether to cry out to Hashem from the depths of his heart as needed at that moment, whether to begin learning, praying, and engaging in mitzvos, whether to gladden his soul with "Who did not make me a non-Jew" and "Who separated us from those who go astray" — transforming sorrow and sighing to simchah — through all this he will remain established in Torah fulfillment always. 10

This is "v'ain olin lahem min hacheshbon" — all the beginnings in Torah and avodah until now should not count at all — as if he never began. 11

For it is known to all: even if a person sinned all his days and repented at the end, everything is forgiven (Kiddushin 40). Whoever repents in his youth — there is nothing higher. But if he was already negligent, chas v'shalom, and didn't return until the end of his days — he too is fortunate for repenting at the end. The essential fall of the many who began several times and fell — their essential fall is because they saw they already began many times and fell → the Ba'al Davar wants to entice them to despair. Therefore one must follow this path: begin anew in whatever aspect he can, forgetting everything that passed — "v'ain olin lahem min hacheshbon." All the beginnings included in the three weekly beginnings of the sidrah — none count, for now he must begin completely anew. And so always, until he merits the t'shuvah of Shabbos (see Torah "B'tach BaHashem," Siman 79, part 1) — then he will begin and finish in completeness. 12

In Klal Yisrael this is hinted through the three weekly beginnings of each sidrah (= three times Ehyeh); then on Shabbos we begin and complete. For the discerning, every individual is hinted at through this: begin anew many, many times every week and every day. As Rabbainu z"l said: he had many, many beginnings in a single day (as brought in his holy praises) — and through this specifically he merited afterward what he merited. 13

This is the aspect of Kri'as Maftir — reading from the Navi after Kri'as HaTorah on Shabbos and Yom Tov (when the essential reading takes place). The reason brought in the Poskim: once the wicked kingdom decreed against reading Torah, they read from the N'vi'im instead; when the decree was annulled, the takanah remained — to read from the Navi after Torah, from a passage related to the parashah. 14

According to the above: in every generation there are tzadikim with some aspect of ru'ach haKodesh (= ru'ach n'vu'ah) → the essential birur of the m'dameh (= birur of emunah). Everyone who wants to care for his eternal purpose must search and seek greatly after such tzadikim — for all holy emunah (= emunas chiddush ha'olam) depends on this. As already explained: public Kri'as HaTorah = drawing Kabbalas HaTorah. Therefore after Kri'as HaTorah we read from the Navi for Maftir — to declare and show that the essential drawing of holy emunah (= Kabbalas HaTorah) is drawn in every generation through true N'vi'im (= ba'alay ru'ach haKodesh of every generation) — through whom Torah is never forgotten from Yisrael. 15