גרים ג

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Based on the ma'amar "Sound the Tekiah" in Likutay Moharan II:8 (beginning: "Even though rebuke is a great matter…"). See there the entire ma'amar from its beginning.

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Section 1. This is the bechinas of the three years of orla — for they correspond to the three mochin (intellects), which are three partitions spread out against the desire for immorality. For it is explained there that there is mazona d'gufa (the food of the body) and mazona d'nishm'sa (the food of the soul). Through mazona d'gufa the mazona d'nishm'sa is weakened, and conversely — through subduing the mazona d'gufa, the mazona d'nishm'sa is strengthened. It is the bechinas of scent (rei'ach), and the drawing down of mazona d'nishm'sa comes through the Voice that waters the garden, through which all good fragrances grow — which are the bechinas of yira (awe), as in the verse: "Your voice I heard in the garden, and I was in awe". And it is specifically through this Voice that one can rebuke Israel — for it is impossible to rebuke Israel except through one who can do so in the manner of the rebuke of Moshe, whose rebuking of them over their sins caused him to add and bestow upon them a good fragrance, as in the verse: "My spikenard gave forth its scent." Through the aforementioned Voice he is able to arouse all good fragrances that are the mazona d'nishm'sa, and specifically thereby can he rebuke them. See there. And the attainment of this Voice comes through the prayer of the man of strength (ba'al ko'ach) who prays a prayer in the bechinas of din (judgment). See there carefully. For through this he draws out all the vitality and da'as from the klippa — all that it swallowed from holiness, in the bechinas of: "He swallowed wealth and vomits it up" — and he even draws out its own very core vitality. And this is the bechinas of converts. And through this the honor of Hashem grows. And through this one merits the aforementioned Voice — which is the mazona d'nishm'sa. And this is the bechinas of the war against Og, King of Bashan, as explained there at the end of the ma'amar — that everything discussed in the ma'amar is the bechinas of the war of Og. See there.

Section 2. The essential rectification of mazona d'nishm'sa — which is the scent, the ikar — is through the rectification of da'as, which consists of the three mochin that are the partitions spread against the desire for immorality, as explained in the aforementioned ma'amar. The essential corruption occurs when the sitra achara prevails until it suckles from the da'as, the bechinas of "and the serpent was cunning" — for then the desire for immorality intensifies, which comes through the corruption of the moach (intellect) that serves as a partition against that desire. Then one needs the prayer in the bechinas of din of the ba'al ko'ach, and then specifically one merits the aforementioned Voice through which all the fragrances grow — the mazona d'nishm'sa. But when da'as is flawed and the desire for immorality intensifies, one certainly does not merit the mazona d'nishm'sa. The essential flaw of da'as — that is, the flaw of the desire for immorality, which is the flaw of the mazona d'nishm'sa — comes through the overpowering of the mazona d'gufa, through which the mazona d'nishm'sa is weakened. This is the bechinas of the flaw of eating from the Etz HaDa'as Tov v'Ra: when Adam HaRishon ate from the Etz HaDa'as and the mazona d'gufa overpowered, through this the mazona d'nishm'sa was weakened, and through this the sitra achara suckled from the holy da'as — the bechinas of "and the serpent was cunning" — and through this he fell into the desire for immorality, as it is brought that Adam HaRishon sinned through the desire for immorality. And all this came upon him through the sin of eating from the Etz HaDa'as — that is, the mazona d'gufa — through which the da'as was damaged until he came to the desire for immorality and the mazona d'nishm'sa was weakened, for these are dependent on one another, as understood from the aforementioned ma'amar.

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Therefore the rectification of Adam HaRishon was through the aforementioned Voice, as in the verse: "Your voice I heard in the garden, and I was in awe" — spoken of Adam HaRishon — for Adam HaRishon did teshuva over his sin, and the essential teshuva and rectification of the sin of Adam HaRishon — which is the aforementioned flaw, that the mazona d'gufa overpowered the mazona d'nishm'sa, and the da'as was weakened and the desire for immorality intensified — the essential rectification of this is through the prayer in the bechinas of din of the ba'al ko'ach, at which point the sitra achara wants to swallow even this prayer since it is in the bechinas of din. But since this prayer is in the bechinas of din from a truly great ba'al ko'ach, this prayer stands against the sitra achara in its very gullet until it is compelled to vomit up and disgorge all the vitality of holiness that it swallowed. As explained well there in the ma'amar.

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And this is the bechinas of: "And they sewed fig leaves and made themselves girdles" (Bereishis 3). Chavora (girdle) — this is the bechinas of prayer in bechinas din, the bechinas of: "Gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one." That is, one must gird oneself with great strength and great courage to pray a prayer in the bechinas of din — which is called a sword, the bechinas of: "The exaltation of G-d in their throats, and a double-edged sword in their hands" — prayer in the bechinas of din, which is the bechinas of sword, the bechinas of din. And this is "And they sewed fig leaves" — and our Sages of blessed memory expounded: "With the thing in which they sinned, with it they were rectified." For the tree from which they ate was the fig tree, as above — for the essential corruption and flaw of eating from the Etz HaDa'as was that through it they fell into the desire for immorality, which is mochin d'katnus (smallness of intellect), and the dinim strengthened and from there the sitra achara suckled, as above. Therefore the rectification must be in the very thing that was corrupted — that one must strengthen oneself to pray a prayer in the bechinas of din specifically, with great strength, until this prayer stands against the sitra achara in its gullet. And this is "And they sewed fig leaves" — they took the very thing they corrupted, which is the bechinas of the intensifying of dinim that intensified through their sin. And this is the bechinas of te'einah (fig), which is a language of din — the bechinas of: "For a pretext (to'anah) he seeks" (Shoftim 14), which is a language of accusation and judgment. That is, they took a fig leaf — which is the thing they corrupted, the bechinas of dinim — and made themselves girdles: they girded themselves with great strength and prayed a prayer in the bechinas of din of the ba'al ko'ach, the bechinas of: "Gird your sword upon your thigh" — spoken of prayer, as brought elsewhere. For prayer is called a girdle, as it is written: "Righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his waist" (Yeshaya 11) — faithfulness being the bechinas of prayer, as explained elsewhere.

