ס"ת ד

And then when one merits to be a hero and warrior-of-strength who overcomes his desire — even though by necessity the arousal of union comes from the side of Gevurah — with all that, the sitra achra does not take hold of it at all, Heaven forfend. On the contrary: union in holiness is in the aspect of prayer in the mode of judgment of the warrior-of-strength described above — and through this, on the contrary, one extracts all the holiness and all the da'as from the sitra achra, in the aspect of "he swallowed wealth and then vomits it" — and through this, Adam's sin is clarified and rectified, as described.

And this is the aspect of the sanctification of firstborns (קִדּוּשׁ בְּכוֹרוֹת) of man and animal — for everything follows the beginning (הַכֹּל הוֹלֵךְ אַחַר הַהַתְחָלָה). And therefore the Torah commanded that the first birth — which is the firstborn — be given to the Kohen (priest). For the essential Kohen-hood is the aspect of chesed, as is known, which is the aspect of da'as, as explained in the teaching above — in the aspect of "for the lips of the Kohen shall guard da'as" (כִּי שִֹפְתֵי כֹהֵן יִשְׁמְרוּ דַּעַת, Malachi 2:7). The essential Kohen-hood is drawn only through the aspect of prayer in the mode of judgment of the warrior-of-strength — for this is the aspect of Pinchas's prayer at the episode of Zimri, as described. For it was precisely when Pinchas was zealous in the episode of Zimri — "and Pinchas stood and prayed, and he prayed a prayer in the mode of judgment" — that he merited the Kohen-hood: as it is written "Therefore say: behold I give to him My covenant of peace... and it shall be for him and his seed after him the covenant of eternal priesthood" (לָכֵן אֱמֹר הִנְנִי נֹתֵן לוֹ אֶת בְּרִיתִי שָׁלוֹם... וְהָיְתָה לוֹ וּלְזַרְעוֹ אַחֲרָיו בְּרִית כְּהֻנַּת עוֹלָם, Numbers 25:12-13).

And therefore all the Kohanim and Levites are called "men of strength" (בַּעֲלֵי כֹחַ) — as Rashi explains on the verse (Ecclesiastes 12:3): "and the men of valor shall be bowed" — these are the Kohanim who were heroes. And similarly this verse — "cast it before Pharaoh and it shall become a serpent" — which alludes to prayer in the mode of judgment of the warrior-of-strength — this verse was said regarding Aharon: as it is written there "And you shall say to Aharon: take your staff and cast it..." And through this Aharon afterward merited the Kohen-hood. For through prayer in the mode of judgment of the warrior-of-strength, one extracts all the vitality and all the holiness and all the da'as and the chesed that the sitra achra swallowed. And then the da'as and chesed return to holiness, and the da'as and chesed of holiness are completed — which is the aspect of the Kohen, as described.

And therefore one must give the firstborn — which is the first birth — to the Kohen: in order to draw holiness to the firstborn, to the first birth, through the holiness of the Kohen which is drawn from the aspect of prayer in the mode of judgment of the warrior-of-strength — from which the essential holiness of birth derives, as described. And everything follows the beginning — and then all the births that come afterward all receive holiness from there. For birth is the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt, which is the aspect of giving birth (לֵדָה), as is known. And then all the holiness the sitra achra had swallowed is clarified and emerges, as described — and therefore then "blood becomes turbid and is transformed into milk," for it is converted from judgment to mercy. For the sitra achra — the intensity of the judgment — vomits out all the holiness it had swallowed, and then the chesed of holiness is completed and converted from judgment to mercy: the aspect of "blood becomes turbid and is transformed into milk," as described.

And therefore immediately at the Exodus from Egypt the first mitzvah commanded was to sanctify firstborns of man and animal — for the essential Exodus from Egypt, which is the aspect of birth, came about through this aspect: through the aspect of prayer of the warrior-of-strength, the aspect of "cast it before Pharaoh" etc., as described. And therefore they were commanded immediately to sanctify firstborns — for the sanctification of firstborns is this very aspect: to draw power from the prayer described above, from which derives the holiness of birth, as described. And therefore at first the [Temple] service was performed by the firstborns, and afterward when they sinned [with the Golden Calf], they became disqualified and Kohanim were chosen in their place. For the service of sacrifices is the aspect of prayer in the mode of judgment of the warrior-of-strength — for all sacrifices are the aspect of prayer, since prayer takes the place of sacrifice. And the essential act of sacrifice is the sprinkling of blood on the Altar, and blood is the aspect of judgments (דִּינִים). And therefore sacrifices are the aspect of prayer in the mode of judgment of the warrior-of-strength — they are the aspect of the Kohanim who are men of valor, mighty warriors, as described — through which one clarifies and extracts all the vitality of the sitra achra that became intermingled there through the sins for which the sacrifice is offered. And therefore at first the service was performed by the firstborns, for they too were in this aspect, until they sinned with the [Golden] Calf — then they were disqualified, and then Kohanim were chosen in their place. For the Kohanim are the aspect of mighty warriors, as described, and they are holy in the holiness of the covenant — for they have many more mitzvos relating to the holiness of the covenant than ordinary Israelites — and therefore they are the aspect of warriors-of-strength. And therefore the essential service of sacrifices is through them, for they can perform the rectification through the prayer of the warrior-of-strength, which is the aspect of sacrifices. And therefore one must give the firstborn to the Kohen to draw holiness to the first birth through the Kohen etc., as described.

And therefore the essential Exodus from Egypt came about through the Plague of the Firstborn — which was the final plague and with advance warning. For all the plagues of Egypt all came through Moshe's prayer — for all the awesome signs and wonders that Moshe performed were all through his prayer. It follows that when Moshe was required to pray that the Holy One Blessed be He bring plagues upon Pharaoh, this prayer was prayer in the mode of judgment. But Moshe was a great warrior-of-strength and the sitra achra could not gain power, Heaven forfend, through this over Israel as well — on the contrary, through this he extracted all the vitality from the sitra achra and subdued the sitra achra each time, and it had no dominion at all over Israel. And with each and every plague Hashem distinguished between Egypt and Israel.

And the essential [plague] was the Plague of the Firstborn — when the intensity of the judgment overpowered them until all their firstborns died — and yet the greatness of the power of Moshe protected [Israel], so that the judgment had, Heaven forfend, no dominion over the firstborns of Israel, as it is said: "and I will pass over you and there shall be no plague among you" (וּפָסַחְתִּי עֲלֵיכֶם וְלֹא יִהְיֶה בָּכֶם נֶגֶף, Exodus 12:13). For Moshe's prayer was the aspect of prayer in the mode of judgment of the warrior-of-strength — through which one subdues the sitra achra and extracts from it all the holiness and all the vitality it swallowed, as described. And this is the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt, the aspect of birth etc., as described. And then "blood becomes turbid and is transformed into milk" — for judgment is annulled and converted to mercy. And therefore milk the Torah permitted, with no prohibition of "a limb from a living creature" — for the essential milk is made through birth, when blood becomes turbid and is transformed into milk. And birth is the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt, which is drawn through the aspect of prayer in the mode of judgment of the warrior-of-strength — through which the sitra achra, the animalistic spirit, is subdued, and all the holiness is extracted from it. And therefore milk is permitted to eat — for the animalistic spirit has already been subdued from it through the aspect of birth etc., as described. For the essential prohibition of a limb from a living creature is because the animalistic spirit still rules there and is not subdued except through slaughter, as described. But milk — which is made through birth — is permitted, with no prohibition of a limb from a living creature, for the animalistic spirit has already been subdued and its holiness extracted through the aspect of birth etc., as described.

