מעונן ומנחש ב

Laws of Divination and Omens — Halachos 1, 2 & 3

For it is found in the words of our Rebbe, of blessed memory — in Likutay Maharan Tinyana (the Collected Torah of our Master, Rabbi Nachman, Second Part), discourse 78, in the teaching that begins with the subject of the conduct of simplicity (hanhagas ha'pshitus — the spiritual path of simple, wholehearted service of G-d, without intellectual sophistication or cleverness) — and it is explained there: that when one is compelled to be without Torah study, or in the case of simple folk (anashim p'shutim — plain, ordinary Jews) who are not able to study and so on — all of them receive their vitality through the simple man (ish pasut) who is great through the Hidden Torah (Torah ha'ne'elemes — the Torah as it exists in a concealed state within all created things), which is the aspect of a free gift (matnas chinam — something bestowed not as earned reward but purely out of divine grace), which is the aspect of the world's sustenance before the Giving of the Torah. For at that time the Torah was concealed in the way of the world — within all things that exist in the world — for everything was created through the Ten Utterances (Asarah Ma'amaros — the ten divine pronouncements through which G-d created the world, as enumerated in the opening chapter of Bereishis). And within them, the entire Torah is concealed in its totality — for it is included in the Ten Commandments (Aseres Ha'Dibros), and the Ten Commandments are concealed within the Ten Utterances through which the world was created, and they in turn are concealed within all things of the world. It is found, then, that within every thing in the world there is Torah in a concealed state — and in a time when one is compelled to be without Torah study, one draws life from the Hidden Torah, and so on, as above. And therefore, for all the transgressions of the Torah, one should transgress rather than be killed — this is the aspect of what our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Tractate Menachos 99): "the annulment of Torah — this is its fulfillment" — and as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: it is better that one Shabbos be desecrated rather than many Shabbosos be desecrated. For the entire world was created solely for the sake of Israel — as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: "In the beginning G-d created" (Bereishis 1:1) — for the sake of Israel who are called "beginning" (reishis). And all the Ten Utterances through which the world was created — all of it was for the sake of Israel, so that Israel should receive the Torah, which is included in the Ten Commandments — as our Sages, of blessed memory, said concerning the hey of the word "ha'shishi" (the sixth day): that they all hung in suspense until the sixth day of Sivan when Israel received the Torah. It is found, then, that Israel is the vitality and the soul of all the worlds — for the Holy One, blessed be He, the Torah, and Israel are all one — for Israel themselves are in their very essence the Torah, in the aspect of the Ten Commandments, in the aspect of the Ten Utterances included within Bereishis — which is the aspect of Israel, who are called "beginning." And all of creation was for the sake of Israel, who are the soul of all the world — so that Israel should come to know Him, blessed be He, through all the things of the world and cleave to Him, blessed be He, forever — as is written in the holy Zohar: "in order that they should come to know Him."

