מילה ה

The general principle, in brief, as it pertains to our matter: through the eating of Israel, a yichud [unification] of the Kudsha Brich Hu [the Holy One, Blessed be He] and His Shechintay [Divine Presence], apin b'apin [face to face], is effected — and so on. However, the eating must be from food that has been clarified [nitbarar], for from food that contains admixture, it is possible to sin through such eating. And the clarification of foods comes about through faith [emunah]. For there are difficulties [kushyos] that can be resolved, and so on; and there are difficulties that cannot be resolved or answered until the Future [the Messianic era], and so on — regarding those, one must simply stand firm in faith. And even the difficulties that do have answers, sometimes the pathways of intellect become blocked and one does not know how to answer them, and so on. The remedy for this is the study of the Poskim [halachic decisors], and so on. But the difficulties for which there is no resolution, it is forbidden for a person to dwell on them — he must only strengthen himself in faith. And when one has faith in completeness, he can attain through his eating a yichud of the Kudsha Brich Hu and His Shechinta, and so on; and to complete the faith, and so on. One must first elevate the sparks [nitzotzos] of the letters of speech. And when the letters of speech are clarified, the speech itself turns and gathers the holy sparks from among the klippos [husks of impurity], and so on. And in order to elevate the sparks of the letters of speech, fasting is required, and so on, for through fasting one cleaves to the back of holiness, and so on, for fasting is of the aspect of returning backward — to the beginning of the fast, and so on. Moreover, the essence of all things is the beginning, for all beginnings are difficult, since one is going from one extreme to its opposite, and so on. It follows that the essence of the power of all the days of one's service [of G-d] is nothing other than the beginning — to which we must return, back to day one, when one began to understand, to fast, which was the start of teshuvah [repentance], which was difficult for him, that beginning, going as it did from one extreme to its opposite. And each day one returns backward to receive strength from that beginning, as above. The general principle is that through fasting one cleaves to the back of holiness, and then the Mayim d'Chasadim [Waters of Lovingkindness] are drawn forth to moisten the constriction of the throat, from the aspect of "my throat is parched" , and so on, for then the three ministers of Pharaoh are subdued: the chief cupbearer, the chief baker, and the chief butcher — who correspond to the trachea [kaneh], the esophagus [veshet], and the veins/arteries [veridin] — which are of the aspect of the lust for eating and drinking, and so on; their sustenance comes from Pharaoh, who [in his Hebrew letters] spells הָעֹרֶף [ha-oref — the back of the neck], that is to say: from behind. And his primary nourishment comes from [corrupt] speech, and so on. And when the letters of speech are clarified through fasting, then the face of holiness is revealed, and so on, so as to extract the swallowed from their mouth — of the aspect of "[there is] a time when one man dominates another man to his own harm" , and so on. Then those distant from Hashem draw near to Him, and faith is completed in perfection, and is adorned with adornments that were never before, and so on. And then his eating is exceedingly precious, for through his eating the Kudsha Brich Hu and His Shechinta are unified, as above. (See there all this very carefully.)

All of this is of the aspect of Pesach and the Exodus from Egypt, for Mitzrayim [Egypt] is of the aspect of meitzar ha-garon [the constriction of the throat] — of the aspect of "my throat is parched", as above. For this was the essence of the Egyptian exile: that speech was in exile, as is well known. And because of this the [festival] is called Pesach — for it was then that the Exodus from Egypt occurred, when speech went forth from the exile; and this is the aspect of Pesach — peh sach [a mouth that speaks], as is brought [in the holy writings]. For Pharaoh is the king of Egypt, whose name [in its Hebrew letters] spells הָעֹרֶף [ha-oref — the nape of the neck]; and he had three ministers, as mentioned above — the chief cupbearer, and so on — who correspond to the trachea, the esophagus, and the veins, which are of the aspect of the lust for eating and drinking. For these three — trachea, esophagus, and so on — are adjacent to the organs of speech, namely to the five articulatory places of the mouth [chameshes motzo'os ha-peh]. Therefore when they overpower, they draw speech toward the nape of the neck, which is the aspect of Pharaoh; and then it is the aspect of the exile of Egypt: that speech is in exile in Egypt in the aspect of the constriction of the throat — of the aspect of "my throat is parched" — and one cannot utter any word before Hashem, as above. And this is the aspect of the exile of Egypt that [recurs] in every generation. And for this, fasting is needed, through which one cleaves to the back of holiness, and so on, as above. And this is the aspect of the prohibition of chametz [leavened bread] and the mitzva of eating matzah.

