כיבוד אב ואם ב

Laws of the Firstborn Donkey — Halacha Two

This is the aspect of the mitzvah of milah on the eighth [day] — for [the law requires] that the infant must first pass through the days of arla [foreskin / the seven days of uncircumcision], and only afterward, on the eighth day, is he circumcised. This question — the heretics' question from the Midrash: why was man not created already circumcised? — is indeed clarified in the aforementioned discourse. For it is impossible to conquer Eretz Yisrael [the Land of Israel] except through the power of the asara ma'amoros [the ten utterances] that are hidden within the world, within each and every thing — within which are hidden the aseres ha'dibbros [the Ten Commandments], which is the aspect of the Torah hane'elemes [the hidden, concealed Torah], which is the aspect of chessed chinam [free, unconditional lovingkindness] that was sustaining the world prior to the giving of the Torah, etc. For through the ten utterances with which Hashem blessed be He created the world — as it is written: "In the beginning G-d created..." etc. — through this [knowledge] one goes and conquers the Land of Israel. As our Sages of blessed memory said: Rabbi Yitzchak said — the Torah need not have begun [its text] except from "This month shall be for you" [Exodus 12:2], which is the first commandment [addressed to Israel]. And why did it begin with "In the beginning" [Bereishis]? — so that if the nations of the world should say: "You are robbers! [listim]" — for you conquered the lands of the seven nations — they [Israel] answer them: He created it [the earth]; in His will He gave it to them, and in His will He took it from them and gave it to us [Rashi, Genesis 1:1]. See all this carefully and well in the aforementioned discourse.

And through this [understanding] they [Israel, and every Jew individually] sustain themselves in a time of peshitus [peshitus = simplicity / spiritual nakedness / a state of suspension from Torah-learning and prayer] — when they are forced to desist from Torah [study and service] — they sustain themselves through the Torah hane'elemes [the hidden Torah], which is the aspect of the chessed chinam that was sustaining the world prior to the giving of the Torah, etc. See there. And at the end [of the discourse] it concludes that even in she'ol tachti'yos [the nethermost abyss / the lowest spiritual depths] one can sustain oneself and restore one's vitality — for there is no despair whatsoever in the world, and however low one may be, one can revive oneself, etc. And all this is connected to what was stated above. For through this chessed chinam — which is the Torah hane'elemes that sustains the world prior to the giving of the Torah — through this it is possible to revive all the peshutim of the world [the simple / common folk, whom they call prostakis — "simple people" in the vernacular]. And even those sunk in she'ol tachti'yos can be revived by the vitality of the Torah, so that they should not despair at all under any circumstance whatsoever. And all of this [comes] through the power of this chessed chinam, which is the Torah hane'elemes. And understand these matters well. And this is the aspect of the path to the Land of Israel [ha'derech le'Eretz Yisrael] as mentioned — for in truth it is impossible to conquer the Land of Israel except through this [power], through the aspect of the Torah hane'elemes, which is the aspect of chessed chinam etc., as mentioned.

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For from the fundamental principle of the law [me'ikara d'dina], a question presents itself: why did Hashem blessed be He first give the Land of Israel into the hand of Cana'an, and only afterward give it to Israel? And why did He not give it to Israel immediately?! This question has been addressed in other works, but the answer is explained well according to the aforementioned discourse.

For the fact that the Land of Israel was first in the hand of Cana'an and afterward given to Israel — this is itself [analogous to] the fact that for twenty-six generations the world was sustained without the Torah, and only afterward was the Torah given. And this too is a great wonder: why did Hashem blessed be He not give the Torah immediately at the moment of the creation of the world? — for in truth, there is no vitality for the world whatsoever without the Torah, and the primary sustenance of the world is only through the Torah, as our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the letter ה of the word ha-shishi [the sixth, referring to the sixth of Sivan, the day the Torah was given]: "they all hang in suspension until the sixth day of Sivan, on which the Torah was given" [Shabbos 88a]. And as it is written: "If not for My covenant by day and by night, I would not have established the laws of heaven and earth" [Jeremiah 33:25].

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And if so — since in truth there is no sustenance, no standing, and no vitality for the world except through the holy Torah — how could the world have existed even a single day without the Torah? And why did He not give the Torah immediately in the very first hour that the world was created?

