נדרים ושבועות ב

Bas Sheva Rosa o.b.m.

The concept of nedarim [vows] and shevuos [oaths] — which are seemingly a matter of wonder — that a person can forbid upon himself some thing, or obligate himself in a matter, through a vow or an oath. It turns out that a person can create for himself new Torah [laws] and mitzvos that are not specified in the Torah, for through a vow and an oath he can create for himself a mitzvah [commandment] and an avayrah [transgression] from any thing in the world, even though that thing carries no mitzvah or avayrah according to the Torah.

21 Teves 5783

However, the explanation is based on what our Rebbe of blessed memory elucidated on the verse "And I beseeched Hashem at that time, saying" (Deuteronomy 3:23), in the discourse that begins with the topic of the conduct of peshitus [simplicity] of the true tzadik — see there well (in Likutay Moharan II, Torah 78).

This is a rough draft produced with AI assistance by Petek Nanach.

And the substance of the matter there is: that when the tzadik conducts himself in ways of peshitus [simplicity], like a simple person, and is not engaged in Torah — then he sustains himself through the aspect of the sustenance of the world before the giving of the Torah, when the world was sustained through His kindness, through chesed chinam [gratuitous kindness], since at that time there was no revelation of the Torah in the world. And in truth, even then the Torah was in the world, only it was in a state of concealment. For the Aseres HaDibros [Ten Commandments] were concealed within the Asarah Ma'amaros [Ten Utterances] through which the world was created. And the Ten Utterances are clothed within each and every thing in the world, for everything was created through the Ten Utterances — and there the Torah is concealed, in the aspect of the Ten Commandments, as mentioned above.

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And the tzadik in the time of his simplicity — that is, at the time when he ceases from the Torah — sustains himself through this aspect: through the aspect of the Torah that is concealed in all the works of creation, in each and every thing in the world, for everything was created through the Ten Utterances, etc., as mentioned above.

Free for all sacred use, printing, distribution and sharing. And this is the aspect of the path to Eretz Yisra'ail. For through the aspect of the Ten Utterances, which are the aspect of "the power of His works" (Psalms 111:6) — through this one can conquer Eretz Yisra'ail. For it is for this reason that the Torah opened with "Beraishis" [i.e. with the account of creation] — so that the nations should not say, "You are robbers," etc. For this reason it opened with Beraishis: because by His will He gave it to them, and by His will, etc. [He took it from them and gave it to us] — see there well, the entire matter.

In memory of the true key bearer of the Breslov tradition

And this is the aspect of nedarim and shevuos — that a person can forbid upon himself any thing in the world, and make Torah from any thing in the world — that is, that there should be in it a mitzvah and an avayrah through a vow and an oath. For in truth, all things in the world receive their chiyus [life-force] through the Torah. For without the Torah there is no life-force for anything in the world, for "Oraysa v'Kudsha Berich Hu kola chad" [the Torah and the Holy One, blessed be He, are entirely one]. And certainly there is no life-force for anything in the world except from Him, blessed be He — and He, blessed be He, and the Torah are entirely one, as mentioned above. And because of this, one can serve Hashem through all things in the world, as it is written: "In all your ways know Him" (Proverbs 3:6). For the Torah is clothed, as it were, in all of them. And therefore one can connect everything to the Torah and make Torah from every thing.

Rabbi Yisrael Dov Odeser o.b.m.

And this is what the holy Torah revealed to us through this mitzvah of nedarim and shevuos — that through this mitzvah one can make Torah and mitzvos from all things in the world, as mentioned above. And through this, Hashem revealed to us that there is Torah and avodah [divine service] in every thing in the world, for they all receive their life-force from the Torah, as mentioned above.

