שחיטה א

This will be in the future, when the birur is completed fully. Kedushah will not be perfected until then — when "V'amdu raglav bayom hahu al Har HaZaisim" is fulfilled → kedushas BHK will be perfected → all will ascend to Yerushalayim. As written there: wondrous miracles of mountains splitting and reaching each other — "Ki yagi'a gay harim el Atzel" — all from the completeness of kedushah when the birur of the raglayim is completed → artzi'us nullified → even mountains can draw close. The Batay K'nessiyos ascending to Yerushalayim = the great shalom (= unity and connection: artzi'us — the dividing screen — nullified → all kedushah uniting together in shalom). 17

For the blemish [pegimah] of the knife is the Sitra d'Mosa [the Side of Death], as is brought. And Yisrael are a holy people and are forbidden to eat nevailah [an animal carcass that died without proper slaughter] — that is, [an animal] that died on its own through the Angel of Death, and the Side of Death holds sway over it — which is the aspect of pegam ha'bris [damage to the bris, i.e. sexual impurity]. And this is what is written: "You shall not eat any nevailah… for you are a holy people" (Devarim 14:21) — "wherever you find a fence against sexual immorality, you find holiness" (Vayikra Rabbah, Chapter 24). That is, because Yisrael are a holy people — in the aspect of guardians of the bris, which is the essence of the holiness of Yisrael — therefore they are forbidden to eat nevailah, which is the aspect of the Side of Death, pegam ha'bris, the opposite of guarding the bris, from which [place of guarding the bris] comes life (as brought already several times).

And likewise, when there is a blemish in the knife, then the blemish uproots the simanim [the signs, i.e. the trachea and esophagus], and the animal does not die through the shechitah, but rather through the uprooting of the simanim by means of the blemish, which is the Side of Death. And then it becomes a nevailah as well, and is forbidden to Yisrael, a holy people, as mentioned above. For the animal is rendered fit for consumption only through shechitah with a valid [kasher] knife. Through this, the spirit of animality of the animal is subdued, and the soul within the living creature is elevated to the level of medaber [the speaking being]. For the knife of shechitah is the aspect of: "a sword unto Hashem, filled with blood" (Yeshayahu 34:6), as Rabbeinu [Rebbe Nachman], may his light shine, wrote (in Siman 37).

And it is the aspect of the completeness of Lashon HaKodesh [the Holy Tongue], which is the aspect of Chavah [Eve] — ishah [woman] — which is the aspect of the above-mentioned sword, "that consumes all and destroys all" [d'achlei kula v'shaitzei kula], that consumes and eradicates the evil of all the seventy languages — the aspect of pegam ha'bris, the spirit of animality. And Yisrael, who cling to her, receive life from her, as it is stated: "And you who cling to Hashem your G-d are alive" (Devarim 4:4).

"Ma'alin baKodesh v'lo moridin" — "We ascend in holiness and do not descend" (Megillah 9). The essential pinnacle of kedushah = kedushas Sefer Torah (as in the Mishnah and Shulchan Aruch: if they sold a Bais HaK'nesses they may purchase... ascending through the levels... until: if they sold sefarim, they purchase a Sefer Torah — ascending in kedushah). The essential kedushah is when the artzi'us is completely nullified = kedushas Sefer Torah, where the klaf [parchment] is bound to the letters of the writing in a permanent, strong bond → the klaf is transformed to the complete kedushah of the holy letters of the Sefer Torah. 18