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But in truth, all of this was for our good. For Hashem blessed be He "devises plans so that no outcast be banished from Him" [II Samuel 14:14]. For had He given the Torah immediately at the time of the creation of the world — and there would have been no sustenance for the world without Torah-observance — then immediately when a person would transgress, G-d forbid, the words of the Torah, neither he nor the entire world could have survived even one hour, and the world would have been destroyed, G-d forbid — immediately when any one person would transgress anything of the Torah. For there is no sustenance for the world without the Torah. And it is impossible that there not be found at least one person who transgresses something of the Torah — for "there is no righteous person on earth who does good and does not sin" [Ecclesiastes 7:20]. For necessarily there must be bechirah [free will] — for without free will there is no reward and punishment, and the commandments of the Torah have no relevance. And since there is free will, for the sake of reward and punishment, it is certainly possible that a person might transgress something of the Torah. And if so — had the Torah been given immediately, with no sustenance for the world without Torah-observance — then immediately when anyone transgressed even the slightest thing, G-d forbid, of the Torah, the world would have been destroyed, G-d forbid.

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For this reason it was a great kindness [tovah gedolah] that the world existed for twenty-six generations without the Torah, sustained by chessed chinam alone — which is the Torah hane'elemes as mentioned. And through this, Hashem blessed be He showed us that even though the primary purpose of the creation of the world was only for the sake of the Torah — as it is written: "In the beginning [Bereishis]" — for the sake of the Torah and for the sake of Israel who are called "first" [reishis] etc. [Rashi, Genesis 1:1] — nevertheless, in His mercy He was able to sustain the world for twenty-six generations without the Torah. And therefore, even now that the Torah has been given — nevertheless, in a time when [people] are falling away from the Torah, or even when one individual transgresses, G-d forbid, the words of the Torah — Hashem blessed be He nonetheless does not destroy the world, but rather sustains the world through His kindness, through the chessed chinam that was sustaining the world prior to the acceptance of the Torah, as mentioned. And this is the aspect of teshuvah [repentance] that preceded the world [teshuvah kadmah la'olam] — for teshuvah is above the Torah, being the aspect of this chessed chinam, the aspect of the Torah hane'elemes that was sustaining the world prior to the giving of the Torah. For according to strict justice [midas ha'din], repentance does not avail for any sin, as our Sages of blessed memory brought: that according to strict justice, the soul that sins shall die [Ezekiel 18:20]. But Hashem blessed be He saw that the world could not survive on this [basis], and therefore He preceded teshuvah to the world, and decreed in His great kindness that repentance avails even if one transgressed the entire Torah in its entirety — and even if one did what one did, repentance is always effective. And in truth the aspect of teshuvah is the aspect of the Torah hane'elemes — for teshuvah is the aspect of Yom Kippur, the aspect of binah, which is alma d'iskasya [the concealed world], the aspect of the Torah hane'elemes. For since one has transgressed the words of the Torah, how can repentance avail, and how can one rectify this? But then one is obligated to ascend through teshuvah and rectify oneself through the aspect of this chessed chinam — which is the Torah hane'elemes that was sustaining the world even without Torah-observance. And through this one rectifies [oneself] and returns to Hashem blessed be He. And this itself is [the meaning of] the fact that the Land of Israel was first in the hand of Cana'an, and afterward given to Israel — for it is all one. The Land of Israel and the Torah are entirely one — for the primary observance of the Torah is in the Land of Israel, as it is written: "He gave them the lands of nations... so that they might keep His statutes and observe His Torah" etc. [Psalms 105:44–45]. And as is written in the Torah many times: "And you shall keep this covenant" etc. "in the land which you shall inherit" — and similar to this in many verses. And therefore, had Hashem blessed be He given the Land of Israel to Israel immediately at the time of the creation of the world — and had [the land] never been under the dominion of the akum [idolaters / the nations] at all from the start — and had the holiness of the Land of Israel been revealed immediately — then immediately when Israel would sin, G-d forbid, the land would vomit them out and its holiness would be hidden, and it would no longer be possible to ever again reveal its holiness. And therefore it was absolutely necessary that the kelipah [husk] precede the fruit [ha'kelipah kodemes la'pri] — that the Land of Israel should be in the hand of Cana'an for so many years. And in truth, even then, when the Land of Israel was in the hand of Cana'an, the Land of Israel was already in its holiness just as it is now — for the holiness of the Land of Israel is fixed and established forever [kevia u'kayma l'olam] — only that its holiness was deeply hidden in great concealment [be'helem gadol], and no one at all knew of its holiness, until our father Avraham came and placed it in the balance [u'tikil b'tikla] etc., until it was revealed to him. For specifically Avraham was able to begin to reveal its holiness — for Avraham was a man of kindness [ish ha'chessed], and his attribute was kindness — and therefore he was able to perceive the hidden holiness in the Land of Israel, which is the aspect of chessed chinam, the aspect of the Torah hane'elemes that was sustaining the world prior to the giving of the Torah. For this chessed was hidden within the Land of Israel, for the Land of Israel and the Torah are entirely one, as mentioned. And therefore specifically through this chessed one goes and conquers the Land of Israel from the akum as mentioned — as is explained in the aforementioned discourse — as it is written: "In the beginning G-d created..." etc., and Rabbi Yitzchak said: the Torah need not have begun etc., but rather so that if they say "you are robbers," they [Israel] answer: He created it, in His will He gave it to them and in His will He took it from them and gave it to us. It is thus found that through knowing that Hashem blessed be He created the world through the ten utterances — in which the entire Torah is hidden — which is the aspect of the Torah hane'elemes, the aspect of chessed chinam as mentioned — through this it is possible to conquer the Land of Israel as mentioned. And it was therefore absolutely necessary that the Land of Israel first be in the hand of Cana'an and then be given to Israel. For had it been in Israel's hand from the start — then when Israel would have sinned and gone into exile, and the land would have been delivered to the akum, it would have been impossible to take the land back from them — for they would have said: "You are robbers!" [seeing that it had been taken from Israel through sin]. But now, Hashem blessed be He revealed [the answer] and began the Torah with "Bereishis," in order to make known that even from the very beginning, when the land was in their [the nations'] hands — it was all by the will of Hashem blessed be He. For He blessed be He created it, and in His will He gave it to them. And since He blessed be He gave it to them of His own will — it is found that even then, when the land was in their possession, His blessed will — which is the aspect of the Torah hane'elemes, the aspect of chessed chinam as mentioned — was clothed and hidden and concealed there. For "in His will He gave it to them" — in His will specifically — which is the aspect of chessed chinam, the hidden Torah, as mentioned. And since even then His blessed will was clothed and hidden there in the aspect of the Torah hane'elemes, it is therefore certainly possible for us to reconquer the land from them — for "in His will He gave it to them, and in His will He took it from them and gave it to us." For in truth, even when it was in their possession, the holiness was hidden there in the aspect of the Torah hane'elemes — only it was in great concealment; and now we merely reveal its holiness and bring it forth from concealment to revelation. Understand this well. And therefore, even when Israel subsequently sinned and went into exile because of their transgressions and the land returned to the hand of the akum — nevertheless, its holiness remains intact [kayemes] — for the holiness is hidden within it in the aspect of the Torah hane'elemes, the chessed chinam that was already hidden in the Land of Israel from before, when it was in the hand of Cana'an in the beginning. And therefore we await at every moment to return to our land — for we know that even now the entire land is ours; it is simply in great concealment. And not only can we restore the holiness to the Land of Israel — but even more: even outside the Land [be'chutz la'aretz], in every place where the Children of Israel enter, we are able to conquer that place and sanctify it with the holiness of the Land of Israel. For we know and believe that the entire earth belongs to Hashem blessed be He, and in His will He gave it to them; and even now, that it is in their hands, the will of Hashem blessed be He is clothed and hidden there. And through this faith — that we believe Hashem blessed be He created everything through the ten utterances, and in His will He gave it to them — through this it is easy for us to take that place from their dominion, from the dominion of the akum and the sitra achra [other side / forces of impurity], and to sanctify it with the holiness of Israel in the aspect of the Land of Israel. For "in His will He gave it to them, and in His will He took it from them and gave it to us" — for it was already ours in concealment, and now we merely bring it from concealment to revelation, as mentioned. And as is explained well in the aforementioned discourse: that now, in every place where Israel enters, they sanctify that place with the holiness of the Land of Israel through the aforementioned aspect. See there. And this is the aspect of the mitzvah of milah on the eighth [day] — for this reason too, it is necessary for the infant to first pass through the seven days of arla, and only afterward on the eighth day is he circumcised. For this corresponds to the fact that the Land of Israel was first in the hand of Cana'an and afterward given to Israel — and to the fact that the world was first sustained for twenty-six generations without the Torah and afterward the Torah was given. For it is absolutely necessary that the kelipah precede the fruit. And in truth, even in the time of the rule of the kelipah that precedes the fruit — that is, in the days of arla, in the time when the Land of Israel is in the hand of Cana'an, and in the twenty-six generations when the Torah had not yet been given — even then they receive their vitality only from Hashem blessed be He, who gives life to all in His great kindness, which is the aspect of the Torah hane'elemes. And through this [comes] the primary sustenance