חלב ודם ג

Therefore it is a great mitzvah to shave on the eve of each Festival, in order to cut away from the Four Kingdoms, so that it can ascend at the Three Festivals — the light of the Countenance, as mentioned above.

Based on the Torah [discourse] "When you arrive at the stones of pure marble" etc., in Siman 51; see there the entire Torah from its beginning to its end.

And behold, it is explained there that the essential grip of tumah [impurity] descended in a chain from the aspect of taharah [purity] that came into being immediately after the Creation emerged from potential [koach] into actuality [po'el]. For before the Creation, when the Creation was still in potential, etc. (See all of this well.)

And this is the aspect of the prohibition of aiver min hachai and the prohibition of basar sheNis'aleim min haAyin [meat that was hidden from the eye/from sight]. For the root of the souls of pure/kosher animals and beasts is drawn from the aspect of taharah, which is the aspect of bechirah [free choice], that came into being after the Creation emerged from potential into actuality. For the taharah — which is the essential aspect of bechirah, from which the tumah descends and grips — is the root of the aspect of Nogah [the intermediary spiritual shell/realm that can go either way], from which the souls of pure animals and beasts derive (as is known in the holy books). For Nogah is the aspect of bechirah, since Nogah is sometimes subsumed within good and sometimes the opposite — which is the aspect of taharah, the aspect of bechirah, that came into being after the son emerged from the brain of the father. That is, after the actuality — for then there is, as it were, the aspect of two things: the aspect of before the Creation and after the Creation, the aspect of father and son. And then there is the power of bechirah, which is the aspect of taharah. For one can choose the good, in the aspect of the truth — to know and believe in the truth: that the son is drawn from the brain of the father. That is, that all of Creation in its entirety — which is called the aspect of "son," for everything was created for the sake of Yisrael, for the sake of the tzadik who is called "son" — everything is drawn and created from the Creator, the singular Primordial One, blessed is He. And He still watches with the eyes of His hashgachah [Providence/supervision] constantly, and conducts everything according to His will alone at all times. And when one believes in this, then everything is one — after the Creation as before the Creation, the aspect of father and son as one, as is explained there — that through truth, His Providence, blessed is He, is drawn, and then all is one, etc.; see there. But through the power of bechirah, one can choose the opposite — that is, to incline one's mind toward falsehood, G-d forbid, which is the aspect of kefiros [heresies] and avodah zarah [idolatry]. And then one does not suckle from the aspect of hashgachah in completeness. And then one separates "after the Creation" from "before the Creation" — and from there is the essential grip of the tumah, which is the evil and the falsehood, the aspect of negdius [opposition/contrariness], that is drawn because of the distance from the One (as is explained there; see there well). It follows that the souls of pure animals, beasts, and birds — which are drawn from the aspect of Nogah — have their root from the aspect of taharah, which is the aspect of bechirah, from which the grip of the tumah descends in a chain — which is the aspect of the souls of impure animals, beasts, and birds, the aspect of the souls of the non-Jews, as is brought. And because the souls of impure animals and beasts — which are the aspect of tumah — are drawn from the aspect of the souls of pure animals and beasts — which are the aspect of taharah — for the tumah descends in a chain, its grip deriving from the aspect of taharah, as mentioned above — therefore, because of this, the Torah gave us clear simanim [identifying signs] to know and discern and distinguish between pure animals and beasts and impure ones. And this is the aspect of the simanim of a pure animal and beast: mafris parsah [split hooves] and ma'aleh gairah [chewing the cud], etc. For certainly one needs great simanim to discern and distinguish between them — between the pure and the impure. For because the impure ones are drawn from the pure ones — for the root of tumah is drawn from the taharah — therefore one can easily err between them and exchange evil for good, impure for pure. For the tumah is the aspect of falsehood, whose way is to exchange and corrupt and substitute through its falsehood — evil for good, impure for pure. Therefore the Torah commanded to distinguish between the holy and the profane, and between "the beast that may be eaten," etc. (Vayikra 11:47). And it gave us great simanim to distinguish between them. For one needs clear simanim to distinguish between them, so that the falsehood — which is the tumah — should not take hold and exchange, G-d forbid, impure for pure, because its root is from the taharah, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of basar sheNis'aleim min haAyin — that it was hidden from the eye, specifically. For the rectification of holy foods is through the holy eyes specifically — that one must draw the eyes of His hashgachah. Through this, "after the Creation" is subsumed within "before the Creation," and then the taharah is subsumed within holiness, and the tumah — which is the falsehood — is nullified, as mentioned above. And therefore one must guard the kosher meat very carefully and place one's eye upon it — one's eye specifically — in order to draw the eyes of His