מקוואות א

The general principle is: through peace it is possible to bring the entire world back to the service of Hashem. And it is impossible to attain peace except through the illumination of the face — the adornment of the face — which is the dimension of Yaakov. And one attains this through the guarding of the bris. And the illumination of the face consists of the Torah discourses and their explanations, derived through the thirteen hermeneutical principles which flow from the thirteen configurations of the holy beard — and these are the primary dimension of the adornment of the face, as it says, "and you shall honor the face of an elder" (Vayikra 19:32). And through this one merits the refinement of one's joyful voice, and through the refinement of the voice one attains peace. And specifically in Marah did they receive the Shabbos of Peace — for the way of peace is to clothe itself in bitterness, in the dimension of "behold, peace became bitter for me" (Yeshaya 38:17) — just as all healing requires bitter medicines, so too peace, which is the healing for all things, must clothe itself in bitterness. And this is: "behold, peace became bitter for me, very bitter, and You desired my soul."

For in truth, every single one of Israel possesses the power to bring the entire world back to teshuvah, since every human being is obligated to say: "For my sake was the world created!" For every one of Israel is comprised of the entire Torah, as it says, "this is the Torah — a human being" (Bamidbar 19:14). For each and every individual of Israel is comprised of 248 limbs and 365 sinews, which correspond to the 248 positive commandments and 365 prohibitions, which is the totality of the entire Torah. And the Torah is comprised of the 600,000 souls of Israel, as is known. It follows, therefore, that every individual of Israel is comprised of all of Israel — and therefore all of Israel are mutual guarantors for one another, for each individual of Israel is comprised of all of them, and has the power to bring them all back to teshuvah, and is obligated to strive for this.

And therefore the waters of the mikveh only purify when they are on the ground specifically. For the essential [power of] the mikveh is in the aspect of mah, the aspect of lowliness, as mentioned. Therefore they must be within the earth specifically — which is the aspect of lowliness. For "waters only flow to the low" — namely to one who is humble and lowly. For the waters are the aspect of Da'as, as mentioned — and the essential Da'as comes from the aspect of mah, which is the aspect of lowliness. Therefore they only flow to the low. And this is what the Sages of blessed memory compared the Torah — which is Da'as — to waters in regard to lowliness, and said: "mah mayim ein yordin ela el ha-namuch — af divrei Torah" etc. ("just as water only flows to the low — so too words of Torah") etc. — as mentioned. For in truth they are all one. For the waters — which are the aspect of Da'as, the aspect of Torah — only flow and go to the low: to one who is low in one's own eyes, in the aspect of mah. For the essential Da'as is the aspect of mah, as mentioned.

And this is the aspect of "la-Hashem ha-aretz u-melo'ah" brought in the said discourse: "la-Hashem ha-aretz" specifically — that is, one who makes himself like dust and earth — it is specifically one who is connected to Hashem, the aspect of mah, Adam, Da'as, as mentioned. Then one is "u-melo'ah" — in fullness and completeness, etc., as explained there. And this is the aspect of "melo kol ha-aretz kevodo" ("the whole earth is full of His glory") — "melo kol ha-aretz" specifically: one who is like earth and dust — it is specifically one who is full of His glory, blessed be He, in the aspect of "eshkon es dach" etc. ("I dwell with the contrite"). For when one has pride, God forbid, Hashem the Blessed is not with one — for "ein ani v'hu yekholin la-dur" ("I and he cannot dwell together"), as the Sages of blessed memory said (Sotah 4). And therefore the waters of the mikveh only purify when on the ground specifically — for the essential purification [comes] through the aspect of mah, the aspect of lowliness, the aspect of earth, as mentioned.

And therefore the formation of the mikveh must be by Heaven and not by human hands. For all the works of Hashem the Blessed are in the aspect of in-order. And all the works of the lower beings are in the aspect of out-of-order. For all the worlds, in comparison to Hashem the Blessed, are in the aspect of out-of-order — compared to Him, blessed be He. And because through the mikveh the aspect of out-of-order must be nullified into the aspect of in-order, therefore the formation of the mikveh must be by Heaven specifically — which is the aspect of in-order — so that it should have the power to purify. That is: to nullify through the mikveh the aspect of out-of-order into the aspect of in-order, as mentioned.

And this is the dimension of what Rabbaynu said in the discourse mentioned above — that through the illumination of the face one merits peace, through which one can draw the entire world to the service of Hashem. For the illumination and adornment of the face comes through Torah discourses — for one must adorn one's face and body so that one has a beautiful countenance, the dimension of the adornment of the face. For through precisely this one is able to draw all who are comprised within the limbs of one's body toward Hashem. And the essential quality of the illumination of the face is through the Torah, as above — for all is one, for the human being is the Torah, as above. And through the Torah his face illuminates, for this is the totality of the body of the human being — for the face, which is the intellect, spreads and illuminates throughout the entire body and gives it life, as is known. And through the illumination of the face, through the Torah — that is to say, through the intellect of the Torah spreading through one's face and body until one merits the illumination of the face — through this one is able to draw all the worlds comprised within the limbs of one's body toward Hashem, for they are all comprised within the image and likeness of the human being that illuminates through the Torah. And this is the dimension of the illumination of the face, as above.

