ראשית הגז ד

And this is the aspect of matzah, which is the aspect of haste, as mentioned — for the beginning of the awakening, the aspect of Pesach, is with great enthusiasm and arousal, and one cannot awaken and come to repentance unless one casts away all wisdoms, in the aspect of "a foolish and unwise people" (am naval v'lo chacham), as our Rebbe of blessed memory said elsewhere (Siman 123). For if one then wishes to reason out any wisdom or plan or scheme — whether external wisdoms or the wisdoms of the world and worries of livelihood — certainly no awakening in the world will help him. For the essential revelation of divinity and the awakening that comes upon him from above came only so that he should see from afar a great light, to make his soul long to flee from his desires and vanities, and to strengthen himself more in Emunah through the greatness and intensity of the light he sees from afar. But the very light itself he cannot receive — therefore he must then strengthen himself more in Emunah and hurry and run with great strength to flee from what he must flee, in great haste, as mentioned. And this is the aspect of matzah, which is baked in great haste, as mentioned.

And this is why the matzah is called "bread of affliction" (lechem oni). For at first glance this is difficult — for in the writings of the Ari of blessed memory it says that the matzah represents very great mochin (lights of consciousness), etc., see there. And why is it called "bread of affliction" — which is the aspect of the absence of Da'as, for "there is no poverty except poverty of the mind" (ein ani ela min ha-da'as)?

But in truth both are present in it, and this and that are one — for due to the very intensity of the greatness of the light clothed in the Pesach matzah, which is the aspect of "bread from heaven" (lechem min ha-shamayim) — for the cakes that Israel took out of Egypt tasted like manna (Kiddushin 38), which is bread from heaven, the aspect of arousal from above (is'arusa d'le'ila), as mentioned — and due to the very intensity of the light of Pesach, which is the aspect of matzah, because of this it is impossible to comprehend it at all. And the light does not come from above except to strengthen and revive Emunah — for through seeing a great light from above, even though it is impossible to comprehend it at all, even so through this one becomes stronger in Emunah, as mentioned. Therefore the matzah is called "bread of affliction" — the aspect of "there is no poverty except poverty of the mind" — for precisely now, due to the very intensity of the light, one must set aside one's mind entirely and know that one knows nothing at all. This is the aspect of the contraction of the Lower Wisdom, as mentioned, which is called "impoverished" (dalit), as mentioned.

And this is "bread of affliction" (Devarim 16:3) — that one recalls the affliction with which they were afflicted in Egypt, and "upon which they answer (onin) many things" (she'onin alav devarim harbeh). For the essential revelation of Da'as and the illumination of Pesach — which is the aspect of the beginning of repentance — is for this purpose only: that through it one recalls the affliction that his soul suffered in the exile of the desires of Egypt, which is the Sitra Achra. And through this he answers (aneh) many things to Hashem the Blessed and cries out with a great voice to Hashem the Blessed, until He has mercy and draws him near to His service.

And this is the difference between chametz and matzah — the essential difference is the hollow and opening between ches and heh, as mentioned. That is: the essential difference and distinction between holiness and the Sitra Achra is only as thin as a hair, in the aspect of "for there is only a step between me and death" (ki khe-fesa beini u'vein ha-maves), said of David. That is: the essential grip of the Sitra Achra is from heresy and the defect of Emunah — for the evil inclination is called "another god" (el acher), heresy, as is elaborated. And all heresies derive from the wisdoms — since a person imagines himself already to be wise and expects that all matters should be resolved for him, and all difficulties with regard to Hashem the Blessed or the true tzaddikim should be answered to his satisfaction. And because of his wisdom he falls greatly, God spare us, as our Rebbe of blessed memory said — that wisdoms cause a person to fall greatly, as it is said in Yeshayahu: "Your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray" (chochmasech v'da'asech hi shovavtecha). Therefore the essential thing is to cast away one's intellect entirely and rely only on Emunah alone, as mentioned.

But in truth Emunah too must be revived through the intellect, as mentioned. And one who is strong in the holy Emunah — the more Da'as and intellect is added to him, the more Emunah is strengthened in him, as mentioned, in the aspect of "the ultimate of knowledge is that we do not know."