Providence, blessed is He. Through this is the essential rectification of the souls of pure animals and beasts, which are the aspect of taharah that came into being after the Creation. Their essential rectification is through the eyes of hashgachah, through which everything is subsumed within the One, as mentioned above. But as soon as the meat is hidden from the eye, it is forbidden for us, Yisrael, to eat it. For this meat of pure animals and beasts, whose root is from the aspect of taharah — as soon as it is hidden from the aspect of the eyes of hashgachah, the tumah and the falsehood take hold of it, G-d forbid. For it is suspect of exchanging and substituting. For the taharah is the aspect of bechirah, which is the aspect of maskela [a scale/balance] that stands on the scale. And as soon as one does not guard this aspect — to draw upon it the eyes of hashgachah — immediately the tumah and the falsehood take hold of it, G-d forbid, for the root of their grip descends in a chain from there, as mentioned above. And therefore, the kosher meat of pure animals and beasts needs great guarding, so that it should not be hidden from the eye — from the eye specifically. For one must draw upon it the eyes of hashgachah constantly, through which the essential rectification of the taharah takes place — that it should be subsumed within the aspect of "all is one, all is holy," as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of aiver min hachai and the prohibition of nevailah and traifah. For it is forbidden to eat any meat of pure species when they died by themselves, by the hand of Heaven — only when they were slaughtered according to their law, through a human being specifically. For this taharah, which is the root of the souls of the pure species, is the aspect of bechirah, as mentioned above. And therefore it is impossible to refine the aspect of taharah from the grip of tumah and to subsume it within holiness, except through the human being — the possessor of bechirah — specifically. For only for this purpose did the aspect of taharah come into being: so that man would have bechirah, as mentioned above. And therefore, all the souls of the pure species that are drawn from there — from the aspect of taharah — it is impossible to rectify them and refine them from the grip of tumah except through the human being — the possessor of bechirah — specifically. And therefore it is impossible to eat any meat of pure animals, beasts, and birds except through the rectification of shechitah, which is performed through human beings — possessors of bechirah — specifically. But when they died by the hand of Heaven, they are nevailah and are forbidden for eating for Yisrael, the holy nation. For when they were not refined through human beings — through the rectification of shechitah according to its law — then the tumah, whose root of grip derives from there, immediately takes hold of them, and they are transformed to tumah. For they are in the aspect of Nogah, which is sometimes subsumed within tumah. And therefore they are forbidden for Yisrael. And similarly, a traifah [an animal with a fatal defect] that cannot survive — in which an organ was damaged such that it is destined to die from it — is considered as if it died by itself and is also forbidden for Yisrael, like nevailah. For the tumah — which is the aspect of the souls of impure beasts and animals — takes hold of it, because its life-force departed not through a human being, the possessor of bechirah. And therefore it is called by the name "traifah" — as it is written: "And flesh in the field that is traifah, you shall not eat," etc. (Shemos 22:30). And Rashi explained: the typical traifah is one that was mauled by a lion, and all other traifos are named after it. And at first glance this is puzzling: why should deficiencies in the organs caused by illness or a thorn be called "traifah," which means mauled by a lion, as above?! But according to the above, it is resolved very well. For as soon as there is a deficiency in any organ such that it is not fit to live from it, the tumah — which is the aspect of the souls of the impure species — takes hold of it. And they are the evil and tumah, the aspect of negdius, the aspect of mazikei alma [the destructive forces of the world], which are the aspect of wild beasts that maul and tear. And therefore all types of traifos are called by the name "traifah," which is an expression of having been mauled by a lion or other wild beasts. For certainly it has already been mauled and forbidden to us through them specifically. For this is the essential reason for its prohibition: because the grip of the wild beasts that maul and tear — which are the evil and the tumah and the negdius — has taken hold of it, because there is a hole or deficiency in some organ upon which the life-force depends. Its life-force departed not through a human being — the possessor of bechirah — who alone can rectify it through shechitah, the aspect of Nogah whose grip derives from the aspect of taharah — except through a human being, the possessor of bechirah, specifically, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of: "And you shall be men of holiness to Me, and flesh in the field that is traifah you shall not eat" (Shemos 22:30). "And men of holiness" — specifically. For the root of the souls of Yisrael is drawn from the aspect of "all is one, all is good, all is holy." For they are called children of the Omnipresent, the aspect of father and son as one. And this is: "and you shall be men of holiness to Me" — "men of holiness" specifically, the aspect of "all is holy, all is one, all is good." And this is: "you shall be to Me" — "to Me" specifically. That is, that you