And therefore the Torah prohibited chesoves ka'aka, as it says, "and a tattoo inscription you shall not place in your flesh" (Vayikra 19:28). For one must guard the flesh of the body from marring it, from engraving into it a tattoo inscription — so as not to mar the image and likeness of the human being who is comprised of all the worlds, and in whom every limb and every portion of the flesh of his body corresponds to a specific part of the world, with the power to draw that part of the world toward Hashem. For every part of the body corresponds to so many souls — "some of them depend upon the ears, some upon the hairs," and so forth. And similarly with all the other parts of the body from head to foot — for there is not a single hair in a person, and not a single limb or sinew or any portion of the flesh or skin of his body, in which there do not depend countless souls and worlds. And therefore it is forbidden to engrave in one's skin a tattoo inscription — so as not to mar the structure of one's body which is comprised of all the worlds, and through which one has the power in every single limb, and in every portion of the flesh of one's body, to draw the corresponding part of the world toward Hashem — according to the degree to which one merits to illuminate the truth of Torah explanations within one's body. For the primary illumination of the human body is only through Torah discourses and explanations that shine within one's body — and through this one merits the adornment of the face. And through this all 600,000 letters of the Torah shine within one's body and one's limbs. But it is forbidden to engrave in a physical manner any letter in the skin of one's body — that is, the chesoves ka'aka. For on the contrary, through this one mars and destroys the structure of one's body which is comprised of all the worlds, as above. For one must beautify one's body so that it is whole and unflawed without any engraving — for one's body is comprised of all the letters of the Torah. And in truth the human being is above the Torah, as is found in the words of Rabbaynu of blessed memory — as our Sages taught, "how foolish are those who rise before the Torah scroll but do not rise before a Torah scholar." Therefore the primary illumination and adornment of the human body is only through Torah discourses and explanations that one renews through one's intellect — and through this one becomes included within the Torah and an illumination spreads over one's entire body in the dimension of the adornment of the face, as above. But it is forbidden to engrave letters physically in the skin of one's body — for by doing so one mars the adornment of one's body, the dimension of the adornment of the face, as above. And this is the dimension of the prohibition of cutting over the dead. For even though one is obligated to feel pain over the dead, over the departure of a soul from Israel, and one is obligated to mourn for them — nonetheless, the essential purpose of the eulogy and mourning is in order to draw back and restore the dimension of the adornment of the face, the dimension of peace. For through this one draws the entire world to the service of Hashem. For this is the essential purpose of the eulogy: for every individual of Israel has the power to bring the entire world back to teshuvah, as above, and to bind and elevate all the worlds to Hashem — since the deceased was comprised of all the worlds, for one's soul is from Above and one's body is from Below, as our Sages of blessed memory taught. And through the bonding of one's soul to one's body during one's lifetime, one had the power to bind all the worlds together and bring them close to Hashem. And when one departs — when one's soul ascends above and one's body remains below within the earth — they mourn and grieve over this separation. For this constitutes the dimension of the disruption of the peace that existed between one's soul and body during one's lifetime. For the union of soul and body is itself the dimension of peace — since the essential quality of peace is between two opposites, as Rabbaynu of blessed memory said elsewhere. And the body and the soul are two opposites, and when they are bound together during one's living lifetime, this is the dimension of peace. And when the soul departs from the body, this is the dimension of the disruption of peace. And therefore they mourn and eulogize the departed — for through the eulogy one draws the soul of the departed back downward, as is known. And the illumination of the soul once again becomes bound to the body of the departed, and the peace is restored, as above. And this is the dimension of the eulogy upon the departure of the righteous, which is profoundly and deeply beneficial for repentance — for through the eulogy and the prostration upon the grave of the tzaddik, weeping and yearning greatly over the fact that the tzaddik has departed and there is no longer a guide who leads us back to Hashem — through this one awakens the soul of the tzaddik still further, and the soul returns and becomes bound again to the body, as is known. For this is the essential quality of the act of prostration — and the righteous are greater in their death than in their lifetime, and the righteous in their death are called living. The general principle: through the eulogy and the prostration, the illumination of the holy soul is drawn back downward, and the soul becomes even more deeply bound to the body of the departed, and peace flows back once more, as above. And this peace — namely, the illumination and binding of the soul within the body after the departure — is greater by far than the peace and the binding that existed during one's living lifetime. For the greater the separation and the distance between the two, the greater the peace becomes when they are turned and reunited together — since the essential quality of peace is between two opposites, as above. And the greater the distance between the two opposites, the more precious and great and powerful is the peace when they return and unite together once more. And therefore after the departure — when the soul is utterly and completely removed from the body and from this world, in the ultimate degree of removal — the peace is all the greater. And in particular the soul of the great tzaddik of exalted spiritual standing — very, very exalted in degree — whose soul departs and ascends higher and higher to wherever it ascends, while the body is buried deep in the earth several cubits below — it follows that now the soul is at the ultimate degree of distance from the body. And therefore the peace is all the greater. And therefore the righteous are greater in their death than in their lifetime — for now the peace is even greater, as above. And one has even greater power now to draw the entire world to His service, through the magnitude of the peace that one now attains — in the dimension of "let him come in peace, let them rest on their resting places" (Yeshaya 