נדרים ושבועות ג

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Based on the discourse "He placed a tent for the sun among them" etc. in Torah 49 [of Likutay Moharan] — see there the entire discourse. And the principle, in brief: that according to the fiery light of the heart of the Jewish person, it is impossible for the midos [attributes/character traits] to be revealed — for the fiery light of his heart is without end and without limit to his longing. And one must contract the hislahavus [fervent enthusiasm] so that there should remain in the heart a chalal [hollow space], as it is written, "And my heart is hollow within me" (Psalms 109:22). And through the contraction of the hislahavus, one can come to the revelation of the midos — that is, to serve Hashem in gradual stages and in measured proportion, etc.

And through his good actions and midos, it is revealed that he accepts the complete yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, etc. And this is the aspect of the creation of the worlds. For before creation, the light of the Holy One, blessed be He, was Ain Sof [infinite]. And the Holy One, blessed be He, desired that His kingship should be revealed, etc. And He contracted the or Ain Sof [infinite light] to the sides, and there remained a chalal panui [vacant space]. And within the vacant space He created the worlds, and they are His midos, etc. And through this, His kingship was revealed — and this is the primary purpose of creation, etc.

And this is precisely the aforementioned aspect. For so it is with every person: before he merits true service of Hashem, initially his heart yearns and burns intensely for Hashem with great hislahavus. And the light of this hislahavus in the heart is the aspect of ain sof, for there is no end and no limit to his longing. And even though his heart burns greatly for Hashem in truth, nevertheless this is not the tachlis [ultimate purpose]. For from the greatness of this hislahavus he cannot serve Hashem at all, due to the intensity of the hislahavus in his heart without end — to the point that he cannot do any good midah or any avodah. Therefore, one must contract this hislahavus and make a chalal in the heart — the aspect of "and my heart is hollow within me" — that is, to make a hollow space in the fiery light in the heart, through contracting the light to the sides. That is, one is compelled to contract the great hislahavus in the heart, and then a hollow space is made in the heart. And there, in that hollow of the heart, which is the aspect of the chalal panui — there his good actions and midos are revealed. For through the aforementioned tzimtzum [contraction], through this he can serve Hashem in gradual stages and in measured proportion. And through this it is revealed that he accepts the complete yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven — which is the aspect of the revelation of His kingship, blessed be He, which is the ultimate purpose of creation, etc. See there in the aforementioned discourse and understand very, very well. For these are exceedingly deep matters — "deep, deep — who can find them?" (Ecclesiastes 7:24). And this is the aspect of teshuvah, etc.; see there.

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And this is the aspect of nedarim. For in truth, this mitzvah of nedarim is a great wonder — that an Israelite person has the power to forbid that which the Torah permitted. And since the Torah permitted the matter, from where does a person have the power to forbid the matter upon himself? Therefore, in truth, nedarim are called pelios chochmah [wonders of wisdom], in the aspect of "When a man shall express a wonder, to vow a vow" (Numbers 6:2), [where the word for "express" (yafli) is related to peleh — wonder], as is brought.

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However, the explanation is according to the above. For in every Israelite person there is "a portion of G-d from above" (Job 31:2). And the essence of the G-dliness is in the heart of the Israelite, and because of the light of G-dliness in his heart — the aspect of "Rock of my heart" (Psalms 73:26) — therefore he longs constantly for Hashem without end and without limit. And because of this, the fiery light of the Israelite person is the aspect of ain sof, for there is no end and no limit to his longing, as mentioned above.

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And behold, according to the intensity of his fiery light which is without end, the 613 mitzvos of the holy Torah are not sufficient for him. For the light of his hislahavus yearns and longs and pines to be attached and included in Hashem always, forever and ever, and that he should not turn himself to any worldly thing at all — not even to any permitted thing — but that he should always be attached to Hashem without a moment's pause whatsoever. But in truth, this is impossible in any way, for if so, he would become nullified from existence and his selfhood would not endure at all, and the world would be destroyed, G-d forbid — and Hashem desires the continued existence of the world.