should be subsumed within Me literally, the aspect of father and son as one, where all is one, all is holy, as mentioned above. And therefore: "and flesh in the field that is traifah you shall not eat" — so that the tumah should not take hold, G-d forbid, of the pure species, which are the aspect of taharah, etc., as mentioned above. But when one is careful regarding traifah and nevailah, then one refines the taharah from the grip of the tumah. And then the taharah is subsumed within the aspect of "all is holy," the aspect of "all is one, all is good," the aspect of father and son as one — so that after the Creation it is as before the Creation, in the aspect of: "and you shall be men of holiness to Me," as mentioned above. And therefore the essential traifos depend on the lungs more than on all other organs. For the lungs are the aspect of eyes, as our Sages of blessed memory expounded (Chullin 49a): "Why is it called 're'ah' [lung]? Because it illuminates [me'iras] the eyes." And therefore, when there is some deficiency in it, it is the aspect of the flaw of the eyes. And one cannot draw the eyes of His Providence through this — and this is the essential flaw of the aspect of Nogah, the aspect of taharah: when one flaws the eyes of hashgachah, then "after the Creation" is separated, G-d forbid, from "before the Creation," as mentioned above. And therefore the lungs — which are the aspect of eyes — need inspection more than anything. Inspection specifically — for the inspection is with the eyes. For through the mitzvah of inspecting the lungs according to its law — and the inspection is with the eyes — through this one draws the eyes of His Providence, blessed is He. And "after the Creation" is subsumed within "before the Creation" — through which is the essential rectification of the pure species that are drawn from the aspect of taharah, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the knife of shechitah. For the knife of shechitah is the aspect of "a sword for Hashem" — a holy sword. It is the aspect of holy gevuros [powers of severity/judgment], which is the aspect of the taharah — which is the sitra d'Levai'ai [the side of the Levites], the aspect of the holy left, as is explained in the above-mentioned Torah [discourse]. And therefore it is impossible to eat the meat except through the rectification of the shechitah, through the sword of shechitah, which is the aspect of taharah, the aspect of bechirah. Through this is the essential rectification of the aspect of Nogah, from which the souls of the pure species derive. And therefore the knife needs a thorough inspection — that there should be no pegam [blemish] in it whatsoever, so that the grip of tumah should not take hold of it — the aspect of the sword of Eisav, the aspect of mazikei alma, whose grip descends in a chain from there. And therefore one must inspect it well, in order to refine the aspect of taharah from the tumah. And then, through this holy sword, one can rectify the living creature and permit it for the eating of Yisrael, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of aiver min hachai. For the essential purpose of all of Creation was for the sake of man, the possessor of bechirah. For this is why Hashem, blessed is He, brought all of Creation from potential into actuality — so that the aspect of taharah would come into being, so that there would be bechirah. And then, when man merits to choose the good in truth, he merits to refine the aspect of taharah from the grip of tumah, and then the tumah is nullified and everything is subsumed within the One. And then man merits through this the great hidden good, etc. (As is brought there in the language of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, that I found adjacent to the above-mentioned Torah.) And because of the sin of Adam HaRishon, it is impossible for anything to be completely refined during its lifetime. And for this reason, death was decreed upon all living creatures, for it is impossible for them to be refined during their lifetime from the grip of tumah until after their death. And therefore, even pure animals, beasts, and birds — all the days of their lives, they are forbidden under the prohibition of aiver min hachai. For the aspect of tumah and evil that grips the aspect of taharah still holds onto them, and it is impossible to refine them except after death. However, man — the possessor of bechirah — merits through his good deeds that he performed during his lifetime, that after his death he should merit to be pure and clean and holy, and to be subsumed within the One — and this is the essential tachlis [ultimate purpose]. But the pure living creatures, which are not possessors of bechirah — the essential refinement and rectification of them is through man, the possessor of bechirah, specifically. That is, through the rectification of shechitah, as mentioned above. But during their lifetime, no rectification avails them, for it is impossible to refine them during their lifetime from the grip of tumah, as mentioned above. And therefore aiver min hachai is forbidden to us, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said: "An animal during its lifetime stands in the presumption of being forbidden," etc. In the presumption of being forbidden, certainly. For even though it is a pure animal, it is still in the presumption of being forbidden all the days of its life. For the evil and tumah still hold onto it, as mentioned above. For it is not refined from the tumah until the shechitah, as mentioned above. And therefore: "when it is slaughtered, it is permitted" — for then is its rectification through man, the possessor of bechirah, specifically, as mentioned above.

