סימני בהמה וחיה טהורה א

And this is the matter of melichah [salting] — as Rabbainu, may his light shine, said in his commentary to Siman 23: that salt is of the aspect of bris melach olam [an eternal covenant of salt], which sweetens the bitterness of the world [mamtikas merirusa d'alma]. And through it the evil bloods are expelled — which are of the aspect of the blemish of the bris [covenant] — as mentioned above in Laws of Chailev v'Dam, Halacha 5.

This is the aspect of kedushas Bais HaK'nesses. The essential kedushah of the Bais HaK'nesses derives from kedushas Eretz Yisrael — where the essential ascent of tefillah lies: "V'hispalalu Ailecha derech artzam" — "They shall pray to You in the direction of their land" (Melachim I, 8). The essential kedushah of the BHK comes from the derech [path] to Eretz Yisrael. The essential power to go and conquer Eretz Yisrael = through "Ko'ach ma'asav" = the Asarah Ma'amaros [Ten Utterances] through which the world was created = the Otzar Matnas Chinam = the Chesed Chinam that sustained the world before Mattan Torah. 3

And this is the aspect of the rinsing with water [ha-hadachah b'mayim] — to render the meat fit [l'hachshir ha-basar] by placing it and soaking it within the water. For the water purifies it from all impurities — and in particular from the blemish of the bris — of the aspect of a mikveh of water [mikveh mayim]. For the mikveh is a very great rectification for the blemish of the bris. For the mikveh is the secret of being concealed within the waters [sod ha-hit'almus b'soch ha-mayim], as is known — which is the aspect of the rectification of the bris — of the aspect of the seed of Yosef. For they are of the aspect of the fish in the sea, over whom the waters cover, and the evil eye of the seventy nations has no power over them, as above. (In Laws of Meat that Left One's Sight, Halacha 2.) And therefore the meat is rectified and rendered fit through the water — in order to remove from it the impurity of the bloods, which are of the aspect of the blemish of the bris. As our Sages of blessed memory said: "because the blood is visible upon it" — which passes off and falls away through the water, which is the aspect of the rectification of the bris — of the aspect of fish in the sea, as above.

As explained there in Rabbainu z"l's words: "Also here in Chutz LaAretz this aspect is found — for Yisrael sometimes come to places very, very distant from kedushas Yisrael... and want to sanctify the place with kedushas Yisrael. Others could say 'You are robbers, conquering a place that is not yours!' But through Ko'ach ma'asav (= the Asarah Ma'amaros), we have the right to conquer the entire world and sanctify it with kedushas Yisrael — for He created it and by His will gave it to us." From here derives kedushas Bais HaK'nesses — Yisrael has the power to sanctify all places with great kedushah (= kedushas BHK). We believe Hashem created the world with the Asarah Ma'amaros and by His will gave it to us — the whole world was created only for us, to sanctify all places through tefillah and Torah. Wherever we wish to build a holy place (BHK or Bais HaMidrash) to engage in His avodah → we immediately acquire the place, for everything is Hashem's — He created all only for this. 4

And this is the aspect of the first rinsing [hadachah rishonah] and the final rinsing [hadachah acharonah]. For the soul within the living creature that has fallen from its level — from the level of speech [medaber] to the level of the living creature [chai], as above — requires many rectifications, one after another, until it ascends and is rectified completely — to restore it to its root — of the aspect of teshuvah [repentance and return]. For all the rectifications of the meat that one performs are of the aspect of the rectifications of teshuvah. For one must in the same way rectify the soul within the living creature — to restore it to its root — which is the aspect of teshuvah.

This is the aspect of Yisrael traveling in the midbar with the Mishkan. Wherever they erected the Mishkan, the place became holy with kedushas Bais HaMikdash. Yisrael were going to conquer Eretz Yisrael — for this they needed to draw "Ko'ach ma'asav," revealing to all that everything is ours: Hashem created the world for us, by His will He gave it to them, by His will He took it and gave it to us → they conquer Eretz Yisrael. Therefore Hashem commanded them to carry the Mishkan through the midbar and erect it in every place they encamped. Through this they drew "Ko'ach ma'asav" (= Chesed Chinam) → the power to go and conquer Eretz Yisrael. 5

And therefore, at the beginning, it requires shechitah [ritual slaughter] — to subdue and break the all-encompassing evil [ra ha-kolel], as above. For this is the beginning of teshuvah — to turn away from the above-mentioned evil and to break it. And afterward to proceed and remove all the forbidden fats [chalavin] and all the forbidden veins that are found visibly, within it — so that it not be a case of "immersing while holding a creeping thing in one's hand" [toveil v'sheretz b'yado]. Therefore after one turns away from the all-encompassing evil cited above — which is the very beginning and the start — then one must remove all the evil things from within it. And this is accomplished easily after the shechitah. For the essence of the labor and effort is the shechitah — which is the subduing of the above-mentioned evil — for which an expert and certified craftsman is required — along with the inspection of the knife and the rest of the precautions of shechitah, as above. But afterward, the nikur [removal of forbidden parts] is done with relative ease — as they remove and extract from it all the rest of the evils found therein.

