לא ילבש גבר וכו' א

But when the blood of Niddah is aroused — which is the impurity of the serpent with which Eve was cursed: "b'etzev teldei vanim" ("in pain shall you give birth to children") — this is the blood of Niddah, as the Sages of blessed memory said. Then the union is entirely forbidden. For the blood of Niddah is drawn from the Breaking of Vessels, as is known. And the Breaking of Vessels is the aspect of the breaking and blemish of Emunah — which is the totality of all the vessels — which was broken and blemished until they became heresies and false faiths (emunos kozaviyos). These are the aspect of the blood of Niddah. And then when the blood of Niddah is aroused — namely the heresies and false faiths — the union is forbidden. For then it is forbidden to draw the intellect into Emunah. Because not only will this not rectify Emunah — on the contrary, Emunah and intellect will be further damaged and corrupted through this, in the aspect of "v'tehei nidatah alav" ("and her menstrual impurity shall be upon him").

For in truth at every time that one draws intellect and Da'as into Emunah, one thereby revives and strengthens Emunah. For the essential life of Emunah comes through the intellect, as is known. And this is the aspect of "v'erasich li be-emunah v'yada'at es Hashem" ("and I will betroth you to me in faithfulness, and you shall know Hashem") — for first Knesses Yisrael attaches to Hashem the Blessed through Emunah alone, and afterward "v'yada'at es Hashem" — for afterward Da'as is drawn into Emunah, as mentioned. But it is impossible to draw Da'as into Emunah except when Emunah is pure and holy — for then it has the power to receive the light of Da'as and give birth and reveal through this holy revelations. But as soon as the blood of Niddah is aroused in the woman who fears Hashem — which is the aspect of Emunah — namely when some hardships and heresies begin to disturb one's faith, God forbid — then one is forbidden then to strive to draw Da'as into Emunah. For then one must sit alone and flee entirely from Da'as. That is: not to make use of Da'as at all, and not to join Da'as with Emunah at that time at all. That is: not to want to draw Da'as — to understand and resolve the hardships, inquiries, and heresies that arise in one's mind. For as soon as hardships and heresies, God forbid, arise in one's mind — then one must rely on Emunah alone and strengthen oneself with Emunah alone without any understanding of Da'as. For if one wishes to understand with intellect, then the hardships and heresies — which are the aspect of the blood of Niddah — will overpower the intellect, in the aspect of "v'tehei nidatah alav", and the intellect and Emunah will be entirely nullified, and one will come to complete heresies, God forbid.

And this is the severe prohibition of Niddah, which is a very, very severe prohibition, as is known. It greatly multiplies impurity, as is stated in the holy Zohar: "Tres innun d'dachyan Shechinta min alma" etc. ("Three are those who expel the Shechinah from the world"). And one of them is the prohibition of Niddah. For man and woman are in the aspect of Da'as and Emunah, as mentioned. And even though in general the worlds — all of Israel — are in the aspect of Emunah, which is the aspect of Knesses Yisrael, even so it is known that every aspect comprises all the aspects. And therefore within Knesses Yisrael itself — which is the aspect of Emunah — there is the aspect of intellect and Emunah, which is the aspect of man and woman. And when the blood of Niddah is aroused, God forbid — which is the impurity of the serpent — then it is stated: "v'el ishah b'nidas tum'asah lo sikrav" etc. So that the blood of Niddah, God forbid, should not overpower holy Da'as and nullify Da'as and Emunah entirely, and heresies should overpower, God forbid, in the aspect of "v'tehei nidatah alav", as mentioned.

