צדקה ב

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And this is the aspect of the mitzvah of milas avadim [circumcision of slaves] — for the slave is his [master's] monetary acquisition [kinyan kaspo], and therefore [the master] is obligated to circumcise him, to remove the orlah from his monetary acquisition. For the essential purpose of the mitzvah of milah — to remove the orlah from the holy flesh — is in order to remove and nullify the grip of the zuhamas ha-nachash [the venom of the serpent] from the body, so that the body should be rectified and become a prepared and ready vessel to receive the light of the radiance [or ha-zrichu] of the reshimu [imprint/trace] from the bitul [self-nullification] mentioned above. For the entire creation of the human being was b'gin d'yishtamod'in lay — [in Aramaic:] in order that they should know and recognize Him, blessed-be-He. And the primary knowledge of Him, blessed-be-He, is drawn through the bitul mentioned above in the aspect of ratzo va-shov [running and returning], through which, by means of the reshimu mentioned above, light shines into one's da'as [knowledge/mind] to know that Hashem is G-d and all is entirely good etc., as above; and as is explained at the conclusion of the Torah-teaching mentioned above regarding the saying of our Sages of blessed memory: that in the future the Holy Blessed One will make a circular dance [machol] for the righteous in the Time to Come, and each one will point with his finger and declare, “This is Hashem for Whom we have hoped” etc. — and from there all the Torah flows, as above.

And the essential sum of all the Torah and mitzvos is to sanctify the body so that it will be a prepared vessel to receive the light of the reshimu mentioned above. For when the body is blemished through any transgression, G-d protect us, it then cannot nullify itself properly; and even if at times it prevails more and does nullify itself, it is only for a very brief instant; and moreover, after returning from the bitul, the body is unable to receive the light of the reshimu on account of its blemish — and then the reshimu passes and departs from him immediately, and he forgets Him, blessed-be-He, G-d protect us. Therefore Hashem blessed-be-He commanded us all the mitzvos of the Torah, in order to sanctify our bodies through them, so that we can receive the reshimu mentioned above and bind it within our bodies well and always remember Him, blessed-be-He.

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And therefore, in truth, the complete perfection of attaining knowledge of His blessed Divinity is merited precisely [dayka] by the great tzadikim who have sanctified themselves properly, and have sealed and closed their eyes completely from the cheyzu d'hai alma [the illusory sight of this world], and who are pure and holy and separated and removed from all the desires of this world — even those that are permitted — to the ultimate extreme; and only they merit attainments of Divinity through the reshimu of the bitul mentioned above, because their bodies are exceedingly, exceedingly pure, enabling them to receive the light of the reshimu in fullness and perfection, as above. But the Blessed Name, blessed-be-He, had compassion upon us and gave us the Torah through Moses — through which every single person can remember Him, blessed-be-He, by fulfilling the mitzvos of the Torah at the very least, through which his body is sanctified and he can receive some sparkling [hitnoztzus] from the radiance of the reshimu mentioned above. ((And see regarding this elsewhere.)) [The sparkling received is] according to his [spiritual] level, according to his fulfillment of the Torah.

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And this is the aspect of the mitzvah of milah, which is the foremost mitzvah [mitzvah rishonah], which is to remove the orlah, which is the zuhamas ha-nachash, so that one can bind within one's body the light of the reshimu mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the mitzvah of milas avadim — those who are his monetary acquisition [kinyan kaspo] — in order to remove the orlah of the zuhamas ha-nachash that grips in the cheyzu d'hai alma, from his monetary acquisition. For the primary grip of the zuhamas ha-nachash, which is the cheyzu d'hai alma, takes hold most intensely in mammon [money/wealth] — for “silver answers everything” [Ecclesiastes 10:19] — and within it are encompassed all the vanities and desires of the follies of this world. For within mammon, all thirty-nine melachos [creative labors] have their grip — those which were drawn forth from the sin of Adam the first man through the counsel of the serpent. And therefore there is where the primary asiyah [doing/making] and avdus [servitude/labor] reside, being the sum of all thirty-nine melachos — which are the precise opposite of the bitul mentioned above. For the bitul means to nullify the body completely so that it has no sensation whatsoever — even of the most necessary [bodily functions] — to the point where one would not move one's eyelids, would not move one's lips, would not stir any limb at all, as cited [in the traditions of the tzadikim]. Whereas the asiyah and avdus of all the thirty-nine melachos — all of which are [driven by] the desire for mammon — are the precise opposite of bitul in every respect.