For the eating of Israel must be in great holiness, such that their eating be of the aspect of food that is clarified — whereby through such eating they merit to unify the Kudsha Brich Hu and His Shechinta, apin b'apin [face to face], as above. But this is not merited except when faith is complete, as above. And in order to merit this, two rectifications are needed, as explained in the abovementioned Torah-teaching: namely, to study the Poskim, in order to open the mind [da'as] so that the pathways of intellect not be blocked, so as to merit understanding — to resolve the difficulties that can be resolved. And also one needs fasting, in order to bring forth speech from exile and elevate the holy sparks. And afterward, speech turns its face and elevates the remaining sparks of holiness, and so on. Then faith is completed in perfection and one is saved from the difficulties that cannot be resolved — for which one needs only to strengthen oneself in faith. (As explained there in the abovementioned Torah-teaching, well.) And then one merits the aforementioned eating of holiness, through which the Kudsha Brich Hu and His Shechinta are unified, in the aspect of apin b'apin as above. And these two aspects are of the aspect of the rectification of da'as [mind/knowledge] and emunah [faith]. For the rectification of the difficulties that can be resolved, through the study of the Poskim, is of the aspect of the rectification of da'as — whereby one merits complete da'as to understand what it is possible to understand, to answer the difficulties that can be resolved. And the rectification of the difficulties that cannot be resolved, through fasting, is of the aspect of the rectification of emunah, for from those difficulties one can be saved only through faith, as above. In truth, however, everything is one, and everything is included in emunah — (as explained in the aforementioned Torah-teaching) — for the essence of the rectification is emunah, as it is stated there in letter beis [the second section], which begins: "And the clarification of foods is through emunah…" For the truth is that Hashem has set a boundary for the intellect, and so on — see there. It might seem somewhat difficult, for he [Rabbainu] opened with one thing and concluded with two things: for he begins speaking only of emunah — that the clarification of foods is through emunah — and then goes on to elucidate two aspects: the rectification of da'as and emunah. For this explains that the difficulties that can be resolved, which one merits through the study of Poskim, are of the aspect of the rectification of da'as. However, in truth, everything is one — for the rectification of da'as and emunah are all one, and the two are interdependent. And the essence is emunah, which is the foundation of everything, as it is written, "All Your commandments are emunah" . Yet it is known that the vitality of emunah comes from da'as, for emunah is of the aspect of malchus [kingship/sovereignty], whose vitality comes from the ohr ha-panim [the illumination of the face], which is da'as, of the aspect of "in the light of the king's face there is life" . For in truth, even though emunah is precisely to believe with faith alone, without any intellect or reason — for that which the intellect grasps is not called emunah, as explained in the abovementioned Torah-teaching — nonetheless, the root and the vitality of emunah is da'as. For certainly we cannot say of an animal, which has no da'as at all, that it has faith; the essence of emunah exists only with the human being, who has da'as. Rather, Hashem graces us and draws upon our soul and our mind an illumination from a supernal intellect of such [elevated] degree, that through this, the power of emunah is drawn into us — for emunah flows in its root from a supernal and very, very elevated intellect, and from there the power is drawn into us to strengthen ourselves in complete faith. And even though a person can merit complete emunah even without great da'as — as we observe among common folk and women who have complete faith, and this is the essence of emunah: to believe simply, as they do — (as Rabbainu [Rebbe Nachman], of blessed memory, said elsewhere) — nonetheless, one who merits the completeness of sacred da'as, his faith is stronger and stronger. And the more a person merits to increase his da'as in holiness, in Torah and divine service, the more he merits to draw down a wondrous illumination into emunah. And through this, his faith is strengthened increasingly at every turn. For the more he knows, the more he understands that he does not yet know at all — and that he must strengthen himself only in complete faith. And also, because he now sees that many difficulties that once troubled his mind regarding Hashem and the tzadikim have now been resolved for him, through the opening of his mind — through this he learns the hidden from the explicit: that the difficulties which remain obscure to him certainly also have answers, only his mind has not yet opened sufficiently to resolve those difficulties as well, or else they are of the category of difficulties that cannot be resolved in this world in any manner whatsoever. And therefore he is strengthened through this in greater faith at every turn. It follows that through da'as, emunah is strengthened — and, all the more so, the reverse: that the more a person strengthens himself in greater faith, the more a great illumination is added to his mind. For the essence is emunah. As is explained in the Torah-teaching "And his hands were [steady as] faith until the setting of the sun" — that through emunah one merits da'as — see there. And therefore da'as and emunah are both one; they are both included under the name "emunah", for the ultimate purpose of da'as is emunah — of the aspect of "the ultimate of knowledge is that we do not know" . And since the ultimate of da'as is "that we do not know," certainly one need only stand firm in emunah. And this is the ultimate of da'as that one attains: that one does not yet know anything at all — yet through all the da'as one has attained, one understands with wondrous contemplation how much one must strengthen oneself in emunah and rely solely on faith, which is the foundation of everything. And through this the difficulty we raised above is well resolved: Rabbainu, of blessed memory, opened with one thing and concluded with two things — for everything is one, as above.

