ספר תורה א

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The Matter of the Three Years of Orla, and in the Fourth Year the Fruits Must Be Brought Up to Yerushalayim, etc.

Section 1. In accordance with the Torah "Sound the Tekia" (Likutay Moharan II:1) — and the general principle relevant to our subject: the Jewish person was created to have dominion over the angels, etc. But one must guard oneself greatly from the jealousy of the angels, lest they push him away, Heaven forbid. The counsel for this is to hold fast to the roots of the souls of Israel, which are hewn from beneath the Throne of Glory — this being the bechinas of Chava, the mother of all life, which is the bechinas of: "And Hashem Elokim built the rib," etc. But one must recognize the m'fursomim [the well-known figures] among them in whom all the souls are included — for there are various false m'fursomim whose entire greatness derives only from brazenness, for brazenness is a kingship without a crown. This one attains through the building of Yerushalayim, which is the bechinas of the completeness of the awe that depends upon the heart, etc. For this one must break the three lusts which spoil the awe in the heart: the lust for money, the lust for sexual immorality, and the lust for eating. To merit emerging from these lusts, one must properly receive the three pilgrim festivals (sholosh r'golim), etc. — see there. And thereby one merits awe, which is the bechinas of the building of Yerushalayim. And through this one merits prayer, which is the word of Hashem, etc., etc. — through which one merits to hold fast to the roots of the souls, and then one's dominion over the angels will be sustained, etc. And then one can "make" Rosh HaShana, etc. — see there, all of this well.

Section 2. This is the bechinas of the three years of orla, which serve to rectify the sin of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil — as is hinted in the words of our Sages of blessed memory who said: "Who will remove the dust from your eyes, O Adam HaRishon! — for behold your children wait three years," etc., as explained in the Midrash. For Adam HaRishon was created to have dominion over the angels, and so it was — he did indeed have dominion over them before the sin, as is explained in the Zohar and the Midrashim regarding the enormous greatness and dominion over the angels that Adam HaRishon possessed before the sin. As our Sages of blessed memory said: the angels would roast flesh for him and filter wine for him, etc. And because of this very thing the angels became intensely jealous of him, until the Samael provoked him, etc., as is explained in those places — for Hashem blessed be He knew that the angels would be jealous of him, and therefore hinted to him that he should hold fast to the roots of the souls, which are the bechinas of Chava, the mother of all life — this being the bechinas of "And Hashem Elokim built the rib," etc., which was said regarding Adam HaRishon. For Chava was the mother of all life, who was comprised of all souls. But he needed to take great care not to attach himself to the souls of the false m'fursomim, who derive their standing only from brazenness, as above. For they were already present in their roots in that time, being from the bechinas of the nine hundred and seventy-four generations that existed before the creation of the world — they are the brazen-faced of the generation, and they are the leaders of the people, as is brought in the holy Zohar. And because Adam HaRishon needed to guard himself from them, therefore Hashem blessed be He commanded him: "Of every tree of the garden you shall surely eat, but of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil you shall not eat" — for the trees of the garden are the bechinas of holy souls, as it says in the holy Zohar: "all souls go forth from the great Tree." For all the trees of Gan Eden draw nourishment and receive from the bechinas of the Tree of Life which is in the midst of the garden, which comprises all the souls hewn from the Throne of Glory — for the Tree of Life stands beneath the Throne of Glory, through which all souls descend and ascend when they need to come to this world from there, and likewise in the reverse direction when they need to return and ascend from this world to their place and their root, for all of them must descend and ascend through the Tree of Life, as is known. But there is a Tree of Knowledge in the garden, which is the bechinas of the root of the souls of the false m'fursomim, who are the bechinas of the brazen-faced of the generation — this is the bechinas of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, for they are intermingled from good and evil. For certainly any false mefursam necessarily has some good in him, for without that he would have no power to draw souls of Israel after him — since it is the nature of Jewish souls to be drawn only toward good. And therefore certainly it is impossible for there to be a false mefursam except when he has a little good, in the bechinas of: "Any falsehood which has no truth at its beginning cannot endure," etc. Only the evil and falsehood in him outweigh the good — this being the bechinas of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. And through this Adam HaRishon was commanded: "Of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil you shall not eat" — so that he would not attach himself and bind himself to the roots of the souls of the false m'fursomim, who are the bechinas of the brazen-faced ones who were withered before their time. But the Samael provoked him and incited him to transgress this very commandment — to eat from the Tree of Knowledge — and through this he no longer had the strength to stand in his dominion over the angels, and they pushed and toppled him, in the bechinas of: "For on the day you eat from it you shall surely die." "He who descends from his level — of him it is said, 'and he died'" — as it says in the holy Zohar (Nasso, 135b). For through the sin of eating from the Tree of Knowledge he damaged all three lusts mentioned above, which needed to be broken in order to know how to recognize the roots of the souls of the brazen-faced ones, etc.: the lust for money, immorality, and eating, as above in that Torah teaching. And he damaged all of them through eating from the Tree of Knowledge. And this is what is written: "And the woman saw that the tree was good for food" — this is the lust for eating; "and that it was a delight to the eyes" — this is the bechinas of the lust for immorality, which depends on the eyes, as it is written: "and you shall not go astray after your heart and after your eyes"; "and the tree was desirable" — this is the bechinas of the lust for money, regarding which it says: "Do not covet." And since he damaged all three lusts, certainly he no longer had the strength to stand in his dominion, etc., as above.

Section 3. This is the bechinas of the three years of orla: when one plants a fruit tree, one must wait three years of orla. Precisely three years — corresponding to the three lusts above — in order to break and nullify those three lusts, so as to guard the tree from drawing nourishment from the bechinas of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil — Heaven forbid — from the bechinas of the roots of the souls of the false m'fursomim, so that its nourishment should come only from the bechinas of the Tree of Life in the midst of the garden, etc. And this is: "And in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, a hillulim to Hashem" — that one must bring the fruits up to Yerushalayim — meaning as above: that after one merits to subdue the three lusts above, which are the bechinas of the three years of orla as above, one then merits the bechinas of building Yerushalayim, which is perfect awe resting in the heart. And therefore after the three years of orla one must bring the fruits up to Yerushalayim, which is the bechinas of yira sholom attained by subduing the three lusts, through refraining from eating the fruits during the three years of orla, as above. And through the bechinas of building Yerushalayim one merits prayer, as above in that Torah teaching. And this is: "And in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, a hillulim to Hashem." "Kodesh hillulim" precisely — the bechinas of prayer, which is praises and hillulim to Hashem, attained through the bechinas of building Yerushalayim, attained by subduing the three lusts above — this being the bechinas of the prohibition of eating the fruits during the three years of orla, and the netah r'vai: bringing the fruits in the fourth year to Yerushalayim, as above. Section 4. And then one can "make" Rosh HaShana, as explained in that Torah teaching. And this is the bechinas of the tekios whose acronym is kuf-shin-tav [Tekia, Shevorim, Terua], which are the bechinas of the patriarchs — Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya'akov — as is brought: for the three patriarchs are the bechinas of the three pilgrim festivals, since Pesach corresponds to Avraham, etc. That is, through the tekios — Tekia, Shevorim, Terua — the bechinas of kuf-shin-tav, the bechinas of the three patriarchs — through this one rouses the power of the three pilgrim festivals, through which one subdues the three lusts above. Through this one merits awe — in the bechinas of: "If a shofar is blown in a city and the people do not tremble" — this being the bechinas of Rosh HaShana, when a great awe is drawn down in the bechinas of "Therefore let Your fear fall," etc., "and Your dread," etc. And through this one merits prayer, for the essential construction of prayer is on Rosh HaShana, as is explained in the kavvanos. And through prayer — which is the word of Hashem, in the bechinas of: "By the word of Hashem the heavens were made" — one merits that the brazenness of the brazen-faced falls and is nullified, etc. And then one can attach oneself to the roots of the holy souls — through which one can "make" Rosh HaShana, as explained in that Torah teaching. It is thus found that the essential bechinas of Rosh HaShana comes about through the tekios, which are the bechinas of the three pilgrim festivals that subdue the three lusts above. Through this one merits all the bechinohs described there, until one merits to "make" Rosh HaShana. And therefore it is called Rosh HaShana "yom terua" — a day of the terua blast — for the essential bechinas of Rosh HaShana comes about through the three sounds of the shofar, which are the bechinas of the three pilgrim festivals. And all of this is the rectification of Adam HaRishon's sin — who was created to have dominion over the angels, and damaged this, etc., as above. For all his sin was on Rosh HaShana — the day he was created — and on that day he was supposed to draw down all the rectifications mentioned above. Through this he would have merited the holiness of Rosh HaShana and all would have been rectified, but he damaged this on that very day. Therefore all our rectification now is through Rosh HaShana — when we must gather many souls on Rosh HaShana to the true tzaddikim, who are the true roots of the souls of Israel, who can "make" Rosh HaShana — through which everything is rectified. Amen and amen. Section 5. For the essential head and beginning of all rectifications is through Rosh HaShana — "Rosh" [head] precisely. For Rosh HaShana is the first day of teshuvah, that is, the beginning of teshuvah, for it is then the first of the Ten Days of Teshuvah. For in truth the beginning of teshuvah and rectification is very difficult and heavy, since it is very hard to know and find the head and the beginning — for in general all the rectifications and counsel each depend upon one another, and because of this it is difficult to find the head and the beginning. For example, in this Torah teaching it is explained that one must arrive at the ultimate goal: that his dominion over the angels should be sustained. For this one must properly receive the three pilgrim festivals, through which one breaks the three lusts above, through which one merits the awe in the heart — through which an angel is created that draws down prophecy, etc. — through which one merits prayer, etc., etc. — through which the brazenness of the brazen-faced falls, etc., and then one can attach to the roots of souls, through which the dominion is sustained, etc., and then one can "make" Rosh HaShana, etc. — see there. It is found that according to the structure of this holy Torah teaching, the essential beginning is from the three pilgrim festivals — that through properly receiving the three pilgrim festivals, one merits to break the three lusts above, until one merits all the bechinohs above. And in truth certainly whoever merits to be strong and go on this path — who is strong to receive the three pilgrim festivals properly and draws the da'as upon himself through the three pilgrim festivals, and through this breaks all three lusts, until he merits all the above — certainly praiseworthy is he. But because of our many sins the counsel has been lost from us — for even the counsel itself is heavy and difficult for us to fulfill, for we do not know how to merit to receive the three pilgrim festivals properly, in a manner that we could renew our mind and understanding at each and every festival, until we merit through the holiness of the three pilgrim festivals to break and nullify all three lusts above. And therefore we have not yet merited to break all three lusts properly, and because of this we are far from all the rectifications above. And moreover because of this very thing — that we are far from properly breaking the three lusts — since the three lusts are the opposite of the holiness of the three pilgrim festivals, certainly as long as one has not nullified these three lusts he is far from the holiness of the three pilgrim festivals, because these three lusts are the opposite of the holiness of the three pilgrim festivals, as above. Therefore it is difficult and heavy to find the head and the beginning — and so it is with most of the counsel and rectifications: it is difficult and heavy to find the head and the beginning, since in general each one depends upon the other, and no one knows from where to begin — as Rabbaynu of blessed memory has explained this elsewhere. Therefore the essential head and beginning of all the rectifications in the world is through Rosh HaShana. And therefore it is called Rosh HaShana — "Rosh" precisely — for there is the essential head and beginning for entering the service of Hashem, for it is the first day of the Ten Days of Teshuvah, that is, the beginning of teshuvah and rectification. Section 6. For the reason it is difficult to find the way to return to Hashem blessed be He is because of the sin of Adam HaRishon and because of the abundance of our sins — through which all places and paths have become confused, making it difficult to find the way to return to Him. For the essence of teshuvah is to return the matter to the place from which it was taken, in the bechinas of: "An arrow that is shot to the place from which it was taken" (as explained in Siman 35). But because of our many sins it is very hard for us to find our place — to know how to return to the place from which we were hewn. And this is what Hashem blessed be He asked Iyov about, when He challenged him for having harbored doubts about His ways: "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?" And our Sages of blessed memory expounded: "Where were you?" — meaning, where was your portion, where was it in Adam HaRishon? For Adam HaRishon was comprised of all souls, and Hashem asked him whether he knew where his place had been in the stature of Adam HaRishon — as is brought extensively in the writings of the holy Arizal in Sefer HaGilgulim, see there. That is, Hashem asked him whether he had already merited complete teshuvah — to return to the place from which he was taken — and since he still did not know his place in the stature of Adam HaRishon, certainly he had not yet merited complete teshuvah to return to the place from which he was taken. And since he still did not know his place, and because of this all that befell him befell him — for everything Hashem brings upon a person is all for his good, to return him to the straight path, and Hashem causes things to unfold with a person in many ways, according to what He knows of the place of each individual — for He knows how to bring about with each person those gilgulim and circumstances appropriate for him. And since no one can know the place of every individual from beginning to end, it is therefore impossible to understand His ways, and because of this it is very difficult to find the head and the beginning of teshuvah — since no one can know his own place, because from the sin of Adam HaRishon many souls fell from him and their places became greatly confused, and likewise through the sins of each individual. Therefore the essential rectification of teshuvah can only begin through the true tzaddikim who grasp the Throne of Glory — that is, the roots of the souls of Israel — who can "make" Rosh HaShana, for they are in the bechinas of m'komo shel olam [the place of the world] and know the place of each individual from beginning to end. And they know how to "make" Rosh HaShana — which is yoma d'dina, to judge every individual toward the scale of merit — as explained in this Torah teaching: because they know the roots of all souls and are in the bechinas of m'komo shel olam, and know the place of every individual from beginning to end, they can judge everything toward the scale of merit and "make" Rosh HaShana — the first day of the Ten Days of Teshuvah, the beginning of teshuvah. For they find merit for everyone according to his place — they know how to incline even the worst of the worst to the scale of merit, for this is the essence of the merit they find for him: in order to turn him toward life — to truly bring him to the scale of merit, to restore him in complete teshuvah truly. For apart from this, everything is vanity and there is no merit or good in the world except when through this merit one will merit some true and eternal good to arrive at the true ultimate purpose. And therefore certainly the true tzaddikim who can "make" Rosh HaShana judge everything toward the scale of merit according to the place of each individual — and the main thing is that through this they truly bring them to the scale of merit and introduce into them thoughts of teshuvah. And this is what we see with our own eyes: that on Rosh HaShana and the Ten Days of Teshuvah, some thought of teshuvah reaches every individual of Israel and all cry out to Hashem from the depth of their heart. And from where does this come? All of this is drawn only from the true tzaddikim who can "make" Rosh HaShana — because they know the place of each individual, as above — through which they judge all toward the scale of merit and truly bring all into the scale of merit, and introduce into them thoughts of teshuvah, and illuminate for them in their minds the root of the counsel and the head and the beginning of entering into the paths of teshuvah — the essence of which is to cry out to Hashem constantly from the depth of the heart. This is the essential bechinas of Rosh HaShana and the Ten Days of Teshuvah, and the essence is Rosh HaShana itself, which is the head and the beginning — when everything begins with the true beginning, which is to cry out to Hashem from the depth of the heart, in the bechinas of: "From the depths I called to You, O Hashem — from the depths of depths." And all of this is drawn upon each individual of Israel from the great tzaddikim who know the place of each and every one, as above — who judge all toward the scale of merit and make Rosh HaShana, as above. And from there is the essential beginning of teshuvah for each individual of Israel. And therefore one must travel to true tzaddikim for Rosh HaShana, for from them is the essential holiness of Rosh HaShana. For even those far from them who do not travel to them — all of them still receive from them the holiness of Rosh HaShana, which is the awakening of teshuvah, as above. But certainly all those who draw close to them and travel to them for Rosh HaShana — they are certainly the primary receivers of the holiness of Rosh HaShana, which is drawn only from the tzaddikim, as above. Section 7. It is thus found that the essential head and beginning comes from Rosh HaShana, as above. And the essential beginning is that on Rosh HaShana everyone begins to cry out from the depth of the heart to Hashem blessed be He, in the bechinas of "From the depths I called to You, O Hashem." And this beginning flows throughout the entire year upon everyone who wishes to return — at whatever time that may be — for the essential beginning flows from the bechinas of Rosh HaShana, that is, from the bechinas of "From the depths I called to You" — namely, to cry out to Hashem blessed be He for the path to teshuvah, that He illuminate one's eyes to know from where to begin returning to Him. And this is the bechinas of: "Throne of Glory, exalted from the beginning, the place of our Sanctuary." "Throne of Glory" — this is the bechinas of the roots of the souls of Israel, which is the bechinas of m'komo shel olam, as above — there is the root of the beginning and the start of every individual. For there is the place of each and every one. And this is "exalted from the beginning" — meaning the Throne of Glory, the roots of the souls of Israel, the bechinas of m'komo shel olam, is exalted above the beginning and start of every individual — for it is elevated above all the places which are the bechinas of the beginning of each individual, since all places are comprised within it, and it is above all the places which are the bechinas of the beginning of each individual, as above. And this is "the place of our Sanctuary" — for through this bechinas of the Throne of Glory, the bechinas of m'komo shel olam, etc., as above — one can sanctify and purify the place of each and every individual, through knowing the place of each individual — through which one can judge him toward merit and find him an opening to teshuvah, and illuminate for him the place and the path through which he should return to Hashem. And this is "the place of our Sanctuary" — for through this one can sanctify and purify the place of each individual, by knowing his place — through which one judges him toward the scale of merit and brings him back in complete teshuvah according to his place, as above. Section 8. And this is why one travels to the graves of the tzaddikim on Rosh HaShana — for at the resting place of the tzaddikim, all the places of each and every individual are included there. For at the place of his rest, the holiness of the Throne of Glory is drawn down — which is their inheritance, as it is written: "And a Throne of Glory He shall bequeath to them." And therefore there it is the bechinas of m'komo shel olam, and every individual can find there his own place and return to Hashem. And this is the bechinas of: "And he saw his beginning, for there is the portion of the lawgiver hidden" — that is, at the burial place of the tzaddik, who is the bechinas of Moshe — "there is the portion of the lawgiver hidden" — there every individual can see his own beginning, that is, the beginning and start that he needs to begin to return to Hashem. For there all the places of every individual are gathered, which are the bechinas of the beginning and start of each individual. And this is: "And he gathered the heads of the people" — for the tzaddik who is the bechinas of Moshe merits to be in the bechinas of m'komo shel olam through having attached himself to the roots of the souls of Israel in whom the heads of the people are included — for all souls are divided under the heads and leaders, as explained at the beginning of that Torah teaching. And this is: "He performed the righteousness of Hashem and His judgments with Israel" — "the righteousness of Hashem": that the tzaddik performs the righteousness of Hashem, meaning that he strives to justify all who come to the world and to judge everything toward the scale of merit — just as Hashem Himself performs charity and kindness with us and judges us toward the scale of merit always, because He is the m'komo shel olam and knows the place of each individual, as above. Likewise the tzaddik who grasps the roots of souls also performs the righteousness of Hashem — he justifies all toward the scale of merit, just as Hashem does, as above. And this is: "and His judgments with Israel" — that this tzaddik can "make" Rosh HaShana, to judge and decide for all of Israel. For he can judge everything toward the scale of merit because he is in the bechinas of m'komo shel olam, as above. Section 9. And this is: "Sound the shofar on the new moon," etc., "a testimony concerning Yosef he established" — and our Sages of blessed memory expounded: on Rosh HaShana, Yosef went forth from the prison. And the essential Exodus from Egypt was in the merit of Yosef, in the bechinas of: "And Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him." And all three pilgrim festivals are a remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt. It is therefore found that the essential holiness of the three pilgrim festivals also flows from the bechinas of Rosh HaShana — when Yosef went forth from prison — through which they went out of Egypt, and we merited the holiness of the three pilgrim festivals. For the essential bechinas of the sanctification of the new month, which is the rectification of the diminishment of the moon — through which comes the holiness of all the festivals, as it is written: "He made the moon for the appointed times" — is through the holiness of Rosh HaShana, which falls on Rosh Chodesh, when Hashem Himself says: "Bring an atonement for Me," etc., as explained in that Torah teaching. And then through Israel doing teshuvah, they thereby bring atonement and forgiveness upon Him, so to speak — for "through an awakening from below, an awakening above is awakened." As it is written: "With God we will act valiantly" — for our service is a need of the Most High, and they depend upon each other. Just as the essential beginning of our teshuvah on Rosh HaShana is through Hashem's merciful establishment of Rosh HaShana on Rosh Chodesh — when He Himself seeks atonement — through which we have an opening to come before Him, etc., as explained there. Likewise this very thing — that we merit teshuvah on Rosh HaShana — through this we bring atonement upon Him, for everything depends upon our teshuvah. And this is the essential request of Hashem from Israel: "Bring an atonement for Me" — that we the children of Israel, we specifically, must bring atonement upon Him for having diminished the moon, from which all blemishes come — for everything depends upon us, for "a prisoner cannot free himself." And therefore through the teshuvah we do on Rosh HaShana, we thereby bring atonement upon Him. And through this the diminishment of the moon is filled — this being the bechinas of the sanctification of the new month, from which come all the festivals. It is therefore found that the essential bechinas of the sanctification of the new month — which is the rectification of the diminishment of the moon — is through Rosh HaShana. And therefore all the Exodus from Egypt — which is the bechinas of the holiness of the three pilgrim festivals, the bechinas of the sanctification of the month, the bechinas of "This month shall be for you the first of months" — which was the first commandment given to Moshe at the time of the Exodus from Egypt — all this rectification flows from Rosh HaShana. That is, because even then, the holiness of Rosh HaShana shone upon them in a great concealment — in the merit of Yosef who went out from prison on Rosh HaShana — in the bechinas of "a testimony concerning Yosef he established." And because of this Moshe was challenged about the sanctification of the new month — because the sanctification of the month is the bechinas of the filling of the diminishment of the moon, which is the bechinas of the root of teshuvah, the bechinas of "Bring an atonement for Me" — and the beginning of teshuvah is very difficult, as above. Therefore Moshe was greatly challenged by this, until Hashem revealed to him the secret of the sanctification of the month, which is the root of teshuvah beginning from Rosh HaShana — on which Yosef went out — through which came the essential Exodus from Egypt, which is the bechinas of the sanctification of the month, the holiness of the three pilgrim festivals, as above. And therefore the Tanna placed the laws of the sanctification of the month in tractate Rosh HaShana — for the essential bechinas of the sanctification of the month is through Rosh HaShana, which Hashem established in His immense mercy