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Therefore one must necessarily contract this fiery light and serve Hashem in gradual stages and in measured proportion. And this is the aspect of the general principle of the entire Torah — that we are cautioned not to deviate from the path of the holy Torah, to the right or to the left. For even to the right it is forbidden to deviate from the straight path of the holy Torah — that is, to add and increase beyond the mitzvos of the Torah. This, the aspect of veering to the right, is also forbidden to us, as it is written, "You shall not add to the matter, and you shall not subtract from it" (Deuteronomy 4:2). For according to the intense hislahavus of the Israelite person, he would yearn to add upon the mitzvos of the Torah. But the holy Torah warned about this with the prohibition of bal tosif [do not add]. For when one adds upon the Torah — even if his intention is for the sake of Heaven — nevertheless he deviates from the straight path and damages the holy tzimtzum, which is the primary sustenance of the worlds. And then it is the aspect of ain sof — the aspect of excess light (ribui or) — which causes, G-d forbid, sheviras hakailim [the shattering of the vessels], the destruction of the worlds.

And also, the primary yetzer hara [evil inclination], and all the desires, and all the sins, G-d forbid, come from this. For it is known that all the klipos — which are the desires and the sins — all come from sheviras hakailim, which occurred through excess light, as is known. And this is the aspect of "They ascend to the heavens, they descend to the depths" (Psalms 107:26) — for sometimes a person burns for Hashem beyond his level, and this is the aspect of "they ascend to the heavens." And when he does not merit contracting the light according to his level, through this "they descend to the depths," G-d forbid — for through this he falls afterwards greatly, G-d forbid, for this is the aspect of excess light, etc., as mentioned above.

And therefore, most often a person falls into sins through the excess mitzvos and stringencies of the ba'al davar [the Adversary], who increases stringencies and demands upon him excessively, and entices him with mitzvos of his own [devising], and clothes himself in mitzvos — and afterwards brings him to sins, G-d forbid. For the excess of stringencies and demands — this is the aspect of excess light that causes sheviras hakailim, G-d forbid, as mentioned above, from which all the sins are drawn, G-d forbid, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of "Do not be overly righteous, and do not be overly wicked" (Ecclesiastes 7:16) — for the one depends on the other: one must be careful not to be overly righteous, so that he does not become overly wicked, G-d forbid, through this, as mentioned above.

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And this is the aspect of the sin of Adam HaRishon. For the primary sin was through the aspect of excess light that causes sheviras hakailim, G-d forbid. And therefore the beginning of the Serpent's counsel was through this: that he came to Chavah and said to her, "Indeed, did G-d say, 'You shall not eat of any tree of the garden'?" (Genesis 3:1). He wanted to mislead her through the "mitzvos" of the yetzer hara, and he asked her whether Hashem's command was not to eat from any tree of the garden — for surely this would be fitting for you, not to eat at all, given the greatness and exaltedness of His, blessed be He — and how could you eat anything at all?!

And because he implanted in them such doubts — that it would be fitting not to eat at all — even though he did not achieve his full intent, he nevertheless achieved something partial. For through this, Chavah responded to him in error, and erred herself, and said, "Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat, but of the Tree of Knowledge… G-d said, 'You shall not eat of it and you shall not touch it'" (Genesis 3:2–3) etc. — and she added to the command. And as soon as she added even a little upon the command, immediately the deed of the Samech Mem [i.e. the Satan] succeeded. For immediately through the addition, she departed from the measured proportion and came to the aspect of excess light that causes etc. And through this he pushed her until she touched it. And through this they came to what they came to — and it was all only through the addition of the Serpent and of the woman, as mentioned above.

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And similarly, the primary sin itself was also this, as is brought — for Adam HaRishon gazed above his level, and this was the essence of his sin, and through this came all his blemishes. Therefore, immediately at the beginning of the giving of the Torah, Hashem warned Moshe several times: "Go down, warn the people, lest they break through to Hashem to ascend" (Exodus 19:21) etc. — and this is the aspect of excess light, burning for Hashem beyond measure, which is the aspect of breaking-through, as mentioned above. For Hashem knew that because of the great revelation of G-dliness that was occurring then, certainly their desire would be very intense to ascend to Hashem and to be included in Him with longing without end — to the point that they could come to the aspect of breaking-through, G-d forbid, the aspect of excess light. Therefore He warned them greatly about this. As our Rebbe of blessed memory wrote elsewhere (Torah 72): that there is a great yetzer hara when one begins to draw close to Hashem — that is, that the yetzer hara incites him to break through to ascend to Hashem, and this is the aspect of "lest they break through," etc. — see there.