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Likutay Halachos · Yoreh De’ah, Part Two

Laws of the First Shearing

Hilchos Raishis HaGez — Halacha Three — Sections 12–18

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And this is the bechinas of: "The mandrakes give forth their fragrance" (Shir HaShirim 7). Rashi explains that these are figs, as it is written: "Hashem showed me two baskets of figs, one basket very good and the other very bad." In the future both will give forth good fragrance — that is, through the prayer in the bechinas of din of the ba'al ko'ach, which is the bechinas of fig leaves that rectifies the sin of Adam HaRishon with the very thing that was corrupted, as above — through this one merits the aforementioned Voice, through which all good fragrances grow, until one merits the rebuke of Moshe, through which even the evil deeds raise up good fragrance, the bechinas of: "My spikenard gave forth its scent." And this is: "The mandrakes give their fragrance" — the two baskets of figs give good fragrance, even the bad figs, for they were rectified through the prayer in the bechinas of din of the ba'al ko'ach, which is the bechinas of rectifying the sin of Adam HaRishon — the bechinas of "And they sewed fig leaves and made themselves girdles", as our Sages said: "With that which they sinned, with it they were rectified." And this is the bechinas of: "The fig tree has formed its early figs, and the vines in blossom give forth their fragrance" (Shir HaShirim 2) — for through the rectification of the fig tree, that is, the rectification of the sin of Adam HaRishon through prayer in the bechinas of din of the ba'al ko'ach — through this one merits the good fragrance that flows through the Voice that waters the garden, which is the bechinas of: "Your voice I heard in the garden, and I was in awe" — spoken of Adam HaRishon, as explained in the ma'amar. And this is: "The fig tree has formed its early figs, and the vines have given forth their fragrance" — for the fragrance flows through the rectification of the fig tree, which is the bechinas of "And they sewed fig leaves", as above.

Section 12 — Niddui and Avaylos: Thirty Days

And therefore the standard period of excommunication (niddui) is thirty days. And similarly the essential period of mourning (avaylos) is thirty days. For thirty days is one month, and each month the moon is replenished from its diminishment. And the filling of the moon from its diminishment — which is the aspect of v’hayah or halevonah k’or hachamah [and the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun] — this is the aspect of the totality of son and student together. For son and student are the aspect of the illuminating mirror (aspaklaryah hame’irah) and the non-illuminating mirror (aspaklaryah she’einah me’irah), as explained in the aforementioned discourse. And the illuminating mirror is the aspect of sun (chamah), and the non-illuminating mirror is the aspect of moon (levonah), as is known. This is the aspect of Moshe and Yehoshua — the aspect of p’nei Moshe kipnei chamah, p’nei Yehoshua kipnei levonah [the face of Moshe is like the face of the sun, the face of Yehoshua is like the face of the moon] — which are the aspect of the attainment of son and student, as mentioned in the aforementioned discourse — see there.

And therefore the measure is thirty [days], which is one month, at which point sun and moon return and gather and are included together as at the beginning — which is the aspect of the totality of son and student together. And this is the essential rectification for the excommunicated one and the mourner from whom da’as and mochin have departed, as mentioned. For the essential departure of da’as is the aspect of separation, heaven forbid, between son and student, between sun and moon. For son is the aspect of the dwellers above (darei ma’alah) and student is the aspect of the dwellers below (darei matah), as mentioned in the aforementioned discourse. And the dwellers above and dwellers below are the aspect of soul and body, as it is written: yikra el hashamayim me’al — this refers to the soul etc. And when da’as departs — which is the life-force, which is the soul — this is the separation of soul and body, which is the aspect of the separation of son and student, through which comes the essential departure of da’as. For the essential da’as is the union of two opposites: chassadim and gevuros, dwellers above and dwellers below, soul and body, the aspect of son and student, as brought elsewhere — for the essential da’as is that which unites two opposites together etc.