on Rosh Chodesh — a very great and supreme act of kindness, as above. And therefore the essential Exodus from Egypt also came about through the multitude of cries and outcries that the children of Israel cried out to Hashem — as it is written: "And we cried out to Hashem our God, and He saw our affliction," etc. And it is written: "And the children of Israel groaned," etc., "and they cried out, and their cry ascended to God," etc. That is, for the essential Exodus from Egypt is through the bechinas of Rosh HaShana, whose essence is the bechinas of voices, the bechinas of "From the depths I called to You, O Hashem" — the bechinas of the voice of the shofar, which is the bechinas of "From the straits I called to Yah," etc. For the essential Exodus from Egypt was through Yosef who went forth from prison on Rosh HaShana, as above — for Yosef too went forth on Rosh HaShana through his crying out to Hashem, as it is written after those verses of "Sound the shofar": "In distress you called and I delivered you," etc. — that is, as above. Section 10. Now on Rosh HaShana all our concern is to build and rectify the bechinas of malchus [kingship], as explained in the kavvanos. That is, we are then engaged in elevating and rectifying the prayer — which is the word of Hashem — to redeem and liberate it from the exile, etc., as explained in that Torah teaching. And through this we merit that the holiness of Rosh HaShana should be drawn upon us — which is the bechinas of: "Do not judge your fellow until you have reached his place" — which one merits through complete prayer. Through this one can attach to the roots of souls, which are the bechinas of the Throne of Glory, etc., the bechinas of m'komo shel olam — through which one can judge everything toward the scale of merit — which is the bechinas of the holiness of Rosh HaShana, etc., as explained there well — see there. And everything is accomplished through the true tzaddik, as above. For this true tzaddik who has already broken all the lusts, etc., until he merited all the rectifications above, until he merited that he has the power to "make" Rosh HaShana — he draws upon us, upon each individual of Israel who are close to him, the holiness of Rosh HaShana: that he judges us toward the scale of merit and truly brings us into the scale of merit, until thoughts of teshuvah reach each individual. And one begins to cry out to Hashem from the depth of the heart, and from there one begins to enter the paths of teshuvah and to draw all the rectifications above — until we too merit to grasp the roots of souls and to "make" Rosh HaShana, as above. And the summary of all the rectifications above is to receive the three pilgrim festivals properly — in order to break the three lusts above. And this we draw through the shofar, through the tekios whose acronym is kuf-shin-tav — the bechinas of the three patriarchs, which are the bechinas of the three pilgrim festivals, as above. And through this one merits awe — this being the bechinas of the shofar, the bechinas of: "If a shofar is blown in a city," etc. And through this one merits prophecy — namely the bechinas of the giving of the Torah, which was given with the voice of the shofar and is recalled on Rosh HaShana. For the essential completeness of the spirit of prophecy was attained at the moment of the receiving of the Torah, as it is written: "Face to face Hashem spoke with you." "Hashem spoke" — this is prophecy, as Rabbaynu of blessed memory wrote elsewhere. And through prophecy one merits to the completeness of prayer. And this is the essential bechinas of Rosh HaShana: to build the prayer, which is the bechinas of malchus, as is known. And the essential completeness of prayer is that all the sichei hasodeh [plants of the field] should return and give their power into the prayer. In the bechinas of "And Yitzchak went out to converse in the field," etc. — which is the bechinas of the spark of Mashiach, etc., as explained there well — see there. And this is all our concern on Rosh HaShana: for we are then engaged in praying for the sprouting of the horn of Mashiach — which is the essential malchus d'kedusha that we must reveal on Rosh HaShana. As we pray: "And the sprouting of the horn of David Your servant, and the preparing of a lamp for the son of Yishai Your anointed," etc., "And You, Hashem, shall reign alone," etc., "Reign over the entire world," etc., "The Holy King, the King of Judgment," etc. For it is all one — for the completeness of prayer is the bechinas of malchus d'kedusha, as above. And the essential malchus d'kedusha is the kingship of Mashiach — when His kingship blessed be He will be revealed to all eyes, for then: "And Hashem shall be King over all the earth," etc. And the essential completeness of prayer — which is the bechinas of the spark of Mashiach, which is malchus d'kedusha — is when the prayer is completed and comprised of all the sichei hasodeh, as above. And this is what is needed on Rosh HaShana — when Adam HaRishon was created. And he was supposed to pray and to bring out all the sichei hasodeh, as it is written: "And all the sichei hasodeh were not yet in the earth," etc., "for Hashem Elokim had not caused it to rain," etc., "and Adam was not [yet]," etc. And Rashi explains: until Adam came and recognized the benefit of rain and prayed for it, etc. — for they stood at the entrance to the earth until Adam came, etc. It is therefore found that all the sichei hasodeh did not come out in the earth until Adam came on the day he was created — which is Rosh HaShana — and prayed for them, and rain fell, and then they went forth. And then it was revealed that all the sichei hasodeh — all their power, growth, and emergence into the world — is only through prayer. And they are obligated to return all their power into the prayer, which is the word of Hashem, which is their root. But Adam HaRishon still had to pray further to complete the rectification of the worlds in their entirety. And then all the sichei hasodeh would have ascended and been incorporated into his prayer in the ultimate completeness — in the bechinas of the spark of Mashiach — for he was then to draw down the rectification of Mashiach, as is known. But through his sin with the Tree of Knowledge, not having prayed his prayer properly, all was damaged through this, and we must on every Rosh HaShana rectify this — as is understood from the kavvanos. Therefore the essential completeness of prayer on Rosh HaShana is in the bechinas mentioned: that all the sichei hasodeh should ascend and all their power should be incorporated into the prayer — which is the bechinas of the spark of Mashiach that must be drawn on Rosh HaShana, as above. And we are engaged in this rectification throughout the Ten Days of Teshuvah — to rectify the prayer in this bechinas, that all the sichei hasodeh give their power into the prayer — through which all the medicines are nullified, for all healing powers are drawn into everything we eat and drink, in the bechinas of: "And He will bless your bread and your water, and I shall remove illness from your midst," etc. — see there, all of this well. And this is the bechinas of the mitzvah to eat on Erev Yom Kippur — for it is explained in the kavvanos that on Erev Yom Kippur the n'sira [the separation] is completed — see there — meaning that then the construction of malchus, which is the construction of prayer, is completed, as above. And the essential completeness of prayer is that all the sichei hasodeh give their power into the prayer, until all the medicines of the doctors are nullified — for we can draw all the powers of healing into everything we eat and drink. And when one merits this, then certainly eating is a great mitzvah — for then eating is of great completeness, since the life-force is drawn into one's eating from its supernal root, from the bechinas of the word of Hashem. And all the powers and life-force of all the sichei hasodeh are comprised in what he eats — and this bechinas flows from the spark of Mashiach. And then certainly great light and great holiness shines in his eating from his root, from the bechinas of the word of Hashem. And therefore then certainly his eating is a great mitzvah. And therefore on Erev Yom Kippur — when the construction of prayer is completed in this bechinas of the spark of Mashiach, when the life-force and power of all the sichei hasodeh flow into his eating from the root, from the bechinas of the word of Hashem — therefore then it is a great mitzvah to eat, as above. And then on Yom Kippur one merits the completeness of prayer in its ultimate perfection — that is, one is then sustained from the voices of prayer alone, without their being clothed in anything — for on Erev Yom Kippur we merited that through prayer all the life-force of all the sichei hasodeh would flow into what we eat and drink, when eating is certainly of great completeness and great holiness. But now on Yom Kippur one merits to be sustained from the voices of prayer alone, without needing the powers and life-force of the prayer to be clothed in anything at all. Section 11. And this is the bechinas of the Sukkah that one makes after Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur — for Rosh HaShana, Yom Kippur, and Sukkos are all in the bechinohs of the Throne of Glory, upon which the Holy One blessed be He sits on these days in order to judge us toward the scale of merit — because the Throne of Glory is the bechinas of m'komo shel olam, through which He knows our place — each and every individual — and through this He judges us toward the scale of merit with great and wondrous kindness and mercy, in the bechinas of: "Do not judge your fellow until you have reached his place," as brought there in that Torah teaching. For the judgment of Rosh HaShana extends until the end of Sukkos — when on the last day of Sukkos, which is Hoshana Rabbah, is the completion of the sealing for good, as is known. And therefore throughout all these days His throne is properly prepared and established for sitting upon it in judgment — to judge and decide for us with mercy, through the bechinas of the Throne of Glory, which is the bechinas of m'komo shel olam, as above. And this is what Rabbaynu of blessed memory revealed with awesome words in his story of the Chair — brought among us — where he said that he saw on the Chair: Rosh HaShana. Rosh HaShana as it is in its supernal root, and likewise Yom Kippur, Sukkos — and then he revealed awesome things. That is: Karsayhu [His throne] — shvivvin di nur [flames of fire], etc. — Karsay-hu stands as an acronym for: Rosh HaShana, Yom Kippur, Sukkos. See and behold the wonders of Hashem! It is therefore found that Rosh HaShana, Yom Kippur, and Sukkos are all rooted in the bechinas of karsayhu, the bechinas of the Throne of Glory, the bechinas of: "Your throne was established from of old" — said about these days — all in order to judge us toward the scale of merit, etc., as above. And this is the bechinas of the Sukkah one makes after Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur — in this Hashem reveals to us the greatness of His love and affection for us, Israel His close people — and reveals to us that He judged us on Rosh HaShana toward the scale of merit with great kindness and mercy, according to the place of each individual — for He is m'komo shel olam, etc., as above. And this is the bechinas of the Sukkah — about which the Torah said that each individual should leave his place and dwelling and enter the Sukkah, which is the bechinas of the Throne of Glory, the bechinas of m'komo shel olam — for the Sukkah is the bechinas of "Mother who covers over her children" [ima d'msakkecha al banin], the bechinas of "mother of understanding" [im labina], the bechinas of Chava, the mother of all life — the roots of souls — which is the bechinas of the Throne of Glory, the bechinas of m'komo shel olam — through which bechinas Hashem's compassion is roused to judge us on Rosh HaShana with great mercy. And therefore now, on Sukkos, He commanded us that all of us should leave our places and enter the Sukkah, whose root is the bechinas of m'komo shel olam, as above — to reveal to all and make manifest that He elevates and brings us into the bechinas of our root — the bechinas of m'komo shel olam — through which He judges us toward the scale of merit with great and wondrous kindness, as above. For it was already explained above that the essential kindness of Hashem in judging us toward the scale of merit according to the place of each individual is that through this Hashem truly brings us to the scale of merit and returns us in complete teshuvah — for this alone is the essential good and true kindness that Hashem constantly does for us, and especially more so during these awesome days, whose root is Rosh HaShana, as above. That is — for each individual goes astray through his sins and lusts to a place where he has strayed, in the bechinas of: "I have strayed like a lost sheep," etc. — until he no longer knows how to return to his place, because of which he is far from teshuvah. For the essence of teshuvah is to return to his place from which he was taken — in the bechinas of the zarka, etc., as above. And Hashem has compassion upon us on Rosh HaShana — He finds each and every individual his place, and inclines toward kindness — to see merit for each individual, that his place caused him what it caused him. And through this He truly brings him to the scale of merit and shows him from the root of his place, from the bechinas of m'komo shel olam, until he knows the path to return to his place and his supernal root — which is the essence of teshuvah, as above. And therefore now on Sukkos Hashem reveals to us this love and kindness He showed us on Rosh HaShana through the holy mitzvah of Sukkah, commanding us to leave our homes and places and enter the Sukkah — to show that we are no longer at all in our original place that caused each person what it caused, according to his deeds. For now we are sitting in the Sukkah, which is the bechinas of the Throne of Glory, the bechinas of m'komo shel olam — where the root of our place rests for each individual — which is the essence of teshuvah, the essence of the kindness of Rosh HaShana, which is now revealed to all through our leaving our places to enter the Sukkah, which is the bechinas of Chava, the mother of all life, etc., as above. Section 12. And therefore one covers the Sukkah with waste matter (psoles) specifically. As our Sages of blessed memory said: the verse speaks of the waste of the threshing floor and the wine press. In this Hashem reveals that He judges us toward the scale of merit according to the place of each individual, as above. For the waste (psoles) of the grain is the bechinas of the place of the grain — for example, wheat growing from the earth: we see that the wheat itself does not come out of the ground in its complete state. Rather, first the straw and the stalk come forth — which is the waste of the grain — and from the straw the wheat emerges, and all the sustenance and nourishment of the wheat flows through the stalk and the straw. Likewise with fruits growing on a tree: from the ground only the tree itself grows — solid wood — and from it grow branches and twigs and leaves, which are also solid wood and pure waste — and from them the fruit grows, with all its nourishment and life flowing through the twigs and branches and the tree, which is solid wood. Likewise a person is formed from a fetid drop and grows in his mother's womb, drawing all his life-force through the navel attached to his mother — and precisely through these, his particular places, the life-force and the soul are drawn upon him from the supreme and awesome Source — from the place where the souls of Israel are hewn, where no thought can grasp at all. And this is truly the wonders of the Perfect of Knowledge, as it is written: "I thank You for I am awesomely, wondrously formed; wondrous are Your works," etc. For Hashem created all things in the bechinas of klipa [husk] and fruit, and the klipa is the place of the fruit — for all fruits and grains are located within their husks, as seen with the physical eye, as above. And this is because of the impurities and waste of the primordial kings (malkin kadma'in), etc., which flow from the judgment of the initial tzimtzum [contraction], which is the essential place of the whole world. For when He willed to create the world, there was no place for the creation, so He contracted the light to the sides — which is the root of judgment — and through this a place for the creation was formed, and there He drew the light of the Ein Sof by way of the kav [ray], and through this all the worlds came into being, etc., as explained in the beginning of Etz Chayyim and brought in our words many times. It is thus found that before creation, and likewise with all things in the world before they come into the world, there must be some bechinas of contraction before the light and life-force of that thing is drawn — through which it is created and comes into the world. And because the contraction is the root of judgment — from which is the essential hold of the sitra achara and the klippos — therefore Adam HaRishon needed to clarify everything through his prayer, but he damaged this through the sin of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. From then on the earth was cursed and it was decreed upon him: "And you shall eat the herb of the field; by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread." That is, all things will come forth clothed in waste and klippos, and the klipa will always precede the fruit. And this is the whole of our labor all our days — to clarify all things from the klippos and waste that preceded them. And because the klipa has taken hold of the fruit greatly, having preceded it, it is truly very difficult to perform this clarification, and because of this many stumble in this world and fall to where they fall — Heaven have mercy. Only the true tzaddikim — the mighty of power who overcome their evil inclination — they clarify everything. And not only that, but through the force of their righteousness they rouse Hashem's mercy upon us, that He should have compassion and not judge us according to our deeds, but look upon our place — the place of each and every individual — through what places he was drawn into this world. For the place of each individual is the bechinas of the husk and waste that preceded the fruit, as above. And through this He has compassion and judges us toward the scale of merit, as above. And this is: "And I will no longer continue to smite all living things as I have done, for the inclination of a man's heart is evil from his youth." And our Sages expounded: from the time he shakes free to go forth from his mother's womb — "from his shaking free to go forth from his mother's womb" precisely — meaning that his place caused him to sin, because he came from such an impure place. And as David said: "Behold, in sin I was formed, and in transgression did my mother conceive me." This is why one covers with waste material specifically — for the waste is the bechinas of the place of each individual, through which He judges us toward the scale of merit with great kindness according to the place of each individual. For He is m'komo shel olam, and all of this is the bechinas of the Sukkah, as above. And when Hashem judges us toward the scale of merit through the place of each individual, which is the waste that caused him to sin — it is thus found that sins are transformed into merits. And this is the bechinas of "descent for the sake of ultimate ascent" — for precisely through the husk and waste that preceded the fruit, from which all sins come, Heaven have mercy — through this very thing He has compassion and judges us toward the scale of merit, as above. Therefore from the waste specifically is made the holy s'chach [covering], which is the essential Sukkah — for the essential Sukkah is to merit being judged in the bechinas of m'komo shel olam, in the bechinas of the Throne of Glory, Chava the mother of all life — and this is accomplished through the waste specifically, which is the husk that precedes the fruit, which is the bechinas of the place of each individual. Through this He looks at the place of each individual, judges us toward the scale of merit, and transforms sins into merits, as above. Section 13. And this is the bechinas of the creation of the world: "First darkness and then light" — the bechinas of: "And the earth was formless and void, and darkness," etc. "And the spirit of Elokim" — this is the spirit of Mashiach. "Hovered over the face of the waters" — and Rashi explains: the Throne of Glory stood and hovered in the air, etc. — namely as above. For the darkness that preceded the light is the bechinas of the husk that precedes the fruit — from which it comes that at first the earth was formless and void and dark, from which come all the exiles and the dominion of the nations, which preceded the kingship of Mashiach, who will come speedily in our days (as our Sages of blessed memory expounded in the Midrash on this verse — "and the earth was formless," etc. — about the four kingdoms). And this is the bechinas of: "and the spirit of Elokim hovered," etc. — which is the bechinas of the Throne of Glory, the bechinas of the spirit of Mashiach comprised of all souls — meaning that the essential rectification is through the spirit of Mashiach who grasps the Throne of Glory, the roots of souls, the bechinas of m'komo shel olam — through which He judges us toward the scale of merit and transforms darkness to light, sins to merits, as above. And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said (Shabbas 77b): "Why do goats walk at the head and then sheep? — Like the creation of the world: first darkness and then light." Goats — this is the bechinas of the dominion of the nations, who are called goats and se'irim, as it is written: "And the he-goat is the king of Greece," and as it is written: "Behold, Eisav my brother is a hairy man [ish sair]." Sheep — this is the bechinas of Israel, who are compared to sheep, as Rashi explains. That is: why does the dominion of the nations precede our dominion? And the answer is: like the creation of the world — first darkness and then light. For the entire creation of the world is in this bechinas — that the tzimtzum, which is the essential totality of place, preceded the totality of the world. And from this it flows that darkness preceded light, and the husk precedes the fruit, as above. Section 14. And this is: "For as the earth brings forth its growth, and as a garden makes its seeds sprout, so Hashem Elokim shall make righteousness and praise spring forth before all the nations." And now according to the above, the verse is well explained. Namely: "as the earth brings forth its growth and as a garden" etc. — like the plants and seeds growing in the earth, all of which come out through the waste that preceded them, for the husk precedes the fruit, as above — that is the merit Hashem finds for us, as above. "So Hashem Elokim shall make righteousness," etc. — "so" precisely, for precisely through this will He make righteousness and kindness spring forth for us — because He knows our inclination and the place of each individual, etc., as above. And this is the conclusion: "He shall make righteousness and praise spring forth before all the nations." "Before all the nations" precisely — for the nations among whom we were in exile, in their lands, in their dwelling places — they caused us all the sins, as it is written: "And they mingled among the nations," etc. And through this He has compassion upon us — because He knows the place of each individual, etc., as above. And this is: "I have come to my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice, I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey." And Rashi explains: from the greatness of His love He ate the wood together with the fruit — that is, as above. For from the greatness of His love for Israel He transforms the wood and waste into fruit — that is, the bechinas of the forgiveness of sins, the transformation of sins into merits, because He knows the place of each individual, that the waste which preceded the fruit caused him what it caused. That is the bechinas of covering with the waste of the threshing floor and the wine press — with psoles specifically, as above. Section 15. It is thus found that the Sukkah is in the bechinas of the Throne of Glory, as above. And this is: "He grasps the face of the throne; He spreads His cloud over it." "His cloud" — this is the bechinas of the Clouds of Glory, which are the bechinas of the Sukkah, which is in the bechinas of the Throne of Glory, the bechinas of: "He grasps the face of the throne," as above. Section 16. And this is the bechinas of Hoshana Rabbah — when the sealing is completed. And then the rectification we began on Rosh HaShana is concluded. That is, on Rosh HaShana Hashem had compassion upon us and judged us toward the scale of merit according to our places — for He knows the inclination of each individual according to his place, for He is m'komo shel olam, as above. And through this He truly brought us to the scale of merit and introduced into us a path to teshuvah — to cry out to Hashem from the depths of the heart, in the bechinas of "From the depths I called to You, O Hashem" — which begins on Rosh HaShana, as above. And now on Hoshana Rabbah, at the end of Sukkos, all of Israel merits this bechinas — to fulfill: "Do not judge your fellow until you have reached his place" — only to judge everything toward the scale of merit, and to fulfill: "Do not despise any person" — whoever he may be. For on Sukkos we all merited to sit in the Sukkah, which is the bechinas of the Throne of Glory, m'komo shel olam. And through this an illumination from the bechinas of m'komo shel olam shone upon each individual of Israel — to know how to judge everything toward the scale of merit, even the sinners of Israel, the worst of the worst — until we merit to bring all of them to the scale of merit and to illuminate in them the illumination of Rosh HaShana, so that they will always find an opening and a path to teshuvah in every place they are, at every time. And the essential opening and path is to always cry out from the depths of the heart to Hashem, whatever state one may be in — and never to despair of crying out, ever, as Rabbaynu of blessed memory warned us about this countless times in many different formulations. And this is the bechinas of why one increases crying out on Hoshana Rabbah — so many times, "Hoshana, Hoshana!" etc. And one stays awake all night and completes the entire book of Tehillim, which is full of cries and outcries and pleas and supplications and requests and prayers to Hashem in so very many different holy formulations and eloquent expressions — which are said on the holy Rosh HaShana, and encompass all who come into the world — until there is not a single wicked person or sinner in the world who cannot find himself in the book of Tehillim, which encompasses all who come into the world in all generations and all levels, from beginning to end — down to the ultimate descent, the furthest from which there is no further descent, Heaven have mercy. For all of them he rouses with his cries and prayers to return to Hashem. And as Rabbaynu of blessed memory explains (Likutay Moharan II:73) that Tehillim is a remedy for teshuvah. And on Hoshana Rabbah — which is the last of the days of Sukkos, when it is the bechinas of David, as is known — therefore we draw this wondrous rectification that every individual of Israel should merit, through the holiness of Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur and through having fulfilled the mitzvah of Sukkah and the Four Species — all of which are in the bechinas of the Throne of Glory, m'komo shel olam, the bechinas of Karsay-hu shvivvin di nur, etc., as above — through which we merit to judge everything toward the scale of merit and to introduce the paths of teshuvah into each individual of Israel: namely to recite Tehillim and to cry out to Hashem always, whatever state one may be in. And likewise one must judge even oneself toward the scale of merit — even though one knows the pains of one's own soul and one's multitude of sins, which are so numerous as to defy counting, Heaven have mercy — even so, one must apply to oneself as well: "Do not judge until you have reached your own place" — just as one must apply it toward another: "Do not judge your fellow," etc. For certainly one does not know one's own place either — for certainly one does not know from what place he was drawn, and all that befell him in all his gilgulim, and from what places his evil inclinations and evil thoughts are drawn, etc., etc. Therefore it is forbidden ever to despair of oneself, as Rabbaynu