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And therefore, even though they were careful with the commandment of the boundary and did not break through to ascend further — nevertheless, because the giving of the Torah was with a great revelation, with thunders and lightnings, etc. — through this they afterwards came to what they came to, and they stumbled through the Airev Rav [the mixed multitude] in the blemish of the Aigel [the golden calf]. As Rashi explained on the verse, "And no man shall ascend with you" (Exodus 34:3): the first [tablets], because they were with clamor and commotion, the evil eye held sway over them — there is nothing finer than modesty. That is, as mentioned above: the first Tablets, because they were with great noise and with an exceedingly great revelation — therefore they could not endure, for it was the aspect of excess light. And therefore they came to a great sin through this, and the Tablets were shattered. Therefore the second [Tablets] were given in silence — and this is the aspect of greater tzimtzum. For one must be very careful to contract the light in gradual stages and in measured proportion, as mentioned above.

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And this is the aspect of the construction of the Mishkan [Tabernacle], which was commanded after the incident of the Aigel. For since the primary sin was through the aspect of excess light, as mentioned above — therefore they were compelled afterwards to build the Mishkan and its vessels, which comprised many colors [gvanin sagiyin]. For all of this was the aspect of tzimtzumim — to contract the drawing-down of the revelation of His G-dliness. For every vessel and every component of the Mishkan and the priestly garments were all aspects of holy contractions to receive the light in gradual stages and in measured proportion — and this is the primary rectification, as mentioned above. And therefore, every time they were commanded regarding the work of the Mishkan, they were first commanded regarding Shabbos, as it is written, "My Sabbaths you shall keep, and My Sanctuary you shall revere" (Leviticus 19:30). For Shabbos is the aspect of the revelation of Oraysa d'Asika Sesima'ah [the Torah of the Hidden Ancient One], which is revealed through the rectification of the aforementioned tzimtzum — and this is the aspect of the construction of the Mishkan, as mentioned above.

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And in truth, one must entreat and beseech Hashem greatly that he should merit knowing how to conduct himself in this matter — in the matter of contracting this hislahavus. For certainly one must strengthen oneself greatly to yearn and long for Hashem constantly, with immense longing. And yet, one must contract the hislahavus so that it should not exceed his level.

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And therefore it is impossible for the Israelite person to truly [serve Hashem] except when he merits drawing close to true tzadikim, for they will teach him the way in which he should walk and the deeds which he should do — in a manner that the hislahavus and the longing should be as fitting, in gradual stages and in measured proportion.

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And this is the aspect of the prohibition of "You shall not deviate" [lo sasur], as it is written, "You shall not deviate from the matter that they tell you, to the right or to the left" (Deuteronomy 17:11). For only the chachamim and true tzadikim know this — how to contract the light properly, in gradual stages and in measured proportion, so as not to veer right or left. For when one veers to the right — this is the aspect of excess light that causes etc., as mentioned above. And to the left — certainly it is not good to veer, for then he will not do even what is incumbent upon him, G-d forbid. Therefore one must draw close to chachamim and true tzadikim, as they [the Sages] said (Avos 1:6): "Make for yourself a Rav and acquire for yourself a friend" — so that they should teach him the straight path: how to conduct himself in a manner that contracts the light in gradual stages and in measured proportion, as mentioned above.

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For in truth, even though Moshe received the Torah from the mouth of the Almighty [mipi haGevurah] and transmitted it to us — and the receiving of the Torah was through the aspect of contracting the light, which is the aspect of "from the mouth of Gevurah" [for gevurah is the aspect of contraction]. For the Torah is entirely the midos of the Holy One, blessed be He, and the midos, which are the generality of the entire Torah, cannot be revealed except through the contraction of the light, as mentioned above — nevertheless, in every generation we need to contract the light, as it were, each person according to his aspect.

For this is a great principle: that the upper level, even though it is the aspect of tzimtzum relative to that which is above it, nevertheless the light of the upper level is the aspect of ain sof relative to the lower level, and further contractions are required so that the lower level too can receive the light. For His great light, blessed be He, flows from the heights of all levels — but the smaller and lower the level, the more contractions are needed there. For the contraction of the upper level is still the aspect of ain sof relative to the lower level, and more contractions are needed there in the lower level.