Section 3. And this is the bechinas of the three years of orla — that one must wait when planting a fruit tree, three years without eating the fruit. For through waiting three years and not eating the fruit, one weakens the mazona d'gufa — which is the rectification of the flaw of the Etz HaDa'as Tov v'Ra, in which the mazona d'gufa overpowered. As it is brought in the Midrash that the three years of orla one waits is the rectification of the eating from the Etz HaDa'as, as they said there: "Who will remove the dust from your eyes, Adam HaRishon! For you were unable to wait even one hour — and behold, your children wait three years!" Thus it emerges that through waiting the three years of orla one rectifies the sin of Adam HaRishon, for one weakens the mazona d'gufa, as above. And through this the mazona d'nishm'sa is strengthened — which is the rectification of da'as, the three mochin that are the three partitions spread against the desire for immorality, as above. Therefore the three years of orla are specifically called orla — for orla is the flaw of the bris. That is, through these three years of orla one subdues the flaw of the bris, through waiting these three years and not eating the fruit, subduing the mazona d'gufa — through which the mazona d'nishm'sa is strengthened, which is the rectification of da'as, that is, the three mochin, as above. And therefore the three years of orla apply specifically to fruit trees — for there one must especially rectify the flaw of the sin of Adam HaRishon, whose sin was in the species of tree, for he ate from the Etz HaDa'as. Therefore the essential hold of the orla years is in tree species, and therefore specifically in tree species one must wait the three years of orla — to rectify through this the sin of Adam HaRishon, as above.

And therefore the rectification of the excommunicated one and the mourner — that is, for mochin to return to them — is after thirty [days], which is one month, at which point the blemish of the moon is rectified. For every thirty days the blemish of the moon is rectified, for the moon goes around each month and waxes and wanes and it is clarified and rectified each time every month until it returns and is completely full as it was before its diminishment. And therefore after thirty days, sun and moon reunite — son and student — and one returns to receive da’as which is life, as mentioned.

Section 4. And this is the bechinas of neta revai (fourth-year planting), as it is written: "And in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, hillulim to Hashem." For after the three years of orla — during which the sitra achara holds sway over the fruit and one is completely forbidden to eat the fruit, so that the mazona d'gufa should not overpower — after these three years one still cannot eat the fruit unless one first rectifies them from the flaw of the hold of the Etz HaDa'as, until the fruit is in the bechinas of mazona d'nishm'sa — which is the bechinas rei'ach, the bechinas yira — drawn down through the Voice, which is the bechinas of the melody that will be awakened in the future, which is the shir pashut kaful meshulash meruba (simple, doubled, tripled, quadrupled song) — which is the ten types of melody, as explained well there in the ma'amar. This is accomplished by bringing the fruit in the fourth year up to Yerushalayim, where all the fragrances and yiros (awe-states) are — for Yerushalayim is named for yira, the bechinas yira shalem (complete awe), as is brought. And there are all good fragrances, for there is Har HaMoriya, named for the fragrance of the incense (k'tores). For in Yerushalayim there are ten levels of holiness, which are the bechinas of ten types of melody — which are the entirety of holiness. Therefore in Yerushalayim all the sacrifices (korbanos) are eaten, for the korbanos atone, and then the sins (avonos) are transformed into merits (zchuyos), and then all the sins raise up good fragrance — the bechinas of "My spikenard gave forth its scent." And this is the bechinas of rei'ach nicho'ach (a pleasing fragrance) said of all the korbanos — for through the korbanos that atone, the bechinas of good fragrance is drawn down, for even the sins now raise up good fragrance through the korbanos that atone, as above. And this is the bechinas of eating the korbanos in Yerushalayim — for when one merits the good fragrance through the korbanos that atone, the eating is in the bechinas of mazona d'nishm'sa, which is the bechinas rei'ach, as above. And therefore they are eaten in Yerushalayim and the Beis HaMikdosh, for there are all the fragrances and yiros, as above. And therefore there the eating is in the bechinas of mazona d'nishm'sa, the bechinas rei'ach, as above. And this is the bechinas of eating neta revai in Yerushalayim — in order to elevate the fruit from the bechinas of the three years of orla, from the bechinas of mazona d'gufa, which is the bechinas of eating from the Etz HaDa'as Tov v'Ra whose sin was in tree-species. Therefore in the fourth year the fruit must be clarified from this flaw, and this is accomplished by bringing them to Yerushalayim and eating them there — for there the eating is in the bechinas of mazona d'nishm'sa, the bechinas rei'ach, the bechinas yira, as above. And this is: "And in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, hillulim to Hashem" — that then one merits to eat the fruit in Yerushalayim where all the fragrances grow through the aforementioned Voice, which is the ten types of melody encompassed in Yerushalayim and the Beis HaMikdosh, where the Levi'im engage in their song and their music. And this is the bechinas of kodesh hillulim to Hashem — hillulim specifically, the bechinas of ten types of melody, which are the ten hillulim of the bechinas of "Hallelu Kel b'kodsho, halleluhu bir'kia uzo…" (Tehillim 150) — which are ten hillulim corresponding to the ten types of melody stated in the Book of Tehillim, which is the bechinas of the aforementioned Voice that waters the garden, through which all the good fragrances grow, and through which the fruit is rectified in the fourth year, emerging and being clarified from the bechinas orla, from the bechinas flaw of the Etz HaDa'as, from the bechinas of mazona d'gufa — for they are eaten in Yerushalayim where all the fragrances are, through the ten types of melody, through which the eating is holy in the bechinas of mazona d'nishm'sa. And this is: "And in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, hillulim to Hashem — hillulim specifically," as above. And this is accomplished in the fourth year specifically, for then, by bringing the fruit to Yerushalayim, one awakens the shir pashut kaful meshulash meruba that one merits to be awakened then — through having waited the three years of orla and in the fourth year having brought the fruit to Yerushalayim, where all the fragrances and yiros grow through the aforementioned Voice of melody, which is the shir pashut kaful meshulash meruba, as above.