And when one merits to complete faith through the abovementioned rectifications — namely, the study of the Poskim and fasting — which are the rectification of da'as and emunah, as above, which are both included in the rectification of emunah as above — then precisely does one merit the eating of holiness, through which one merits to unify the Kudsha Brich Hu and His Shechinta, apin b'apin, as above. For the Kudsha Brich Hu and His Shechinta are the root of da'as and emunah, which are truly one, as is known. And therefore eating is called by the name of emunah, and also by the name of da'as, as it is stated: "Graze on faith [re'ay emunah]" , and it is written, "Eat, O beloved [ichlu rei'im]" [] — two beloved friends [terein re'in], and so on — who are chosam b'soch chosam [a seal within a seal], of the aspect of da'as. And as is explained elsewhere, eating is of the aspect of da'as — for sacred da'as and emunah are all one, as above.

And in the Egyptian exile, both were in exile — da'as and emunah. As is brought, in Egypt da'as was in exile. And likewise speech was in exile, of the aspect of heaviness of mouth [keved peh] — which is the aspect of the exile of emunah, for the essence of emunah is through speech. (As is explained elsewhere, and as is understood from the abovementioned Torah-teaching.) And therefore Israel could not exit the exile except through the two abovementioned rectifications — namely the study of Poskim and fasting, as above. But in Egypt it was still before the giving of the Torah, and they had not yet merited the abovementioned rectifications. And if they had waited until they repaired those rectifications, they would have remained submerged in the exile, for the klippos had seized hold of them so thoroughly that it would have been impossible to draw those rectifications there. Therefore Hashem did with us a great kindness and a wondrous miracle — He leaped over [pasach v'dilaig] the appointed end, and shone upon us a wondrous illumination that was not in the natural order of things. As is explained in the Kavanahnnos [mystical intentions for Pesach] — from the immensity of the illumination of the Pesach night, all the mochin [intellects/mindstates] shine, and mochin d'gadlus [expanded intellect] comes before mochin d'katnus [contracted intellect], and so on — see there — and through this was the essence of the Redemption, and so on — see there. That is to say: one must always first repair those abovementioned rectifications. And afterward speech turns its face to gather the remaining sparks, through which the sitra achra [the Other Side] is essentially subdued, and so on, as above. But now, at the Exodus from Egypt, Hashem performed a wonder for us and illuminated the face of holiness with a wondrous illumination before they had merited to repair those rectifications, for Hashem Himself was revealed in Egypt — of the aspect of "I will pass through the land of Egypt — I am Hashem; I and not an angel; I and not a seraph; I and…" . This was the aspect of the revelation of the face of holiness that shone then with a wondrous illumination. Through this came the downfall of Egypt, until many of them abandoned their faith and converted, as it is stated, "And also a great mixed multitude went up with them" . And through this came the Redemption. For the Redemption occurred on the first night of Pesach, when on that very night Sarah was taken to the house of Pharaoh — this is an allusion to the splendor and beauty of speech turning its face toward them, and so on, through which came their subjugation. (As all this is explained in the abovementioned Torah-teaching — see there.) And because of this, chametz was forbidden on Pesach — not to be seen, not to be found — and one must eat only matzah. For chametz is of the aspect of difficulties [kushyos] — of the aspect of "when my heart ferments [yischametz]" , which is stated there in connection with the difficulties that weighed on his heart regarding Hashem. And therefore throughout the year, eating is of the aspect of chametz and matzah.

This is hinted at in the Mah Nishtanah — "Why is this night different?" — with the statement: "On all other nights we eat chametz and matzah." Now, seemingly it would have been sufficient to mention only that on all other nights we eat chametz — as it says regarding other vegetables: "On all other nights we eat any vegetable." Why did it also mention matzah? Rather, this alludes to the rectification of Israel's eating throughout the year — for our eating is always, throughout the entire year, of the aspect of eating chametz and matzah, for eating comprises the two abovementioned rectifications, which are the rectification of da'as and emunah. That is: to resolve the difficulties that can be resolved — this is the aspect of chametz, of the aspect of leavening the brain [chimmutz ha-moach], of fermenting the brain and the da'as to resolve and answer what it is possible to resolve. And matzah is of the aspect of the rectification of emunah, which flows from a higher and higher supernal intellect as above — so as not to gaze upon the difficulties that cannot be resolved, as above. And therefore on Pesach — since we had not yet merited those rectifications, as above, but only a wondrous illumination was drawn upon us from above, which is the aspect of the shining of the face of holiness that shines then — the rectification of eating is drawn then only from there. And this is the aspect of eating matzah, which is of the aspect of man [manna], as above — as it is stated of it: "for they did not know what it was" — for it is a most supernal and elevated holy eating, beyond intellect, of the aspect of wondrous faith, as above. But chametz is forbidden on Pesach even in the smallest amount — not to be seen, not to be found — for it is forbidden to enter into any difficulty whatsoever, even those that can be resolved, as above. But throughout the year chametz is permitted, for when one merits those rectifications, then chametz is permitted — for then one merits to draw down the rectification of da'as, to resolve the difficulties that can be resolved — which is the aspect of the rectification of eating chametz throughout the year. And therefore eating of holiness is always of the aspect of chametz and matzah combined, for it comprises both abovementioned rectifications, which are the rectification of da'as and emunah. But now on Pesach it is forbidden to leaven the brain with any difficulty, even those that can be resolved — and therefore it is forbidden to eat even a trace of chametz; rather one eats matzah, which on Pesach is drawn from the supernal illumination as above. [Hebrew — Section 4] וּבְגָלוּת מִצְרַיִם הָיוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם בַּגָּלוּת, הַדַּעַת וְהָאֱמוּנָה... אֲבָל עַתָּה בְּפֶסַח אָסוּר לְהַחֲמִיץ הַמֹּחַ בְּשׁוּם קֻשְׁיָא... 5. And therefore, after the seventh day of Pesach — which is the Splitting of the Sea of Reeds [Krias Yam Suf] — chametz was permitted. For the Splitting of the Sea of Reeds was through the staff of Moshe, and the staff of Moshe is Tat [the Aramaic acronym מט"ט] — Metatron — which comprises the shishah sidray Mishnah [six orders of the Mishnah], which are of the aspect of permitted and forbidden, and so on. This is the aspect of the study of the Poskim, through which the sea of wisdom is split and one merits the rectification of da'as — to resolve and answer the difficulties that can be resolved — and then emunah is strengthened within us, as above. And therefore afterward chametz was permitted — for the permitting of chametz throughout the year is through the aspect of the rectification of da'as, through the study of the Poskim, which is the aspect of the Splitting of the Sea of Reeds, as above. And therefore the Splitting of the Sea of Reeds occurred on the sixth day of the Counting of the Omer — corresponding to the six orders of the Mishnah, which are of the aspect of permitted and forbidden, and so on; these are the essence of the rectification drawn through the study of the Poskim, which is the aspect of the Splitting of the Sea of Reeds — through which chametz was permitted afterward, as above.