57:2). And as our Sages of blessed memory taught: at the moment when the tzaddik departs from the world, three divisions of ministering angels go out to greet him and say to him, "let him come in peace…" — for the essential quality here is the peace, which is the dimension of the binding and illumination of the soul within the body even after the departure, with ever greater power and force and intensity. For in truth, the great tzaddik — although his soul departs to the lofty place to which it departs — nevertheless, the essential perfection must also be below as well, as Rabbaynu of blessed memory said in Siman 7 of Likutay Moharan, Part Two. For on the contrary — precisely because of the immense and awe-inspiring and most lofty elevation of his stature, therefore he is able to lower himself further and further below, and to raise up and elevate even those who are lowest and most distant — very, very far in the ultimate degree of distance. For from the immensity of the peace that he now attains, as above, he is able to bind and draw all of them toward Hashem — even those who are very distant from holiness. And therefore it is a very very great thing to go frequently to the graves of the true righteous. For through coming to the place of their holy burial — which is in the dimension of Eretz Yisrael, as it says, "the righteous shall inherit the land" (Tehillim 37:29), as is said in the name of the Baal Shaym Tov of blessed memory — and Eretz Yisrael is the land of Life and Peace, as it says, "I shall walk before Hashem in the lands of the living" (Tehillim 116:9). And life is in the dimension of peace, as above. And as it says, "My covenant was with him, life and peace" (Malachi 2:5). And therefore we pray: "bestow peace, goodness and blessing, life…" — for the essential quality of life is peace, which is the dimension of the union of opposites, the union of soul and body, the union of very elevated tzaddikim with absolute sinners, in order to draw them toward Hashem and return them to complete teshuvah. And through each person who comes to the grave of the true tzaddik, weeping and praying there, beseeching and pleading — through this the soul of the true tzaddik is awakened still further, and shines still more abundantly below in this physical world. For "the tzaddikim are found even more in this world after their passing" — as stated in the holy Zohar — and the soul of the tzaddik becomes even more bound to this world, and peace increases all the more, as above, and the entire world is drawn toward the service of Hashem. And although the essential quality of peace comes about through the joyful voice, as Rabbaynu of blessed memory said in that discourse — from the dimension of Shir ha-Shirim asher li-Shlomo, see there — nevertheless, the way of peace is to clothe itself in bitterness, in the dimension of "behold, for peace it became bitter for me" — in the dimension of Shabbos having been commanded at Marah, as is explained there. And this is the dimension of the eulogy and mourning for the departed, which is in the dimension of bitterness, as it says, "and the end thereof is like a bitter day" (Amos 8:10). And this is the dimension of the weeping and bitterness with which one weeps with a bitter soul at the graves of the righteous, in order to draw back and bring down the peace, as above — for peace clothes itself in bitterness, as above. And through the bitterness and the broken heart one subsequently merits joy, as Rabbaynu of blessed memory said elsewhere. And joy is in the dimension of the joyful voice, in the dimension of the ten types of song, which are awakened through the true tzaddik — and this is the dimension of the saying of Tehillim which is customary to say at the graves of the righteous, as is brought in the name of the Baal Shaym Tov of blessed memory, who commanded that certain chapters of Tehillim be said at the graves of the righteous. And this is the dimension of the ten chapters of Tehillim which Rabbaynu of blessed memory revealed and commanded to be said at his grave, as is brought elsewhere. For the ten chapters of Tehillim are in the dimension of the ten types of song with which the Book of Tehillim was said — which are: Ashray maskil… And the ten types of song are joy, as it says, "upon the ten-stringed instrument and upon the lute… for You have made me glad, Hashem, through Your work…" (Tehillim 92:4-5). And song and melody and joy are in the dimension of peace, the dimension of Shir ha-Shirim asher li-Shlomo, as above. And as it says, "for in joy shall you go out, and in peace shall you be led, the mountains and the hills shall burst forth in song before you…" (Yeshaya 55:12). But since the way of peace is to clothe itself in bitterness, therefore most commonly people pour out their hearts in great bitterness at the graves of the righteous, with great bitterness and a most broken and contrite heart. And through this specifically do they merit peace and song and joy — for they are all of one dimension, as above. And through this one has the power to draw the entire world toward the service of Hashem through the immensity of the peace that grows and is magnified and increases through it, as above. And this is the dimension of the adornment of the face — through which one attains peace. For the essential adornment and beauty of the face of a person during one's life comes from the soul that gives life to the body — and when one dies and the soul departs, one's face turns sallow and pale — which is the very opposite of the adornment of the face. But through meriting to draw back the illumination of the soul into the body once more — even after the departure — through this the face of the departed shines once more even after one's departure, in the dimension of "and those who love Him are as the sun going forth in its might" (Shoftim 5:31). It follows, then, that the righteous merit the illumination and adornment of the face even after their departure from the world. And through mourning and eulogizing them and coming to their graves, through this the illumination of the soul is drawn yet more fully and powerfully into the body, as above. And through this, the adornment of their face is magnified and increased even further. And through this one merits peace — which is the healing for all things, for illness of the soul and for illness of the body — through which one draws the entire world toward His service, as above. And this is the dimension of "to grant the mourners of Zion beauty instead of ashes" (Yeshaya 61:3) — "beauty instead of ashes" specifically. For the righteous are called "Tzion" — on account of being marked and distinguished by commandments and good deeds, as it says, "Hashem loves the gates of Tzion" — and our Sages expounded: the gates that are distinguished in halacha. And whoever mourns and eulogizes them and yearns after them — through this one draws their souls downward, for through longing and yearning one draws the soul, as is brought elsewhere, Siman 