Student of Rabbi Yisrael Karduner o.b.m. And this is the aspect of nedarim and shevuos. For the divine life-force that is clothed in all things of the world — which is the aspect of the Torah — has in it two aspects. That is, the aspect of the sustenance of the world before the giving of the Torah. And likewise now, at the time when one ceases from words of Torah — in the aspect of "the nullification of Torah, this is its sustenance" — for then the world is sustained through gratuitous kindness, which is the aspect of the concealment of the Torah, that the Torah is concealed within the Ten Utterances, as mentioned above.

And this aspect is a very lofty aspect, for it is the aspect of the concealed Torah, the aspect of sisray Torah [the secrets of the Torah] — and this is the aspect of chesed chinam, the aspect of "a storehouse of gratuitous gift", which is a very lofty aspect. For at the time when the Torah is not in the world, then it is impossible for the world to be sustained through ordinary chesed, for the world is not worthy of being sustained through simple kindness since there is no Torah in the world. Therefore, when there is no Torah, then the sustenance of the world is through the aspect of chesed chinam, which is the aspect of the concealed Torah, which is a very lofty aspect — for from the greatness of the light of this kindness, which is gratuitous kindness, an exceedingly great kindness, the world can be sustained even though there is no revelation of the Torah in the world.

Student of Rabbi Moshe Breslover o.b.m. But in truth, even though this aspect is very lofty, this is not the complete sustenance of the world. For the primary sustenance of the world in its completeness is only through the acceptance of the Torah that Israel accepted, as it is written, "The sixth day" (Genesis 1:31) — [with a definitive "hei"] and Rashi explained that the entire world was suspended until the sixth of Sivan when Israel accepted the Torah. For there is no sustenance for the world without the Torah. For this life-force and great light, the aspect of chesed chinam that was sustaining the world before the giving of the Torah — it is very concealed, and from the greatness of its concealment, since it cannot clothe itself at all within the world, it could become entirely concealed and depart, G-d forbid, from the world — and the world would return to "chaos and void", G-d forbid.

Student of Rabbi Nussun of Breslov o.b.m. Therefore Hashem foresaw that the world cannot be sustained without the Torah. Therefore He gave the Torah immediately after twenty-six generations, as our Sages of blessed memory expounded on the verse "He commanded a word for a thousand generations" (Psalms 105:8). For the primary sustenance of the world is through the Torah, through which Hashem clothed, as it were, the concealed and hidden light within the letters of the holy Torah. And through Israel fulfilling the Torah and engaging in it, through this they draw His G-dliness, blessed be He, into the world — through the tzimtzumim [contractions] of the letters of the Torah. And therefore through the Torah the world is established, for through the holy Torah the life-force is drawn to all things in the world — for without the Torah, G-d forbid, the hidden light would depart from the greatness of its concealment.

Student of the holy master

Only, nevertheless, also now — at the time when one is compelled to cease from words of Torah, for it is impossible to engage in the Torah day and night without a moment's pause — and as our Rebbe of blessed memory explained in the aforementioned discourse — then, at the time of cessation from Torah, the tzadik sustains himself through the aspect of the sustenance of the world before the giving of the Torah, which is the aspect of chesed chinam, which is the aspect of the concealed Torah within the Ten Utterances, etc. — as is explained there; see there.

And this is the aspect of nedarim and shevuos, which are the aforementioned two aspects. A neder [vow] — this is the aspect of the divine life-force, as it were, that was sustaining the world before the giving of the Torah, which is the aspect of the concealed Torah, as mentioned above, from which all things in the world receive their life-force in a great state of concealment.