Section 5. Therefore the New Year for Trees (Rosh HaShana l'ilanot) is in the month of Shevat — for Shevat is the eleventh month, and then Moshe undertook to explain the Torah, as it is written: "And it was in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first of the month, Moshe undertook to explain the Torah…" (Devarim 1). For Moshe then delivered rebuke to Israel, as it is written there: "These are the words that Moshe spoke to all of Israel" — and Rashi explains that these are words of rebuke, for he recalled there all the sins of Israel: "In the wilderness, in the plain…" and so on. And when Moshe rebuked Israel he was awakening the Voice that waters the garden — through which all the sins raise up good fragrance — and specifically through this could he rebuke them, for this is the bechinas of the rebuke of Moshe, as explained there in the ma'amar. Now how beautiful and how pleasing is the juxtaposition — that the rebuke of Moshe is placed next to the war against Og, King of Bashan: "These are the words… after he smote Sichon… and Og, King of Bashan…" For the war of Og is through the aforementioned Voice, as above — specifically through which one can rebuke Israel in the bechinas of the rebuke of Moshe, as explained well there in the ma'amar. For all the matters of the ma'amar are encompassed in the war of Og that Moshe defeated — see there. And therefore Moshe could not rebuke Israel until he had defeated and killed Og, for then he merited the aforementioned Voice that waters the garden — through which even all the sins raise up good fragrance, as above — and specifically thereby could he rebuke them. This is: "These are the words… in the wilderness, in the plain…" — rebuke — "after his smiting…and Og, King of Bashan" — for specifically through this could he rebuke them, since through the war of Og he merited the aforementioned Voice, through which even all the sins raise up good fragrance, as above — and thereby could he rebuke them, as above.

And this is: "And it was… in the eleventh month" — that is, in Shevat, which is the New Year for Trees — for the war of Og, that is, subduing the sitra achara that suckled from the da'as, requires prayer in the bechinas of din of the ba'al ko'ach, through which one draws out all the vitality from the klippa and converts are made, and through this one merits the aforementioned Voice through which all the fragrances grow, as above. And this is the bechinas of the eleven spices of the k'tores — for through them all the sparks of holiness are clarified from the klippos. For the clarification of holiness from the klippos through the eleven spices of the k'tores is the bechinas of what draws out the vitality from the klippa through the prayer in the bechinas of din of the ba'al ko'ach. For holiness is always in the bechinas of ten — there is no matter of holiness with fewer than ten — but the vitality of the klippos is in the bechinas of eleven, as is known: this being the bechinas of the eleven chieftains of Eisav (alufei Eisav), the bechinas of the eleven curtains of goat-hair. And this is the bechinas of the eleven spices of the k'tores — for since through the k'tores they needed to clarify holiness from the depths of the klippos, the k'tores had specifically eleven spices, in order to subdue and sweeten the din at its root — that is, the klippos which are the bechinas of the intensification of din, whose suckling and vitality is in the bechinas of eleven — are subdued at their very root, specifically through the eleven spices of the k'tores, which is the bechinas of prayer in the bechinas of din — that is, one prays a prayer in the bechinas of din that seems to belong to them, since they are bechinas dinim, and thereby specifically their vitality is drawn out. Similarly, specifically eleven spices of k'tores were brought — for these are the bechinas dinim, since the dinim that are the hold of the klippos suckle from the bechinas of eleven. But the power of the k'tores is so great that specifically through it — through the eleven spices — their vitality is drawn out, in the bechinas of prayer in the bechinas of din through which specifically the vitality is drawn from the klippos, as above.

And this is the bechinas of chelbena whose smell is foul, that was in the k'tores — for they were compelled to mix chelbena whose smell is foul into the k'tores, and through this the k'tores was in the bechinas of din — from which the chelbena whose smell is foul draws. And specifically through this the k'tores would clarify all the clarifications from the klippos, and they were included in holiness, until even the chelbena was included in the k'tores and raised up a good fragrance — this being the bechinas of sins transformed into merits, that even the sins raise up good fragrance, the bechinas of "My spikenard gave forth its scent." For together with the chelbena there were eleven spices — without the chelbena there would have been only ten spices, but with the chelbena there were eleven — and specifically through this the k'tores was in the bechinas of prayer in bechinas of din, which is the number eleven, the bechinas of chelbena. And therefore the k'tores would descend to the very depths of the klippos to clarify all the clarifications from there — for the sitra achara wanted to swallow and suckle from the k'tores since it was in the bechinas of din, as above. But through the enormous strength and power of the k'tores it stood in their very gullet until they were compelled by the k'tores to vomit up all the holinesses they had swallowed, and specifically through them all the clarifications were clarified, until one merited the good fragrance — the mazona d'nishm'sa — through the k'tores specifically, which is the good fragrance, for even the chelbena was transformed to good fragrance, the bechinas of "My spikenard gave forth its scent," as above. Thus the eleven spices of the k'tores are the bechinas of prayer in the bechinas of din — through which one merits the good fragrance that is the mazona d'nishm'sa, which is the rectification of the sin of Etz HaDa'as Tov v'Ra, as above. Therefore the New Year for Trees is in Shevat, the eleventh month — for then one can clarify and rectify the sin of Adam HaRishon who sinned with the Etz HaDa'as, whose rectification is through the eleven spices of the k'tores, which is the bechinas of prayer in the bechinas of din. And therefore then is the New Year for Trees, since his sin was in a species of tree. Therefore in Shevat, the eleventh month, is the time of rectification, and therefore then is the New Year for Trees with regard to orla and neta revai — for orla and neta revai are the rectification of the Etz HaDa'as, as above. And therefore in the eleventh month Moshe undertook to explain the Torah, after having smitten Og — for then is the essential rectification of the war of Og, which is through prayer in the bechinas of din, which is the bechinas of the eleven spices of the k'tores, the bechinas of the eleventh month — when the sitra achara vomits up all the holiness and all the da'as that it swallowed. And then the true tzaddik, the bechinas of Moshe, merits great da'as — that is, the revelation of Torah — and through this can rebuke Israel, as above. And therefore then Moshe rebuked Israel and then undertook to explain the Torah. For all this was accomplished through prayer in the bechinas of din, which is the bechinas of the war of Og, the bechinas of the eleven spices of the k'tores, the bechinas of the eleventh month, in which is the New Year for Trees, which is the rectification of the flaw of the Etz HaDa'as.

