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It is stated in Likutay Tinyana [Part II, Siman 85], the Torah beginning with the words "Nuts called luzim…" — see there the entire matter. It is explained there that eggs correspond to the luz-nuts, both of which ripen in twenty-one days — corresponding to the twenty-one days of Bein ha-Metzarim [the Three Weeks of mourning] during which we mourn the destruction of the Temple. Through this mourning one merits consolation — the dimension of "Nachamu, nachamu" [Be comforted, be comforted], the dimension of Shabbas Nachamu. For the essential consolation comes through the etzem luz [the luz bone], from which the essential resurrection of the dead springs forth. And so too is this the dimension of the egg, which completes its development in twenty-one days — just as the luz tree does — see there. And it is for this reason that we eat an egg at the seudah hamafsehkes [the final meal before the fast of Tisha b'Av] — see there.

The Y'ri'os eezeem [goat-hair curtains] were placed over the curtains of t'chailes — coarser, alluding to the gairim: kedushos ascending from the depths of the k'lipos, from their very vitality. Therefore they were ashtay esrai [eleven] curtains (the SA operates in the domain of eleven). The essential y'ri'os of t'chailes and argaman = ba'alay t'shuvah of Yisrael (= l'vushim d'Malka: "Yisrael asher b'cha espaar" (Yeshayahu 49) = garments of splendor and kavod). The gairim — formerly in the aspect of "Aisav ish sai'ir" — upon returning to kedushah become y'ri'os izim covering the Mishkan: protecting and serving Yisrael (as will be in the future). The michseh oros ailim m'adamim and michseh oros t'chashim above them = even coarser gairim, made into oros [hides] (more material, in the aspect of kasnos or) — yet they too become a merkavah to kedushah, covering the Mishkan. 6

Now, at first glance this is puzzling: since the egg corresponds to the luz and thus alludes to consolation, why does it specifically ripen in twenty-one days — which alludes to the mourning of the Three Weeks of Bein ha-Metzarim? And furthermore, why is the egg eaten specifically during a time of mourning, at the pre-fast meal? Seemingly it should be the opposite — since the egg corresponds to the luz, which is the essential consolation in the dimension of the resurrection of the dead!

The Kailay HaMishkan: the M'norah in the south = chochmah ("One who wants to become wise should face south"); the Shulchan in the north = ashirus ("One who wants wealth should face north — and the sign: Shulchan in the north") (Bava Basra 25); the Mizbay'ach Miktar K'tores = g'vurah. There is the essential g'vurah and power of the tzadikim — their essential might to subdue the Sitra Achra (= the Yaitzer HaRa). This = the k'tores: through it the holy nitzotzos are extracted from the SA in the secret of the eleven spices of the k'tores → the sitra d'mosa [side of death] is subdued. Like Aharon who prevailed against the Malach HaMaves: "Vaya'amod bain haMaisim uvain haChayim vataiatzer haMagaifah" (Bamidbar 17). 7

But all of this teaches and alludes to the person that it is impossible for any human being — in general and in particular — to arrive at genuine good hope except through pain, suffering, and great bitterness — which is the dimension of the mourning through which one mourns, grieves, and is made bitter over the destruction of the Temple. Yet even when one mourns and is bitter over the pain and the destruction — and most essentially over the fact that we are so distant in our exile from our Father in Heaven — even then it is forbidden to remain in that state, G-d forbid. Rather, one must constantly comfort oneself with the greatness of the hope we hold for a good end — to emerge from exile, from darkness into great light. For "the kindnesses of Hashem have not ceased." As is elucidated in Eichah [Lamentations], in the bitterness of the lamentation: where [Jeremiah] cries out with great anguish: "I am the man who has seen affliction…" — crying out there with great bitterness: "He has led me and made me walk in darkness… He has sated me with bitterness… He has made me dwell in darkness…" — and yet in the midst of all that, in the midst of his bitter outcry, he comforts himself from within himself, as is stated there: "And I said, 'My strength and my hope are lost…' — This I take to heart; therefore I have hope. The kindnesses of Hashem have not ceased, for His mercies never come to an end — they are renewed every morning…" And Rashi explains: the kindnesses are renewed each morning. "It is good to wait in silence for the salvation of Hashem."

Through these three (chochmah, g'vurah, ashirus = kavod) → Kabbalas HaTorah is drawn = the Aron with the Luchos (= the totality of Torah), standing in the Kodesh Kodashim. From there all n'vu'ah is drawn: "V'dibarti it'cha mai'al haKapores." Through this the m'dameh is clarified → emunas chiddush ha'olam. 8

Whoever wishes to attend to his genuine life must take counsel from all of this: that in all the bitterness, grief, and suffering that passes over him — and especially the truest suffering of all, namely the suffering of the soul in its great exile, being so distant from its Father in Heaven — and the more one yearns to emerge from evil to good, the more evil intensifies each time, until the baal davar [the Adversary] incites him to say that all hope is lost, G-d forbid, G-d forbid — yet the person must always comfort himself and remain in the category of "prisoners of hope," of whom it is said: "Return to the stronghold, O prisoners of hope!" [Zechariah 9:12]. To say to oneself always: I still have hope — as our master, teacher, and Rebbe, of blessed memory, taught: there is absolutely no despair in the world whatsoever. And to fulfil: "This I take to heart, therefore I have hope — the kindnesses of Hashem have not ceased, for His mercies never come to an end…" — for the righteous begin with suffering and end with tranquillity, and every individual Jew is in the dimension of a righteous one, as it is said: "Your people are all righteous." Whoever genuinely wishes to draw close to the holiness of Israel must, of necessity, pass through immense bitterness without measure. It is impossible to attain any genuine holiness except through great bitterness. And it would be impossible to endure that bitterness and suffering — were it not that Hashem grants strength to the weary to bear it, through the hope one holds for a good end, drawing on the power of the true righteous ones who have already merited an eternal good end. All of this is alluded to in the matter of the luz and the egg mentioned above — for in everything in the world there are great and wondrous allusions to drawing close to Hashem, since all things in the world were created for this purpose alone, and have no vitality or existence except through this — through the vitality that inheres in them from the counsel of the holy Torah, from which all things draw their life and sustenance, as is known. Therefore, the luz and the egg — which allude to the essential consolation — ripen specifically in twenty-one days, alluding to the mourning of Bein ha-Metzarim, to teach all of the above: that it is impossible to arrive at consolation except through mourning and grief, in the dimension of "Rejoice with her greatly, all you who mourn over her" [Isaiah 66:10]. As our Sages of blessed memory taught: whoever mourns over Jerusalem merits to see her in her joy. And as it is written: "To bestow upon the mourners of Zion a crown of beauty instead of ashes" [Isaiah 61:3]. And so it is for every person and in every time — in the matter of his exile, his grief, and the sufferings that pass over him, as explained above. The dimension of the signs of eggs [simanay beitzim] — that one end is blunt [kad] and one end is sharp [chad] as a sign of purity — has been explained above in Halacha 1. Kad alludes to the Written Torah — the twenty-four [כ״ד] books of Scripture [since the letters of kad spell twenty-four]. And chad alludes to the Oral Torah — the dimension of sharpness [chiddud], for the very essence of sharpness is in the Oral Torah, in the dimension of "Torah scholars who sharpen one another in halacha" [Shabbos 63a]. This is the dimension of "like nails planted are the masters of assemblies" [Ecclesiastes 12:11] — said of the Oral Torah — for a nail's head is sharp [chad], which is the dimension of the Oral Torah. Therefore, one end blunt and one end sharp is a sign of purity — for this alludes to the holiness of Israel who unite both Torahs and are grasped in both, for it is all one. And even with both signs — shape and verbal identification [knowing which bird it came from] — the sign is still not absolute, because one sign alone is insufficient. The egg's purity is established only when both signs are present together: it has the proper shape [one end blunt, one end sharp] and the owner identifies it as coming from a specific [kosher] bird. This teaches that for a person to be confirmed as truly from the side of holiness — not merely in appearance — both dimensions must be unified within him: the Written Torah and the Oral Torah together, as one complete whole. The kad without the chad — or the chad without the kad — is still unconfirmed. The dimension of the matanos kehunah [priestly gifts from a slaughtered animal — the foreleg, cheeks, and maw] corresponds to the five regalim [festivals]. The foreleg [zeroa] corresponds to Pesach — the dimension of the outstretched arm with which Hashem redeemed Israel from Egypt. The cheeks [lechayayim] correspond to Shavuos — the dimension of the face that illuminates for halacha, since on Shavuos the Torah was given through forty-nine facets — in the dimension of "His cheeks are like a bed of spices" [Song of Songs 5:13], and Rashi explains: a face that illuminates for halacha. The maw [keivah] corresponds to Rosh Hashana — the dimension of the belly and digestion, which alludes to inner judgment. The