This is the aspect of shechitah — to subdue and break the power of animality, the evil of the seventy nations, the Side of Death, pegam ha'bris. And to rectify and vivify the soul within the living creature — that is, to elevate it from chai [living creature] to medaber [speaking being], which is the essential vitality of the soul that is there, when they elevate it to its root, to the level of medaber. For "a sword unto Hashem, filled with blood," mentioned above, is the aspect of the completeness of Lashon HaKodesh, which subdues the comprehensive evil of the seventy nations — that is, the collective lusts — in the aspect of: "the exaltation of G-d in their throats, and a double-edged sword in their hands, to execute vengeance upon the nations" (Tehillim 149:6–7). "The exaltation of G-d" — this is the aspect of the completeness of Lashon HaKodesh, which is the aspect of tefillah [prayer]. And the aspect of the completeness of Lashon HaKodesh, which is the aspect of pi shnayim [a double portion], the aspect of shnayim mikra [reading the Torah portion twice], as brought in the discourse that speaks of the completeness of Lashon HaKodesh, which begins: "A prayer of Chavakuk" (in Siman 19). And this is: "to execute vengeance upon the nations" — that through it, the evil of the seventy nations is subdued, as mentioned above.

The essential ascent of kedushah is through the dibbur (= the letters of the Sefer Torah = the letters of speech). Since the klaf is bound to these letters in such strong connection and great unity → the klaf is completely nullified before the letters → acquiring complete kedushah. Therefore the Sefer Torah and sefarim are "mitzvos with inherent bodily kedushah" — their body is holy because it is bound to the letters → their gashmiyus is completely nullified before the kedushah → the kedushah can never be changed. 19

And therefore, one must eradicate from the above-mentioned knife — which is the aspect of "a sword unto Hashem" as mentioned above — all blemishes, which are the Side of Death, pegam ha'bris, through which the knife — "the sword unto Hashem" — becomes blemished. For this depends on this: the completeness of Lashon HaKodesh and the guarding of the bris. And through pegam ha'bris, the speech of Lashon HaKodesh is blemished — and this is the aspect of the blemishing of the knife, as mentioned above.

And this is the aspect of the twelve inspections of the knife (Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah, Siman 18:9), corresponding to the twelve tribes of G-d [Shivtai Ya"H], upon whom the Malchus [Kingship] of holiness stands — and they are the aspect of tikkun ha'bris [the rectification of the bris] (as brought above) (see Likutay Moharan 37:6). And likewise there are twelve words in the blessing over the shechitah, corresponding to the twelve tribes of G-d, as mentioned above. For the knife — "the sword unto Hashem" — mentioned above, must be entirely well-inspected and complete, without blemish, in the aspect of: "You are entirely beautiful, my beloved, and there is no blemish in you" (Shir HaShirim 4:7). For Lashon HaKodesh, which is the aspect of Chavah — ishah — as mentioned above, must be in great completeness, without any blemish or defect whatsoever.

The Bais HaK'nesses, even though holy words of Torah and tefillah are spoken there, is still classified as tashmishay mitzvah (as the Poskim say) — its kedushah can be changed by the Shiv'ah Tuvay Ha'Eer with the city's people — for the BHK is not bound to the holy dibbur as strongly as the klaf to the letters. 20

And this is the aspect of: the blemish of the knife is equivalent to the blemish of the Mizbai'ach [Altar], as our Sages of blessed memory stated. For the knife — the aspect of the completeness of Lashon HaKodesh — must be complete without blemish, in the aspect of: "Avanim Shlaimos Tivneh" — "You shall build [the Altar] of whole stones" (Devarim 27:6), from which we derive [the law of] the blemish of the Altar. And likewise, the knife — the aspect of the speech of Lashon HaKodesh — also must not be blemished, and must be complete with the completeness of the Altar, in the aspect of: "whole stones you shall build," which is the aspect of the completeness of the speech of Lashon HaKodesh, as brought in the words of Rabbeinu elsewhere (in Siman 18). For stones [avanim] are the aspect of letters [osiyos], as is written in Sefer Yetzirah: "Two stones build two houses." And they must be complete, without blemish — the aspect of the completeness of Lashon HaKodesh mentioned above, which is the aspect of "a sword unto Hashem," the aspect of the knife of shechitah, as mentioned above. For the Mizbai'ach also rectifies the bris through the korbanos [offerings], which subdue the spirit of animality (as brought above). And therefore, the blemish of the knife is equivalent to the blemish of the stones of the Altar, as mentioned above.