31. And through this one merits the illumination of the face, in the dimension of "beauty instead of ashes" — "beauty" is the dimension of splendor and the adornment of the face — "instead of ashes" specifically. For first one must be bitter and practice all the laws of mourning. And although all the matters of mourning, G-d forbid, appear to be the very opposite of the adornment of the face — nevertheless, the essential purpose of the laws of mourning is precisely to draw back once more the adornment of the face, which is peace. For every soul of Israel who has departed — and every soul of Israel is in the dimension of the righteous, as it says, "and your people Israel are all righteous" (Yeshaya 60:21) — each one according to one's level and according to one's portion in peace, had the power to draw a portion of the world toward the service of Hashem. And when one dies and departs above — which is the dimension of the disruption of peace, the disruption of the adornment of the face, for one's face turns pale — one must therefore draw the peace back once more. And since the way of peace is to clothe itself in bitterness, one must therefore be bitter and weep and mourn and sit upon the ground — showing that the adornment of the face has been blemished now through the departure of this soul from Israel — and through this very act one draws back the soul of the deceased downward and elevates the soul to the light of the face, to the dimension of the adornment of the face, and draws peace back through this bitterness, in the dimension of "behold, for peace it became bitter for me", as above. And this is the dimension of "beauty instead of ashes" — "instead of ashes" specifically — for through the abasement and the bitterness one merits the beauty of the adornment of the face, and the great and ever-increasing peace, as above. It follows, then, that the entire purpose of mourning and eulogizing, G-d forbid, is only for the sake of the adornment of the face and peace — in order to draw back and restore the soul of the deceased into the body, in order to awaken the peace still further, and so forth, as above. Therefore the Torah warned us not to cut one's body over the dead, G-d forbid — so as not to mar and destroy the adornment of one's body, the dimension of the adornment of the face. For the entire purpose of mourning and eulogizing is only for the sake of the adornment of the face and peace, in the dimension of "to appoint for the mourners of Zion, beauty instead of ashes…" (Yeshaya 61:3), as above. And this is the dimension of the prohibition of korcha — the bald patch — over the dead. For at the time of mourning, G-d forbid, there is a departure of the mind-lights — histalkus ha-mochin — and the hairs are the surplus-flowings of the mind. And at the time of the departure of the mind-lights from their vessels, the mind-lights flow with even greater force into the hairs. And therefore if one were, G-d forbid, to shave one's hair at that time, one might cause damage to one's mind, G-d forbid. Therefore one must wait until the mourning period has passed and is concluded, and then the mind-lights will return and be refined and restored to their place in peace, and will no longer remain concentrated in the hairs — only the surplus-flowings will remain there. And then one shaves them — for at that point one is required to shave them, so that the surpluses in the brain do not accumulate to excess. And this is the dimension of the prohibition of shaving for the Nazir — for "the consecration of his G-d is upon his head". For through the holiness of his consecrated state, even the surplus-flowings of the mind that are in the hairs are also extremely holy, and it is forbidden to shave them until the days of his consecration have passed. And then he must shave them at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and cast them beneath the caldron in which his offerings are cooked — for his hairs are holy, for through the greatness of his sanctity, even the surplus mind-lights are holy, as above. And this is the dimension of the three hundred halachos that were forgotten in the days of mourning for Moshe, and which Osniyal ben Kenaz restored through his dialectical reasoning. For mourning is the departure of the mind-lights, as above — but afterwards the mind-lights return and flow once more. They are in the dimension of the illumination of the face, the adornment of the face — which are the Torah discourses and explanations — and they return through the mourning and eulogy itself, in the dimension of "behold, for peace it became bitter for me", as above. And therefore, after the mourning for Moshe, Osniyal returned and restored the halachos through his dialectical reasoning — for afterwards the illumination of the mind-lights that had flowed from Moshe Rabbaynu, peace be upon him, returned and was drawn down once more. He is in the dimension of the adornment of the face and peace, as above — through the mourning itself, in the dimension of "behold, for peace it became bitter" — for peace is in the dimension of the adornment of the face, in the dimension of those halachos, which are the Torah explanations and innovations, which clothe themselves in bitterness, as above. And therefore the Elders were punished for not eulogizing Yehoshua properly, as our Sages of blessed memory taught: they were granted length of days but not length of years. For through the eulogy of the tzaddik one merits to draw down peace through the bitterness, as above. And the essential quality of life is peace, as above. And therefore because they were negligent in eulogizing him, they blemished peace and life — and therefore they were not granted length of years, as above. And this is the dimension of the famine that occurred in the days of Dovid — "on account of Shaul and his bloodstained house, for he put the Gibeonites to death" — meaning, he was not eulogized as was fitting for him, and the judgment of the matter was placed upon that. For this is interconnected with that. Since Shaul's putting the Gibeonites to death is the dimension of his failure to lower himself to the lower levels in order to raise up all those who had fallen and were far from Hashem — to lift them up and elevate them to Hashem, to carry them as a nursing father carries the suckling infant. For Shaul was the chosen of Hashem, and "ben shanah Shaul be-molcho" — like a one-year-old child completely without sin. And why did his kingship not endure? Because there was not the slightest flaw in him. And because of this very fact — his total purity — he was unable to lower himself to the lower levels, to the very lowest rungs, in order to elevate all of them toward Hashem, even those most distant. For only one who has himself experienced falling and has felt the taste of lowness can lower himself completely to bring up even those who are lowest and most distant. And therefore the kingship was given to Dovid, who was intensely and wholly engaged in this — drawing all close to Hashem, including those most distant. As our Sages of blessed memory said: Dovid was not fit for that deed except in order to teach the path of repentance. And as it says, "he will have compassion on the poor and needy, and the souls of the needy he will save" (Tehillim 72:13) — the king of Israel must have compassion and mercy upon and save the poor and the needy who are very distant from holiness. For that is the essential poverty and neediness — for there is no poverty except in knowledge. And since Shaul blemished in this — and this is the dimension of "he put the Gibeonites to death," the dimension of those who are most distant from holiness, from the woodchopper to the water-drawer — whereas Moshe Rabbaynu, peace be upon him, drew near and bound all of them to Hashem, as it says, "you all stand today before Hashem your G-d, your leaders, your tribes… from your woodchopper to your water-drawer" (Devarim 29:9-10) — therefore, since Shaul failed to strive to draw near and raise these levels, the verse says of him: "for he put the Gibeonites to death." And because of this he was punished — in that he was not eulogized properly, that his illumination was not drawn down sufficiently as was fitting for him, because he had blemished in this during his lifetime, as above. "And the judgment of the matter is placed upon that." Nevertheless, even so, the Elders were punished for this — "and there was a famine in the land" — which is the opposite of peace. As Rabbaynu of blessed memory said elsewhere, in Siman 39 of Likutay Moharan, Part One: as it says, "He makes peace in your borders, He satisfies you with the finest wheat" (Tehillim 147:14). For through the eulogy of the tzaddik one draws his soul downward, which is the dimension of peace, through which one draws the entire world toward the service of Hashem, as above. And this is the dimension of Purim. For the essential quality is peace. For certainly in every generation true and genuinely worthy righteous individuals exist — for no generation is orphaned — and every tzaddik in his generation certainly has the power to turn the entire world to the better. And the essential impediment is only because of the great controversy that exists in every single generation against the true tzaddik of the generation. As we find in all generations from the beginning, there was always great controversy against the true tzaddik of the generation. And the controversy is greatest against the tzaddik who toils to draw people close to Hashem. Against such a one the controversy grows stronger and stronger, as Rabbaynu of blessed memory said on the verse "And Yaakov settled" — Yaakov sought to dwell in tranquility… see there, Siman 228. And as we find in all the generations before us — for Avraham our Father, peace be upon him, was engaged in converting souls, and there was intense controversy against him all his days. When he came to Eretz Yisrael and there was a famine, they said the famine was on his account — as is brought in the Midrash: they said of Avraham, "because of this heretic who has come to us there is a famine." And likewise Yitzchak had controversy from the Philistines, and in particular Yaakov our Father — Lavan and Esav persecuted him, and there was hatred and controversy against him all his days. And so too Dovid the King, peace be upon him, who had immense controversy against him all the days of his life — from Shaul the King, peace be upon him, and Doeg and Achitofel and Sheva ben Bichri, and all the nations disputed him and he had many wars all his days. And similarly in every generation. And likewise against Moshe Rabbaynu, peace be upon him, there was great controversy, as it says, "and they looked after Moshe" — and our Sages expounded: this teaches that they suspected him of a married woman, and every man was jealous of his wife because of Moshe. And so too the controversy of Korach, Dasan and Aviram, and so forth. And similarly against Yeshaya, Yirmiyahu, and the other prophets, and against the other righteous individuals there was always great controversy in every generation. And this is the essential impediment — why the tzaddik in his generation does not succeed in turning the entire world to the better. For if there were peace between them and him, and they knew and believed that he is a true tzaddik who seeks their good, their love and their eternal success — they would certainly draw close to him and hearken to his true words, and he would speak to their hearts and clarify for them the truth, and he would give them good counsel on how to draw close to Hashem, and certainly the entire world would return to the truth and to Hashem through him. But because of the controversy they do not heed his words at all, and even when they hear from him some fitting and wondrous thing, it does not enter their hearts at all, and they seek to refute and reject it from their hearts. It follows, then, that the essential reason the world does not draw close to Hashem is due to the absence of peace. For the essence of the service of Hashem is in the dimension of peace, and for this reason was the essential purpose of the creation of the human being — for the human being is comprised of matter and form, body from the lower realm and soul from the upper realm, and they are two opposites. And when one follows, G-d forbid, the desires of one's heart — this is the absence of peace, as it says, "there is no peace in my bones because of my sin" (Tehillim 38:4). But when one subdues one's body and nullifies it before the soul, this is the dimension of peace — peace is made between the soul and the body. And through one's divine service one binds all the worlds together toward Hashem — those Above and those Below — and makes peace between all of them, between all the opposites. For one binds them all together toward Hashem — and this is the dimension of peace. And this is what Rashi explains on Bereishis on the verse "and He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life": that the human being was therefore created on the sixth day from both Upper and Lower — for on the first day He created heaven and earth; on the second day the firmament for the higher realms; and so forth. Therefore on the sixth day it was necessary to create the human being, who is comprised of both Upper and Lower — for otherwise there would be jealousy among the creatures of Creation, and so on. It follows, then, that the human being is the union and compilation of Upper and Lower — it is the human being who unites everything and makes peace between all of Creation. For this was the essential purpose of the human being's creation — to make peace in the world, meaning, to raise and elevate all the lower levels toward Hashem, to raise all the sparks to their root, which is the dimension of peace — uniting two opposites together, bringing the distant close to above, to Hashem. For the essential quality of peace is between two opposites, as is explained elsewhere. And