And therefore one must sanctify all the more the thirty-nine melachos, so that they should be in the aspect of meleches ha-mishkan [the sacred labor of the Sanctuary] ((as explained elsewhere)) — in order to remove from them the zuhamas ha-nachash that has gripped them most intensely, so that it should not prevent him from binding the reshimu mentioned above within his heart when he returns from the bitul; for then, upon returning from the bitul, the aspect of cheyzu d'hai alma overpowers anew with even greater force, in the manner of two people battling one another etc. And as is explained there regarding the intensification of yisoorim [sufferings], G-d protect us — see it there. For it is all one: for the cheyzu d'hai alma — which are the vanities and desires of this world — are themselves the primary source of suffering [yisoorim] of the soul, and from them come all the bodily yisoorim as well, G-d protect us.

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Therefore, one must circumcise the slave who is his monetary acquisition [kinyan kaspo], in order to remove the orlah of the zuhamas ha-nachash from the slave who is his monetary acquisition, wherein is the primary grip [of the zuhamas ha-nachash], as above — so that [the slave] can receive the light of the reshimu and bind it within his heart when he returns from the bitul, so that the orlah and the zuhama [filth] of his slave — his monetary acquisition — should not impede him. For the primary grip of the cheyzu d'hai alma — the zuhamas ha-nachash — is in mammon, wherein is the primary avdus, as above. And therefore the slave is obligated in numerous mitzvos, and every mitzvah that a woman is obligated in, a slave is also obligated in — for one must sanctify the slave who is his monetary acquisition through the mitzvos of the Torah — and [this is] for [the slave's] own benefit — and to circumcise him specifically for the purpose of [his] enslavement [l'shem avdus], in order to nullify the zuhamas ha-nachash from his monetary acquisition, wherein is the primary grip, as above.

355 COMPLETE_Birchas_HaRaiach_4_Part6 (1) - 48 end.html And therefore, when the slave of a Kohen [priest] is circumcised, he is permitted to eat of the terumah [priestly tithe-portion] and of the chazeh va-shok [chest and thigh portions of offerings] — something that a [non-priestly] Israelite himself is forbidden [to eat]. For Hashem blessed-be-He sanctified us through His mitzvos so that we could recognize Him through the radiance of the reshimu mentioned above — and for this reason we must sanctify our eating, not eating forbidden things: nevailos [improperly slaughtered animals] and treifos [forbidden foods] and impure species, in which the zuhamas ha-nachash has its greatest grip; for through consuming them the body is blemished and cannot receive the light of the radiance mentioned above. And just as impure things are forbidden for this reason, so conversely He also forbade for us numerous holy things that are forbidden to eat on account of the excess of their holiness — such as terumah and sacrificial kodashim to a zar [non-priest] — the reason for their prohibition being that [the zar] should not receive the vitality drawn through eating in a manner of excess light that would cause the sh'viras kelim [shattering of the vessels], G-d protect us. For the primary drawing of the light mentioned above is through the rectification of the vessels, as above. Therefore the zar is forbidden to eat terumah and kodashim on account of excess light, for one who is not a Kohen lacks the capacity to draw and bind the light that flows through eating terumah and kodashim, for it constitutes excess light as far as he is concerned. But the slave — who is the monetary acquisition [kinyan kaspo] of the Kohen — can eat terumah and kodashim like his master the Kohen, for he is included within him [the Kohen], since he is the Kohen's monetary acquisition [kaspo] — where is the primary completion of the rectification of the vessels. For the primary rectification of the vessels is accomplished by sanctifying mammon from the grip of the zuhamas ha-nachash that has gripped [it] through the thirty-nine melachos. For the Kohanim's service is in the Temple [Beis ha-Mikdash] and in the Sanctuary [Mishkan] — where is the primary rectification of all thirty-nine melachos, as is explained elsewhere. And therefore they [the Kohanim] atone for all the transgressions that arise from the zuhamas ha-nachash; and the primary [vehicle of] atonement [kaparah] is through mammon — for one who has sinned must bring from