of the world. For through this — even when a person sins and blemishes the holy bris [covenant], and when one blemishes, G-d forbid, the holy bris, then the orlah d'chafya al bris is drawn [down], G-d forbid — and it would seem fitting that, G-d forbid, the world should revert to tohu va'vohu [void and desolation], since the primary sustenance of the world is through the rectification of the bris, as it is written: "If not for My covenant by day and by night, I would not have established the laws of heaven and earth" [Jeremiah 33:25]. For the primary principle and foundation of the entire Torah is the guarding of the holy bris kodesh [holy covenant] — as is brought in the holy Zohar and in all the [mystical] works. And for this reason the Torah is called bris [covenant], as it is written: "And you shall keep My covenant" [Exodus 19:5] — for the primary [purpose] of the Torah is the guarding of the bris. And the primary sustenance of the world is through the rectification of the bris, as it is written: "and the tzadik is the foundation of the world" [Proverbs 10:25] — and "the tzadik is he who guards the bris" [tzadik hu man d'natur bris, Zohar]. And if so, immediately when a person blemishes the bris, G-d forbid, it would seem fitting that the world should revert to tohu va'vohu. But Hashem blessed be He "desires lovingkindness" [Micah 7:18], and therefore He preceded the kelipah to the fruit, and preceded the seven days of arla to the milah — to demonstrate that even in the days of arla, Hashem blessed be He gives vitality through His great kindness, which is the aspect of the Torah hane'elemes. And through this — even when a person sins, G-d forbid, and blemishes the bris — Hashem blessed be He sustains him through His kindness, through the aspect of the Torah hane'elemes, and is patient with him until he repents. And through this, what is stated in the holy Zohar is well understood — that for the blemish of the bris, repentance does not avail. And in truth, according to true teaching, it is stated in all the [mystical] works that repentance avails for everything. But according to all the pathways of the revealed Torah [Torah ha'nigles] — certainly repentance does not avail for the blemish of the drop of the brain [tipas ha'moach] [i.e., seminal emission in vain]. However, there is the Torah hane'elemes — which is the aspect of chessed chinam — which is this chessed that is sealed and hidden from all eyes, through which the world was sustained even prior to the giving of the Torah, and even in the days of arla, etc., as mentioned. And through this hidden chessed, repentance avails for everything. For the Torah and the Land of Israel and the mitzvah of milah — which is the tikun habris [the rectification of the covenant] — are all one. For it is impossible to merit the Land of Israel except through the mitzvah of milah, which is the tikun habris — as it is written: "And He cut a covenant with him to give the land of the Cana'ani" etc. [Nehemiah 9:8]. And as is written in Yehoshua: "And this is the thing that Yehoshua circumcised them" [Joshua 5:4] — and Rashi explains: through speech he circumcised them [i.e., through words he urged them]. He said to them: "Do you think you can inherit the land while you are uncircumcised?!" etc. And this is the aspect of the seven days of arla that pass over the infant before he is circumcised — this is the aspect of the seven nations [shiva amamin] in whose hand the Land of Israel was [situated] first, and afterward it was given to Israel after they [had been] circumcised. And this is [the meaning of]: "And He cut a covenant with him to give the land of the Cana'ani, the Chittite, and the Emori" etc. — and [the Torah] counts all seven nations, whom Israel expelled through the tikun habris — [the covenant] that is the aspect of milah given on the eighth [day], when the seven days of arla are removed from the infant, and the chessed that is revealed at the puma d'amma [the opening / tip of the male member] — which chessed had been sealed and hidden [during] the seven days of arla as mentioned — is now revealed through the milah. And through this the Land of Israel is conquered — for it is all one, as mentioned. For in truth, the primary sustenance of the world — in a time when the world is distant from the Torah, when it is necessary to sustain the world through chessed chinam through the Torah hane'elemes as mentioned, which is the path to the Land of Israel, etc., as mentioned — the primary sustenance is only through the tzadik ha'dor ha'amiti [the true tzadik of the generation], who is the great ish pashut [simple man] described in the aforementioned discourse: the one who revives himself in his time of peshitus through the path to the Land of Israel, through the Torah hane'elemes, through the chessed chinam that was sustaining the world prior to the giving of the Torah. And through this — that he merits to revive himself in his time of peshitus through this chessed chinam — he revives all the peshutim of the world. And even the nations of the world, and even those sunk in she'ol tachti'yos, as is explained there [in the discourse] to one who studies it carefully. For in truth it is impossible to receive from the treasury of the gift of grace [otzar matnas chinam] — that is, from this chessed chinam that was sustaining the world prior to the giving of the Torah — except [for] the truly righteous [tzaddikim amiti'yim], as is explained there: that no one can receive from the treasury of the gift of grace except the truly righteous ones in their time of peshitus, and they revive all the peshutim of the world, as mentioned. For in truth, this chessed chinam is sealed and extraordinarily hidden — hidden to the utmost degree of concealment and