of blessed memory warned us so many times without measure. For one must judge even oneself toward the scale of merit — one must apply to oneself also: "Do not despise any person" — so as not to transgress the prohibition of bloodshed, Heaven forbid, as explained there in that Torah teaching, that the prohibition of "Do not despise any person" is a prohibition of bloodshed — see there. Therefore to despise oneself excessively to the point that one might fall through it, Heaven forbid — this is certainly a serious prohibition, for it is the prohibition of bloodshed — which applies to oneself as well, as it is written: "One who sheds the blood of a person," etc., and "But your blood, for your lives" — and our Sages of blessed memory expounded, and it is cited in Rashi's commentary: "to include one who sheds his own blood." For one must judge oneself toward the scale of merit, as explained in the Torah teaching "I will sing to my God while I yet live" (Siman 282) — for who knows one's own place? And the essential thing is never to despair of crying out — this being the bechinas of Hoshana Rabbah, which one merits through having entered the Sukkah, through which we all — all the children of Israel — merited the bechinas of m'komo shel olam, through which we merit to judge everything toward the scale of merit, even oneself, as above. And this is the bechinas of: "And it came to pass on that day that Yitzchak returned and dug the wells of water," etc. — that on Rosh HaShana there was the bechinas of digging wells of water, and now on Hoshana Rabbah one returns and digs the wells of water again, as explained in the holy Zohar (Tzav, 32). That is — wells of water are the bechinas of voices and cries to Hashem, the bechinas of: "Pour out your heart like water before the face of Hashem" — the bechinas of the seven voices David declared over the water, which are drawn on this day, as is brought. That is, all the rectifications that are completed on this day are the bechinas of voices — to cry out and beseech before Hashem always from the depth of the heart, in the bechinas of: "Pour out your heart like water before the face of Hashem" — this being the bechinas of the book of Tehillim that one completes on that day, through which we all merit to return to Him, as above. And therefore one is then engaged with the willow branches (aravei nachal), which alludes to the sinners of Israel, as is brought — to fulfill: "Do not despise any person" — for: "Do not judge your fellow until you have reached his place" — this is the essential rectification that began on Rosh HaShana and is completed on Hoshana Rabbah, as above. And this is the bechinas of Mishneh Torah which is read on the night of Hoshana Rabbah — for the entire book of Mishneh Torah [Devarim] consists of Moshe's words of rebuke with which he rebukes Israel with a rebuke of kindness, to show them the kindness of Hashem and His goodness and righteousness always — how much they angered Him in so many places, yet still His love and mercy remain upon them, as it is written: "And now, Israel, what does Hashem your God ask of you?" etc. And Rashi explains: although you have done all this, still His mercy and love are upon you — after all you have sinned before Him, He asks of you nothing but fear, etc. — and there is no fear other than prayer, as it is written: "A woman who fears Hashem shall be praised" — as Rabbaynu of blessed memory explains many times. That is: Moshe warns and admonishes Israel for all generations, that no matter how much they sin before Him, Heaven forbid — Hashem does not ask of them anything but fear, which is prayer: to pray and cry out to Him always. And as it is written: "Call upon Me in the day of distress, I will deliver you and you shall honor Me." And this is why at the beginning of his words Moshe mentioned all the places where they had provoked Him — as it is written: "These are the words that Moshe spoke to all Israel — beyond the Jordan, in the wilderness, in the Aravah," etc. And Rashi explains: he enumerated here all the places where they provoked Him, etc. That is — for Moshe's rebuke was a rebuke of kindness, as explained in the Torah teaching "Sound the Tekia" — Rebuke (Likutay Moharan II:8) — see there: that Moshe gave his rebuke in a manner that would not, Heaven forbid, rouse through his rebuke the bad odor of the evil deeds they had done, thereby weakening them, Heaven forbid. Rather, on the contrary — through his rebuke he would strengthen them and add and give them a good fragrance, etc., as explained there. And therefore he mentioned all the places where they provoked Him — "all the places" specifically — for in this he reminded them of merit and kindness, for he fulfilled: "Do not judge your fellow until you have reached his place". For he merited to grasp the Throne of Glory, in the bechinas of "He grasps the face of the throne," etc., through which he was in the bechinas of m'komo shel olam. And therefore he knew that all those places where they provoked the Omnipresent — the places themselves caused them to sin, for they traversed the wilderness, a place of fiery serpents and scorpions and drought, etc. — which are places where the klippos and the sitra achara are at their strongest, as is known — and they needed to battle very powerful and harsh klippos that were in such places. And this caused them many times to not be able to withstand the trial and to stumble as they stumbled. And as our Sages of blessed memory said about the verse: "And Israel settled in Shittim", etc. — that the place caused them to sin, as it says in the holy Zohar. It is therefore found that by mentioning the places specifically where they provoked Him, he found merit for them — the merit of Rosh HaShana, which is: "Do not judge your fellow until you have reached his place," etc., as above. And thus the entire book of Devarim revolves around this axis — to remind Israel of all they provoked Him with, and yet not to despair of mercy ever — for His mercy does not end. As they saw with their own eyes that even after the sin of the golden calf He did not withhold His mercy from them — and likewise after the other sins He treated them with kindness, until they are now ready to enter the Land of Israel. Therefore they should know, for all generations — with whatever befalls them until the coming of Mashiach in general, and specifically each individual whatever happens to him — never to despair of mercy. As our Sages of blessed memory said: even if a sharp sword is resting on a person's neck, let him not withhold himself from mercy. And they said: "It is good for a person to cry out — whether before the decree is issued or after it is issued." And this is that he related his prayers — how he prayed and pleaded before Hashem: as it is written: "And I fell before Hashem," etc., "and I said," etc. All of this to teach the children of Israel to strengthen themselves in prayer and crying out to Hashem always — for His mercy never ends. And this is the bechinas of the Song of Ha'azinu, which encompasses everything that befell Israel and everything that will befall them in the future — in general and in particular — until the end. And after all these things, ultimately: "For Hashem will judge His people when He sees that the hand is gone," etc. And this is why he began with the words: "For I call in the name of Hashem; ascribe greatness to our God." That is, Moshe said to Israel: from me you shall see and do likewise. For know that everything I merited in this world — all of it was through calling out to Hashem always, in the bechinas of: "For I call in the name of Hashem." And likewise hasten and do as I did, and: "ascribe greatness to our God" — that you too call to Hashem always, as I did — for this is the essential greatness of His honor, as it is written: "Call upon Me in the day of distress, I will deliver you and you shall honor Me." And as our Sages expounded on this verse: "For I call in the name of Hashem" — you: "ascribe greatness to our God", etc. — that you should answer after me: "Blessed is the Name of His glorious Kingdom forever and ever." That is, as above — that just as I call to Hashem always, so shall you do, forever and ever. And this is the bechinas of: "Blessed is the Name of His glorious Kingdom forever and ever" — that the Name of His glorious Kingdom is blessed forever and ever, even after all the sins and provocations that each individual angers Him with in every generation. For the right hand of Hashem is raised forever, as it is written: "But You are exalted forever, O Hashem." And as it is written in the Song: "He caused no ruin for him" — and Onkelos renders: "not to Him" — for no blemish reaches Him blessed be He, as it is written: "I, Hashem, have not changed." And therefore one can always draw close to Him — as I heard from the mouth of Rabbaynu of blessed memory, who said that even in the lowest depths of hell one can be close to Him. And this is the bechinas of: "Blessed is the Name of His glorious Kingdom forever and ever," as above. And therefore Moshe warned them about this at the beginning of the Song — for this is his essential intention in this holy Song that encompasses everything. As he said of it: "And this Song shall speak before Him as a witness — for it will not be forgotten from the mouths of his seed." And his entire intention was that they should always strengthen themselves in Hashem — to trust in His mercy and to cry out and pray to Him always, just as he conducted himself all the days of his life, in the bechinas of: "For I call in the name of Hashem — ascribe greatness to our God." And therefore he preceded all his words and warned them to listen to his words well, as it is written: "Listen, O heavens," etc., "my teaching shall drip as the rain, my words shall flow as the dew," etc. That is, he warned that his words should enter their ears like rain and dew that fall as water drops upon the earth and then wonderful plants sprout from them — likewise his words should enter their hearts like dew and rain and grow in their hearts and bear good fruits. For these words — to always strengthen oneself in Hashem — need to be listened to very well, to understand one matter from within another, to understand well how far one must always strengthen oneself, as indicated by the hints of the tzaddik. And as King David of blessed memory said: "I shall educate you and show you the way in which you should go; I shall advise you with My eye — do not be like a horse or like a mule without understanding," etc. For David first related his troubles, saying that from the greatness of his troubles he is compelled to roar all day, as it is written: "For I kept silent, my bones wore out with my moaning all day long — for day and night Your hand was heavy upon me," etc. "For this let every pious person pray to You at a time of finding — only let the great waters not reach him; You are a shelter for me, from distress You preserve me; sounds of deliverance surround me, Selah." And our Sages of blessed memory expounded (Shocher Tov, Tehillim 140): "You sing before Me and I will deliver you." It is therefore found that in these verses he describes how one must always strengthen oneself in prayer and crying out to Hashem, in order to be saved from the great waters that flood this world — which seek to destroy a person, Heaven forbid, from both worlds. And through this he concludes: "I shall educate you and show you the way in which you should go; I shall advise you with My eye" — that I indicate to you with My eye that you should not pay attention to any rejection that seeks to repel you, whoever it may come from — whether the thoughts that come upon you yourself, or the rejections drawn from others, etc. — over all of them pay no attention, only understand my words in which I show you the way and indicate to you with My eye that you should always strengthen yourself in crying out and roaring to Hashem, as above. And this is what Moshe Rabbaynu said: "my teaching shall drip as the rain," etc. — that these words need to grow and bear fruit in your heart, like dew and rain. So too strengthen yourself always in whatever befalls a person all the days of his life. And what are the words? "For I call in the name of Hashem — ascribe greatness to our God" — that you too call to Hashem always as I did, forever and ever. And therefore Mishneh Torah is read on the night of Hoshana Rabbah — for this is the essential bechinas of Hoshana Rabbah, to draw this path upon each individual — to always cry out to Hashem, as above. — [Connected to what precedes:] And this is: "They wandered in the wilderness in the wasteland, they found no inhabited city — and they cried out to Hashem," etc. That when a person is distanced from his place, he then wanders in the wilderness and does not know the path to return to his place, in the bechinas of "they found no inhabited city" — then the essential counsel is: "and they cried out to Hashem." For this is the essential bechinas of the beginning that flows upon each individual of Israel on Rosh HaShana — the bechinas of "From the depths I called to You, O Hashem," as above. Section 17. Let us return to the subject of the three years of orla and netah r'vai [the fourth-year planting] mentioned above. And therefore when one plants a tree one must wait precisely three years — for according to the above it is explained that the essential rectification is through Rosh HaShana, as above. Therefore it is impossible to drive out the klippos that hold fast to the tree at the time of planting — whose nourishment comes from the three lusts above — except precisely through three years, in which there are three Rosh HaShanas, for it is rooted there in Rosh HaShana as well, as above. And therefore, even though in one year there are three pilgrim festivals that nullify the three lusts above — even so, precisely three years are needed, that is, three Rosh HaShanas. For it is a known principle that each midda is comprised of all the other midos — both in holiness and in its opposite. Therefore the three pilgrim festivals — through which the three intellectual faculties (mochin) are drawn to nullify the three midos above — each festival, that is, each moach, is comprised of all three, as is known. And likewise in the opposite: each of the three evil midos above is comprised of all three. And because of this the rectification is also very difficult and heavy — since it is impossible to begin and