And this is the aspect of matzah in heh — there is a hollow between the dalet and the yud. For the dalet is the aspect of Emunah, the aspect of Malchus, which is called impoverished (ani), since it has nothing of its own (d'leis la migarma klum) — for it knows no knowledge, only longs for Hashem the Blessed with complete Emunah alone. And one must revive Emunah and draw into it Da'as — which is the aspect of the yud within the dalet, through which the heh is formed — "for the dalet was poverty-stricken and it returned and became a heh" (dalet leis haves v'ischazerit v'na'aset heh), as elaborated in the holy Zohar and in our Rebbe's words of blessed memory. For the yud within the heh is the aspect of Chochma (Wisdom), as is known — the drawing of Chochma and Da'as into Emunah to revive Emunah. But one must leave a hollow and opening between the dalet — which is Emunah — and the yud — which is Chochma — to indicate that even though one has already merited to draw to oneself some wisdom and knowledge, the aspect of the yud within the heh, even so one still holds to one's simplicity as at the beginning, and one is still impoverished and lowly in one's own eyes as at the beginning — for one knows and believes that one still knows nothing at all. On the contrary — now one's Emunah is stronger than at the beginning through the comprehension of Da'as that one has attained. Through this one has comprehended more how it is impossible to know Him the Blessed, and how much one must strengthen oneself in Emunah greatly. But one does not close, God forbid, through the wisdom one has attained the gateway of Emunah, God forbid.

For this is the aspect of chametz in ches — the opening and hollow is closed. This is the aspect of the "leavening of the brain" (chamitz ha-mo'ach), the aspect of "for my heart is leavened" — that through the wisdom and Da'as one has attained, it seems in one's eyes that one is already fully wise, to the point that one wishes to rely on one's wisdom alone and no longer uses Emunah at all. This is the aspect of ches, where the opening of the dalet — i.e., the opening of Emunah — is already closed. For one thinks that one has already become fully wise, and then one's heart becomes leavened, God forbid, with heresies, and one distances oneself entirely, God forbid, from Hashem the Blessed.

The general principle: the essential difference between holiness and the Sitra Achra is only this smallest amount — namely, one who always remains standing on Emunah, even when attaining wondrous and awesome wisdoms — this is the side of holiness. And then one merits each time greater comprehensions and greater Emunah. But the moment one thinks that one has already become wise through having attained some wisdom and knowledge, and no longer uses Emunah — this is the aspect of the Sitra Achra, chametz in ches, where the opening of Emunah is closed. And then one falls from one's mind entirely and becomes a complete fool and imbecile — for the essential wisdom is to know that wisdom is far from oneself, and to strengthen oneself only in ever-greater Emunah each time, in the aspect of (Koheles 7:23): "I said I would become wise, and it is far from me" (amarti achkemah v'hi rechoka mimeni). The essential wisdom is for one to grasp that wisdom is far from oneself, as our Rebbe of blessed memory said elsewhere. And this is the aspect of matzah in heh — the dalet, the aspect of Emunah, is distant from the yud, the aspect of intellect, the aspect of "I said I would become wise and it is far from me." For the yud is always distant from the dalet. Only Emunah receives vitality from the wisdom that entered it from a distance, in the aspect of "from afar Hashem appeared to me" (merachok Hashem nir'ah li) — that is, through the wisdom one has attained, through this Emunah is strengthened further, for the essential comprehension of wisdom is to strengthen Emunah. This is the aspect of heh, the aspect of matzah in heh, as mentioned.

And this is the aspect of broken matzah (matzah prosah), the aspect of "bread of affliction — as is the way of the poor, with a broken piece" (mah darko shel ani bi'prusa) — as mentioned. For even though the matzah-bread is the aspect of very great mochin, even so it is called "bread of affliction," for the essential comprehension of wisdom is to know that one is still poor in Da'as. Therefore the dalet of the heh is always recognizable and visible, even though the yud — the intellect — has been drawn into it, as mentioned. And this is the aspect of broken matzah that is broken in two — the aspect of heh, which is dalet-yud. The one part is hidden and concealed for the Afikoman, and the other part is revealed and "they answer many words upon it" (onin alav devarim harbeh) — as mentioned, hinting that Da'as is still far from oneself, in the aspect of "I said I would become wise and it is far from me."