his mammon and his money a korban [offering] commensurate with the sin. And through this the Kohen atones for him, because in the Temple [Beis ha-Mikdash] there is the primary bitul, and there the light of the reshimu mentioned above illuminates well — for the reception of the radiance of the light of the reshimu mentioned above is according to the holiness of the person, the place, and the time. Therefore the slave who is the monetary acquisition [kinyan kaspo] of a Kohen can eat of terumah and kodashim, for the primary perfection of the Kohen is that he rectifies mammon from the zuhamas ha-nachash, until all the objects of the world — which are all encompassed within mammon — can receive the light of the reshimu mentioned above. And this is the primary rectification, as above. And this is [the meaning of]: “And you shall love Hashem your G-d with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your me'odecha” [Deuteronomy 6:5] — which is placed immediately following the verse: “Shema Yisrael — Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One” — which is the primary aspect of bitul: to nullify oneself and become included in His Oneness with mesiras nefesh [total self-devotion] for the sanctification of the [Divine] Name, as our Sages of blessed memory stated. And afterwards one says: “And you shall love Hashem your G-d with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your me'odecha” — which refers to mammon, as is known — meaning to bind the light of the reshimu within one's heart, one's soul, and one's me'odecha, which is one's mammon, wherein is encompassed all the desire of this world — [meaning] to nullify everything for the love of Hashem, blessed-be-He. For the primary binding of the light of the reshimu is when one also purifies and sanctifies one's mammon from the cheyzu d'hai alma, wherein is the primary grip of the zuhamas ha-nachash, as above. And there [in mammon] is the primary rectification of the vessels — for the primary formation of the aspect of the vessels comes through the aspect of smol, gevuros, tzimtzumim [left side, severities, contractions] as is known — and this is the aspect of mammon, the aspect of “and in her left hand, wealth” etc. [Proverbs 3:16, regarding the Torah]. And this is the aspect of the sanctity of Shabbos, which is the tachlis [ultimate purpose], the aspect of the World to Come — for then all the thirty-nine melachos are nullified. And then is the primary perfection of da'as [knowledge/mind] to know Him, blessed-be-He, through the light of the reshimu mentioned above — because then all thirty-nine melachos that are [rooted] in mammon are nullified, as above. And therefore milah [performed at its proper time] overrides Shabbos — for it is impossible to receive the sanctity of Shabbos, which is the tachlis, except by first removing the orlah etc., as above. And this is [the meaning of]: “And it shall come to pass, because [ekev] you hearken to these statutes [ha-mishpatim]” etc. [Deuteronomy 7:12]. For the entire book of Mishneh Torah [Deuteronomy] is [a record of how] Moses admonishes Israel to fulfill the Torah and bind it well within their hearts so that it should not be forgotten and not pass from them — that is, the aspect mentioned above: that they should bind the light of the radiance of the reshimu mentioned above, from which all the Torah [flows], and bind it well within their hearts through engaging in Torah and mitzvos. And therefore he repeats and reviews all the Divine sparklings of Divinity that they had witnessed at the time of the Giving of the Torah and at the time of the Splitting of the Sea etc., as is explained in the preceding books [of the Torah] — as it is written in [the portion of] Va'eschanan: “You have been shown to know that Hashem is the G-d” etc. [Deuteronomy 4:35]. And similarly, he there repeats and reviews all the great and awesome deeds of Hashem that He performed at the Giving of the Torah, when He spoke with them face to face etc. And afterwards [Moses] declared: “Shema Yisrael — Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One” — which is the mitzvah of Kriyas Shema every day, that every single member of Israel is obligated to recite Kriyas Shema every day with mesiras nefesh [total self-devotion] in order to be included in the One. And therefore, during Kriyas Shema, one closes one's eyes — in order to be included in the tachlis, which is entirely One; and it is impossible to become included there except through shutting one's eyes well, as above. And afterwards [Moses] declared: “And you shall love” etc., as above — “and you shall bind them as a sign upon your arm” etc. — and all the subsequent portions, in all of which he admonishes them to fulfill the Torah, in order to bind the sparkling of His blessed Divinity within their hearts, as above. And connected to all of this is: “And it shall come to pass, because [ekev] you hearken” etc. — the word ekev [literally: heel] refers to the aspect of ragley [feet/heels], meaning: when you shall have bound the Torah within your hearts to such a degree that you hear it [reverberating] within the heels and feet — which is the aspect of mammon, which is called regel [foot], as it is written: “and all the substance that was at their feet [b'ragleyhem]” [Genesis 7:3; and cf. Rashi on Numbers 22:22]; and our Sages of blessed memory expounded: this refers to a person's mammon that keeps him standing on his feet — then [will follow]: “and Hashem your G-d will guard for you the covenant and the kindness” etc. For then you will have vessels to receive the chessed [lovingkindness], as above. For the primary rectification of the vessels is accomplished when one rectifies the mammon, wherein is the totality of all the desires of the cheyzu d'hai alma, as above. And therefore [Moses] called the Torah here mishpatim [literally: judgments / laws], as it is written: “And it shall come to pass, because you hearken to these ha-mishpatim” etc. For mishpat is a term also connoting yisoorim [sufferings/afflictions], as Rashi explained in Isaiah, that mishpat serves in three different usages etc. For the primary reception of the Torah comes through yisoorim, through which one closes one's eyes from the cheyzu d'hai alma and becomes included in the One — and through which one receives from there the mishpatim of the Torah; and therefore the Torah is called mishpat. And this is what our Sages of blessed memory stated: that three things come through yisoorim [sufferings], and they are: Torah, the Land of Israel [Eretz Yisrael], and the World to Come [Olam ha-Ba]. [Berachos 5a] For all is one: for the World to Come is the tachlis — when there will be fulfilled: “On that day Hashem will be One and His Name will be One” [Zechariah 14:9] — that all will be entirely good, entirely One, as above; and it is impossible to merit this except through yisoorim, through which one closes one's eyes from the cheyzu d'hai alma, as above. And this is also the aspect of Torah — for from there comes the entire reception of the Torah: from the reshimu of the bitul mentioned above, which comes through the yisoorim, as above. And this is also the aspect of Eretz Yisrael [the Land of Israel] — for in the Land of Israel is the primary sanctified place wherein one merits to properly nullify oneself and draw from there the light of the reshimu mentioned above and bind it within one's heart properly. For in order to receive the Torah from the radiance of the reshimu mentioned above and bind it within one's heart properly — for this, one needs to sanctify the body through Torah and mitzvos; and according to the holiness of the body, so does one merit to bind [the reshimu] within one's heart, as above. And similarly, one needs the holiness of place, which is Eretz Yisrael — and therefore one who dwells in the Land of Israel is likened to one who has a G-d [Kesuvos 110b], for the primary sparkling of His blessed Divinity that is drawn from the radiance of the reshimu mentioned above is [found] in the Land of Israel. And therefore, the entire book of Devarim [Deuteronomy] speaks extensively in praise of the Land of Israel — for the primary fulfillment of the Torah that is drawn from the radiance mentioned above is in the Land of Israel — and therefore one must endure yisoorim before arriving in the Land of Israel, for the bitul mentioned above, from which the reshimu mentioned above shines, comes through yisoorim, as above. And this is [the meaning of]: “And Hashem shall guard for you the covenant and the kindness [chessed] that He swore to your forefathers” — “shall guard” precisely [dayka] — meaning that Hashem blessed-be-He will guard the chessed so that it flows upon us in a manner in which we can receive it, so that the excess of chessed should not harm us, G-d protect us, as above. And therefore, even though He has already sworn to our forefathers to do chessed with us, nonetheless it is impossible to receive it except by fulfilling: “And it shall come to pass, because [ekev] you hearken” etc., as above — that we hear all the mishpatim of the Torah within the ragley [feet] — in the aspect of “my foot stands on level ground” [Psalms 