For the L-rd, blessed be He, created the world with body and soul, with matter and form (chomer v'tzurah). And His intention was to subjugate the body to the soul — for this is the essential purpose of our service. And just as in the particular case of the individual person, each person must strengthen himself to subjugate and nullify the body before the soul — so that all the deeds of the body should be solely for the sake of the soul, to do the will of our Creator, blessed be He, which is the soul's deepest yearning — so too in the universal sense: Israel, the holy nation, is the aspect of the soul and the spirit of all the world. And all the nations of the world and all creatures in the world — all of them are the aspect of body in relation to Israel, and all of them must be subjugated and nullified before the soul and the spirit, which is Israel, and must do their will — for they have no sustenance or vitality whatsoever without Israel, just as there is no vitality for the body without the soul. For the essential purpose of all of creation — in its totality and in each detail — is this: that the matter and the body should be nullified before the soul; to strip every thing of its materiality and physicality — to transform from matter to form, from body to soul — so that it should ascend and be included and cleave to its root, and return to the source from which it was hewn in holiness — the place where its dwelling was at first, before it was created. And this is the essential service of the human being in this world. And this is the entire summary of the Torah and the commandments — for the L-rd, blessed be He, calculated in His wisdom that through these commandments we would be able to come to know Him, blessed be He. And therefore all the commandments and acts of service must be through speech and deed specifically — b'milula v'uvda daika (in the Aramaic of the Zohar: "in word and deed precisely") — for one is specifically required to perform the commandment in actual deed, in practical action precisely. For so did the L-rd, blessed be He, calculate: that through the performance of these commandments in actual deed precisely — through this specifically are we able to cleave to Him, blessed be He — that is: to nullify the physicality of our bodies, which is the aspect of asiyah (the world of action, the lowest of the four worlds), and similarly to nullify the physicality of all the world — for everything becomes purified through the performance of our commandments. And the matter will be purified until the matter of all the world transforms entirely into form, in the general sense and in each particular — so that all things ascend and are included in their root as above — that is: to know and recognize Him, blessed be He — for this is the purpose of all of creation in its entirety: "in order that they should come to know Him." And therefore emunah (faith — simple, wholehearted belief in G-d and in His absolute unity) is the foundation of the entire Torah — as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: Chavakuk the prophet came and established all the commandments upon one: "and the righteous man lives by his faith" (Chavakuk 2:4) — for this is the essential purpose of all creation: to merit emunah, to believe that the L-rd, blessed be He, created everything through the Ten Utterances, and that He, blessed be He, gives life to all of them. For through this — through believing that all vitality comes solely from the L-rd, blessed be He, — one elevates and raises all things to the L-rd, blessed be He.

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And therefore nothing stands before the saving of a Jewish life (pikuach nefesh — the overriding halachic principle that the preservation of life takes precedence over virtually all other commandments) — except for the three sins mentioned above. For every Jewish soul is the aspect of the totality of the Torah — for every Jewish soul is comprised of 248 limbs and 365 sinews (gidin), which are the aspect of the totality of the entire Torah: 248 positive commandments (mitzvos asei) and 365 negative commandments (mitzvos lo sa'aseh). And the more that Jewish souls continue to exist in this world, the more the soul prevails over the body, the form over the matter — for Israel is the aspect of soul and form in relation to all the world, as above. And therefore certainly all the commandments are set aside for the saving of a Jewish life. For each and every commandment is only one particular detail: according to that particular commandment, some part and aspect of the world is included in its root. But a Jewish soul is the totality that encompasses the entire Torah in its fullness, and it is itself the aspect of the soul of all the world. However, all this is only when emunah remains complete — when the subjugation of idolatry does not gain the upper hand, G-d forbid — for as long as emunah remains complete, even if one is compelled to transgress some commandment, G-d forbid, because of the saving of life — one is still connected to the L-rd, blessed be He, through emunah alone, and is able to sustain oneself through the aspect of the Hidden Torah mentioned above — which is the aspect of the world's sustenance before the Giving of the Torah — which is the aspect of "the annulment of Torah, this is its fulfillment," as above. And then — as