And this is also the aspect of honey which the Torah permitted — for honey is the aspect of Gevurot (divine powers), as is known, in the aspect of "what is sweeter than honey and what is stronger than a lion?" (מַה מָּתוֹק מִדְּבַשׁ וּמֶה עַז מֵאֲרִי, Judges 14:18). And therefore Shimshon the mighty, when he went to take a wife from the daughters of the Philistines, found honey in the carcass of the lion — for Shimshon the mighty needed then to overpower the Philistines who ruled over Israel. That is: the sitra achra — the nations — who had overpowered Israel, were then suckling from holiness. And then one must employ the aspect of prayer in the mode of judgment of the warrior-of-strength. And therefore the miracle came about through Shimshon the mighty who was a hero and warrior-of-strength, possessing the power to pray such a prayer.

And therefore he went to them to take a wife — to go down to them specifically so that they would want to take hold of him, while he with the intensity of his strength and power would overpower them through this specifically, as it is written: "for it was from Hashem, for He sought an occasion against the Philistines" (כִּי מֵה' הוּא כִּי תֹּאֲנָה הוּא מְבַקֵּשׁ מִפְּלִשְׁתִּים) — for this is the aspect of the prayer described above of the warrior-of-strength in the mode of judgment. For then the sitra achra wants to take hold of it — for their foothold is always in the aspect of judgment — but since he is a warrior-of-strength, this prayer stands at their throat until they vomit out all the holiness etc., as is explained there carefully in the teaching above. And this is itself the matter of Shimshon as described — for among the Tzaddikim, union and prayer are one and the same aspect, as described.

And Israel in general is in the aspect of mercy — for there are three signs in this nation: merciful ones etc., as our Sages of blessed memory said. While the nations are hard of heart — the aspect of judgment. And therefore it is forbidden for us to intermarry with them — for the union of Israel must be in the aspect of mercy and da'as, which is the aspect of the holiness of the covenant. (See regarding this in Even HaEzer, in the Laws of Marriage regarding lineage, that the sign is: merciful, charitable, etc. See there.)

And Shimshon the mighty — because he needed then to extract the vitality from the sitra achra to overpower them — was therefore compelled to employ the aspect of prayer in the mode of judgment of the warrior-of-strength. And therefore he married among them — for they are the aspect of judgment and they would want, Heaven forfend, to take hold of him — while he, with the intensity of his strength and power, would overpower them through this and extract from them all the vitality they had swallowed and subdue them and save Israel. And therefore he then found honey in the lion's carcass — for the honey was drawn from there through the prayer of the warrior-of-strength, for honey is drawn from the aspect of prayer of the warrior-of-strength etc. For honey is pure emerging from the impure — and this is a novellum — for bees allude to the sitra achra surrounding the holiness, in the aspect of "they surrounded me like bees" etc. — "they pushed me to fall but Hashem helped me; my strength and the song of G-d" (דָּחֹה דְחִיתַנִי לִנְפֹּל וַה' עֲזָרָנִי, עָזִּי וְזִמְרָת יָ"הּ, Psalms 118:13-14). That is: when the sitra achra surrounds holiness in the aspect of "they surrounded me like bees," and they want to push and topple it, Heaven forfend — then one must draw power from prayer in the mode of judgment of the warrior-of-strength. And this is "my strength and the song of G-d" — "zimrat" (song/melody) is the aspect of prayer, that is: prayer which is the aspect of judgment, the aspect of strength and power — "and it became for me a salvation," for through this prayer one receives salvation and through this one extracts all the holiness from the sitra achra. And this is the aspect of the sweetness of honey that emerges from the bees specifically — who are impure, the aspect of the sitra achra — for from there specifically one extracts the sweetness of honey. For the sitra achra vomits out all the holiness it had swallowed through the prayer described above. And therefore the Torah permitted honey — for it too is drawn from the aspect of prayer described above, through which the sitra achra is subdued and all holiness is extracted from it: this is the aspect of honey emerging from the bees, as described.

And therefore we eat honey on Rosh Hashanah — for then on Rosh Hashanah the prayer is in the mode of judgment, as cited in the teaching above. And from there derives the aspect of honey, as described.

[Editorial note in the original:] This belongs above.

And this is "the voice of song and salvation" (קוֹל רִנָּה וִישׁוּעָה) specifically — this is the aspect of the voice of melody awakened through prayer in the mode of judgment of the warrior-of-strength, which is the aspect of the river that flows out of Eden etc., as is written there. See there.

And this is the aspect of Shavuos — which is the Giving of the Torah. For "the Torah was given from the mouth of the Gevurah (מִפִּי הַגְּבוּרָה)" — from the aspect of Gevurot. For the essential Torah is drawn through the prayer described above — through which came the Exodus from Egypt and the splitting of the Sea of Reeds and the war against Amalek etc. — through which Yisro came and converted, and through which thunders arose — clouds that pour down water etc., as described — through which the Torah is drawn, as the waters of da'as of holiness flow forth and are revealed: this is the aspect of the Torah. And therefore the Giving of the Torah was accompanied by thunders and lightning — that is, thunders which are the aspect of clouds that pour down water etc., as described — which is drawn from the aspect of prayer described above.

And therefore in truth Shavuos is great chesed and great mercy — only this chesed is revealed through the aspect of prayer in the mode of judgment of the warrior-of-strength, which is the aspect of the Gevurot of Yitzchak: the aspect of the shofar of Yitzchak's ram at the time of the Giving of the Torah — through which the sitra achra is subdued and all the holiness and all the da'as and all the chesed it had swallowed are extracted, as described. And through this one merits prophecy — the aspect of "face to face G-d spoke with you" (פָּנִים בְּפָנִים דִּבֵּר ה' עִמָּכֶם), which was at the time of the Giving of the Torah, as explained in the teaching above. And then "blood becomes turbid and is transformed into milk" — for the judgment is sweetened and converted to mercy — which comes about through the prayer of the warrior-of-strength described above. And therefore we eat dairy foods (מַאֲכְלֵי חָלָב) on Shavuos.

And because honey is drawn from this aspect — from the prayer in the mode of judgment of the warrior-of-strength — therefore it is said of it: "Have you found honey? Eat your fill of it, but not too much, lest you be filled with it and vomit it" (דְּבַשׁ מָצָאתָ אֱכֹל דַּיֶּךָּ פֶּן תִּשְֹבָּעֶנּוּ וַהֲקֵאֹתוֹ, Proverbs 25:16), and it is written: "to eat much honey is not good" (אָכֹל דְּבַשׁ הַרְבּוֹת לֹא טוֹב, Proverbs 25:27). For in that realm one must be a great warrior-of-strength — and one must not make excessive use of this mode, lest the sitra achra take hold of one, Heaven forfend. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said that Shimshon also stumbled then — for when one enters into the mode of judgment, Heaven forfend, it is a great danger, and one must flee from there immediately, in the aspect of "have you found honey? eat your fill but not too much" — for the essential nature of prayer is mercy and supplication etc., as cited in the teaching above.

Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman נ נח נחמ נחמן מאומן

The Torah does not list kosher signs for birds as it does for land animals. Instead it lists the non-kosher species by name, and our Sages derived four signs — a crop, a peelable gizzard, an extra toe, and not being a bird of prey — yet these signs are insufficient on their own and the primary authority is the oral tradition (מָסֹרֶת). This halacha explains why.