26:12] — meaning within the mammon that is called ragley — meaning that we should be firm in fulfilling the Torah and mitzvos to such a degree that mammon will not cause us to transgress the Torah, G-d protect us. For in the desire for mammon lies the primary danger lest one forget Hashem blessed-be-He through an abundance of money, as it is written: “and silver and gold will multiply for you and your heart will become haughty and you will forget Hashem” etc. [Deuteronomy 8:13–14]; and as it is written [in the beginning of Devarim]: “v'di zahav” [and abundant gold] — as our Sages of blessed memory expounded there [Deuteronomy 1:1, Berachos 32a]. But if you merit to hear the mishpatim of the Torah even in the aspect of the akavim [heels] and ragley [feet] — meaning within the mammon, as above — then: “And Hashem shall guard for you the chessed” — that no foreign [force] shall rule over it — so that the abundance of chessed should not harm you at all, G-d protect us. For “one who comes to purify himself is aided” [Shabbos 104a]. And since you strengthen yourself to remember Hashem blessed-be-He even within [the domain of] mammon, Hashem blessed-be-He will also guard the chessed for you — meaning He will pour upon you the flow of chessed with great watchfulness, in a manner that will not harm you at all — in the aspect of: “May Hashem bless you” — with mammon; “and guard you” — from the destructive forces [mazeekay alma], so that the destructive forces of the world should not gain hold of you through an abundance of mammon, G-d protect us [Numbers 6:24 — the Priestly Blessing, as expounded by our Sages] — and then precisely: “and He will love you and bless you and multiply you, and bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land” etc. [Deuteronomy 7:13] — for He will pour upon you all goodness, since you will be capable of receiving the abundant flow of chessed through the rectification of the vessels, as above. Picking up immediately after section 8 (§ ח) of Milah 5, the author bridges to the Shulchan Aruch's laws of circumcision of slaves (SA YD Hilchos Milah 5:9). This is a characteristic move in Likutay Halachos: the same kabbalistic framework that illuminated one halacha is now extended to shed light on an adjacent one, revealing the inner unity of the entire Shulchan Aruch. The slave as monetary extension: The master is obligated to circumcise his slave because the slave is his kinyan kaspo (monetary acquisition). This halacha becomes a gateway to the deepest teaching of the section: the zuhamas ha-nachash (spiritual filth of the serpent) grips most intensely not in the body generally, but specifically in the domain of mammon (money/wealth). Within mammon reside all thirty-nine melachos (creative labors) that flowed from Adam's sin — and these thirty-nine melachos, driven by financial desire, are the precise opposite of bitul. Therefore, no rectification of vessels is complete without purifying this monetary dimension — represented by the slave. The Kohen's slave and terumah: The rule that a Kohen's slave may eat terumah and kodashim (which even ordinary Israelites may not) is decoded: the Kohen's entire Temple service is the rectification of the thirty-nine melachos — i.e., the domain of mammon. Since the slave is the Kohen's monetary extension (kaspo), and the Kohen has achieved vessel-rectification at this level, the slave shares in the capacity to receive holy food without harm. Shema and me'odecha: The word me'odecha ("with all your very much / all your resources") is understood as mammon. The sequence Shema → bitul → V'ahavta / me'odecha maps the process: first nullify into the One, then bind the reshimu into one's heart and soul — and finally into one's financial domain. This is the last and most difficult frontier of rectification. Torah, Eretz Yisrael, and Olam ha-Ba through suffering: These three (Berachos 5a) all come through yisoorim because suffering forces the closing of eyes from cheyzu d'hai alma — producing the bitul from which the reshimu shines. All three are in truth one single process of inclusion in the tachlis. "And Hashem will guard for you the chessed" — the word "guard" (v'shamar) is read dayka (precisely/specifically): He will guard the chessed so it does not overwhelm unready vessels. When a person succeeds in remembering Hashem even within mammon (the ekev/heels), Hashem reciprocates by pouring chessed in a guarded manner that will not harm — culminating in the Priestly Blessing: "May Hashem bless you [with mammon] and guard you [from the destructive forces that cling to mammon]."