Therefore we do not wish to use the Da'as now at all — only the part called "bread of affliction," upon which they answer many words. For we strengthen ourselves only in Emunah and answer and cry out to Hashem the Blessed and long for Him. But the large part, hinting at Da'as, we hide until the end — for it is impossible to use Da'as until the very end, which hints at the final End (ketz ha-acharon), when "the earth will be filled with knowledge" (u'mal'a ha-aretz de'ah). And then we shall merit complete Da'as, as it is said: "And the earth shall be full of knowledge of Hashem, etc." (u'male'ah ha-aretz de'ah la-da'as es Hashem). For the Afikoman is the aspect of Da'as — the aspect of Afikoman, the aspect of "afiku man" (bring out the manna) — the cakes Israel took out of Egypt tasted like manna (afiku man), and manna is Da'as, as is known.

Now, on the first day of Pesach, a great light from above was revealed. Afterward the great light immediately departed and began to enter in stages, in order. And this is the aspect of the Counting of the Omer (sefirat ha-omer), as explained in the sacred writings — for Pesach is the aspect of Chesed, through which Malchus-Lower Wisdom is reaped from the exile of the Four Kingdoms. And this Chesed must be received through rebuke, as is explained in the said discourse. But at the beginning of the revelation (before the Giving of the Torah), how could rebuke apply? (For rebuke is the aspect of judgments, and during the strength of the exile it was not possible for Chesed to be revealed through rebuke, lest the judgments grip even more strongly.) And then it was necessary that the light — the Chesed — come from above in the aspect of arousal from above (is'arusa d'le'ila) without any arousal from below at all. But afterward, when the light departs, one must receive it gradually through rebuke, from which Chesed is revealed.

And this is the aspect of the Omer of barley (omer se'orim), which is the jealousy-offering (minchas kena'os), the aspect of rebuke — the aspect of what a husband admonishes and rebukes his wife: "Do not seclude yourself with so-and-so man" (al tistarei im ish peloni). Just so, the rebuke of the tzaddik who rebukes the Assembly of Israel not to "seclude themselves with so-and-so man." And this is "do not seclude yourself" (al tistarei) — "do not seclude yourself" specifically — for all the imaginations of idol-worship, all the heresies that come upon any person, these are the aspect of adultery (ni'uf), in the aspect of "the wife who commits adultery under her husband takes strangers" (ha'isha ha-mena'efes tachas ishah tikach es zarim) — which is said there regarding the sin of idol-worship, the aspect of the defect of Emunah. And this is "do not seclude yourself," etc. — for all these thoughts are in secret and stealth, and no one knows of them, but He who searches hearts. In the aspect of "lest there should be among you a man who makes a graven image and a molten image and places it in secret" (pen yihyeh vachem ish asher ya'aseh pesel u'masecha v'sam ba-saser). Our Sages of blessed memory expounded: "in the secret of the world," etc. And the essential rebuke of the tzaddik to the Assembly of Israel is regarding Emunah, which is the foundation of the entire Torah, as mentioned. And this is "do not seclude yourself with so-and-so man" — that he should not allow the heresies of so-and-so man, namely the Adversary, to enter — and should not allow it to contaminate his mind, God forbid. Rather, he should drive from his mind and heart all these thoughts and confusions, and not argue with them at all — only remove them from his mind entirely, make himself like an animal, and rely on Emunah alone, as it is written (Tehillim 73): "And I was a brute and did not know; I was like an animal with You" (va'ani ba'ar v'lo eda behemos hayisi imach). And this is the aspect of the barley offering, which is the jealousy-offering — animal feed, the aspect of "I was like an animal with You," as mentioned. And this too is the aspect of the rebuke that sometimes comes in the form of humiliation. And this too is the aspect of the jealousy-offering — rebuke that comes in the manner of shame and humiliation — and through this Chesed is drawn, through which Malchus is reaped, as mentioned.

And this is the aspect of counting (sefirah), which is the aspect of contractions for the comprehension of His divinity — the said Lower Wisdom. For "before One, what do you count?" (lifnei achad mah ata sofer), and no counting at all is applicable. Therefore the essential revelation is through contractions, which are the aspect of sefiros (countings), the aspect of counting and number — for in the contractions, so to speak, counting is applicable: this is the first contraction and this is the second contraction, etc. And this is the aspect of the Counting of the Omer, that we count the days for the Omer — for days are the aspect of measures and contractions, the aspect of "and measure my days" (u'middat yamim), etc. (Tehillim 39). And these contractions can only be revealed through the Omer of barley, the jealousy-offering, the aspect of rebuke. For through this Chesed is revealed, through which Malchus is reaped from exile, etc. And this is the aspect of the reaping of the Omer — reaping specifically, the aspect of "and reap according to Chesed" (u'kitzru l'fi chesed), as mentioned.