One must also on Pesach subdue the three ministers of Pharaoh mentioned above — the chief cupbearer, the chief baker, and the chief butcher — who correspond to [those organs] as above. And this is merited through the Pesach mitzva [slaughtering the Paschal offering], eating matzah, and drinking the four cups [of wine] — which subdue the three ministers mentioned above. For the mitzva of slaughtering the Pesach-offering subdues the chief butcher; the mitzva of matzah subdues the chief baker; and the drinking of the cups subdues the chief cupbearer.

And this is the aspect of the custom of the firstborn to fast on the eve of Pesach. For the essence of the Exodus from Egypt — which is to bring speech out from the constriction of the throat and to subdue Pharaoh and his three ministers, and so on — is merited through fasting, through which one cleaves to the back of holiness, and so on, as above. And therefore precisely the firstborn fast, for the essence of the virtue of fasting is because one returns each time to the beginning — to when one first began to understand and to fast. And because of this, precisely through fasting, one cleaves to the back of holiness — which is the aspect of returning each time backward, which is the aspect of all the beginnings of holiness, for the essence is the beginning, and so on. And each time one returns to receive strength from the beginning, and so on. (As all this is explained there in the abovementioned Torah-teaching — see there well.) And therefore precisely the firstborn fast on the eve of Pesach, for the firstborn is the beginning — it is the aspect of first and beginning. And therefore the firstborn were sanctified, for the essence is the beginning — and when the beginning is sanctified, through this the rest of the children and the subsequent offspring that follow him are easily sanctified as well. As is stated in the writings of the Ari [HaArizal], of blessed memory: that all the children who come after him receive from the soul-portion of the firstborn, and so on — see there. It follows that the firstborn is of the aspect of the beginning — which is the aspect of the sanctity of fasting. And therefore the essence of the Exodus from Egypt was through the sanctity of the firstborn. (As is explained there in the Parasha of Bo [Exodus 10–13].) For then Hashem slew the firstborn of Egypt and subdued the firstborn of the sitra achra, and saved the firstborn of Israel, the holy firstborn. And then the firstborn were sanctified, as it is stated there: "Sanctify to Me every firstborn…" . For the essence of the Exodus from Egypt is of the aspect of the sanctity of the beginning, which is the aspect of fasting — through which speech goes out from the exile of Egypt and Pharaoh and his ministers, as above, which is the essence of the Exodus from Egypt. And therefore Pesach — which is the Exodus from Egypt — is truly the essence of the beginning, for it is the start of Israel's drawing close to their Father in Heaven: they began to recognize Him and began to draw near to Him at the time of the Exodus from Egypt on Pesach. And then the firstborn were sanctified, for they too are of the aspect of beginning, as above. And therefore it is customarily the firstborn who fast on the eve of Pesach — for the sanctity of fasting is the aspect of the sanctity of the beginning, as above — through which the essence of the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt [is achieved]: to bring speech out from the constriction of the throat, and so on, as above. And therefore Esav, who despised the birthright, sold the birthright through the lust for eating — precisely, as it is stated: "Let me gulp [hal'iteini na]…" . For the sanctity of the birthright is of the aspect of the sanctity of the beginning, which is merited through the breaking of the lust for eating — precisely, which is the aspect of fasting, which is the aspect of the sanctity of the beginning. And therefore the reverse: Esav, who despised the birthright, sold and despised it through the lust for eating — precisely — as it is stated there: "And he ate and drank… and Esav despised the birthright" . For it was precisely through the lust for eating and drinking that he despised the birthright — which is the aspect of the beginning, whose sanctity comes through fasting, through the breaking of the lust for eating and drinking, as above. And Yaakov our forefather merited the birthright then, for each one merited his portion — for as soon as Yaakov saw the intensity of his [Esav's] lust for eating, and that he said to him: "Let me gulp…", Yaakov immediately said to him: "Sell me today your birthright" — that is to say, as per the above: since you are so submerged in the lust for eating, the birthright does not belong to you — for the sanctity of the birthright is through the aspect of fasting, through breaking the lust for eating, as above. And Esav agreed immediately, and sold and despised the birthright for the sake of the lust for eating. And Yaakov gave him bread and a stew of lentils, and he ate, and so on, and he despised, and so on. For Yaakov gave him all the lust for eating — for Yaakov himself had broken the lust for eating, and gave the lust for eating to Esav, and for himself he took in exchange the birthright, which is merited through the breaking of the lust for eating, which is the aspect of fasting, as above.

