עבדים ב

And this is the aspect of the rinsing with water [ha-hadachah b'mayim] — to render the meat fit [l'hachshir ha-basar] by placing it and soaking it within the water. For the water purifies it from all impurities — and in particular from the blemish of the bris — of the aspect of a mikveh of water [mikveh mayim]. For the mikveh is a very great rectification for the blemish of the bris. For the mikveh is the secret of being concealed within the waters [sod ha-hit'almus b'soch ha-mayim], as is known — which is the aspect of the rectification of the bris — of the aspect of the seed of Yosef. For they are of the aspect of the fish in the sea, over whom the waters cover, and the evil eye of the seventy nations has no power over them, as above. (In Laws of Meat that Left One's Sight, Halacha 2.) And therefore the meat is rectified and rendered fit through the water — in order to remove from it the impurity of the bloods, which are of the aspect of the blemish of the bris. As our Sages of blessed memory said: "because the blood is visible upon it" — which passes off and falls away through the water, which is the aspect of the rectification of the bris — of the aspect of fish in the sea, as above.

And this is the aspect of the first rinsing [hadachah rishonah] and the final rinsing [hadachah acharonah]. For the soul within the living creature that has fallen from its level — from the level of speech [medaber] to the level of the living creature [chai], as above — requires many rectifications, one after another, until it ascends and is rectified completely — to restore it to its root — of the aspect of teshuvah [repentance and return]. For all the rectifications of the meat that one performs are of the aspect of the rectifications of teshuvah. For one must in the same way rectify the soul within the living creature — to restore it to its root — which is the aspect of teshuvah.

And therefore, at the beginning, it requires shechitah [ritual slaughter] — to subdue and break the all-encompassing evil [ra ha-kolel], as above. For this is the beginning of teshuvah — to turn away from the above-mentioned evil and to break it. And afterward to proceed and remove all the forbidden fats [chalavin] and all the forbidden veins that are found visibly, within it — so that it not be a case of "immersing while holding a creeping thing in one's hand" [toveil v'sheretz b'yado]. Therefore after one turns away from the all-encompassing evil cited above — which is the very beginning and the start — then one must remove all the evil things from within it. And this is accomplished easily after the shechitah. For the essence of the labor and effort is the shechitah — which is the subduing of the above-mentioned evil — for which an expert and certified craftsman is required — along with the inspection of the knife and the rest of the precautions of shechitah, as above. But afterward, the nikur [removal of forbidden parts] is done with relative ease — as they remove and extract from it all the rest of the evils found therein.

And then one merits the aspect of the mikveh of water. And this is the aspect of the first rinsing. And afterward it must be left to rest in its salt, as above. And that is the completion of the rectification — which is the final rinsing. For "one who comes to purify himself is helped" — and they say to him: "Wait" (as is cited in the words of Rabbainu, may his light shine, Siman 6). For it is impossible to enter into teshuvah all at once — and one must wait and tarry and endure much shedding of blood [shfikas damim], in order to subdue the evil blood in the left ventricle of the heart that was strengthened through his sins.

And this is the aspect of the waiting period [ha-shehiyah] — that one must wait in its salt and be pressed within the brine [tzir] in a perforated vessel — of the aspect of the above-mentioned "they say to him: Wait." In order to force out the evil bloods that were absorbed into the flesh, that entered into the depths of the body. And therefore it is impossible to rectify the meat with speed. For it is impossible to bring it into teshuvah all at once — until it waits in its salt, which is the aspect of rectification — the aspect of the covenant of salt — in order to sweeten its bitterness and to expel all its bloods, as above.

And therefore it is placed between the two rinsings, which are of the aspect of the mikveh of water, as above — in accordance with what is cited in the name of the Baal Shem Tov of blessed memory. And it is explained above a number of times: that at the beginning of teshuvah, one is raised from above to a great level — higher than one's own level — and afterward one is brought back down from there in order to be tested and refined and purified. For one must return and pass through all those roads again — of the aspect of teshuvas ha-mishkal [equivalent repentance], as above.

And this is the aspect of the first rinsing and the final rinsing — which are of the aspect of the mikveh of water, as above — which are a great ascent and a very great rectification. For this is the essential aspect of teshuvah — when one merits to enter into the aspect of the mikveh of water, which is the aspect of alma d'asay [the World to Come] — the aspect of teshuvah, as above.