hiddenness. And there is no one who can reveal this chessed and receive from it vitality and abundance to sustain the world — except the true tzadik, perfect in the ultimate degree of perfection, clean from sin entirely — in whom there is not the slightest trace of any blemish whatsoever, not even as thin as a single hair. And because he is completely clean, therefore in every place he enters he finds there G-d's divinity, His vitality, and His blessed kindness — for in truth He blessed be He gives life to all of them, even to those far from Him, and even into the ten kisrin d'misa'avusa [crowns of impurity] His blessed vitality reaches. For without Him blessed be He there is no vitality for anything in the world — only that in the places distant from holiness, His vitality is in great concealment and hiddenness. And therefore, whoever is not completely clean from sin — when he comes to such places, the blessed vitality that is hidden there is hidden from him, for evil covers the good; [the evil] is not nullified before him, because there is still some trace of blemish in him. But the true tzadik, who is completely clean and in whom there is no foothold for evil whatsoever — therefore in every place he enters, even in places most distant from holiness, he finds there His G-dliness and blessed vitality that are hidden there. For there is no evil that can stand against him to conceal His light and His vitality hidden there — since there is no foothold for evil in him at all. And as this is explained in the words of our Rebbe of blessed memory in the discourse "Who is the man who desires life?" etc. [Likutay Moharan I]. And therefore the true tzadik finds His blessed vitality everywhere, even in places distant from the Torah. And therefore he is able to receive vitality in his time of peshitus from the Torah hane'elemes that was sustaining the world prior to the giving of the Torah, which is this chessed chinam as mentioned. And through this he revives all the peshutim who are called prostakis etc., and even all those [yet] more distant. For he is able to reveal the chessed chinam, which is the Torah hane'elemes hidden even in places distant from the Torah as mentioned. And all of this depends specifically on the tikun habris — for "the tzadik is he who guards the covenant" [tzadik hu man d'natur bris] — for the essence of the evil inclination is [directed] toward licentiousness [ariyos]. And the tzadik who guards the bris and has subdued his inclination and stood firm through many trials — through this specifically he greatly subdues the sitra d'misa'avusa [the side of impurity], until all the evil in the world is repelled and falls before him, and he is able to reveal the hidden chessed in every place, even in the most distant places — which is the chessed that was sustaining the world prior to the giving of the Torah. And this is hinted at in the words of our Rebbe of blessed memory at the end of the aforementioned discourse, in the rashay perakim [the outline of the chapter-headings] that were found written in his holy handwriting, belonging to that discourse [Likutay Moharan II §78] — for there it is explained regarding this, that the entire aforementioned matter — of receiving vitality from this chessed chinam — all of it depends on the tikun habris. As is written there: "Va'eschanan [and I beseeched] — matnas chinam [gift of grace] — chinam [freely / gratis] — ariyos [licentiousness] — Moshe — da'as [knowledge] — prishus [separation / abstinence]" etc. See there — which is as explained above. And therefore it is impossible to go and inherit the Land of Israel except through the tikun habris, as it is written: "the righteous shall inherit the land" [Psalms 37:29], and as it is written: "And He cut a covenant with him to give the land of the Cana'ani" etc. For the primary path to conquer the Land of Israel is through this chessed chinam as mentioned — which is the Torah hane'elemes that was sustaining the world prior to the giving of the Torah, and which also sustains the world even now in a time when [people] are distant from the Torah, as mentioned. And this chessed cannot be revealed except through the tzadik who guards the bris with the utmost holiness, etc. as mentioned. And this is [the meaning of] what is brought in the holy Zohar: that there was no faithful shepherd [ro'eh ne'eman] like Moshe, who gave his soul [masar nafsho] for the sake of the people of his generation. For Noach did not pray for mercy so much, and even Avraham — who sought and prayed on behalf of the people of Sodom and Amorah etc. — was still not like Moshe, who gave his soul still more and said: "and if not — erase me now" etc. [Exodus 32:32]. See there in the holy Zohar. For in truth, upon the tzadik ha'dor everything depends — for according to the [very] magnitude of his merit and holiness, so is he able to reveal ever more of this hidden chessed as mentioned — through which he is able to sustain the world at all times, even when the world is as distant as it is, and however it may be. There is always this hidden chessed that no blemish at all reaches — through which it is possible to sustain the world always. But all of this depends on the power of the tzadik ha'dor specifically. For in truth, Hashem blessed be He created the world through His kindness alone — which is this chessed as mentioned — [in the aspect of]: "the world shall be built upon lovingkindness [olam chessed yibaneh]" [Psalms 89:3]. But after He created the world, everything depends on the tzadik ha'dor — for according to his power and will, so the world is sustained, and everything depends on him. And therefore, even in the generation of the Flood — had there been then one who could have revealed this hidden chessed like Moshe Rabeinu, peace