And therefore, "Avanim Shlaimos Tivneh" — the initial letters [roshei taivos] spell אֵשֶׁת — "eishes" ["wife of"], as Rabbeinu wrote elsewhere (in Siman 18); for this is the aspect of the completeness of Lashon HaKodesh, which is the aspect of Chavah — ishah, as mentioned above.

Therefore a person must sanctify himself so deeply through Torah and tefillah that his body is completely nullified before the dibbur — his body joined and included in the dibbur like the klaf joined to the letters (until klaf and letters are literally one thing = Sefer Torah). Likewise his body should be so joined and included in the dibbur that the holy words are inscribed upon him — nothing inscribed in his body but letters and words of Torah, like the klaf of a Sefer Torah bearing nothing but Torah letters. Then this person is holy with the kedushah of a Sefer Torah — and more. Of him it is said: "Zos haTorah adam" — "This is the Torah: a man" — meaning: this man himself IS the Torah (as found in Rabbainu z"l's words). Of such a Talmid Chacham the Sages said (Makkos 22): "How foolish are those who stand for a Sefer Torah but do not stand for a tzurba mairabbanan!" This is "Kasvam al lu'ach libecha" — "Write them upon the tablet of your heart" (Mishlai 3) — the Torah's words literally written upon him like letters inscribed in a Sefer Torah. 21

And therefore one must inspect the knife "a'bisra v'a'tufra" [on the flesh and on the fingernail] (Chullin 17b; Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah, Siman 18:9). This is the aspect of the completeness of Lashon HaKodesh through the Targum [Aramaic translation] (as brought above several times). For bisra [flesh] is the aspect of Lashon HaKodesh, the aspect of Chavah — ishah — as mentioned above, the aspect of: "flesh of my flesh" (Bereishis 2:23), as Rabbeinu wrote there. And tufra [fingernail] is the aspect of Targum, which is the aspect of Nogah [a level of spiritual luminosity between holiness and the kelipos]. For the fingernails are the aspect of "garments of skin" (Bereishis 3:21) (Bereishis Rabbah 20:12), which is the aspect of Chashmal, the aspect of Targum, as is brought.