And at the beginning, one is raised from above to a great level, as above — to the aspect of teshuvah — the aspect of the mikveh of water, as above. And this is the aspect of the first rinsing. And even though one has already merited the ultimate rectification — which is the aspect of the mikveh, as above — afterward one is brought back down from there in order to be refined and purified, as above — of the aspect of "they say to him: Wait," as above. And this is the aspect of the fact that it must wait in its salt for a set period of time — in order to be purified and refined and to expel all its evil bloods that were absorbed within it, as above. And then afterward one merits a second time to complete the rectification in truth. And this is the aspect of the final rinsing — the aspect of the mikveh of water — for one then places it in again, once it has merited to be purified, to expel its evil bloods, as above.

And this is the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt, which was of the aspect of teshuvah — the aspect of yovel [the Jubilee year], as is known. And at the beginning He raised them to far above their level, as is known. And this is the aspect of milah [circumcision] and tevilah [immersion] that they merited on the eve of Pesach. For immediately after the milah — through which they subdued the all-encompassing evil, which is the aspect of milah — they immediately merited the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt, which was the aspect of teshuvah — which was then far above their level, as is known.

And this is the aspect of the mikveh of water that they merited immediately on the eve of Pesach. And afterward He brought them down from their level. And this is the aspect of the Counting [Sefirah], as is known — which is like a woman who purifies herself for her husband. Which is the aspect of "Wait" — that one must wait and tarry in order to purify oneself from the blood of nidah [menstrual separation], as above. And then they merited to complete the rectification on Shavuos. And then they merited to enter into the mikveh — the aspect of a supernal, very exalted mikveh — which is the ultimate rectification.

And this is the aspect of the two rinsings — the aspect of the two mikvaos [ritual baths] cited above — which are needed in order to be rectified: namely, at the beginning of the teshuvah and at the end of the teshuvah, as above. And in between is the waiting in salt — which is the aspect of "Wait," as above — in order to expel the evil bloods, as above.

And as is explained in the Torah-teaching that speaks of this : that the above-mentioned aspect of "Wait" is the aspect of shfikas damim [shedding of blood] that one must endure, as above. And through this one merits the aspect of teshuvah — which is the aspect of Ekyeh [the Divine Name of pure Being] (as is explained there). And this is the aspect of the mikveh of water — which is the aspect of Ekyeh. For mikveh in gematria [numerical value] equals 151 — which is the numerical value of Ekyeh when spelled out fully — as is known, and as above.

And as is already explained in Laws of Pesach, Halacha 1: that therefore the measure of salting is eighteen [chai] minutes — for this is the aspect of the rectification of the bris — in order to return to life [chaim]. And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said: that the measure is [the time required to walk] one mil [a Talmudic mile]. For a mil is two thousand cubits — the techum Shabbos [the Shabbos boundary] — which is the aspect of the boundary of holiness [gevul ha-kedushah], as mentioned above (in Laws of Techumin, Halacha 1). And this is the very same measure of eighteen minutes — for there is life [chai] (as is explained there).

And therefore one must wait through the rectification of salting for this measure — in order to merit to return within the boundary and domain of holiness [gevul u'tchum ha-kedushah] — in order to merit life — the aspect of "tzadik chai olaimin" [the tzadik lives forever].

And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said: roasting [tzli] requires no salting. For fire is the rectification — of the aspect of: "Everything that comes into fire, you shall pass through fire, and it will be purified" . And it consumes the filth [zuhama]. But when one merits to attach oneself to the tzadik — who is of the aspect of the covenant of salt — then one receives from him the aspect of saltiness [milcha] — the aspect of rectifications — to sweeten his bitterness. And then one is saved from the fire through which one would have had to be refined, G-d forbid — of the aspect of "you shall pass through fire", as above. For "that which is salted is like that which is boiling" [maliyach harei hu k'roteach] — like roasting that is roasted in fire. For through the aspect of salting — which is the aspect of attaching oneself to the tzadik, as above — one is finely purified and saved from the fire, and emerges pure and beautiful and complete without any blemish whatsoever. And one merits the ultimate rectification, as above.

Reb Noson takes the halachic process of preparing meat — first rinse, salting, final rinse — and reads it as a precise map of the soul's journey in teshuvah.

This mirrors the spiritual arc: subdue the all-encompassing evil (shechitah) → remove the smaller evils within (nikur) → first elevation in teshuvah (1st rinse) → the "Wait" — the crucible of shfikas damim in between — → complete rectification (final rinse). The 18-minute measure of salting is chai — life — the time needed to cross back into the boundary of holiness. And the tzadik, who is the covenant of salt, saves one from having to pass through fire alone.

And this is the aspect of the signs of purity [simanei taharah] — which are: chewing the cud [ma'aleh geirah] and having split hooves [mafris parsah]. For as is known: the species of kosher animals and wild beasts [beheimos v'chayyos tehorim] are from the aspect of Nogah [the luminous shell]. And the impure species are from the aspect of cloud and storm [anan, se'arah] and so on — from the entirely impure klipos [husks].

