טריפות א

And therefore, Korach, who fell into these heresies — for he denied the fundamental [principle], as our Sages, of blessed memory, said — therefore mocked the specific details of the mitzvos. For he does not believe that there are awesome secrets in the mitzvos; that according to these secrets, the mitzvos reach the place they reach. And therefore, one needs to fulfill the mitzvos in this specific manner, exactly as Moshe Rabbainu, peace be upon him, commanded — specifically to hang the tzitzis on the corners of the garment specifically. And as long as one does not hang them on the corners of the garment — even if one hangs them before his eyes constantly, and even if one wraps himself in the tzitzis from head to toe, or wears a garment that is entirely techailes — he does not fulfill [the mitzvah of] tzitzis at all. On the contrary — he is a heretic and one who blasphemes and reviles the Torah of Moshe. 11

Based on the discourse "VaYehi MiKeitz Shenasayim Yamim," etc., in the First Book [Likutay Moharan I], Siman 54; see there the entire discourse. And the principle is: that one must guard the zikaron [memory/remembrance] very much — that is, to always remember the Olam HaBa [the World to Come], etc. And to guard the zikaron, one must guard oneself from falling into the aspect of ra ayin [an evil eye; stinginess and envy], etc. And even one who is tov ayin [good-eyed; generous] must guard himself from the koach hamedameh [the imaginative faculty; the power of fantasy and delusion], etc. And the koach hamedameh comes through lashon hara [evil speech], for the koach hamedameh is the power of animality, etc. And "the one who brings forth slander is a fool" (Mishlei 10:18). And when the da'as departs from him, he falls from the love of Hashem, blessed is He, and falls into animalistic love, in the aspect of: "for you have rejected the da'as, and I will reject you from being a Kohen to Me" (Hoshea 4:6). Kohen is the aspect of holy loves, the aspect of "Avraham My beloved" (Yeshayahu 41:8), the aspect of "and the Kohen shall take a handful" (Vayikra 2:2), etc.

And this koach hamedameh constantly seeks a vessel to rest upon. And therefore it constantly seeks to rest upon the mouth of one who studies halachos, etc., for they create everything through their Torah, etc. And this is the aspect of "and as for the repetition of the dream" (Bereishis 41:32), etc. — "for the matter is established by G-d, and G-d hastens to do it," etc. And this is the aspect of the dream of Pharaoh — namely, the koach hamedameh is one; it comes from one — namely, from love — namely, from fallen loves, etc. And therefore Pharaoh decreed against the males — the aspect of the above-mentioned zikaron, which is flawed through the koach hamedameh, which is the aspect of Pharaoh, etc., as mentioned above.

For "every word of G-d is refined" (Proverbs 30:5), in the aspect of: "The words of Hashem are pure words, refined seven times" (Psalms 12:7). And all the mitzvos are refined and purified from Him, blessed be He — and one needs to fulfill them in this specific manner, according to the words of our holy Torah. And therefore, Korach, who denied this — therefore asked: "A garment that is entirely techailes — is it obligated in tzitzis?" etc. And he mocked [Moshe] over the fact that a single thread of techailes exempts the entire garment, while a garment that is entirely techailes is obligated in tzitzis. For he did not believe that the mitzvos bind all the worlds from raishis to acharis, until they elevate and include the acharis in the raishis. For which reason one must fulfill the mitzvah from beginning to end, according to all its laws and details, in their completeness — until, through the mitzvah, His light, blessed be He, reaches us in the aspect of complete Providence — so that the world should be included in Him, blessed be He — which is the aspect of the inclusion of the acharis in the raishis, as mentioned above. 12