For birds are in the aspect of the Oral Torah (תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה), the aspect of the Mishnah, the aspect of Metatron (מְטַטְרוֹן) — as cited above in the Laws of Meat Hidden from Sight, Halacha 1. And therefore their signs were not written in the Written Torah but were transmitted to the Sages orally. But land animals and beasts — which are spiritually lower than birds — where the power of imagination (כֹּחַ הַמְדַמֶּה) and the animalistic force overpower more greatly: their hold is in the aspect of the Written Torah, the aspect of "write this as a memorial in the book" (כְּתֹב זֹאת זִכָּרוֹן בַּסֵּפֶר, Exodus 17:14) — for there is where imagination grips, since memory is the aspect of the power of imagination, as Rabainu said in Torah Lesson 19. See there. And therefore their signs were written in the Written Torah.

And likewise it is stated in the sacred writings (Kisvay Arizal) that the Written Torah descends to clothe itself further below in the aspect of Asiyah (Action) — where the animalistic force overpowers most intensely, for that is the aspect of land animals and beasts who walk on all fours. All this is explained above in the Laws of Signs of a Kosher Animal and Beast, Halacha 1. But the Oral Torah is the aspect of Yetzirah (Formation), the aspect of Metatron — from which birds derive. And therefore their signs were not written in the Torah.

And therefore kosher birds outnumber non-kosher birds, while with land animals it is the reverse — as our Sages of blessed memory said. For below in Asiyah, the sitra achra's grip is greatest — therefore land animals, belonging to the aspect of Asiyah, have more non-kosher than kosher. But birds, belonging to the aspect of Yetzirah where the sitra achra's hold is not as strong, have more kosher than non-kosher.

And this is also the meaning of what our Sages said: a kosher bird is identified by oral tradition (עוֹף טָהוֹר נֶאֱכָל בְּמָסֹרֶת) — transmitted mouth to mouth that it is a kosher bird. And as they said: "a hunter is trusted to say: such-and-such a bird was permitted to me by my rabbi the hunter." For the essential signs of birds and their permissibility rest entirely on oral tradition, mouth to mouth — the aspect of the Oral Torah, as described — for one cannot rely on the written signs alone for birds. Since they are of the aspect of the Oral Torah, they require transmission specifically mouth to mouth, as it is stated (Avos, Chapter 1): "Moshe received the Torah from Sinai and transmitted it to Yehoshua etc." — for matters that are oral, you are not permitted to commit them to writing (דְּבָרִים שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה אִי אַתָּה רַשַּׁאי לְאָמְרָם בִּכְתָב).

From that teaching: There are people in the aspect of the six weekdays, the aspect of Metatron — the aspect of kosher and disqualified, pure and impure — meaning they have no Shabbos rest, not being established in consistent service and teshuvah. At times thoughts of teshuvah fall upon them, then they return to their former state — alternating: sometimes kosher, sometimes disqualified, sometimes pure, sometimes impure. But the Tzaddikim are in the aspect of Shabbos, for Shabbos is the aspect of teshuvah, the aspect of Shaddai — their teshuvah is in tranquility and permanence, for they push away the evil entirely. And these Tzaddikim surrender their souls for Israel, for they see their own lowliness and the importance and greatness of Israel. (See there carefully.)

Now: "a bird — this is Metatron" as cited in the Tikkunim (Introduction, p. 3). And the aspect of Metatron is the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which is the aspect of kosher and disqualified, pure and impure. And it is written: "from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil you shall not eat." And everything in the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil — where good and evil are intermingled — we are forbidden to eat from.

And therefore the essential rectification of all our eating is through the Oral Torah transmitted to the Tzaddikim — which is the aspect of the Six Orders of the Mishnah that clarify the good from the evil, the permitted from the forbidden. And therefore we are commanded to do all that the true Tzaddikim and Sages of each and every generation instruct us, as it is written: "you shall not deviate from the word they tell you, right or left" (לֹא תָסוּר מִן הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר יַגִּידוּ לְךָ יָמִין וּשְֹמֹאל), even if they tell you etc. For in each and every generation clarifications must be made to raise up the good from the evil that became intermingled through the sin of the Tree of Knowledge. And no individual has power to make these clarifications except through the true Tzaddik of each generation. For simple people who have not yet merited complete and perfect teshuvah — who have no rest yet — are themselves still in the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge, still alternating: sometimes kosher etc. Therefore they certainly cannot on their own clarify the good from the evil. Only the true Tzaddik of each generation — who has already pushed the evil away entirely and is in the aspect of Shabbos — has the power to clarify the sparks in everything: to separate the good from the evil, the permitted from the forbidden.

And therefore all our kosher eating — its essential rectification and clarification — is through the Tzaddikim of the generation to whom the Oral Torah was transmitted. For even though all the mitzvos are spelled out in the Torah — from the Torah itself alone one cannot know anything, only through the Tzaddikim and Sages to whom the Oral Torah was transmitted. They know the details of every matter: how to conduct oneself in each case according to the need of the clarification of that matter. And Hashem Blessed be He did this intentionally — He did not spell out every matter in the Written Torah but commanded us to rely specifically on the Sages of the generation. For in truth in every generation new clarifications must be made until the coming of Mashiach. And the clarification of every matter is possible only through the Tzaddikim who are the Sages of the generation — who have already pushed the evil away entirely. While other people who have not yet pushed the evil away entirely — who alternate: sometimes kosher etc. — have no power to clarify. And even through Torah study they lack this power: for "if one merits, it becomes an elixir of life; if one does not merit, it becomes an elixir of death, Heaven forfend."

And therefore without the true Tzaddikim of each and every generation we are unable to lift hand or foot to do anything in kashrus — for we do not understand the ways of Torah at all except through the true Tzaddik. And therefore Hashem Blessed be He intentionally did not spell out the particular rulings of any mitzvah in the Written Torah — so that we know we must rely only on the Tzaddikim of the generation, as commanded: "you shall not deviate etc." For the essential clarification in every generation is made only through the Tzaddikim to whom the Oral Torah was transmitted — through which one clarifies the good from the evil. For the Oral Torah is the aspect of the Six Orders of the Mishnah corresponding to the aspect of kosher and disqualified etc. — for through the Six Orders of the Mishnah one clarifies the kosher from the disqualified, which is the aspect of clarifying the good from the evil. But this Oral Torah was transmitted only to the Tzaddikim who are the Sages of the generation — for only in their hands is the power to clarify, since they have already pushed away the evil entirely.

And this is what our Sages hinted at through this mitzvah of the kosher bird — saying: a kosher bird is identified by oral tradition. For "a bird — this is Metatron." And since it is in the aspect of Metatron, which is the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge — it is impossible to eat it, for "from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil you shall not eat." And therefore we cannot eat it except through the Tzaddikim and Sages of the generation to whom the Oral Torah was transmitted — and this is "identified by oral tradition." In truth all other things likewise cannot be eaten except through the Sages of the generation. It is only here that the Torah revealed this more explicitly — since a bird is more in the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge, as described. And therefore the Torah did not explain the signs of a kosher bird at all — so that we know we must rely on the Sages of the generation who have the power to make the clarification of the Tree of Knowledge. This is what the Torah revealed more explicitly through this mitzvah — since "a bird — this is Metatron," the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge, whose essential rectification and clarification is through the Oral Torah transmitted to the Sages of the generation.