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Therefore, in every single level one must make the aforementioned tzimtzum of the chalal panui that was at the beginning of creation, as mentioned above. And through this you will be able to understand the aforementioned discourse well, and several other matters that are difficult to understand. Therefore, the Torah that Moshe Rabbeinu received from the mouth of the Almighty and transmitted to us — we need in every generation the sages of the generation to explain it to us well, in their holy wisdom. For we cannot know anything from the Torah by ourselves, as it is in our regard the aspect of ain sof. For even though relative to Moshe it is the aspect of tzimtzum, for us it is the aspect of ain sof, as mentioned above. Therefore the chachamim in every generation must teach us and explain all the words of this Torah clearly, so that we may be able to receive the light of the Torah in gradual stages and in measured proportion, according to our level, according to the generation and the time. And this is the aspect of the fences and safeguards that the chachamim make in every generation. For His light, blessed be He, which is the aspect of ain sof, flows constantly, and one must receive it in gradual stages and in measured proportion at every time. Therefore the chachamim in every generation must make new safeguards and enact new enactments — a safeguard upon a safeguard — for they need at each time to contract the or ain sof in gradual stages and in measured proportion. And through this, new mitzvos d'Rabbanan [Rabbinic commandments] are made — for through the contraction of the light, the light of the Torah and mitzvos is received each time. For the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Torah, and Israel are all one. And this is the aspect of nedarim. For because the fiery light of the Israelite person is the aspect of ain sof — therefore his heart yearns to separate himself and to sanctify himself beyond the mitzvos of the Torah. But in truth, one must contract the light, as mentioned above, and receive the light in gradual stages and in measured proportion. And each Israelite, according to the light that he merits receiving each time, so must he contract and make midos and kailim [vessels] to receive the light in gradual stages and in measured proportion. And this is the aspect of nedarim, which are the generosity of his heart [nidvas libo], for it must be that his mouth and his heart are equal [in agreement]. And it is known that nedarim are in Binah, which is the aspect of teshuvah. And Binah is alma d'iskasya [the concealed world], the aspect of or ain sof. For the three upper [sefiiros] are above time, above the midos — and this is the aspect of ain sof. That is, when the heart of the Israelite person burns for Hashem and he wants to place a binding upon his soul beyond the mitzvos of the Torah, he cannot bind himself until he utters the vow with his mouth. And this is the aspect of contracting the light. For as long as the vow is in his heart, it is in the aspect of ain sof — the light has not yet been contracted to receive it in measured proportion. But when he utters the vow that is in his heart with his mouth — this is the aspect of contracting the light in gradual stages and in measured proportion. For the primary revelation of the midos and the kailim is through speech of the mouth, which is the aspect of kailim and midos. And then he must fulfill the vow, for it is actual Torah — for the neder is that he ascends to the place of the neder, which is the generosity of the heart, the aspect of the or ain sof in the heart of man, as mentioned above. And he contracts the light and receives it in gradual stages and in measured proportion through the speech of the mouth. And then he is obligated to fulfill it like all the mitzvos of the Torah, for all the Torah too is in the aforementioned aspect — through the contraction of the or ain sof, etc., as mentioned above. And therefore, one who says, "Let all the fruits in the world be forbidden upon me" — his vow is void. For this is the aspect of ain sof, the aspect of excess light without any contraction at all. And therefore his vow is void, for a vow is only sustained through the contraction of the light, etc., as mentioned above. And therefore one must utter the vow with his mouth, as mentioned above. And therefore, in truth, one must distance himself from nedarim, so that it should not be, G-d forbid, the aspect of excess light. For who knows how to contract the light properly, in gradual stages? Only, it is a mitzvah to vow for the sake of perishus [abstinence/separation], as our Sages of blessed memory said — that for the sake of a fence and safeguard it is a mitzvah to vow, as our Sages of blessed memory said (Avos 3): "Vows are a fence for abstinence". For this is the aspect of teshuvah, which is in the aforementioned aspect — in the aspect of contracting the or ain sof, etc., as mentioned above. For it is explained in the aforementioned discourse: that one who transgressed some transgression, G-d forbid — it turns out that he damaged some tzimtzum, and the light returned to ain sof, etc. — and this is the primary blemish of all sins. And the rectification is through teshuvah. For teshuvah is in Binah: that one