And to subdue the koach hamedameh is through the yad [hand], etc. — namely, through the aspect of simchah [joy], in the aspect of: "and you shall rejoice in all the sending forth of your hand" (Devarim 12:7). And this is the aspect of musical instruments that are played by hand, through which prophecy rests upon the prophets, as it is written: "Bring me a minstrel" (Melachim II 3:15). For the instrument is a gathering of ruach [spirit], and it is mixed of good and evil — for there is atzvus ruach [sadness of spirit], ruach nechei'ah [a broken spirit], ruach ra'ah [an evil spirit], etc. And there is ruach tovah [a good spirit], the aspect of the spirit of prophecy, ruach hakodesh [the Holy Spirit], etc. And one who plays by hand upon the instrument gathers and collects by hand the good spirit, etc., from amidst the sadness of spirit. And one must be a yodai'a nagain [a skilled player], etc. — for one must ascend and descend with his hand upon the instrument that he plays, in order to direct and to build the joy in completeness, etc. And the essential gathering and building of the good spirit, etc., is through the hand — for there are the deposits of the spirits, as it is written: "Into Your hand I commit my spirit" (Tehillim 31:6), etc. And the instrument must be complete — for when the instrument is not complete, then it is in the aspect of: "A fool expends all of his spirit" (Mishlei 29:11). And then all the spirit — which is mixed of good and evil — goes forth, and the medameh [imaginative faculty] again intensifies, G-d forbid, in the aspect of: "His spirit departs, he returns to his earth" (Tehillim 146:4), etc. And this is the aspect of: "And it was at the end of two years of days, and Pharaoh dreamed" (Bereishis 41:1), etc. And the rectification of the medameh, which is the aspect of Pharaoh, is through Yosef — the aspect of "a man in whom is the spirit of G-d" (Bereishis 41:38), etc. The aspect of "and Yosef shall place his hand upon your eyes" (Bereishis 46:4) — for through Yosef, through his hand, the eye is guarded from the koach hamedameh, etc., as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of: "I recall my music in the night" (Tehillim 77:7), etc. (See there all of this well.) And this is the aspect of the eighteen traifos [categories of organic defects rendering an animal non-kosher] from which we, the children of Yisrael, are warned not to eat from any living creature that has some perforation or deficiency in any organ upon which the neshamah [soul/life-force] depends. For the living creature is in the aspect of the koach hamedameh, the power of animality. And therefore it is impossible for us to eat the flesh of a living creature unless we first refine it from the koach hamedameh, in the aspect of (Koheles 3:21): "Who knows the spirit of man that ascends on high, and the spirit of the animal that descends below to the earth?" For there is the spirit of man and the spirit of the animal. The spirit of man is the da'as of holiness — which is the defining boundary of adam [man]. And the spirit of the animal is the aspect of the koach hamedameh. And from the sin of Adam HaRishon there is an admixture in all things in the world, and the spirit of man became intermingled with the spirit of the animal. And this is the essential rectification of holy eating — to merit to refine the spirit of man from the spirit of the animal, to refine the good from the evil within the koach hamedameh. And the essential refinement is through the aspect of niggun [melody/music], the aspect of simchah — through which one refines the good spirit, which is the aspect of the spirit of man, from the evil spirit, from the spirit of the animal, from the koach hamedameh. And this is the aspect of the requirement to eat with joy, as it is written (Koheles 8:15): "There is nothing better for man than to eat and drink and rejoice and see good," etc. And as it is written: "Go, eat your bread with joy" (Koheles 9:7). And as it is written: "And you shall eat before Hashem your G-d… and you shall rejoice in all the good," etc. (Devarim 26:11). For the essential rectification and refinement of eating is through the joy, which is the aspect of neginah [melody], the aspect of "and you shall rejoice in all the sending forth of your hand." Through this one refines the good spirit from the broken spirit, from the sadness of spirit — which is the aspect of the refinement of the medameh, that is, the craving of animality — to refine the good, in the aspect of the seven years of plenty from the seven years of famine. And this is the aspect of Birkas HaMazon [the Grace after Meals], the aspect of the cup of Birkas HaMazon, which requires ten things [as listed by the Gemara: rinsing, washing, raw wine, a full cup, etc.] — which are the aspect of the ten types of neginah [melody], all of which are subsumed within the aspect of the kos shel berachah [cup of blessing], which is the aspect of Malchus, etc., as is known. It follows that the essential rectification and refinement of eating is through joy, the aspect of neginah. And this is the aspect of eating on Shabbos and Yom Tov, which is the aspect of holy eating — for then they are days of joy, and then it is a mitzvah to eat and drink and rejoice, as is found in the holy Zohar: "There is