"One does not consult star-gazers" and so on — "because it is stated: 'You shall be wholehearted with the Lord your God'" and so on. According to what Rabbaynu wrote in the discourse "Tik'u" (Sound the shofar), which speaks of rebuke (tochachah), in Likutay Tinyana (Part Two), §8 — that through prophecy (nevuah) the imagination (medame) is rectified, and through this one merits to upright emunah (emunah yesharah), and false beliefs (emunos kozoyviyos) are nullified — which are the filth of the snake (zuhamah de-nachash) — the aspect of diviners (menachashim) and conjurers (me'onenim) and so on. And through emunah one merits to chesed (lovingkindness), through which will come the renewal of the world (chidush ha-olam) in the future — the aspect of: "The world will be built through chesed (olam chesed yibaneh)" (Tehillim 89:3). And the renewal will be in the aspect of the Land of Israel (Eretz Yisroel) — which is the aspect of Divine Providence (hashgachah) — the aspect of: "Always the eyes of the Lord your God are upon it" (Devarim 11:12). For then the world will be guided through Providence and miracles, as is the Land of Israel. For the essential aspect of the Land of Israel comes through the principle of "the power of His deeds He told His people (koach ma'asav higid le-amo)" — as it is written: "In the beginning (bereishis)" and so on. Rabbi Yitzchak said: It need not have begun the Torah except from "This month shall be for you (ha-chodesh ha-zeh lachem)" — except because of "the power of His deeds" and so on, so that the nations would not say "robbers" and so on. See all of this there well. For in truth, Israel — the holy people — are in the aspect of being above nature (l'ma'alah min ha-teva). For they are not given over to any ministering angel (sar) and they are not governed by the nature of the celestial order (ma'arechet ha-shamayim) — rather only by His providence, blessed be He. And therefore they are commanded not to consult the signs of the heavens and not to divine and take omens — as it is written: "Do not be frightened by the signs of the heavens, for the nations are frightened by them" (Yirmiyahu 10:2). For in truth, one thing is dependent on the other (ha bihu talya) — for when Israel do not consult these liars and false imaginations of the diviners (me'onenim) and those who consult the signs of the heavens and the star-gazers and the like — it turns out that they are thereby subduing the filth of the snake (zuhamat ha-nachash) and cleaving to holy emunah. For these false imaginations of the liars mentioned above — those of the diviners and conjurers — are the filth of the snake, as above. And when they distance themselves from this, and only believe in the Blessed Lord alone — then through this emunah they merit to the aspect of the renewal of the world (chidush ha-olam) — the aspect of the Land of Israel. And then their governance is through Providence alone — through the aspect of miracles (nisim) above the nature of the celestial order. It therefore turns out that through this itself they have no need to fear the signs of the heavens at all — for they are governed through Providence alone, as above. It therefore turns out that through this very thing — that they distance themselves from this — through this they need not fear it, as above. And this is the meaning of: "For the nations are frightened by them" — for they indeed have reason to fear, since their governance is through nature. For they do not merit to the aspect of complete Providence in its fullness — since their filth has not ceased: the filth of the snake. And they listen to conjurers and sorcerers, and they have no emunah in God. And because of this they do not merit to the aspect of the Land of Israel — the aspect of Providence — the aspect of the renewal of the world. For it is impossible to merit to this except through holy emunah. And therefore — since they do not merit to the aspect of Providence — it turns out that they are governed by nature. And therefore they have reason to fear the signs of the heavens. And this very fact — that they consult the signs of the heavens and have no holy emunah, as above — is itself the very reason they are governed by nature and have reason to fear. For one thing is dependent on the other (ha bihu talya), as above. And this is what is written alongside the prohibition against consulting sorcerers and conjurers: "You shall be wholehearted (tamim) with the Lord your God (im Hashem Elokecha)" — specifically "with the Lord your God." "Hashem Elokim" — this is the aspect of the complete Name (shaym malay) — the aspect of the World to Come — when it will be: "Hashem is One and His Name is One" — the aspect of "Hashem hu ha-Elokim" — the aspect of entirely good (kulo tov). As our Sages of blessed memory expounded, and as is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, in many places — for then nature will be nullified and everything will be governed through His Providence alone. And His Providence, blessed be He, is entirely good, entirely chesed — the aspect of "olam chesed yibaneh" (the world will be built through chesed). For nature is the concealment (hastarah) of His Providence, blessed be He — the aspect of din (strict judgment) — the aspect of "Elokim" whose gematria equals "ha-teva" (nature), as is known. For in truth, even nature is governed through His Providence, blessed be He — only that the Providence is hidden and concealed — in the aspect of concealment, in the aspect of din. And when the Providence is revealed — then it is entirely good, entirely chesed. Which is the aspect of the renewal of the world (chidush ha-olam) — the aspect of "olam chesed yibaneh" — for