For "omer" is the language of matzah — the said Lower Wisdom. The aspect of "and the omer is a tenth of an ephah" (v'ha'omer asirit ha-eifah hu, Shemos 16:36), which is the language of Malchus, as is known (see Likutay Moharan, Siman 49) — which is the aspect of measures and contractions for the comprehension of His divinity, as mentioned. And "barley" (se'orim) is the aspect of shi'urin d'atun d'Oraisa. And this is the aspect of the waving (hanafah) of the Omer — one reaps the Lower Wisdom and elevates and waves it to its root — to Him Who owns the four directions of the world and above and below — that is, to comprehend the divinity of the Blessed One.

Therefore on the first day of the Counting — the day of the reaping of the Omer — was the downfall of Haman-Amalek. For then Malchus-Lower Wisdom is reaped from them, in the aspect of "cut it to four" — said of Agag the king of Amalek, as mentioned in the said discourse — and then they have no vitality at all. Therefore the downfall of Haman-Amalek — who is comprised of all the Four Kingdoms, as is explained in the said discourse regarding Agag king of Amalek — occurred on this day. And likewise many mother-nations, enemies of Israel, suffered a great downfall on this night of the reaping of the Omer — from Midian, Sancheriv, and others — for all of them draw their vitality from the Lower Wisdom when it falls into exile to them. And through the reaping of the Omer, Chesed is revealed — for on the first night of the counting, it is Chesed within Chesed — through this Malchus is reaped and cut from them and elevated to the light of the Countenance. And then is the downfall of all the nations that are included in the Four Kingdoms, as mentioned.

Therefore we count seven weeks — forty-nine days — which are the totality of all the contractions, the aspect of the forty-nine facets of the Torah (arba'im v'teisha panim la-Torah). And then on the fiftieth day, which is Shavuos — the Giving of the Torah — the essential revelation of His divinity takes place through these contractions. For then Malchus ascends to the light of the Countenance, which is the aspect of the holy beard — for on Shavuos, Hashem the Blessed appeared as an elder full of mercy (zaken male rachamim). Amein and Amein. [This connects to what was said above.]

For even though the great light is not comprehended at all, even so through this Emunah is strengthened — for each one according to what he gauges in his heart understands and comprehends clearly the longing of his faith in the Blessed One. And this matter cannot be explained, for it is for each individual according to what he gauges in his heart. But always, after all the miracles and all the revelations — everything was only so that the holy Emunah should be strengthened.

Therefore, after Moshe Rabbeinu performed many miracles for Israel in Egypt and at the sea — and ten miracles were performed for our forefathers in Egypt and ten at the sea, etc. — and they saw great signs and awesome wonders like these, and Moshe also revealed to them immense and awesome comprehensions. For certainly when Moshe asked Hashem the Blessed, "What is His name, what shall I say to them?" and Hashem revealed to him His holy names — he certainly revealed to them thereby great and awesome secrets of the comprehension of the secret of His holy names, in which all the secrets of Kabbalah are included. And "a handmaid at the sea saw what Yechezkel the prophet did not see" — how much more what the Children of Israel saw, how much more what the leaders and the great ones and the elders saw. After all these things it is said: "And Israel saw the great hand... and they believed in Hashem and in Moshe His servant" (vayar Yisrael es ha-yad ha-gedola... vaya'aminu ba-Hashem u've-Moshe avdo). See and understand and be wise: after all the comprehensions and knowledge and miracles — they still needed Emunah! For all the comprehensions and miracles, etc., came only for the sake of Emunah, for each one according to what he gauges in his heart — through this his Emunah was strengthened further, as mentioned. In the aspect of "and Israel saw the great hand, etc., and they believed in Hashem, etc." — for through the great seeing and comprehension they attained then, and the awesome physical wonders they saw at the splitting of the Sea, etc., through this their Emunah was greatly strengthened. For one must always strengthen oneself in Emunah — to believe in Hashem the Blessed and in the true tzaddikim in simplicity, without any wisdoms. For the essential thing is the simple Emunah, as mentioned.