nothing better for man than to eat and drink and rejoice" — this is the joy on the day of Shabbos and the holy festivals, etc. For the essential refinement of eating from the koach hamedameh, the power of animality, is through joy, the aspect of neginah. And therefore it is impossible to eat flesh from a living creature unless the animal and the like is complete and has no tarfus whatsoever in any organ upon which the vitality depends — so that the ruach chayyim [spirit of life] will not go out through there. For then it is in the aspect of: "His spirit departs, he returns to his earth" — that all the spirit — which is mixed together — goes out, and then the medameh is not refined. For it is impossible to refine the medameh unless the instrument is complete — for then one can refine the medameh, to refine the good spirit, the spirit of man, from the spirit of the animal, etc. — in the aspect of neginah and joy. And therefore, the essential tarfus depends mostly upon the lungs, which require inspection for all types of tarfus. For the essential aspect of neginah is in the aspect of the lungs — for from there the voice of melody goes forth, for the windpipe of the lungs produces the voice of melody, as our Sages of blessed memory expounded: "Honor Hashem from your throat" (Mishlei 3:9), etc. And therefore, the five lobes that the lungs have correspond to the five strings of the harp of David, corresponding to the Five Books of the Torah, which are the aspect of the above-mentioned neginah. And therefore, the lungs require the most inspection of all the organs — for the lungs must be without any deficiency whatsoever, so that there will not be the aspect of "His spirit departs, he returns to his earth," etc., as mentioned above. For the lungs are the essential aspect of the instrument — the aspect of the five strings of the harp of David — from which all the melodies go forth, when one merits that the aspect of the instrument, the aspect of the harp of David, the aspect of the lungs, is in a state of completeness. For then one refines, through the aspect of the melody, the spirit of man from the spirit of the animal — which is the refinement of the medameh. The essential kosher eating is through this, as mentioned above — and through this the zikaron is guarded, as mentioned above. For the guarding of the zikaron depends upon holy eating. And therefore the Torah warned that one should not fall into forgetfulness, G-d forbid, through the eating, as it is written: "Lest you eat and be satisfied… and your heart be lifted up, and you forget… and you shall remember Hashem your G-d," etc. (Devarim 8:12–18). For the essential zikaron is through the refinement of the medameh, which depends upon holy eating, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the korbanos [offerings] — for then the Levi'im would lead the song upon the duchan [the platform in the Beis HaMikdash] at the time of the offering of the korban. For the essential purpose of the korban is to refine the spirit of man, the good spirit, from the spirit of the animal. And this is accomplished through the song and melody, as mentioned above — the aspect of "and you shall rejoice in all the sending forth of your hand" — which is stated regarding the korbanos that are brought on the regel [the pilgrimage festivals]. And this is the aspect of: "There is no joy except with the flesh of an animal" — from which one brings korbanos. For there is the essential aspect of joy, because the essential refinement of the animality — that is, the refinement of the medameh — is through joy and melody, as mentioned above. And therefore it is a mitzvah to eat meat on Shabbos and Yom Tov — for then one merits joy, which is the aspect of the refinement and rectification of the flesh of the animal — to refine the spirit of man from the spirit of the animal. And this is the aspect of what the Tanna responded when they asked him a halachah: "Go away — I have not eaten ox-meat" [i.e. I cannot answer your question because I have not eaten meat today]. For the koach hamedameh rests upon the mouth of one who studies halachos, and as long as the medameh is not refined, one does not merit a clear halachah — for the medameh confuses with its fantasies, and sometimes it compares one matter to another not in accordance with the true law. And therefore, the essential ruling of halachah is received from the Beis HaMikdash, as it is stated: "And you shall arise and go up to the place… according to the Torah that they will instruct you" (Devarim 17:8–11). For there in the Beis HaMikdash all the korbanos are brought, through which the medameh