Also, in truth the clarification of all edible things is hinted at in this teaching — for all things in the world have an admixture of good and evil from the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge, as is known. And we must clarify them through the Oral Torah transmitted to the Tzaddikim. The essential clarification is through eating — for through eating one clarifies the sparks within the foods. And this is "a kosher bird is identified by oral tradition" — for the good in the Tree of Knowledge is the aspect of the kosher bird. For the Tree of Knowledge is the aspect of a bird, as described, and it contains both good and evil: pure and impure, kosher and disqualified. The good in the Tree of Knowledge is therefore the aspect of the kosher bird. And all our eating must be in the aspect of the good in the Tree of Knowledge — the aspect of the kosher bird — which can only be accomplished through the Tzaddikim of the generation to whom the Oral Torah was transmitted. This is "a kosher bird is identified by oral tradition" — all the eating of Israel in kashrus, which is the aspect of the kosher bird, the good and pure in the Tree of Knowledge — is accomplished only through the Tzaddikim to whom the Torah was transmitted: "by oral tradition" (בְּמָסֹרֶת).

Also: masores (tradition) hints that these Tzaddikim who have pushed away evil entirely and to whom the Torah was transmitted — they surrender themselves (מוֹסְרִים נַפְשָׁם) for Israel, as explained in the teaching above. And this is the aspect of "by oral tradition" — through the Tzaddikim who have self-surrender (מְסִירוּת נֶפֶשׁ) for Israel, to whom the Oral Torah was transmitted. For in truth the essential rectification and clarification of our eating is only through these Tzaddikim who surrender themselves for Israel — for at the time of eating we must clarify the good from the evil, and we have no power for this ourselves. And the essential nature of their self-surrender is to rectify Israel: to push evil from them and bind them to the good — this is the essential love and compassion the Tzaddik has for Israel. And therefore only through the power of the Tzaddik can we eat in kashrus — clarifying the good from the evil, the pure from the impure — which is the aspect of the kosher bird, the aspect of "the bird of the heavens," as is known.

And therefore our Sages said: an am haaretz (one unattached to Torah scholars) is forbidden to eat meat — for the essential and greatest clarification is in living creatures, which have vitality and souls. And one certainly cannot eat meat except through attachment to the Tzaddikim, through whom we have the power to clarify. And an am haaretz is one not attached to Tzaddikim and Sages — as our Sages said: "who is an am haaretz? Even if he read Scripture and studied Mishnah but did not serve Torah scholars — he is an am haaretz." Meaning: one who does not serve Torah scholars to know their thinking and reasoning — as Rashi explains, "serving Torah scholars" means Gemara, that is, the reasons and logic of the Mishnah which one merits receiving from one's teacher through service. And so in every generation we must serve the true Torah scholars who are the true Tzaddikim, to know their thinking and reasoning: how to conduct oneself in every matter. And through attachment to the true Tzaddikim we have the power to clarify. But an am haaretz not attached to a true Torah scholar is forbidden to eat meat — for in meat from a living creature there are many souls and sparks requiring clarification, and there is no power to clarify them except through the true Tzaddik. Blessed be Hashem forever, amen and amen.

It follows that Metatron, which is the aspect of the lower unification (יִחוּדָא תַּתָּאָה), is the aspect of a bird. And likewise it is stated that Metatron is appointed over the birds. And this is the aspect of "a bird flies over the earth" (עוֹף יְעוֹפֵף עַל הָאָרֶץ) which alludes to the angels who are the aspect of Metatron. And the lower unification corresponds to the verse "Blessed is the name of His glorious kingdom forever" (בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד) which has twenty-four letters — which are the aspect of the twenty-four books of the Torah etc. And when one damages, Heaven forfend, the aspect of the lower unification — from this cascades down the aspect of twenty-four non-kosher birds, for "G-d made one corresponding to the other" (אֶת זֶה לְעֻמַּת זֶה). For the root of the aspect of birds is in the lower unification, the aspect of the twenty-four letters of "Blessed is the name of His glorious kingdom for ever." And "G-d made one corresponding to the other" — therefore corresponding to this, the sitra achra has non-kosher birds. And this is what is stated in the sacred books: that through damage to the covenant, Heaven forfend, the aspect of twenty-four non-kosher birds comes about — as described. For the damage to the covenant — the essential damage is to the aspect of the lower unification, since that is where the essential guarding of the covenant lies: to keep oneself simply within the laws of the Torah, Heaven forfend not to transgress them. And when one damages this, Heaven forfend, one damages the aspect of the lower unification — the aspect of the twenty-four letters of "Blessed is the name etc." — and from this cascades and comes about, Heaven forfend, the aspect of twenty-four species of non-kosher birds.

And therefore the essential clarification between non-kosher and kosher bird is specifically through speech (דִּבּוּר) — as our Sages said: a kosher bird is identified by oral tradition, meaning that one person transmits mouth to mouth to another that this bird is kosher. For speech is the aspect of tziparta (the bird), as described — the aspect of birds that chirp with their voices — and this is the aspect of Metatron, which is the aspect of a bird, which is the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which comprises the Six Orders of the Mishnah — the aspect of kosher and disqualified, pure and impure etc. — which is the aspect of the Oral Torah that clarifies all the laws of the Torah between pure and impure etc. For the essential clarification is specifically through speech of the mouth — in the aspect of "for they are life to those who bring them forth through the mouth" — the aspect of the Oral Torah. And therefore one cannot know any ruling or decision of the laws of the Torah through the Written Torah alone — only through the Oral Torah which clarifies all the laws of the Torah. For the essential clarification between pure and impure, kosher and disqualified, forbidden and permitted — is only through the Oral Torah, which is the aspect of speech of the mouth. For speech is the aspect of the tziparta described above — that descends to the very feet and clarifies from there all the clarifications. And through this one can rise from a low and fallen level — for speech illuminates everywhere and clarifies the good from the evil, the pure from the impure etc.

And since birds are in the aspect of Metatron — the lower unification etc. — where the essential clarification of the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil which is in the aspect of Metatron takes place — therefore one cannot eat birds except through oral tradition: one person transmitting mouth to mouth that this bird is kosher. For the essential clarification between kosher and non-kosher bird is specifically through speech, which is the aspect of the tziparta etc., as described. For without speech, it is difficult to rely on signs alone — for there one is liable to err between non-kosher and kosher birds, since they are in the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil where good and evil are intermingled — the aspect of pure and impure. And since birds are more deeply rooted in this aspect — the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge, the aspect of Metatron — therefore it is difficult to clarify between pure and impure among them except through speech. For speech clarifies everything — speech is the aspect of the tziparta etc. that descends to below and clarifies and elevates and illuminates everywhere. And through this specifically one knows the distinction between kosher and non-kosher bird, as described.

And therefore our Sages said of Yonasan ben Uziel: when he was engaged in Torah study, any bird flying overhead was immediately burned — "a bird flying" specifically. For the speech of Torah is the aspect of the tziparta described above, the aspect of the flying bird. And therefore when one studies in holiness and connects oneself to the root of holy speech — through this, all "flying birds" are annulled and burned. For their root is only in the aspect of the speech of the Torah, as described, and everything is annulled at its root. And therefore flying birds were burned and annulled through the speech of Torah, which is the root of the aspect of birds.