standard measure of food in halacha is a kebeitzah — an egg-volume. This is because the egg, as explained, is the dimension of chochmah tata'ah [lower wisdom], the dimension of malchus [kingship] — the measure of contraction and precise limit through which all food is clarified and elevated. Through the kebeitzah measure one establishes whether a food constitutes a halachically significant quantity in areas such as tumas ochlin [food impurity], eruv, and other areas — because the egg-measure is itself the measure of chochmah tata'ah, the dimension of precise, bounded, contracted wisdom that serves as the measure of all things. And this is the aspect of one end kad [blunt] and one end chad [sharp] as a sign of purity, as explained in Halacha 1 — the Written Torah and Oral Torah united. And therefore eggs are permitted without shechitah [ritual slaughter] — for "an egg is the choicest food of Efrat" [Talmud Bavli, Beitzah 2a] — it is severed and separated immediately from the living creature. For the egg is itself the dimension of chochmah tata'ah — the aspect of the esrog whose minimum measure is an egg-volume. Therefore it needs no further clarification to be fit for eating, for it is itself already the dimension of the contractions and measures mentioned — the dimension of chochmah tata'ah, the dimension of malchus — through which is the essential clarification of all foods of Israel, as is known. And this is the aspect of the five priestly gifts corresponding to the five festivals — for all five represent dimensions of holiness that flow from the five books of Torah and the five voices heard at Sinai. The festivals are the times when the drawing down of Torah-light is renewed in the world, corresponding to the five dimensions of the soul [nefesh, ruach, neshamah, chayah, yechidah] — and the egg, as the measure and container of this holiness, participates in this system of fives as the essential unit of measurement for food-holiness. The term tzad echad be-shavua [one side in the week] — referring to Shabbas eve — alludes to the dimension in which holiness and the mundane touch at their boundary. The egg found on Shabbas eve but laid on Yom Tov relates to the question of when exactly the holiness of each day begins and the status of the egg-in-formation at that moment. This reflects the halacha that items in the process of becoming — like eggs in formation — partake of the status of both periods, the holy and the mundane, which is why the detailed rulings must adjudicate their status carefully. An egg laid on the first day of Yom Tov is forbidden to be eaten on that day. The reason alludes to the spiritual dimension: on the first day of Yom Tov, the holiness is at its peak [the first day being the dimension of the most concentrated, primary holiness], and any item that emerges [is born] on that peak day is in some sense too saturated with that holiness to be immediately consumed. It must "rest" until the dimension of that holiness is fully drawn into it and established — only then may it be used for earthly consumption. It is taught: a bird that is forbidden — whether because it is a non-kosher species or because it became a treifah [mortally injured] — if an egg is found within it and the egg has already formed a complete shell, the egg is permitted, because it had already become separated from the bird and is considered a thing unto itself [davar bifer atzmo]. But if the egg had not yet fully formed a shell and is still attached to the bird's body, the egg takes the status of the bird and is forbidden. This corresponds to the dimension of chotam b'soch chotam [seal within seal], which is the seal of the inner self: the egg that has fully formed its own sealed shell is a complete entity — it has its own boundaries and identity and is therefore pure even if it came from an impure source. The egg that has not yet formed its shell is still bound to and part of its impure source. In human terms: a person who has established his own clear identity within holiness — his inner seal is complete — is not dragged down even by his external circumstances. But one whose inner self has not yet crystallized its own boundaries remains subject to the influence of whatever contains him. It is stated in Likutay Tinyana [Part II, Siman 85], beginning with the words "Nuts called luzim…" — see there the entire matter. It is explained there that eggs correspond to the luz-nuts, both of which ripen in twenty-one days — corresponding to the twenty-one days of Bein ha-Metzarim during which we mourn the destruction of the Temple. Through this mourning one merits consolation — the dimension of "Nachamu, nachamu" [Be comforted, be comforted], the dimension of Shabbas Nachamu. For the essential consolation comes through the etzem luz [the luz bone], from which the essential resurrection of the dead springs. And so too is the egg in the dimension of the luz tree, completing its development in twenty-one days — see there. And it is for this reason that we eat an egg at the seudah hamafsehkes [the final meal before the Tisha b'Av fast]. Now, at first glance this is puzzling: since the egg corresponds to the luz and alludes to consolation, why does it specifically ripen in twenty-one days — which alludes to the mourning of the Three Weeks? And furthermore, why is the egg eaten during a time of mourning, at the pre-fast meal? It should seemingly be the opposite — since the egg corresponds to the luz, the essence of consolation and resurrection! But all of this teaches and alludes to the person that it is impossible for any human being — in general and in particular — to arrive at genuine good hope except through pain, suffering, and great bitterness — which is the dimension of mourning over the destruction of the Temple. Yet even when one mourns and is filled with bitterness over the pain and the destruction — and above all over the fact that we are so distant in our exile from our Father in Heaven — even then it is forbidden to remain in that state, G-d forbid. Rather, one must constantly comfort oneself with the greatness of the hope we hold — to emerge from exile, from darkness into great light. For "the kindnesses of Hashem have not ceased." As is shown in Eichah [Lamentations], in the bitterness of the lament: the prophet cries out with great anguish, "I am the man who has seen affliction…" — crying with great bitterness: "He has led me and made me walk in darkness… He has sated me with bitterness…" — yet in the midst of all that, in the very midst of his bitter outcry, he comforts himself, as is stated there: "And I said, 'My strength and my hope are lost…' — This I take to heart; therefore I have hope. The kindnesses of Hashem have not ceased, for His mercies never come to an end — they are renewed every morning." And Rashi explains: the kindnesses are renewed each morning. "It is good to wait in silence for the salvation of Hashem." Whoever wishes to attend to his genuine life must take counsel from this: that in all the bitterness, grief, and suffering that passes over him — and especially the truest suffering of all, namely the suffering of the soul in its great exile, being so distant from its Father in Heaven — and the more one yearns to go from evil to good, the more evil intensifies, until the baal davar [the Adversary] incites one to say that all hope is lost, G-d forbid — yet one must always comfort oneself and remain among the "prisoners of hope," of whom it is said: "Return to the stronghold, O prisoners of hope!" [Zechariah 9:12]. To say to oneself at all times: I still have hope — as our master, teacher, and Rebbe of blessed memory taught: there is absolutely no despair in the world whatsoever. And to fulfil: "This I take to heart; therefore I have hope — the kindnesses of Hashem have not ceased, for His mercies never come to an end…" For the righteous begin with suffering and end with tranquillity, and every individual Jew is in the dimension of a righteous one, as it says: "Your people are all righteous." Whoever genuinely wishes to draw close to the holiness of Israel must, of necessity, pass through immense bitterness without measure. And it would be impossible to endure such bitterness and suffering — except that Hashem grants strength to the weary through the hope one holds for a good end, drawing on the power of the true righteous ones who have already merited an eternal good end. All of this is alluded to in the matter of the luz and the egg, for in everything in the world there are great and wondrous allusions to drawing close to Hashem — since all things were created for this purpose alone. Therefore the luz and the egg — which allude to the essential consolation — ripen specifically in twenty-one days, alluding to the mourning of Bein ha-Metzarim, to teach all of the above: that it is impossible to arrive at consolation except through mourning and grief, in the dimension of "Rejoice with her greatly, all you who mourn over her" [Isaiah 66:10]. As our Sages taught: whoever mourns over Jerusalem merits to see her in her joy. And as it is written: "To bestow upon the mourners of Zion a crown of beauty instead of ashes" [Isaiah 61:3]. So too it is for every person in every time, in his personal exile and suffering. And this is the dimension of the signs of eggs alluded to in this matter. For two blunt ends [kad] or two sharp ends [chad] is certainly a sign of impurity — for this is the way of the wicked and all who are distant from truth: when mourning, grief, and suffering befall them, they do not comfort themselves at all and have no hope of emerging from it — as it says: "He does not believe he will return from darkness" [Job 15:22] — remaining sunk in anxiety, black melancholy, and mourning until they become completely severed from Hashem, from the Torah, and from the true righteous ones. And sometimes, the opposite: when they have some worldly good — food, drink, and the like — they fill their mouths with laughter and make every day a celebration, as it says: "Behold, joy and feasting… eat and drink…" [Isaiah 22:13]. This is the dimension of two blunt ends or two sharp ends. For kad [round, blunt] alludes to mourning and grief — the dimension of "the wheel that turns in the world" — which is why we eat eggs and lentils at a time of mourning, G-d have mercy — as it says: "the wheel rolls to the pit" [Ecclesiastes 12:6]. And chad [pointed, sharp] alludes to boldness [azus] and joy — the dimension of "He made my mouth like a sharp sword" [Isaiah 49:2] — the opposite of mourning, which has no mouth. This alludes to the resurrection and to the days of redemption, when the worthy among Israel will stand firm and strong against the forces of evil. But the wicked rejoice in this world as though their joy were now complete, giving no thought to the end. Hence, two sharp ends or two blunt ends: when they are happy, they fill themselves with laughter and rejoicing as though all happiness were only in this world, G-d forbid; and conversely, when calamity and trouble come upon them, they fill with sadness and black melancholy, with no consolation or hope at all. Two blunt ends: their mourning and grief extend from one end to the other — from beginning to end — since they have no hope for a good end, as our master, teacher, and Rebbe of blessed memory said: whoever has no faith — his life is not life at all, for the moment any trouble befalls him, he has nothing with which to comfort himself. And conversely, when fortune smiles on them, they are filled with laughter and rejoicing — two sharp ends — about which it is said: "And for joy — what does this accomplish?" [Ecclesiastes 2:2]. But the righteous and upright — when they have grief, G-d forbid — they remain among the prisoners of hope, sustaining and comforting themselves with the greatness of their hope for a good end. This is the dimension of one end blunt and one end sharp — for kad and chad together represent mourning and grief alongside consolation and good hope. For with them, mourning and grief are bound to hope and consolation — and through this they never lose hope in Hashem until they merit a good end. All of this is alluded to in the egg — since it corresponds to the luz above, which is the very essence of hope and consolation — which is why it is eaten at the seudah hamafsehkes: for through this comes the essential consolation: "Rejoice with her greatly, all you who mourn over her" — one end blunt and one end sharp: mourning and grief bound together with good hope, which is consolation and joy. And therefore even this sign cannot be relied upon alone [as explained in the Shulchan Aruch] — because there is zeh l'umas zeh [a counterpart on the other side] — for even among the wicked and the nations of the world one sometimes finds this characteristic in the realm of worldly desire itself: a person suffers great pain in pursuit of some desire — money or the like — and during the suffering comforts himself with the thought that afterward he will attain his desire in this world. This is certainly not good, and it comes from the Sitra Achra, since all his suffering and all his hope are entirely in this world. And therefore it is possible for someone to follow this same path — comforting himself through hope in times of pain — which appears to be the dimension of one end blunt and one end sharp — yet it is all in pursuit of worldly desires, and this too is certainly impure. Therefore, even when one end is blunt and one is sharp, further evidence is needed to establish purity — that the egg comes from the side of purity: meaning that the person's grief and hope are entirely in the realm of eternal purpose, where the true hope resides — in the dimension of "the righteous man trusts [in G-d] even at his death" [Proverbs 14:32]. For those with two blunt ends or two sharp ends are certainly impure — this is the way of the wicked. But even one blunt and one sharp requires evidence that it comes from the side of holiness and not from the Sitra Achra — that one's grief and hope are entirely in the realm of the eternal world, where the essence of true life resides: the essential and true hope for eternity. Whoever places all his hope there — and in every kind of suffering, even in the suffering of the soul's exile so distant from Hashem, comforts himself that in the end there will be a rectification and a good end through the power of the true righteous ones — this is from the side of purity and holiness, and he will certainly merit a good end. As it says: "For there is a reward for your labor… and there is hope for your end, says Hashem…" [Jeremiah 31:16]. Amen and Amen. There are weak souls who are in the dimension of eggs — concerning whom it is said: "the mother resting upon the chicks or upon the eggs" [Deuteronomy 22:6]. As is explained in the Tikkunim [folio 2], this refers to souls that are distant from their Father in Heaven — against whom the entire war of Amalek is directed, who is the force of the Sitra Achra, in the dimension of "he cut off all the stragglers at your rear when you were faint and weary" [Deuteronomy 25:18]. This is the secret of the commandment to send away the mother bird [shiluach haken] — the essential prolongation of the exile is for their sake, in order to rectify them. For the Holy One, blessed be He, devises ways so that no one shall be cast off from Him — this is the dimension of "send away, you shall send away the mother" [Deuteronomy 22:7], which refers to the exile, as is stated in the Tikkunim: "shalei'ach t'shalach" — two expressions of sending, two expulsions [the two Temples]. For the essential length of the exile is for their sake. And this is the dimension of what is written: that Mashiach sits in the Palace of the Bird's Nest [heichal kan tzippor]. For the essential reason why the coming of Mashiach is delayed so long is because he does not wish to come until all the weak souls mentioned above — who are in the dimension of chicks and eggs — are rectified. This is the dimension of the bird's nest. And this too is alluded to in eating the egg at the seudah hamafsehkes — to indicate that the essential hope for the redemption comes through Mashiach rectifying the weak souls who are in the dimension of eggs. When these souls merit coming to the true righteous ones to be rectified, they must necessarily pass through great weariness, suffering, and bitterness in body, soul, and finances, in many and varied forms — as is explained in Rabbainu's words many times, for example in the teaching on the verse "Behold, for peace, great bitterness was mine" [Isaiah 38:17] — the dimension of Shabbas, which is a foretaste of the World to Come; and "at Marah they were commanded…" — see there. And as in the teaching on the saying of Rabbah bar bar Chanah, "a parasang and a half" [Siman 14], about drawing down peace. And therefore the above sign is alluded to in the egg — one end blunt and one end sharp — for this is the very essence of their purity: that they always hope for salvation, as it is said: "For You I have hoped all the day long." Perhaps this is what is stated in the Midrash — that Moshe Rabbainu requested to become a bird, if only he could continue to live. This is a great wonder — yet it alludes to the matter above. For the true righteous ones — in the dimension of Moshe — toil all their days to rectify the souls of Israel, and in particular Moshe Rabbainu who devoted himself to this more than any other. Sometimes they succeed in rectifying and giving birth to souls in the dimension of human beings [adam]; sometimes they are unable to rectify them at that level, and they lower themselves and give birth to them in the dimension of pure animals. Sometimes even this is impossible because of the extreme evil that has seized hold of those souls — and they must lower themselves even further, giving birth to them in the dimension of eggs and chicks. For from all these souls, a merkavah [Divine chariot] is formed for holiness — and in the merkavah there is man, beast, and fowl: the dimensions of human, lion, ox, and eagle. According to the merit the souls have attained, so is the merkavah formed — either in the highest dimension of human, or in the other dimensions. Therefore Moshe requested to become a bird — for he understood that his departure from the world was on account of those souls he had not yet been able to rectify, and therefore he had not entered the Land of Israel. He therefore requested to be at least a bird — to lower himself even to that level in order to rectify those distant souls in the dimension of fowl. But Hashem answered him: "Enough for you!" — for all of this cannot be rectified until Mashiach comes, who is Moshe himself — speedily in our days, Amen. And this is the dimension of the commandment of sending away the mother bird [shiluach haken] — for it is explained in the Tikkunim that the bird's nest [kan tzippor] alludes to souls that have been exiled from their place — the souls who are distant from Hashem through their deeds. And the verse alludes to this: "If a bird's nest should chance upon you along the way…" [Deuteronomy 22:6] — meaning, whoever wishes to take and draw close these fallen souls, to merit in them by drawing them close to Hashem: it is impossible to draw them close unless one first strives to send away and remove from them the wisdom and understanding they already possess — so that they cast aside their own understanding, as though they have no intellect at all. As Rabbainu of blessed memory explained [in Siman 123], on the verse "a foolish and not wise people" [Deuteronomy 32:6] — the nation that received the Torah and [yet] were not wise [i.e., relied not on their own cleverness]: it is impossible to draw close to the true righteous ones and to the Torah except by casting away from oneself all previously held wisdom and views, as though one had no intellect at all. And even when one enters into the service of Hashem, one must remove from one's mind all the confusions and distractions that disturb one