is refined, and through which one merits a clear halachah, as mentioned above. And therefore he said, "Go away — I have not eaten ox-meat." For when he will eat meat, then he will eat in holiness and purity and joy — for without this it is impossible for a tzadik to eat, as mentioned above. And then, through his eating — that he will eat meat and refine through his eating the spirit of man, the good spirit, from the spirit of the animal, from the sadness of spirit — which is the refinement of the medameh — then he will certainly be able to answer the question, for then he will merit a clear halachah. For the essential halachah is merited through the refinement of the medameh, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of shechitah [ritual slaughter]. For the animal that dies of itself is a nevailah [a carcass that died without proper slaughter, forbidden to eat] and is forbidden for the eating of Yisrael, the holy nation. For we, Yisrael the holy nation, it is impossible for us to eat the flesh of a living creature — where the koach hamedameh, the power of animality, resides — unless we refine it first. That is, to subdue the evil, which is the spirit of animality, and to refine the good from there. And therefore, when it dies of itself, and the spirit of life goes out from it on its own — not through Yisrael — then the spirit of man has not been refined from the spirit of the animal, and then it is in the aspect of "His spirit departs, he returns to his earth." And therefore it is impossible for Yisrael to eat from the flesh of a living creature except through shechitah specifically — for we specifically must draw out the spirit of life from the animal, etc. — so that we may refine, at the time of the shechitah, the aspect of the medameh — to refine the spirit of man from the spirit of the animal. For then specifically it is fit for the eating of Yisrael. For the chalif [the slaughtering knife] that the shochet [ritual slaughterer] holds in his hand is the aspect of the side of neginah, through which one refines the medameh, as mentioned above. For neginah is from the sitra d'Leiva'ai [the side of the Levi'im], from the aspect of the gevuros [the stern powers/judgments] of Yitzchak, as is known (as is brought in the Tikkunim). And this is the aspect of the chalif, which is the aspect of the gevuros of Yitzchak. And therefore Yitzchak was compelled to stretch forth his neck for shechitah, as it is written: "And he took the knife [ma'acheles] to slaughter his son" (Bereishis 22:10). For the judgment is not sweetened except at its root. And this is the aspect of (Tehillim 149:6): "The exaltations of G-d in their throat, and a double-edged sword in their hand." "The exaltations of G-d in their throat" — this is the aspect of the above-mentioned neginah, for the throat produces the voice of melody. And this is "and a double-edged sword in their hand" — for this is the aspect of the double-edged sword, the aspect of the chalif of shechitah, which is the aspect of the gevuros of Yitzchak, from which the aspect of neginah and joy derive. For on account of this he is called Yitzchak — on account of sechok [laughter] and joy, as it is written: "All who hear will rejoice for me" (Bereishis 21:6). Onkelos translates: "will rejoice for me." And therefore, through the chalif of shechitah — the aspect of the double-edged sword, the aspect of Malchus that encompasses all ten types of neginah, which is the aspect of "the sword that avenges the vengeance of the covenant" (Vayikra 26:25) — through this one draws out the spirit of life from the animal, etc. For through this one refines the spirit of man from the spirit of the animal, in the aspect of: "Who knows the spirit of man that ascends on high," etc. (And as is brought in the words of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, in another place as well — that the refinement of the spirit of man from the spirit of the animal is through neginah.) And therefore, the chalif must be complete without any flaw whatsoever — the aspect of the completeness of the instrument — so that one may refine the good spirit from the broken spirit, etc., as mentioned above. And the essential shechitah is at the place of the neck [tzavar]. For the neck and throat separate between the head and the body, which are in the aspect of the spirit of man and the spirit of the animal — the aspect of zikaron [remembrance] and shikchah [forgetfulness] — the aspect of Olam HaBa [the World to Come] and Olam HaZeh [this world]. For the head is the aspect of the da'as, which is the aspect of zikaron — the aspect of "cleaving one's thought