And through bisra and tufra — the aspect of the completeness of Lashon HaKodesh through the Targum, as mentioned above — through this, the knife is inspected and made complete. For it is the aspect of speech, the aspect of "a sword unto Hashem," as mentioned above. For they [the flesh and fingernail] inspect and remove all the blemishes from the knife, which are the aspect of the Side of Death, pegam ha'bris — which is subdued and falls through the completeness of Lashon HaKodesh, through the Targum (as explained there, see there). And therefore, the measure of a blemish [in the knife] is any amount whatsoever, to be stringent. And in any case, the thickness of a hair's breadth is certainly a blemish according to all opinions (see Tur and Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah, Siman 18:2). This is the aspect of the tzadikim [the righteous]. The Holy One, Blessed is He, is exacting with them even to a hair's breadth. And a tzadik is one who guards the bris [man d'natir bris]. And regarding the guarding of the bris, the Holy One, Blessed is He, is exacting even to a hair's breadth. And one must guard oneself from any blemish whatsoever, G-d forbid, in the aspect of a tzadik, which is the aspect of guarding the bris. For guarding the bris is the rectification of the moach [mind/brain], and the mind must be guarded very carefully so that it should not be blemished even the slightest amount, for it is the root of all things, as mentioned above in Hilchos Pesach (Halachah 1). For a blemish of the mind is the aspect of chametz [leaven] on Pesach — [which is forbidden] in the most minute quantity [b'mashehu] (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayyim, Siman 442:1), see there. And therefore the measure is, at any rate, a hair's breadth. For the hairs are the mosrai mochin [surplus/residue of the brain-faculties], and when the mind is blemished, G-d forbid, then the damage reaches the hairs more than anything, for they grow and emerge from the turbidity of the brain. Therefore one must guard the mind very carefully so that it not be blemished at all — to the extent that even a single hair's breadth of his hairs should not be blemished at all. For by the tzadik, whose mind is holy, even his hairs — which are the surplus of the brain-faculties — are also holy. And this is the aspect of the measure of the blemish of the knife — which is the aspect of pegam ha'bris, as mentioned above — being a hair's breadth. That is, that not even a single hair of his hairs should be blemished — the aspect of the surplus of the brain-faculties, as mentioned above. And therefore, the shechitah is only valid when performed by a Jew [Yisrael]. However, the slaughter of a non-Jew [nochri] renders [the animal] a nevailah, even if he does not worship idols, and even if he is a minor, and even if others are watching him (Yoreh De'ah, Siman 2:1). For, on the contrary, the non-Jew renders the living creature a nevailah through his slaughter, for he is from the seventy nations, who are immersed in the above-mentioned comprehensive evil. And none is fit to slaughter except a Jew, for they are all in the aspect of guardians of the bris, and they have the power to subdue the comprehensive evil of the seventy nations, as it is stated: "And Your people Yisrael — all of them are righteous [tzadikim]" (Yeshayahu 60:21). And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said: that it is forbidden to slaughter unless one shows his knife to a chacham [sage/scholar], who will inspect the knife for the shochet [slaughterer], and afterward he may slaughter. For the completeness of Lashon HaKodesh, which is the aspect of "a sword unto Hashem" mentioned above, the aspect of the knife as mentioned above — it is impossible to receive this except from the tzadik and the chacham of the generation, who merits the completeness of Lashon HaKodesh, as explained there in the above-mentioned discourse. And therefore, one must receive from him specifically the knife of shechitah, which is the aspect of the speech of the completeness of Lashon HaKodesh, as mentioned above. [This section] pertains to [the section] above. And therefore, one must be proficient and know the five laws of shechitah (Yoreh De'ah, Siman 23:1), corresponding to the ה [hei] of da'as [knowledge], which is the aspect of tikkun ha'bris, that is achieved through the valid shechitah as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of [the requirement that the slaughterer be] mumcheh [an expert] and muchzak [established/presumed fit] (Yoreh De'ah, Siman 1:1) — which the shochet must be. That is, mumcheh is the aspect of completeness in the five laws of shechitah, which is the aspect of tikkun ha'bris, as mentioned above. And likewise, he must be muchzak — that he not be faint-hearted, that he not faint. For he must be muchzak — that he have a strong and mighty heart, to clothe himself with a spirit of gevurah [strength] from Hashem, to wield "the sword unto Hashem" mentioned