complete the rectification all at once, because each midda is comprised of the rest. For example in the matter explained above: that the rectification of the lust for money is through the moach and da'as drawn on Pesach, and the rectification of the lust for immorality through Shavuos, etc. It is difficult to fully rectify the lust for money on Pesach — because the lust for money is bound up with and comprised within the lust for immorality, as above and as explained elsewhere — and the rectification of the lust for immorality has not yet flowed — the da'as of Shavuos to rectify it properly. And likewise with the other midos. And therefore the essential beginning and rectification is through Rosh HaShana — when the tzaddikim illuminate upon us the illumination of teshuvah from its root, as above. And the essential illumination is that every individual should merit to be roused — from wherever he is — to cry out and clamor and roar to Hashem from the depth of the heart, for this is the essential thing and without it one cannot begin or rectify anything — because of the abundance of heaviness, obstacles, and confusions, etc., as above. But one cannot fully rectify except through precisely three years in which there are three times three pilgrim festivals — because each midda is comprised of three, and they are three comprised within three. Therefore one must wait precisely three years of orla — three years specifically, as above. And the essential rectification is through Rosh HaShana, as above. And therefore the essential year for the reckoning of orla planting is calculated from Rosh HaShana, as explained in the Gemara and the decisors. And this is the bechinas of the tekios, which are tripled in every aspect — as the Mishnah states: the order of the blasts is three of three-three. For the tekios are the bechinas of rectifying the voices that rouse from the depths, in the bechinas of: "From the straits I called to Yah" — that through the tekios the illumination of teshuvah is drawn upon Israel, so that they will always merit to cry out to Hashem from the depths of the depths of their hearts, from wherever they are. This is the essential rectification, as above. And therefore they are three of three-three — for through the voices and cries one merits to draw the rectifications of the three pilgrim festivals, which rectify the three lusts above, upon which everything depends, as above. And since the three evil midos above are also three-within-three, as above — therefore the tekios are three of three-three. And therefore we blow so many voices, so many times, three by three — for such is the matter: one needs to multiply cries and outcries to Hashem all the days of one's life and never tire, ever. As Rabbaynu of blessed memory warned us not to despair of crying out ever — for the rectification of any matter cannot happen all at once, especially one who has caused damage as much as he has caused — certainly he needs to be patient in his rectification, in the bechinas of: "One who comes to be purified — they say to him: Wait." And as brought in the writings [of the Arizal] regarding the rectification of Adam HaRishon's sin — that because of the greatness of his sin it is impossible to rectify in one day, but only from Rosh HaShana until Shemini Atzeres — and even during all this time it is not fully rectified, but only a little by little in every year, until the time when death will be swallowed up forever. All the more so now — when each individual has added sins and damages on top of Adam HaRishon's sin — certainly it is impossible to rectify in one instant, only little by little. And it is known that the evil inclination and his legions lie in wait for a person always — and as soon as one begins to rouse toward Hashem in any cry or plea and the like, he immediately rouses himself to increase and provoke more than usual, because he sees that this person wants to flee from him. And as our Sages of blessed memory said: "The greater one is than his fellow, his evil inclination is greater than his." And since the person is still in great smallness — for he has barely been roused toward Hashem, and has only begun his rectification by less than a hairsbreadth — and even through this the adversary provokes against him with great intensity, to damage him, Heaven forbid. Therefore it is very difficult to stand against him. And because of this many are far from teshuvah — for in truth most of the children of Israel — virtually all of them — rouse to thoughts of teshuvah each and every time, for even the sinners of Israel are filled with regret. But because of the enormous provocation and intensity of the adversary who provokes against one each time, as above, many fall immediately — and some after some time, Heaven have mercy. Therefore the essential remedy is only to cry out to Hashem always. And this is the bechinas of every blast in the shofar sounds: a Tekia at the beginning and a Tekia at the end. For the essential sound mentioned in the Torah is the Terua — but our Sages of blessed memory received a tradition that every Terua must have a plain tone before it and a plain tone after it. For the voice of the Tekia, which is a simple/plain voice — this is the bechinas of the fact that at the very beginning of the rectification — when the beginning is very difficult, as above — one only needs to cry out a simple voice to Hashem from the deepest depths of the heart. For one still does not know any counsel or stratagem for how to emerge from the trap of the evil inclination, and one does not even know how to seek Hashem. One only needs to cry out a simple voice from the depths of the heart, in the bechinas of: "From the depths I called to You, O Hashem." And then through the simple voice of his crying out — which is the bechinas of the Tekia — Hashem rouses His mercy upon him and begins to shine in his mind the beginning of the illumination of rectification, and hints to him the order of prayer: to cry out to Hashem to illuminate upon him the illumination of the three intellectual faculties — the bechinas of the three pilgrim festivals — upon which the essential rectification depends, as above. And this is the bechinas of the Terua voice, which is a tripled sound — hinting at the three mochin, the three pilgrim festivals. That is, now we cry out to Hashem to illuminate upon us the rectification of the three pilgrim festivals, etc., as above. And Hashem hears the voice of our Terua and our crying out with mercy. And He immediately begins to illuminate upon us some beginning of the rectification from there. And then immediately, as soon as that very thing begins — the adversary provokes to damage this inception of rectification, Heaven forbid. And then one must immediately blow another Tekia afterward — for immediately after the spark of some point of the beginning of rectification shines, one must immediately cry out again a strong and simple voice from the depth of the heart — which is the Tekia after the Terua — in order to repel the satan, lest he damage the point of rectification one has begun, Heaven forbid. And this is the bechinas of: "Remove the satan from before us and from behind us" — that one must cry out very much to Hashem that He remove the satan from before the rectification and from behind the rectification, as above. And this is the bechinas of a simple tone before and a simple tone after — for we have no power to drive him away and repel him except through simple crying out and pleading from the depth of the heart to Hashem, as above. And afterward one must again go back and begin to draw another point of the beginning of rectification — and one must again blow a simple tone before it and a simple tone after it, and so always. For every time one must cry out simple voices before the beginning of each point of rectification and after it — because of the great provocation that provokes every time, as above. For we have no power to stand against him except by seizing the ancient craft of our fathers — to always cry out to Hashem. Section 18. And this is the bechinas of the question our Sages of blessed memory had about the sound of the Terua — whether what we call Shevorim is it, or whether it is what is called Terua. And they ruled to cover all the doubts and blow all of them, etc. For it is explained in the beginning of that Torah teaching that the rectification is through the three pilgrim festivals, through which the three lusts above are rectified — the lusts for money, immorality, and eating — and through this one merits awe, prophecy, and complete prayer, etc. And afterward it writes there: but there are three services that spoil the service of prayer, which are the bechinas of idolatry (avoda zara), sexual immorality (giluy arayos), and bloodshed (sh'fichus damim), etc. — see there. It is understood there that one cannot draw the rectification of prayer through the three pilgrim festivals that rectify the three lusts above, except by breaking and nullifying the three services above. Now it would seem at first glance difficult — why is the lust for immorality counted twice? For first it mentions the rectification of this lust among the three lusts that are rectified through the three pilgrim festivals — the lusts for money, immorality, and eating. And then it returns and counts it among the three evil services — idolatry, sexual immorality, and bloodshed. But it appears that there is a distinction between the three services and the three midos. The three services — idolatry, sexual immorality, and bloodshed — need to be completely broken and nullified in the ultimate sense. But the three midos — lusts for money, immorality, and eating — need rectification through the three intellectual faculties: meaning each of these three midos must be corrected — to subdue and nullify all the evil in it, and clarify the good in it — for there is good and evil in them. In holiness all these things are needed and it is impossible without them. For example, money: the lust for money is certainly a very bad midda, as explained in Rabbaynu's words many times. But even so, in holiness certainly money is needed — as explained in his words the virtue of holy money. And likewise immorality: for the sustenance of the world in holiness and purity as befitting — it is certainly a great mitzvah, for it is the first commandment in the Torah. And likewise eating: certainly one cannot survive without eating. And a person is obligated to eat in holiness for the sustenance of his soul, as it is written: "A tzaddik eats to satisfy his soul." And especially on Shabbos and festivals. It is thus found that all three midos require clarification and rectification — to subdue the evil in them completely and to clarify only the good, to conduct oneself with the good in them in great holiness and purity according to His will. But the three services above — idolatry, sexual immorality, and bloodshed — must be completely broken and nullified in the ultimate breaking and nullification. For idolatry — and even a defect of faith, which is the bechinas of idolatry — must certainly be broken and nullified completely so that no remnant of idolatry should remain in us, Heaven forbid — meaning that no trace of a defect of faith should remain in a person, Heaven forbid. And likewise sexual immorality — it is certainly completely forbidden — for sexual immorality is called by a prohibition. And in it there is no good, and certainly one must break it completely so that no trace of any thought at all should remain. And likewise bloodshed, and even the humiliation of people — which is called bloodshed, as explained there — is certainly completely forbidden, for it is forbidden to humiliate any person in the world, as they said: "Do not despise any person." It is therefore found that these three services need to be completely broken and nullified, with nothing of them remaining at all. But the three midos above — money, immorality, and eating — the Torah speaks of their holiness even in what is permitted. Even though one needs great effort and great holiness to break all these lusts even in what is permitted — as they said: "Sanctify yourself in what is permitted to you" — even so, certainly one must necessarily use these three midos in holiness for the sustenance of the world, as above. And therefore he mentioned the lust for immorality twice — among the three services and among the three midos above — for there is a distinction between them, as above. For here in the rectification of the three midos, he speaks of the holiness of the lust for immorality even in what is permitted — the ultimate holiness of sanctifying oneself in what is permitted, to such a degree that one drives out even the lust that holds on to him from his suckling, etc. — see there. For here in these three midos he speaks of the ultimate holiness even in what is permitted — that one must be greatly holy in these three midos even in what is permitted, and not use them for his own needs and lusts at all, but only what is necessary for the service of the Creator in great holiness and purity according to His will, as above. And there is a hint that this is the doubt our Sages of blessed memory had about the Terua sound — whether it is what we call Shevorim, etc. For Shevorim is also a tripled sound — and alludes to the three services above that must be broken (shevorim = breakings) and nullified completely. And therefore it is called Shevorim — the language of breaking — as above. But the threefold Terua alludes to the rectification of the three midos above, which have good and evil in them. And therefore it is called Terua — which is both the language of breaking, as it is written: "you shall break them with a rod of iron" — and also the language of friendship and connection, as it is written: "and the proclamation of the King is in him." For in these three midos there is the bechinas of: the left pushes away and the right draws close — for there is good and evil in them — and one must break and drive away the evil in them and clarify the good, to conduct oneself with the good in them in great holiness, as above. And therefore the sound is called Terua, encompassing both meanings, as above. And they doubted whether the essential rectification on Rosh HaShana begins with breaking the three services above — which is the bechinas of the tripled sound of Shevorim — or whether one needs to draw the rectification of the three midos above — which is the