from day to day — for all these stem from the wisdoms of vanity that one became accustomed to from youth, which became fixed in one as if received at Sinai. But in truth these reasonings and wisdoms that confuse a person flow only from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, from the contamination of the serpent who contaminated Chavah [Eve] who was the mother of all living — and from there it is drawn forth that every person, when born from his mother's womb, has within him a grasp of that contamination, in the dimension of "and in sin did my mother conceive me" [Psalms 51:7]. And from there come all these confusions and foolish reasonings that obstruct and prevent a person from the path of life. And this is the dimension of "send away the mother, and take the children for yourself" [Deuteronomy 22:7] — it is impossible to draw close the souls in the dimension of chicks or eggs [d'leit gadvain d'lhon sh'limin — who do not yet have complete wings], meaning the souls who have not yet attained completeness and do not yet have wings to soar in the service of Hashem and to draw close to Him. "And the mother is resting upon the chicks or upon the eggs" — "the mother" refers to "call Understanding 'mother'" [Proverbs 2:3] — it is the intellect of each person, for the essential life and growth of each person comes from his intellect, which gives him life and guides him and sustains him, in the dimension of "wisdom gives life" — and therefore the intellect is called "the mother of the children." And this is "the mother resting upon the chicks" — the intellect [seichel] that each person is born with, which rests upon his soul to give it life and nurture it. But because of Adam's sin, the contamination of the serpent seized hold of this intellect, as mentioned, and from there come all the foolish reasonings and confused views that obstruct a person. And therefore the Torah warned: whoever wishes to take them and merit in them — to draw close those souls in the dimension of chicks and eggs — must first send away the mother, the [corrupt] intellect of the klipah [husk], so that it will be possible to take the children — those weak souls in the dimension of chicks and eggs — and rectify them. And sending away the mother is the dimension of: the person must first set aside his old intellectual assumptions, in order to receive truth from the true righteous one of the generation. And this is the dimension of the prohibition of basar b'chalav [meat in milk] — which forbids cooking and eating meat together with milk. For mother's milk [chalev em] is in the dimension of the vitality and intellect that flows from the mother's womb, which gives life to and sustains the infant. Yet even though it is the essential vitality and sustenance of the infant, afterwards one must clarify and refine the infant from the contamination that clings to the mother's milk from Adam's sin, as mentioned. Therefore it is forbidden to cook or eat meat in milk — forbidden to mix them together — for each one is a separate clarification [berurah] unto itself. Each alone is permitted, but together they are forbidden. For the clarification takes place in each generation and each day, according to the generation and according to the day. And it is because of this very reason that a person must take great care, when he wishes to draw close to Hashem, to cast away from himself the reasonings and views he has held previously — for even if a certain reasoning appears to have come to him from some book, nonetheless, since that reasoning distances him from Hashem, he must remove it from his mind. For it is known that the Torah has two powers: one who merits — it becomes for him an elixir of life; one who does not merit — it becomes for him a poison of death. And about this our Sages of blessed memory warned: "Do not deviate from the word that they [the judges] tell you, right or left" — and they said: there is no one for you but the judge of your generation, and even if he says to you that right is left and left is right — for the worlds change in each generation and each day, and accordingly the clarifications of the sparks change, which must be performed anew in each generation, each person according to his level. And according to the clarification of each generation, from there flows the vitality and sustenance of all the living creatures, birds, animals, and all things in the world. Therefore milk and meat are in the dimension of two types of clarification that flow from two generations [levels] — and therefore it is forbidden to mix them together, for it is explained in the Torah of chotam b'soch chotam [Siman 22] that there is the dimension of "na'aseh v'nishma" [we shall do and we shall hear] — which are in the dimension of the two crowns that Israel merited at the giving of the Torah. Na'aseh and nishma are in the dimension of the revealed and the hidden — Torah and prayer, father and son — see there carefully. And there is in every level and every world the dimension of na'aseh and nishma, revealed and hidden. For the hidden [nishma] of the lower level is in the dimension of the revealed [na'aseh] relative to the level above it; and each higher level has its own nishma — hidden — higher still, and so from level to level and from world to world. Every person must ascend from level to level, from one na'aseh v'nishma to the higher na'aseh v'nishma, always ascending further. And before ascending from one level to the next there must be a descent before the ascent — for the descent is the ultimate purpose of the ascent. And this is the dimension of the prohibition of basar b'chalav [meat in milk]. For milk is in the dimension of weakness [chalisus], the dimension of shame [bushah] — as is evident to the senses, that milk is food for infants and does not strengthen the body; on the contrary, it weakens it, as our Sages of blessed memory said on the verse "he asked for water, she gave him milk" [Judges 5:25]: milk makes the body heavy and weakens it. And this weakness is in the dimension of shame — which is the dimension of weakness of mind. And it is also alluded to in Rabbainu's words of blessed memory in another place: that milk is in the dimension of shame — see the Torah atiqa tmir u-s'tim [Siman 21], see what is explained there in section Zayin on the verse "she shall be shamed for seven days" [Numbers 12:14], that shame causes blood to flee and become milk [azil sumka v'asay chivarta — the red [blood] departs and [something] white [milk] comes] — see there. It follows that milk is in the dimension of weakness — the dimension of shame and modesty [boshes]. And meat, on the contrary, is in the dimension of azus [boldness, daring] — for the essential boldness of the body is the flesh, which is the body's very substance. And so too is it alluded to in the Torah of chotam b'soch chotam mentioned above: boldness of the body is referred to by the term "flesh" [basar] — as is explained there, that one must have compassion on the flesh of the body to subdue the boldness within it. It follows: meat is in the dimension of azus [boldness], and milk is in the dimension of weakness — the dimension of shame. Each one alone is permitted — for each one alone can be clarified at its root and elevated to its root of holiness. But together they are forbidden with a severe prohibition. For both of these qualities — azus [boldness] and boshes [shame-modesty] — are opposites, yet both are needed greatly for holiness. One must, however, take great care to use each quality in its proper place and not in the opposite place, G-d forbid. Whoever corrupts them and reverses the order — using boldness where shame is needed, or becoming ashamed where boldness is required — causes great damage, and from this comes the essential distancing from Hashem. And this is the dimension of the defect of basar b'chalav — for in truth, in holiness both are needed: azus and boshes — and both are one at their root and depend on each other. The holy azus flows from holy shame — for in truth a person must have the quality of holy boshes: to be very ashamed before Hashem, not to transgress His will even by a hairsbreadth. And whoever merits this holy shame — being ashamed before Hashem from transgressing His will — through this his soul is strengthened with great azus, and he merits to pray to Hashem, and merits the dimension of na'aseh v'nishma from which joy flows — which is the dimension of holy azus — and through this he subdues the body completely. For holy azus flows from holy shame. But the reverse, G-d forbid — when one has the boshes of the Sitra Achra — meaning being ashamed to pray and to engage in the service of Hashem because of those who mock — through this the bodily azus intensifies toward all desires, and afterwards he himself brazenly faces those who fear Hashem. And conversely, through the azus of the Sitra Achra one arrives at shame and disgrace in this world and the World to Come. Therefore when meat and milk are mixed together, the grasp of the Sitra Achra intensifies greatly — for the azus of the Sitra Achra and the boshes of the Sitra Achra that still cling to the meat and milk reinforce each other when mixed — and then we are powerless to clarify them. For the essential grip of the Sitra Achra is through mixture: by exchanging and substituting the qualities — azus for boshes and boshes for azus — so that in the place where azus is needed, they weaken the mind to bring shame; and conversely. But when each is alone, it is permitted — for each alone can be clarified at its root. It is only when they are mixed together that the Sitra Achra intensifies. And this is the dimension of shechitah [ritual slaughter] — for one may only eat an animal through slaughter, because the slaughter serves to subdue from the animal the spirit of animalistic nature [ruach habehemiyus] in which the azus of the Sitra Achra — the bodily boldness — is grasped, which is the spirit of animalism from which all desires flow, which are the bodily