And this is the aspect of the Sefirah [Counting of the Omer] — through which we count the days and weeks and return each time to the beginning. For each time we return to the beginning of the offering of the Omer, which was the essential beginning of Israel's drawing close through is'arusa d'lsata [arousal from below]. For on the first night of Pesach, the start of the drawing close was through the abovementioned supernal illumination — which is the aspect of is'arusa d'le'eila [arousal from above]. But afterward — after the first day — that illumination departs. And then we begin to count the Sefirat Ha'omer, to begin to sanctify and purify ourselves in proper order, from day to day, of the aspect of is'arusa d'lsata (as is brought in the holy books). And throughout all the days of the Counting, we return each time to receive strength from the start of the Counting — which is the offering of the Omer — as we say: "Today is two days of the Omer," "Today is three days of the Omer," and so on, for all of them [are counted in relation to the Omer offering]. It follows that each time we return to the beginning — which is the offering of the Omer — and this is the aspect of the sanctity of fasting: returning each time to the beginning. Through this we now merit to go out from the impurity of Egypt and to rectify speech and to merit complete faith, through the aspect of is'arusa d'lsata. For the essential rectification — to bring speech out from the Egyptian exile, and so on — is merited through returning to the beginning. And this is the aspect of fasting, and this is the aspect of the Sefirah, as above.

And this is the aspect of the prohibition of chailev and dam — in order to subdue and nullify the two kinds of difficulties mentioned above: the difficulties that can be resolved, but for which sometimes the pathways of intellect become blocked and it is impossible to resolve them — for which the study of Poskim is needed; and the difficulties that cannot be resolved, which require one to stand firm only in emunah, which is completed through fasting, through which speech goes forth from the exile of Egypt, and so on — through which faith is completed, as above. For the prohibition of chailev [suet/forbidden fat] is for the sake of the rectification of da'as — so that the pathways of intellect not be blocked, to resolve the difficulties that can be resolved. For chailev is the fatty substance of the body, through which the essence of the intellect is rectified. For the intellect burns like a lit candle through the fatty substance of the body. (As is brought in the words of Rabbainu, of blessed memory, elsewhere.) And therefore it is forbidden to eat the chailev of an animal [beheimah], so that the chailev of the animal not overpower and block the da'as entirely. For when the chalavin [suets] of the sitra achra overpower, the intellect is completely blocked and one can — G-d forbid — forget Hashem, as it is written: "This is their way: folly is theirs" . And our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded: "They have chailev upon their sides [kislayhem]" , and so on. And this is the aspect of "Their fat [chelbamo] has closed [them in]" — of the aspect of "for he covered his face in his fat" . Face [panim] is the intellect — of the aspect of "a man's wisdom illuminates his face" . And through the overpowering of the chalavin, the intellect is enclosed and covered, until one cannot resolve even the difficulties that can be resolved. And through this one forgets Hashem and distances oneself from Him, G-d forbid, for the essential cause of distancing and forgetting Hashem is through heresy [kefirah] and lack of faith, which flow from the difficulties and the concealment of the knowledge of His divinity that is within every heart — (as understood from the abovementioned Torah-teaching). And therefore the Torah warned us against eating chailev — so that the intellect not be blocked and sealed, G-d forbid — so that we merit to understand, to resolve the difficulties that can be resolved. And the prohibition of dam [blood] is for the sake of the rectification of speech, which is the rectification of emunah, as above. For the rectification of speech is to bring speech forth from the exile of Egypt and Pharaoh and his ministers, and so on, as above. And it is known that in Egypt during the exile there was an overpowering of the bloods [damim], and this was the essence of the Egyptian exile — (as explained in the [kabbalistic] writings) — and this is the aspect of "I passed over you and saw you wallowing in your blood" , and so on. For speech comes from the blood [dam], for the blood is the life-force [nefesh], and the essence of speech comes from the nefesh, as it is written: "And the man became a living soul [nefesh chayah]" , and the Targum renders: "a spirit that speaks [ruach memalela]" (as Rabbainu, of blessed memory, brings in many places). And when the bloods of the sitra achra overpower — G-d forbid — then one cannot speak at all, and one is then of the aspect of "I was dumbstruck in silence" — the word dumiyah being of the language of damim [bloods; cognate: ד-מ-מ / ד-מ]. And therefore it is forbidden to eat blood — in order to subdue the evil bloods from which comes the essential exile of Egypt, the essential exile of speech. And through being careful about chailev and dam, one merits to rectify da'as and to bring speech forth from the Egyptian exile — which is the rectification of emunah, as above. And the essence is the rectification of emunah, as above. And the essential rectification is through fasting. And this too is of the aspect of the prohibition of chailev and dam, for through fasting the chailev and the dam are diminished — as we say after a fast: "May it be Your will that the diminishment of my fat and my blood be accepted before You as though I had offered a sacrifice…" . And therefore, by not eating chailev and dam, this is of the aspect of the sanctity of fasting — for "one limb sustains another limb" (as Rabbainu, of blessed memory, brings elsewhere). And if one were to eat chailev and dam, the chailev and dam within the person would increase. But now, by not eating them, the chailev and dam are diminished — which is the aspect of fasting — through which comes the essential rectification of emunah, as above.