Giluach (Shaving) — Halacha 2

Based on the Discourse "U'veyom HaBikkurim"

Based on the discourse "U'veyom HaBikkurim — 'v'es ha'aravim tzivisi l'chalkelecha'" (On the Day of the First-Fruits — "and I commanded the ravens to sustain you"), Likutay Moharan, Part II, Siman 4. See there carefully.

For one must make a vessel and channel through which to receive Chesed, and this is accomplished through yirah (awe/fear), and yirah is accomplished through ratzon (will). The essence of ratzon is accomplished through attachment to the root of ratzon, which is the aspect of the metzach ha-ratzon (the forehead of will). Corresponding to this there is the aspect of metzach ha-nachash (the forehead of the serpent), which is the opposite of ratzon. The essential nourishment of the metzach ha-nachash comes from the elders of the generation in whom there is no wholeness — those who do not add in holiness and knowledge as they age, and so on, as is explained there. For this, charity (tzedakah) helps, and so on, as explained there.

This is the aspect of "short of days, sated with rage" (ktzar yamim sva ragaz): from the defect in the elders — which is the aspect of shortness of days — comes the metzach ha-nachash, which is the aspect of rage (ragaz), the opposite of ratzon. But through the holy beard (zaken d'kedusha) one merits ratzon, the aspect of zaken v'nasa panim (an elder of distinguished countenance). Panim (face/countenance) is the aspect of ratzon. See all of this there carefully.

Therefore the Torah has warned us not to destroy the corners of the beard (pe'as ha-zakan), God forbid, and the essential prohibition is specifically with a razor — for the hairs of the beard are truly the aspect of the days of old age, since the hairs of the beard are supernal, very lofty lights that have contracted into the aspect of hairs, which are the aspect of channels and contractions (tzinoros u'tzimtzumim). And this is the aspect of "days" (yamim), for days are the aspect of contractions and measures, as is brought. Therefore a person must, the more he ages — with each day of his life — add each day in holiness and knowledge, so that he merits to draw and illuminate in that day the light of Da'as (Knowledge). And this is the aspect of hairs literally.