גרים

It emerges that the damage of wealth is through the aspect of an excess of light. And therefore one must draw illumination from the aspect of the perception of daray ma'alah — that is, the aspect of "Where is the place of His glory?", the aspect of "What did you see?" — so that the excess of light should not harm him, etc., as mentioned above. And this is accomplished through tzedakah. For through giving tzedakah from one's money and diminishing one's money — through this one merits that the aspect of the illumination of daray ma'alah is drawn upon him, which is the aspect of Ayeh, etc. — the aspect of diminishment of the light through contraction and measure, so that he can receive it gradually and properly. It emerges that through tzedakah — whereby one diminishes one's money and gives to the poor — through this the aspect of the illumination of daray ma'alah and daray matah is drawn, as mentioned above. 42

Based on what Rabbainu z"l explains — that the essence of perfection is Yir'ah (awe/fear of Hashem), as it is written, "What does Hashem your G-d ask of you, but to fear [Him]" etc., and as it is written, "The end of the matter, all having been heard: Fear G-d, for this is the wholeness of all things" — there are two kinds of Yir'ah. There is one who fears Hashem on account of His greatness and loftiness, for He is exalted and sovereign, blessed be His Name. And there is a Yir'ah of a lesser kind, which comes to a person by way of lower-level fears — through fear of a beast or an officer etc. — through which he is reminded and comes to fear Hashem. The first Yir'ah, which arises through the mind's contemplation of His greatness and loftiness, blessed be He, is one bechina (aspect), for Yir'ah is the bechina of Malchus (Kingship), as it is written, "Were it not for the fear of the [earthly] kingdom [of man]" etc. The second Yir'ah, which comes through lower things, is the bechina of Aleph-Daled (i.e., the Name "Adon"). Through this Yir'ah, Divine influence is drawn down into the world etc. And when the shefa (abundance) is drawn down, a vessel must be made etc. And this [relates to] the letters Aleph-Daled-Mem [i.e., Adam] etc. And this [is the meaning of] "Man (Adam) sees with his eyes" — through looking with awe, i.e., the lower Yir'ah etc. — through this, the bechina of Adam is formed. But through the higher Yir'ah etc., through it the Name of the Holy One Blessed be He is made complete (ishtalim shma). And this is [the meaning of] "And Hashem sees into the heart" etc. Study there.

And this is the aspect of Shekalim, which are the aspect of tzedakah, about which it is stated: "the wealthy shall not give more and the poor shall not give less" (Exodus 30:15). "The wealthy shall not give more" — this is the aspect of the perception of daray ma'alah, the aspect of Ayeh, etc. — that the excess of light should not harm him, etc., as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of "the wealthy shall not give more". "And the poor shall not give less" — this is the aspect of the perception of daray matah, which is the aspect of "the whole earth is full of His glory." And this is "the poor shall not give less" — for there, in the aspect of poverty, in the aspect of daray matah, there is no diminishment or lack, G-d forbid — for "the whole earth is full of His glory." And this is accomplished through tzedakah, as mentioned above — which is the aspect of "this one shall be lowered and this one shall be raised", as brought elsewhere, and as mentioned above. 43

The principle, in sum, is that the essence of all perfection is Yir'ah, as stated above — for all the core attainments of Divinity and knowledge of the Creator, blessed be He, are not grasped by the mind and heart except through Yir'ah, which is the essential means of preservation and sustaining of holy Da'as (knowledge/awareness) and Chochmah (wisdom), in the dimension of "whoever's fear of sin precedes his wisdom — his wisdom endures" etc.

And therefore they are called Shekalim — a language of mishkal [scale/balance]. For through tzedakah — the aspect of Shekalim — through this one illuminates in daray ma'alah and daray matah and places them on the [correct] balance. That is, in daray ma'alah one illuminates that they should not err into thinking that they know His Divinity, etc. And conversely, in daray matah one illuminates that they should not err into thinking they are too distant, and reveals to them that they are close to Hashem, blessed be He. It emerges that one places both of them on the straight balance. And this is the aspect of Shekalim, the aspect of tzedakah, as mentioned above. And through this the Ratzon shines. For through the inclusivity of son and student — which are daray ma'alah and daray matah — the Ratzon shines. And therefore the essence is the aspect of the Ratzon, the aspect of nedivas lev, as mentioned above. And therefore the essence of tzedakah illuminates on Shabbos, as Rabbeinu of blessed memory wrote (Likutay Moharan I, 31) — for this is why the Tanna began at the start of Tractate Shabbos: "the transferrings of Shabbos" etc. — "the poor person extended [his hand]" etc. For the essence of the illumination of tzedakah — which is the aspect of the illumination of the Ratzon, the aspect of the illumination of son and student — this illuminates on Shabbos specifically, as mentioned above. 44

For it is known that Hashem, blessed be He, is exalted and elevated far beyond all wisdoms and thoughts, such that it is impossible to grasp Him through any thought or knowledge whatsoever, as Eliyahu declared: "No thought can grasp You at all." Only in His great kindness did He have compassion upon us and placed within us the capacity to receive His dread, awe, and terror — and only through this do we know of Him, blessed be He. This is the dimension of "The beginning of wisdom is the fear of Hashem," and as it is written, "The fear of Hashem is the beginning of Da'as" — for the very essence of Da'as and Chochmah, which is to know of Him, blessed be He (for only this is truly called Da'as and Chochmah), as it is written, "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom" etc., "but in this let him who glories glory: that he understands and knows Me." And it is written, "And you shall know today and take it to your heart that Hashem, He is G-d" etc.

And this essential Da'as and Chochmah — to know of Him, blessed be He — cannot be received except through Yir'ah, for the knowledge and attainment of His Divinity does not come upon a person except in the dimension of "the Chayos (living beings) raced back and forth" — that is, through the reshimu (impression/trace) that remains after the bitul (self-nullification) before Ayn Sof. For bitul is beyond thought; yet afterward, when one returns from bitul, there remains a reshimu from the shining radiance of His light, blessed be He. And from the shining of this reshimu, great fear, dread, and terror fall upon the person — and this Yir'ah is the essential preservation and sustaining of what remains and is grasped in the heart of the person from the shining radiance of His holy light, blessed be He.

It is revealed that we have the power even during the weekdays to push away the contamination of the Serpent from the 39 melachos even though they are performed during the weekdays — through drawing upon them the holiness of Shabbos, etc., as mentioned above. For on this holy day we see this tangibly — that all the melachos are permitted on it, and nevertheless an exceedingly great and mighty illumination shines on it, the aspect of the sanctity of Shabbos and even more. Through this it is revealed that Hashem, blessed be He, is everywhere — for "the whole earth is full of His glory." And daray matah together with daray ma'alah — all are one. For He, blessed be He, gives life to all of them. 45

This is like a great and mighty king who passes through a province — fear, dread, and great awe fall upon everyone who passes before him, even though they do not see him — the dimension of the terror of Kingship. For the essential nature of Kingship is Yir'ah and awe: even though the king sits upon his throne of Kingship in his innermost chambers, very far from his subjects, nevertheless his dread and terror rest upon all his subjects — the dimension of "the fear of the Kingdom." Similarly, but infinitely, infinitely removed — Hashem, blessed be He, is exalted and elevated and infinitely far from all the thoughts and knowledge in the world, and cannot be grasped by the mind — except His dread, Yir'ah, and great awe, which is the bechina of Malchus. For all our knowledge of Him, blessed be He, is only in the dimension of Malchus: we know and believe that He, blessed be He, is the King who leads and rules — and this is the bechina of Yir'ah, the dimension of "the fear of the Kingdom," as stated above.

And therefore we increase in feasting on Purim and give tzedakah to the poor — for all of this is the aspect of the illumination of the Ratzon that is drawn from the aspect of the inclusivity of son and student, the aspect of Mordechai and Esther, as mentioned above. 46

And this is the dimension of "Fear called to me and trembling, and a multitude of my bones He terrified; and a wind passed over my face, the hair of my flesh stood on end" etc., which is said concerning the spirit of prophecy from Hashem, blessed be He — that is, the dimension of the illumination of the reshimu from the shining of His light, blessed be He, from which all prophecy flows (as explained elsewhere in the Laws of Rosh Hashanah, on the Torah [beginning] "And Boaz said to Ruth"). Through this: "Fear called to me and trembling" etc. — for from there is the essential fear and Yir'ah of Him, blessed be He, which is the essential preservation and sustaining of the shining of His light, blessed be He, that remains from the reshimu of bitul, as stated above.

Chapter Headings for Hilchos Shabbos 4: 47 Therefore, the essence of perfection is Yir'ah, and the more a person draws Yir'ah upon himself, the more he can grasp in his mind the shining radiance of His light, blessed be He. Therefore, on Rosh Hashanah — when we seek to reveal His Kingship, blessed be He, in the world — we begin with "And so, bestow Your dread, Hashem our G-d" etc., "and Your awe upon all that You have created, and all creatures shall fear You" etc. For the essence of Malchus is Yir'ah, which is the essence of perfection and the essential preservation and sustaining of what remains and is grasped in the heart of a person from the shining of His light, blessed be He, that remains from the reshimu of bitul, as stated above.

Based on the Tale of the Two Sons Who Were Exchanged, etc. — see there. That he stood firm at Shabbos, which is emunah [faith]. That when a person is driven out of Gan Eden [the Garden of Eden] — that whenever one wants to do something holy, which is the aspect of entering Gan Eden, one is driven out and confused — his essential rectification is to stand firm at emunah, which is Shabbos. That despite everything, he believes that Hashem, blessed be He, rules over all, and His hand is supreme, and in the end He will finish everything as He wills. For there is teshuvah [repentance] in the world. And even though he is far now from teshuvah — on the contrary, they provoke him until he damages, G-d forbid, each day more, G-d forbid — nevertheless, at least he believes that there exists the aspect of teshuvah, the aspect of Shabbos emunah, through which everything is rectified. For emunah rectifies everything. 48

Understand this well, for it is impossible to explain this in writing or even verbally — it can only be conveyed to each person according to what he grasps in his own heart. And this is the dimension of "His lightnings illumined the world; the earth saw and trembled." "His lightnings illumined" — this is the illumination of the shining of the holy reshimu from the bitul before Ayn Sof, which illuminates like lightning, in the dimension of "And Hashem shall be seen over them, and His arrow shall go forth as lightning." Through this, "the earth saw and trembled" — that is, Yir'ah — for from the reshimu of bitul, great Yir'ah falls, and it is the essential preservation that remains from bitul, as stated above. And this is the dimension of "The fear of Hashem is His treasure" — for Yir'ah is literally a treasure that gathers and collects within itself all true and eternal goodness, all the storehouses of the King, which are the knowledge and attainments of His Divinity, blessed be He — for no attainment is grasped in the heart of a person except through Yir'ah, as stated above.

And therefore one must attain and understand how to arrange all the tikunay haShechinah [rectifications of the Divine Presence] — which are the bed, table, chair, and lamp mentioned there in the aforementioned Tale — that the true prince merited to arrange them well through being one who understands one thing from another, the aspect of ish tevunos [a man of understanding]. Through this he first attained standing firm at Shabbos emunah. And afterwards he merited to understand how to arrange all these rectifications. For on Shabbos all the rectifications of the Shechinah mentioned above are rectified — the bed, table, etc. 49

And the entire essential purpose of the creation of the world was to reveal His Yir'ah and Malchus, as it is written, "In the beginning (Bereishis), G-d created" etc. Bereishis is the dimension of Yir'ah, as is stated in the Tikkunim: "Bereishis — one who fears shame" (yara boshet). For Yir'ah is the dimension of Malchus, and for this reason was all of creation — to reveal His Kingship in the world. And all the wonders and miracles and awesome signs that Hashem, blessed be He, performed in Egypt and at the Sea etc. — all of it was in order to reveal His Yir'ah and Kingship, as it is written, "So that you shall know that the earth is Hashem's," and it is written, "In order to tell My Name throughout all the earth." And "Name" is the dimension of Yir'ah, as it is written, "To fear this glorious and awesome Name" etc., and it is written, "And all nations shall fear the Name of Hashem" etc., and it is written, "And all the peoples of the earth shall see that the Name of Hashem is called upon you, and they shall fear you."

And all of this is alluded to in the Torah "Tik'u" II [Likutay Moharan I, 30] — that the man of understanding reveals counsel, through which emunah grows. And when one elevates the emunah, one must elevate from the aspect of seals to the aspect of the holy seal — that is, to break the lust of immorality through the power of the shields of the earth, etc. But the foods also have a share, etc. But sometimes the damage, G-d forbid, comes from unfit judges who damage the "thrones of judgment" (Psalms 122:5) — and for this one needs the binding of the Merkavah [Chariot], etc. 50

When Pharaoh refused to humble himself and accept the yoke of Yir'ah through the signs and wonders, it is written about him: "But you and your servants — I know that you do not yet fear Hashem." And regarding Israel it is written: "And Israel saw the great hand that Hashem performed in Egypt, and the people feared Hashem."

And this is the aspect of the bed, table, chair, and lamp — the aspect of the elevation of emunah itself, which is the aspect of light — the aspect of "first darkness, then light" (Zohar). And therefore the kindling of the Shabbos candles is immediately at the entrance of Shabbos. And the essential power of the man of understanding is through polishing his soul through his eating in holiness — the aspect of "and He shall satisfy with brightness your soul" (Isaiah 58:11) etc. And this is the aspect of eating on Shabbos, which is exceedingly precious — the aspect of Oneg Shabbos — "then you shall delight upon Hashem" — "upon Hashem," specifically — the aspect of tzachtzachos [brightness/radiance], which are above the Sefiros that are included in the Name of Hashem, as is known. 51

For all the plagues and afflictions that the Holy One Blessed be He brought upon the Egyptians — all of them arose from the bechina of fallen Yir'os (fallen fears), for from there come all troubles and harsh judgments, may Heaven protect us. And Hashem, blessed be He, sends upon a person frightening experiences of suffering and plagues and the like, in order that the person should reflect through them and turn to Him, blessed be He — so that he might elevate all the fallen Yir'os back to their root, namely, to fear Him, blessed be He, as it is written: "I cut off nations, their corners are desolate... I said, 'Surely you will fear Me, you will receive correction'" etc.