boldness. For even permitted [kosher] foods all contain a grasp of evil from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil — only we have the power to clarify them through the commandments of the Torah. Therefore slaughter is required — for the knife of slaughter is in the dimension of holy strength [gevurah di-kedushah], the dimension of "gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one" [Psalms 45:4]. And this strength is the dimension of azus — as it says: "Hashem is powerful and mighty" [Psalms 24:8]. And this is the dimension of the holy voices [kolos di-kedushah] — which are the essence of holy boldness — the dimension of "the praise of G-d is in their throats, and a double-edged sword is in their hands" [Psalms 149:6]. That is, through the knife and sword of slaughter, one strengthens oneself in holy boldness and thereby subdues from the animal the azus of the Sitra Achra — the spirit of animalism — which is the bodily boldness. And therefore the slaughterer [shochet] must receive the slaughter-knife from a Torah scholar — as our Sages of blessed memory said: the slaughterer must show his knife to a Torah scholar. For every Torah scholar who engages in Torah merits, according to his dimension, the dimension of na'aseh v'nishma from which the essential power of holy azus comes. Therefore the slaughterer cannot slaughter unless he first receives permission from the Torah scholar — in order to receive from him the power of holy azus that the scholar has merited. For the essential slaughter requires holy azus — which is the dimension of the slaughter-knife — through which the animalistic boldness of the Sitra Achra is subdued. Therefore slaughter can only be performed at the throat [tzavar] — for the essential grip of the azus of the Sitra Achra is at the throat, which is the place of the voices — for all voices emerge through the throat, and all voices are in the dimension of azus. As it says: "in his neck he makes his stand of strength" [Job 41:14]. And in Rashi's commentary on the verse "until it reaches the throat" [Isaiah 8:8]: "until the very core of the strength of their necks" — explaining that the throat alludes to the essential boldness and strength of the body. Therefore slaughter at the throat specifically — to subdue the animalistic boldness of the Sitra Achra, whose essential grip is at the throat, the place of the voices, through the slaughter-knife which is holy azus. It follows that the essential reason for the prohibition of the impure species [minim t'meimim] is that they are in the dimension of the azus of the Sitra Achra, which we cannot clarify. And permitted species also contain a grasp of the azus of the Sitra Achra — only we have the power to clarify them through the commandments of the Torah. Therefore the Torah forbade mixing meat with milk — for milk is in the dimension of weakness and shame, and meat is in the dimension of azus. Each requires its own clarification: the milk must be clarified so that it becomes holy shame — for the shame of the Sitra Achra is the very essence of the azus of the Sitra Achra, as mentioned. And the meat must be clarified from the azus of the Sitra Achra — to merit through eating meat to holy azus that flows from joy. This is the dimension of: "there is no joy except through meat" — specifically the meat of an animal brought as an offering. It follows that meat leads to joy, which is the dimension of holy azus. Therefore meat and milk — each alone is permitted, for each alone can be clarified at its root and elevated to its root of holiness. But the two together are forbidden with a severe prohibition — for the essential grip of the Sitra Achra comes through mixture: by mixing and exchanging the qualities — azus with boshes and boshes with azus. When one uses azus where shame is needed, this weakens the mind and leads to slackening in the service of Hashem; and the reverse. And this is the dimension of the prohibition of meat in milk: the moment they are mixed together, the azus of the Sitra Achra intensifies greatly — for the azus of the Sitra Achra and the boshes of the Sitra Achra that still cling to the meat and milk reinforce each other when mixed — and then we are powerless to clarify them. For the essential grip of the Sitra Achra comes from their mixture. Therefore the essential biblical prohibition is specifically through the mode of cooking [derech bishul] — for the essential cooking [bishul] is in the dimension of clarification [berurah]: through fire, the evil is separated and removed from foods, making them fit for human consumption — for the fire consumes the contamination and evil that clings to them ["from fire they came, and fire shall consume them"]. Therefore precisely at the time of cooking — when one is in the process of clarifying foods — the prohibition of mixing meat with milk is most severe, so that the Sitra Achra should not be strengthened through the mixture of azus and boshes, from which comes its essential sustenance — to reverse the order, to confuse a person, G-d forbid, causing shame where boldness is required, or conversely. And this is why the Torah wrote the prohibition of meat-in-milk in the language "You shall not cook a kid in its mother's milk" [Exodus 23:19, 34:26; Deuteronomy 14:21] — even though in truth all animal meat is forbidden together with milk from the Torah, as our Sages of blessed memory stated. But this [the use of "kid"] alludes to the inner meaning of the defect caused by meat in milk: the mixing of the azus of the Sitra Achra with the shame — from which comes their essential grip and strengthening in a way we cannot clarify. For gedi [kid] alludes to azus — the term gedi izzim is related to azus [boldness, the root az]. And this is the dimension of the goat-sacrifice [se'ir izzim] — the dimension of Esav, the hairy man [ish sa'ir] — which is the essential azus of the Sitra Achra, the boldness of the body, the contamination of the serpent, the wicked kingdom — whose dominion is only through boldness, which is malchusa b'la taga [kingship without a crown]. And therefore the majority of communal offerings that come to atone are goat-offerings [se'ir izzim] — all the communal sin-offerings of the New Moon and Festivals, and the two goats of Yom Kippur. All of this is because the goat-offering is where the essential grip of the azus of the Sitra Achra is clarified — and therefore they are called by the name ez, related to azus [boldness], and there is the essential clarification. Therefore they are the vehicle for atonement — for harsh judgment is only sweetened at its root. And therefore the Torah called all animal flesh by the name gedi [kid] — as our Sages of blessed memory said: wherever gedi appears, even a calf or a lamb is included — for all animals contain the grasp of azus which is the spirit of animalism. And the most essential azus is in the gedi izzim — goat-kid — and therefore they are all called by the name gedi. And therefore in the prohibition of meat-in-milk — whose essential prohibition is so that the azus of the Sitra Achra shall not be strengthened through mixing with the dimension of shame — the Torah called all animal meat by the name gedi, to allude that the essential prohibition is on account of the dimension of azus. And this is the dimension of "in its mother's milk" — even though the prohibition applies even with another animal's milk — to teach that the essential prohibition is because the milk flows from the dimension of weakness and shame, which is mother's milk, since females are in the dimension of weakness and shame relative to the male who is bold and strong. And the essential prohibition is that boldness should not mix with shame — the dimension of gedi in its mother's milk — from which comes their essential sustenance through exchanging and reversing the qualities. The term "mother's milk" also alludes that through this defect, G-d forbid, the contamination of the serpent that he cast into Chavah — who was the mother of all living — is grasped and strengthened; for from there flows the essential azus of the Sitra Achra, which is the shame of the Sitra Achra that weakens the mind from strengthening itself in the service of Hashem. And therefore the tribes, when they sinned in the sale of Yosef, slaughtered a goat [se'ir izzim] — for the essential dispute among them was about kingship: they said that Yosef sought to rule over them unlawfully. In their view it appeared that Yosef sought to rule only through azus, G-d forbid. And they sought to overpower him with their own azus. Therefore they slaughtered a goat [se'ir] — which is the dimension of azus. Similarly, Yehudah said to Tamar: "I will send a kid goat [gedi izzim] from the flock" [Genesis 38:17] — for the essential battle concerning holy azus versus its opposite, G-d forbid, is in the domain of sexual desire, where the essential grip of the azus of the Sitra Achra is concentrated, for there its power is concentrated [bo az, bo tukfa]. And Yehudah needed at that time to clarify the holy azus from which the essential holy kingship flows — the dimension of the kingship of David and Mashiach that would come from him — as it is said about it: "Hashem, in Your strength the king rejoices" [Psalms 21:2] — the dimension of "and He gives strength to His king and raises the horn of His anointed" [I Samuel 2:10]. Therefore he said: "I will send a kid goat" — specifically gedi izzim — for the essential clarification of azus is through the goat. This is why goats are specifically used for communal atonement in the New Moon and Festival offerings and Yom Kippur — all specifically requiring a goat to atone. For the essential atonement for sins is through the clarification of holy azus from the azus of the Sitra Achra — the bodily boldness from which all desires flow. And whoever merits to clarify — then converts the bodily boldness to holiness and the dimension of gedi izzim is absorbed into holiness; and the reverse for the wicked. And this is the