is included in the ain sof, as mentioned above — for teshuvah is that one returns and ascends and longs and yearns for Hashem, and returns and is included in the ain sof. And afterwards he contracts the light in gradual stages and again draws down the light that departed upward, with even greater intensity. And therefore, the ba'al teshuvah [penitent] must make for himself more fences and safeguards, which are the rectifications of teshuvah. For since he must return and ascend to the or ain sof and again make the tzimtzum anew and draw down the light in gradual stages — therefore he must make new kailim and tzimtzumim in order to receive the light within them. Therefore he needs more rectifications and fences and safeguards, for since he damaged some vessel and channel through the transgression he committed — therefore it is impossible now to receive [the light] through the original channels alone. Therefore he must make additional kailim and channels to receive the or ain sof within them. And this is the aspect of nedarim for the sake of abstinence. When a person sees that it is difficult for him to separate himself from what he needs to separate from and sanctify himself — then he needs a neder. And through the neder he contracts the or ain sof and receives it in gradual stages, and a complete mitzvah is made from this, as mentioned above. And every mitzvah is the aspect of a vessel and a measure to receive the light within it. And through this he can separate himself — for the primary strengthening of desire comes from excess light. And according to the excess of light, so one needs more kailim — that is, more mitzvos and fences. And therefore he is compelled to vow, in order to make through this kailim and midos to receive the light in gradual stages and in measured proportion, so that it should not be in the aspect of excess light. And through this he can separate from what he needs to separate from, as mentioned above. And therefore the chacham uproots the neder from its root through a pesach charatah [an opening of regret]. For the primary creation was through Chochmah [Wisdom], as we say, "You made them all with wisdom" (Psalms 104:24) — as is explained in the aforementioned discourse. And the true chacham is able to ascend to a higher level, and can make new tzimtzumim — through which the neder is uprooted entirely, according to the tzimtzum that the chacham now makes. And all this is through a pesach charatah, which is the aspect of teshuvah. Through this, one returns and goes back from this tzimtzum of the neder to the or ain sof. And the chacham ascends there, to the higher level, and nullifies this tzimtzum of the speech of the neder in its root in the or ain sof — where all the tzimtzumim return and ascend and are nullified in their root. And afterwards he again draws down from there new tzimtzumim through the speech of his mouth — that is, tzimtzumim to annul the neder — that is, what he says to him: "It is permitted to you" (mutar lach). And through this the neder is uprooted from its root and is annulled for him — for the chacham has the power to draw the tzimtzum to annul, through the speech of his mouth. For everything depends on how one contracts the or ain sof through the speech of his mouth, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the power the husband and the father have to annul the vow of his wife and his daughter — for they are under their authority. For the father and husband are on a higher level than them, and their light relative to his wife and daughter is in the aspect of ain sof. And therefore he has the power to nullify the tzimtzum of their neder in its root, and to annul the vow — since they are able to ascend to the or ain sof on a higher level, as mentioned above. And also because his daughter and wife are under his authority, and all their light and tzimtzum are under their [i.e. the father's/husband's] authority — for their light is included within his light. And therefore in his regard, all their light and tzimtzum is nullified. And therefore he can annul nedarim, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the three laymen who can also annul a neder. For the aforementioned aspect of contracting the light, from which the entire Torah emerges, is comprised of three aspects: Kohain, Levi, Yisra'ail — the aspect of the three Avos: Avraham, Yitzchak, Ya'akov. For the or ain sof — this is the aspect of chesed, the aspect of Kohain, for the light of chesed spreads without end. But one must contract the light, for it is impossible to receive an abundance of goodness [without contraction]. And the contraction — this is the aspect of Gevurah, the aspect of Levi. And through the contraction, the chalal panui is made. And afterwards one must draw down and receive the light within this chalal and tzimtzum in gradual stages and in measured proportion (text missing here). It turns out that the primary completeness is through three aspects. And this is [the meaning of what the Sages said (Shabbos 88a)]: "Blessed is the Merciful One who gave a threefold Torah, on the third day, through a third [i.e. Moshe, third child], in the third month." For the entire Torah is threefold, for it emerges from the three aforementioned aspects, from which the entire Torah emerges, as mentioned above. And