long as emunah is complete — the Jewish soul sets aside for life's sake all the other commandments. For the Jewish soul is itself the aspect of soul in relation to all the world, and has the power to raise and lift up all the world to the L-rd, blessed be He, through its emunah alone — through believing that the L-rd, blessed be He, created everything through the Ten Utterances, within which the entire Torah is concealed — which is the vitality of all the world — and through this one elevates and raises all the world to the L-rd, blessed be He, as above. But when they wish him to commit idolatry, G-d forbid, and to make him forsake his emunah, G-d forbid — then certainly he must be killed rather than transgress. For the instant one damages, G-d forbid, his emunah — he has no vitality whatsoever and is uprooted from his root entirely — and he destroys all the world and everything within it that depended upon him. For all of them need to receive vitality from him and to ascend to their root through him — for he has the power to lift them all through his faith in Him, blessed be He, who created everything through the Ten Utterances and so on, as above. And when he damages his emunah, G-d forbid — he is uprooted entirely from the L-rd, blessed be He, from the root of his vitality, from the aspect of soul — and certainly he is no longer needed in the world at all. For not only is he no longer able to sustain the world — on the contrary, he actively destroys the world entirely — since he damages the emunah, G-d forbid, which is the essential vitality, soul, spirit, and sustenance of all the world — as it is written: "and all His works are in faithfulness" (Tehillim 33:4), as cited above. And therefore for sexual immorality (giluy arayos — "uncovering of nakedness," the halachic category of forbidden sexual relations) one must also be killed rather than transgress. For body and soul — which are the aspect of Israel and the nations, as above — which is the aspect of the totality of all creation together with that which existed before creation — this is the aspect of man and woman (ish v'ishah). For man and woman are the aspect of body and soul, matter and form, as is taught. And therefore the guarding of the covenant (shmiyas ha'bris — the preservation of sexual purity, and the sanctity of the marital union) is the foundation of the entire Torah — for this is the essential summary of the entire Torah: to subjugate the matter before the form, the body before the soul, as above. And therefore a blemish of the covenant (pegam ha'bris — any violation of sexual purity and marital sanctity) is a blemish of emunah — as is taught in the words of our Rebbe, of blessed memory, many times — as it is stated in the holy Zohar concerning the blemish of the covenant (Vayikra 19:4): "Do not turn to the idols" — for when one turns, G-d forbid, to another woman — he draws the vitality of all souls and uproots it from its root, and brings matter into dominance, and the body over the soul, G-d forbid — which is the destruction of all the worlds, when the body and the matter are uprooted from the root of the souls. For the drop of union (tipas ha'zivug — the seed of marital union, which is drawn from the Source of Life) must be drawn only in holiness and purity, in its proper kind, according to the commandment of the holy Torah — for the sustenance of the world, so that Israel should multiply in the world. For the more Israel exist in the world, the more G-dliness, blessed be He, is revealed in the world — and the soul prevails over the body all the more, as above — for Israel is the aspect of soul, as above — and the world and its fullness becomes ever more included in its root, as above. But the opposite, G-d forbid — when one turns to what is forbidden, G-d forbid — it is the precise opposite, G-d forbid — as if one uproots the vitality of the souls, the vitality of all the world from its root, and strengthens the body over the soul and so on — which is the destruction of the world, G-d forbid. And he truly damages his emunah — which is the Source of Life — for it is impossible for one to have complete emunah when he violates the covenant, G-d forbid — for emunah is dependent upon the guarding of the covenant, as is explained elsewhere — Likutay (the Collected Teachings), Part One, discourse 31. And therefore it is stated in the Tikunay (the Tikun-teachings of the Tikunay Zohar) that a mamzer and mamzeres (children born of a forbidden union, as defined by halachic law) are a graven image and a molten idol (pesel u'masaychah) — for they are literally idolatry — for one draws divine vitality and uproots it from its root and introduces it into such a corrupt and blemished body — through which the matter gains dominance over the form and so on — which is the destruction of the world, G-d forbid, as above. And this is the aspect of actual idolatry — for this is the essential blemish of idolatry. For the essential error of all those who worshipped idolatry flowed from the fact that they were bound too deeply to the desires of this world — and they were continually strengthening the matter over the form, the body over the soul, the physical over the spiritual — until their intellect became muddied and their mind was completely inverted from one extreme to the other — until they fell into this error, until they made for themselves