through the sin of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, peace was disrupted, as it says, "and I will place enmity…" — for the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is in the dimension of controversy — controversy was made between good and evil, and evil no longer becomes a vehicle for good, which is the ultimate peace between the most distant opposites. And therefore from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil the thread of all controversy in the world descends — all controversy originates from there. And this is the contamination of the serpent, who is the great enemy that desires no peace. And Amalek is the contamination of the serpent, who lurks always to disrupt peace and to stir up controversy against the true tzaddik. For he is of the seed of Esav who persecuted Yaakov his brother — who is the essential dimension of peace, as it says, "and Yaakov came to Shalem" — as in the discourse mentioned above. For Amalek is in the dimension of the blemish of the bris, as it says, "who encountered you on the way" (Devarim 25:18). And through the blemish of the bris peace is disrupted, as explained in that Torah teaching above. For it is impossible to receive peace — which is the healing for all things — except through bitterness, as above, as stated in that discourse — in the dimension of Shabbos having been commanded at Marah, as above. And sometimes the illness becomes so severe that the patient is unable to endure the bitterness of the cure, and then the physicians despair of him. So too when sins — which are the illness of the soul — become very powerful, one is then unable to endure the bitterness of the cure. And then "there is no peace, says Hashem, for the wicked" (Yeshaya 48:22). And this is what Chizkiyahu praised the Holy One blessed be He for — that He cast all his sins behind His back, so that it should not be necessary to clothe the peace in a great deal of bitterness. And this is: "behold, for peace it became bitter for me, very bitter, and You desired my soul." See all of this in the discourse mentioned above. It follows, therefore, that when Israel are distant from Hashem — which is the dimension of the disruption of peace, the dimension of there being no peace within one's bones, and no peace between the Upper and Lower worlds, and so forth, as above — and when Israel subsequently need to receive the healing, which is peace, they must first endure bitterness, for the way of peace is to clothe itself in bitterness. And this is the dimension of all the exiles and sufferings that Israel endure — for all of this is in the dimension of the bitterness they must endure in order to receive the healing afterwards — namely, the peace. And this is the dimension of the exile of Egypt, which is the dimension of bitterness, as it says, "and they embittered their lives" (Shemos 1:14). And all of this was to rectify the sin of the first Adam, as is known — for the exile of Egypt was on account of the sin of the first Adam, which is the blemish of the bris, the disruption of peace, as above. And since they needed to rectify this sin and blemish and draw down peace anew, they were therefore compelled to endure much bitterness in order to receive the peace through it — for they afterwards merited to come to Eretz Yisrael and to Jerusalem, which is in the dimension of peace. For that is why it is called Yerushalayim — on account of its being called Yir'a Shalem — the place of complete awe. And Amalek has always served as the strap of discipline for Israel, lurking always at the time when Israel are on the verge of attaining the healing that is peace. And at that time he accuses them of not yet having endured the bitterness that is proper for them. And in truth they had not endured it as required — for Hashem hastened the end in Egypt, which is the dimension of "and You cast all my sins behind Your back". For Hashem foresaw that it was impossible for Israel to endure the exile any further, as it says, "and they could not delay" — as is explained in the sacred writings: that had Hashem not hastened to take them out of Egypt before the appointed end, they would, G-d forbid, have remained sunken there completely. And this is the matter referred to in that discourse — that when Hashem sees that a person cannot endure the bitterness of the cures, He in His mercy casts one's sins behind His back so that the peace should not need to clothe itself in excessive bitterness, but only as much as one is capable of bearing. And this is precisely the matter of the exile of Egypt, where He was compelled, as it were, to hasten the end and reduce the bitterness of the exile — for they were unable to endure it any further, as above. And Amalek lurks and accuses Israel regarding this always — descending and prosecuting, ascending and accusing. Namely: at the time when a person needs to receive the healing, which is peace, and must therefore first endure bitterness beforehand as above — at that very time Amalek seduces the person and does not allow him to stand in the trial and endure even a little of the bitterness, and seduces him to kick against the bitterness that he is compelled to accept for the sake of his healing. And afterward Amalek ascends and accuses, saying that not enough bitterness was sent upon him as is truly proper. And in truth the person is then in great danger — for Hashem had compassion upon him and lightened his bitterness so that he should be able to receive his healing. But when one does not have compassion on oneself and is unwilling to endure and accept even a little bitterness for the sake of the healing of one's soul — then, G-d forbid, the accusation grows stronger, and much bitterness that one is unable to receive in any manner is sent upon him, and then "there is no peace, says Hashem, for the wicked." For certainly, even though Hashem rewards even the guilty with good, and lightens the burden upon ba'alei teshuvah and does not burden them so that they must endure bitterness fully as is truly proper for them according to their sins — nevertheless, to exempt completely without anything at all is impossible, for it is in any case necessary that one endure a little bitterness according to one's capacity, for the sake of one's teshuvah and the healing of one's soul — which is the dimension of peace that clothes itself in bitterness, as above. And if one does not have compassion on one's soul and is unwilling to endure any bitterness whatsoever for the sake of the healing of one's soul — then, G-d forbid, bitterness as is truly proper is sent upon him. And Amalek lurks against Israel always and accuses them at the time when they are exhausted and weary — "and you were weary and exhausted" (Devarim 25:18). And he then ambushes them and cools them off — so that they should not be, G-d forbid, fervent and eager for Hashem to endure a little of the bitterness of the cures — in the dimension of "who encountered you on the way". And therefore the war