And this is the aspect of the prohibition of the 39 melachos on Shabbos. For all the exertions of all the 39 melachos — that people exert themselves to fashion all manner of crafts — all of this derives from the damage that has caused the chair, etc. to not be arranged properly, which stems from the k'lifas Amalek [the husk of Amalek], the contamination of the Serpent — for the Holy One, blessed be He, swore that the chair is not complete, etc. And from there derives and devolves the damage of judgment and the damage of emunah — for one cannot understand the righteous who has good, etc. — because the judgment is overturned and exchanged and one cannot understand it now. And all of this is from the aforementioned source. And from there is the essential damage of emunah. And because of these exchanges and permutations — that nothing is in its proper place — one must exert oneself with exertions and travails in all the 39 melachos, which are the aspect of "by the sweat of your brow" (Genesis 3:19) etc., "in sorrow shall you eat" (Genesis 3:17) etc. 52

The Egyptians, who were stiff-necked and refused to humble themselves before His Yir'ah, blessed be He — therefore Hashem, blessed be He, brought upon them each time different plagues, in order to arouse them each time to know Who was striking them and to fear Him and to send Israel away. But they hardened their necks and made their hearts heavy and refused to acknowledge the truth, which caused Hashem to bring upon them each time yet more and greater plagues. But for Israel, all this was a great benefit — for through each and every plague that Hashem, blessed be He, brought upon the Egyptians, from which Israel was saved, they recognized Him, blessed be He, more and more and accepted upon themselves the yoke of His Yir'ah and Malchus, as it is written: "And Israel saw" etc., "and the people feared Hashem."

For all the 39 melachos we derive from the Mishkan. And all the work of the Mishkan was to arrange and rectify all these aforementioned rectifications — which are the aspect of the bed, table, chair, and lamp — all of which were in the Mishkan. The bed — this is the aspect of the Aron HaAidus [the Ark of Testimony] that stood in the Holy of Holies, which is called the chamber of the beds, etc. And this is Mishkan — whose initial letters spell: Mitah, Shulchan, Kisei, Ner [Bed, Table, Chair, Lamp] (it seems this is explained in the holy books). And its final letters spell Aharon — for all these rectifications of service were through the Kohanim, who are the sons of Aharon, the first Kohein. 53

Therefore, despite all the plagues that He brought upon Pharaoh and Egypt, they did not submit to Him and did not want to send Israel away — until He brought upon them the plague of the firstborn. For then they were compelled against their will to acknowledge the truth, that everything is from Him, blessed be He — because the very essence of birth is through Yir'ah, as it is written: "Fear seized them there, trembling like a woman in labor." As Rabbainu z"l explains elsewhere. And the essential quality belongs to the first birth, for therein is the essential drawing of Yir'ah, and from it the essential birth-pangs — especially in the first birth, in the dimension of "the pain of one who gives birth first," for in this world, due to the sin of Adam the First, Yir'ah is generally clothed in harshness and suffering, may Heaven protect us.

And therefore, through the plague of the firstborn — when they saw that Hashem, blessed be He, distinguishes and knows all births, to the point that He distinguishes between the drop that is of the firstborn and a drop that is not — there fell upon them His dread and awe against their will, and they were compelled to send Israel away. And all this occurred because through the plague of the firstborn, Yir'ah was drawn upon them against their will — since the essential Yir'ah is revealed through birth, as stated above. Therefore the firstborn were then sanctified, as a memorial to the Exodus from Egypt, as it is written: "And it shall be when your son asks you" etc., "and you shall say to him: with a strong hand Hashem took us out of Egypt" etc., "and it came to pass when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to send us, that Hashem slew every firstborn" etc., "therefore I sacrifice to Hashem every first opening of the womb of the males" etc.

And during the weekdays it is the aspect of "the people went about and gathered" — b'shtusah — and therefore one must chase after the animals with exertions and travails. And the entire rectification is through Shabbos — which he merited because he became one who understands one thing from another, the aspect of the man of understanding mentioned above, who reveals emunah, which is the aspect of Shabbos. 54

And this is the dimension of Bechor Behemah Tehorah (the firstborn of a pure animal) — which must be given to the Kohen as a sacrifice. For one must elevate all the fallen Yir'os back to their root: to fear Him alone, blessed be He, as stated above. And this is the dimension of elevating from the animal to the human — for the essential elevation of the fallen Yir'os is through Da'as (the higher consciousness): to know that everything is from Him, blessed be He; not to attribute anything to nature or chance, God forbid. Rather, everything that passes over a person — he should believe and know that all is from Him alone, blessed be He, and return to Him to fear before Him, blessed be He. As Rabbainu z"l explains elsewhere in the Torah "Ohr HaGanuz" (Section 15), that the essential elevation of Yir'ah is to Da'as. And Da'as is the distinguishing characteristic of Man — for as long as a person does not elevate Yir'ah to its root, and has fallen Yir'os, meaning he fears the thing itself that frightens him — such as a wild beast, or bandits, or plagues and suffering, may Heaven protect us — he is literally like an animal. For an animal too has all these fears and dreads, as is known by experience: even an animal fears and dreads wild beasts and beatings and the like. If so, what advantage does Man have over the animal?

And the essential difference between Man and animal is that Man has Da'as — to know and discern that there is a Master, Director, Sovereign, and Provider, blessed be His Name, from Whom all comes, and Who sent upon the person all these fears so that he should return to Him, blessed be He, as it is written: "He uncovered their ears to discipline, and said that they should turn from iniquity" etc. Therefore one must bring the firstborn animal as a sacrifice, in order to elevate the Yir'ah to its root — to raise it from the dimension of the animal to the dimension of Man, which is Da'as. This is the essential aspect of sacrifices, as explained in other places — for in the aspect of the firstborn (bechor), there is the essential aspect of Yir'ah, as stated above, and there is the essential aspect of Da'as, for it is called "firstborn" (bechor) and "first" (reishis), which is the dimension of Da'as — for the essential elevation of Yir'ah is through Da'as, as stated above.

All the above are chapter headings of Hilchos Shabbos [4], and these matters still need to be refined and clarified well, and each thing shall come to its place in peace — like the chair in the aforementioned Tale, for the explanation of the Tale is also like the aforementioned chair, as is explained there, that the essence is to arrange everything well. May Hashem help us. 55

Therefore one must give it to the Kohen to offer as a sacrifice, in order to elevate it from the dimension of animal to Man, which is Da'as — that is, to elevate all the fallen Yir'os, which are in the dimension of animal, to Da'as, which is the dimension of Man, as stated above. And therefore it must be given to the Kohen, for the Kohen is in the dimension of Da'as, as it is written: "For the lips of the Kohen shall guard knowledge (da'as)." And therefore the Kohen merits the wholeness of Yir'ah, as it is written there: "My covenant was with him — life and peace, and I gave them to him [as a means of] fear, and he feared Me" etc. And therefore one must bring the firstborn, and likewise all the sacrifices, to the Beis HaMikdash (Temple), for there is the place of Yir'ah and Da'as. As it is written: "How awesome (nora) is this place!" And the Beis HaMikdash too is in the dimension of Da'as, as our Sages z"l stated (Berachos 33): "Whoever possesses Da'as, it is as if the Beis HaMikdash was built in his days" — for there is the essential elevation of Yir'ah to Da'as, which is the dimension of all sacrifices, as stated above.