to the World to Come." For the da'as that is in the head knows and remembers well that this world is nothing, and the essential thing is the Olam HaBa. For how is it possible to contest this? And anyone who has a brain in his skull knows this clearly and well — that there is no ultimate purpose [tachlis] whatsoever in this world and its imagined cravings; rather, the essential thing is to cleave one's thought to the Olam HaBa, to always remember the ultimate purpose, which is the Olam HaBa. And that which a person forgets this at times is only on account of the cravings of the body. For the essential forgetfulness depends upon the heart (as is explained in the above-mentioned discourse) — that is, through the craving of the heart, through this one forgets the ultimate purpose, which is the Olam HaBa. For the head and body are in the aspect of da'as and foolishness, zikaron and shikchah. For the da'as that is in the head distances all the cravings of the body. And therefore, the shechitah is at the place of the neck and throat — for through there the head and the body are connected, which are the aspect of zikaron and shikchah, man and animal, etc. And therefore, there is the essential place of the refinement, through the chalif of shechitah — to refine the spirit of man that ascends on high, which is the aspect of the head and da'as, from the spirit of the animal that descends below, which is the aspect of the body and foolishness. For even the animal is comprised of all the aspects, as is known — that every aspect is comprised of all the aspects. And therefore, one must slaughter the kaneh [windpipe] and veshet [esophagus] and veridin [jugular veins], which are the aspect of the three officers of Pharaoh, as is known — which are the aspect of the animalistic cravings. For they wish to draw the da'as that is in the head toward the cravings of the body, G-d forbid — to empower, G-d forbid, the koach hamedameh, the power of the body, which is the aspect of Pharaoh. As is stated in the above-mentioned discourse: that Pharaoh is the aspect of the koach hamedameh. And Pharaoh is the oref [the back of the neck; stubbornness] — for the three officers of Pharaoh, which are the kaneh, veshet, and veridin, wish to draw the da'as, G-d forbid, toward the oref, which is the aspect of Pharaoh, the aspect of the koach hamedameh. And therefore, one must slaughter and subdue these three officers of Pharaoh — by slaughtering the kaneh, veshet, and veridin. And then one refines the medameh, and refines the aspect of the da'as that is in the head — the aspect of the spirit of man — from the spirit of the animal, from the aspect of the cravings of the body, the animalistic cravings. Through the chalif of shechitah, which is the aspect of the sitra d'nigguna [the side of melody], the sitra d'Leiva'ai — as it is stated: "And the Levi'im over the slaughter of the Pesachim" (Divrei HaYamim II 30:17). And therefore, the essential shechitah is through holachah and hava'ah [drawing the knife back and forth] specifically — in the aspect of "Who has ascended to heaven and descended?" (Mishlei 30:4) — which is the aspect of neginah (as is explained in the above-mentioned discourse). And through this one merits zikaron, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of (Shir HaShirim 3:8): "Each man his sword upon his thigh, from the dread of the nights." And Rashi explains: so that the Torah will not be forgotten from them in the exile. For through the aspect of the sword — the aspect of the sitra d'nigguna — through this one refines the medameh and merits a clear halachah and is saved from forgetfulness, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of: "And flesh torn in the field [traifah] you shall not eat; to the dog you shall cast it. You shall not raise a false report" (Shemos 22:30–23:1). And our Sages of blessed memory expounded (Pesachim 118a): that one who speaks lashon hara deserves to be cast to the dogs. For they are one aspect — namely, the sin of lashon hara and the prohibition of traifos. For the essential intensification of the medameh is through lashon hara (as is explained there in the above-mentioned discourse). And this itself is the aspect of the prohibition of traifos, as mentioned above. And therefore there are eighteen traifos — corresponding to "Tzadik Chai Almin" [the Righteous One Who sustains the worlds; numerically chai = 18], which is the aspect of Yosef HaTzadik, who guarded the bris, for the essential rectification of the medameh is through him — in the aspect of "and Yosef shall place his hand upon your eyes" (as is explained there in the