Rabbi Nachman of Breslov

Therefore, when a person makes a vow, he ascends to the place of the neder, which is the aspect of the concealed Torah — and this is the aspect of a neder, which is the aspect of Binah, alma d'iskasya [the concealed world], as is brought. And then he connects that thing upon which he is vowing to the aspect of the Torah concealed within it — for in every thing the Torah is concealed, as mentioned above. That is, through the vow that he utters with his mouth upon this thing, through this he reveals the divine life-force concealed in this thing, which is the aspect of the concealed Torah — and this itself is the aspect of a neder, as mentioned above. And then, when he makes a vow and reveals that in this thing there is the concealed Torah, then this thing becomes Torah. For in truth, in every thing there is Torah, only it is in a great state of concealment and hiddenness. But when he makes a vow with his mouth, then he reveals this concealment, and then Torah is made from this thing. Therefore, a vow is primarily effective only when one utters it with his mouth, and "thoughts of the heart are not considered words" — because the essence of the matter is to reveal the concealment, and this is the aspect of Torah. As it is found in the holy Zohar: "What is Torah? That which reveals and discloses what was hidden" [Mai Torah? D'oray v'galay b'mah d'havay sesim]. And this is the aspect of a neder that one utters with his mouth, for the primary revelation is through the mouth, in the aspect of "From His mouth, knowledge and understanding" (Proverbs 2:6). And therefore, when he utters the vow with his mouth, he reveals the concealed Torah within that thing — which is the aspect of a neder, as mentioned above — through uttering the vow with his mouth, which is the aspect of revealing what was hidden. And therefore Torah is made from this, for this is the aspect of Torah, as mentioned above. And this matter depends on the free choice of the person — according to how he wishes to reveal this concealed light, whether to do or not to do. For this concealed light is an aspect of simple light (or pashut) in which there is no form whatsoever of mitzvah and avayrah. Rather, it depends on the free choice of the person — according to how he draws the light downward, whether to do or to refrain. And then Torah is made from this, according to how he draws the light from concealment to revelation — that is, according to what he vows with his mouth, which is the aspect of revealing what was sealed, as mentioned above. Understand this well. It emerges that the concept of nedarim is that one connects the thing to the divine life-force, which is the aspect of the concealed Torah that is hidden in every thing. That is, he reveals what was hidden — he reveals that also there, a great light is concealed, the aspect of the concealed Torah. And then, this thing becomes an aspect of Torah — that is, there is in it a mitzvah and an avayrah, for he is obligated to fulfill the matter and it is forbidden for him to transgress that which he vowed upon. It turns out that Torah and mitzvah are made from this thing, which initially had no mitzvah or avayrah in it at all. For now this thing has become an aspect of Torah through the vow that he uttered with his mouth — through which he reveals what was hidden, revealing the concealment of the Torah that was concealed there, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of a neder — which reveals the aspect of the concealed Torah, which is the aspect of the sustenance of the world at the time of the cessation of Torah, at the time of the conduct of simplicity, as mentioned above. And a shevuah [oath] — this is the second aspect. That is, in truth, the primary sustenance of the world is only through the Torah that Israel received, through which abundance and life-force is drawn to all things in the world, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of a shevuah. For a shevuah is the aspect of the totality of the Torah, which is comprised of the shivas yemai habinyan [seven days of construction]. And this is the aspect of shevuah — from the root sheva [seven]. For the aspect of the concealed Torah — the aspect of a neder — is above the seven days of construction, as is known. But the Torah that was transmitted into our hands is the aspect of a shevuah, the aspect of seven, as mentioned above. And the primary sustenance of the world in its completeness is only through the Torah — that is, through the engagement in Torah and mitzvos, through which abundance and life-force is drawn to all things in the world. Therefore, when a person says the expression of a shevuah and forbids himself regarding some thing, that thing also becomes Torah. For he has this power, since man draws the life-force of the Torah to all things in the world — therefore he has the power to make Torah from all things. That