then everything will be governed through Providence alone, as above. And then it will be revealed that it is all one — for even nature is Providence — for "Hashem is One and His Name is One" — the aspect of "Hashem hu ha-Elokim." "Hashem" — this is the aspect of Providence, the aspect of chesed. "Elokim" — this is the aspect of din, the aspect of nature, as above. And in the future it will be revealed that "Hashem hu ha-Elokim" — for it is all good, all one — for even nature will be encompassed within Providence — for it is all one, as above. And we — the holy people — are commanded even now to cleave our thought to the World to Come (le'adabka machashvasa b'alma d'asay) and to draw down the aspect of the World to Come — the aspect of Providence — even into this world. For this is the essential purpose of our service: that this world should be encompassed in the aspect of the World to Come — that it should be all one. And therefore we are commanded not to consult the signs of the heavens, and not to engage with diviners and conjurers — only to believe in God. So that through this we merit to the aspect of Providence, the aspect of the World to Come. And this is the meaning of: "You shall be wholehearted (tamim) with the Lord your God (im Hashem Elokecha)" — written after the prohibitions "there shall not be found among you a diviner (me'onayn), an omen-taker (menachaysh)" and so on — specifically "with the Lord your God" — the aspect of "Hashem hu ha-Elokim" — the aspect of the World to Come — for we are commanded to cleave ourselves to the aspect of the World to Come — the aspect of Providence — the aspect of "Hashem hu ha-Elokim" — the aspect of entirely good — the aspect of the nullification of nature. For nature — which is the aspect of "Elokim" — is encompassed within the aspect of "Hashem," the aspect of Providence — for it is all one, all good, as above. And this is the aspect of "tamim" (wholehearted/complete) — for this is the essential wholesomeness (t'mimut) and completeness (shlaymut) that has no deficiency at all. For all the deficiencies and all the judgments (dinim) are in the aspect of nature — which draws its sustenance from the aspect of din, from the aspect of "Elokim." But in the aspect of Providence — the aspect of the World to Come — there is no deficiency and no judgment at all — for it is all good, as above. And this is why the Land of Israel is mentioned in connection with this prohibition — and why the conquest of the Land of Israel (k'vishyas Eretz Yisroel) is made dependent upon this commandment. As it is written: "For the nations that you are dispossessing listen to conjurers and to diviners — but as for you, not so" and so on (Devarim 18:14). For in truth the essential conquest of the Land of Israel comes through our separation from this prohibition. For through distancing ourselves from this filth of diviners and conjurers — and only believing in God — through this we merit to the aspect of the renewal of the world, which is the aspect of the Land of Israel. For the essential aspect of the Land of Israel comes through "the power of His deeds" — through believing that the Blessed Lord created everything by His will and so on. And this is what is written: "For because of these abominations (toayvos) the Lord your God is driving them out before you" (Devarim 18:12). For through consulting these abominations and having no emunah — through this they are expelled from the Land of Israel. For it is impossible to merit to the Land of Israel except through emunah, as above. And this is why "a prophet I will raise up for you (navi akim l'cha)" (Devarim 18:15) is juxtaposed to this prohibition. For all of this depends on the true prophet — for through prophecy (nevuah) one merits to holy emunah and to separating from the filth of the snake — which is the aspect of diviners and conjurers, as above. It therefore turns out that the essential prohibition of diviners and conjurers and the like is in order to separate from the filth of the snake, and to draw upon ourselves His Providence, blessed be He — in the aspect of the World to Come — through holy emunah, as above. And according to this there is something to say in justification of a widespread custom cited in the Shulchan Arukh: that people have a practice not to begin undertakings on Monday and Wednesday. And at first glance this resembles divination (me'onayn), heaven forfend. Yet one can explain and justify the custom — for on the contrary, through this we are showing that we do not want our conduct to be according to nature, heaven forfend — only according to His Providence, blessed be He, alone. For on the second day (Monday) there was "division" (havdalah) — and havdalah is the aspect of this world — in which is the secret of the separation between good and evil and so on. But in the future there will be no aspect of havdalah at all — for then it will be entirely good and there will be no evil whatsoever. And therefore we do not begin on Monday — to show that we do not conduct ourselves according to the conduct of this world — which is the aspect of the second day — the secret of havdalah, as above. And therefore it was not said "that it was good (ki tov)" regarding the second day, as above. And this is the aspect of not beginning on Wednesday — for on the fourth day it is written: "Let there be luminaries (yihi me'oros)" — spelled deficiently (chaser, without the vav) — for on that day occurred the complaint (kitreg) of the moon, and it was diminished (nitma'atah). And the diminishing of the moon is the aspect of the conduct of this world — the aspect of nature — the aspect of din — for Providence and chesed are hidden, as it were — and through this the aspect of the moon (l'vanah) is diminished and does not shine in fullness. But in the future — when nature will be nullified — and then nature will be encompassed within Providence, for it will be all one, all good — then it will be fulfilled: "And the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun — like the light of the seven days of Creation" (Yeshayahu 30:26). For the deficiency of the moon will be filled and there will be no diminishment in it at all — for then His Providence and His chesed, blessed be He, will be revealed, and it will be all one — the aspect of "Hashem hu ha-Elokim." And that is the aspect of: "the light of the moon like the light of the sun," as is known. And therefore we do not begin on Wednesday — for on it is the aspect of "me'oros" spelled deficiently — the aspect of the diminishing of the moon — which is the aspect of the conduct of this world, the aspect of the governance of nature, as above. For we wish that our conduct should not be according to nature — only according to Providence — which is the aspect of the World to Come — when the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun and so on, as above. All of this we wrote to justify the custom — but in truth it is better not to be particular about this at all, as the Ramban wrote — for it is not from the practice of the pious (mishnas chasidim). And therefore we count by the moon — for we are thereby drawing down into this world the aspect of the World to Come — the aspect of the fullness of the moon (milu'i ha-l'vanah) — the aspect of "Hashem hu ha-Elokim" — the aspect of "the light of the moon like the light of the sun." And therefore we make the essential reckoning from the moon — for this is the essential purpose of our service: to fill the deficiency of the moon (l'mallot p'gimat ha-l'vanah). And therefore we sanctify the new month (m'kadshin ha-chodesh) and make Rosh Chodesh. And the essential sanctification of the new month is to fill the deficiency of the moon, as is known — for we draw down holiness from the World to Come — when the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun — even into this world as well. And we sanctify the new month to fill its deficiency, as above. And therefore Rosh Chodesh is named with the name "renewal of the world (chidush ha-olam)" — for then its deficiency will be filled. And through the holiness of Rosh Chodesh we draw down this aspect even now. And therefore it is called Rosh Chodesh (the head of the month) — on account of the renewal of the world, as above. And therefore all the festivals (yamim tovim) are counted by the moon — for all the festivals are a remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt (Yetzi'as Mitzrayim), when He performed with us those awesome wonders: the overturning of nature (shinnuy ha-teva). It therefore turns out that on each and every festival His Providence is revealed, blessed be He — the nullification of nature — the aspect of the World to Come. And therefore they are counted by the moon — for the essential purpose of our counting by the moon is to show that we believe that its deficiency will be filled and that the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun. And through this very thing — that we count by the moon and sanctify it and make festivals through it — through this itself its deficiency is filled. For the festivals hint at the filling of its deficiency — for they are in the aspect of the World to Come — the aspect of the nullification of nature — which is the aspect of the fullness of the moon — the aspect of the light of the moon like the light of the sun, as above. And therefore the essential sanctification of the new month is the first commandment that Israel were commanded when they went out from Egypt — for then His Providence was revealed, blessed be He — for He overturned the celestial order (shidayd ha-ma'arachos) and performed great wonders with us. And then the aspect of the World to Come was revealed and drawn down into this world. Which is the aspect of the sanctification of the new month, as above. It therefore turns out that the sanctification of the new month is in the aspect of the World to Come — the aspect of Providence — the aspect of the Land of Israel. And this is what our Sages of blessed memory connected one to the other in the teaching of Rabbi Yitzchak: "It need not have begun the Torah except from 'This month shall be for you' — except because of 'the power of His deeds' and so on" — meaning the conquest of the Land of Israel and so on. For in truth everything is one — and the beginning that ought properly to have been from "this month" and so on, and the beginning of "In the beginning (bereishis)" and so on — it is all one. For "this month" — meaning the commandment of sanctifying the new month — is to draw down the aspect of Providence — the aspect of the renewal of the world — the aspect of the Land of Israel — into this world. And this is the same as the aspect of the beginning from "In the beginning" — "because of the power of His deeds" — in order to conquer the Land of Israel — which is the aspect of Providence, the aspect of the renewal of the world, as above. Blessed is the Lord forever, Amen and Amen. And this is the meaning of: "For there is no omen in Yaakov and no divination in Israel — at this time it is said to Yaakov and to Israel: what has God done (mah pa'al El)" (Bamidbar 23:23). For through their having no omen and no divination — only believing in God — through this they merit to the aspect of Providence, the aspect of the renewal of the world. Which is the aspect of: "at this time it will be said to Yaakov" and so on, as above.