And this is what is explained there in the aforementioned Torah portion — that through elevating the lower Yir'os, one reaches the dimension of Adam (Man), as stated above — for one rises from the dimension of animal to Man, as stated above. For even though the essence of perfection is the higher Yir'ah that arises through the heart's contemplation of His greatness and loftiness, blessed be He — nevertheless, certainly one cannot immediately reach that lofty Yir'ah at the outset. Rather, one must at least ensure that he has no fallen Yir'os; and for every thing that frightens him, he should know and understand that all is from Him, blessed be He, and return to Him and elevate all Yir'os to their root — to fear before Him alone, blessed be He. And afterward he will merit to go from level to level, strengthening himself each time with ever greater Yir'ah, until he merits the highest Yir'ah — where he no longer needs to be aroused to Yir'ah through lower things in which Yir'ah from above has clothed itself and fallen, but is aroused to great Yir'ah solely through his heart's understanding of His loftiness and greatness, blessed be He. For the essence of all perfection is Yir'ah. And this is the essential purpose of the Giving of the Torah — which was given amid thunder, lightning, and the very loud sound of the shofar, and all the people trembled etc. — for great awe and dread fell upon them then. As it is written: "And in order that His Yir'ah be upon your faces, so that you shall not sin." But even so, the Adversary (Baal Davar) incited them afterward until he led them to sin with the [golden] calf — for they wished to draw upon themselves a very evil Yir'ah, the Yir'ah of the Sitra Achra (the Other Side), since idolatry is called "Yir'ah," as our Sages z"l said: "There is awe (yir'ah) in such-and-such a place" — and so in many instances. And the rectification came through the final forty days — which were days of [Divine] favor, running from Elul through Yom Kippur — for these are days of Yir'ah, as they are called the Yamim Nora'im (Days of Awe). And the essential rectification was on Rosh Hashanah, which is the first of the final ten days of those forty, namely the Aseres Yemay Teshuvah (Ten Days of Repentance) — for on Rosh Hashanah a great and mighty Yir'ah is drawn down through the shofar, in the dimension of "If a shofar is blown in the city, will the people not tremble?" For then it is the "Fear of Yitzchak," and therefore we then begin [the prayer] "And so, bestow Your dread and Your awe" and "they shall fear You" etc. For the essential rectification is through Yir'ah — meaning that on Rosh Hashanah there is the illumination (hisnotzetzus) of Mashiach, who is the very essence of the Malchus of holiness, which is drawn down and enthroned on Rosh Hashanah, in the dimension of "the sprouting of the horn of David Your servant" etc. And Mashiach is the very essence of the very highest Yir'ah, as it is written: "And he shall smell in the Yir'ah of Hashem." For he will draw a supremely exalted and wondrous Yir'ah down into the world, until all will fulfill the Torah and never break His covenant, as is explained in many verses. And then it will be perfectly fulfilled: "And in order that His Yir'ah be upon your faces, so that you shall not sin." And now, we draw upon ourselves an illumination from this highest Yir'ah on Rosh Hashanah through the power of the Tzaddikim to whom we travel, and especially through the Tzaddikim who rest in the ground, upon whose graves we prostrate ourselves on Erev Rosh Hashanah — for every true Tzaddik is in the dimension of Moshe-Mashiach. And he draws upon us now, in every generation, such a wondrous and exalted Yir'ah, so that we may merit from now on — all of us — to strengthen ourselves in Hashem, blessed be He, and never to be separated from Him, God forbid, in any manner whatsoever. And this path was begun by Moshe Rabbainu, peace be upon him, in the final forty days. And the essential [period] is from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur — which are the culmination of the final forty days. Therefore in the book of Devarim, in Parshas Eikev, after recounting the matter of the final forty days — as it is written there: "At that time Hashem said to me, 'Carve for yourself'" etc., "and I stood on the mountain as at the first days — forty days" etc. — immediately after that passage He said: "And now, O Israel, what does Hashem your G-d ask of you, but to fear [Him]" etc. For during the final forty days he accomplished this — drawing down a wondrous Yir'ah — principally on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, when we say: "And so, bestow Your dread" etc. And this supremely exalted and wondrous Yir'ah — the Tzaddikim draw it upon us in every generation. And the complete rectification will come through Mashiach, of whom it is said: "And he shall smell in the Yir'ah of Hashem," as stated above. And we hasten to draw upon ourselves this supremely exalted Yir'ah through the Arba Parashiyos (Four Special Torah Portions) and Purim — which precede Pesach — for Purim and the Arba Parashiyos are preparation for Pesach, which is the Exodus from Egypt, whose essential purpose was to receive the Torah. As it is written: "When you bring out the people from Egypt, you shall serve G-d" etc. For Parshas Shekalim pertains to the sacrifices and the erection of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) — all of which is in the dimension of Yir'ah, as it is written: "How awesome (nora) is this place!" And as explained above, all the sacrifices are to elevate from animal to Man, which is the dimension of Da'as, the dimension of Yir'ah — see there. And this is the dimension of the one hundred Adanim (sockets) that were made from the Shekalim, which correspond to the one hundred berachos (blessings), as cited — the dimension of the totality of prayers and blessings that are encompassed in the one hundred berachos, which are the dimension of Yir'ah, the dimension of "A woman who fears Hashem — she shall be praised (tishal-lal)." And therefore our Sages z"l derived them [the one hundred berachos] from the verse "What (mah) does Hashem your G-d ask of you" — do not read "What (mah)" but "one hundred (me'ah)" (as our Sages z"l said in Menachos 43). And Parshas Zachor is the erasure of Amalek, who denies [Hashem's sovereignty] and does not believe that all comes from Hashem, blessed be He. He wishes to remove Yir'ah, God forbid, and to draw down fallen Yir'os in its place, God forbid — from which all exiles originate — for Amalek has always been a lash of punishment for Israel. He terrorizes and frightens them constantly with fallen Yir'os, and all his strengthening, God forbid, is when he sees that Israel have fallen, God forbid, from holy Yir'ah, as it is written: "He struck at your rear, all the weak who followed you, and you were faint and weary and did not fear G-d." And we must remember the act of Amalek in order to protect ourselves from him — to cut off his memory in every generation, and to draw upon ourselves the highest Yir'ah etc., as stated above — in the dimension of "For a hand is upon the throne of G-d — war of Hashem against Amalek" etc. For there, at the Throne of Glory, is the source of Yir'ah, the dimension of the fear of Kingship, before which all tremble and are in awe — in the dimension of "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne; fire is before Him" etc. And Hashem, blessed be He, raised His hand toward His Throne, that His Name and His Throne would not be complete until the memory of Amalek is erased — indicating that Yir'ah is not complete until his memory is erased. For the essential wholeness of the Name and the Throne is through Yir'ah, as may be understood from the aforementioned Torah portion — that specifically through Yir'ah is the Name of the Holy One Blessed be He made complete (ishtalim shma). And this is the dimension of Purim — for Haman wished to greatly intensify the fallen Yir'os, commanding that all bow and prostrate themselves before him, as if there were no higher Yir'ah, God forbid, as though one should only fear a person who has attained power and elevated status in this world. But Mordechai would not bow or prostrate himself — because he said that he was of the seed of Binyamin, who had not bowed before Esav, and therefore Haman had no power to frighten him with fallen Yir'os. The essential strength of Haman came through the fact that [the people] had bowed before the idol — which is the very essence of the evil and fallen Yir'ah. For idolatry is called "Yir'ah" in the language of our Sages z"l, as stated above — that is, the Yir'ah of the Sitra Achra. And also because they had benefited from the feast of that wicked one [Achashverosh] — which is likewise a blemish of Yir'ah, as is explained in the Torah "Retzu'ah Haysa Yotz'ah" (in Likutay Tinyana, Section 77) — see there — for the essential Yir'ah is drawn at the time of holy eating. And conversely, through eating what is forbidden, Yir'ah is certainly greatly blemished, God forbid. Haman thought that Yir'ah had so utterly fallen that he had the power to intensify the fallen Yir'os greatly — from which all severe judgments derive their force, as is known — and therefore he wished to destroy, kill, and annihilate, from the great force of the judgments aroused through the intensification of the fallen Yir'os, as stated above. And he thought there was no one who could elevate such fallen Yir'os and sweeten and nullify such strong and harsh judgments. But Hashem, blessed be He, had compassion on His people and sent before them Mordechai and Esther, who had merited a very, very great supreme Yir'ah — to the point that they had the power through their crying out and their fasting to draw down the most supreme Yir'ah that Mashiach will draw into the world, which is the dimension of fragrance, the dimension of "and he shall smell in the Yir'ah of Hashem." This is the dimension of Mordechai and Esther — who are named for the wondrous fragrance, the dimension of "mor deror" (flowing myrrh), the primary spice — which is the head of all fragrances and spices in the anointing oil. And the essential good fragrance is the dimension of Yir'ah, the dimension of "and he shall smell in the Yir'ah of Hashem." And as is understood from the Torah "Tiku" (in Likutay Tinyana, Section 8). And Esther too was called Hadassah — on account of the good fragrance — in the dimension of "A woman who fears Hashem." Therefore with the anointing oil were sanctified all the works of the Mishkan and its vessels, and the Kohanim and kings and priestly garments — for all holiness is the dimension of Yir'ah, the dimension of "Fear Hashem, His holy ones," for all the workings of the Mishkan were all for the sake of drawing down this great Yir'ah described above. And from the immense power of the supremely exalted and wondrous Yir'ah that Mordechai merited, he had the power to nullify, break, and uproot the klipah (shell) of Haman-Amalek in every generation — meaning to nullify in every generation, in every person, and at all times, the force of the fallen Yir'os. And to draw upon each and every Jew an illumination from the most supreme Yir'ah described above — through which Yir'ah, Mashiach will come, and all will return to Hashem from wherever they are. For this Yir'ah is drawn through such a supremely elevated intelligence, from such a holy and exalted and awesome and sublime place, that it is impossible for it to be corrupted, God forbid, in any manner whatsoever. And this is the wondrous greatness of the powerful illumination that shines on Purim — unlike any other time, as is explained in the kavanos of Purim — see there in Pri Eitz Chaim — meaning that there flows then such a wondrous and supremely elevated illumination of Chochmah (wisdom) and intelligence, that Yir'ah reaches its most supreme perfection, and it illuminates every person in the world on every level — for Yir'ah depends on Da'as, as stated above. And this is the preparation for Pesach, which is the first of the Regalim (Pilgrimage Festivals) — which are days of Yir'ah, as explained elsewhere — that is, for receiving the Torah, for that is the essential purpose of the Exodus from Egypt. For "they reaccepted it (hadar kibluhah) in the days of Achashverosh," as it is written: "They fulfilled and accepted" etc. And all of it was through the power of the supremely exalted Yir'ah drawn from the dimension of Mashiach, which is the dimension of the illumination of Mordechai that is drawn on Purim — through which is the essential sustaining of the Torah, that they should no longer violate the Torah ever, in the dimension of "And so that His Yir'ah be upon your faces, so that you shall not sin," as stated above. And this is the great power of Purim joy — in the dimension of "Rejoice and tremble" — for the greater the Yir'ah, and the more it is drawn from a higher Da'as, the greater the joy. And this is the dimension of Krias HaMegillah (reading of the Megillah), which is in the dimension of Krias HaTorah (reading of the Torah), which is the dimension of Yir'ah — for one must stand during the reading in awe, Yir'ah, trembling, and trepidation, as at the time of Matan Torah (Giving of the Torah), as cited in all the books. And now we draw Yir'ah through a supremely elevated intelligence through the reading of the Megillah, which is the pirsumei nisa (publicizing of the miracle) — publicizing that one need not fear any person or anything in the world, but only Hashem alone, blessed be He. As we saw tangibly through the power of this awesome miracle — through the downfall of Haman and the greatness of Mordechai. And this is the dimension of "And many from the peoples of the land became Jews, for the dread of Mordechai fell upon them" — "the dread of Mordechai" specifically — the dimension of the highest Yir'ah as stated above. And therefore Esther reigned over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces — corresponding to the one hundred and twenty-seven years of Sarah our mother. For Sarah is in the dimension of Malchus — that she ruled (shara) over all the world — as our Sages z"l said (Berachos 13), in the dimension of "the fear of Kingship." For from her was born Yitzchak, who is "the Fear of Yitzchak" — whose birth is proclaimed on Rosh Hashanah, in order to draw down the great Yir'ah described above, as it is written: "And Hashem remembered (pakad) Sarah" etc. And therefore she lived one hundred and twenty-seven years: one hundred years corresponding to the one hundred berachos mentioned above — which are the one hundred Adanim mentioned above — which are the dimension of the one hundred "gates" of Yitzchak, as is known. And all one hundred berachos, which are the totality of all prayers, flow from speech (dibbur) — for the essential berachos and prayers are specifically through speech (dibbur). For speech is the dimension of Yir'ah, as explained elsewhere; and speech comprises twenty-seven letters. Therefore she lived one hundred and twenty-seven years — in the dimension of the hundred (me'ah) berachos drawn from the dibbur, which is the dimension of the twenty-seven letters from which all speech derives. And this is the dimension of the hundred and twenty-seven provinces over which Esther reigned — she who is Hadassah — she who is "a woman who fears Hashem, she shall be praised," as stated above. And therefore the Megillah begins by recounting the great extent of the wealth and greatness of the Kingdom of Achashverosh, as it is written: "When he displayed the wealth of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his majestic greatness" etc. For they wished to intensify the fallen Yir'os — meaning, to instill fear of the wicked kingdom, God forbid, which displays the power of its might in order that [people] should fear them alone and forget the fear of Hashem, God forbid. But Israel, the holy nation, not only do they not fall through this from Yir'as Hashem — on the contrary, through this very thing they strengthen themselves further and further in Yir'as Hashem very greatly. For through the power of the great Tzaddikim, Israel has the power to elevate all fallen Yir'os from all the places into which they have fallen — even if they have fallen and descended as low as they have fallen, as they have now descended in the force of this exile, where all power and greatness belongs to the nations and the wicked, and everyone fears their greatness. And Israel are despised and lowly, given over to be trampled — even so, we do not fall in our minds on account of this at all. On the contrary, we strengthen ourselves through this in the higher Yir'ah — to fear Hashem, blessed be He, before the splendor and glory of His Kingship, blessed be He — for we know that all their honor, greatness, dread, and fear all flow down from Him, blessed be He, and we must fear and be in dread only before the One Who gave them all that greatness and Yir'ah and fear. And we elevate everything to Hashem, blessed be He. Therefore it is a mitzvah for us to recount the greatness of the Kingdom of Achashverosh — which is the kingdom of wickedness — in order to know and discern from it, in infinite measure, the greatness of the Kingship of the Creator of the Universe, blessed be He, which is the Kingship of Mashiach who will come speedily in our days. As our Sages z"l said: "A person should always run even to meet the kings of the nations — so that if he merits [to see redemption], he will be able to distinguish [the greater glory of the redemption]" etc. And this is the dimension of "Fear Hashem, my son, and [also] the king; do not mingle with those who change." The verse warns that one must fear Hashem. And one must also fear the king — for Hashem, blessed be He, has given him greatness, and it is forbidden to rebel against the kingdom, and certainly one must fear him, for Yir'ah from above has clothed itself in him and fallen there. But one must know that when fearing before him, we fear none other than Hashem, blessed be He, Who granted him this power and Yir'ah. And this is "do not mingle with