is, he has the power to draw the life-force there as he wishes — whether as an obligation, that he shall be obligated to do it, or the opposite — through mentioning the expression of a shevuah, which is the aspect of the totality of the Torah, from which all things receive their life-force. And when he mentions this expression to forbid upon himself some thing, or to obligate himself in a matter, behold, he draws the life-force of the Torah there in this aspect — that is, the life-force of the Torah is drawn to that thing as a mitzvah or the reverse — that is, to do or not to do. And then this thing also becomes Torah, and there is in it mitzvah and avayrah — through his having drawn the life-force of the Torah there in this aspect, according to his oath, whether affirmative or negative. It turns out that nedarim and shevuos are one [unified] aspect — that is, that one makes Torah from worldly things — that is, mitzvah and avayrah — through connecting the thing to the Torah and revealing that also in them there is Torah, and they all receive life-force from the Torah, as mentioned above. Only, the neder is that which reveals the concealed Torah within that thing — which is above the Torah. And therefore nedarim take effect even upon a matter of mitzvah, for the neder is the aspect of the concealed Torah, which is above the Torah. And a shevuah is the aspect of making Torah from that thing through the life-force and abundance that one draws to the thing from the Torah. And through this, he makes from that thing also Torah. And therefore a shevuah does not take effect upon a matter of mitzvah, for the primary power of the shevuah is from the Torah, as mentioned above. But a neder is an aspect that is above the Torah, the aspect of the sustenance of the world before the giving of the Torah, the aspect of the concealed Torah, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said: "A neder — the object is forbidden upon him. A shevuah — he forbids himself upon the object" [neder mitsar chaftzay alay; shevuah mitsar nafshay achaftzay]. For a person is himself the aspect of the Torah, as our Rebbe of blessed memory said. And as it is written, "This is the Torah: a man" (Numbers 19:14) [see Likutay Moharan, Torah 13]. For every person is comprised of the entire Torah — which is the 248 positive commandments and 365 negative commandments, corresponding to the 248 limbs and 365 sinews of a person. Therefore, when one makes a shevuah, which is the aspect of the totality of the Torah, he forbids himself upon the object. That is, the primary prohibition of the shevuah is because he draws the life-force from the Torah to the thing in this manner — to do or not to do. And through this, Torah is made from it, and he is obligated to fulfill it accordingly. And therefore it is the aspect of forbidding himself upon the object — for he himself is the aspect of the Torah, and he sustains all things in the world through his being comprised of the Torah. For man is the totality of the world, and all things in the world receive life-force from him through his being comprised of the Torah. It turns out that when he makes the object into an aspect of prohibition, through this, Torah is made from it, and it becomes forbidden to him, as mentioned above. But a neder is an aspect above the Torah, the aspect of the concealed Torah, and there it is the reverse — the aspect of drawing down the life-force from above to below in the aspect of Torah, whether affirmative or negative. That is, he draws and reveals the concealed life-force within this thing in the aspect of Torah, from above to below — for this concealed life-force is very lofty. And this concealed life-force, the aspect of a neder, sustains the world without any arousal from below whatsoever, for this is the aspect of the sustenance of the world before the acceptance of the Torah. It turns out that this life-force is not drawn through man; rather, Hashem sustains the world by Himself, through gratuitous kindness, without any action of the lower beings at all. And therefore, through this aspect, he can make Torah from this thing itself, and forbid the object itself upon himself — for Torah is made from it through the concealed Torah, which does not depend on man at all, as mentioned above. But a shevuah — its essence is that man sustains the worlds through the Torah; through this he can make Torah from all things in the world. Therefore it is the aspect of "he forbids himself upon the object" — for man is the aspect of the Torah, as mentioned above. Therefore, regarding a neder, no Shem [Divine Name] or kinui [appellation] is relevant to it, and one who vows "by the Torah" — it is nothing [i.e. the vow does not take effect]. For the neder is the aspect of concealment, where all the Names are concealed, and the entire holy Torah is in a state of concealment, as mentioned above. But a shevuah is made