actual idols — the work of human hands, wood and stone. And all this flowed from the fact that in truth, certainly, within every thing there is divine vitality — for the L-rd, blessed be He, created that thing and sustains it through His will and His vitality — and we, the people of Israel, must through our service in Torah and practical commandments strengthen and elevate all things to the root of their vitality, to the L-rd, blessed be He, as above. And each person — according to the degree to which he sanctifies and purifies himself more and strips himself from the physicality of the world — in that same measure does he strip, according to his level, all the world from its physicality and elevate and connect everything to its root. And similarly in the reverse direction — according to the degree to which a person, G-d forbid, is more entangled after the desires of this world and its vanities, after the physicality of the world — in that same measure does he strengthen the matter over the form and distance the world and its fullness from the L-rd, blessed be He, from the root of their vitality. However, even so — as long as he remains firm in his emunah completely — he is still connected to the L-rd, blessed be He. And even though he has distanced himself from the L-rd, blessed be He, even so he has not been entirely uprooted, G-d forbid. And therefore every Jew — as long as the name of Israel is called upon him — that is, as long as he has emunah in the L-rd, blessed be He, — he still tips the scale of all the world to the L-rd, blessed be He, through his strong bond — through his strong emunah in the L-rd, blessed be He, — through believing that the L-rd, blessed be He, created everything through the Ten Utterances, within which the entire Torah is concealed, which is the vitality of all the world and its fullness — and through this one elevates and raises all the world to the L-rd, blessed be He, as above. But there are those who are so entangled after the desires of this world that they have fallen so deeply into the physicality of asiyah — that they have so completely overturned the bowl and so greatly strengthened the matter over the form — that they became utterly confused, and made for themselves idols and foreign worship from physical matter — the work of human hands. And they uproot that thing from the root of its vitality and make from it an idol — which is vomit and excrement without any proper place — the dregs and the turbidity of the physicality of action. For since they have made this into an idol and deny the L-rd, blessed be He, all the root of holy vitality that was within it departs from there — and then the thing remains in utter dross — actual vomit and excrement — as is taught in the holy writings: that idolatry is the aspect of asiyah and so on. But the unfolding of their error and their foolishness stemmed and descended from this very thing itself — from the fact that in truth, the vitality of His G-dliness, blessed be He, which gives life to all, is concealed within every thing. And because of this their error unfolded and descended — and they made foreign worship from physical things — because they wished to strengthen only the matter over the form, and they uprooted every thing from its root, until everything became inverted for them from one extreme to the other. For in truth we must lift every thing to the L-rd, blessed be He, alone — to the root of its vitality in holiness — so that it be included in its root through the emunah that we believe: that the L-rd, blessed be He, created everything, as above. And this is the aspect of soul and spirit prevailing over body and matter. But they were so entangled after the material that their evil minds became completely inverted — until they made physical, material matter into an idol. It is found, then, that they uproot the aspect of divine vitality that was within that thing — and wish to make from it an idol. And this is itself the aspect of the mamzer and mamzeres who are a graven image and a molten idol — for one also uproots divine vitality from its root through the creation and fashioning of bodies that are the precise opposite of holiness — being the aspect of the dominance of matter over form and so on, as above. And therefore an idol fashioned by a Jew — at the outset, before it has been made into an idol — requires more acts of worship (uvdos — formal acts of idolatrous service; the halachic threshold that triggers the prohibition) before it can become an idol and become forbidden. For it is not forbidden until it has actually been worshipped — since Israel, at their root, are completely remote from any blemish of idolatry, G-d forbid — for Israel is the aspect of soul and spirituality, and they are at their root entirely remote from physicality — and they are above all the worlds, and they are included and unified with Him, blessed be He, alone — for Israel arose in the Divine Thought first of all (Yisrael alah b'machshavah t'chilah — "Israel arose in the primordial Divine Thought"). For the essential grip of idolatry is only in the physicality of asiyah — for it is there that the essential grip of the dross and the filth, which is idolatry, takes hold — for idolatry comes from material things: wood and stone, the work of human hands. And therefore the essential grip of idolatry is only upon the nations of the