above-mentioned discourse). For the essential refinement of the medameh — to subdue the craving of animality, to refine the spirit of man from the spirit of the animal — depends upon guarding the bris, which is the aspect of Yosef HaTzadik. For the essential completeness of the melody and the joy is through guarding the bris, as is brought in the words of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, in the discourse "Retzitza" (Siman 27). And there resides the essential ruach chayyim [spirit of life] — the aspect of Yosef, who is "a man in whom is the spirit of G-d" (Bereishis 41:38), the aspect of "there did not remain any more spirit in any man" (Yehoshua 2:11). And this is the aspect of milah [circumcision] and priah [the uncovering of the corona after circumcision]. For the orlah [the foreskin] that covers the bris — this is the aspect of the clouds that cover the eyes, which is the aspect of shikchah [forgetfulness], the aspect of ra ayin [an evil eye]. For the flaw of the bris is the flaw of the eyes, in the aspect of: "And you shall not stray after your hearts and after your eyes" (Bamidbar 15:39). And one must subdue the aspect of ra ayin, the aspect of the flaw of the bris, the aspect of the orlah that covers the bris — to cut it off through the double-edged sword. And afterward, when one cuts the orlah, which is the aspect of ra ayin, one still needs to refine the medameh, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of priah — that one tears the skin and reveals the atarah [the corona]. Through this one refines the aspect of the medameh. And then the forgetfulness is subdued and the zikaron is strengthened — which is the aspect of the bris, the aspect of ben zachar [a male child; zachar shares a root with zikaron] (as is explained in the above-mentioned discourse). And therefore, milah is a mitzvah that Yisrael accepted upon themselves with joy, as our Sages of blessed memory expounded. For the essential rectification is through joy, the aspect of neginah, through which one refines the medameh and merits zikaron, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of priah — to subdue the aspect of Pharaoh [priah / Par'oh], which is the koach hamedameh, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the descent of Yosef to Mitzrayim — that the Shevatim [the Tribes] sold him because he had been bringing evil reports about them to their father, which is the sin of lashon hara — through which one falls into animality, into the koach hamedameh, which is the aspect of Pharaoh and Mitzrayim. And therefore it is stated there: "And they slaughtered a kid of the goats," etc. (Bereishis 37:31). And our Sages of blessed memory said that all the things he spoke against them — in all of them he was punished, etc. For even at the time of the transgression they slaughtered a kid of the goats, etc. For he spoke against them that they were demeaning the sons of the maidservants, and were suspected of aiver min hachai [eating a limb from a living animal], and were suspected of arayos [sexual immorality]. And all of these are one aspect. For demeaning the sons of the maidservants — this is the aspect of lashon hara, for one who speaks lashon hara degrades the person. And this itself is the aspect of being suspected of aiver min hachai — that they eat without shechitah — which is also a flaw of the medameh. And this is that they were suspected of arayos — namely, the flaw of the bris, which is the flaw of the zikaron, etc. And they hated him for this, for they said that they were innocent of all this, and on the contrary, he was the one bringing forth slander against them — and on account of this it was fitting to hate him, for he flaws the holy love through this, as mentioned above — in the aspect of: "For you have rejected the da'as, and I will reject you from being a Kohen to Me." And this is: "And they continued further to hate him on account of his dreams and on account of his words" (Bereishis 37:8). Rashi explains: because he was bringing forth slander against them — and on account of this it was fitting to hate him, as mentioned above. And this is "on account of his dreams and on account of his words" — for the dreamer is the aspect of the medameh, and they said that because he brings forth slander, through this he fell into the medameh, and through this his dreams that come from the medameh are not true, and it is fitting to hate him for them, as mentioned above. And therefore they sold him to the Egyptians — for there is the dominion of Pharaoh, which is the aspect of the medameh. And even at the time of the transgression they slaughtered