And therefore the essence of the sacrifice is chailev and dam. And the chailev ascends upon the altar and is burned entirely as a pleasing aroma to Hashem, for chailev is the fatty substance — the essence of the intellect. But we do not have the power to clarify the holiness and the kedushah that is in the chailev of an animal — and therefore it is forbidden for us to eat it with a severe prohibition. For anyone who eats chailev will have his intellect completely blocked and the heresies and difficulties will intensify within him, G-d forbid, as above. But upon the altar, precisely the chailev ascends as a pleasing aroma, for the Bais HaMikdash [Holy Temple] is of the aspect of da'as and sechel [intellect] — (as Rabbainu, of blessed memory, said many times). And there, supernal intellect and very elevated da'as shines. And therefore there, chailev ascends in the fire as a pleasing aroma — for precisely through it, the intellect shines with great light to reveal His divinity, may He be blessed. For the burning of chailev on the altar is of the aspect of the light of intellect — like a fire burning through the fatty substance of the body, as above — except that we do not have the power to clarify it; but upon the altar it is transformed entirely into holiness. And there, precisely through it, the light of sacred intellect shines, to resolve and nullify all the difficulties that can be resolved — and through this faith is strengthened, as above. And therefore the chailev atones, for the essence of the blemish of all sins consists of heresies, difficulties, and lack of faith, which sins cause — (as we have written many times). And therefore through the sacrifice — through offering the chailev upon the fire on the altar, through which da'as is opened and emunah strengthened, as above — it atones. And similarly dam atones. For in the Bais HaMikdash, the rectification of emunah was drawn through the blood specifically. For blood is of the aspect of the ultimate tzimtzum [contraction] and din [judgment] — from which come the difficulties that cannot be resolved; and therefore blood is forbidden for eating by a common person [hedyot]. But in the Bais HaMikdash, at the altar, through the sprinkling [zerikah] of the blood of the sacrifice, the holiness concealed and hidden within the blood is also clarified and rises. And through this, precisely, the tzimtzum and din are sweetened, and emunah is revealed through this — precisely — for this is the essence of the rectification and atonement for sins, which are of the aspect of heresies, as above. And therefore chailev is eaten and burned entirely upon the altar; but blood is neither eaten nor burned on the altar — rather, it is sprinkled upon the altar, merely touching it. And similarly, the remnants of the blood are poured at the base [yesod] of the altar — they touch the altar and then go out, and are poured into the Kidron brook and sold for fertilizer, and so on — as our Sages, of blessed memory, stated. For chailev is of the aspect of da'as, from which come the difficulties that can be resolved — only that, because of the hold of the klippos and the sitra achra that cleave to the chailev of an animal, we do not have the power to clarify it through our eating, and on the contrary: the intellect and da'as would be completely blocked and sealed if it were eaten. But upon the altar it is burned in great holiness, and then, precisely through it, da'as shines, as above — through which comes the essential atonement, as above. But blood is neither eaten nor burned on the altar — rather, it is sprinkled upon the altar, touching it merely as a fleeting touch. For blood is of the aspect of the ultimate tzimtzum and din, from which come the difficulties that cannot be resolved. And it is explained in the words of Rabbainu, of blessed memory, in the Torah-teaching "Come to Pharaoh" : that these unanswerable difficulties flow from the aspect of the chalal ha-panui [the vacated space], from which He contracted and vacated His divinity, as it were, and so on — see there. And therefore those difficulties cannot be resolved in any manner until the World to Come. And therefore in the Bais HaMikdash, at the altar, a great rectification was made through the blood — for the blood atones, because in the Bais HaMikdash the intellect that will be revealed in the World to Come shines — which is called "holy" [kodesh]. And therefore there, the holiness concealed even in the ultimate tzimtzum — in the aspect of blood — is revealed and shines. And then emunah shines with great light through the sweetening of the tzimtzum and din of the chalal ha-panui — through knowing that even there, His divinity is concealed — through offering the blood upon the altar in the Bais HaMikdash, where the intellect that will be revealed in the Future shines, as above. And therefore blood is neither eaten nor burned upon the altar — for even though in truth the holiness of His divinity is present even in the vacated space, in great concealment, it is in the ultimate tzimtzum, in minimization, in great concealment and hiddenness. And therefore blood is not entirely eaten upon the altar — rather, it is sprinkled on the altar and touches it with merely a fleeting touch, then flows outside. For the holiness ascends from it through the sprinkling, which is a mere touching of the holy altar — since the holiness in the aspect of the vacated space, which is the ultimate tzimtzum of the aspect of blood, is in the ultimate minimization and great concealment — of the aspect of a mere touching, as above. But chailev is entirely transformed into holiness, as above. And therefore it is entirely eaten and burned upon the altar. But both atone — blood and chailev. And in fact, the atonement depends more on the blood than on the chailev — (as explained in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory) — for the essential rectification and atonement comes through the rectification of emunah, which is more fully rectified through the sprinkling of blood on the altar. For through this it is revealed that even in the vacated space, in the ultimate tzimtzum of the aspect of blood, His divinity is hidden and concealed — only in great contraction, of the aspect of a mere touching; but nonetheless, even there, His divinity is concealed. And through this faith is strengthened — and through this is the essence of atonement, as above. For the essence of the strengthening of emunah must be to strengthen oneself against the heresies that come through the difficulties that cannot be resolved — (as is understood from the words of Rabbainu, of blessed memory) — and this is rectified through the sprinkling of blood on the altar. And therefore the essence of atonement is through the blood of the sacrifice, as above.