therefore, wherever there are three of Israel, they constitute a bais din [court] and can adjudicate Torah law. For three of Israel are comprised of the three aforementioned aspects, which are the aspect of the three Avos, as mentioned above. And therefore they can ascend to the or ain sof and contract the light and afterwards receive the light in gradual stages and in measured proportion as fitting — and this is the primary aspect of drawing down the Torah. And this is the primary completeness of holiness. And therefore they adjudicate Torah law, for through this is the primary receiving of the Torah, as mentioned above. And therefore three can annul the neder — for the primary annulment of nedarim depends on this: that one must return and ascend to the or ain sof and again contract the light and draw down the light in gradual stages to annul and reverse the first tzimtzum from prohibition to permission, etc., as mentioned above — and this is accomplished through three, as mentioned above. And therefore nedarim are annulled on Yom HaKipurim [the Day of Atonement], which is the aspect of teshuvah. For the aforementioned aspect of tzimtzum is the aspect of teshuvah, as is explained in the aforementioned discourse; see there. And this is the aspect of what the Congregation of Israel requests of Hashem: "Set me as a seal upon Your heart, as a seal upon Your arm — for love is as strong as death… its flames are flames of fire, a blaze of G-d" (Song of Songs 8:6) That is, as explained in the aforementioned discourse: the fiery light of the hislahavus of the Israelite person is without end, as mentioned above, and one must necessarily contract it, etc. And this is "Set me as a seal…" — a chosam [seal] is the aspect of the contraction of the light, that seals and contracts the light so that it should not go beyond the measure. And this is what the Congregation of Israel requests: "Set me as a seal upon Your heart" — that is, that Hashem should help contract and seal the light of hislahavus in the heart. "For love is as strong as death… its flames are flames" etc. — that is, the light of hislahavus is fierce and powerful and burns exceedingly, with sparks and flames of G-d, to the point that it is impossible because of this to serve Hashem at all, as mentioned above. And also, through this one could come, G-d forbid, to desires and sins, G-d forbid, which are the side of death — when one does not merit contracting properly. For this is the aspect of excess light that causes sheviras hakailim, which is the aspect of death, as is known. And this is "for love is as strong as death" — that is, as mentioned above: the excess of love and hislahavus for Hashem is so great that one could come through it, G-d forbid, to excess light, which is the aspect of death, as mentioned above. And from the intensity of the flaming sparks of hislahavus, we do not know at all how to contract it — for we desire so greatly to be always attached to You. Therefore we request of You that You have mercy on us and contract the light for Yourself, and we will be attached to You "as a seal upon Your heart, as a seal upon Your arm" — that is, that the attachment should be in the aspect of a chosam and tzimtzum, in order to receive the light in gradual stages and in measured proportion. And this is "as a seal upon Your heart, as a seal upon Your arm" — this is the aspect of tefillin of the head and tefillin of the hand, as is known, the aspect of baisa ila'ah [the upper house] and baisa tata'ah [the lower house]. For the heart is the aspect of the upper house, the aspect of "Binah — the heart", which is the upper house. The arm is the aspect of tefillin of the hand, which is the weaker hand, the aspect of Malchus [Kingship], the lower house. That is, as mentioned above, as explained in the aforementioned discourse: that both houses ascend through the aspect of the aforementioned tzimtzum, etc. And this is the aspect of the knots of the tefillin. For the light of the tefillin at their root is exceedingly great, without end. Therefore it is impossible to receive them except through kesharim [knots], which are the aspect of a chosam, the aspect of contracting the light — through which one can receive the light of the holy tefillin in gradual stages and in measured proportion. And this is the aspect of the batim [housings] of the tefillin. For the bayis of the head-tefillin is the aspect of the upper house, and the bayis of the hand-tefillin is the aspect of the lower house — and they contract and seal the great light of the parshiyos [parchment passages], which are the mochin [mentalities/intellectual lights] that illuminate without end. And therefore they must be sewn with sinews and wrapped with hair — all for the sake of contracting the great light. For sinews and hair are the aspect of tzimtzumim, as is known. And this is the aspect of "Set me as a seal upon Your heart, as a seal upon Your arm… for fierce…" etc. — which are the aspect of tefillin of the head and of the hand, which are the aforementioned tzimtzumim, the aspect of the aforementioned chosamos [seals], the aspect of the two aforementioned houses — in order to contract the great light so as to merit serving Hashem in gradual stages and in measured proportion, as mentioned above. (And see in the holy Zohar and in Pri