And therefore when Noach the Tzaddik wanted to know whether the floodwaters had already subsided and been annulled — he sent the birds specifically to investigate and to know through them. For the floodwaters are the aspect of damage to the covenant (פְּגַם הַבְּרִית), the aspect of "for all flesh had corrupted its way" etc. And Noach was a Tzaddik — and a Tzaddik is one who guards the covenant — and he merited the aspect of guarding the covenant in both aspects: the aspect of the upper unification and the lower unification — in the aspect of "these are the generations of Noach: Noach" — "Noach" above, "Noach" below, meaning the aspect of the upper unification and the lower unification. And therefore he was saved from the floodwaters. And his salvation was through the Ark (תֵּבָה). And the Ark of Noach is the aspect of holy words of speech (דִּבּוּרִים קְדוֹשִׁים), as is known — for speech illuminates everywhere and grows stronger and subdues the floodwaters, in the aspect of "and the Ark went upon the face of the waters." For speech is the aspect of the tziparta that stands with its feet in the water and its head reaches to the heavens. And therefore when Noach wanted to know whether the floodwaters had subsided — whether evil had been subdued and some good had begun to stir and sparkle — he sent the bird: that is, the dove, to see whether the waters had lightened. For birds are the aspect of speech, the aspect of the tziparta described above — through which is the essential clarification of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. For speech illuminates everywhere, as described.

And this is the aspect of kosher birds and non-kosher birds which the Torah distinguished between — for birds are winged creatures. And therefore there are kosher birds that suckle from holy speech, from which holy wings are formed; and there are non-kosher birds that suckle from the wings of the serpent formed from evil speech — through which the wisdom of nature is strengthened in the world, Heaven forfend, as described. And therefore the signs of a kosher bird were not spelled out in the Torah — for it is impossible to spell out the signs in writing, since one cannot delineate in the Written Torah the signs distinguishing true wisdom (which grows stronger through the wings of holiness, from which kosher birds suckle) from the false wisdom of the natural scientists (who come to heresy through their evil knowledge). For falsehood strengthens against truth to the point where it is hard to discern between them — and it is impossible to explain in writing the signs that distinguish between them. For it is known that there are many confusions and heresies flowing from the natural scientists that cannot be settled through intellect and logic — only through the faith that we the children of Israel hold firmly, as transmitted to us by our forebears and teachers, as explained elsewhere. And this is the aspect of "a kosher bird is identified by oral tradition (בְּמָסֹרֶת)" — specifically "oral tradition" to hint that it is impossible to discern and distinguish between kosher birds (which suckle from the wings of holiness) and non-kosher birds (which suckle from the wings of the serpent — the confusions and heresies of the natural scientists) through any sign that is a kind of intellectual proof. Only through oral tradition: as our forebears transmitted to us — for we lean and depend only on their words, as they transmitted to us: to believe in Hashem Blessed be He and in the renewal of the world and in the resurrection of the dead and in the two worlds etc. — without any sign, proof, token, or demonstration. For it is impossible to verify the fundamentals of our holy faith through signs and proofs in the methods of their bewildered intellect — only through the received tradition (קַבָּלָה וּמָסֹרֶת) as we received from our teachers of blessed memory.

And therefore the non-kosher birds are twenty-four — for all the investigators of natural science engage with the Written Torah across all twenty-four books of Scripture, for they appreciate its literary style. But they interpret everything according to their own ways and confusions. On the Oral Torah, however, they dispute completely — for in the Oral Torah as our Sages transmitted to us, the opposite of their views is spelled out explicitly. For our Sages received the interpretation of the Written Torah person from person back to Moshe our teacher, peace be upon him — as they transmitted to us that this is the foundation of our holy faith, since from the Written Torah one cannot know anything without the Oral Torah. It follows that the essential root from which the natural scientists draw their vitality descends from the aspect of the Written Torah — for since it is written, they can interpret it according to their evil views and overturn the words of the living G-d. But in the Oral Torah their teeth are blunted — for our Sages spell it out contrary to their evil views. And therefore they truly dispute the words of our Sages which are the Oral Torah, for from the Oral Torah they have no sustenance. And this is made explicit in the words of Rabainu, of blessed memory (Likutay Moharan Tinyana, Torah Lesson 28) on the verse "I have written for him the multitude of My Torah etc." — that the essential vitality of the nations descends from the aspect of the Written Torah. See there. The nations are the aspect of the natural scientists — for they constantly engage in these wisdoms. But not so the portion of Yaakov — for we believe in the words of our Sages as they transmitted to us the interpretation of the Written Torah, and from their mouths we live.

And therefore the non-kosher birds are twenty-four — for the root of their vitality descends in thousands upon thousands of chains from the aspect of the Written Torah, which is the twenty-four books of Scripture. For "G-d made one corresponding to the other," as is known. And therefore one cannot eat a kosher bird except through oral tradition — the aspect of the Oral Torah as our Sages transmitted to us — for it is impossible to be saved from their evil views except through the Oral Torah. For we the children of Israel rely on no interpretation of the Written Torah derived through their evil rhetorical methods — only as our Sages transmitted to us in the Oral Torah. For in the Torah, the laws of tefillin are not spelled out at all — whether they should be of leather, and exactly where they should be bound, whether on the palm or on the muscle etc. — and likewise with the other mitzvos. And likewise our Sages received that the resurrection of the dead is spelled out in the Torah, as they derived from several verses. And so with all the other foundations of faith and interpretations of Torah and mitzvos — for all of them we rely only on what our Sages spelled out for us in the Gemara and the halachic authorities. And this is hinted at in this ruling: "a kosher bird is identified by oral tradition" — for specifically through oral tradition, the aspect of the Oral Torah, one can come to distance oneself from the twenty-four non-kosher birds whose vitality descends from the twenty-four books of Scripture. For specifically through the oral tradition, the aspect of the Oral Torah, we are distinguished from them — for it teaches us to interpret the Written Torah according to truth, as our Sages received.

And this is why our Sages gave a sign for non-kosher birds through their eating — for if a bird grasps and eats (דּוֹרֵס וְאוֹכֵל), it is certainly non-kosher. For non-kosher birds suckle from the wings of the above-mentioned serpent — which has an ant in its mouth, wanting to overpower the ant, Heaven forfend (who is the true sage etc., as explained there). And therefore the sign of impurity is in its mouth — if it grasps and eats, it is certainly impure: for this shows that it wants to overpower through its eating, to grasp and devour, Heaven forfend, the ant etc. For from there derives the vitality of the non-kosher birds, as described. But Hashem will not abandon it into the serpent's hand, and will save the ant from its mouth — for "a lip of truth shall be established forever," speedily in our days, amen.

Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman נ נח נחמ נחמן מאומן

The essential sign of purity is the scales — for every fish that has scales also has fins, while fins alone are no sign at all, for some fish have fins but no scales.

As was already explained above in the Laws of Meat Hidden from Sight, Halacha 1: fish are in the aspect of eyna p'kicha (the open eye), the aspect of the World to Come, upon which the impurity and damage of the seventy nations has no dominion — for the waters cover them and the evil eye has no power over them, as described. They are in the aspect of Yosef, whose descendants were compared to fish, the aspect of guarding the covenant (שְׁמִירַת הַבְּרִית). And therefore fish require no ritual slaughter (שְׁחִיטָה), and they have no concept of treifus (disqualifying injuries), nor any prohibition of blood or forbidden fat — for all of those arise from damage to the covenant. But fish, upon which damage to the covenant has no grip, being in the aspect of da'as (knowledge) and guarding the covenant — therefore there is no prohibition upon them and they require no slaughter. See there.