Section 6. And this is the bechinas of what Moshe began his rebuke with: "Eleven days from Chorev, by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea" (Devarim 1). For the essential rebuke is through the bechinas of eleven, which is the bechinas of prayer in the bechinas of din, from which the klippos suckle — and specifically thereby are they subdued, for it stands in their very gullet, as above. And this is the bechinas of eleven days from Chorev — that when one wishes to destroy the dwelling of the klippos, one must then travel by way of Mount Seir to extract the vitality from there. Therefore one needs for this the bechinas of eleven days — that is, the bechinas of the eleven spices of the k'tores, which is the bechinas of prayer in the bechinas of din that stands in their gullet. And then the sitra achara must disgorge and vomit up all the holiness it swallowed, until it vomits up even the very core of its own vitality. And this is "to Kadesh Barnea" — that it is compelled to shake and expel all the holiness outward. And this is Barnea — a language of vomiting, that it expels its phlegm and discharge outward — that is, the sitra achara vomits and disgorges outward all the holinesses it swallowed. And this is accomplished through prayer in the bechinas of din, which is the bechinas of eleven days, the bechinas of eleven spices of the k'tores, the bechinas of the eleventh month, as above.

Section 13 — The Niddui of Rabbi Eliezer the Great

And therefore Rabbi Eliezer the Great was excommunicated for not wishing to concede to the Sages in the matter of the oven of Achnai. For Rabbi Eliezer’s attainment was exceedingly lofty, as brought in the words of our Rebbe, may his memory be for a blessing. And as our Rebbe explains in the aforementioned discourse: that Rabbi Eliezer is the aspect of son, the aspect of ‘Ayin lo ra’asah Elokim zulosecha ya’aseh [eye has not seen, O G-d, besides You, what He will do] — whose initial letters spell Eliezer etc. — see there. And therefore it was impossible to receive his da’as and his attainment, for his attainment was in the aspect of silence (shtikah). And therefore he would inform his student Rabbi Akiva that he would die for the sanctification of Hashem, as our Sages of blessed memory said: he said to Rabbi Akiva before his passing, I wonder if you will die a natural death — for the death of Rabbi Akiva is the aspect of silence, the aspect of shtok kach alah b’machashavah [be silent, so it arose in thought], as written in the aforementioned discourse — see there.

Section 7. And this is the bechinas of: "Incense (k'tores) gladdens the heart." For through the eleven spices of the k'tores one merits the aforementioned Voice, which is the bechinas of ten types of melody, which are the bechinas of joy — as it is written: "Upon a ten-stringed instrument and upon the harp… for You have gladdened me, Hashem, with Your deeds" (Tehillim 92). And therefore this verse is said in the psalm "A song for the Shabbos day" which Adam HaRishon said after his teshuva — for the ten types of melody, the bechinas of "upon a ten-stringed instrument and upon the harp," are the rectification of the sin of the Etz HaDa'as — the overpowering of the mazona d'gufa. For the ten types of melody are the bechinas of the Voice that waters the garden, through which all the fragrances grow — the mazona d'nishm'sa, as above.

And therefore the Sages did not wish to accept the words of Rabbi Eliezer the Great, even though he showed them awesome signs from heaven that the ruling was in accordance with his words. For lo vashamayim hi [it is not in heaven] — that is, the Torah is not in heaven, which is the attainment of the dwellers above, which is the aspect of heaven. For the attainment of the dwellers above it is impossible for us to attain. For the essential rulings of the Torah are only through the aspect of the attainment of the student, which is the aspect of the dwellers below. For the Torah was given on earth and not in heaven. And therefore the rulings of the Torah must be clarified according to the attainment of da’as of the aspect of the dwellers below, which is the aspect of the student — which is the aspect of Yehoshua who received the Torah from Moshe. And therefore Moshe transmitted the Torah to Yehoshua his student precisely, and not to his son Eliezer — who is the aspect of Rabbi Eliezer the Great — as explained in the aforementioned discourse. For lo vashamayim hi, as mentioned. For the attainment of Rabbi Eliezer, which is the aspect of son, the aspect of ayin lo ra’asah etc., it is impossible for us to attain in this world.