By erecting the Mishkan everywhere and immediately sanctifying the place with kedushas Bais HaMikdash — they demonstrated that Yisrael has the power to sanctify all places in the world, even a desolate wilderness — a place of fiery serpents, scorpions, and thirst (= the realm of the k'lipos). Yisrael can sanctify even these places with kedushah as great as kedushas HaMishkan — all through "Ko'ach ma'asav": by His will He gave it to them, by His will... That first generation going to conquer Eretz Yisrael from the seven nations had to make the Mishkan and erect it each time — for by this very power they conquered Eretz Yisrael. 6

And then one merits the aspect of the mikveh of water. And this is the aspect of the first rinsing. And afterward it must be left to rest in its salt, as above. And that is the completion of the rectification — which is the final rinsing. For "one who comes to purify himself is helped" — and they say to him: "Wait" (as is cited in the words of Rabbainu, may his light shine, Siman 6). For it is impossible to enter into teshuvah all at once — and one must wait and tarry and endure much shedding of blood [shfikas damim], in order to subdue the evil blood in the left ventricle of the heart that was strengthened through his sins.

This is the great, outstanding merit of those who engage in building Batay K'nessiyos and Batay Midrashos l'Shaim Shamayim. We too must now draw the path to Eretz Yisrael — for this we yearn and wait every day, that we soon merit returning to our land. Therefore we must exert ourselves greatly to make the path to Eretz Yisrael. By building a BHK or Bais HaMidrash and sanctifying a secular place with kedushas BHK → one draws the path to conquer Eretz Yisrael. Sanctifying a secular place and making a BHK from it = drawing "Ko'ach ma'asav," showing that everything is ours. This itself = the path to Eretz Yisrael. 7

And this is the aspect of the waiting period [ha-shehiyah] — that one must wait in its salt and be pressed within the brine [tzir] in a perforated vessel — of the aspect of the above-mentioned "they say to him: Wait." In order to force out the evil bloods that were absorbed into the flesh, that entered into the depths of the body. And therefore it is impossible to rectify the meat with speed. For it is impossible to bring it into teshuvah all at once — until it waits in its salt, which is the aspect of rectification — the aspect of the covenant of salt — in order to sweeten its bitterness and to expel all its bloods, as above.

And therefore it is placed between the two rinsings, which are of the aspect of the mikveh of water, as above — in accordance with what is cited in the name of the Baal Shem Tov of blessed memory. And it is explained above a number of times: that at the beginning of teshuvah, one is raised from above to a great level — higher than one's own level — and afterward one is brought back down from there in order to be tested and refined and purified. For one must return and pass through all those roads again — of the aspect of teshuvas ha-mishkal [equivalent repentance], as above.

Now how sweet are the words of the pasuk: "Ki hirchaktim baGoyim v'chi hafitzosim ba'aratzos va'ehi lahem l'Mikdash M'at" — "These are the Batay K'nessiyos and Batay Midrashos" (Megillah 29). The Batay K'nessiyos (= Mikdash M'at) are the essential tikkun and nechama for the distresses of galus — our exile from our land, our scattering among the nations. Through the Mikdash M'at (= Batay K'nessiyos) → we will merit returning to our land, for through them we make the path to conquer Eretz Yisrael. 8

And this is the aspect of the first rinsing and the final rinsing — which are of the aspect of the mikveh of water, as above — which are a great ascent and a very great rectification. For this is the essential aspect of teshuvah — when one merits to enter into the aspect of the mikveh of water, which is the aspect of alma d'asay [the World to Come] — the aspect of teshuvah, as above.