However, regarding the matter of non-kosher fish and their signs: this is according to what is explained in the teaching "the secret intention of the word" (Likutay Moharan 1, Torah Lesson 63). And according to what I understood, as I heard from his holy mouth that issued forth to us from there: there are two aspects to guarding the covenant. The first aspect, in its literal sense — one must guard the covenant and sanctify and purify oneself from animalistic drives and the general evil, until one merits being completely holy; so that animal desire has no grip whatsoever. And according to the greatness of one's holiness and separation, so too the greatness of one's da'as. For it is already explained many times that guarding the covenant is the completion of da'as. But there is yet a second aspect: even one who is very holy, in complete perfection, and whose da'as is very whole — then one must very carefully guard one's da'as and intellect, not to rush and approach Hashem, not to enter beyond one's boundary, not to exit the boundary of holiness. For this too is the aspect of damage to the covenant — damage to da'as — for through this one's da'as is entirely ruined. As is understood from the above-mentioned teaching, for when one enters beyond one's boundary, this is the opposite of the rectification of the covenant which is in the aspect of "revealing a handbreadth and covering a handbreadth." As written above in the Laws of Sukkah, Halacha 1.

And this is the aspect of what is said in the teaching beginning "Vayehi miketz" (Likutay Moharan 1, Torah Lesson 54) on the verse "Hashem my G-d, You are very great" (ה' אֱלֹקַי גָּדַלְתָּ מְאֹד) — that one must constrain the expansion of the intellect in the aspect of "attaching thought to the World to Come" — one must constrain it so it does not exit the boundary of holiness. And this is the aspect of me'od (very, greatly), as explained there. And this is the aspect of tzitzis, as explained there. And this is the aspect of the signs of kosher fish — which are the scales. For scales are the aspect of garments, the aspect of constriction (צִמְצוּם) — as it is written: "a coat of mail of scales is his garment" (שִׁרְיוֹן קַשְֹקַשִּים הוּא לָבוּשׁ, 1 Samuel 17:5). And as our Sages brought this verse to derive from it that scales are the garment of the fish. That is: the essential purity of fish — which are in the aspect of the World to Come, the aspect of da'as upon which the general evil and animal desire have no grip — the sign of their purity and holiness depends on the scales, which are garments and constrictions. For one must constrain the greatness of the intellect that swims and soars within the waters — which are the aspect of the World to Come — as it is written: "the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of Hashem as waters cover the sea" (כַּמַּיִם לַיָּם מְכַסִּים). Fish that grow in the waters — one must constrain them in the aspect of "You are very great" so as not to exit the boundary of holiness. This is the aspect of scales, for when fish lack scales they are entirely impure — for without the constriction that is the garment and covering for one's intellect, one exits the boundary of holiness entirely, and then this is in the aspect of damage to the covenant, where impurity dwells, as stated in Rabainu's words.

And when there are scales — the aspect of garments and constrictions — then there is the further sign of purity: fins (סְנַפִּירִין), which are wings for gliding and soaring within the waters — the aspect of expanding the intellect, meriting to expand one's intellect, so that one's mind soars and flies — through having made wings for one's intellect, which are the fins. And therefore on their account one flies within the waters which are the aspect of the World to Come — expanding intellect there. And in Rabainu's words it is stated there in that teaching: wings are the aspect of the intellect flying and soaring. And these fins are called from the language of light (snir/sanir), the aspect of the light of the intellect — as our Sages said: "the Tablets were of sappirinon — a precious illuminating stone." But fins alone are not a sign of purity so long as there are no scales — for although something of the aspect of will (ratzon) is revealed in them, we cannot yet eat them without the scales: the garment of scales drawn from the aspect of charity (צְדָקָה) — through which specifically the aspect of the forehead of the will (מֶצַח הָרָצוֹן) shines and illuminates. See the teaching "Vayehi miketz" — that to merit the aspect of memory which is the expansion of the intellect in the World to Come, one must guard oneself greatly from the evil eye and from the power of imagination, for these are the opposite of memory, the opposite of the World to Come — there the evil eye and imagination have no grip. And when one merits that aspect of memory, the essential guarding is in the aspect of "You are very great" — to constrain one's intellect. And this is the aspect of the signs of fish which are the scales.

And this also touches on the perfection of the Holy Tongue through Aramaic translation (לְשׁוֹן תַּרְגּוּם): for the essential guarding of the covenant depends upon it, as described. That is, just as the first aspect above — literally — the essential holiness and its perfection depends on breaking the evil and subduing it, for one must specifically pass through all the evils and the general evil and break it and subdue it: the perfection of holiness depends on this, and without it holiness is not complete. And this is the perfection of the Holy Tongue, the holiness — whose essential perfection depends on Aramaic translation, which is the aspect of breaking the evil and subduing it and extracting the good from within it. Similarly, when one merits guarding the covenant in its perfection and has broken the general evil entirely and merited perfect holiness — then one must make a constriction and garment for one's intellect. This is the aspect of guarding the covenant: the aspect of garment and constriction, the aspect of "garments of skin" (כָּתְנוֹת עוֹר) with which Hashem clothed Adam and Eve — which are the aspect of the nogah klipa, the aspect of Aramaic translation, the aspect of a garment. And this is the garment of scales, which are in the aspect of the "garments of skin." As our Sages said: "they were smooth as a fingernail, cleaving to their flesh" — and this is the aspect of scales, which are smooth as a fingernail, as is visible to the eye.

Fin and scale are the signs of kosher fish. For fish grow in the water — the aspect of the sea of wisdom (יַם הַחָכְמָה) — and the sitra achra has no grip upon them. Therefore their being gathered is their purification and they require no repair (tikkun). But there are non-kosher species — those that have no garment of scale and fin. For fish are in the aspect of eyna p'kicha (the open eye), the single eye of compassion — which is the aspect of the shining of will (הֶאָרַת הָרָצוֹן) that shines in the sea of wisdom. And therefore they grow in the water — the aspect of the sea of wisdom. But since nonetheless this vitality extends into this physical world, therefore they require the garment of scale and fin. For when they have no garment of scale, they are entirely non-kosher species — for the shining of will from which fish receive their vitality is in the aspect of mah, the aspect of ayin (nothingness), the aspect of makifim (encompassing lights). And those on high in whom this aspect of ayin, the aspect of mah, shines — they must also be included in the aspect of those below: the aspect of "the entire earth is filled with His glory" (מְלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ). So that they will have fear (yirah) — for through the aspect of ayin alone they would have no fear at all. Therefore even those on high need the aspect of "the entire earth is filled with His glory" so that they will have fear.