As we observe — the essential sign distinguishing Israel from idolaters is the pe'os and beard. One who casts off Torah and mitzvos and shaves his beard and pe'os is like a complete apostate (mumar gamur) to the entire Torah — for the essential beginning of apostasy for all apostates is that they shave their pe'os and beard, thereby removing from themselves the distinguishing mark and sign of Israel the holy people.

Based on what is explained in Siman 23, in the Torah "Tzivisa Tzedek" — there are holy faces (anpin d'kedusha), which are illuminated faces (anpin nehirin), the aspect of life, as it is said: "In the light of the king's face is life" (b'or pnei melech chaim) — the aspect of joy, etc. And there are the faces of the Sitra Achra, which are darkened faces (anpin chashuchin), melancholy, idol-worship, etc. And it is explained there that one who is sunk in the desire for money is bound to the faces of the Sitra Achra, other gods, darkness, the aspect of death, etc. But people whose business dealings are conducted in faith (Emunah) are attached to the light of the holy face — for there is no Emunah without truth (emes), and truth is the light of the face (ohr ha-panim), as is known, etc. See all of this there carefully.

For the essential thing is the face (panim). For in every matter in the world, the essential thing of any matter is the aspect of its face — just as in a person, the essential thing of a person is the face, for all the brain, knowledge, and speech are in the face, as it is said: "The wisdom of a man illumines his face." And all interactions a person has with another — whether engaging with a colleague in Torah or in business matters — all of it is through the face, where the wisdom and speech are, which are the essence of the person.

And likewise in all things in the world, there is the aspect of a face — which is the essence of the matter, the aspect of the face of that thing. And every person must look in every matter at its face and its essence — for the essence of every matter, which is the aspect of its face, is the truth (emes). For truth is the aspect of face, as is explained in this Torah, as mentioned. And as is elaborated in the Kavannas: truth is the light of the face. And as is explained in Siman 192 — truth is the face of all faces of holiness, etc., see there. And truth is one, as our master, teacher, and Rebbe of blessed memory said in Siman 51 and elsewhere — meaning: the essence of every matter, which is the face of that matter, as mentioned, is only the truth, which is one — which is the divine vitality clothed in that matter, which is the essence of the matter. For Hashem the Blessed is the root and source of all worlds. And one who looks in every matter at the divine vitality dwelling within it — which is the essential truth — looks at the face of the matter, which is the essence of the matter, as mentioned.

And this is the entire service of a person in this world: to always seek in all matters in the world the face and the essence, which is the truth — which is Hashem the Blessed, who is the very substance of truth, and He is one and there is no second, and He is the root and source of all worlds, and He created everything, and He enlivens and sustains at every moment all things in the world. And He is the essential face of all things in the world, for they all receive their vitality from Hashem the Blessed, who is the aspect of their face and their essence, as mentioned. For every person must always seek the face of Hashem, as it is written (Tehillim 105:4): "Seek His face always" (bakshu fanav tamid), and it is written: "To You my heart said: seek My face, etc." (lecha amar libi bakshu fanai). And it is written: "This is the generation of those who seek Him, those who seek Your face, Yaakov, selah" (zeh dor dorshav mevakshei fanecha Yaakov selah).

For truth is the aspect of the face of Hashem — for one who merits to know the truth as it truly is: that Hashem the Blessed created everything from nothing, enlivens and sustains everything according to His will, and watches over all with individual Divine Providence — this true knowledge is the aspect of the illumination of the face of Hashem, for truth is the face of all faces, as mentioned. That is, when one knows the truth — this is the essential aspect of the illumination of the face. As an analogy in physical terms: with a king of flesh and blood, as long as the king is hidden in his chambers and one does not merit to see him, this is the aspect of the concealment of the face. And when he reveals himself to his people and they see him, this is the aspect of the illumination of the face — he shows them his face, which was hidden from them until now. Likewise, so to speak, with Hashem the Blessed — Blessed is He, King of kings, the Holy One Blessed Be He — Whom it is impossible to see with physical eyes, and even with the eyes of the intellect only each according to what he can gauge in his heart, as appears in the holy Zohar and is mentioned in our words many times. When Hashem the Blessed helps a person and the knowledge of His truth sparkles in that person's mind — this is the aspect of the illumination of the face. And for this we pray always: "May He illuminate His face for us, selah" (ya'er panav itanu selah). "Illuminate Your face upon Your servant, etc." (ha'irah panecha al avdecha). "Your face illuminate upon Your servant" (panecha ha'er b'avdecha). And the Kohanim were commanded to bless Israel with this blessing, as it is written: "May Hashem illuminate His face toward you, etc." (ya'er Hashem panav elecha). For this is the essential — to merit the illumination of the face of Hashem, i.e., that the truth of His divinity should shine in one's mind — for this is the essential light of the face. For truth is the face, as mentioned.