those who change" — those who alter the truth and say to fear him in himself — do not mingle with them, for this is great heresy. For one must fear only Hashem, blessed be He, Who gave him this sovereignty, as stated above. And this is the dimension of Parshas Parah (the Red Heifer) — which is the very force of Yir'ah and strict judgments. That is, through the Red Heifer the judgments are sweetened — which are the side of death — and the highest Yir'ah is drawn down, which is the dimension of life, the dimension of "Fear of Hashem adds days." And therefore it must be entirely red (adumah) and perfect (temimah) — for "wherever Yir'ah is found, there perfection is found," as it is said: "For there is no lack to those who fear Him," as is stated in the Holy Zohar (Yisro, page 79). And therefore its act is performed outside — to elevate all the fallen Yir'os of the world that have fallen to wherever they have fallen — which are dimensions of the side of death — and all of them are elevated and sweetened and nullified and purified through the mitzvah of Parah Adumah, whose act is performed specifically outside. For the Red Heifer is a wondrous and supremely exalted intelligence, as stated above, from which comes the most supreme Yir'ah. Of it, it is said: "I said I would become wise, but it is far from me." For only Mashiach will grasp this intelligence from which comes the supreme Yir'ah, as stated above. And this is the dimension of Parshas HaChodesh — for Yir'ah is the dimension of Malchus, which is the dimension of the moon (levanah), called by the letter Daled, for "she has nothing of her own" but only what she receives from the intellect, which is the Yud, etc. — and they become one, as explained at the beginning of the aforementioned Torah portion. And the Yud, which is the intellect, is the dimension of the sun (chamah) that illuminates the moon, which is the dimension of Daled, the dimension of Malchus, the dimension of Yir'ah. And when Yir'ah falls, God forbid, and fallen Yir'os prevail, God forbid — this is the dimension of the blemish of the moon. And through the mitzvah of Kiddush HaChodesh (sanctifying the new month), the blemish of the moon is repaired. And then is fulfilled: "The light of the moon shall be like the light of the sun" etc. And therefore [Kiddush HaChodesh] was entrusted only to the great [Sages] — for "this is your wisdom and understanding" — for it requires a great and wise Tzaddik to draw down the supernal intellect mentioned above, from which comes the most supreme Yir'ah. And therefore there are four (arba) Parashiyos — corresponding to the dimension of Yir'ah, which is called Daled [the Hebrew letter whose numerical value is four], as stated above. And this is the dimension of the four (arba) portions of Tefillin — which are the dimension of Yir'ah, as it is written: "And all the peoples of the earth shall see that the Name of Hashem is called upon you, and they shall fear you." The Holy One Blessed be He has nothing in His world but the treasure of Yir'as Shamayim (awe of Heaven) — these are the great Tzaddikim who are true fearers of Hashem, who are the treasure of Yir'as Shamayim. And all who attach themselves to them and to their students and to their students' students etc. — upon all of them is drawn true Yir'ah, flowing from the very high Yir'ah described above. [This section was transcribed from headings, and therefore is not arranged in full order.] The month of Adar is the last of the months, in the dimension of Yir'ah which is called "the end of the matter" — for Yir'ah, which is Malchus, is at the end and at the beginning, in the dimension of "the end of the deed, [which was] first in thought" — for from beginning to end the essence of all perfection is through Yir'ah. And even one who has fallen very greatly, God forbid, even one who has fallen to transgression, God forbid — he too requires great Yir'ah of Hashem, blessed be He, to strengthen himself in every point and point [of good] he still has, to save his soul from evil and draw himself toward some good. He must not dismiss himself [from hope] because he has already fallen so far. If so, he would think everything is permitted to him, God forbid — Heaven forbid such a thing in Israel! For "there is no darkness and no shadow of death where workers of iniquity hide" — for even in the deepest of depths one must fear Hashem very greatly, for His dominion is everywhere. And this is the dimension of "Be not excessively righteous, and do not make yourself overly wise" etc., "Be not excessively wicked" etc., "It is good that you grasp the one" etc. — "for one who fears G-d fulfills them all." That is, through Yir'ah, each person fulfills his obligation — whether a great Tzaddik or even one who has done what he has done — for all must fear Hashem. And through this they will return to Hashem. For the essential point is Yir'ah, in the dimension of "one who fears G-d fulfills them all," as stated above. And the essential Yir'ah is Yir'as HaOnesh (fear of punishment), as Rabbainu z"l explains — for Yir'as HaOnesh is the essential vehicle for elevating the fallen Yir'os. Once a person knows and believes that all the punishments he fears are from Him alone, blessed be He, and he fears Him, blessed be He — he thereby elevates the fallen Yir'os, from which all punishments derive, back to their root, since he believes that everything is from Him alone, blessed be He. Through this everything is sweetened, and he merits to return to Hashem, until he merits the highest Yir'ah described above — which comes through the heart's contemplation of His greatness and loftiness, blessed be He. And this is the great joy of Purim — in the dimension of "Extol Him who rides upon the clouds (aravos), in Yah is His Name, and exult before Him." For even Yir'as HaOnesh is joy and adds days — as is understood from the words of Rabbainu z"l in that teaching about Yir'as HaOnesh, which is the essential point. "Do you not fear Me, says Hashem? Do you not tremble before Me, Who placed the sand as the boundary of the sea — an eternal decree, and it shall not pass — and [the waves] toss but cannot prevail, and they roar but do not cross over it? And this people has a rebellious and defiant heart; they have turned away and gone. And they have not said in their hearts: Let us now fear Hashem our G-d" etc. (Yirmiyah 5). That is, the verse rebukes the children of Israel who have fallen greatly, and due to their falling they become yet more rebellious and defiant, as it is written there: "They turned away and went." And all this is because they imagine they have distanced themselves so far that hope is lost, as if everything were already permitted to them, God forbid, God forbid — as if, in their place, the fear of Hashem, blessed be He, no longer exists. Therefore He rebukes them and tells them: "Do you not fear Me" etc., "Who placed the sand as the boundary of the sea, and they toss but cannot prevail" etc. — meaning, even the roaring waves — which are the dimension of the strengthening of the Sitra Achra and the Klippos — He, blessed be He, sets a boundary so they cannot exceed the limit. Similarly, there is a boundary for every person in every place. As Rabbainu z"l said: in every place there is righteousness — for even in the midst of the Sitra Achra there is right and left etc. — see there and understand well. For Haman cast the Pur (lot) from day to day and from month to month, the twelfth [month] etc. — seeking to cause them to fall from day to day and from month to month until they would fall completely, God forbid — to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate, God forbid. For such is the way of the Evil Inclination — today it tells a person to do a small [sin] etc. — in the dimension of "one transgression leads to another," the dimension of "those who drag sin with ropes of falsehood" etc. And in truth, by the way of the Evil Inclination with people like these — who do not overpower it in their youth — certainly there would be no hope, God forbid — for most of the world, as it is written: "He who pampers his servant from childhood" etc. But Hashem, blessed be He, has compassion on His people Israel in every generation and "devises plans so that no one shall be banished from Him." As it is written: "The thoughts of His heart are for all generations" — and He sends help from above in wondrous ways through the great true Tzaddikim of the generation. And this is the dimension of Mordechai — who immediately sensed the intention of the Sitra Achra that is Haman, the dimension of "And Mordechai knew all that had transpired" — that he understood their intention to its very end. And he immediately began to rouse them to teshuvah — "he went through the city and cried out a great and bitter cry." And the essential nature of his crying out was that he was making known to Esther — who is the dimension of all Israel — that she should not yet despair of mercy, and should come before the King, even as she is far from Him, not having been summoned to Him for thirty days — which is the totality of a month, during which Israel must at least once present themselves before their Father in Heaven. But sometimes they distance themselves so greatly that they do not merit to come before Him even once a month, in the dimension of "And I was not summoned" etc. Even so, one must knock on the doors of mercy, perhaps He will have compassion, perhaps He will show mercy. And thus afterward Esther yielded to Mordechai and said: "And so I shall come to the King which is not according to law (lo cha-das)." And our Sages z"l interpreted: "not according to the law of Torah" — for I know in myself that according to Torah law I am certainly not fit to come before the King in prayer, knowing as I do my own sins and transgressions. Yet even so I shall come before Him not according to law — "and if I perish, I perish" — meaning: if, God forbid, my prayers and hitbodedus (personal prayer) before Him are now unacceptable because of the multitude of my corruptions — "I perish" (avadti) — through my evil deeds — well then "I perish" (avadti). Let Hashem, blessed be He, do with me as He wills; I will always hope and cry out to Hashem, blessed be He — perhaps He will have mercy. And then Hashem, blessed be He, had compassion on Mordechai and his people — "And the King extended to Esther the golden scepter." This is the secret of the illumination and drawing close from Hashem, blessed be He, that sometimes comes to the very lowly person, that even so Hashem, blessed be He, sends him an approach from afar — in the secret of the extension of the golden scepter, which by miracle stretched many cubits, as our Sages z"l expounded. And through this, Haman fell with an immense, immeasurable fall, and Mordechai rose and was elevated to the highest level of greatness. And he merited to draw this illumination in every year and year — so that even in the force of this exile, even though the nations' kingdoms rule over us (which are from the dimension of very fallen Yir'os) — even so, the illumination of Mordechai shall be drawn upon us, which is the illumination of the most supreme Yir'ah, so that each one may know that one should fear none other than Him, blessed be He, alone. And this is the greatest miracle of Purim — greater than all miracles, even those of the Exodus from Egypt etc., as it is cited — for in the Exodus from Egypt, Pharaoh was subjugated — that is, the fallen Yir'ah from which Pharaoh drew sustenance was nullified etc. But in the days of Achashverosh, when the wicked kingdom remained standing — and even so, they merited such wondrous Yir'ah and such a miracle — that is a wondrously novel thing. And through the power of this miracle, we exist now in this bitter exile — that even in the force of their dominion and fear — physically and spiritually — and the Evil Inclination and its forces seize many souls in exile, so to speak, and hold them as captives, God forbid — even so, even there, we know that one should fear no fear in the world but Him alone, blessed be He. And through this we come to great and mighty joy — the joy of Purim. And all this is only through the power of Mordechai and Esther, which is the dimension of the illumination of Mashiach, who draws even now such wondrous Yir'ah that each person, even in his [lowly] place, can remember Hashem and fear before Him alone, blessed be He. And this is the dimension of "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me" — that I fear no evil from any quarter, even in the valley of the shadow of death, but only from You alone. And this is my consolation and joy — for "Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me" — for even the fear of Divine punishment, which is the dimension of "Your rod," is joy, since one knows that everything is from Him, blessed be He, and certainly He will have mercy on me, and everything will turn to good. And this is the dimension of the secret of the extension of the golden scepter — for the scepter is the dimension of the royal scepter, which is the dimension of judgments, the dimension of royal fear (mora malchus). But it is a scepter of gold — for it is known that gold is the root of the judgments, which are from a very exalted level, and are more precious than silver, which is great kindness. That is, at the supernal root, judgment is more precious than kindness — for judgment and Yir'ah are a wondrous kindness, and specifically through it all judgments are sweetened, in the dimension of sweetening judgments at their root. This is the dimension of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy — which are in the dimension of the "hairs of the beard" (se'aros d'dikna), which are "difficult for crushing judgments," as is known in the Zohar and the Writings. And this is the dimension of the secret of the extension of the golden scepter — a wondrous drawing close that draws Da'as and wondrous illumination upon the very distant person. For it illuminates him from a very supreme Da'as — which is the dimension of the most supreme Yir'ah described above — so that this very distant person also merits Yir'ah with Da'as. That is, through Yir'ah he draws close to Hashem, blessed be He, and does not become more distant, God forbid, through this. For there are many people who, when they study books of mussar (ethical instruction) that speak of the severity of punishments of Gehinnom etc., become very frightened — but then the Adversary incites them and causes them to fall through this into even greater despondency than before, until sometimes they fall even more, God forbid; and some fall so far, God forbid, that they come to heresy, God forbid. And all this is because they have no Da'as from true Tzaddikim to revive themselves — and they imagine that they have already sunk so deeply into their ways, God forbid, that it is impossible for them to return, and therefore every time they encounter punishments [described in books] they fall lower in their own eyes yet more and more. And this is the dimension of the war of Amalek, as will be explained further. But Hashem, blessed be He, has compassion on His people and sends upon us an illumination through the Tzaddikim of the generation — from the dimension of the Yir'ah of Mashiach — that draws Yir'ah in such a supreme intelligence that it reaches its good purpose even for the lowest of the low. Even the most distant person will have true Da'as to discern the truth — that he too has hope, for His mercies, blessed be He, are very, very abundant. And therefore he certainly will not fall through Yir'as HaOnesh — on the contrary, from fear of punishment he will strengthen himself to find within himself good points, and to bring joy to himself through the fact that he is at least of the seed of Israel. And to draw upon himself vitality and joy in all the ways and counsels that Rabbainu z"l cautioned us about, as explained in his holy books. It turns out that specifically through Yir'as HaOnesh he will come to great joy — for Yir'as HaOnesh will compel him to fulfill the words of the true Tzaddikim, who caution the most lowly of the low very greatly to always strengthen himself in joy, according to the ways of their holy counsels. And this is the power of Purim joy — because then Yir'ah is drawn from the supremely exalted intelligence described above. And this is the dimension of the extension of the golden scepter — which is the dimension of drawing close through the most supreme Yir'ah, which is the dimension of the golden scepter, as stated above. And this is the dimension of the war of Amalek — for Amalek's essential strength comes at a time when Israel fall from Yir'ah, God forbid, in the dimension of "and you were faint and weary, and did not fear G-d." And then he wishes to frighten Israel with an evil Yir'ah, God forbid. And his war is both above and below, as stated in the Holy Zohar — that is, he wages war against Israel physically, and also inserts heresy into the heart so that they cannot elevate the fallen Yir'os to their root. For the fallen Yir'os are the dimension of judgments from which the Klippos and the Sitra Achra draw sustenance. And whoever merits to discern the truth — that all the fallen Yir'os are all from Hashem, blessed be He — and elevates everything to its root, to fear only Hashem from Whom all comes — then, on the contrary, he receives great benefit through these fallen Yir'os, for through them he returns to Hashem. But because these fallen Yir'os are the dimension of judgments from which the Sitra Achra draws sustenance, sometimes the Sitra Achra prevails and warps the heart of the person — so that he falls only into despondency through the fallen Yir'os and does not return to Hashem, blessed be He. And sometimes it prevails over him so much that he comes to heresy, God forbid. And this is the essential war of Amalek — who frightens the person with the forces of his wicked dominion. But through this it was possible to come to good — for through this they could return to Hashem in the dimension of "in distress I call to Hashem." But Amalek prevails to insert heresy into