This is the aspect of the language of translation [leshon targum], which is the aspect of Nogah — the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil [Etz ha-Da'as Tov v'Ra] — from which the pure species come. And the impure species are from the aspect of the languages of the nations [leshonos ha-amim], which are the all-encompassing evil [ra ha-kolel] — which are the aspect of the klipos cited above, in which there is no good whatsoever.

And therefore the signs of purity are: chewing the cud and having split hooves. For it has already been explained that the souls and vitality within the animals and other living species are souls that fell from the level of speech [medaber] to the level of the living creature [chai] — and they are there of the aspect of oppressed souls [nefashos ha-ashukos]. For they are oppressed and robbed there — for speech was taken from them in their falling to that place. And the way of the holy soul is always to rise upward — for it desires and draws itself always toward its root. And this is the aspect of chewing the cud in the kosher animal — that the souls of the thing that is eaten, which have now come and fallen into the aspect of the living creature, cannot bear to remain there. And they raise and lift themselves upward to the mouth and throat — for there is the place of speech, which is the place of the soul. Of the aspect of: "My soul went out at his speaking" .

For the souls in all living and speaking species come from the things that are eaten. For eating is the essential vitality and sustaining of the body — from which the body receives its vitality — the aspect of the soul [nefesh]. And from this very eating, speech is made. For speech is the aspect of the soul, which is the blood. For speech is made from the bloods, which are souls — as Rabbainu, may his light shine, explained. And when one eats something, the souls within the thing eaten go forth and are transformed into the substance of the soul of the one who eats. For from the foods, bloods are made — which are the soul of the one who eats. And those souls rise up and from them speech is made, as above. And this is the aspect of: "And you shall eat, eat and be satisfied, and praise [Hashem]…" — for speech is made from eating.

And therefore when the soul within the food comes into the living creature, it cannot rest and be still there — for its way is always to rise upward, so that speech should be made from it. And this is the aspect of chewing the cud, as above — that the food cannot be digested there at once, for it raises itself upward to the place of speech, as above. And all of this is in the pure species — which are the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, as above. For the souls are not immediately caught and trapped there — and they have the strength to lift themselves upward as is their nature, as above. For because there is good there, they are therefore not so fully trapped there — and therefore they have the strength to lift themselves upward to the place of speech, as is their nature, as above. And therefore they have the permission [hetter] of shechitah [ritual slaughter] — which is the aspect of the perfection of the Holy Tongue [leshon ha-kodesh], as above — through which one subdues the evil within the Tree of Knowledge — in the aspect of targum — that is, through which the evil within the kosher animals is subdued, as above. And then all the souls within the living creature are rectified and elevated through the shechitah at the throat — for there is the place of the ascent of souls and of speech, as above.

But the impure species — whose sustenance is from the languages of the nations [leshonos ha-akum], which are the very opposite of holy speech entirely and in which there is no good whatsoever — therefore the souls that come there are immediately and instantly caught and trapped there and they are unable to rise and lift themselves and ascend. Of the aspect of: "Hashem has delivered me into the hands of those from whom I am unable to rise" . And therefore they do not chew the cud, as above. And therefore this is a sign of impurity in an animal or wild beast.

But the human being is the reverse [l'heifech]. For the human being also does not chew the cud. For the human being is of the aspect of the perfection of the Holy Tongue — which is the aspect of the level of the human being [geder adam], as above — and he has a holy soul. And therefore, on the contrary: when the souls within the thing eaten come into his body, they rest and are still there. And then the food is properly divided and each and every part goes to its proper place.

But in animals — which are of the aspect of the mixture of knowledge [eiruv ha-da'as] — the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge, as above — which is actually the aspect of confused knowledge [irbub ha-da'as mamash] — for it is mixed of good and evil — therefore the souls are restless and roaming there and cannot rest in their place, and they lift themselves upward, as above. This is the aspect of chewing the cud, as above.

Like a human being when he is drunk — for his mind is confused — in that case he is also of the aspect of chewing the cud. For the food returns upward in a drunk person always — until sometimes he vomits it out entirely. For because of the confused mind of the drunk person, the food cannot be properly divided and rest in its place, as above. Therefore it is as if always chewing the cud, as above. For the drunk person is of the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil — which is the aspect of confused knowledge, as above. As our Sages of blessed memory said: "She squeezed grapes and gave it to him" [explaining that the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge was a grape].