dimension of the entire episode between Yaakov and Esav regarding receiving the blessings — for Rivkah his mother instructed specifically: "Take for me from there two kid-goats…" [Genesis 27:9] — for all blessings flow through holy azus, in the dimension of "Hashem gives strength to His people, Hashem blesses His people" — the dimension of gevuros geshamim [the powers of rains]. Therefore Rivkah instructed to take two kid-goats and prepare and clarify them — in order to overpower and subdue the azus of the Sitra Achra, the contamination of the serpent — the dimension of Esav, the hairy man. And to merit to holy azus, through which to receive the blessings that flow from there. Similarly concerning Shimshon [Samson] — it is written: "He visited his wife with a kid-goat" [Judges 15:1] — for Shimshon sought at that time to overcome the Philistines who had ruled Israel for no reason, only through azus — as it says there: "he was seeking an occasion" [Judges 14:4]. Therefore his involvement was with the gedi izzim. However, because he did not merit to fully clarify properly, our Sages of blessed memory said about him that his case is described as a descent, while concerning Yehudah it is written as an ascent ["behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah"] — for Yehudah merited to clarify completely, until Mashiach emerged from him — which is the essence of holy azus, from which holy kingship flows. It follows that the essential prohibition of meat-in-milk is so that the azus of the Sitra Achra should not intensify and weaken holy azus, G-d forbid — through the azus of the Sitra Achra feeding from the weakness and shame of the Sitra Achra, which is the dimension of the mixture of meat-in-milk — when they are then impossible to clarify. Then the azus of the Sitra Achra intensifies and weakens holy azus, and from there flow all kinds of mental weakness [chalishus ha-da'as] in a person's heart — all of which flow from the defect of holy azus. Through this, one's mind is weakened from strengthening itself in the service of Hashem — even as one is. For in truth, in holiness a person must have azus even toward Hashem Himself — for even though one knows in oneself how much one has sinned and rebelled against Hashem, G-d forbid — nevertheless, if one is then ashamed to pray to Hashem to draw him close to His service, and is ashamed to engage in His service because of the multitude of one's sins — this is not holy shame. On the contrary, this is the essential shame of the Sitra Achra that weakens one's mind to distance one completely from Hashem. For the essential holy shame must be before the sin — to be greatly ashamed before Hashem from transgressing His will even by a hairsbreadth, just as one would be ashamed before a person of flesh and blood. But afterward — when the evil inclination has already overcome one, G-d forbid, and caused one to stumble in whatever it caused — one must then remove the shame from one's face and be bold before Hashem and say: even though I did what I did, and I am ashamed and confounded to raise my face to You — nonetheless, I am bold before You and beseech You to draw me close to You even now. And even if this happened many times, G-d forbid — one may never fall in spirit, only to strengthen oneself to begin again each time, as long as one's soul is within. This is the essential holy azus — not to be weakened in spirit by what has passed, but to forget each time what has passed and to begin each time anew. For all the weakness of mind mentioned flows from the dimension of mother's milk in which the contamination of the serpent clings, as mentioned — which is the dimension of the prohibition of meat-in-milk. For when milk is alone, it can be clarified toward holiness. But when meat is mixed in — which also contains a grasp of the azus of the Sitra Achra requiring clarification — and the two mix together, they cannot be clarified. And then holy azus is defected, G-d forbid, and the contamination clinging in the mother's milk intensifies and weakens one's mind — and the azus of the Sitra Achra intensifies, for zeh l'umas zeh [the one corresponds to the other]. For the eating of Israel must be in holiness — for through eating, the body is strengthened. Therefore one must eat with great holiness in accordance with the Torah, so that the bodily boldness should not intensify through eating, G-d forbid. And the essential sanctification of eating comes through holy azus, which is the dimension of joy [simchah] drawn from the dimension of na'aseh v'nishma. Then eating is in holiness — in the dimension of "eat and drink and rejoice" — specifically "and rejoice," for the essential sanctification of eating is when one merits joy, which is the dimension of holy azus. Through this the bodily boldness is subdued; on the contrary, through eating, the soul is strengthened to overpower in the service of Hashem — in the dimension of "the righteous man eats to satisfy his soul" [Proverbs 13:25]. And this is the dimension of "go, eat your bread with joy…" [Ecclesiastes 9:7]. And this is the dimension of "eat of the best foods and drink sweet drinks and do not grieve — for the joy of Hashem is your strength" [Nehemiah 8:10]. That is, when one merits drawing down joy — which is the holy azus in the dimension of "for the joy of Hashem is your strength" — then it is a mitzvah to eat — "eat delicacies… for the joy of Hashem is your strength." For then holy azus is strengthened through eating, and one merits even greater joy — in the dimension of "eat and drink and rejoice." This is the dimension of all the blessings [brochos] instituted by our Sages over everything one eats and enjoys — for it is impossible to eat in holiness except through holy voices [kolos di-kedushah], which are the dimension of all the blessings one recites over everything. For blessings and holy voices are the dimension of holy azus — the dimension of "grant G-d strength — G-d of Israel — He gives strength and power to the people" [Psalms 68:35]. And therefore all forbidden foods are forbidden because they are in the dimension of the bodily boldness — the azus of the Sitra Achra. For then the dimension of "in pain you shall eat it" [sadness and effort] clings to them most strongly — sadness, specifically the opposite of joy, which is the dimension of holy azus. But permitted foods — we can clarify them through the blessing, eating them in holiness in the dimension of joy, which is the dimension of holy azus. Therefore the essential eating in holiness is on Shabbosos and Festivals, which are days of joy — as our Sages expounded on the verse "there is nothing better for a person than to eat and drink and rejoice" [Ecclesiastes 2:24]: this refers to Shabbos and Festivals. For on Shabbas and Yom Tov great joy is awakened in all the worlds, for then the crowns are returned to Israel [the crowns they received at the giving of the Torah — the dimension of na'aseh v'nishma]. And all the Festivals are a memorial to the Exodus from Egypt, which was for the sake of the giving of the Torah — for the essential purpose of the Exodus was the giving of the Torah, as it says: "when you take the people out of Egypt, you shall serve G-d upon this mountain". And therefore the illumination of the giving of the Torah radiates on all the Festivals, and they said na'aseh v'nishma — the crowns are returned to Israel on each Festival, and the essential holiness of eating on Festivals comes from there. And there is much more in this matter. For Adam was commanded in the first commandment specifically in the matter of eating — not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. And the essential feeding of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil comes from the mixture of knowledge [da'as] — mixing the knowledge of two different levels, wanting to attain everything before its time. For through eating, the vitality within a person is augmented, and the essential vitality flows from the dimension of na'aseh v'nishma — as it says: "for it is your life" [Deuteronomy 32:47]. For the essential life is to live each time with a new vitality [as the word chai means "alive" — new life each time], and new vitality each time is drawn from the higher dimension of na'aseh v'nishma that one must attain each time. And this is the dimension of eating from the Tree of Life — "and he ate and lived forever" — which the righteous will merit in the World to Come, at the feast that Hashem will make for them from the Leviathan, the wild ox, and the preserved wine — through which, by this mode of eating, they will attain each time the higher crown of na'aseh v'nishma: the essential life and delight of the World to Come. But Adam ate from the Tree of Knowledge and looked at what was not permitted to him, and confused the knowledge drawn from the attainment of two different levels — descending toward desires that were not appropriate for him, wanting to rise above his level. And from this all the prohibitions of the Torah flow, and from there flow all the confusions of every person who desires all desires and wants to understand everything with his coarse intellect. And each time many difficulties arise for him about Hashem and the righteous ones. And even if difficulties arise for him about himself — this too is not good, for even this is the work of the Adversary, who weakens his mind through these difficulties: how can you pray with concentration and fervor, when just now you did such-and-such? And similar confusions without number. All of this flows from the contamination of the serpent that confuses a person's mind — who wants to understand everything. For in truth we know nothing at all — as it says in the Etz Chaim: Shlomo the King, peace upon him, who was wiser than any person, said [Proverbs 30:2-3]: "I said I would be wise — but it is far from me… surely I am more brutish than any man, and I have no understanding of a man." And King David, peace upon him, said: "I was like a beast before You" [Psalms 73:22]. All