above, to wage the war of Hashem of Hosts, to subdue the comprehensive evil, the spirit of animality, through the shechitah, as mentioned above. For tikkun ha'bris is the aspect of azus [boldness], the aspect of Boaz — "bo az" [in him is strength], "in him is might" [bo tukfa], as is brought. And this is [the reason] that it is forbidden to slaughter before eight days have passed after [the animal] was born, just as with a korban [offering], of which it is written: "Seven days it shall be under its mother, and from the eighth day onward it shall be accepted as an offering" (Vayikra 22:27), etc. For the korbanos are the aspect of tikkun ha'bris, for they come to subdue and remove the spirit of animality, as mentioned above. Therefore it is not accepted as an offering until the eighth day (Vayikra 12:3), in the aspect of milah [circumcision], which is tikkun ha'bris, whose commandment is on the eighth day. For the essential tikkun ha'bris is in the aspect of the eighth day, which is above the seven days — which is the aspect of da'as, from which the essential tikkun ha'bris is drawn, as is brought. And seven days must pass over it, in order to emerge from the koach ha'medameh [the imaginative faculty], the power of animality, whose primary hold is in the aspect of the seven days, through fallen loves [ahavas ha'nefulos], as brought in the words of Rabbeinu (in Siman 54). But in the aspect of the eighth day, which is the aspect of mochin [brain-faculties/higher consciousness], [the power of animality] has no hold there. And then the milah is performed — which is the subduing of animality and tikkun ha'bris. And likewise, the korban also is not accepted until the eighth day, for it is also the aspect of tikkun ha'bris, as mentioned above. And likewise, the shechitah, which is also the aspect of tikkun ha'bris, the aspect of a korban, as mentioned above — in order to subdue the power of animality as mentioned above — therefore one must also wait until the eighth day, as mentioned above. As Rabbeinu wrote there in the discourse "A Prayer of Chavakuk" (Section 3): that the subduing of the comprehensive evil through the completeness of Lashon HaKodesh is the aspect of milah, the aspect of Chashmal, see there. And this is the aspect of the shechitah with the above-mentioned knife — the aspect of "a double-edged sword" (Tehillim 149:6), the aspect of the completeness of Lashon HaKodesh, as mentioned above. It follows that it is in the aspect of milah, and therefore one must wait until the eighth day, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of covering the blood with earth [kissui dam b'afar]. With earth specifically, for it is the aspect of the above-mentioned sword, which is the aspect of tefillah [prayer], the aspect of Malchus, the aspect of the speech of the completeness of Lashon HaKodesh, as mentioned above. All of this is the aspect of earth [afar], which is the aspect of tefillah, the aspect of the above-mentioned sword, as Rabbeinu, may his light shine, wrote elsewhere (in Siman 9), in the aspect of: "He renders His sword like dust" (Yeshayahu 41:2). As Rabbeinu, may his light shine, wrote regarding "and he weighed the dust and smelled" etc. (Bava Basra 73a) — earth is the aspect of Malchus, as is known. And therefore, the covering, even though it is a mitzvah in its own right, is the completion of the shechitah (as brought in the Shulchan Aruch). For it is the aspect of actual shechitah, and it is the completion of the shechitah. For the shechitah is with the above-mentioned knife, through which the spirit of animality is subdued, in the aspect of: "an avenging sword, avenging the covenant [bris]" (Vayikra 26:25), in the aspect of: "and My sword shall consume flesh" (Devarim 32:42). For it is the aspect of kalah [a bride/consummation], "that consumes all and destroys all," as mentioned above. And through this very shechitah with the above-mentioned sword, they rectify and vivify the soul that is there, in the aspect of: "And you who cling to Hashem your G-d are alive" (Devarim 4:4), etc., as mentioned above. And this is also the aspect of the covering of the blood — to rectify the remaining sparks and souls that remained in the blood itself. For the blood is the soul, and as our Sages of blessed memory said: "blood, in which the soul departs," etc. Therefore one must cover it with earth, which is the aspect of the above-mentioned sword, in order to confine the transgression and seal the sin, to purify and cleanse the soul that is there, to subdue the evil that surrounds it and to consume it and eradicate it through the earth — the aspect of the above-mentioned sword. And to rectify and elevate the soul that is there, to elevate it to its root, to give it life through this, as mentioned above. And therefore, the one who slaughtered — he should cover (Yoreh De'ah, Siman 28:8). For it is the aspect of actual shechitah and the completion of the shechitah, as mentioned above. And the one who began the mitzvah — who began to rectify the souls through the knife of shechitah, as mentioned above — he should complete it (based on Yerushalmi, Pesachim, Chapter 10, Halachah 5), to cover the blood with earth — to also rectify the remaining sparks and souls, as mentioned above. And all of this is accomplished through the aspect of tikkun ha'bris, as mentioned above, through which the shechitah and the covering are accomplished, as mentioned above. And therefore, when there is no [valid] shechitah, there is no covering (Yoreh De'ah, ibid., Siman 17 [i.e. 28:17]). That is, when it became a nevailah in his hands, the blood does not require covering. For when they did not rectify the main thing through the shechitah, which is the essential rectification, then it is impossible to further rectify the remaining souls that remained in the lifeblood through the covering. For the Side of Death has already overpowered and dominated them, and it has become a nevailah as mentioned above, and it is impossible to complete the rectification of the covering except when it has already been properly rectified through the shechitah, as mentioned above. It follows that the aspect of kissui dam [covering the blood] is accomplished through tikkun ha'bris, as mentioned above. And therefore, one must place earth from below and earth from above, as it is stated: "and he shall cover it with earth" (Vayikra 17:13). And they derived that it must be covered within earth — from below and from above. This is the aspect of kevurah [burial], which is also for the purpose of rectifying the soul and elevating it, and consuming the zuhama [spiritual contamination], and subduing the evil that is attached to it, as it is stated: "and the dust shall return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to G-d" (Koheles 12:7), etc. And the essential purpose of kevurah is for the sake of tikkun ha'bris, in the aspect of covering — to cover the flesh of nakedness. For through pegam ha'bris, their primary hold on [the soul] is from there, and from there come all the disgraces and shames (as brought in the words of Rabbeinu, Siman 19:3), in the aspect of: "for it is a disgrace to us" (Bereishis 34:14). Therefore one must immediately cover over his shame — to bury him immediately, as it is stated: "you shall surely bury him on that day, for a curse of G-d is one who is hanged" (Devarim 21:23). "Curse" [kilelas] is an expression of degradation and disgrace, as Rashi explains. That is, one must bury him immediately, in order to cover the disgrace that covers over the soul through pegam ha'bris, as mentioned above. For also the initial decree of death and burial came about through pegam ha'bris, as it is stated: "for dust you are and to dust you shall return" (Bereishis 3:19) — which was decreed upon the sin of Adam HaRishon [the first Man], who blemished the bris, as our Sages of blessed memory stated (Sanhedrin 38b): "Adam HaRishon was drawn in his foreskin" [i.e. he was born circumcised but the foreskin was drawn back over]. For through this, burial is specifically required — in order to cover, etc., as mentioned above. And it is a great benefit and a great rectification — to consume the zuhama and to elevate the soul, as mentioned above. And this is what we find regarding Shem and Yefes: because they covered their father's nakedness (Bereishis 9:23) — the aspect of tikkun ha'bris — therefore their descendants merited burial, which is the aspect of covering, etc., as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of kissui dam with earth — that is, within earth from below and from above, as mentioned above — which is the aspect of tikkun pegam ha'bris, as mentioned above. For from there come the oppressed souls that descended there, into the living creature that was slaughtered. And therefore, covering in the aspect of burial is required, as mentioned above — to cover over the disgrace of the soul and to rectify it and to elevate it and to consume the zuhama through this, as mentioned above. And therefore, only a wild animal and a bird require covering (Yoreh De'ah, Siman 28:1). For there, the oppressed souls are held and trapped to a greater extent — in the aspect of hunting a wild animal or a bird — for they are constantly being trapped, because the vitality within them is in the aspect of being hunted, as it is stated: "and like birds caught in a snare, and like fish caught in a net" (Koheles 9:12) — which refers to the oppressed souls (as Rabbeinu wrote elsewhere, in Siman 37). Therefore, the blood of their soul must be rectified through covering. And therefore, the wild animals and birds are light by nature, and they have more alacrity and vitality and da'as [awareness] than domesticated animals. All this is because the wild animals and birds are closer to the level of Man, and they contain sparks and vitality of human souls more than domesticated animals. And therefore, for the most part, Yisrael are compared to wild animals more than to domesticated animals, as