But the essential light of the face cannot be received except through Emunah. For the very face itself — which is truth — i.e., the knowledge of the true reality of His divinity, cannot be received due to the overwhelming abundance of light. For if His truth were revealed openly to the eyes of all, the world would become nullified in existence — for even sunlight cannot be looked at by people due to the abundance of light. How much more so — infinitely more so — this great and awesome light. Therefore Hashem the Blessed in His mercy, desiring the existence of the world, contracted and concealed the light of truth, the light of the face, in the aspect of "truly You are a God who hides Himself" (achen atah El mistater). And specifically through the many contractions can one know something of His truth — for He contracted the truth with wondrous wisdom, through many varied contractions, in wondrous and awesome ways, until the attribute of Emunah came into being. Through His wondrous wisdom He caused the attribute of holy Emunah to shine in the person — there is an impression in the soul of the person from the truth of His divinity, through which one has the power to believe in the truth even though one does not yet see the truth in one's mind.

And Emunah is the essential knowledge, in the aspect of "I will betroth you to Me in Emunah, and you shall know Hashem" (v'erasich li b'emunah v'yada'at es Hashem) — Emunah is the essential knowledge. As we see even in physical terms, the essential clear knowledge is through Emunah specifically — what one person believes from another. And the world cannot exist without Emunah — what one person is compelled to believe from another. For without Emunah no business transaction or commerce can be sustained. As an analogy: when one wishes to know the price of some commodity in distant places — for instance, the price of wheat in Odessa or Istanbul or even more distant places — if he refuses to rely on any person's word whatsoever, he will certainly never know the price. For even if he were the greatest of all wise men and investigated through his analysis with many brilliant speculative theories and philosophies — now it seems the price ought to be high — even so, this knowledge based on speculative theories is no knowledge at all. For we have seen many times that the reasoning suggested the wheat price should be high, yet the price was very low, and so with all goods and commerce — knowledge based on reasoning and speculation is no knowledge at all.

Rather, whoever wishes to know the price of some commodity clearly must rely on a trustworthy person — he must choose a trustworthy person fit to rely upon, one he knows truly loves him and is faithful. And when this truly trustworthy person writes to him the price of some commodity and the like, this knowledge is certain and beyond doubt — even though he understands by his own reasoning no theory or logic why the price should now be such. On the contrary, the logic might suggest the opposite — even so, he knows with clear and true knowledge that the price is such, through Emunah: he believes his trustworthy friend, who certainly would not deceive him and certainly writes him the truth. It follows that the essential clear knowledge comes through Emunah — for the world cannot exist without Emunah. For all commerce and business dealings in the world and all social interaction among people cannot be sustained without Emunah. For even if a person were the greatest of all wise men, if he wished not to conduct any business until he understood the nature of the transaction through his own wisdom, and not give anything from his hand to his colleague because he does not believe him — he certainly could not conduct any business or commerce whatsoever. For all transactions and commerce must be concluded through the gathering of a number of people, and one must necessarily believe another, and without this no transaction and no commerce can be concluded, as is known and clear from experience.

Only, each person must seek a trustworthy person to whom to give his trust — but in any case, without giving some person trust, he cannot conduct commerce and business, especially large-scale and long-distance transactions. And all the trust between one person and another all derives from the power of the holy Emunah — to believe in Hashem the Blessed, in His tzaddikim, and in His holy Torah. For Hashem the Blessed created in the person the power of Emunah, that he should have the power and free choice to believe in the truth. And from there the Emunah and trustworthiness between one person and another — which is the sustenance of the world — derived and spread.