And therefore fish whose vitality comes from the illumination of those on high — the aspect of mah, the aspect of ayin — when they lack the inclusion of those below, the aspect of "the entire earth is filled with His glory" through which fear flows: then, since they are in this physical world, they become entirely damaged and entirely non-kosher species. For it is stated in Rabainu's words (Likutay Moharan Tinyana, Torah Lesson 12): that the sitra d'tuma'ah (the side of impurity) suckles from the aspect of ayin — since this aspect is very hidden and concealed, they receive vitality from there and conceal and hide G-dliness entirely. It follows that the essential impurity and heresy draw their vitality from the aspect of ayin — for only those on high can receive the essential aspect of ayeh (where), and even they must be included in the aspect of those below, the aspect of "the entire earth is filled with His glory." But those below, when they receive the aspect of ayin alone, it becomes for them, Heaven forfend, complete heresy. And therefore fish, whose vitality comes from eyna p'kicha, the aspect of will, the aspect of makifim, the aspect of ayin — they must clothe themselves in the garment of scales, as it is written: "a coat of mail of scales is his garment." And this garment is the aspect of fear (yirah) — for fear is malchus (sovereignty), which is the aspect of glory, the aspect of garments. That is: the garment of scales is a sign that they have vitality from the aspect of fear as well, which is the aspect of a garment. And this is the aspect of fins as well — for fins are the aspect of the sapphire stone, as they said: "the Tablets were of sappirinon" — a type of stone. This also alludes to the aspect of malchus called the sapphire stone, which is the aspect of fear. And when the fish have these signs alluding to the aspect of fear and malchus, they are kosher species and one may eat them. But when they have no garments — they are entirely impure, for the aspect of ayin alone, when creatures in this physical world receive vitality from it alone — especially a living creature — then this becomes entirely the sitra d'tuma'ah, the aspect of heresy. Therefore fish must bear the garment of scale and fin — and this garment is the aspect of fear and malchus, drawn from the aspect of "the entire earth is filled with His glory." Then they are pure and one may eat them, for our eating must be from the side of holiness, so that fear flows upon us through our eating.

And this is the aspect of kosher and non-kosher fish. For it is stated that fish are in the aspect of eyna p'kicha — the single eye of compassion — which is the aspect of ra'ava d'ra'avin, the aspect of the forehead of the will, as described. And therefore fish need no slaughter at all — their being gathered is their purification. For the essential slaughter of all living creatures is to subdue the animalistic spirit — which is the aspect of natural science, the aspect of foolishness (kesilos), the aspect of a beast that has no knowledge — against Torah wisdom which is the essential true wisdom, the aspect of the human being (adam). As stated in the teaching "Dirshu" (Likutay Moharan 1, Torah Lesson 37): external wisdoms compared to the wisdoms of Torah are in the aspect of beast compared to human. Therefore Israel who are bound to Torah are called "human" (adam), while the nations who engage in external wisdoms — natural science — are called "beast" (behemah), as our Sages said: "you are called adam and the nations are not called adam." It follows that all animals, beasts, birds and the like — which lack human knowledge — are all in the aspect of natural science, the aspect of animalistic foolishness. For only the definition of the human being is da'as — Torah. For only the wisdom of Torah is true wisdom and knowledge, and all other external wisdoms of the natural scientists are complete foolishness — the aspect of animality — compared to Torah wisdoms. Therefore we are forbidden to eat any living creature while it is alive, only through slaughter — for through this we subdue the animalistic spirit and elevate the living creature to the speaking creature (midaber), which is the essential intention of slaughter: subduing the vitality of natural science wisdoms and elevating and clarifying them to the aspect of adam — the true wisdom of the holy Torah — for the essential vitality is wisdom, as it is said: "wisdom gives life" (הַחָכְמָה תְּחַיֶּה).

But there are kosher species and non-kosher species. For in truth nature itself is Hashem's providence — Hashem Blessed be He created nature and He governs nature with His will. It follows that nature itself is providence — only this is the secret of free choice (bechira): Hashem created nature in the world so that human beings can err, Heaven forfend, as if nature were primary. And when they uproot nature from providence — then they deny the living G-d, Heaven forfend. But if one wishes to choose life in truth: one connects nature to providence, knowing and believing that everything is in His providence alone — even nature itself is governed by His providence. It follows that nature and providence are entirely one: "Hashem is G-d" (ה' הוּא הָאֱלֹקִים). Hashem — this is the attribute of compassion, the aspect of providence. Elokim — this is the attribute of justice, the aspect of nature. For Elokim numerically equals hateva (nature). And we must unify them in complete unity — knowing that Hashem is G-d: that nature and providence are entirely one. This is the essential aspect of Israel's eating in holiness — the aspect of "the Tzaddik eats to satisfy his soul" (צַדִּיק אוֹכֵל לַשֹּבַע נַפְשׁוֹ) — to connect body and soul together. For through eating the person's vitality is sustained: body and soul connect together, for without eating the soul departs. And body and soul are the aspect of external wisdoms and Torah wisdom — for external wisdom, natural science, is the aspect of body and animality, foolishness, compared to Torah wisdom which is the aspect of soul, the aspect of adam, the aspect of true knowledge. One must subdue the body and matter before the soul — subduing and nullifying natural science before Torah wisdom, connecting everything to the holy Torah. The essential faith is the essential rectification and clarification of all foods: knowing and believing that even nature itself is His providence and He gives life to all, and all comes from Him. Therefore there are kosher and non-kosher species — kosher species are those species we have the power to connect to holiness, to clarify from the living to the human. Non-kosher species are those we have no power to clarify from the living to the human. And even kosher species we can only eat through slaughter — for through this we subdue the animalistic spirit and elevate from beast to human.

And therefore slaughter is at the throat — to subdue the evil voices of the natural scientists who are the aspect of the living creature, the aspect of evil beasts. For the voice issues from the throat, in the aspect of "they speak insolence from the throat" (יְדַבְּרוּ בְצַוָּאר עָתָק) — these are the natural scientists who speak insolently against Hashem and His anointed and are the aspect of beasts and wild animals. And one subdues their voice and throat through the slaughter knife. Therefore the ritual slaughterer must receive the slaughter knife from the sage of the generation — as our Sages said: the slaughterer must show his knife to the sage. For the wise man in holiness has the power to connect all wills to the root of the will in holiness. Through this he subdues the knowledge of the natural scientists. Through this, fear is generated — the aspect of "He fulfills the will of those who fear Him" (רְצוֹן יְרֵאָיו יַעֲשֶֹה). And this fear is the aspect of the double-edged sword, the aspect of malchus, the aspect of the slaughter knife. Therefore one must receive the slaughter knife — which is the double-edged sword, the aspect of fear — in the aspect of "be wary of the sword" (גּוּרוּ לָכֶם מִפְּנֵי חֶרֶב) — one must receive it from the wise man in holiness. For the essential fear is generated only through the revelation of the will that is revealed through the wise man in holiness: through his connecting all wills to the root of the will. And through this blade — which is the fear generated through the revelation of the will — one subdues the animalistic spirit which is the aspect of natural science.

And therefore fish require no slaughter — for fish are in the aspect of the root of the will (שֹׁרֶשׁ הָרָצוֹן), the aspect of eyna p'kicha. Therefore there they require no slaughter — for they are themselves in the aspect of the root of the will from which their vitality comes. For the waters cover fish — which is the aspect of the waters of knowledge, the aspect of providence, the essential da'as — and the evil eye has no power over them: that is, the views of the natural scientists who are the aspect of the evil eye. For "eyes" is an expression for wisdom, as it is written: "the eyes of them both were opened" — and Rashi explained: for the name of wisdom it is said. And the evil eye is the aspect of evil views — the bad wisdoms of the natural scientists — and they have no power over the fish in the sea whose vitality comes from the root of the will. For the waters of knowledge which are the aspect of providence cover them. And therefore the seed of Yosef was blessed with the verse "and let them multiply like fish" — for Yosef is the aspect of the elder of holiness, the aspect of the root of the will which is the thirteen attributes of the beard (yud-gimel tikkunay dikna), as is known — all of which depends on guarding the covenant. Therefore it is said of Yosef: "for he was the son of his old age" — for since he guarded his covenant, he therefore merited even in his youth, when he was seventeen years old, to be called "son of old age." For he was in the aspect of the elder who is the aspect of the root of the will, the aspect of the forehead of the will.