the heart — to attribute everything to nature, God forbid — so that they should not return to Hashem, God forbid. And through this he prevails yet more and more, and so it goes on and on, God forbid. And this is the dimension of "He attacked your rear, all the weak" etc., "and did not fear G-d" — for his essential strengthening is over those who do not fear G-d — that is, who do not elevate the fallen Yir'os to Hashem, blessed be He. And this itself comes from him — from the heresy that he inserted into their hearts. Therefore his subjugation comes through Moshe, who is Da'as — in the dimension of "And it was that when Moshe raised his hand" — when Israel look upward and elevate the Yir'os to their root etc. And this is the dimension of the immense joy of Purim — in the dimension of "Rejoice and tremble," the dimension of "In Yah is His Name, and exult before Him," the dimension of "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me" etc., "You set a table before me" etc., "my cup overflows" — the dimension of the intoxication of Purim, until one cannot tell the difference between "cursed is Haman" and "blessed is Mordechai" — between the service of Hashem out of fear of punishment (Yir'as HaOnesh), which is the dimension of "cursed is Haman," where one fears the curses in the Torah, God forbid — and the service of Hashem out of love and attachment, which is the dimension of "blessed is Mordechai." For even from Yir'as HaOnesh one is joyful and of good heart, since one believes that everything is from Hashem alone, blessed be He, and that everything is for good. For there are those who, due to Yir'as HaOnesh, fall into despondency, God forbid, and sometimes into heresy, God forbid — as is common among many people: when they sit over books of mussar that speak of the severity of the punishments, they come to despondency, God forbid etc., and they fall yet more, God forbid etc. And this was the intention of Haman — to cause Israel to fall, God forbid. But Mordechai is the dimension of such a supremely exalted and awesome intelligence that he can introduce Yir'as HaOnesh [into people] in such a way that they come to immense joy — through the depth of the counsels he gives to each person in the depths of his fall, so that he can find Hashem, blessed be He, and thereby be in joy. And this is the essential remedy. Therefore, at the end of the rebuke — which is Yir'as HaOnesh — it is written: "Because you did not serve Hashem your G-d with joy" etc. And understand this well — for this is the essential point: that one should not fall through Yir'as HaOnesh; rather, from fear of punishment one should strengthen oneself to fulfill the words of the true Tzaddikim, who warn the lowliest of the low to always be in joy in the good points that one still finds in oneself, as is explained on the verse "I will sing" etc. (Section 282). And this is the dimension of the great joy of Purim — which is drawn from the supremely exalted and awesome intelligence that is revealed on Purim, from which comes a wondrous Yir'ah that leads to great joy. For on all holy days a great Yir'ah is drawn according to the holiness of the day: on Shabbos — which is holier than all days — the Yir'ah illuminates greatly, in the dimension of "one who fears Shabbos" — meaning that on Shabbos Yir'ah comes with Da'as. For on weekdays, sometimes Yir'ah comes with foolishness, in the dimension of "Is your fear [of Hashem] not your folly?" (as explained in Likutay Tinyana, Section 17). And likewise all the Yamim Tovim are days of Yir'ah, as explained in Section 135 — for on Shabbos and Yom Tov great intellects (mochin) shine and then Yir'ah comes with great Da'as, which is the essence of perfection, as stated above. And this is the dimension of the joy of Shabbos and Yom Tov — for when Yir'ah comes with Da'as, great joy flows through it, in the dimension of "Rejoice and tremble." And conversely, through joy the freedom of Shabbos and Yom Tov is drawn, and through this Da'as is complete, and through this Yir'ah is elevated, as explained in Section 17 mentioned above. And on Purim such a great and wondrous Da'as is drawn that it illuminates downward into the dimension of Malchus, and this great and awesome light spreads in the dimension of Supernal Chochmah (wisdom) down to the very end of Asiyah (the world of action), as explained in the Writings. And through this, Yir'ah — which is the dimension of Malchus — illuminates with supremely wondrous Da'as, which is the Yir'ah of Mashiach, the dimension of "and he shall smell in the Yir'ah of Hashem," the dimension of Mordechai — "Rosh HaBesamim, Mor Deror" etc., as stated above — so that the Yir'ah illuminates and gives off a wondrous fragrance, reaching even the most distant people to revive them and bring them back to Hashem, blessed be He. For the greater the patient's illness, the greater the physician needed, and the more precious the medicines. As it is now at the end of the exile, when we have no vitality or hope except through the most supreme Yir'ah from Tzaddikim who are very, very lofty — who extend to all the distant ones an illumination and good fragrance from the most supreme Yir'ah described above. In the dimension of "To the scent of your good oils, your name is poured oil; therefore the maidens love you" — these are the dimension of the very distant ones, the dimension of converts and baalei teshuvah, as Rashi explains there: "Yisro came and converted, Rachav came and converted" — see there. And this is the dimension of "Sustain me with flasks [of wine], refresh me with apples, for I am lovesick." And Rashi explains: "Spread my bedding around me with apples for their fragrance, as is the custom of the sick" — for I am lovesick. That is, as stated above — that in the force of our weakness in this bitter exile, our essential vitality is through the good fragrance, which is the dimension of the illumination of the most supreme Yir'ah described above, drawn from Tzaddikim of very great stature, as stated above — which is the dimension of Mordechai, as stated above. And this is the dimension of Tefillin — which are very exalted intellects (mochin), and they are the dimension of Yir'ah, as it is written: "And all the peoples of the earth shall see that the Name of Hashem is called upon you, and they shall fear you." That is, as stated above — the dimension of Yir'ah with Da'as, which is the essence of perfection. And this is the dimension of the joy of Tefillin, as stated above. And this is [the meaning of] "For the Jews there was light and joy and gladness and honor" — these [refer to] Tefillin, as our Sages z"l said (Megillah 16) — for all the light, joy, and gladness of Purim is in the dimension of "honor" (yekar), in the dimension of Tefillin, which is Yir'ah with very great Da'as, which is the dimension of the force of Purim joy, as stated above. And this is the dimension of Mishloach Manos Ish L'Re'ehu (sending portions, each man to his fellow) and Matanos La'evyonim (gifts to the poor). As is understood from the kavanos: "Ish" (man) is a very high dimension, and "Re'ehu" (his fellow) is a much lower dimension than he. But when the higher dimension called "Ish" descends into the world to the lower level, that lower level is then called his "Re'ehu" (fellow) — the dimension of "a man drew off his shoe and gave it to his fellow" — see there. That is, on Purim such a wondrous illumination and wondrous kindness is drawn that all the high levels illuminate the very low levels as if they were equal — in the dimension of Ish and Re'ehu. This is the dimension of "And each man asked his fellow of their welfare" — said of Moshe and Yisro — and our Sages z"l said: "Who is called 'Ish'? This is Moshe." And how far apart were they! Moshe received the Torah from the Almighty, and Yisro had converted from a very distant and impure place — for he had not left a single idol that he had not worshipped — particularly at the time when he came to Moshe, when he had not yet converted, but only wanted to convert. And even so they are called Ish and Re'ehu — for such is the way of the great and lofty Tzaddik who is in the dimension of Moshe: he lowers himself and draws himself so close to one who has some will to come near to truth, that he draws himself to him as if he were literally his companion — as if they were Ish and Re'ehu. And this is the secret of Mishloach Manos Ish L'Re'ehu — for the Manos (portions) of Purim, which are kinds of food and the meal of Purim, are in the dimension of Yir'ah — for the essential Yir'ah is revealed at the time of eating, as stated above. This is the great value of the Purim seudah (feast), which is exceedingly precious — because then a wondrous Yir'ah illuminates greatly. And the essential drawing of Yir'ah is at the time of eating and feasting, in the dimension of "At the time of the eating, come here" — as cited in Likutay Tinyana. And these holy foods of Purim are in the dimension of Yir'ah and wondrous Da'as. Therefore they are called Manos — in the dimension of the Manna (Man) that Israel ate in the desert, which was wondrous Da'as, the dimension of holy Yir'ah, the dimension of "The Torah was given only to those who ate the Manna." Therefore they were very strictly warned about the Manna — to have bitachon (trust in Hashem) and not to leave any of it until morning — for lack of bitachon is a blemish of Yir'ah, the dimension of fallen Yir'ah, where one worries and fears what he will eat tomorrow. But one who fears Hashem trusts in Him, blessed be He, and does not worry at all about the next day — in the dimension of "Fear Hashem, His holy ones, for there is no lack to those who fear Him." And similarly it is written in the Sefer HaAleph-Beis that Yir'ah and bitachon are one and the same bechina — see there. It turns out that eating the Manna — which is the dimension of bitachon — is the dimension of Yir'ah. And this is the dimension of the foods of Purim which are called Manos — the dimension of Man (Manna) — the dimension of Yir'ah and bitachon, as stated above. And these Manos one must send each man to his fellow — in order to draw and illuminate through this the illumination of Purim, so that all the very high levels send the illumination of the highest Yir'ah of Purim to all the very low levels. For now, from the great joy, it is as if all are equal, and they are called Ish and Re'ehu, as stated above. And this is the dimension of Matanos La'evyonim (gifts to the poor) — and "anyone who extends his hand to take, one gives to him," without examining at all. For there are dimensions that are so very low that even on Purim it is impossible to call them by the name "Re'ehu" (fellow), due to the immensity of their distance and their extreme descent. Even upon them one must have compassion and bestow upon them the highest Yir'ah described above — in the dimension of Matanos La'evyonim. For then, anyone who extends his hand to take — one gives. Anyone who wishes to receive Yir'ah — one illuminates them from the illumination of Purim, which is the illumination of the most supreme Yir'ah, shining with a good and wondrous fragrance to all the very, very low levels, as stated above. For the essential poverty is from [lack of] Da'as, as our Sages z"l said (Nedarim 41): "There is none poorer than one who lacks Da'as." And therefore the poor person is in the dimension of fallen Yir'os most of all — for everything rules over him, and he fears everything. For the wealthy person is in the dimension of Malchus before him. And therefore the verse warns: "Do not fear when a man becomes rich." For it is the nature of the world to fear the wealthy person, who is in the dimension of Malchus, the dimension of royal fear (mora malchus). And the poor person is persecuted and fears everything. And this is the essential mitzvah of tzedakah (charity) and gemillas chasadim (acts of loving-kindness) — that one must have very great compassion on the poor person, giving him tzedakah with a pleasant countenance, without frightening him, without shouting at him, without pressuring him etc., as explained in the Torah and in the words of our Sages z"l. That is, so as not to intensify the fallen Yir'os over him, God forbid. Rather, on the contrary, one must have compassion on him and elevate him and extract him from there through the tzedakah one gives him with a pleasant countenance. But always one must be careful to whom to give — for there are wicked people whom it is forbidden to pity. But on Purim, from the great illumination of the most supreme Yir'ah described above, anyone who extends his hand to take — one gives. Anyone who wants to receive Yir'ah — one illuminates him from the illumination of Purim, which is the illumination of the most supreme Yir'ah, illuminating with a good and wondrous fragrance to all the very, very low levels, as stated above. And this is the dimension of the intoxication of Purim — for then the drinking must exceed the eating, as cited in the kavanos — for wine is the dimension of holy Gevuros (strengths), the dimension of the highest Yir'ah described above, which is the very essence of song and joy — in the dimension of "Song is not said except over wine, which makes G-d and men happy." For wine has two aspects: if one merits, he becomes Rosh (a leader); if one does not merit, he becomes Rash (poor). "Rash" — that is, poverty and destitution — the dimension of "poor in Da'as," the dimension of fallen Yir'os, as stated above. But if one merits — "Rosh" — the dimension of great intellect (mochin) and Da'as, which is the dimension of the highest Yir'ah described above. This is the essential dimension of wine — in the dimension of the Kos shel Berachah (Cup of Blessing), which is the dimension of Malchus, the dimension of royal fear. Therefore on Purim, when wondrous Yir'ah illuminates greatly as stated above, it is a mitzvah to increase the drinking of wine that brings joy — which is the dimension of the highest Yir'ah described above. And this is "until one cannot tell the difference between 'cursed is Haman' and 'blessed is Mordechai.'" And it is stated in the kavanos — in order to be able to send some illumination even to the spark within the Klippos etc. — see there. That is, as stated above: on Purim the wondrous Yir'ah illuminates even to the most distant sparks — even those lodged in the deepest depths of the Klippos — to them too one sends the good and wondrous fragrance of the most supreme Yir'ah described above, in order to revive them and return them as well. For He, blessed be He, "devises plans so that no one shall be banished from Him," as is known. And this is the dimension of Shekalim — through which the very miracle of Purim came about, as our Sages z"l said: "Wicked one! Their [the Jews'] Shekalim have already preceded yours!" For Shekalim are the dimension of tzedakah, of which it is said: "The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less" — in the dimension of "nor did the poor man hear rebuke," said regarding the Shekalim, as Rashi explains there. That is, the opposite of the fallen Yir'os — where the wealthy person is arrogant over the poor person and frightens him and rebukes him. But through the mitzvah of Shekalim, the dimension of poverty — the dimension of fallen Yir'os — is elevated and repaired, in the dimension of "nor did the poor man hear rebuke." For Shekalim are for the needs of the Mishkan and communal sacrifices — through which the essential elevation of Yir'ah to its root [is accomplished] — for in the Mishkan and Beis HaMikdash the essential Yir'ah resides, as stated above. And this is what our Sages z"l relate — that Mordechai asked a young child (yannuka): "Tell me your [Torah] verse." He said to him: "Do not fear sudden panic" etc. — that is, as stated above. For the essential miracle of Purim — the illumination of Mordechai — is to nullify the evil Yir'ah, to elevate all the fallen Yir'os to their root, as stated above. And this is the dimension of "Do not fear sudden panic" — one need not fear any fear but Hashem alone, blessed be He, as stated above. In the dimension of "Behold, G-d is my salvation; I will trust and not fear, for my strength and song is G-d, Hashem" — and its Aramaic translation: "d'chilah" (which means awe/fear). "And He became my salvation" — that is, the Yir'as Hashem is my salvation — for through Yir'as Hashem all the [fallen] fears — which are fallen Yir'os — are nullified. For one elevates all Yir'os to their root, as stated above. And this is what our Sages z"l asked: "Why do we not say Hallel on Purim?" etc. — "we are still servants of Achashverosh!" And another reason: "Its reading (of the Megillah), this is the Hallel!" Both reasons are one and the same — for this is the essential wondrous miracle of Purim: that even though the wicked kingdom was not yet annulled — which is the dimension of the kingdom of Achashverosh — and "we are still servants of Achashverosh" — even so, Hashem, blessed be He, had compassion on us with the great power of His awesome deeds and performed for us such an awesome miracle that is greater than all miracles. And in this we see the immensity of His kindness and compassion — still upon us in every generation, even in this long exile — for even though the kings of the nations rule over us, even so "His kingdom rules over all," and He, blessed be He, rules over everything, and even now His salvation and kindness are upon us, drawing and illuminating upon us wondrous Yir'ah through the great Tzaddikim, as stated above. This is the dimension of the promise: "And yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I have not rejected them" etc. And therefore we do not say Hallel on Purim — for Hallel is the dimension of the nullification of the wicked kingdom, the dimension of "Praise, servants of Hashem" and not servants of Pharaoh. And this is not applicable on Purim, for "we are still servants of Achashverosh" — for the wicked kingdom of Achashverosh was not then annulled. But in truth this is the essential power of the miracle, as stated above. And through this is the essential sustaining of our existence in this bitter exile. And