And therefore speech is damaged in him — for he lacks the perfection of speech of the aspect of the human being, which is the aspect of the Holy Tongue. For the essential complete speech there is the aspect of the Holy Tongue. But the languages of the nations are not speech at all! For the speech of the languages of the nations is the aspect of "speech that is not heard" — mentioned at the beginning of the Torah-teaching "Ha'i man d'azeil l'minsar" ["One who goes to marry"] — which is not called speech at all. For "speech that is not heard," mentioned there, is speech in which there is no good — which lacks the aspect of the rectification of the bris. (As is explained for the attentive reader there.) This is the aspect of the speech of the languages of the seventy nations — which is the aspect of the blemish of the bris. And therefore it is not called speech at all — of the aspect of: "They have a mouth, but they do not speak" . And: "Those who make them will become like them" . For all the nations who worship idols are like the idols themselves — for they too have a mouth but do not speak, as above.

And the verse concludes the opposite with regard to Israel — whose speech is what is truly called "speech." For it is the aspect of speech that is heard — which is made through the praise of Hashem Yisborach — as is explained there in the aspect of: "Those who do His word, to hear it…Bless Hashem" — see there. And this is why the verse concludes: "House of Israel, bless Hashem" and so on. For through this, speech is truly called speech, as above. (And as is explained there — see there.)

It emerges: that complete speech is the aspect of the speech of the perfection of the Holy Tongue — the aspect of the rectification of the bris, as above. And the speech of the seventy nations — which is entirely evil — is not speech at all! And therefore damaged and stammering speech is the aspect of the speech of the language of targum [Aramaic translation] — which is mixed of good and evil, as above. The aspect of: "The tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak clearly" . For this language will be clarified and purified to speak purely — to return to the aspect of the perfection of the Holy Tongue — through subduing the evil within it and elevating the good to the perfection of the Holy Tongue. (As is explained in the words of Rabbainu there.)

And therefore through drunkenness from wine — which is the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, as above — speech is damaged and becomes stammering in him. Which is the aspect of targum — the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge, as above. And therefore in animals, where the animal-spirit prevails — the aspect of the blemish of the bris, as above — which is the aspect of drunkenness — which is the blemish of wine that comes through the blemish of the bris (as cited in the Torah-teaching Ha'i man, cited above) — only that there is also good within them, as above — therefore they chew the cud, as above.

And this is the aspect of having split hooves [mafris parsah]. For the essential standing of a human being is upon his legs — for they support the body. And the essential standing of the legs of a human being is through knowledge [da'as]. And therefore when the human being is in his fullness — that is, in the fullness of knowledge, and in shemiras ha-bris — then there is the standing of the legs. For their very standing depends on the holiness of the human being — the aspect of shemiras ha-bris, the fullness of knowledge, as is known. And therefore when knowledge is confused [da'as me'urbav], it is impossible to stand on one's legs. And then he falls, G-d forbid — of the aspect of "epilepsy" [choli nofel], G-d have mercy — which comes through the confusion of knowledge, as cited there .

And therefore when a person is drunk — which is the confusion of knowledge, as above — he is unable to rise to his feet, as above. For within the legs is clothed the aspect of the vitality — the aspect of the minds [mochin] — of the aspect of: "na'utz sofo b'tichilaso" [the end is embedded in the beginning], and so on. And therefore the legs are of the aspect of speech — as Rabbainu explained (in Likutay Moharan II, Siman 81). Of the aspect of: "Speak righteousness" — the aspect of: "Righteousness called him to his foot" — see there. For speech depends on knowledge, as above.

And in animals and wild beasts — which have no speech and no knowledge — they are of the aspect of the descent and fall of the vitality of the aspect of speech within the legs. And therefore they do not have the power to stand and support the body on their legs alone — and they must walk on all fours. For they do not have the strength of human legs. And it is specifically in the legs that the great difference and distinction between the human being and the animal is most apparent. For this one walks upright on legs alone — and the animal does not have this power to walk on legs alone, as above. And all of this is because it has no speech and no knowledge — which is the distinction between the level of the human being and the level of the animal. From this comes the great difference in the form of their shape, which is most apparent in the standing of their legs, as above.

And therefore the distinction between pure and impure is also apparent in the legs — for there is clothed the aspect of the flow of vitality of the aspect of speech and knowledge. And therefore in pure animals — in which the oppressed soul that fell from the level of speech to the level of the living creature is not so fully trapped and caught there, as above — the vitality therefore bursts forth and goes out through the legs — for there is clothed the aspect of the soul, as above. And this is the sign of split hooves [mafris parsah] — that the legs are split through this bursting forth, as above.