be upon him, the world could have been sustained even then. But because Noach did not give his soul as much as Moshe, and did not reveal the hidden chessed then — the Flood came upon the world and destroyed the entire world. And even Noach was forced to hide himself in the ark — although there was much spirit and salvation before Him [i.e., Hashem could certainly have saved him] — but since destructive forces had been given permission to act, and the hidden chessed could not be revealed to protect them, therefore even the righteous Noach was forced to be sealed and hidden and concealed. For the tzadik himself is the aspect of the Torah in the aspect of this chessed as mentioned. And therefore, since he did not have the power to reveal this chessed, he was forced to be hidden from sight in the ark — in order to be in concealment, just as the chessed is now in great hiddenness. And through this alone a remnant was preserved in the earth, and the world was not entirely destroyed. But Moshe Rabeinu, peace be upon him, gave his soul immediately — to the extent that he revealed and aroused the hidden chessed that sustains the world always — so that through this he truly fulfilled his request, and "Hashem relented regarding the evil" etc. [Exodus 32:14], and the world was sustained even though they had done what they had done. And all of this [came] through this chessed, which is the Torah hane'elemes, which sustains the world always, as mentioned. And this is [the deeper meaning of] what Moshe said: "and if not — erase me now" etc. [Exodus 32:32]. For in truth, the Torah need not have narrated anything beyond the commandments themselves — such as the mitzvah of tzitzis, the mitzvah of tefillin, etc. — which is the primary [purpose of the] Torah in order to fulfill its commandments. But all the sipurim [narratives] of the Torah — such as [everything] from Bereishis until "This month shall be for you" [Exodus 12:2], which is the first commandment — and likewise all the other narratives that follow. And even alongside every individual commandment there are additional words and narratives — that is, what is said in connection with most of the commandments: "And Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying..." — this is the aspect of the words of the Torah [divray Torah]. For the primary [substance] of the Torah is the commandment itself, but all these narratives and all these words of Torah that surround every commandment — these are the aspect of the Torah hane'elemes as mentioned, which is higher than the manifest Torah [Torah sheb'nigles], being the aspect of sisiray Torah [the secret aspects of the Torah]. And this Torah hane'elemes is the aspect of chessed chinam as mentioned, which was sustaining the world prior to the giving of the Torah — through which the world is sustained in a time of peshitus and in a time when [people] are distant from the Torah, as mentioned. And as is explained in the words of our Rebbe of blessed memory elsewhere: that these words of Torah are the aspect of sisiray Torah, the aspect of the Torah hane'elemes as mentioned. And this is the aspect of what Rabbi Yitzchak said regarding the verse "In the beginning [Bereishis]": the Torah need not have begun [its text] except from "This month shall be for you", which is the first commandment. And why did it begin with "Bereishis"? — for the sake of "the power of His works" [Psalms 111:6] etc., so that Israel should be able to conquer the Land of Israel, etc. — that is, as explained above: Rabbi Yitzchak is asking: why does the holy Torah narrate all these stories in which no commandment is written? And the answer: that all these narratives are so that we should be able to conquer the Land of Israel — for it is impossible to conquer the Land of Israel except through "the power of His works" — that is, the aspect of the Torah hane'elemes that was sustaining the world prior to the giving of the Torah, as mentioned. And for this reason the holy Torah narrates all these stories. For all these narratives that precede the commandments — they themselves are the Torah hane'elemes — for they are the primary sisiray Torah. And this itself is the Torah hane'elemes that was sustaining the world prior to the giving of the Torah — through which one goes and conquers the Land of Israel. And for this reason the Torah wrote all these narratives, for "the power of His works" — in order to conquer the Land of Israel — for this [the Torah hane'elemes] is what specifically conquers the Land of Israel, as mentioned. Understand this well. It is thus found: all the narratives in the Torah, and all the words of Torah surrounding each commandment — that is, "And Hashem spoke to Moshe saying..." etc. — all of this is the aspect of sisiray Torah, the aspect of the Torah hane'elemes that was sustaining the world prior to the giving of the Torah — through which the true tzadik can sustain the world always, even in a time when they have done what they have done, as mentioned. And this is what Moshe said: "And now, if You will forgive their sin — and if not, erase me now from Your book" [Exodus 32:32] etc. — that is: [referring to] what is written and mentioned in the Torah many times — the name of Moshe, such as "And Hashem spoke to Moshe", and similar to this — all of this is included in the narratives and discourses of the Torah that are not the primary commandments themselves. But in truth they are the aspect of sisiray Torah, the aspect of the Torah hane'elemes, which is higher than the manifest Torah. And behold, this Torah hane'elemes is Hashem blessed be He Himself, as it were — who sustains the world always through chessed chinam. For through it He created the world through His kindness alone, prior to any is'arusa d'letata [arousal from below] whatsoever. And certainly Hashem blessed be He through His power and kindness is able to sustain the world always through His kindness — even in a time when they have done what they have done — for "who can say to Him, 'What are you doing?'" [Ecclesiastes 8:4]. But Hashem blessed be He, after He created the world and gave the Torah to Israel, handed over His will into the hands of Israel — and primarily into the hands of the tzadik ha'dor, and everything depends on him, as mentioned. And this is [the meaning of] Hashem's hint to Moshe when He said: "And now, leave Me alone" [Exodus 32:10] — to hint to him that everything depends on him. And therefore now, this hidden chessed cannot be revealed except by the tzadik ha'dor who is the aspect of Moshe — for he specifically is obligated to reveal this chessed — since Hashem blessed be He has already handed everything over into his care, and everything depends on him, as mentioned. And this is the aspect of "And Hashem spoke to Moshe" — which is the aspect of the Torah hane'elemes as mentioned — which is the chessed chinam that sustains the world always as mentioned. For "And Hashem spoke to Moshe" means: that Hashem blessed be He has handed all the hanhagah [governance / leadership of creation] over to Moshe — who is the aspect of the true tzadik of the generation. For "dibber" [literally "spoke"] is a language of leadership, as in "one leader per generation" [dabber echad l'dor] [Zohar] — for now, after the creation and after the giving of the Torah, all governance is handed over to Moshe, who is the true tzadik, and he specifically must reveal the hidden chessed in order to sustain the world always. And this is what Moshe said: "and if not — erase me now" etc. For if You are not willing to forgive them and to sustain the world even now through the Torah hane'elemes — which is the aspect of "And Hashem spoke to Moshe" as mentioned — then erase me now from Your book. For if so, what use is it that my name is mentioned throughout the entire Torah, which demonstrates that now the governance is in my hands and I have the power to give life to the world through the Torah hane'elemes? And now, if You are not willing, G-d forbid, to sustain the world through it — then erase me now, and let the governance return to You alone. And You Yourself can certainly sustain the world through Your kindnesses as mentioned — only in Your mercy You handed this power over to me; which is the aspect of my name being mentioned in the Torah as mentioned. And now if I do not have this power, then erase me now and let the power and kindness return to You alone, and You Yourself sustain the world. And therefore through Moshe's arousing this hidden chessed — that is, the Torah hane'elemes — through this his prayer truly took effect, and "Hashem relented regarding the evil" etc. [Exodus 32:14], and the world was sustained even though they had done what they had done. And all of this [came] through this chessed which is the Torah hane'elemes, which sustains the world always, as mentioned. And this is the aspect of the mitzvah of milas avadim kena'anim [circumcision of Cana'anite slaves]. For through this we demonstrate that not only do we have the power to conquer the Land of Israel through the aforementioned aspect [of the Torah hane'elemes] — but even more: even in chutz la'aretz [outside the Land], in the lands of the akum, in every place where we enter, we are able to conquer that place and sanctify it with the holiness of the Land of Israel. And all of this through the aforementioned aspect — through the Torah hane'elemes, the aspect of "In the beginning [Bereishis]" etc., for "in His will He gave it to them, and in His will He took it from them and gave it to us," as is explained there in the aforementioned discourse. And this is the aspect of the circumcision of slaves [milas avadim]. For in truth, the Torah and Israel and the Land of Israel are all one, as mentioned. And as our Sages of blessed memory said in the seven havdolos [distinctions] [of Havdalah]: "Who distinguishes between the holy and the secular, between Israel and the nations, between the seventh day and the six days of work, between the Land of Israel and other lands" etc. [Siddur, Havdalah]. And the primary revelation of the holiness of Israel is through the tikun habris — which is the aspect of the mitzvah of milah, which is the foundation [yesod] of the entire Torah. And the orlah is the zuhama d'nachash [the filth of the primordial serpent], the aspect of the impurity of the akum, the aspect of chutz la'aretz. It is thus found: when we circumcise our children, the Children of Israel — this is the aspect of our conquering the Land of Israel, that is, our land, from the akum, and we take what is ours from them. For in truth the land is ours — only the seven nations were covering it, which is the aspect of the orlah d'chafya al bris. And now we conquer the Land of Israel from them. And this itself is the aspect of milah — for the orlah does not belong to Israel at all. For the orlah is named only after the akum [as our Sages say: the foreskin is called by the name of the nations]. Only they — that is, the kelipos, the zuhama d'nachash, the seven nations, the seven days of arla — sought to seize hold of what is not theirs at all. But Hashem blessed be He gave us the power, and commanded us in His mercy to circumcise our children — and through this we remove the orlah and reveal the holiness of the holy bris, and we return the Children of Israel to our dominion, to the dominion of holiness. This is the aspect of the literal conquest of the Land of Israel — removing the seven nations from the Land of Israel and returning the Land of Israel to the dominion of holiness and of