all the holiness of Pesach and the Three Festivals — which are the dimension of the nullification of the wicked kingdom, the dimension of "servants of Hashem and not servants of Pharaoh" — all this holiness we could not draw upon ourselves now in this exile, when the kings of the nations rule over us, were it not specifically through the power of the miracle of Purim, which reveals to us that even now in this exile "His kingdom rules over all." Therefore Purim is the preparation for Pesach, as explained in Likutay Tinyana, Section 74. And all the Hallel that we say on all the Holidays — if not for the reading of the Megillah, we would not have had the power to draw upon ourselves the holiness of the illumination and intellects of the Holidays, which is the dimension of Hallel. Therefore: "Its reading, this is the Hallel" — for all the Hallel in the world — which is the dimension of the holiness of the Regalim — all of it is through Krias HaMegillah (reading of the Megillah), which publicizes the power of the miracle of Purim, as stated above. And therefore work is permitted [on Purim] — for there we draw the holiness of Yir'ah even during servitude, which is the essential rectification. And this is the essential miracle of Purim. And through this will come the essential complete redemption of Mashiach, speedily in our days — through our drawing His Kingship and Yir'ah upon ourselves even in our servitude, even in the force of our exile — physically and spiritually. Therefore all the Festivals are in memory of the Exodus from Egypt — which was a wondrous and awesome miracle — but the final redemption will be far greater than the Exodus from Egypt, times upon times, thousands and tens of thousands of times, until the Exodus from Egypt will be secondary to it, as our Sages z"l stated — and therefore "It shall no longer be said: 'As Hashem lives, Who brought up the children of Israel'" etc. As our Sages z"l said: "not that it will be uprooted" etc., "but rather" etc. But the miracle of Purim is in the dimension of the final redemption — for we merit to draw His great Yir'ah upon us even in the force of this exile — which cannot be drawn except through an illumination from the final redemption, from the dimension of Mashiach, as stated above. Therefore in truth they reaccepted the Torah anew [on Purim], as our Sages z"l said: "They re-accepted it in the days of Achashverosh" — so that we should merit to fulfill the Torah even now in the days of exile. For all the fulfillment is only through the miracle of Purim, as stated above. And this is "its reading, this is the Hallel" — for all the Hallel in the world — which is the dimension of the holiness of the Regalim — all of it is through Krias HaMegillah, which publicizes the power of the miracle of Purim, as stated above. And now we can explain a wondrous and deeply perplexing Midrash — it is a Mechilta, cited in Sefer Maamar Mordechai. And this is its text: "At the hour that the Holy One Blessed be He said [the verse] 'alone he came (b'gapo yavo) and alone he shall leave (b'gapo yetzei)' — the ministering angels said before Him: Master of the Universe, if so, why did You command to erase the memory of Amalek? And if you say it is just (ka-din) — why then did Adam the First have relations with every beast, animal, and bird? And if you say it is just (ka-din) — why did You command to bring the Bikurim (first fruits)?' Until here are the words of the Midrash — and it is an extraordinarily deep and sublime perplexity. But based on what has been said above, we can explain it correctly, by the kindness of Hashem. For this is a great principle explained above: that Hashem, blessed be He, "devises plans so that no one shall be banished from Him." And even the sparks in the deepest depths of the Klippos — which fell there through their evil deeds — Hashem, blessed be He, devises plans for them to illuminate upon them an illumination and good fragrance from the most supreme Yir'ah described above, in order to return them to holiness. This is the dimension of the illumination of Mordechai etc., as stated above. And Amalek is the impurity (zuhama) of the Nachash (primordial serpent) that was drawn through the sin of Adam the First — which is the dimension of servitude — the dimension of the thirty-nine curses that were then decreed, which are the dimension of "Cursed is the ground" etc., "in toil shall you eat it," "by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread" etc. — which is the dimension of the wearying, arduous, and distressing labor of livelihood, which is the dimension of servitude — and this comes from the lack of bitachon, which is the dimension of fallen Yir'ah — fearing and worrying about what to eat tomorrow etc., as stated above. And this is the dimension of Amalek, who is the essential [driver of] servitude — for he is from the seed of Esav, of whom it is said: "The elder shall serve the younger" etc. and "your brother you shall serve" etc. It turns out that servitude is fallen Yir'ah — the dimension of the impurity of the Nachash — the dimension of Amalek. And this is what the angels asked: "At the hour when the Holy One Blessed be He said 'b'gapo yavo, b'gapo yetzei'" — [the verse dealing with the Hebrew bondsman] — "if so, why did You command to erase the memory of Amalek?" For in this verse b'gapo yavo we see the immensity of His compassion, blessed be He, even upon those who have fallen to utter servitude — for one who sold himself into complete slavery has sinned very, very greatly, and has been drawn very greatly after the impurity of the Nachash, which is the dimension of servitude, as stated above. For he sold himself into complete slavery — and as explained in the words of our Sages z"l, the great blemish of the slave is very great: as our Sages z"l said: "An ear that heard at Sinai 'For the children of Israel are servants to Me'" etc., "and went and acquired a master for himself" etc. For the essential purpose of the Exodus from Egypt was to rectify the sin of Adam the First, as is known — to emerge from the dimension of servitude, which is the impurity of the Nachash, to the dimension of freedom, which is acceptance of the yoke of Torah — for that is the essential freedom, as our Sages z"l expounded on the verse "engraved on the tablets (charut)" — "do not read charut but cherus (freedom)" etc. For every person — the more he accepts upon himself the yoke of livelihood [as primary] — the more he is drawn after the hold of the impurity of the Nachash, God forbid. And everything is commensurate with how much he descends into the toils, servitude, and troubles of this world. Therefore our Sages z"l warned: "Reduce business and engage in Torah; make your Torah study primary and your occupation secondary — for there is no free person except one who engages in Torah." Therefore one who sold himself into complete slavery, God protect us — he is drawn very greatly toward the very force of the impurity of the Nachash — since he sold himself into complete slavery. And he has blemished the entire Torah — which is contingent upon the Exodus from Egypt where we went from slavery to freedom — as it is written: "I am Hashem your G-d who brought you out" etc. And this one sold himself into complete slavery — and from the great depth of his descent, which was so extreme in servitude, the Torah permitted his master to give him a Canaanite maidservant to bear children [through her — as is detailed in the halacha]. And this is ostensibly very surprising and difficult — how could a son of Israel be permitted with a maidservant? For this is a very, very severe sin, as our Sages z"l explained at great length about the immensity of this transgression beyond measure, God protect us, and they said that Avraham Avinu takes all Jews out of Gehinnom — except for one who cohabited with a non-Jewish woman etc., God protect us. But through this we see the immensity of his descent and fall — that he who was sold as a slave descended so far into complete servitude that cohabitation with a maidservant was permitted, to father Canaanite slaves for his masters — as it is written: "for he is worth double a hired laborer in his service to you," as our Sages z"l explained. And if so, since he descended so far into servitude — which is the impurity of the Nachash and fallen Yir'ah — and since cohabitation with a maidservant was permitted (she being the very essence of evil and fallen Yir'ah, since guarding the covenant is holy Yir'ah — for there is the essential Yir'ah and shame, where one must fear and be ashamed before the Master of all the earth not to blemish even in what is permitted, God forbid, all the more so in any hint of the forbidden, God forbid) — this is the dimension of Bereishis (Bris Aish — covenant of fire), Bereishis — one who fears shame (yara boshet) — for there is the essential Yir'ah, as explained in many places in the words of Admo"r z"l. And this is the dimension of Yosef — who guarded the covenant, of whom it is said: "I fear G-d" etc. And one who merits to unite with his spouse in holiness and purity — through this is the essential Yir'ah. For the worthy daughter of Israel is called "a woman who fears Hashem" — through this is the essential Yir'ah. And the opposite, God protect us — especially blemish with a niddah, maidservant, non-Jewess, or harlot — which are the very essence of brazenness, the exact opposite of "a woman who fears Hashem" — certainly one falls into the force of very evil Yir'ah, which is the side of death, the dimension of "her feet descend to death," God protect us. Even though this slave descended so far — if someone were to say that he is therefore completely ownerless [spiritually] and has no hope — it is not so! For we see the immensity of His compassion, blessed be He — vast and immeasurable — that even for the slave there are many, many laws and warnings in the Torah, to have compassion on him greatly and not to abandon him completely, God forbid. And this we see from what the Torah warns: "b'gapo yavo b'gapo yetzei." And our Sages z"l cite Rashi — that if he has no wife, it is forbidden to give him a Canaanite maidservant. Only if he already has a wife — then: "if his master gives him a wife" — the master is permitted to give him a Canaanite maidservant. And this ostensibly seems very surprising and logically backwards. But in truth, the ways of Hashem, blessed be He, are very sublime. What we can find in them [some rationale] according to the words of our Sages z"l — we are obligated to labor and find it, even though it is impossible to fully reach its inner meaning. That is: even though he fell into complete servitude — even so, Hashem, blessed be He, still devises [plans] for him not to be completely cast away, God forbid. Therefore a maidservant was not permitted except when he has a proper Jewish wife. For then, even if he takes a maidservant, he has hope for rectification — since he has already connected with holiness through his proper spouse. For it is known that the essential rectification of the distant ones is through the children they beget in kashrus from a [proper Jewish] daughter of Israel. And therefore even though he takes a maidservant, he has hope — for he already has a bond and connection to Yir'as Hashem through his marriage to a daughter of Israel, who is from the dimension of "a woman who fears Hashem," as stated above. But if "b'gapo yavo b'gapo yetzei" — that is, if he has no Jewish wife — b'gapo yetzei — it is forbidden to give him a maidservant. For he would have been lost completely — since he has not yet merited to the dimension of "a woman who fears Hashem," which is a daughter of Israel. If he had taken a maidservant, which is the very opposite, he would be lost completely. Therefore, "b'gapo yavo b'gapo yetzei" — and it is forbidden to give him a maidservant — even though he has fallen into servitude, which is the impurity of the Nachash, the dimension of Amalek, as stated above. And therefore the angels asked: "At the hour when the Holy One Blessed be He said 'b'gapo yavo b'gapo yetzei' — if so, why did You command to erase the memory of Amalek?" For behold, we see Your compassion even upon one who falls into complete servitude, which is the impurity of the Nachash — the dimension of Amalek — and even so Your compassion reaches there as well; and You devise plans so that he too not be completely cast away, as stated above. If so, why did You command to erase the memory of Amalek — to erase his memory entirely? Could You not have found a rectification for him as well? "And if you say it is just (ka-din)" — that Amalek is worse than the slave — for Amalek is the impurity of the Nachash to a greater degree, the very essence of animal lusts — for the Amalekites likened themselves to animals, as Rashi explains in Shmuel on the verse "from ox to sheep" — see there — for they are in the dimension of literal animals, which is a blemish of Da'as and fallen Yir'ah, as stated above. "If so, why did Adam the First have relations with every beast, animal, and bird?" — and through this we see that even the sparks in the animals, beasts, and birds will have rectification. And therefore He, blessed be He, arranged that before Da'as was given to Adam the First, he had relations with every beast, animal, and bird — in order to elevate the sparks even from there. And if so, we see that even the sparks within the literal animals, beasts, and birds — Hashem, blessed be He, devises plans for them, that they should be clarified and refined. And the question returns to its place: why did You command to erase the memory of Amalek? You should have found a rectification for him as well. "And if you say it is just" — that what Adam the First did with the animals etc. — that was before the giving of Da'as to Adam the First, before the impurity of the Nachash came into the world, since this was before Chavah was joined to him — and certainly this was before the eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. But Amalek comes from the very impurity of the Nachash, drawn after the sin — and it is impossible for him to be rectified. "If so, why did You command to bring the Bikurim?" — for the Bikurim are brought to rectify the sin of Adam the First, who blemished the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. And the Bikurim are a wondrous novelty — for it is written: "For all leaven and all honey you shall not cause to go up in smoke as a fire-offering to Hashem — as a first-fruits offering you may offer them." And Rashi explains: "What is there for you to bring from leaven and from honey" etc. — "and Bikurim from honey" etc.? For honey alludes to the desires of this world, which seem sweet as honey at first but whose end is bitter as wormwood etc. And the essence of all desires is the desire for sexual relations — which is the collective evil — for "honey" (dvash) has the same numerical value as "woman" (ishah), as is cited. And there one must strengthen himself most to break the desire — by looking toward the end, for its end is bitter as wormwood, God protect us. Therefore when Shimshon went to marry a woman from the daughters of the Philistines, he found honey in the carcass of the lion, and he posed the riddle: "From the strong came sweetness; what is stronger than a lion, and what is sweeter than honey?" — for he had to clarify and rectify the sweetness of honey that was drawn from the force of Gevuros (strengths), in the dimension of "what is stronger than a lion, and what is sweeter than honey?" — and there is the essential battle, to be a warrior who conquers his inclination. Therefore the Torah commanded that honey not be offered on the Altar — for the sweetness of the dimension of honey is not fit for sacrifice, for from there come all the desires, God protect us — which are the dimension of the impurity of the Nachash. And even so, the Karban Reishis (first offering), which is Bikurim, is brought from honey, as stated above — for Bikurim are such a great rectification of the sin of Adam the First that it is possible through them to rectify even the sweetness of honey, where the essential hold of the impurity of the Nachash resides, as stated above. For Bikurim are brought on Shavuos, which is the time of Matan Toraseinu (Giving of our Torah) — which is called "the day of the Bikurim (Yom HaBikurim)." And at the time of Matan Torah, the impurity of the Nachash ceased — for they then merited the highest Yir'ah, and elevated all the fallen Yir'os, which are the dimension of judgments from which the hold of the impurity of the Nachash derives, as stated above. And therefore at that time it is possible to clarify, elevate, and rectify even the sweetness of honey — from which the sin of Adam the First derived, the essential impurity of the Nachash, which is the dimension of Amalek. And this is what the question poses: "If you say it is just (ka-din)" — that it is impossible to rectify the dimension of Amalek, who is the essential impurity of the Nachash drawn after the sin — "if so, why did You command to bring the Bikurim?" — for through this we see that even the essential hold of the impurity of the Nachash can be rectified, to the point that even the honey ascends to the Beis HaMikdash. And if so, Amalek too should have been given a rectification — why did You command to erase his memory? It turns out that the connection of the Midrash is well explained. But certainly, the ways of Hashem are just — it is only that we cannot understand them — for this is the essential nature of the ways of Hashem, that they cannot be understood. And therefore when bringing the Bikurim, one must make vidui (confession) and recall the kindnesses of Hashem and His wonders toward us, His treasured people, whom He chose from all the nations etc. And this is what is said in the Vidui Bikurim: "An Aramean (Lavan) sought to destroy my father, and he went down to Egypt." And our Sages z"l interpreted: "Lavan sought to uproot everything" — Lavan is Bilam, who is in the dimension of Amalek, as is known — for they are the essential impurity of the Nachash. They seek to uproot Israel