with a Name and appellation, or one swears by the Torah. For a shevuah is the aspect of the totality of the Torah, which is comprised of seven, as mentioned above — which is the aspect of the totality of the Names, which are comprised of the seven Names that may not be erased. And even when one swears without a Name and appellation, the prohibition of the shevuah still takes effect, as is written in the Shulchan Aruch. For the expression of shevuah itself is this aspect — the aspect of the totality of the Torah, the aspect of the totality of the seven Names — and this is the aspect of the expression of shevuah. And this is the reason the Tanna began Tractate Nedarim [with]: "All kinuyay [substitutes for] nedarim are like nedarim" etc. For a neder and shevuah are the aspect of the divine life-force, as it were, that spreads into all things in the world and into all the languages of the nations. And this is the aspect of a neder and shevuah — which reveal that in all things there is His G-dliness, blessed be He, as it were, and one can make Torah and mitzvah from every thing in the world. And therefore, regarding nedarim, we follow the language of people [halach achar leshon bnay adam] — for in all languages one can make a vow, because one can find His G-dliness in all things and in all languages of the nations, for His G-dliness, blessed be He, is concealed in all of them, for He gives life to all of them — and this is the primary aspect of neder and shevuah, as mentioned above. Therefore the chacham uproots the neder from its root. For the entire matter of neder and shevuah depends on the chacham [sage] and the great one of the generation. For the concept of neder and shevuah is that one reveals that all things receive life-force from the Torah, etc., as mentioned above. But this depends only on the great one and the chacham of the generation. As our Rebbe of blessed memory wrote in the aforementioned discourse "Va'eschanan" — that all the simple people require a very great simple man, through whom they all receive life-force; see there well. For in truth, a simple man of lesser stature — that is, the common masses — certainly does not sustain the world through the Torah, for they are not Torah scholars. And even one who does engage in Torah — not everyone merits that he sustain the entire world, but only rare, select individuals, in the aspect of yachid mumcheh [singular expert]. And all the more so to attach oneself to the concealed Torah in every thing, to sustain oneself through the aspect of the divine life-force that sustains and upholds the world before the giving of the Torah — this certainly not every person merits, for it is a very lofty aspect: to find and reveal His G-dliness, blessed be He, as it were, concealed in every thing in the world. Therefore, all the simple people — that is, the common masses — need to receive their life-force from the great simple man — that is, the very great tzadik, who is at times a simple man and ceases from the Torah, and then he sustains himself from the concealed Torah — and through this he sustains all the simple people, as is explained there well in the aforementioned discourse; see there. Therefore, the primary power of neder and shevuah — that a person can make Torah from any thing in the world through a vow and an oath — this depends only on the great ones of the generation, who sustain themselves during their time of simplicity, at the time of cessation of Torah, from the concealed Torah, as mentioned above. And all the more so at the time of their engagement in the Torah, when they sustain all things in the world through their Torah. And from these great ones of the generation, all the masses also receive life-force, and from them the power cascades down also to the common masses — that they should have the power to make Torah from any thing in the world through a vow and an oath. For the primary power to make Torah from every thing in the world, which is the aspect of neder and shevuah, is drawn only from the great ones of the generation, as mentioned above. And this is the reason the Torah introduced parshas Nedarim [with the words]: "And Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes…" (Numbers 30:2) which is not said regarding the other mitzvos of the Torah. Only here, by nedarim, is it said "the heads of the tribes" — "the heads of the tribes" specifically. For this mitzvah of nedarim and shevuos is primarily dependent on the heads of the tribes, who are the great ones of the generation, as mentioned above. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory derived from this that the chacham uproots the neder from its root — for since the root of the neder is drawn from the chacham of the generation, therefore he certainly has the power to annul it and uproot it, since the entire root of the power of the neder is drawn from him, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of nidah [menstrual impurity] and the purification of the mikveh, and the aspect of teshuvah [repentance]. For dam nidos [menstrual blood] — this is the aspect of zuhamas hanachash [the contamination of the Serpent]. For through the sin of Adam HaRishon, through which the contamination of the Serpent was drawn down — through this, dam nidos came into being, as it is written, "I will greatly increase your suffering" (Genesis 3:16). And our Sages of blessed memory expounded: this refers to dam nidos. And the primary concealment of the or haganuz [hidden light] — that the hidden light was concealed and stored away, which is the aspect of the concealed Torah that gives life to all things in the world — the primary concealment and hiddenness is because of the contamination of the Serpent, the aspect of dam nidos. For before the sin of Adam HaRishon, the world was pure and clean, and the perception of Adam HaRishon was illuminating exceedingly, and then one could gaze at every thing in the world and see in it the divine life-force, as it were, that gives it life. And this is the aspect of the light of the seven days of creation, through which Adam could see from one end of the world to the other. That is, through this light one could gaze and look at every thing in the physical world and see in it the divine life-force, as it were, concealed within it, that gives that thing its life. And this is the aspect of "from one end of the world to its [other] end, from one extreme to the [other] extreme" — that is, from the end-point of the center of the physical world to its upper end, where the thing is included in its root. For the beginning of the thing in its upper root is the aspect of "end" from below to above. That is, he could gaze at the entire world and see in it its upper end — that it is connected to its root. That is, he could see the divine life-force, as it were, concealed in every thing in the world. And then they could know the Torah that is in every thing in the world. But through the sin of Adam HaRishon, this light was stored away, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "He saw that the world was not worthy — He arose and stored it away" etc. For because of the sin of Adam HaRishon, through which the contamination of the Serpent was drawn into the world, the aspect of dam nidos — therefore it was necessary, as it were, to store away the light, so that the klipos [husks/forces of impurity] would not draw sustenance, G-d forbid, excessively. And the essence of this is because of the aspect of dam nidos, for there are ten types of blood, and their sustenance derives from the aspect of the concealment and hiddenness of the Ten Commandments, which are in the aspect of five corresponding to five. And from there, from this concealment and hiddenness, sustenance cascades down to the aspect of ten types of blood — which are five types of impure blood and five types of pure blood, as is brought. And because sustenance was drawn through the sin of Adam HaRishon to the aspect of the ten types of blood, whose sustenance derives from the aforementioned aspect — therefore the light of the Ten Commandments was compelled to be stored away and concealed, so that they should not have sustenance, G-d forbid, excessively. And therefore Israel could not receive the Torah until they counted seven weeks, in the aspect of shivah nekiyim [seven clean days], to purify themselves from dam nidos. For the primary purpose of receiving the Torah is to reveal the concealment, as is found in the holy Zohar: "What is Torah? That which reveals and discloses what was hidden", as mentioned above. And the revelation of the concealed light is impossible except when one purifies oneself from dam nidos. For as long as there is an aspect of dam nidos, the light is compelled to remain concealed, as mentioned above. And therefore they are seven clean days, corresponding to the seven midos [attributes/sefiiros], the aspect of the seven days of construction. For the primary hold of dam nidos — that is, the aspect of the klipos — is only in the aspect of the seven days of construction, where the primary revelation of the Torah takes place. For the primary revelation of the Torah is through the seven midos, as is known. For above the midos, this is the aspect of the hidden light that cannot be attained now. And therefore, as long as there is an aspect of dam nidos, the Torah cannot be revealed through the aspect of the seven midos, so that they should not have sustenance, G-d forbid, excessively — for there is where their primary hold is, as mentioned above. And therefore the Torah must remain in a state of concealment, for there, in the state of concealment — which is the aspect of above the midos — they have no hold at all. And therefore Israel could not receive the Torah until they counted seven clean days, corresponding to the seven days