of Amalek is juxtaposed to the trials and tests of Israel: "is Hashem among us or not — and Amalek came" (Shemos 17:7-8). For all the trials that Israel had at that time — the lack of water at Refidim, and the bitterness of the waters at Marah — all of this was in the dimension of the bitterness they had to endure in order to receive the peace through it, as above. And since Israel did not properly accept the bitterness and harbored thoughts against Hashem, Amalek therefore came and fought with them at that time, which is the dimension of the accusation mentioned above — for his battle was both Above and Below, as is known. And therefore Hashem hates him so much more than all the nations — for he lurks against Israel greatly at the time when they are in greatest danger, when they are under pressure and strain, at the time when they needed to endure the bitterness of the cures, as above. And this is the dimension of Haman — may his name be blotted out. For Israel was then in the Babylonian exile, exiled from Jerusalem — from the place of peace — and they were compelled to endure the bitterness of the exile in order to draw down peace anew, which clothes itself in bitterness, and to return to Jerusalem. And all the tests that a person faces when one seeks to enter the ways of Hashem and return to Him — all of these are in the dimension of the bitterness one must endure for the sake of the healing, which is peace. And Israel did not withstand the test at that time — for they stumbled through foreign women and blemished the bris of peace. And therefore near the end of the exile, when they were supposed to return to Jerusalem — which is the dimension of peace — Haman of Amalek then arose against them with a great accusation, so that there would come upon them, G-d forbid, the great bitterness they deserved, G-d forbid — until the accusation rose so high that a decree was issued against them to destroy, kill, and exterminate, G-d forbid. For since they had not properly accepted the bitterness of the exile, as above, he therefore accused them until the great bitterness spread over them beyond all capacity to bear, reaching the necessity of destruction, G-d forbid. But Hashem had mercy on us in every generation, and sent us then Mordechai and Esther. And Mordechai knew all that had happened, and went forth through the city and cried out with a great and bitter cry, and they decreed a fast of three days and cried out in a bitter voice to Hashem — and through this they sweetened the bitterness. And for this reason Mordechai is called Mor Deror — myrrh of freedom — which is the dimension of the sweetening of bitterness. "Mor" — the language of bitterness — "deror" — the language of freedom, which is in the dimension of peace, as it says, "for in joy shall you go out and in peace shall you be led". That is to say: Mordechai is Mor Deror — he brings out into freedom and peace, and sweetens every kind of bitterness in the world. And therefore he had the power through his prayer and his bitter cry to sweeten even the bitterness that was coming upon Israel at that time — until he sweetened everything and drew peace upon Israel: in the dimension of "words of peace and truth", in the dimension of "speaking peace to all his seed". Until it was reversed and they took vengeance upon their enemies. And all the other nations turned toward Israel in great peace — for the fear of Mordechai fell upon them, until they turned to the faith of Israel, as it says, "and many of the people of the land became Jews…" (Esther 8:17). And this is the dimension of the great multiplication of peace that came about then, through which all were drawn toward Hashem — for through peace one has the power to draw the entire world toward the service of Hashem, as above. And this is the dimension of mishloach manos — sending portions to one's fellow — and gifts to the poor. This is the dimension of the great multiplication of peace — for each person sends portions to the other, which greatly increases peace. And likewise gifts to the poor is in the dimension of increasing charity, which increases peace. And this is the dimension of "seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his seed" (Esther 10:3). "Seeking the good of his people" — this is the dimension of expounding Torah discourses to his people through the thirteen principles, and so forth, for the Torah is called "good," as our Sages taught: "there is no 'good' except Torah." And through Torah discourses — which is the dimension of the illumination of the face, the adornment of the face — in the dimension of "and Mordechai went out from before the King in royal garments of blue and white…" (Esther 8:15) — for all of this is the dimension of the illumination of the face, the adornment of the face, which he merited through Torah discourses and explanations, as above — in the dimension of "seeking the good of his people," as above. Through this: "speaking peace to all his seed" — for through the illumination of the face, which consists of the Torah discourses and explanations, one merits peace, as above. And therefore he cast lots to determine the time — and the lot fell for him on the month of Adar. And he thought that then he would prevail over Israel, G-d forbid, for on the 7th of Adar Moshe died — he who gave the Torah, which is called "peace," as it says, "Hashem will give strength to His people, Hashem will bless His people with peace" (Tehillim 29:11). And the entire matter of Moshe was in the dimension of peace — for he was always engaged in drawing those most distant toward Hashem, even extracting them from the ten unclean crowns, as Rabbaynu of blessed memory said elsewhere. And Haman thought that since Moshe died on the 7th of Adar, there would be no one to stand in our defense, to draw Israel — at the time when they were in disfavor — close to Hashem, when they were alienated from Hashem in the Babylonian exile through the blemish of the bris, as above. But he did not know that on the 7th of Adar Moshe died and on the 7th of Adar Moshe was also born — for on the day the tzaddik dies, that very day he is truly reborn. For Hashem says to him: "I have borne you this day". For the righteous in their death are called living, and the righteous are greater in their death than in their lifetime. And Moshe Rabbaynu is still fighting the war against Amalek for us — for his soul is bound to his body still with great bonding and in great peace. And the extension of Moshe is in every generation — for Moshe Rabbaynu clothes himself in every generation in the true tzaddik of the generation, for no generation is orphaned, as it says, "the sun also rises and the sun also sets" (Koheles 1:5) — "until the sun of Eli had not yet set…" And in that generation, Mordechai and Esther were in the dimension of Moshe Rabbaynu, peace be upon him — they had the power to atone and to sweeten every kind of bitterness and to draw down great peace, as above. Until the nations were turned toward the