a kid of the goats — to demonstrate that they were innocent of aiver min hachai. For in their case, the medameh was refined and rectified — which is the aspect of shechitah, as mentioned above. And Yosef, through the greatness of his righteousness — that he stood the test and guarded the bris — for the essential refinement of the craving of animality is through breaking this craving, which is the essential craving of animality. And because he broke this craving, through this he merited to refine the medameh even in Mitzrayim, in the place of the intensity of its dominion — which is "the nakedness of the land" (Bereishis 42:9). And therefore he merited to interpret dreams — which is the aspect of the refinement of the medameh. For the dream comes through the medameh, and on account of the confusion of the medameh, through this one does not know the true interpretation. But Yosef, who merited to rectify and refine the medameh, through this he knew the interpretation of all the dreams. And therefore Yosef was compelled to be with the three officers of Pharaoh — who are: the chief butcher, the chief cupbearer, and the chief baker. For he also served them at first, as it is written: "And he served them" (Bereishis 40:4). For he was compelled to subdue the above-mentioned three officers, through whom the medameh intensifies, as mentioned above. And he merited to subdue them in the place of the intensity of their dominion. And because he relied upon flesh and blood [by asking the chief cupbearer to mention him to Pharaoh], two additional years were added to him. And this is: "And the chief cupbearer did not remember Yosef, and he forgot him" (Bereishis 40:23). "And he did not remember" — specifically. For they are in the aspect of shikchah [forgetfulness] that comes from the medameh that intensifies through the three officers, as mentioned above. For Yosef has the power to refine them, to interpret their dreams — but they themselves are far from zikaron, for they are the aspect of the medameh, the aspect of shikchah. And afterward, when he received his punishment for two more years, he merited to refine everything. "And it was at the end of two years of days," etc. (Bereishis 41:1). Then, "and Pharaoh dreamed" — which is the medameh, etc., as mentioned above. And then Yosef was elevated, "and they rushed him from the pit, and he came before Pharaoh" (Bereishis 41:14) and interpreted the dreams for him and subdued and refined the medameh. For the essential rectification of the medameh is through Yosef HaTzadik — the aspect of "and Yosef shall place his hand upon your eyes," as mentioned above. And therefore, when his brothers came to him, it is stated: "And Yosef remembered the dreams," etc. (Bereishis 42:9). "And he remembered" — specifically. For the dreams of Yosef HaTzadik, who rectified the medameh, are in the aspect of zikaron, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of derisah [mauling — one of the categories that renders an animal traif: when a predator's claws inject venom into the prey], which is the essential tarfus, as our Sages of blessed memory expounded — that the essential meaning of the word traifah is: that it was torn apart by wild beasts. And the essential derisah is through the hand [paw] specifically. For the essential derisah of the wild beasts that maul — that have venom in their hand [paw] — is on account of the intense anger that they have. And anger is on account of foolishness, as it is written (Koheles 7:9): "Anger rests in the bosom of fools" (as Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, wrote many times). It follows that these wild beasts whose anger is so great that they have venom in their hand [paw] to kill — there, in these beasts, is the intensity of the foolishness, which is the intensification of the koach hamedameh, the power of animality — which is the aspect of foolishness (as is explained in the above-mentioned discourse). For the more the anger intensifies in the beast, the more the foolishness — that is, the power of animality — intensifies there. And therefore they render the animal forbidden through their derisah with the hand [paw] specifically. For "this one corresponds to that one" (Koheles 7:14): just as in holiness the essential refinement of the medameh is through the hand specifically — for there are the deposits of all the spirits, as mentioned above — so too, conversely, in wild beasts — where the intensification of the animality and the foolishness is at its utmost — they inject their venom, which is the aspect of ruach ra'ah [an evil spirit], the aspect of anger, through their hand [paw] specifically. For there rests their evil spirit, which is the aspect of anger and hatred — just as in holiness the essential spirit of holiness resides in the aspect of the hand of man, as mentioned above. And therefore, the animal, beast, or bird that was mauled through the hand [paw] of these wild predatory beasts is forbidden to us. For through these wild beasts, the evil within the medameh intensifies greatly — which is the aspect of the venom, which is the evil spirit, that is in their hand [paw] specifically. And therefore, the law is more stringent regarding derusah [an animal that has been mauled]. For the essential rectification of the living creature is through the refinement of the medameh — which is accomplished specifically when the living creature is complete and free of all eighteen traifos. For then one refines it through the aspect of joy and melody, as mentioned above. And therefore, one must give from the animal matanos kehunah [the priestly gifts — the foreleg, the cheeks, and the stomach — that must be given to a Kohen] to the Kohen. In order to connect, through this, the animal to the aspect of the Kohen, which is the aspect of holy love — the aspect of "and the Kohen shall take a handful" (Vayikra 2:2), as mentioned above. This is the aspect of the refinement of the medameh — that one refines and elevates the fallen loves from within the animality, and connects them to their root — to the holy love, which is the aspect of the Kohen — through the matanos kehunah that are given to the Kohen. Traifos 2 is a ten-section halachah built upon Likutay Moharan I:54 ("VaYehi MiKeitz"). Its central axis is the koach hamedameh — the imaginative/fantasy faculty, the power of animality — and how it is refined and subdued through neginah (melody), simchah (joy), and shemiras habris (guarding the Covenant). Header/Introduction: Lengthy summary of the Likutay Moharan discourse. Key chain: zikaron (remembrance of Olam HaBa) → flawed by ra ayin → and by koach hamedameh → which comes through lashon hara. The medameh is rectified through the yad (hand), i.e. simchah/musical instruments. The instrument must be complete (whole). The rectification of the medameh = Pharaoh is through Yosef = ruach Elokim. Sections 1–2: Eighteen traifos = the living creature has the medameh; we refine it through joy and melody at the time of eating. Birkas HaMazon cup = 10 types of neginah. Eating on Shabbos/Yom Tov = holy eating with joy. The Tanna who said "I have not eaten ox-meat" = without refining the medameh through eating, one cannot merit a clear halachah. Halachah comes from the Beis HaMikdash where korbanos refine the medameh. Sections 3–4: Shechitah vs. nevailah: Yisrael must themselves draw out the spirit from the animal in order to refine the medameh. The chalif = the sitra d'nigguna, the gevuros of Yitzchak. "The exaltations of G-d in their throat, and a double-edged sword in their hand." The shechitah is at the neck = the juncture of head (da'as/zikaron) and body (cravings/shikchah). The kaneh, veshet, and veridin = three officers of Pharaoh. Holachah and hava'ah = ascending and descending = neginah. Section 5: Lashon hara and traifos are one aspect — both intensify the medameh. "Cast to the dogs" = the consequence of lashon hara = the consequence of tarfus. Section 6: Eighteen traifos = Tzadik Chai Almin = Yosef = shemiras habris = the completeness of melody and joy. The essential ruach chayyim resides there. Section 7: Milah and priah. The orlah = clouds covering the eyes = shikchah/ra ayin. Cutting the orlah = cutting with the double-edged sword. Priah = refining the medameh = subduing Pharaoh (priah/Par'oh). Milah is accepted with simchah. Section 8: The narrative of Yosef's descent to Mitzrayim. The three accusations (lashon hara, aiver min hachai, arayos) = three flaws of the medameh/bris/zikaron. The brothers slaughtered a kid = proof they were clean of aiver min hachai. Yosef's guarding of the bris → merited to refine the medameh even in Mitzrayim → interpreted dreams. The three officers = the three conduits of the medameh. "He did not remember" = shikchah. "And Yosef remembered" = zikaron. Section 9: Derisah (mauling by a predator) = the essential tarfus. The predator's venom is in its paw = the evil spirit in the hand — the unholy counterpart of the holy hand through which neginah refines the medameh. Anger = foolishness = intensification of the medameh. The law is stricter for derusah. Section 10: Matanos kehunah = connecting the animal to the Kohen = holy love = refining and elevating the fallen loves from within the animality back to their root.