bechinas of the Terua. And they ruled to do both, and then each one separately, with a simple tone before each and after each. For in this matter too one does not know from where the beginning is — and one must cry out a full simple voice from the depth of the heart before each inception of any point of rectification and after it, in order to draw the illumination of all the rectifications described in that Torah teaching, little by little on Rosh HaShana — to merit throughout the entire year to complete teshuvah, to rectify everything properly according to its proper time and season. For the essential beginning is on Rosh HaShana — and from Rosh HaShana the life-force and rectification flows for the entire year. And therefore it is called Rosh HaShana — "Rosh" [head] precisely — for there are three dimensions: world, year, soul (olam, shana, nefesh). And just as in the dimension of the soul — the human stature — the essential life of the person depends upon the head, where the mochin reside that give life to the entire stature of the body, as is known to those expert in anatomy — that the life of the entire body down to the toenails all flows from the brain, where the essential dwelling of the soul that gives life to the body is found, each limb according to its life-force — so too literally: this holy and awesome day is called Rosh HaShana — "Rosh" precisely. That is, in it is the essential brain and life of the entire year — for in it all the rectifications begin, and it gives life to all the days of the year — just as the head in a person gives life to the entire body, and there is no sensation or life in any limb except through the life-force drawn to it from the head and brain, as is known. Likewise there is no life and rectification in all the days of the year except through Rosh HaShana — "Rosh" precisely, which gives life to the entire stature, as above. Section 19. And when we look carefully at the words of Rabbaynu of blessed memory — we find that the three midos above and the three services above depend upon each other. For the three midos are: lust for money, immorality, and eating. And the three services are: idolatry (avoda zara) — meaning defect of faith; sexual immorality (giluy arayos); and bloodshed (sh'fichus damim) — meaning: "Do not despise any person." And these three depend upon those three — for the lust for money and idolatry are one bechinas, as explained in Siman 23 in the Torah "You commanded righteousness": that all the idolatries are buried in money, etc. — see there. And immorality and sexual immorality are certainly one bechinas. And likewise the lust for eating and "Do not despise any person" are one bechinas — for the defect of the lust for eating is a defect of honor, as explained in the Torah: "And Hashem Elokim built the rib," etc. (Siman 67). And this is the bechinas of: "Do not despise any person" — not to defect honor. For each individual of Israel has a portion in holy honor, which is the honor of Hashem. And therefore it is forbidden to humiliate any of them — only to honor each individual. And then one merits honor, in the bechinas of: "Those who honor Me, I will honor" — that is, the bechinas of the rectification of holy honor. It is therefore found that the three midos and the three services depend upon each other and one cannot rectify any one of them without the other — for one cannot fully rectify the lust for money as long as one has not broken and nullified idolatry completely — which is the defect of faith. And likewise in the opposite: one cannot merit to complete faith as long as one has not nullified the lust for money — for the essential completeness of faith is in money. And likewise one cannot sanctify oneself in the lust for immorality in what is permitted properly, as long as there is any trace of sexual immorality in him — meaning any evil thoughts. And likewise in the opposite: it is certainly difficult to be entirely saved from forbidden thoughts as long as one has not sanctified oneself in what is permitted properly. And likewise with the lust for eating, as above. Section 20. And the general principle: all the Torah and mitzvos are in the bechinas of the human stature, as is known. And just as in the human stature every limb depends upon its fellow, and the entire human stature is all bound and linked together in so many ways and paths and ties — through the sinews, veins, blood flow, and movement of air which is the vital spirit that must be received each time for all the limbs, etc., etc. — likewise literally with all the Torah, mitzvos, and all the good and evil midos: everything is bound and linked together in so many countless ways and paths. And if in the wisdom of anatomy and medicine it is difficult to know the science in full — and even all the scholars who have researched this since the earliest times have been unable to grasp the matter in its entirety, as is known the confusions that exist in it, where later authorities have refuted the views of the earlier ones in most matters, and even they are still bewildered about the flow of the blood and many other things — all the more so in the stature of the Torah and mitzvos, it is difficult to know and understand well from where the beginning and rectification of each individual is — according to his place and root in the Torah and in the stature of Adam HaRishon, and according to what befell him in all his gilgulim, and according to what happened to him in this body and everything that happened to him each and every day. And about this it is said: "To all things I have seen an end, but Your commandment is exceedingly broad." And therefore it is impossible to begin any beginning and rectification except through the true tzaddik who has already withstood the trials and broken all the lusts completely, and has merited what he has merited — who illuminates and draws upon each individual the illumination of teshuvah from its root. And the essential is through Rosh HaShana — which is the bechinas of the Head that gives life to the entire stature, as above. And the essential is the bechinas of: "From the depths I called to You, O Hashem" — namely that the tzaddik finds the place of each individual and judges him toward the scale of merit according to his place, and truly brings him into the scale of merit until he is roused to teshuvah — to cry out, to clamor, to roar to Hashem with a strong voice from the depth of the heart. For this is the essential thing — as one sees in practice that during the days of Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur all of Israel cry out to Hashem from the depth of the heart. And this is drawn from the true tzaddikim who know how to "make" Rosh HaShana, as above. And through this one merits to draw all the rectifications throughout the entire year — for the entire year depends upon Rosh HaShana, as above. Section 21. And this is the bechinas of netah r'vai — that one must bring it up to Yerushalayim to eat it there. For after the three years of orla have passed — which are the bechinas of the three lusts above and the three services above — and through having waited the three years of orla, the klippos that nourished from the tree have been nullified. And then one must bring the fruits to Yerushalayim and eat them there — for through the nullification of the three services and the rectification of the three lusts above, one then merits the service of prayer in completeness: that all the sichei hasodeh ascend and return and give their power into the prayer, which is the word of Hashem — which is the great Lender, etc. And then all medicines are nullified, for all the powers of all the herbs return into the prayer, and from there the power of all healing is drawn into everything we eat and drink, in the bechinas of: "And He will bless your bread and your water, and I shall remove illness from your midst," etc. And this is the bechinas of the spark of Mashiach, etc. — when the prayer is in this completeness that all the sichei hasodeh return their power into the prayer, in the bechinas of: "And Yitzchak went out to converse in the field" — this is the bechinas of the spark of Mashiach, etc. — see there, all of this well. And this is the bechinas of eating the fruits in Yerushalayim — for Yerushalayim is the place of prayer, for there is the Beis HaMikdash, the House of Prayer — for there is the place of awe, as above. Therefore there one must bring the fruits and eat them there. And through this one elevates the power of the fruits into the prayer, which is the bechinas of Yerushalayim. And through this the prayer is completed in the ultimate completeness through the ascent of the sichei hasodeh and their incorporation into the prayer — which is the bechinas of the spark of Mashiach, as above. For by bringing the fruits of netah r'vai to Yerushalayim — through this the tree is rectified, so that from now on all the fruits of the tree that will grow on this tree will always have all their powers ascend into the prayer, which is the essential rectification of the worlds — for this is the bechinas of the spark of Mashiach. And likewise by bringing the grain and fruits of ma'aser sheni to Yerushalayim — through this all the grain and fruits are rectified, that they return and have all their powers ascend into the prayer, which is the bechinas of Yerushalayim. For it is forbidden for us to eat grain and fruits except when we rectify them with the mentioned rectification, that they should always return all their powers to the source of their life — which is in prayer, which is the word of Hashem, which is this bechinas of the completeness of prayer — the bechinas of the spark of Mashiach — through which one merits that dominion over the angels will be sustained, which is the rectification of all the worlds that were created for the sake of man — that he should merit to this, as explained there. Section 22. And this is what the Torah promises many times: that when we truly serve Him, He will give us rain in its time and the earth will give its produce, as it is written: "And it shall come to pass, if you hearken well," etc., "and I shall give the rain of your land in its time" — and conversely: "Beware for yourselves," etc., "and there will be no rain, and the earth will not give its produce." And likewise in the verse: "If you follow My statutes" — and in many places. For the essential promise is regarding the matter above: that He will give the rain that grows all the plants — which differ from each other in appearance, taste, and scent — the acronym of which is matar [rain] — for the scent is primary, for all of them need to return and give their power to their root which is in the prayer — to be included from all the sichei hasodeh in the bechinas of "And Yitzchak went out to converse in the field" — whose acronym is yevul [produce], as explained in that Torah teaching and in Siman 11 — see there. And this is certainly a great promise: that the earth will give its yevul — that all will return their power into the prayer — which is the rectification of all the worlds, the bechinas of the spark of Mashiach, as above. Section 23. And this is the bechinas of eating the man [manna] — the bechinas of: "The Torah was only given to those who eat the manna." For in the days of Moshe, when they went out of Egypt through the multitude of cries that they cried out to Him, they then merited to receive the holiness of the three pilgrim festivals — all of which are a remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt — and then the prayer was in great completeness, until they merited to draw all the powers of eating and drinking into a new creation that Hashem created for them, which was the well and the manna. For now too, when one merits prayer in completeness, all the powers of all the fruits and plants are drawn into the bread and water one eats and drinks — through which one needs no medicine at all, as above. But now it is only in concealment and one does not see this with the eyes. But in those days, through the great power of Moshe and his generation, they merited such completeness of prayer that all could see with their own eyes that they drew the powers of all foods and beverages into a new food and drink — the manna and the well — which changed into all the flavors in the world, for they contained all the powers of all fruits and foods in the world, through all of them having returned their power into the prayer, and from there all the powers were drawn into the manna and the well, as above. For Moshe merited to grasp the Throne of Glory, in the bechinas of: "He grasps the face of the throne" — in order to be saved from the jealousy of the angels. Therefore certainly he merited the completeness of prayer mentioned: that all the powers of all foods ascend into the words of prayer — through which one merits to grasp the roots of souls, which are the bechinas of the Throne of Glory. And from the great completeness they then merited — therefore Hashem revealed to all eyes that they merited this through the manna and the well He gave them, which had all the flavors — for they contained all the powers of all foods and meals in the world, through all of them having returned their power into the prayer, and from there all the powers were drawn into the manna and the well, as above. Section 24. And this is the bechinas of: "At the end of three years you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce," etc. For it was already explained above regarding the three years of orla — that precisely three years are needed to subdue the three lusts and three services, as above, for they are three-within-three, etc. And therefore after every three years one is obligated in biur [removal] — to remove from one's home all the priestly gifts and Levitical tithes and ma'aser sheni, etc. For all the gifts given to the kohen and Levi from the grain, and the ma'aser sheni — all of this is in order to rectify the grain and fruits with the mentioned rectification, so that they can have all their powers and life-force elevated and incorporated into the prayer, as above. For by giving the priestly and Levitical gifts from the grain and fruits — in this we reveal that Hashem created everything through His speech and we give Him His portion. And through this all the powers of the grain and fruits ascend to their root, which is the word of Hashem — which is prayer — through which it was created. This is the essential completeness of prayer, as