the more so — countless times over — ordinary people, especially in these generations. And the principle is: a person knows nothing at all. Only — whatever you are able to do — do it with all your strength. And whenever you can snatch from this passing world some holy word, deed, or thought — snatch it. This is essentially what Rabbainu said in many places — to just start, and to take whatever you can. And this is the reason why the prohibition of meat-in-milk is juxtaposed to the commandment of first fruits [bikkurim], as it is written: "The first of the first fruits of your land you shall bring to the house of Hashem your G-d — you shall not cook a kid in its mother's milk" [Exodus 23:19]. For bikkurim are in the dimension of renewal [hischadshus] — one is obligated to bring the first fruit that ripens and renews itself each year, to bring it immediately to the House of Hashem, and to give thanks for it and to recount over it all the troubles that passed over Israel from their beginning — and how, in His kindness and awesome wonders, He saved us — as it is stated in the declaration of bikkurim: "And you shall speak and say before Hashem your G-d: My ancestor was a wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt, and he sojourned there with few people, and there he became a great and mighty nation…" For the essential obligation of bikkurim alludes to renewal — that one must renew oneself at every moment and begin each time anew, and not be alarmed by any obstacles, impediments, strengthening of the evil inclination, and so on — whatever passes over him. For one should remember Hashem's kindnesses and wonders that He did with us, in general and in particular, from Egypt until now. And also before the descent to Egypt — when Lavan the Aramean pursued Yaakov, and all that passed between Yaakov and Lavan when he worked for him, and Lavan cheated him ten times — yet G-d did not permit him to harm him. And not only did he fail to destroy him, G-d forbid, but from him emerged his daughters Rachel and Leah — through whom the world was built, and from them emerged the twelve holy tribes through whom the divine presence was revealed in the world. And all that has passed over Israel from then until now — no mouth can speak it all. And similarly in particular, all these dimensions pass over each individual Jew — for upon each person stand the dimensions of Lavan, Esav, Egypt, and the Four Kingdoms with their forces — all of them standing over Israel in every generation, in general and in particular, standing over each and every individual to destroy him, G-d forbid. And the Holy One, blessed be He, rescues us each time — as all the persecutions and incitements and provocations that the evil inclination and its forces provoke against every person at every moment. All of this flows from the dimensions of those husks. For even Lavan, Esav, and Egypt — all their provocation against Israel was only because the Adversary clothed himself in them to provoke Israel, who walked in the path of Hashem which our ancestor Avraham transmitted to them. And so in every generation, enemies in physical and spiritual form stand to prevent and annul the work of Heaven. And the Holy One helps us each time — as we say in our prayers: "Who in every generation stands up against us to destroy us, and the Holy One, blessed be He, rescues us from their hand." And from all these great rescues one should take great comfort and strength to begin each time anew — the dimension of bikkurim. And this is the dimension of "proclaim day after day His salvation" [Psalms 96:2] — that each day Hashem sends new salvations to rescue a person from the Sitra Achra that intensifies each day. As our Sages of blessed memory said: each day a person's evil inclination intensifies against him, and were it not for Hashem's help, he could not prevail. It follows that each day entirely new matters occur with every person, and Hashem helps and saves him each day. Therefore one should not confuse oneself from one day to the next — for who knows how great the new salvation Hashem will send today if one merits to strengthen oneself and begin anew. And it may be alluded to that this is the dimension of what our Sages of blessed memory said: "meat in milk is a chiddush [novelty]" — specifically a chiddush. For the essential prohibition of meat-in-milk is so that one should not fall through this eating into the [spiritual] old age of the Sitra Achra, G-d forbid — rather one should merit to renew oneself each time. And this is the dimension of "meat in milk is a novelty" — for the essential commandment is so that one merits to renew oneself each time. And this is the dimension of Chanukah. For Chanukah is the language of chinuch [initiation] and beginning [hatchalah]. That is, through the commandment of Chanukah we merit to draw down upon ourselves holy azus in a manner that enables us to constantly strengthen ourselves in the service of Hashem. And the essential purpose is to begin each time anew — which is the very name Chanukah — so that the service is always in the dimension of initiation and beginning, as if today one is beginning to be initiated in the service of Hashem. And this is the dimension of the Chanukah light that increases [mosif v'holech] — that one must begin each time anew, through which one constantly increases in the service of Hashem with great additions, since each day one strengthens oneself with a new strengthening, a new beginning, a new awakening. And this is the dimension of the Chanukah light commandment which must be performed with oil — this is the dimension of holy azus that one receives through joy, attained through na'aseh v'nishma — which are Torah and prayer, revealed and hidden — the two crowns and adornments with which Israel was crowned. For holy anointing oil [shemen mishchas kodesh] is the dimension of holy knowledge [da'as ha-kodesh] — the dimension of the anointing oil of holiness that is the totality of all the holy minds [mochin] — the dimension of the two crowns mentioned, which are the revealed and the hidden, Torah and prayer — which are the totality of all the holy minds included in the dimension of the holy anointing oil. For oil is in the dimension of crowns that are upon the head — the dimension of "and oil upon your head shall not be lacking" [Ecclesiastes 9:8], the dimension of "like the precious oil upon the head" [Psalms 133:2]. And from that holy oil upon the head — which is the totality of the holy minds, the dimension of the crowns mentioned, the dimension of Torah and prayer, revealed and hidden — from there the holy and awesome Chanukah light is kindled, burning by means of this holy oil. The kindling of the Chanukah light is the dimension of our drawing down upon ourselves the holy azus — through which is the essential entry into holiness: the dimension of "You led in Your strength to Your holy dwelling" [Exodus 15:13], as explained in the Torah mentioned. For the holy azus — the holy voices — is the dimension of fire: "we heard His voice from within the fire" [Deuteronomy 5:24] — the dimension of "Hashem's voice cleaves flames of fire" [Psalms 29:7]. And this is the dimension of "Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm — for love is as strong as death, passion as fierce as the grave; its flashes are flashes of fire, a divine flame" [Song of Songs 8:6] — for the Congregation of Israel says to the Holy One, blessed be He, that they have a holy azus as strong as the flashes of fire: "for love is strong as death… its flashes are flashes of fire." And therefore they beseech to merit through this the two seals mentioned — the seal within a seal — which one can only merit through holy azus, as is explained well in the Torah mentioned — see there. And this is "set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm" — the two seals — the seal of the hands and the seal of the feet — which are the dimension of the two crowns mentioned, Torah and prayer. And Israel asks the Holy One to set these seals upon them through the holy love that is strong as fire. And through this they merit the holy azus needed to draw down the two seals — Torah and prayer, revealed and hidden — which sustain and rectify everything. And this is the entire matter of Chanukah: to draw down holy azus through the Chanukah oil — the anointing oil of holiness — and thereby to merit to strengthen oneself each time anew in the service of Hashem, which is the essential initiation [chinuch] of Chanukah. And through this one merits the complete seal within a seal — Torah and prayer — and through this one overcomes all who obstruct holiness, who are in the dimension of the Sitra Achra's kingship — who rule only through the azus of the Sitra Achra. Holy azus — the fire of holiness — overcomes and subdues them. And this is the dimension of the Hallel of Chanukah — which is the very essence of Chanukah's dimension, as it is stated: "They established these eight days of Chanukah to give thanks and praise to Your great Name." For the essential joy — which is the dimension of holy azus — one attains especially through prayer, which is the dimension of nishma [the heard dimension] — the dimension of the complete utterance [ma'amar ha-shalem] — the dimension of "rejoice with trembling" [Psalms 2:11] — the dimension of "a woman who fears Hashem shall be praised" [Proverbs 31:30]. Therefore through the Hallel of Chanukah — the dimension of prayer, the dimension of fear, the dimension of "a woman who fears Hashem shall be praised" — through this comes the essential completeness of joy, which is holy azus, which is the essential miracle of Chanukah that we must draw down upon ourselves each year — to merit to overcome at every moment all who obstruct holiness. And this is why we read on Chanukah the portion of the Princes [Nassiim] — for the twelve princes represent the totality of the kingship and elevation of all the leaders and heads of holiness, whose entire power comes from the holy azus they