And this is the aspect of melichah [salting the meat] — that one must salt the meat in order to draw out all the blood. For salt is of the aspect of fasting and sufferings [tanis v'yisurin], which purge a person's sins — as our Sages, of blessed memory, stated: (Talmud Berakhot 5a) "A covenant is mentioned regarding salt, and a covenant is mentioned regarding sufferings: just as salt sweetens meat, so too, sufferings purge a person's sins." And sufferings are the aspect of fasting, which is self-affliction and suffering. And as they brought there, in the adjacent passage, regarding the Land of Israel — which comes through suffering — and they cited the verse: "For as a man chastises his son…" . And there that passage speaks of the matter of fasting, as it is written in that context: "And He afflicted you and made you hungry and fed you the manna… and you shall know today, for as a man chastises his son…" . "He afflicted you and made you hungry" — this is the aspect of the affliction of fasting, wherein one makes oneself hungry. And similarly our Sages, of blessed memory, stated in the Midrash: "He afflicted you and made you hungry" — that they fasted before they ate the manna, to purge the food that was in their intestines. For the manna is of the aspect of the aforementioned eating of holiness, which one merits to unify the Kudsha Brich Hu and His Shechinta, apin b'apin — which one merits only through fasting. And therefore they fasted before eating the manna. And therefore our Sages, of blessed memory, stated: "The Torah was given only to those who eat the manna" — for the essence of the Torah is of the aspect of emunah, as it is written: "All Your commandments are emunah" — and this is merited only through breaking the lust for eating through fasting, until one merits the holy eating that is the aspect of manna, as above. For the one depends on the other: through the completeness of emunah one merits eating that is from clarified food, and so on — (as explained there in the abovementioned Torah-teaching) — namely, eating of holiness. And similarly, the more one breaks the lust for eating through fasting and sanctifies one's eating, the more one merits the completeness of emunah — (as explained there — see there). Let us return to the matter. It follows: fasting is of the aspect of sufferings, which are a covenant of salt. And therefore one must salt the meat in order to expel all the blood — for this is the aspect of fasting and sufferings that purge and expel from a person all the evil bloods from which come all evil desires and all sins, G-d forbid, through which emunah is blemished. For through fasting one subdues the klippos and the desires that suckle from speech, and so on, which are the aspect of the exile of Egypt, and so on — which are the aspect of the overpowering of evil bloods, which was the essence of the Egyptian exile. It follows that fasting subdues and expels from a person the evil bloods — which are the klippos and desires — which are the aspect of a blemish of faith. And this is the aspect of salt, as above. And therefore one must salt the meat — for the subduing of the bloods is through salt, which is of the aspect of the sufferings of fasting, as above. And therefore one must salt in a perforated vessel [kli menukav] — precisely. This alludes to the rectification of fasting: that the essential rectification of fasting is to return to Hashem through it, and to examine one's deeds on the fast day, to open and perforate [l'nakev] the heart of stone. As it is written in Isaiah — and this is the Haftarah of Yom Kippur: "Is this the fast I choose?… Is this not the fast I choose: to loosen the bonds of wickedness…" . For the essence of fasting is to open and loosen the bonds of wickedness — to open and break one's heart and extract from it all the knots of wickedness. And so wrote Rabbainu, of blessed memory, in his rhymes [charuzim] printed in the Introduction: "Pierce the heart of stone and illuminate me from there…" (from the liturgical poem printed in the Introduction to Likutay Moharan) Thus he mentioned the rectification of the heart with the expression of piercing the heart. And upon this alludes the perforated vessel: that one must salt the meat to expel the bloods in a perforated vessel — precisely. But in an unperforated vessel, the salting is of no effect — on the contrary, the meat becomes forbidden. This is an allusion: that fasting and sufferings — which are the aspect of salt as above — avail only when one merits to open and pierce his heart of stone, with intention toward Hashem, in order to return from his wickedness; for then through the fasting one merits to drive out and expel the evil bloods — which are all the desires — and to merit complete faith, which is atonement and rectification for all, as above. Amen and Amen.