of construction, the aspect of the seven midos, where their primary hold is — in order to purify them from the aspect of dam nidos, so that the Torah could be revealed within the world, which is the aspect of the totality of the seven days of construction — which are the totality of the world — which are the aspect of the seven midos through which the Torah is primarily revealed, as mentioned above. And this itself is the aspect of the seven clean days that the nidah counts in order to become pure to her husband. For the holy union of Israel is the aspect of the drawing-down of the Torah, and as is brought, that at the time of the receiving of the Torah, Israel was like a bride entering the chupah [marriage canopy]. For through the holy union of Israel, holy neshamos [souls] are born. And the neshamos of Israel are themselves the aspect of the Torah, for the Torah is comprised of the neshamos of Israel. And therefore, as long as she is impure from dam nidos, the union is forbidden. And the prohibition is exceedingly severe, Rachmana litzlan [may the Merciful One save us] — so as not to draw down the aspect of holy neshamos, the aspect of the Torah, into the chitzonim [external forces of impurity], G-d forbid, which are the aspect of dam nidos — so as not to give them, G-d forbid, sustenance excessively. And therefore it is found in the holy Zohar that through this severe sin, G-d forbid, the impurity strengthens greatly, G-d forbid, Rachmana litzlan — for sustenance is drawn to them excessively, G-d forbid. For as long as there is an aspect of dam nidos, the mind and the da'as [knowledge/awareness] — which is the aspect of the Torah — must remain in concealment and hiddenness, as mentioned above. And therefore she must count seven clean days, as mentioned above. And after the seven clean days she must purify herself in a mikveh. And the mikveh is the aspect of Binah, alma d'asay [the World to Come], as is brought — the aspect of teshuvah. This is the aspect of the aforementioned concealed Torah, which is the totality of the Ten Commandments comprised within "Anochi" ["I am" — the first of the Ten Commandments], which is the aspect of Binah, as is brought. For when one needs to ascend from impurity to purity, to purify oneself from dam nidos, one must attach oneself to the aspect of the or haganuz [hidden light] — that is, the concealed Torah — where no blemish reaches at all, and there it is entirely good. And when one attaches oneself there, one can return to Hashem even from the lowest depths. As is alluded to there in the words of our Rebbe, at the end of his words there, where he spoke about this matter — that even in the lowest depths there is no despair in the world at all, for even from there one can return to Hashem. And this is through the aspect spoken of in the aforementioned discourse — that is, through the aspect of the concealed Torah, to which life-force is drawn from all things in the world, and there no blemish reaches, and there it is entirely good. And even the impurity and the Sitra Achara [the Other Side] receive their life-force from this concealment. And when one attaches oneself to this hidden light, then the impurity and the Sitra Achara are nullified — for their entire life-force is only from the concealment and hiddenness, as this matter is explained elsewhere (in Likutay Moharan II, Torah 12). And the principle is that there, in the aspect of this hidden light, it is entirely good, and there one ascends from impurity to purity, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the mikveh, which is the aspect of the hidden light, the concealed Torah, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of a mikveh of forty se'ah, the aspect of the forty days in which the Torah was given — that is, in which the Torah was revealed from concealment to revelation. For the concealed Torah is the aspect of Binah, which is the aspect of forty, as is known. And this is the aspect of the waters of the mikveh, which are the aspect of the waters of chesed [kindness]. This is the aspect of the aforementioned supernal chesed, the aspect of chesed chinam that was sustaining the world before the giving of the Torah — which is the aspect of the concealed Torah, through which one ascends from impurity to purity, as mentioned above. For water alludes to this aspect, for the waters preceded the world, as Rashi explained. This is the aspect of the aforementioned chesed chinam that preceded the world. For the chesed chinam through which the world was sustained before the giving of the Torah — this chesed preceded the world, for through this chesed the world was created. For Hashem created the world through gratuitous kindness, since there was as yet no merit and no deed through which to create the world — rather, He created the world through chesed chinam, in the aspect of "the world is built on chesed" (Psalms 89:3). And