And therefore fish being gathered purifies them. This is the aspect of holy will, the aspect of "when He gathers to Himself his spirit and breath" (רוּחוֹ וְנִשְׁמָתוֹ אֵלָיו יֶאֱסֹף) — which is the aspect of the passing of the Tzaddikim, of whom it is said geviya and asifa (gathering), who connect their soul, spirit, and divine soul at the time of passing to the root of the will. This is the aspect of the passing of Moshe etc. That is: fish return to their root immediately upon leaving the water — which is the aspect of the root of the will from which their vitality comes. Therefore they require no slaughter at all, for the aspect of evil beasts etc. has no grip on them — they are in the aspect of the root of the will. Yet even so, there are kosher and non-kosher fish — for opposite the root of the will, the forehead of the will, there is the aspect of the forehead of the serpent. This is the aspect of non-kosher fish opposite kosher fish: kosher fish are the aspect of eyna p'kicha, the root of the holy will; non-kosher fish are opposite them in the aspect of the forehead of the serpent which is opposite the forehead of the will. And the sign of kosher fish is scales — this is the aspect of the power of charity one receives: through this the forehead of the serpent is subdued and has no power to overpower against the forehead of the will. For the garment of scales is drawn from the aspect of charity, in the aspect of "a coat of mail of scales is his garment" — and this is the aspect of charity: "justice I have put on and it has clothed me" (צֶדֶק לָבַשְׁתִּי וַיִּלְבָּשֵׁנִי), the aspect of "he put on righteousness like armor" (וַיִּלְבַּשׁ צְדָקָה כַּשִּׁרְיָן). The scales protect the fish so that the forehead of the serpent has no grip on them — for scales are the aspect of charity which subdues the forehead of the serpent. And this is the aspect of "cast your bread upon the face of the waters" (שַׁלַּח לַחְמְךָ עַל פְּנֵי הַמַּיִם) — said regarding charity. "Upon the face of the waters" specifically — for there, in the waters, in the fish that are in the water, there one finds the power of charity: protecting the fish which are in the aspect of the forehead of the will — protecting them through the garment of scales from the forehead of the serpent.

And Goliath wanted to draw to himself, Heaven forfend, the power of charity as well, to undermine the power of charity that subdues the forehead of the serpent — since his vitality came from the forehead of the serpent. Therefore it is said of Goliath: "a coat of mail of scales is his garment" — for he wanted to draw to himself the power of charity. But in truth his charity had no power whatsoever. "Charity elevates a nation" — these are Israel. "But the kindness of nations is sin" — these are the nations, for all the goodness they do, they do for themselves. For the essential power of charity is only in the aspect of "I have commanded the ravens to feed you" — that is: transforming anger to compassion, breaking one's nature of cruelty and transforming it to compassion. And through this specifically we have power to subdue the forehead of the serpent, to subdue nature which is the aspect of anger, to transform it to compassion and the aspect of will. But the nations and the wicked who give charity naturally, from their natural compassion, or for their honor — and all the more so when they give with wicked intentions: such charity is counted against them as sin, and they have no power from it. Therefore King David subdued Goliath despite his coat of mail of scales — through the stone he cast at him, which is the aspect of "a whole stone of His will" (אֶבֶן שְׁלֵמָה רְצוֹנוֹ). For David had the power of charity in holiness.

And this is the aspect of fins. Fins are the aspect of will, the aspect of the stone Tablets which were of sappirinon — the aspect of "a whole stone of His will." For the essential revelation of the will is revealed through the Torah, through the stone Tablets — for Torah is Hashem's will through which He governs His world. Therefore fins alone are not a sign of purity as long as there are no scales — for even though something of the aspect of will is revealed in them, we cannot eat them as long as there are no scales: the garment of scales drawn from charity, through which specifically the forehead of the will shines and illuminates. Therefore some fish have fins but no scales — for it is possible that something of the aspect of will is revealed in them, but they have no scales to protect against the forehead of the serpent. Therefore we cannot eat them. But every fish with scales has fins — and scales are the essential sign of purity. For scales are drawn from charity and protect from the forehead of the serpent, and then the forehead of the serpent is subdued and certainly the forehead of the will, the root of the will, is revealed — which is the aspect of fins. And then we may eat them, for our eating must be only in the aspect of the revelation of the will: to merit through our eating to connect all things to the root of the will, to know and recognize and believe that everything is through His will alone and His providence alone — to rectify the damage of eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, through which eating the da'as was damaged and the views of the natural scientists strengthened, whose vitality comes only from there. Therefore we must eat in holiness according to the Torah in order to rectify this — to merit through eating to subdue the natural scientists and to connect nature to the will.

And this is the aspect of eating on Shabbos and Yom Tov — for then the will is revealed, as described. For all the Yamim Tovim call and reveal the will, and all the Yamim Tovim receive from Shabbos which is "the beginning of the holy gatherings" (תְּחִלָּה לְמִקְרָאֵי קֹדֶשׁ), the root of the will. For on Shabbos the forehead of the will shines — ra'ava d'ra'avin, as is known. Therefore eating is then extremely precious — for then through eating one subdues natural science and connects everything to the will. And therefore we were commanded to bring many sacrifices at the three pilgrimage festivals — for all sacrifices are in the above-mentioned aspect: subduing the animalistic spirit and elevating from beast to human — that is: subduing natural science and connecting nature to the will. Therefore the Torah additionally commanded charity at the festivals, as it is written: "you shall rejoice before Hashem your G-d — you and your son and the stranger and the orphan" — for then charity is even more needed, so that the forehead of the will is revealed and one merits to hear the voice of the calling of the Yom Tov which reveals the will. Then specifically one merits the joy of Yom Tov — the essential joy of Yom Tov being according to one's meriting to hear the voice of the calling of Yom Tov. And Rashi explains on the verse "you shall rejoice": if you bring joy to mine, I bring joy to yours — that is: if you give charity and bring joy to the poor, then specifically I will bring joy to yours. For the essential joy of Yom Tov comes through charity specifically, through which one merits to hear the voice of Yom Tov that reveals the will.

And this is what our Sages said regarding the joy of Yom Tov: "there is no joy but with meat from sacrificial animals" — for the essential joy of Yom Tov, which comes through the revelation of the will specifically, through the subduing of natural science — this is accomplished through sacrifices. For through them one subdues the animalistic spirit which is foolishness, the aspect of natural science, and elevates from beast to human, from nature to will and providence — knowing that everything is in His providence. It follows that through the sacrifices natural science is subdued and the will is revealed — this is the essential joy of Yom Tov. Therefore the essential joy of Yom Tov is specifically with the meat of sacrifices. And therefore the above verse — "and you shall rejoice before Hashem you and your son and the stranger and the orphan" — is said regarding sacrifices. For since the sacrifices, especially the Yom Tov sacrifices of the holy gathering, reveal the will — therefore one must give charity from them, to invite upon them the poor and strangers and orphans — so that through this charity the forehead of the serpent is subdued and the forehead of the will is revealed, and through this the voice of the calling of Yom Tov — the holy gathering — is heard, which reveals the will. Then the joy of Yom Tov is "you shall rejoice" — if you bring joy to mine I bring joy to yours, for the essential joy of Yom Tov depends on charity specifically, through which the forehead of the will is revealed and the voice of Yom Tov heard.