Aitz Chaim, where it is explained that this verse speaks of tefillin.) And this is what is brought in the stories of our Rebbe of blessed memory, in the story of the king who decreed an expulsion with a decree of forced conversion: that through tzitzis and tefillin one can pass through the great fire. For the great fire is drawn down and cascades from the supernal fire, from the aspect of "for Hashem your G-d is a consuming fire" (Deuteronomy 4:24) — from the aspect of the fiery light of hislahavus, which is the aspect of ain sof. And this fire is the aspect of techailes d'achla kola v'shaitzay kula [the blue/consuming-fire that devours all and destroys all]. But Israel, who are attached to Hashem, receive their life-force from Him, etc. — as is explained there in the aforementioned discourse. For Israel, through the mitzvah of tzitzis and tefillin, contract the light, as mentioned above. For tzitzis is explained in the aforementioned discourse as the aspect of the aforementioned holy tzimtzum. And tefillin are the aspect of the aforementioned chosam. Therefore tzitzis and tefillin contract the light, as mentioned above. And therefore one can pass through the fire through tzitzis and tefillin — for on the contrary, they receive life-force from there, in the aspect of "And you who are attached to Hashem your G-d are all alive today" (Deuteronomy 4:4). Amen and Amen. [The following belongs to section 11 above:] And this is the meaning of the concluding verse: "If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love — they would utterly scorn him" (Song of Songs 8:7). For when one merits the aforementioned chosamos [seals] — that is, to contract the or ain sof in gradual stages and in measured proportion, as mentioned above — through this one merits Oraysa d'Asika Sesima'ah [the Torah of the Hidden Ancient One], which is entirely right [chesed], and there is no left there and no wealth there, etc., as all this is explained well in the aforementioned discourse. And this is "Set me as a seal…" etc. — that is, the contraction of the light in gradual stages and in measured proportion, in the aspect of a chosam, as mentioned above. "For love is as strong as death… its flames are flames of fire, a blaze of G-d" — that is, the heart burns without end, and therefore one needs the holy tzimtzum, the aspect of the aforementioned chosamos. And then, "If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love — they would utterly scorn him" — for then, through the aspect of the aforementioned chosam, one merits the Torah of the Hidden Ancient One. And then they scorn all the wealth of the world, for there is no left there and no wealth there. And this is the aspect of "and the virtuous woman of the house divides the spoil" [unvas bayis techalek shalal] — that they scorn the money, the aspect of "they would utterly scorn him" — see there in the aforementioned discourse at its conclusion. This halacha, based on Likutay Moharan Torah 49 ("He placed a tent for the sun"), develops a comprehensive kabbalistic psychology of spiritual desire and restraint. The central metaphor is the tzimtzum: just as Hashem contracted His infinite light to create a vacant space (chalal panui) in which the worlds could exist, so must the Israelite contract the infinite fire of his longing for G-d in order to create vessels (kailim) capable of receiving that light in measured proportion. Core Paradox: The heart of the Jew burns with infinite longing for Hashem (or hislahavus = ain sof). This is genuine and holy — yet if uncontracted, it becomes "excess light" (ribui or) that shatters vessels, the same dynamic that produced the primordial sheviras hakailim and underlies all sin. Even the sin of Adam HaRishon was rooted in addition — Chavah adding "you shall not touch it" — and the Serpent's strategy was to incite excess piety. The first Tablets, given with thunderous revelation, shattered; the second, given in silence (tzimtzum), endured. Nedarim as Holy Tzimtzum: The neder is the mechanism by which the infinite desire of the heart (Binah / ain sof) is contracted into the finite speech of the mouth (kailim / midos). Uttering the vow transforms boundless longing into a specific, fulfillable commandment — actual Torah. A vow on "all fruits in the world" is void because it is ain sof without tzimtzum. Vows are especially a mitzvah for teshuvah (penitence), creating new vessels to replace damaged channels. Annulment: The chacham uproots the vow by ascending to the ain sof (where all contractions are nullified in their root) and drawing new contractions through his mouth ("mutar lach"). Three laymen can annul because the Torah's tzimtzum is threefold: Chesed/Kohain/Avraham (infinite light), Gevurah/Levi/Yitzchak (contraction), and the measured drawing-in (Yisra'ail/Ya'akov). Father and husband annul because their higher level makes the vower's tzimtzum as ain sof relative to them. Song of Songs and Tefillin: "Set me as a seal (chosam) upon Your heart" — the chosam is the tzimtzum itself: tefillin of the head (baisa ila'ah / Binah) and of the hand (baisa tata'ah / Malchus). Knots, housings, sinews, and hair are all tzimtzumim to contain the infinite mochin. Through tzitzis and tefillin one can pass through fire — for they contract the consuming blaze into life-giving attachment.