completely, God forbid — to prevail over each and every one through very evil desires drawn from the impurity of the Nachash — and to uproot them completely, God forbid, God forbid. But Hashem did not abandon us into his hand, and He hastened to have compassion on us by giving us the Torah, which rectifies everything. And this is the dimension of Bikurim — which is the rectification of the sin of Adam the First — to drive out and eliminate the impurity of the Nachash, the dimension of Lavan and Amalek from Israel, whose hold is in the dimension of the sweetness of honey, as stated above. For through Bikurim brought from honey, all this is rectified, as stated above. And therefore in the Vidui Bikurim one must mention "An Aramean sought to destroy my father" — that he is Lavan — the dimension of Amalek — who are the essential impurity of the Nachash. For through Bikurim, all this is rectified — and one merits to uproot and erase the memory of Amalek — the dimension of Lavan the Aramean — and to merit the holiness of Israel, the holiness of the Torah that we received on Shavuos, which is Yom HaBikurim, as stated above. [Pertaining to above — on the matter of what we wrote there: that one must be very careful to receive Yir'ah for life and not for death etc.] For sometimes, when a person sees matters of mussar in the books of the G-d-fearing, or when he hears rebuke and mussar from some distinguished person, he falls further and further in his mind — because he hears of the great severity of the punishment of sin, and how far a tiny blemish extends, and even of desires that are not outright prohibition etc. — and he knows in himself that he has blemished very greatly. All the more so one who knows in himself that he has sinned and transgressed in actual transgressions, God protect us. In particular, there are people who have sinned greatly, God protect us — and then it can happen that the more they see or hear mussar, the more they fall in their minds, as stated above. And this is the dimension of evil Yir'ah from which one must flee greatly — for one must receive Yir'as Hashem only for life and not for death, God forbid — that is, to draw oneself close to Hashem, blessed be He, through Yir'ah and mussar, and not to distance oneself, God forbid. And now Hashem illumined my eyes and I found this matter stated explicitly in a verse in Mishlei (19), and this is the text of the verse: "Cease, my son, to listen to mussar, to stray from words of Da'as." And the verse is ostensibly very puzzling. Therefore Rashi z"l was indeed strained in his explanation, writing that it is a concise verse etc. But now the explanation of the verse according to its plain meaning is well clear — for the verse warns the person to prevent and cease himself from hearing mussar and rebuke that harm him, which cause him to stray from words of Da'as — that is, as stated above, through which the mussar and rebuke cause him to fall further in his mind until, God forbid, he strays from words of Da'as through this. One must cease and prevent himself from this — for one must receive Torah and mussar only for life and not for death, as stated above. Afterward I found in the Metzudos Dovid that he explains the verse in a similar vein — see there. And already I have said pleasing words of this matter to many young men who want to draw close to Hashem, blessed be He — and most of the time they fall in their minds due to the matter described above, for they hear or read in holy books how severe they [the holy books] are regarding even the slightest blemish. And I said to them: Know that everything written in the holy Sefer Reishis Chochmah and in other books of mussar regarding matters of great holiness and purity — the intention is not that you should not be proper people; rather, the intention is so that you should be proper people. That is, their intention is to draw close and not to distance — for they warn Israel to distance themselves even from the slightest blemish, since that is certainly how an Israelite person should conduct himself according to the great depth of his holiness from his root. But even so, certainly their intention is not, God forbid, that one who has not succeeded in this and has blemished what he has blemished, God forbid, should therefore distance himself further and fall in his mind yet more, God forbid — for King Shlomo, peace be upon him, already warned: "Do not be excessively wicked" — as our Sages z"l said: "One who ate garlic and his breath smells — should he go back and eat more garlic?" etc. And already explained in many Torah portions and precious conversations of Admo"r z"l — great and awesome teachings — how a person must revive himself and strengthen himself at all times, always, whatever may be. And the general principle: in every single word of Torah, in every matter and every subject, there is the dimension of "the righteous shall walk in them and transgressors shall stumble in them" — the dimension of "if one merits, it becomes for him a life-potion; if one does not merit, it becomes for him a death-potion." Therefore one must be very careful not to receive Yir'ah and mussar for evil, God forbid — only for good: that from the very greatness of Yir'ah, one should strengthen himself to fulfill the words of Rabbainu z"l, who warned us to believe in His kindness and goodness, blessed be He, which is never interrupted — and to strengthen oneself at all times anew in everything one can do. As explained in our words — many holy and awesome conversations on this matter — go and study them, and you will find, blessed are you if you hold fast to them. [Note: Section 28 is missing from the source text — the numbering jumps from 27 to 29. This appears to be a lacuna in the original printed text.] And this is what is stated in the Holy Zohar — that Purim is in the dimension of Yom Kippur — see there. That is, as stated above: for Purim draws the most supreme Yir'ah described above — which Moshe began to draw during the final forty days, which were completed on Yom Kippur. For the essential completion of the rectification of the final forty days was during the Ten Days of Teshuvah from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur — which are the Yamim Nora'im (Days of Awe) — for during them the most supreme Yir'ah described above is drawn, which is the dimension of Mashiach, the dimension of "and he shall smell in the Yir'ah of Hashem," the dimension of Mordechai — "Rosh HaBesamim, Mor Deror" etc. — so that from the immensity of the power of the holy fragrance of this supreme Yir'ah, the fragrance of the holy Yir'ah reaches even all the most distant ones. For fragrance can reach from a great distance and revive and restore very faint souls that cannot be revived by any food or drink — but through wondrous fragrances one can revive and restore even such souls. And the essential holy fragrance is this most supreme Yir'ah described above. And this is what we request on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: "And so, bestow Your dread, Hashem, upon all Your works, and Your awe upon all that You have created" etc. — "upon all Your works" specifically, "upon all that You have created" specifically — meaning, that His dread, awe, and Yir'ah should be drawn upon all the creations and creatures, so that the fragrance of Yir'ah reaches all of them, until all shall fear Hashem in the dimension of "All the earth shall fear Hashem; all the inhabitants of the world shall dread Him." And this wondrous Yir'ah of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur — we begin to draw it upon ourselves before Pesach, which is the head of the Regalim, the beginning of the receiving of the Torah on Shavuos, which was [received] in great Yir'ah and awe. And now we hasten to draw such wondrous Yir'ah upon ourselves on Purim and the Arba Parashiyos before Pesach. But this wondrous Yir'ah of Purim is drawn upon us through such wondrous intelligence from the very lofty Tzaddikim, that the Yir'ah is very hidden — and what is seen and manifested is only the immense force of the joy of Yir'ah — for this is the essential wholeness of the rectification of Yir'ah: when one is careful not to come through Yir'ah and fear to despondency, God forbid — so that one not fall through this further, God forbid. Rather, through Yir'ah one strengthens himself in great joy in Hashem, being confident in His abundant kindness that everything will be rectified and turn to good, as stated above. It turns out that in truth, Purim and Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are one and the same bechina — to draw the most supreme Yir'ah described above, which is itself the very joy, as stated above. Only that on Rosh Hashanah the essential manifestation is the Yir'ah — and even then one must rejoice, as it is written about Rosh Hashanah: "Eat rich foods and drink sweet things and send portions" — in the dimension of Mishloach Manos, in the dimension of the joy of Purim — "and do not be grieved, for the joy of Hashem is your strength." For this is the essential warning that Nechemyah gave them then — when he saw that great Yir'ah and dread fell upon them when they read the Torah before them, because they saw in themselves how greatly they had transgressed at that time, nearly the entire Torah — for they had stumbled with foreign women. Therefore he told them: even though you did what you did, and now Yir'ah has fallen upon you and you have been aroused to teshuvah — you must be very, very careful about despondency. "Do not be grieved — for the joy of Hashem is your strength." For Hashem, blessed be He, strengthens us with joy and gladness wherever we are. As Rabbainu z"l said — that even if a person is as he is, as soon as he arouses himself to return to Hashem, blessed be He — immediately, despondency is a great transgression, God forbid. Therefore, even on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur one must strengthen oneself to be in joy, as stated above. And similarly on Purim — where the essential manifestation is the wondrous and mighty joy of the Yir'ah, in the dimension of "Rejoice and tremble," the dimension of "In Yah is His Name and exult before Him" — and certainly on Purim as well one needs great Yir'ah, which is the essential illumination of Mordechai — "Rosh HaBesamim" etc., as stated above. Only that the essential manifestation on Purim is the immense joy — for this is the essence of the wondrous and awesome miracle and the great illumination of Purim, which is not found at any other time, not even on Shabbos or Yom Tov. That is, what is drawn through the wondrous Yir'ah — a great and mighty joy, so that each person in his place rejoices in Hashem and in His very abundant mercies — and this is drawn from supremely exalted Chochmah and intelligence that illuminates on Purim below in the dimension of "His legs (raglov) [i.e., the very lowest levels]" — to the very end of Asiyah, as is known. [Pertaining to the above — to the Laws of Bechor Behemah Tehorah.] And this is the dimension of a blemish-free firstborn (bechor tam) and a blemished firstborn (bechor baal mum). The sanctity of a blemished firstborn is the dimension of the lower Yir'ah described above — the dimension of "Man sees with his eyes." And the sanctity of the blemish-free (tam) is the dimension of "And Hashem sees into the heart" — for this Yir'ah is the essence of perfection, the dimension of "blemish-free (tam), without flaw (bli mum)." And this is "you shall not labor with the firstborn of your ox, and you shall not shear [the firstborn sheep]" — "labor" is the dimension of foolishness (kesilus), in the dimension of "the people went astray (shatu)" — the dimension of fallen Yir'os that occur during the six weekdays. For Shabbos is the dimension of "one who fears shame (yara boshet)" — when the Yir'os ascend and it is pleasant (naycha) etc. And likewise "shearing" (the hairs) — the hairs are the dimension of the force of the judgments, which must be cut and made into garments, tzitzis, etc. But in the firstborn, everything is holy — for it has already ascended to the dimension of holy Yir'ah. Therefore it is forbidden to use it for labor or shearing. [Text ends here — source text is incomplete at this point.] Cross-reference note: Hilchos Bechor Behemah Tehorah, Halacha 5 is connected to Hilchos Pidyon Bechor, Halacha 5, section 24. Hilchos Peter Chamor is connected to Hilchos Pesach, Halacha 9, at its end: "And every firstborn donkey you shall redeem with a sheep" [Shemos 13:13] — and Rashi explains: for there is no single individual of Yisroel who did not take out from Egypt ten donkeys laden with the wealth of Egypt. For donkeys are the bechina of wealth — as it is written: "Yissachar is a sturdy donkey [chamor garem]" [Beraishis 49:14] — and Targum Onkelos renders: "rich in possessions [atir b'nicsin]." For the root of wealth is from the left side [sitra dis'mala], the bechina of the north — as it is written: "From the north gold comes" [Iyov 37:22] — as Rabbeinu, may his light shine, explains in Siman 59. And therefore the essential wealth comes through guarding the covenant [shmirat ha'bris] — as Rabbeinu, may his light shine, explains in many places — for the arousal of union [is'arusa d'zivuga] is from the left side. And therefore the Sitra Achra has a strong foothold there, in the left side — and when one does not guard one's covenant, Heaven forbid, the Sitra Achra prosecutes against him and does not allow him to receive wealth. But one who guards his covenant and subdues his evil inclination and humbles the Sitra Achra — so that left is included in right — which is the bechina of the sanctity of the covenant — then he receives great abundance from holiness, from the root of the divine influence in holiness. And therefore when Yisroel left Egypt and merited to subdue the contamination of Egypt — which is the blemish of the covenant — and merited the sanctity of the covenant, which is the essential purpose of the Exodus from Egypt, as is known — therefore they merited then immense wealth and left with great possessions. And the blemish of the covenant — which is the bechina of Egypt — is the bechina of chamor [donkey], as it is written: "whose flesh is as the flesh of donkeys" [Yechezkel 23:20], for they [the Egyptians] are steeped in immorality. And therefore one must subdue the bechina of chamor — and through this one merits wealth, as above. And this is why Rashi explains that Yisroel carried their wealth specifically on donkeys — for there they received it through subduing the bechina of chamor, which is the bechina of Egypt, as above. And the firstborn of the donkey — which is the greatest [bechor] and most inclusive of all — is the bechina of the greatest wealth. And since its grip of vitality is very great, Yisroel do not have the power to subdue it — and therefore they must give it to the Kohen who are very holy and have the power to subdue and break the power of the bechina of the firstborn donkey. And since the entire bechina of peter chamor is the bechina of money and wealth, therefore it requires a redemption — redeeming it through other money — and the redemption is specifically with a sheep [seh], for the sheep is literally the opposite of the bechina of chamor. For Yisroel are likened to a sheep, as it is written: "Yisroel is a scattered sheep" [Yirmiyahu 50:17] — and it is the bechina of Adam — as it is written: "And you are My flock, the flock of My pasture — you are Adam" [Yechezkel 34:31]. It is found that the sheep is the bechina of guarding the covenant, which is the bechina of Adam, the bechina of Yisroel — the opposite of chamor, which is the bechina of Egypt and the blemish of the covenant. Therefore one must give in exchange for the donkey a sheep — to exchange the bechina of chamor for the bechina of sheep. And if one does not redeem it — "you shall break its neck" [v'araptah] — breaking it from the nape of the neck [oref], for the nape is the bechina of Pharaoh [Paro = letters of oref rearranged] — to subdue and break the bechina of Pharaoh, which is the evil within the donkey — which is the bechina of the questions and concealments through which he said: "Who is Hashem?" [Shemos 5:2]. But the essential mitzvah is to redeem the donkey with a sheep, so that one receives wealth from holiness, as above. Based on the teaching that begins "Rabbi Shimon opened and said: 'A time to act for Hashem'" in the first book, Siman 60 — that there is a level of contemplation [histbonenus] of Torah that is impossible to attain except through great wealth. And this wealth cannot be received except through the bechina of the rectifications of Atik, the bechina of the elder [zaken], the bechina of longevity [arichas yamim], etc. See that entire teaching carefully. Based on the teaching in Likutay Moharan I:60 — that there is a level of contemplation of Torah that is impossible to attain except through great wealth. And this wealth cannot be received except through the bechina of the rectifications of Atik Yomin [the Ancient of Days], the bechina of the zaken [elder], the bechina of longevity — namely through drawing down great longevity upon oneself — in the bechina of: "Rise before the elderly [zaken] and honor the face of the elder" [Vayikra 19:32]. For the essential drawing down of longevity is through the great Tzaddikim who merit the bechina of the elder, the bechina of Atik — who are in the bechina of: "the desire of those who fear Him He fulfills" [Tehillim 145:19]. And through attaching oneself to them and learning from them and honoring them, one draws down longevity — which is the bechina of wealth, as above. And through this wealth one merits the contemplation of Torah, as above. And this is the bechina of the redemption of peter chamor through a sheep that one gives to the Kohen — for chamor is the bechina of wealth, as explained above in Halacha 1 — and therefore one must redeem it with a sheep in order to draw the holy wealth down, as above. For the sheep is the bechina of the holy wealth of Ya'akov, who merited wealth through his flocks — the bechina of: "Yissachar is a