faith of Israel, and the entire world was thereby drawn toward the service of Hashem, as above. [This section connects to the above.] And therefore our Sages of blessed memory taught that all of Israel mourned for Aharon more than for Moshe, because Aharon was one who loved peace and pursued peace. For the essential quality of the eulogy is over the departure of peace, and through the eulogy one draws peace back once more, as above. And therefore Aharon — who loved peace even more, for he merited the priesthood which is in the dimension of peace, as it says, "behold, I give him My covenant of peace, and it shall be for him a covenant of eternal priesthood" (Bamidbar 25:12-13) — therefore the eulogy for Aharon was even greater. And therefore the Kohanim are warned with an extra warning regarding the prohibition of korcha and cutting, as it says, "they shall not make a bald patch…" (Vayikra 21:5) — for with them the warning is doubled. For the prohibition of kericha and cutting is a blemish of the illumination of the face, a blemish of peace, as above. And the Kohanim have even greater need for peace, as above. As it says, "My covenant was with him, life and peace" (Malachi 2:5). Therefore this warning is doubled with them. And therefore the Kohanim bless Israel with peace, as it says, "May Hashem shine His face upon you… may Hashem lift His face toward you and grant you peace" (Bamidbar 6:25-26). For through the illumination of the face — "may Hashem shine His face" — one merits peace: "and grant you peace", as above. And all the offerings that the Kohanim bring are in the dimension of peace — for they make peace between Israel and their Father in Heaven. And therefore all the offerings are from domesticated and undomesticated animals and birds — for this is the essential quality of peace: to bind and draw those most distant toward Hashem, to elevate from animal to human being — for the essential quality of peace is between those most distant, as above. And therefore all the offerings are through the Kohanim specifically — for they are in the dimension of peace, as above. And therefore Haman rose up at the time when Israel sought to return to Jerusalem and engage in the service of the Temple — and he and his descendants first nullified and suspended the work and construction of the Temple. For Jerusalem and the Temple are in the dimension of peace, as above — for there all the offerings are brought and all the lower levels are bound to Hashem, which is the dimension of peace. And therefore Haman sought to nullify this — for he is a man of strife and an enemy, from the seed of Esav of whom it says, "and his wrath has kept watch forever" (Amos 1:11). And his root is hatred and controversy. And he sought to disrupt the peace, which is the essential rectification of the world, as above. And therefore the Megillah concludes with peace, as it says, "speaking peace to all his seed" — for this is the essential rectification of Purim, that great peace is drawn down, and so forth, as above. And therefore on Purim, whoever extends a hand to receive is given, even a non-Jew. For all of this demonstrates the great multiplication of peace — as our Sages of blessed memory taught: one provides for the poor of non-Jews together with the poor of Israel, for the sake of the ways of peace. But now on Purim one must fulfill this even more intensely, for now one must draw down great peace even with the nations of the world, so that they will all return to the faith of Israel through the great multiplication of peace. In the dimension of "then I shall transform for all the peoples a clear lip…" (Tzefanya 3:9) — which is the dimension of "and it was reversed, so that the Jews had dominion over their enemies" (Esther 9:1). For they will return to our faith willingly, and we will reign over them according to our will, for they will submit themselves to us willingly. And this is the dimension of the reversal: the Jews had dominion over those who hated them — for now they are jealous of us because we are firm in our faith, and because of this they harass us. And this is the essence of the severity of the exile and the subjugation we endure from them. But in the future the matter will be reversed, in the dimension of "then I shall transform" — for on the contrary, they will willingly turn to our faith through the great multiplication of peace that will exist then, as it says, "nation shall not lift sword against nation" (Yeshaya 2:4). And then they will submit to us willingly, for they will bow and lower themselves before us of their own accord. And this is the dimension of "the Jews had dominion over those who hated them", as above. And this is the dimension of what people do on Purim — that they disguise themselves and cover their faces, and pretend to be of another nation, of Yishmael or another people, and the like. This is in the dimension of meshanin mipnai darkei ha-shalom — altering oneself for the sake of the ways of peace. For when one needs to greatly multiply peace, one must sometimes alter oneself and conduct oneself with a kind of cleverness for the sake of peace — changing one's face to many expressions for each and every person according to their will, for the sake of peace. And this is the dimension of "when lowliness is exalted among the sons of men" (Tehillim 12:9) — and our Sages expounded: when a person is in need of people, his face changes to many expressions. For one must conform oneself to each and every person according to their wishes in order to hold onto peace with them, in order to draw them and bring them close to Hashem. And this is: "when lowliness is exalted" — when one must raise and elevate those who are low and degraded from the baseness of the exile. And then "his face changes like a lid to many expressions" — for one must change one's face before each and every person according to their wishes. This is in the dimension of altering oneself for the sake of peace. And therefore on Purim — when the multiplication of peace is greatest, even with all the nations, for Purim alludes to the final redemption, when the memory of Amalek shall be utterly obliterated. And as our Sages of blessed memory taught: all the festivals will be abolished, except for Purim. For the essential final redemption — when the memory of Amalek is obliterated — is in the dimension of Purim, and then peace will be multiplied greatly, as above. And therefore on Purim people change their faces to many expressions — this is in the dimension of altering oneself for the sake of peace, as above — in order to draw all of them toward Hashem, as above. In the dimension of "then I shall transform for all the peoples a clear lip, to call all of them in the Name of Hashem…" — for all of this is brought about through peace. In the dimension of "speaking peace to all his seed" — for through peace one has the power to draw the entire world in its entirety toward His service, to worship Him with one consent, as above. Amen and amen.