Section 8. And this is the bechinas of Yosef HaTzaddik — he was the eleventh tribe according to the order of their births. For the essential clarification of holiness from the klippos was through Yosef HaTzaddik, in the bechinas of: "Elokim has gathered my disgrace" — said of Yosef — for through him all the disgraces, which are the klippos, are gathered and nullified. For Yosef was a great ba'al ko'ach — for he conquered his desire and stood fast in the trial, which is the essential strength and courage of the aforementioned ba'al ko'ach, as in the saying: "Who is mighty? One who conquers his desire" (Avos, ch. 4).

And therefore the Sages did not wish to establish the ruling according to Rabbi Eliezer. And therefore they excommunicated him. For the excommunication is the aspect of silence, for they distance themselves from speaking with him. For just as one who disparages words of Sages must be excommunicated and distanced from speaking with him, for the aspect of death (sitra de’mosa) took hold of him — for da’as and life have departed from him since he blemished against the Sages from whom da’as is drawn — and therefore he must be silent so that the sitra achra not take hold in his speech. So too, at the very lofty level of holiness, Rabbi Eliezer the Great who was in the aspect of son — which is the aspect of silence, for it is impossible to receive his attainment, as mentioned — therefore they were compelled to excommunicate him and distance themselves from him. For it is impossible to receive his attainment, for he is in the aspect of silence, as mentioned. And all this they did because he stood firm in his position and did not wish to concede to them and insisted that his lofty da’as be upheld. But in truth his da’as is impossible to attain — he should have constricted his da’as and conceded to the words of the Sages and drawn down da’as that is possible to attain for students. And therefore they did not rule the halachah according to him, for lo vashamayim hi, as mentioned.

Therefore Yosef descended to Egypt before Israel — for the sitra achara thought it would swallow Yosef, since his descent to Egypt was through his being clothed in the bechinas of din. For he would bring their evil reports to their father — which is the bechinas of din — and through this he was sold to Egypt, and even Ya'akov himself feared lest he be swallowed among the sitra achara, as he said: "Yosef has been torn apart — a wild beast has devoured him." "Has devoured him" specifically — for he thought that the sitra achara had swallowed and consumed him. But Yosef was a great ba'al ko'ach. And then, on the contrary — through descending to Egypt he drew out from them all the holinesses they had swallowed through the sin of Adam HaRishon, and clarified all the sparks from Egypt. Therefore the essential redemption was through Yosef HaTzaddik, as it is written: "G-d will surely remember you, and you shall bring up my bones from here." And as it is written: "And Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him." For the essential exodus from Egypt was through prayer in the aforementioned bechinas of din, as understood from the ma'amar — this being the bechinas of: "Cast it before Pharaoh — let it become a serpent (tanin)", as explained there. And all this was through Yosef, for he was a great ba'al ko'ach, as above. And therefore the splitting of the Sea of Reeds was in the merit of Yosef HaTzaddik, as it is written: "The sea saw and fled" — and our Sages expounded: "The sea saw and fled, and went out." For the splitting of the Sea of Reeds is the bechinas of: "You broke the sea with Your strength" — which is through prayer in the bechinas of din, which is the mateh oz (staff of strength), as explained there in the ma'amar. And this was accomplished through Yosef, as above.

And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said on the verse lech reid [go, descend] etc.: at that moment Moshe was excommunicated by the heavenly court. For since [Yisrael] had sinned so greatly, it was impossible to speak with them at all or bring da’as into them, and one must be silent — which is the aspect of the niddui of Moshe and of Rabbi Eliezer the Great, for they are in the aspect of silence, as mentioned. For always at the time when there is permission to draw down da’as and makifin they are drawn from the aspect of silence, as mentioned. But when Yisrael sinned one must be completely silent at that time, as mentioned. And therefore throughout all those thirty-eight years the speech did not address him in the language of affection until that entire generation had perished. And then it is written: vayedaber eilai leimor — eilai the speech was addressed, but throughout all those years etc., as Rashi explains there.

For Moshe merited to rectify this. For Moshe, even though he was in the aspect of silence, nevertheless was comprised of both: of the aspect of da’as that must be illuminated in the son, and of the aspect of da’as that must be illuminated in the student. And he merited to illuminate in both — in son and in student — which is the aspect of his son Eliezer and his student Yehoshua, through whom he transmitted all the Torah to Yisrael. As [the Sages] said: Moshe kibel Torah miSinai u’mesarah l’Yehoshua etc. — to Yehoshua precisely, who is the attainment of the student, as mentioned. For this is the essential completeness of the tzaddik: even though he is very far above, nonetheless he draws down his illumination also far below and leaves his illumination also in this world after his passing through son and student, as mentioned. And the essential drawing down of da’as is through the student, for we cannot receive the attainment of the tzaddik who is in the aspect of Moshe except through him — in the aspect of Moshe kibel Torah miSinai u’mesarah l’Yehoshua etc. — to Yehoshua precisely, who is the aspect of student, as mentioned.

Section 9. And therefore the essential power of Pinchas — that he prayed a prayer in the bechinas of din at the time that he zealously acted over the matter of Zimri — his essential power came from being of the seed of Yosef HaTzaddik. As it is written: "And Elazar son of Aharon took a wife from the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Pinchas." Our Sages expounded: from the seed of Yosef who subdued his desire, and from the seed of Yisro who fattened calves for idol worship — for Yisro is associated with Yosef. And therefore they were joined together, for through Yosef, the aforementioned ba'al ko'ach, converts are made — which is the bechinas of Yisro — for through this the sitra achara is compelled to disgorge even the core of its own vitality, as explained there in the ma'amar. Therefore from Yosef and from Yisro, who are related to each other as above, from both was born Pinchas, who was also a ba'al ko'ach and prayed a prayer in the bechinas of din in the matter of Zimri — through which converts are made, as above.