And at the beginning, one is raised from above to a great level, as above — to the aspect of teshuvah — the aspect of the mikveh of water, as above. And this is the aspect of the first rinsing. And even though one has already merited the ultimate rectification — which is the aspect of the mikveh, as above — afterward one is brought back down from there in order to be refined and purified, as above — of the aspect of "they say to him: Wait," as above. And this is the aspect of the fact that it must wait in its salt for a set period of time — in order to be purified and refined and to expel all its evil bloods that were absorbed within it, as above. And then afterward one merits a second time to complete the rectification in truth. And this is the aspect of the final rinsing — the aspect of the mikveh of water — for one then places it in again, once it has merited to be purified, to expel its evil bloods, as above. And this is the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt, which was of the aspect of teshuvah — the aspect of yovel [the Jubilee year], as is known. And at the beginning He raised them to far above their level, as is known. And this is the aspect of milah [circumcision] and tevilah [immersion] that they merited on the eve of Pesach. For immediately after the milah — through which they subdued the all-encompassing evil, which is the aspect of milah — they immediately merited the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt, which was the aspect of teshuvah — which was then far above their level, as is known. And this is the aspect of the mikveh of water that they merited immediately on the eve of Pesach. And afterward He brought them down from their level. And this is the aspect of the Counting [Sefirah], as is known — which is like a woman who purifies herself for her husband. Which is the aspect of "Wait" — that one must wait and tarry in order to purify oneself from the blood of nidah [menstrual separation], as above. And then they merited to complete the rectification on Shavuos. And then they merited to enter into the mikveh — the aspect of a supernal, very exalted mikveh — which is the ultimate rectification. And this is the aspect of the two rinsings — the aspect of the two mikvaos [ritual baths] cited above — which are needed in order to be rectified: namely, at the beginning of the teshuvah and at the end of the teshuvah, as above. And in between is the waiting in salt — which is the aspect of "Wait," as above — in order to expel the evil bloods, as above. And as is explained in the Torah-teaching that speaks of this (Siman 6, Likutay Moharan Vol. 1): that the above-mentioned aspect of "Wait" is the aspect of shfikas damim [shedding of blood] that one must endure, as above. And through this one merits the aspect of teshuvah — which is the aspect of Ekyeh [the Divine Name of pure Being] (as is explained there). And this is the aspect of the mikveh of water — which is the aspect of Ekyeh. For mikveh in gematria [numerical value] equals 151 — which is the numerical value of Ekyeh when spelled out fully — as is known, and as above. And as is already explained in Laws of Pesach, Halacha 1: that therefore the measure of salting is eighteen [chai] minutes — for this is the aspect of the rectification of the bris — in order to return to life [chaim]. And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said: that the measure is [the time required to walk] one mil [a Talmudic mile]. For a mil is two thousand cubits — the techum Shabbos [the Shabbos boundary] — which is the aspect of the boundary of holiness [gevul ha-kedushah], as mentioned above (in Laws of Techumin, Halacha 1). And this is the very same measure of eighteen minutes — for there is life [chai] (as is explained there). And therefore one must wait through the rectification of salting for this measure — in order to merit to return within the boundary and domain of holiness [gevul u'tchum ha-kedushah] — in order to merit life — the aspect of "tzadik chai olaimin" [the tzadik lives forever]. And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said: roasting [tzli] requires no salting. For fire is the rectification — of the aspect of: "Everything that comes into fire, you shall pass through fire, and it will be purified" [Numbers 31:23]. And it consumes the filth [zuhama]. But when one merits to attach oneself to the tzadik — who is of the aspect of the covenant of salt — then one receives from him the aspect of saltiness [milcha] — the aspect of rectifications — to sweeten his bitterness. And then one is saved from the fire through which one would have had to be refined, G-d forbid — of the aspect of "you shall pass through fire", as above. For "that which is salted is like that which is boiling" [maliyach harei hu k'roteach] — like roasting that is roasted in fire. For through the aspect of salting — which is the aspect of attaching oneself to the tzadik, as above — one is finely purified and saved from the fire, and emerges pure and beautiful and complete without any blemish whatsoever. And one merits the ultimate rectification, as above. Reb Noson takes the halachic process of preparing meat — first rinse, salting, final rinse — and reads it as a precise map of the soul's journey in teshuvah. This mirrors the spiritual arc: subdue the all-encompassing evil (shechitah) → remove the smaller evils within (nikur) → first elevation in teshuvah (1st rinse) → the "Wait" — the crucible of shfikas damim in between — → complete rectification (final rinse). The 18-minute measure of salting is chai — life — the time needed to cross back into the boundary of holiness. And the tzadik, who is the covenant of salt, saves one from having to pass through fire alone.

This is why the Sages said (Bava Basra 3): it is forbidden to demolish an old Bais HaK'nesses before building the new one (as in the Shulchan Aruch) — we fear negligence and obstacles. Every time one wants to sanctify a place (= kedushas Eretz Yisrael, from which all kedushah derives — containing ten levels of kedushah, the totality of all kedushah in the world) → accusations and many obstacles arise. All derive from the aspect of the nations of the world (= k'lipos and Sitra Achra) that contest the conquest of Eretz Yisrael, saying "Listim atem!" Likewise they contest and arrange many obstacles every time one wants to sanctify a place with kedushas Eretz Yisrael — such as building a BHK or Bais HaMidrash. 9