world, whose grip is in the physicality of the world — for they are called "Esav" (Eisav), which is the language of action (asiyah) and physicality — for from there is their grip — for they are the aspect of body and matter in relation to Israel, who are the aspect of soul and form, as above. And therefore it is said of idolatry: "which He assigned to them" (Devarim 4:19) — for idolatry flows from their portion and their root — for their portion and their root is the physicality of action, from which idolatry takes its grip. And through this it is possible to understand what our Sages, of blessed memory, said about the verse "which He assigned to them" — which troubled them: did the L-rd, blessed be He, really assign them these things so that they should worship them — and yet are they not also commanded not to worship idolatry?! And therefore our Sages, of blessed memory, explained: "which He assigned to them" — to illuminate for them. And at first glance this interpretation is difficult to understand — were the heavenly luminaries given solely to illuminate for the nations? Are we not also in need of the sun and moon and so on to illuminate for us? And moreover — was not the entire world and its fullness created solely for our sake?! But in truth — since the essential grip of the nations is only from the physicality of the world, from which the grip of idolatry flows — therefore idolatry is called their "portion" — for from there is their portion and their root: from the aspect of the physicality of asiyah from which idolatry takes its grip. And this is "which He assigned to them" — to illuminate for them — for the physical illumination of all the heavenly host certainly was not given as our portion at all — only as their portion. For our portion is solely the L-rd, blessed be He, alone — as it is said: "for the L-rd's portion is His people" (Devarim 32:9), and as it is said: "The L-rd is my allotted portion and my cup... my portion is the L-rd, said my soul..." (Tehillim 16:5, Eichah 3:24). And even in all physical things we must cleave to the L-rd, blessed be He, — to elevate the source of their vitality to the L-rd, blessed be He, alone — for we have no portion in the physicality of any thing, only in its spirituality and its vitality alone. And because of this we are entirely remote from idolatry — which takes its grip in the physicality and dross of action alone. And therefore it is said of Israel: "gods whom they did not know and He did not assign to them" (Devarim 29:25) — for certainly we have no portion whatsoever in idolatry, which takes its grip in the physicality of matter alone, as above — for Israel is the aspect of soul and spirituality alone, as above. But the nations — whose grip is in the physicality of the world — therefore idolatry has a grip upon them, as above. And this is "which He assigned to them" — to illuminate for them — for the physical illumination is from their portion alone. And from this very thing flows the grip of idolatry, as above. And thus the verse is well resolved — which appears to be referring to the idolatry itself — and the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, who said "which He assigned to them" — to illuminate for them — are all one — for this depends upon that, as above. It is found, then, that Israel are bound solely to the King — Yisrael achidan baih b'Malka bilchuduhi (the Aramaic of the holy Zohar, Vayikra 7: "Israel are held fast to the King alone") — and the Torah and the Holy One, blessed be He, are all one. And they are the aspect of the soul and the form and the vitality of all the worlds — and they have no grip whatsoever in the physicality of things at all. And the nations are the aspect of body and action and matter, from which the grip of idolatry flows, as above. But in truth, certainly, the nations too are commanded regarding idolatry — for the nations, who are the aspect of body and matter, must subjugate themselves and be nullified before the soul and the form, which is Israel — just as the body must be nullified before the soul. And this is the essential rectification of the world (tikun ha'olam — the perfection and healing of the world) — as it will be in the Future — when He will transform for all of them a clear language, to call upon all of them in the Name of the L-rd and so on. For then they will be greatly subjugated beneath Israel — as it is said: "And ten men from all the languages of the nations shall take hold... of the garment of a Jew, saying: we will go with you, for we have heard that G-d is with you" (Zecharyah 8:23). And then idolatry will be completely nullified from the world — and "the idols will be utterly cut off" (Zecharyah 13:2) — for the matter will be nullified before the form, the body before the soul, the nations before Israel. And Israel will be cleaved to the L-rd, blessed be He, always — and they will elevate and connect all things to the L-rd, blessed be He, — which is the essential purpose of the creation of all the worlds. But now — since they are distant from Israel, and moreover they wish to overcome Israel — because of this idolatry and heresy take hold — which is the aspect of the dominance of matter over form, as above. And therefore, at the outset — when a single Jew wishes, G-d forbid, to make an idol for himself — it is certainly impossible for it to become an idol immediately — for he is entirely remote from idolatry and is the precise opposite of it, as above. And therefore it is impossible for it to become an idol until it has actually been worshipped — for certainly the human being has free choice. And when he actually worships the idol — then he entirely uproots the vitality from its root, and it becomes actual idolatry, and it becomes forbidden to benefit from it. But the non-Jew — as soon as he carves it as a god — it immediately becomes an idol — for the non-Jew is close to actual idolatry — for it is from his portion, as above. And therefore with ease — through a mere act of designation — it becomes an idol in his case, as above. But afterward — once it has already become an idol — regarding the matter of nullification, the rule is reversed. For the idolatry of a Jew can never be nullified, and the idolatry of a non-Jew can be nullified. For the non-Jew — since he is the aspect of physicality and body, from which idolatry takes its grip, as above — only the non-Jew was required to nullify himself before Israel, just as the body must nullify itself before the soul — and then the vitality of that thing and all the things under his authority would be connected to holiness, as above. But as long as he does not connect himself to Israel — and all the more so when he separates himself entirely from Israel and makes an idol for himself — it is found that there is no vitality whatsoever in this idolatry — for from where would it draw vitality, since he has uprooted it and separated it from Israel, who are the vitality and soul of all the world? And therefore, since there is no holy vitality in this idolatry at all — it is only forbidden as long as it is called idolatry — when it is uprooted from Israel. But as soon as the non-Jew nullifies it and disqualifies it from being an idol — the matter returns to its original state — and it can again connect to Israel and return to holiness. But a Jew — who is himself the vitality of all things — when he falls, G-d forbid, and makes an idol for himself, G-d forbid — it is found that he uproots actual vitality from holiness and draws it into the idol. And therefore this idolatry can never be nullified — because actual vitality was drawn into it through the Jew — who at his root is the very essence of the vitality of all things in the world — and it has no rectification (tikun) whatsoever except to burn it and bury it and uproot it and destroy it from the world entirely — and he must return to the L-rd who will have mercy upon him (cf. Yeshayahu 55:7). For Israel at their root are entirely remote from the grip of idolatry — for they are the aspect of soul and spirit, the aspect of the vitality of all the worlds — and they are included and held fast in Him, blessed be He — for the Holy One, blessed be He, and Israel and the Torah are all one. And therefore for murder (sh'fichas damim — the spilling of blood) one must also be killed rather than kill — for this follows from logical reasoning (s'varah), as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: "what did you see that your blood is more red than his?" (Talmud Pesachim 25b — meaning: by what logic can you determine that your life takes precedence over his?). For the essential reason that a Jewish life overrides all the commandments is because every Jew encompasses the entire Torah and is the aspect of soul in relation to all the world and so on, as above. And therefore certainly one soul does not override another — and even if the other person is more righteous and upright than one's fellow, even so, one soul does not override another — for every Jew, through the strength of his emunah alone, is the aspect of soul and vitality of all the world, as above. And therefore, as long as the name of Israel is called upon him — that is, as long as he has emunah in the L-rd, blessed be He, — we need him to remain alive in the world, and one soul does not override another to kill him for the sake of his fellow — even if that fellow is greater than him. For who knows the greatness of this one's power in the matter of the strength of emunah — as we see with our own eyes that sometimes the lightest of the light among Israel will surrender his life for the sanctification of G-d's Name (kiddush Hashem) more than a great person among Israel. And therefore one soul never overrides another — for every Jew, as long as he has emunah, is needed to remain alive in the world — for every Jew tips the scale of the world to the L-rd, blessed be He, according to his level, through his emunah alone — and it is impossible for us to evaluate one soul against another — for who knows the power of each one at the root of his emunah. And therefore — if he is a heretic (epikorus — one who denies foundational principles of Torah faith) and has no emunah in truth — it is a mitzvah to kill him: moridin v'lo ma'alin (they bring him down and do not bring him up — the halachic principle that a deliberate, unrepentant denier of G-d is actively lowered into mortal danger rather than rescued from it). For the essential foundation of the entire Torah is emunah — as our Sages, of blessed memory, said — and it is the essential vitality and sustenance of all the worlds — as it is said: "and all His works are in faithfulness" (Tehillim 33:4), and as it is said: "and the righteous man lives by his faith" (Chavakuk 2:4).