Section 10. And this is the bechinas of the eleven curses and eleven blessings with which Moshe blessed the tribes — excluding Shimon. And because he did not bless him, he did not say a curse against him either — for the matter of Zimri was in the tribe of Shimon, since Shimon is the tukpa d'dina (the very force of din), as is brought, and therefore there the desire for immorality intensified most — for all the twenty-four thousand who fell in the matter of Zimri were all from the tribe of Shimon, as Rashi explains there. And it was not possible to subdue them except through Pinchas, who was a great ba'al ko'ach who prayed a prayer in the bechinas of din. And prayer in the bechinas of din is in the bechinas of eleven, the bechinas of the eleven spices of the k'tores — which is the bechinas of Yosef, who was born as the eleventh, and Pinchas came from his descendants, as above. For the essential subduing of the klippos is at their root specifically, that is, in the bechinas of eleven, as above. And therefore Moshe stated eleven curses and eleven blessings, excluding the tribe of Shimon — to teach that the subduing of the intense din of Shimon, that is, the desire for immorality, is through the bechinas of eleven — the eleven spices of the k'tores — which is the bechinas of prayer in the bechinas of din of the ba'al ko'ach, which is the bechinas of Pinchas who zealously acted over the matter of Zimri, who was from the tribe of Shimon. Therefore the New Year for Trees, which is the rectification of the sin of the Etz HaDa'as that sinned with tree-species, is in the month of Shevat, the eleventh month — for the essential rectification is through the bechinas of eleven, the eleven spices of the k'tores, as above.

Section 14 — Ha’umnam Eilem: Silence and Da’as

And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said on the verse ha’umnam eilem [do you indeed speak silence]: what should a person do in this world? He should make himself as if mute (ileim). One might think even regarding words of Torah — the verse therefore states: tzedek tedabeirun [righteousness shall you speak]. One might think even if he makes his da’as haughty? The verse therefore states: meisharim tishpetu b’nei adam [with equity shall you judge the sons of man] — that is, as mentioned. For the essential rectification is through silence, which is the aspect of wearing shoes (levishas minalim) — to lock and close the foot which is the aspect of speech, as explained elsewhere — not to speak what is not needed. For kol hadevarim yegei’im lo yuchal ish ledaber [all things are wearisome, a man cannot utter them]. For speech is da’as and it must be guarded greatly.

Section 11. And this is the bechinas of what is stated: "There are four New Year's Days" (Rosh HaShana 1) — for at each New Year's Day the prayer is in the bechinas of din, as mentioned in the ma'amar regarding the essential Rosh HaShana. And similarly for all four New Year's Days — which are days of judgment — for the essential clarification of dinim is through the moach (intellect), which is the head (rosh), for "all things are clarified in thought." Therefore at all the Roshei Shanim (New Year's Days) — which are in the bechinas of heads, the bechinas of the moach — one must then sweeten the dinim, that is, clarify and extract all the vitality of holiness from the klippos — which is the essential sweetening of the dinim, when one nullifies the hold of the klippos in which they grip. And the essential clarification is through prayer in the bechinas of din of the ba'al ko'ach, as above. And then one merits the shir pashut kaful meshulash meruba. And this is the bechinas of the four New Year's Days — the bechinas of shir pashut kaful meshulash meruba — which one merits through prayer in the bechinas of din of the ba'al ko'ach, employing this prayer at the four New Year's Days in order to clarify the holy da'as from the klippos, to perfect and complete the holy da'as, which is the bechinas of head, the bechinas of Roshei Shanim, as above.

Section 12. And this is the bechinas of why Shiras HaYam (the Song of the Sea) is read always in the month of Shevat, close to the fifteenth of Shevat, which is the New Year for Trees. For the fifteenth of Shevat is always close to Shabbas Shira (the Sabbath of Song), and sometimes Shabbas Shira falls on the fifteenth of Shevat itself. For the fifteenth of Shevat — which is the New Year for Trees with regard to orla and neta revai, the bechinas of the rectification of the sin of Adam HaRishon through the Voice that waters the garden, which is the shir pashut kaful meshulash meruba — is accomplished through prayer in the bechinas of din of the ba'al ko'ach, as above. All this is the bechinas of the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, the bechinas of: "You broke the sea with Your strength," as explained well in the ma'amar. And this is the bechinas of Shiras HaYam — for through the aforementioned mateh oz through which was the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, one merits the song, the bechinas of shir pashut etc., as above. Therefore Shiras HaYam is read in Shevat close to the fifteenth — the New Year for Trees — for this is the bechinas of this rectification, as above.