it is stated: "Your creature dwelt therein" (Tehillim 68:11), etc. And this is the aspect of: "Do not give the soul of Your turtledove to the wild beast… look to the bris" (Tehillim 74:19–20), as mentioned above — that they beseech Hashem to look and attend with His mercy, to rectify the bris, to rescue the holy souls from the wild animals, that they should not be trapped in them, G-d forbid. And their very name testifies to this: for these are called chayyah [wild animal, lit. "life"] on account of the vitality [chayyus] that is clothed within them in greater measure, as mentioned above. For the essential [nature of] wild animals is the aspect of vitality that comes from the aspect of Man. But domesticated animals are called [beheimah] on account of the spirit of animality [behaimiyus] that is more prevalent in them than in wild animals. And therefore, the korbanos [offerings] come only from domesticated animals. For all the offerings come for the purpose of atonement and to eradicate the zuhama from the world. And therefore, one must bring specifically from a domesticated animal, in order to subdue it. For through the semichah [leaning of the hands] that is performed upon the offering, the spirit of impurity is drawn upon the animal — that is, the animality that clothed itself in the person through his sin, as is brought. And this is accomplished specifically because the spirit of animality is so greatly dominant in domesticated animals — therefore it draws upon itself the power of animality from the person in greater measure, for every thing is drawn to its root. And afterward, through the offering, the spirit of animality is subdued and nullified, as is brought. And therefore, the chatas [sin-offering], which comes for atonement for sin and atones more than an olah [burnt-offering] — for an olah comes only for [sinful] thoughts (as our Sages of blessed memory stated, Vayikra Rabbah, Chapter 7) — therefore, the chatas comes from a type of animal that is lower and more inferior than the type of animal of the olah. For a chatas comes as a female, and an olah as a male — for the chatas needs to eradicate the spirit of animality to a greater extent, as mentioned above. And therefore, because the wild animals and birds have souls clothed in them to a greater extent, therefore even after the shechitah, souls still remain in the blood — in which the soul departs — therefore they require covering the blood with earth, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the earth of the Sotah [the suspected adulteress] — that through the earth she is tested. For the earth, which is the aspect of "an avenging sword, avenging the bris" etc., as mentioned above — it tests her. If she is impure, then it uproots and destroys her, in the aspect of "that consumes all and destroys all." But if she is pure, then, on the contrary, she receives vitality and strength from the aspect of the above-mentioned earth (see Berachos 31a), in the aspect of: "And you who cling to Hashem your G-d are alive, all of you, this day" (Devarim 4:4), as mentioned above. Shechitah 2 is built upon Likutay Moharan, Siman 37 (and Siman 19), which deals with the completeness of Lashon HaKodesh (the Holy Tongue), the cherev la'Hashem (sword of G-d), and the rectification of the bris. The twelve sections unfold a tightly interconnected chain of ideas: (1) The blemish of the knife = the Side of Death = pegam ha'bris. The knife as "a sword unto Hashem" = the Holy Tongue = Chavah/ishah, which consumes all evil. Lashon HaKodesh and shemiras ha'bris are interdependent. (2) The twelve inspections of the knife correspond to the twelve tribes. The knife must be inspected on flesh and fingernail (bisra v'tufra), representing the Holy Tongue perfected through Targum. The acronym of "Avanim Shlaimos Tivneh" = Eishes (wife) = Chavah = Lashon HaKodesh. (3) The measure of a blemish is a hair's breadth — corresponding to the tzadik, whose holiness extends to the hairs (surplus of the brain). (4) Only a Jew may slaughter, for all Jews are guardians of the bris. (5) The knife must be received from the sage of the generation. (6) The five laws of shechitah = the hei of da'as. The shochet must be bold like Boaz. (7) One must wait eight days — corresponding to milah on the eighth day. (8) Covering the blood with earth = earth is the sword/prayer/Malchus. The one who begins the mitzvah completes it. Without valid shechitah, there is no covering. (9) Earth above and below = burial = covering the disgrace of pegam ha'bris, as exemplified by Shem and Yefes covering their father. (10) Only wild animals and birds require covering — oppressed souls are trapped in them more. (11) Wild animals have more vitality (closer to Man), domesticated animals have more behaimiyus — hence korbanos come from domesticated animals. Chatas (female) vs. Olah (male). (12) The earth of the Sotah — the same earth/sword tests her: destroying impurity or granting life. — Summary and diagram by the translator —