receive from the crowns mentioned. Therefore these twelve princes of the twelve tribes — all their power flows from the twelve precious stones of the Choshen and Eifod [the High Priest's breastplate and apron] which the princes brought — as it is written: "the princes brought the onyx stones…" For the stones of the Choshen and Eifod are the dimension of the power of the crowns mentioned. For precious stones are the dimension of crowns formed from precious stones — as is explained in Rabbainu's words of blessed memory in the Torah kartalia [Siman 18] — see there. Therefore from these precious stones of the Choshen and Eifod — which are the dimension of the power of the crowns mentioned — all twelve princes receive the power to merit holy azus, through which is the essential elevation and holy kingship of each. For they must be as strong as the precious stones to stand against the harsh evil boldness that is hard as an evil stone — the dimension of the heart of stone — as it says: "Behold, I have made your forehead hard against theirs" [Ezekiel 3:8]. And therefore the stones were on the heart of the Kohen Gadol in the Choshen and on his two shoulders in the shoulder-pieces of the Eifod — the dimension of the two seals mentioned — the seal upon the heart and the seal upon the arm — for the stones were the holy seals upon which were engraved the holy names of the twelve tribes of Israel, as it says: "And the stones shall be… engravings of a seal…" For the essential two holy seals mentioned are attained only through the holy azus which is the dimension of the stones of the Choshen and Eifod. And this is why the portion of the Choshen and Eifod is juxtaposed to the commandment of kindling the Menorah lamps — as it says at the beginning of "And you shall command" [Exodus 27:20–28:5]. For the kindling of the Menorah lamps through oil is the dimension of holy azus received through the holy oil — as mentioned, this is the dimension of the Chanukah light. And this is itself the very same dimension as the stones of the Choshen and Eifod. Therefore they are juxtaposed — for they are both expressions of the same dimension: holy azus drawn from the holy crowns. And this is the matter of the entire Psalm 21 — "Hashem, in Your strength the king rejoices" [Psalms 21:2] — which speaks of the kingship of Mashiach, which is holy kingship. "Hashem, in Your strength the king rejoices" — for azus is the dimension of joy, as mentioned, through which is the essential power of his kingship. And this is: "the desire of his heart You granted him, and the request of his lips You did not withhold" [Psalms 21:3] — that he merited perfect prayer, so that through his prayer he could accomplish whatever he wished — in the dimension of "the request of his lips You did not withhold." For the essential completeness of joy — holy azus — is attained through perfect prayer. And the essential completeness of prayer comes when one merits Hashem's Torah and Hashem's prayer in truth — as explained in the Torah mentioned — see there carefully. And it is explained there that this is the dimension of being included in ayin [nothingness] — the dimension of "he is answered first." And this is: "for You meet him with the blessings of goodness" [Psalms 21:4] — the dimension of "first" mentioned — the dimension of complete prayer, the dimension of "before they call I will answer" [Isaiah 65:24] — because he merited to be included in Hashem's prayer, and then his prayer is Hashem's prayer, and then, as it were, Hashem prays for him — the dimension of "and he shall live and pray for him" [Psalms 72:15], said of Mashiach — and he is then included in the dimension before creation. Therefore his request is fulfilled before he asks — in the dimension of "he is answered first" — the dimension of "before they call I will answer," the dimension of "You meet him with the blessings of goodness" — as Rashi explains there: before you asked of Me, I already preceded. And "You place upon his head a crown of fine gold" [Psalms 21:4] — the dimension of the crowns mentioned, formed from na'aseh v'nishma — Torah and prayer — the essential completeness of the crowns through prayer, which is the dimension of the complete utterance where the two crowns unite. And this is why the Psalm concludes: "Your hand shall find all your enemies… You shall set them like a fiery furnace…" [Psalms 21:9-10] — for holy azus is holy kingship, which is the dimension of holy fire, through which the obstructors and enemies — who come from the Sitra Achra's kingship — are subdued and felled. For from fire they came and fire shall consume them — for all their power through their evil boldness blazes like fire. Therefore they are ultimately to fall into the fire of Gehinnom — for the brazen-faced [az panim] go to Gehinnom. And therefore through holy azus — the holy fire — they are subdued and felled. And the Psalm concludes: "Be exalted, Hashem, in Your strength — we shall sing and praise Your might" [Psalms 21:14] — we ask Hashem to be exalted in holy azus that He showers upon us, through which is our essential overcoming. And this is why King David, peace upon him, requested many times for holy azus and the subduing of evil azus: "His strength I will guard for You" and concluded "my strength to You I will sing" [Psalms 59:10, 18]; and it is written "grant Your strength to Your servant" [Psalms 86:16], and similarly many times. And similarly he praises Hashem many times for bestowing holy azus upon Israel: "give strength to G-d — the G-d of Israel — He gives strength and power to the people" [Psalms 68:35]; and it is written "Hashem will give strength to His people" [Psalms 29:11]; and it is written "my strength and my song is G-d, and He has become my salvation" [Exodus 15:2] — for the essential salvation from enemies is through holy azus. And therefore there are eight days of Chanukah corresponding to the eight garments of the Kohen Gadol which are juxtaposed in "And you shall command" [Exodus 27:20–28:5] to the Menorah oil — which is the dimension of Chanukah. And this is the dimension of "at all times let your garments be white and oil upon your head shall not be lacking" [Ecclesiastes 9:8] — "white garments" is the dimension of holy garments, the dimension of priestly garments — the dimension of "oil upon your head" — the Menorah oil — the Chanukah light. For garments are the dimension of kingship, and the essential kingship comes through azus drawn from the oil upon the head. And this is the dimension of "Hashem reigns, He is clothed in majesty; Hashem is clothed, He girds Himself with strength" [Psalms 93:1]. For garments = kingship = azus. And this is the dimension of the eight threads of tzitzis — which are the rectification of garments — corresponding to the eight days of Chanukah. And this is the dimension of taaroves [mixtures — the laws of mixed forbidden and permitted foods]. For the forbidden substance can render the permitted forbidden through mixture — for the forbidden matter — the dimension of evil azus — damages the permitted and converts it to forbidden, to the dimension of evil azus. Therefore nullification [bitul] of the forbidden is in sixty — for one who does not merit to nullify the evil azus from himself — the forbidden matter, the klipah — his punishment is through sixty, which is Gehinnom, as Rabbainu explained regarding the sharp thorn-bush [hai de-katz kufra] that damaged the holy azus — whose punishment is in sixty, the dimension of Gehinnom. Therefore when there are sixty [parts] of permitted substance, the forbidden is subdued and nullified — the evil azus whose punishment is sixty — Gehinnom. For the sixty of permitted substance prevails over it and nullifies it — holy azus, the dimension of kingship, the dimension of "sixty of them are queens" [Song of Songs 6:8] — overpowers and nullifies the forbidden matter, the evil azus whose punishment is sixty. And therefore the forbidden substance can only be nullified when it is not detectable — and also when there is no chaticha hare'uya lehiskavved [a piece fit to be served as an honor] — for as long as the forbidden is detectable, its azus has not yet been subdued. For the essential azus is that it shows its face unashamedly. Therefore as long as the forbidden is detectable it is still in its brazenness and cannot be nullified. And similarly when it is a piece fit to be served with honor — for honor is the dimension of kingship, the dimension of azus — and therefore when the forbidden matter has this honor, it grasps the honor and evil azus even more — the kingship of the Sitra Achra, malchusa b'la taga — and cannot be nullified. Similarly any prohibition that has importance [chashivus] — such as a whole creature [briyah], a counted item, and a living creature — since it has importance, it grasps the honor and importance that is the dimension of the Sitra Achra's kingship — evil azus. Therefore it cannot be nullified. But when the forbidden is not detectable and has no such importance — then it is nullified in sixty, for holy kingship prevails. And this is the dimension of seal within seal [chotam b'soch chotam] — for one must seal foods that carry a concern [that they might be exchanged for Torah-prohibited items whose mnemonic is חַבִ"ת — chelev [forbidden fat], dam [blood], ye'in nesech [libation wine], treifah [mortally wounded], as explained in Siman 118]. For seal within seal flows from the dimension of holy azus — through which one draws near to the true righteous ones who are the dimension of the seal of the hands [chotam ha-yadayim], through whom the seal of the feet [chotam ha-raglaim] is also protected. See there. And conversely, forbidden foods — which are the dimension of damage to azus — are the dimension of damage to the seal within seal mentioned. Therefore it is impossible to protect Israel's foods from them except through seal within seal — which is the sign that the holy azus of Israel's foods is whole, from which the dimension of seal within seal flows.