Israel, as mentioned. But Hashem blessed be He gave us yet further power — that we are able to conquer even chutz la'aretz and sanctify it with the holiness of Israel. And all of this [comes] through this same [power]: through the fact that they [the nations] first prevailed and sought to conquer the Land of Israel into their dominion — through this very act, neither this nor that was fulfilled for them: for this [the Land of Israel] was not given to them, and even what was theirs was taken from their hands. [This is the] aspect of "a time when one person dominates another person to his detriment" [Ecclesiastes 8:9] — as is brought — for through their having ruled first over the Land of Israel and then having it taken from them, all of this came through the Torah hane'elemes, through which it was revealed that "in His will He gave it to them" etc. And through this we reveal that all lands, even outside the Land, belong to Hashem blessed be He. And therefore we are able to conquer all places and sanctify them with the holiness of Israel — for "in His will He gave it to them, and in His will He took it from them and gave it to us" etc., as mentioned. And this is the aspect of the circumcision of slaves — for the slaves are from the sitra achra, from the akum; and they are all called avadim kena'anim [Cana'anite slaves], which is the zuhama d'nachash — [as] he was cursed: "cursed is Cana'an, a slave of slaves" etc. [Genesis 9:25] — which is the aspect of "cursed are you" said to the serpent [Genesis 3:14], as is brought. And nevertheless we have the power to subjugate the Cana'anite slave under our hands, and to subdue and nullify from him even the orlah — which is the zuhama d'nachash — and to reveal the hidden chessed that is revealed through the mitzvah of milah, to reveal it even there, even among the slaves who are the aspect of chutz la'aretz. For we are able to conquer even chutz la'aretz and sanctify it with the holiness of Israel — for "in His will He gave it to them" and in His will etc. And therefore, at the beginning of the mitzvah of milah that was given to Avraham — Yishmael, who was the son of the maidservant [ben ha'amah], in the aspect of a slave, was immediately circumcised. And he was circumcised before Yitzchak — who was the first to be circumcised at eight [days] — for just as the kelipah precedes the fruit, so too when we wish to conquer and take the fruit, we must first break the kelipah. And when we break the kelipah first, we conquer the holiness that was hidden within the kelipah itself — for even there there is hidden holiness, as mentioned. And this is the aspect of Israel's first conquering the land of Sichon and Og on the far side of the Jordan [Ever haYarden], which is not included in [the territory of proper] Eretz Yisrael. And this is the aspect of Yishmael being circumcised before Yitzchak — for all of this is the same aforementioned aspect: that they first conquered the holiness hidden within the body of the kelipah itself, in the time when they broke the kelipah that precedes the fruit. And afterward they easily conquered the holiness itself, which is the Land of Israel — for the kelipah had already been entirely subdued, and they had extracted the vitality of holiness from it, as mentioned. And therefore the tribes of Gad and Reuven were crossing as armed vanguards before the army [Numbers 32:17] — for they had greater power to conquer the Land of Israel, since they had already extracted the holiness that had been swallowed up within the body of the kelipah itself, which is the aspect of Ever haYarden. And through this they easily conquered the body of the holiness that had been in exile with them — since their very vitality had already been taken from them by the tribes of Gad and Reuven, as mentioned. It is thus found: the circumcision of Yishmael the son of the maidservant before Yitzchak is the aspect of the conquest of Ever haYarden before [the conquest of] the Land of Israel. And therefore Yishmael was fourteen years old at the time when Yitzchak was circumcised — this corresponds to the fourteen years that preceded the conquest of Ever haYarden before [the conquest of] the Land of Israel: [namely] the seven [years] of conquest and the seven [years] of apportionment [Seder Olam Rabbah 11]. And these seven of conquest and seven of apportionment correspond to the seven days of arla, [representing] the seven nations that covered the Land of Israel. And corresponding to them, they were obligated to delay fourteen years — seven of conquest and seven of apportionment — during which they subdued the seven nations, the seven days of arla: this being the aspect of bedikas chametz [the search for leaven]. For chametz [leaven] is the aspect of arla — the zuhama d'nachash. And therefore on the first night of Pesach — when the chametz was nullified — all of Israel circumcised themselves at the time of the Exodus from Egypt [Yehoshua 5:5]. And therefore specifically on the night of the fourteenth [of Nisan] we search for chametz — corresponding to these fourteen years [mentioned above] of the seven [years] of conquest and seven of apportionment — during which they subdued the seven nations, the seven days of arla, which is the aspect of the biur chametz [destruction of chametz]. And they merit to depart from Egypt — from the blemish of the bris — to the Land of Israel — to the tikun habris. For the primary [purpose of the] Exodus from Egypt was in order to enter the Land of Israel — as it is written: "And He said: I shall take you up from the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Cana'ani and the Chittite..." etc. "to a land flowing with milk and honey" [Exodus 3:17] — that is, as mentioned.

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