This halacha is one of the most architecturally magnificent in all of Likutay Halachos. Reb Nosson weaves together a single unifying thread through a breathtaking range of topics: eating, faith, intellect, speech, exile and redemption, Pesach, the Counting of the Omer, the Temple service, and melichah (salting meat). At its core is the teaching from Likutay Moharan 1:62, which is amplified and applied across halacha, history, and practical daily life.

The Central Axis:

Practical Message: Every time we refrain from chailev and dam — and every fast, and every Pesach seder, and every day of Sefirah — we are engaged in a cosmic repair of intellect and faith, breaking the "Egypt" of our constricted, silenced speech, and working toward that holy eating in which G-d and His Presence are unified.

The general principle: the kisufin v'hishtokakus d'kedushah [holy longing and yearning] are exceedingly, exceedingly precious. For through the kisufin with which one longs and yearns for something holy — to draw near to Hashem Yisborach in truth — through this, nefashos [souls] are made. And see also on the matter of kisufin the Torah-teaching beginning, "Zivugon v'hitstorfusan shel osiyos…" — see there. For there too it speaks of this same matter. But it is not sufficient for a person to have yearning alone — rather, he must bring forth with his lips the longing and yearning. And then the nefesh [soul] goes out from potential into actuality. And through this, vowel-points [nekudos] are made for the letters of the Torah, and they are formed for good. For letters without vowel-points are like a golem — like a body without a soul. And through the kisufin, nefashos are made, and they are the aspect of the nekudos [vowel-points]. And through this, the letters of the Torah are joined and paired and formed — to perform their work in proportion to the kisufin, and so on.

And this is: "We will make for you circlets of gold with studs of silver" .

And this is the aspect of gilgulei ha-nefashos [transmigrations of souls]. For the essence of speech is that the organs of speech strike the air, and that air encounters the air adjacent to it, and the adjacent strikes the one adjacent to it, until it reaches his fellow, and so on. And these holy longings and yearnings are of the aspect of ahavah v'chesed [love and lovingkindness], which one merits through shemiras ha-bris [guarding the covenant]. (As is explained there.)

And through shemiras ha-bris — emunah [faith] is complete. And emunah is the completion of all things — the completion of tzedakah [righteousness], which governs all the celestial spheres, and so on. And through this comes the rectification of all roads [tikun kol ha-derachim]. For all the tribulations a person experiences on the roads come entirely from a flaw in the movement of the celestial spheres, which comes from a flaw in emunah and tzedakah — and all of this depends on the rectification of the bris, and so on. And this is the aspect of the sun on Shabbos — tzedakah for the poor — for Shabbos is the aspect of emunah, and so on.

And one who is a baal nefesh [a master of soul] — that is, of the level of Avraham — who merited to this lovingkindness, to the aspect of love and longing and holy yearning, and through this made souls. And whoever is of this aspect, then all his eating and all his meals are of the aspect of Lechem ha-Panim [the Showbread]. And then all the stars and constellations and all the nations that are beneath them all labor for his sustenance — of the aspect of: "Sit at My right hand until I make your enemies your footstool" , and so on. (See there all of this very well, very well.)

And this is the aspect of Pesach, which is of the aspect of chesed [lovingkindness], the aspect of Avraham — as is known — that is to say, the aspect of love and longing and holy yearning. For Pesach is the beginning of Israel's drawing-near to their Father in Heaven, for at that time it is still before the giving of the Torah. And at the beginning of drawing-near, the essence is only the yearning and holy longing — for they do not yet know at all what to do, since they have not yet received the Torah. And so at that time the essence is only the yearning and holy longing. And through these holy yearnings and longings — which are the aspect of chesed, the aspect of Avraham, the aspect of Pesach — through this, the nekudos ha-kesef [silver vowel-points] are made, and through this the letters of the Torah are formed for good. And therefore through this one merits afterward receiving the Torah on Shavuos, for it is impossible to receive the Torah except when the letters of the Torah are first formed for good through holy longing. For previously the letters of the Torah are like a golem and have no form at all. Only through holy longing — through this the letters of the Torah are paired and formed and joined. And then one is able to receive the Torah.