above. Therefore one is obligated in biur precisely after three years — for precisely after three years the prayer is more complete, because through those three years the three services have been nullified and the three lusts rectified, as above. And then the prayer is in the completeness mentioned, that all the sichei hasodeh ascend and are incorporated into the prayer, etc., as above. And therefore then is the time to bring all the fruits of ma'aser sheni to Yerushalayim and to give all the priestly and Levitical gifts to their recipients — so that the fruits and grain will be rectified to have all their powers ascend to their root into the prayer. For then is the time of greater completeness of prayer, since the three years have passed, as above. And this is the bechinas of the mitzvah of the declaration of ma'aser — one must declare verbally, precisely: "I have removed the holy portion," etc. For the declaration is the bechinas of prayer — for the essential mitzvah of removal is to elevate all the powers of the fruits and grain into the prayer, which is this bechinas of the declaration — the prayer one prays then: "Look down," etc. And this is: "Look down from Your holy dwelling, from the heavens, and bless Your people Israel and the land," etc. — we pray: we have done what is upon us; now do what is upon You. As Rashi explains there: just as we have done what is upon us and elevated all the powers of the grain to their root into the word of Hashem by fulfilling the mitzvah of all the gifts from the grain, as above — likewise do what is upon You: "and bless Your people Israel and the land," etc. — meaning that You should draw blessing from the heavens — that all the powers of all the fruits and all the healing should flow into everything we eat and drink. For this is the essential blessing — in the bechinas of: "And He will bless your bread and your water, and I shall remove illness from your midst," etc., as above. Section 25. And this is the bechinas of being able to desecrate (challel) the fruits of netah r'vai and ma'aser sheni onto silver coins and bring the silver to Yerushalayim to eat it there with the sanctity of ma'aser sheni — for the essential purpose of bringing these fruits to Yerushalayim is to elevate all the powers of the fruits to their root, which is the word of Hashem — which is prayer — so that we can draw all the powers of the plants into everything we eat and drink, as above. And therefore one can desecrate the fruits onto silver and bring the silver to Yerushalayim to purchase other fruits with the silver and eat them with the sanctity of those fruits — for we can elevate the powers of the fruits to their root, where all powers are included. And there one can certainly transfer the power and holiness of these fruits into other fruits — for this is the essential bechinas of bringing the fruits of ma'aser sheni and netah r'vai to Yerushalayim: to elevate the powers of the fruits into the prayer, so we can draw all the powers into everything we eat, as above. And because of this one can certainly transfer the power and holiness of these fruits to draw it to other fruits — for at the root, all is one, as above. And therefore the essential desecration is specifically through silver, as it is written: "And you shall give [the silver]," etc. For "silver answers everything" — as one sees in practice that for silver one can buy all kinds of fruits in the world and all things. It is therefore found that silver is comprised of all powers — for everything can be bought with silver. And this is because at its root, silver is very high — for the root of money in holiness is very high, as is known in Rabbaynu's words. For money at its root above is the bechinas of the supernal colors, which are the root of all influences. For through prayer — which is the word of Hashem — the colors are drawn and revealed, in the bechinas of: "By the word of Hashem the heavens were made." "Heavens" — these are the bechinas of the supernal colors, as brought elsewhere. And from these colors all influences and all powers of all things flow. And these colors are the bechinas of money, as above. And because money at its root is comprised of all powers — therefore below as well it is comprised of all, for everything can be bought with money. And the bechinas of: "silver answers everything." And because of this the essential desecration of ma'aser sheni and netah r'vai fruits is specifically through silver — for silver is comprised of all powers, for it is the beginning of the influence drawn from the word of Hashem, where at first the influence is contracted into the bechinas of silver where there is already a form given to the influence, but all the powers are still comprised there together. And then the influence and power is drawn to each plant and each thing as befitting it. And therefore specifically through silver one can desecrate the fruits — to transfer the power and holiness of those fruits and draw them into other fruits — for silver specifically has this power, because there all powers are comprised, as above. And when the powers and life-force flow and descend from their root to the angels and the stars, etc., until they flow below — this is called by the name of a loan, as it says: "all the stars lend to one another, the moon lent from the sun," etc., as explained all of this in that Torah teaching. And therefore the prayer — which is the word of Hashem — is called the great Lender: "And the Host of the Heavens bow down to You" — the acronym of which is malveh [lender], etc. — see there. For a typical loan is in silver, as it is written: "If you lend silver," etc. For the drawing of the powers from their root downward is the bechinas of silver which is comprised of all powers, as above. For above, all powers are comprised together, and therefore the supernal influence of silver is formed from them — silver being comprised of everything. And this influence of silver is borrowed and received, the heavenly hosts one from another — in the bechinas of: "all the stars lend to one another" — until it descends below and all that comes below divides the powers to each thing as befitting it. And this is the bechinas of: "And Yosef gathered all the silver," etc. And this is the bechinas of the spoils of Egypt and the spoils of the sea, the bechinas of: "and afterward they will go forth with great wealth" — for Hashem did not want to take them out of Egypt until they asked each one from his fellow for silver vessels, etc. — all for the clarification of the holy sparks, which are clarified greatly through money and wealth of holiness — when one elevates the money and wealth from the sitra achara to holiness. For Egypt was full of idols and idol worship and they did not believe in Hashem's providence, but said: "The Nile is mine, I made it" — for there the rain does not fall, and therefore there heresy increased greatly. And therefore there it is difficult to elevate the powers and life-force of all the grain and plants into the prayer — because the rain does not fall there — as is understood in that Torah teaching: that the essential bechinas of elevating all the powers of the sichei hasodeh into the prayer is because they grow through rain, etc. — see there. And therefore in truth in Egypt there is no place of prayer at all, as Rabbaynu of blessed memory explains (Siman 7) — as it is written: "When I go out of the city I shall spread my hands," etc. And therefore Hashem, through His wondrous miracles, caused all the lands to come to Egypt to buy grain, and for Yosef to gather through this all the silver, etc. And afterward Israel brought all this silver to the Land of Israel. And through this they elevated all the powers of grain and plants to Yerushalayim, which is the bechinas of prayer. And through this they rectified all the holy sparks that were in them — for everything was rectified through this. For this is literally the bechinas of the desecration of ma'aser sheni fruits onto silver and eating the silver in Yerushalayim. Likewise this is the bechinas of the silver and wealth Israel brought up from Egypt to the Land of Israel. And this is because silver is comprised of everything — and therefore through it one can transfer the powers and holiness of those fruits to draw them into other fruits. For at the root all is one, as above. Section 26. [Kil'ayim:] And this is the bechinas of the prohibition of kil'ayim [mixed species] of plants — such as grafting trees of different species (kil'ay ilan), mixed seeds (kil'ay z'ra'im), and mixed vineyard planting (kil'ay hakerem). For the essential rectification of all plants is when all their powers ascend and are incorporated into the prayer, in the bechinas of: "And Yitzchak went out to converse in the field," as above. And therefore it is forbidden to plant them as kil'ayim — not to mix the powers below together — for when one mixes two kinds of seeds or grafts a tree with a different species, it is then impossible for them to ascend and be incorporated in the root — in the bechinas of the word of Hashem which is prayer. For even though above in the root all is one — even so, when the powers descend below, the power of each kind of plant and tree flows to its own species specifically. For each species is different from the other in appearance, taste, and scent — the acronym of which is matar, as explained in that Torah teaching. For this is truly the wonders of the Perfect of Knowledge — that different powers are drawn from one root that encompasses all the powers of all species. And when they flow below, each species must necessarily be on its own, and they should not be mixed as kil'ayim, Heaven forbid. For below there is the grasp of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil — from which comes the grasp of the serpent's impurity — and each species must clarify itself on its own, according to its place, power, and life-force. And it is impossible to clarify it except in its own place when there is no admixture of another species — for there is no thing in the world that has no place, which was drawn from the beginning of the contraction, from which comes the root of the place of all the world, as is known. And from there comes the place of each thing in the world, and it is impossible to clarify anything except in its specific designated place. But when one mixes two species together, the grasp of the impurity intensified in the mixture specifically, and then it is impossible to clarify — and impossible to have the power of the species ascend to its root in the word of Hashem, which is prayer — for the path becomes confused: for each one cannot ascend through the path through which it came and was drawn into this world — and now, when this plant is mixed with another species, their path has become confused, and they cannot ascend to their root in the word of Hashem. And this is a very great defect — for the essential rectification is to elevate all the sichei hasodeh to their root in the word of Hashem, which is the essential completeness of prayer, the bechinas of the spark of Mashiach, etc., as above. Section 27. And this is the bechinas of: "On the first of Tishrei — Rosh HaShana — for years, for planting, for vegetables, for shmitta and yovel." For on the first of Tishrei — which is Rosh HaShana — then the prayer is in the bechinas mentioned: in the bechinas of: "And Yitzchak went out to converse in the field" — that all the powers of the field return and give their power into the prayer, as above — which is their essential rectification, as above. And therefore then it is Rosh HaShana for all the plantings and vegetables — for then is their essential rectification, as above. And this is: "for shmitta and yovel" — for this is the essential holiness of shmitta and yovel: that they are a Shabbas to Hashem, and all their holiness is in the matter of the plants, as it is written: "Your field you shall not sow and your vineyard you shall not prune," etc. And all of this to reveal that the land belongs to Hashem — for then it is Shabbas to Hashem, when all the powers of all the sichei hasodeh ascend and are incorporated in their root — like Shabbas Bereishis, when all the worlds ascend to be incorporated in their root, as is known. And as Rashi explains: just as it is said of Shabbas Bereishis, so it is said of shmitta, etc. And therefore then everything is ownerless (hefker) — for all distinctions of domains exist below, where each one is separate from the other, but above in the root all is one. And this is the bechinas of yovel — when the essential ascent of all things to their root occurs, in the bechinas of: "In this year of yovel you shall return each man to his possession." For Yovel stands as an acronym of: "Vayetze Yitzchak Lasu'ach BaSodeh" [And Yitzchak went out to converse in the field] — as explained in that Torah teaching. For all the powers of all the sichei hasodeh ascend and have their power incorporated in the prayer — which is the essential rectification of the worlds. For this is the bechinas of the spark of Mashiach, etc. And through this one merits that dominion over the angels will be sustained, and the dominion will be maintained, etc., as above. And through this one merits the bechinas of Rosh HaShana — which one can only merit through grasping the Throne of Glory — through which one merits to be in the bechinas of m'komo shel olam, where there is a place for each individual. And through this one judges all toward the scale of merit, etc., as above. And all of this is attained through the bechinas of "And Yitzchak went out to converse in the field" mentioned — which is the bechinas of yovel. And therefore during the yovel there is great freedom, and all return and ascend to their root, and all is rectified then through the completeness of prayer that is incorporated and completed then in the bechinas mentioned — through all the sichei hasodeh, as above. And since on Rosh HaShana the prayer is in the bechinas mentioned — therefore it is Rosh HaShana for shmitta and yovel — for all their holiness is in the bechinas of siach hasodeh: the bechinas of "And Yitzchak went out to converse in the field" — which is the bechinas of Rosh HaShana, as above. And therefore yovel too is called Rosh HaShana, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "What year has its Rosh HaShana on the tenth of the month? You must say: that is the yovel." For Rosh HaShana and yovel are one bechinas — as above.