sturdy donkey, rich in possessions" — and the Targum: "rich in possessions." And therefore one redeems it with a sheep, in order to draw down the holy wealth, as above — so that through it one can merit the contemplation of Torah mentioned above. For the sheep is entirely holy — as the Pasuk states regarding Yisroel's sheep and herds: "and the wealth of nations shall come to you" — and through giving the sheep to the Kohen, the donkey is rectified and elevated to holiness, and one merits to receive wealth from holiness through which one attains the contemplation of Torah, as above. And therefore one must specifically give the sheep to the Kohen — for the Kohen is the bechina of v'rav chesed [abundant kindness], the bechina of the radiance of the countenance [hadras panim], the bechina of the beard of the High Priest [dikna d'kohana rabbah] — who merits to draw down the illumination of countenance upon Yisroel, which is the bechina of the awakening from sleep [his'orerus ha'sheina], as above — through which the aforementioned holy wealth is drawn down, through which one merits the contemplation of Torah, as above. And this is the bechina of Birkas Kohanim [the Priestly Blessing] — for the Kohen draws down the illumination of countenance upon Yisroel: "May Hashem shine His face upon you" [Bamidbar 6:25] — and through the illumination of countenance, the wealth of holiness is drawn down, as above. And the essential illumination of countenance is that which Moshe Rabbeinu drew down from Above — as it is written: "And Moshe did not know that the skin of his face radiated light" [Shemos 34:29]. And through this Moshe drew down to Yisroel the holy mochin and Tefillin — which are the bechina of the contemplation of Torah, as above. And through the Kohen, who is the bechina of Aharon — who merited the priesthood through humbling himself before Moshe, as stated above — this illumination of countenance and these mochin are drawn down upon Yisroel in every generation. And therefore the Beis HaMikdash [Holy Temple] — which is the place of Yir'ah — therefore there was immense wealth there: all the wealth of the world that was in the treasuries of the House of Hashem, which King David collected and the other kings — boundless riches from all the kings — and they gave it all to the treasuries of the House of Hashem. For the Beis HaMikdash is the bechina of the contemplation mentioned above, which is called Kodesh [holy] — for all who merit such contemplation are in the bechina of holiness, separate from all worldly pleasures. And through the holiness of the Beis HaMikdash the holy wealth was drawn down, as above. And this is the bechina of the vessels of the Beis HaMikdash — all of which were made of gold and silver — for gold and silver are the bechina of the holy wealth that is drawn down through the illumination of countenance, through the Kohen, as above. It thus emerges that the Kohen is the bechina of all the rectifications through which one merits the holy wealth, through which one attains the contemplation of Torah, as above. And therefore the peter chamor — which is the first birth of the donkey, the bechina of wealth at its greatest level, which is great and inclusive of all — must be given to the Kohen. For the essential drawing down of holy wealth is through the Kohen — who merits to awaken from sleep and to draw down the illumination of countenance and all the rectifications, as above. And through giving the peter chamor to the Kohen, the donkey is rectified: its vitality is drawn from holiness, and one merits holy wealth through which one attains the contemplation of Torah, as above. And the essential abundance of wealth came to Yisroel at the Splitting of the Reed Sea — for the plunder of the sea [bizzas hayam] was greater than the plunder of Egypt [bizzas Mitzrayim]. For there they merited the great contemplation — for even the sea of Chochmah [the Divine Wisdom] was split spiritually at that time — until the maidservant at the Sea saw what Yechezkel the Prophet did not see, and the nursing infants and sucklings said: "This is my God and I will glorify Him" [Shemos 15:2]. And therefore they merited then immense wealth — because wealth comes from the bechina of contemplation and holy wealth, as above. And this is the bechina of the Song at the Sea — for there they merited the song and melody, which is the source of all the holy wealth and contemplation, as above. And this is: "And if you do not redeem it, you shall break its neck" — specifically the nape of the neck — for he has deprived the Kohen of his money, therefore his own money shall be lost. Meaning: when one does not wish to give a sheep to the Kohen, one does not merit to draw down holy wealth — therefore one loses one's money — for the wealth that is not drawn from the bechina of the Kohen is a "wealth kept by its owner for his harm" [Koheles 5:12], and it must be broken and taken from him. This is: "his money shall be lost" — specifically the loss of wealth, which is the bechina of chamor, as above — for the essential mitzvah is to redeem, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "the mitzvah of redemption takes precedence." For the general principle is that the essential subduing of the Sitra Achra is to subdue it, clarify it, and sweeten the good within it and transform it to holiness — and this is the essential perfection of service. And therefore the essential is to redeem the chamor through the Kohen — through which it is subdued and then it is fit to enter the domain of Yisroel and be used. And through this, one even merits wealth through it, as above. But through the breaking of the neck, even though it subdues the evil of the donkey, it does not transform it to holiness — and therefore one does not merit the wealth that comes specifically from the left side when the evil grasped in it is subdued and drawn to holiness. And therefore the animals of the Levites redeemed the animals of Yisroel at that time — and our Sages of blessed memory said that they only redeemed the pitrei chamor of Yisroel, and one sheep of a Levite redeemed many, etc. For the essential thing was to rectify and redeem the pitrei chamor through the Levites and Kohanim — who are the bechina of Yir'ah — for they are the rectification of the holy wealth, which is the bechina of the redemption of peter chamor, as above. And therefore the essential wealth of Ya'akov came through the sheep — for Ya'akov merited the holy wealth that gives access to contemplation, as is explained in that teaching, on the verse: "And now, all that God has said to you, do it" [Beraishis 31:16] — see there. And this is the bechina of: "And when Rachel gave birth to Yosef, Ya'akov said... 'Release me... when shall I also make something for my own household?'" [Beraishis 30:25]. For the bechina of the wealth of Ya'akov was through the sheep — the spotted, speckled, and streaked [akudim, n'kudim, v'rudim] — which he received from Lavan, as is known. And this is connected to the bechina of the rectification of the covenant and the drawing down of holy wealth, as above. And therefore the essential receiving of Tefillin comes at dawn — through the awakening from sleep. For it is stated in the writings of the Arizal, of blessed memory, that the essential drawing down of the mochin of Tefillin is through arising at midnight and engaging in Torah, see there. The rising at midnight is the bechina of the awakening from sleep through which one merits the contemplation that is drawn through holy wealth, as above. For through rising at midnight — which is the bechina of awakening at midnight to mourn the Churban [Destruction] and to engage in Torah — one draws down the illumination of countenance and the holy mochin, which are the bechina of the contemplation of Torah, as above. For the harp was suspended above the bed of David, and when midnight arrived it would play on its own and then David would arise from sleep and engage in Torah [Brochos 3b]. This melody is the bechina of the radiance of countenance from which all the seventy facets of Torah are drawn — for melody is the bechina of the taamim [cantillation notes] of Torah, which is the highest bechina. And through this melody one is awakened from sleep and drawn to the contemplation of Torah — and through this contemplation all the holy mochin are revealed, which are the bechina of Tefillin, which illumine and radiate as the radiance of the countenance. This is the essential connection: the midnightmelody, the awakening, the holy wealth, and the attainment of the contemplation of Torah — all are one bechina, as above. And this is the bechina of the Song at the Sea — for there they merited all the above: great wealth and the contemplation mentioned above — therefore they merited the Song. For all the bechinas above are drawn from the bechina of song and melody, from the bechina of the harp of David, as above. And this is the bechina of: "And it was at the morning watch" [vay'hi b'ashmoret ha'boker] [Shemos 14:24] — da boka d'Avraham [this is the morning of Avraham], for through the merit of Avraham the Splitting of the Reed Sea occurred — for Avraham is the person of Chesed and radiance of countenance through which all the holy wealth and contemplation are drawn down, as above. Ya'akov merited during the tending of his sheep immense wealth and the contemplation of Tefillin — for Ya'akov is the bechina of Yir'ah, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "The awesome one — this is Ya'akov" [Megillah 31a], as they said: "In your Yir'ah — in the merit of Ya'akov who said: 'How awesome [nora] is this place!'" [Beraishis 28:17]. And one may allude that this is the bechina of akudim, n'kudim, v'rudim — the three lines [kavim] of Yir'ah through which Ya'akov merited the great wealth and the contemplation, as above. And through the spotted, speckled, and streaked sheep he accumulated immense wealth — which are the bechina of the holy wealth through which one attains the contemplation of Torah. And this is connected to the bechina of Tefillin — the straps of which are the bechina of akudim [bound] — and through the Tefillin the highest mochin and contemplation are drawn down, as above. And this is the entire bechina of the redemption of peter chamor: redeeming the donkey — which is the bechina of wealth — through the sheep — which is the bechina of the holy wealth of Ya'akov — and giving it to the Kohen — who is the bechina of the Chesed and radiance of countenance through which the holy wealth and contemplation are drawn — so that one merits wealth from holiness through which one attains the contemplation of Torah in completeness. Based on the teaching in Siman 64 of the first book [Likutay Moharan I:64], on the verse: "The knowledge of secrets belongs to Hashem our God, but the revealed things belong to us and to our children forever, to fulfill all the words of this Torah" [Devarim 29:28]. See the entire teaching there carefully. And the general principle: the essential bechirah [free will/choice] comes through the presence of questions [kushiyos] and contradictions [s'tiros] that are impossible to resolve with human intellect in any manner — such as the contradiction between Divine foreknowledge and human free will, etc. And this is the essential bechirah — that one does not know intellectually how to resolve the question of foreknowledge and free will. For this is the essential concealment [hester panim] that is the foundation of free will. And through this concealment — through the questions and contradictions — all the illumination of bechirah and the rectification of the world come about. Based on Likutay Moharan I:64 — that the essential bechirah [free will] exists through there being questions and contradictions that are impossible to resolve with human intellect in any way — such as the question of foreknowledge and free will — for this is the essential concealment on which bechirah is founded. For the essential question is: since Hashem, Blessed be He, knows everything from the beginning to the end, how can there be free will? And this question is impossible to resolve with human intellect — for the intellect of a human being cannot grasp Hashem's foreknowledge at all. And therefore, through this very concealment — through the impossibility of resolving this question — free will exists. For if a person could resolve this question intellectually, there would be no free will — for then the person would know with certainty exactly what he must do, and there would be no choice. But through the concealment and the question remaining unresolved — through this free will exists. And the entire creation of the world is for the sake of bechirah — for Hashem, Blessed be He, created the world in order to reveal His Divinity through the bechirah of man. And therefore the essential maintenance of the world is through bechirah — for all births and creations in the world are in the bechina of the birth of mochin [supernal mental lights]. For only for this did Hashem, Blessed be He, create the world — and for this He, Blessed be He, sustains the world — all for the purpose that the mochin and da'as should be revealed — that all should know that Hashem is God. For everything was created with wisdom — as it is written: "How manifold are Your works, Hashem; You made them all with wisdom" [Tehillim 104:24] — and through the revelation of the wisdom and da'as embedded in creation, Hashem's Divinity is revealed to all. And the essential revelation of this da'as is through bechirah — for through the free choice of man, through his toil in Torah and mitzvos and the subduing of his evil inclination — through all this the da'as of Hashem is drawn down and revealed in the world. And this is the essential birth of mochin — which is the essential purpose of creation, as above. And this is the bechina of: "And every firstborn donkey you shall redeem with a sheep" — for even in the birth of pure animals [behemos tehorim] the Sitra Achra has a grip on the birth and rectification is needed — through the sanctity of the firstborn that one gives to the Kohen, as above. All the more so with the births of a donkey, which is an impure species [min tamei] and is called chamor — the bechina of heaviness and materialism of the body [chomer ha'guf] and the bechina of questions and concealments through which free will exists. For the chamor is in the bechina of the question that has no answer — the bechina of concealment — through which the Sitra Achra grips and from which it draws vitality. For the questions and contradictions are the bechina of the Sitra Achra's foothold — which is the bechina of chamor — through which the Sitra Achra draws its vitality from holiness. And when one redeems the peter chamor through the sheep — and gives it to the Kohen — through this one draws down the holy mochin and reveals the hidden wisdom within the questions and contradictions — and the Sitra Achra is weakened and subdued — and the bechirah is clarified and elevated to holiness. And therefore Yisroel were commanded to sanctify the first birth of the donkey — to redeem it with a sheep for the Kohen. For the essential drawing down of holy da'as is through the Kohen — who are the sons of Aharon, who merited the priesthood through not being jealous of Moshe Rabbeinu — as our Sages of blessed memory expounded. For Moshe Rabbeinu is the bechina of holy da'as and Tefillin — and Aharon, by meriting to humble himself before Moshe, drew this holy da'as and mochin down to all Yisroel through his priesthood. And through giving the sheep to the Kohen, the firstborn donkey is redeemed — meaning: the bechirah is clarified, the questions are elevated from their place of concealment, and the holy da'as is drawn down — so that the world's essential purpose is fulfilled: the revelation of da'as of Hashem through the bechirah of man. And therefore one gives to Aharon the Kohen the sheep in exchange for the firstborn donkey — for Yisroel are likened to sheep: "You, My flock... you are Adam" [Yechezkel 34:31]. And the sheep is the bechina of the holy wealth of Ya'akov — who merited through the sheep to "make them his own fortune" — as it is stated: "your flocks shall enrich their owner" [Devarim 7:13]. For the sheep is entirely holy — as is explained regarding the sacrifice of the sheep — and through giving the sheep to the Kohen, one draws down the sanctity and holy da'as of Moshe upon the donkey and redeems it to holiness. And this is what Rashi explains: that the sanctity of the firstborn donkey was because the donkeys assisted Yisroel with the plunder of Egypt — for there is no single individual of Yisroel who did not load ten donkeys with the wealth of Egypt — as above in Halacha 1. That is: the essential wealth and great possessions that Yisroel took out from Egypt were through the bechina of subduing the chamor, as above. And therefore the firstborn donkey was sanctified — for through its subduing, the holy wealth was drawn down. And one must redeem it through the Kohen — in order to draw the holy wealth from holiness and to reveal the da'as of Hashem through the bechirah of man, as above. And this is: "And if you do not redeem it, you shall break its neck" — breaking it from the nape of the neck specifically — for the nape [oref] is the bechina of Pharaoh — in order to subdue the bechina of Pharaoh, which is the evil within the donkey — which is the questions and concealments through which he said: "Who is Hashem?" [Shemos 5:2] — for Pharaoh is the bechina of denying the da'as of Hashem, which is the essential evil of the donkey, as above. But the essential mitzvah is to redeem the donkey with a sheep so that one draws down the holy wealth and the holy da'as — to reveal Hashem's Divinity through bechirah — which is the entire purpose of creation, as above. And through this the chamor is transformed — from the bechina of questions and concealments into the bechina of wealth and holy mochin — and then the essential purpose of creation is fulfilled: "the knowledge of secrets belongs to Hashem our God, but the revealed things belong to us and to our children forever."