through this chesed He was sustaining the world as long as the Torah had not been given, for also then there was no merit, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of "the waters preceded the world" — that is, the aspect of the waters of chasadim [kindnesses], the aspect of the aforementioned chesed that preceded the world — that is, the aspect of chesed chinam, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the waters of the mikveh, the aspect of the waters that preceded the world, concerning which it is said, "Let the waters be gathered from beneath the heavens" (Genesis 1:9) etc. — and this is the aspect of mikveh [literally: "gathering"]. For through these waters — the aspect of the aforementioned chesed chinam, which is the aspect of the concealed Torah, as mentioned above — through them one ascends from impurity to purity. And this is the aspect of teshuvah, the aspect of a neder, the aspect of Yom HaKipurim [the Day of Atonement] when we say Kol Nidray [All Vows]. For neder, mikveh, teshuvah, and Yom HaKipurim are all one aspect — the aspect of alma d'asay [the World to Come], when the hidden light of the seven days of creation will be revealed. And then His G-dliness that was concealed in every thing in the world will be revealed, and then they will perceive His G-dliness, blessed be He, from all things in the world: "And every creature shall know that You created it, and every being shall understand that You formed it" etc. And then the Sitra Achara will be nullified through this, since His G-dliness, blessed be He, will be revealed — for He, blessed be He, gives life to all of them. And then shall be fulfilled: "And the spirit of impurity I will remove from the earth" (Zechariah 13:2). And then everything will be rectified, as mentioned above. Blessed be Hashem forever, Amen and Amen. And this is what is brought in the Midrash — that Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, wanted to enter Eretz Yisra'ail through the aspect of hataras nedarim [annulment of vows], as our Sages of blessed memory said on the verse, "You have begun…" (Deuteronomy 3:24) [interpreting "hachiloisa" as related to "hatarah" — annulment, based on "lo yachail devaro" (Numbers 30:3)]. For the aspect of hataras nedarim is the aspect of the path to Eretz Yisra'ail, as mentioned above. As is explained in the aforementioned discourse: that all of the above is the aspect of the path to Eretz Yisra'ail — see there well. This halacha, based on Likutay Moharan II:78 ("Va'eschanan — The Conduct of Simplicity"), presents a comprehensive kabbalistic framework explaining why a person has the power to create new Torah-law through vows and oaths, how these relate to the concealed Torah, and the spiritual mechanics connecting nedarim, nidah, mikveh, teshuvah, and the path to Eretz Yisra'ail. Core Teaching: All things in the world receive life-force from the Torah. The Torah exists in two modes: (1) the concealed Torah — the divine light hidden within creation since before Matan Torah, sustained by chesed chinam (gratuitous kindness), corresponding to the aspect of Binah / the hidden world; and (2) the revealed Torah — given at Sinai, channeled through the seven midos / seven days of construction, corresponding to shevuah (oath, from sheva = seven). Neder vs. Shevuah: A neder accesses the concealed Torah (above the seven midos), which is why it takes effect on mitzvah-matters, requires no Divine Name, and the object itself is forbidden ("the object is forbidden upon him"). A shevuah accesses the revealed Torah (within the seven midos), which is why it does not take effect on mitzvah-matters, involves a Divine Name, and the person forbids himself ("he forbids himself upon the object"). Both reveal that Torah permeates all things. The Tzadik's Role: This power to make Torah from all worldly things depends on the great ones of the generation. The great tzadik, in his mode of "simplicity" (when he ceases from overt Torah study), sustains himself and the world from the concealed Torah. From him, this power cascades to all Israel — hence "Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes" specifically, and hence the chacham can uproot a neder from its root. Nidah – Mikveh – Teshuvah – Kol Nidray: The sin of Adam HaRishon introduced the Serpent's contamination (dam nidos), forcing the hidden light to be stored away so the klipos would not draw excessive sustenance. Purification requires: (1) seven clean days (corresponding to the seven midos where impurity's primary hold lies), then (2) immersion in the mikveh (= Binah = hidden light = chesed chinam = waters that preceded creation = 40 se'ah = 40 days of Torah). This same dynamic underlies teshuvah and Yom HaKipurim / Kol Nidray — all accessing the concealed Torah where no blemish reaches and from which one can return even from the lowest depths. All of this is the "path to Eretz Yisra'ail."