And this is: one might think even regarding words of Torah? The verse states tzedek tedabeirun. For certainly all Torah speech one must speak with each other and with one’s students, for this is the essential illumination of son and student which is the illumination of da’as, which is the Torah. And this is: one might think even if he makes his da’as haughty — that is, that he makes his da’as haughty and goes beyond his level, heaven forbid, and multiplies his words beyond measure and reveals what need not be revealed, heaven forbid. The verse therefore states: meisharim tishpetu b’nei adam. For one must weigh one’s words with judgment — not to reveal, even regarding words of Torah and the illumination of da’as, what need not be revealed. Which is the aspect of seyag lachochmah shtikah [a fence for wisdom is silence], as mentioned. And then when one merits to silence — which is the aspect of Keser — one is then able to illuminate in son and student, to illuminate each one according to his level: to reveal to the son the aspect of the dwellers above who are far from Hashem, blessed-be-He, in the aspect of ayeh [where] etc., and conversely to the student, the aspect of melo chol ha’aretz kevodo [the whole earth is full of His glory] etc., as mentioned in the aforementioned discourse. Which is the aspect of hevvu mesunim badin [be deliberate in judgment] etc., the aspect of ki Elokim shofeit zeh yashpil v’zeh yarim [for G-d is judge, He lowers this one and raises that one] etc., as explained there — see there.

Section 13. Therefore when Ya'akov went out to meet Eisav he prayed a prayer in the bechinas of din, as it is written: "I am diminished (katonti) by all the kindnesses…" — the bechinas of smallness of the kindnesses, that is, he prayed his prayer in the bechinas of smallness of kindnesses, the bechinas of din — for he needed to battle with Eisav, who is Amalek from whom he descended, who is the impurity of the serpent, as is known. Therefore against him he needed prayer in the bechinas of din, in order to extract from him the vitality — all the da'as that it swallowed from holiness, as above.

Section 14. And this is the bechinas of the birthright (bechora) that Ya'akov took from Eisav through guile, by feeding him of "the red, the red stuff." For the bechora is the bechinas da'as — the firstborn is the beginning (reishis), the bechinas reishis da'as, as brought elsewhere. And therefore through feeding him of "the red, the red" — which is the bechinas dinim, the bechinas prayer in the bechinas of din of the ba'al ko'ach, that stands in its very gullet, as above — through this he drew out from him all the da'as that it had swallowed from holiness, which is the bechinas of the bechora that it sold him. For the bechora is the bechinas da'as, as above. And therefore Ya'akov transmitted this power of prayer in the bechinas of din to Yosef, as it is written: "And I, I have given you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Emorite with my sword and with my bow." Rashi explains: this is the bechora that he took from Eisav through his prayer and supplication — as above. For the bechora, which is the holy da'as that Eisav (the serpent) swallowed through the sin of Adam HaRishon, Ya'akov extracted from him through his prayer and supplication, called sword and bow — which are instruments of war and din: prayer in the bechinas of din, as above. And therefore he transmitted this to Yosef — for Yosef was a ba'al ko'ach and was able to extract all the holiness from the klippos and the sitra achara through prayer in the bechinas of din of the ba'al ko'ach, as above. And this is the bechinas of: "Reuven, you are my firstborn, my strength and the beginning of my vigor" — that he would have been fitting to receive the bechora, which is the da'as I extracted from Eisav through my strength and the beginning of my vigor — through this same great strength, for the core of his power was through guarding his covenant, as above. For the essential power is through guarding the covenant, as above. And through my great strength I secured the bechora from Eisav. But "unstable as water" — therefore the bechora was given to Yosef, who was a great ba'al ko'ach through having stood fast in the trial, and therefore merited the bechora — which is the da'as drawn out from the sitra achara, the bechinas of Eisav — through prayer in the bechinas of din of the ba'al ko'ach, as above. Section 15. Therefore the essential selling of Yosef was through Shimon — as Rashi explains on the verse "And he took Shimon and bound him before their eyes": he was the one who cast him into the pit; he said to his brothers: "Come, let us kill him." For Shimon, who was the tukpa d'dina, afterwards had the desire for immorality intensify most in his tribe — for all the twenty-four thousand who fell in the matter of Zimri were all from the tribe of Shimon, as Rashi explains there. Therefore he wished to contend with Yosef, who is the bechinas bris — for the adversarial force wished to overpower Yosef through the intense din of Shimon. But Yosef was such a great ba'al ko'ach that he merited to subdue and nullify the intense din of Shimon, in the bechinas of: "And he took Shimon and bound him." For Yosef drew out all the holiness from the sitra achara through his enormous strength from having stood fast in the trial, as above. And therefore he merited that Pinchas descended from him — who zealously acted over the matter of Zimri, who was from the tribe of Shimon — and his subduing was through Pinchas, who was from the seed of Yosef, as above. And this is the bechinas of: "For Hashem heard that I am hated — and she called his name Shimon." For the rectification and sweetening of the bechinas of Shimon, which is the intensity of din, is through prayer in the bechinas of din — through which one merits the rebuke that causes even all the sins to raise up good fragrance, as above. And this is: "For Hashem heard that I am hated" — the bechinas of the one who rebukes Israel, who is hated, as our Sages said: "That Torah scholar who is beloved by the people of his town — it is because he does not rebuke them in matters of Heaven." Thus it emerges that the one who rebukes is hated. And this matter has been brought in the words of Rabbaynu of blessed memory elsewhere (Likutay Moharan I:10) in connection with this verse. Therefore she named him Shimon after the rebuke that is called "hated," as above. For the essential rectification and sweetening of the bechinas of Shimon is through the prayer of the ba'al ko'ach, through which one merits the rebuke of Moshe, which added and bestowed good fragrance upon Israel through his rebuking them — the bechinas of "My spikenard gave forth its scent," as above.