חדש ב

And therefore the tribes, when they sinned in the sale of Yosef, slaughtered a goat [se'ir izzim] — for the essential dispute among them was about kingship: they said that Yosef sought to rule over them unlawfully. In their view it appeared that Yosef sought to rule only through azus, G-d forbid. And they sought to overpower him with their own azus. Therefore they slaughtered a goat [se'ir] — which is the dimension of azus.

Similarly, Yehudah said to Tamar: "I will send a kid goat [gedi izzim] from the flock" [Genesis 38:17] — for the essential battle concerning holy azus versus its opposite, G-d forbid, is in the domain of sexual desire, where the essential grip of the azus of the Sitra Achra is concentrated, for there its power is concentrated [bo az, bo tukfa]. And Yehudah needed at that time to clarify the holy azus from which the essential holy kingship flows — the dimension of the kingship of David and Mashiach that would come from him — as it is said about it: "Hashem, in Your strength the king rejoices" [Psalms 21:2] — the dimension of "and He gives strength to His king and raises the horn of His anointed" [I Samuel 2:10]. Therefore he said: "I will send a kid goat" — specifically gedi izzim — for the essential clarification of azus is through the goat.

This is why goats are specifically used for communal atonement in the New Moon and Festival offerings and Yom Kippur — all specifically requiring a goat to atone. For the essential atonement for sins is through the clarification of holy azus from the azus of the Sitra Achra — the bodily boldness from which all desires flow. And whoever merits to clarify — then converts the bodily boldness to holiness and the dimension of gedi izzim is absorbed into holiness; and the reverse for the wicked.

And this is the dimension of the entire episode between Yaakov and Esav regarding receiving the blessings — for Rivkah his mother instructed specifically: "Take for me from there two kid-goats…" [Genesis 27:9] — for all blessings flow through holy azus, in the dimension of "Hashem gives strength to His people, Hashem blesses His people" — the dimension of gevuros geshamim [the powers of rains]. Therefore Rivkah instructed to take two kid-goats and prepare and clarify them — in order to overpower and subdue the azus of the Sitra Achra, the contamination of the serpent — the dimension of Esav, the hairy man. And to merit to holy azus, through which to receive the blessings that flow from there.

Similarly concerning Shimshon [Samson] — it is written: "He visited his wife with a kid-goat" [Judges 15:1] — for Shimshon sought at that time to overcome the Philistines who had ruled Israel for no reason, only through azus — as it says there: "he was seeking an occasion" [Judges 14:4]. Therefore his involvement was with the gedi izzim. However, because he did not merit to fully clarify properly, our Sages of blessed memory said about him that his case is described as a descent, while concerning Yehudah it is written as an ascent ["behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah"] — for Yehudah merited to clarify completely, until Mashiach emerged from him — which is the essence of holy azus, from which holy kingship flows.

It follows that the essential prohibition of meat-in-milk is so that the azus of the Sitra Achra should not intensify and weaken holy azus, G-d forbid — through the azus of the Sitra Achra feeding from the weakness and shame of the Sitra Achra, which is the dimension of the mixture of meat-in-milk — when they are then impossible to clarify. Then the azus of the Sitra Achra intensifies and weakens holy azus, and from there flow all kinds of mental weakness [chalishus ha-da'as] in a person's heart — all of which flow from the defect of holy azus. Through this, one's mind is weakened from strengthening itself in the service of Hashem — even as one is.

For in truth, in holiness a person must have azus even toward Hashem Himself — for even though one knows in oneself how much one has sinned and rebelled against Hashem, G-d forbid — nevertheless, if one is then ashamed to pray to Hashem to draw him close to His service, and is ashamed to engage in His service because of the multitude of one's sins — this is not holy shame. On the contrary, this is the essential shame of the Sitra Achra that weakens one's mind to distance one completely from Hashem. For the essential holy shame must be before the sin — to be greatly ashamed before Hashem from transgressing His will even by a hairsbreadth, just as one would be ashamed before a person of flesh and blood.

But afterward — when the evil inclination has already overcome one, G-d forbid, and caused one to stumble in whatever it caused — one must then remove the shame from one's face and be bold before Hashem and say: even though I did what I did, and I am ashamed and confounded to raise my face to You — nonetheless, I am bold before You and beseech You to draw me close to You even now. And even if this happened many times, G-d forbid — one may never fall in spirit, only to strengthen oneself to begin again each time, as long as one's soul is within. This is the essential holy azus — not to be weakened in spirit by what has passed, but to forget each time what has passed and to begin each time anew.

For all the weakness of mind mentioned flows from the dimension of mother's milk in which the contamination of the serpent clings, as mentioned — which is the dimension of the prohibition of meat-in-milk. For when milk is alone, it can be clarified toward holiness. But when meat is mixed in — which also contains a grasp of the azus of the Sitra Achra requiring clarification — and the two mix together, they cannot be clarified. And then holy azus is defected, G-d forbid, and the contamination clinging in the mother's milk intensifies and weakens one's mind — and the azus of the Sitra Achra intensifies, for zeh l'umas zeh [the one corresponds to the other].

For the eating of Israel must be in holiness — for through eating, the body is strengthened. Therefore one must eat with great holiness in accordance with the Torah, so that the bodily boldness should not intensify through eating, G-d forbid. And the essential sanctification of eating comes through holy azus, which is the dimension of joy [simchah] drawn from the dimension of na'aseh v'nishma. Then eating is in holiness — in the dimension of "eat and drink and rejoice" — specifically "and rejoice," for the essential sanctification of eating is when one merits joy, which is the dimension of holy azus. Through this the bodily boldness is subdued; on the contrary, through eating, the soul is strengthened to overpower in the service of Hashem — in the dimension of "the righteous man eats to satisfy his soul" [Proverbs 13:25]. And this is the dimension of "go, eat your bread with joy…" [Ecclesiastes 9:7].

And this is the dimension of "eat of the best foods and drink sweet drinks and do not grieve — for the joy of Hashem is your strength" [Nehemiah 8:10]. That is, when one merits drawing down joy — which is the holy azus in the dimension of "for the joy of Hashem is your strength" — then it is a mitzvah to eat — "eat delicacies… for the joy of Hashem is your strength." For then holy azus is strengthened through eating, and one merits even greater joy — in the dimension of "eat and drink and rejoice."

This is the dimension of all the blessings [brochos] instituted by our Sages over everything one eats and enjoys — for it is impossible to eat in holiness except through holy voices [kolos di-kedushah], which are the dimension of all the blessings one recites over everything. For blessings and holy voices are the dimension of holy azus — the dimension of "grant G-d strength — G-d of Israel — He gives strength and power to the people" [Psalms 68:35]. And therefore all forbidden foods are forbidden because they are in the dimension of the bodily boldness — the azus of the Sitra Achra. For then the dimension of "in pain you shall eat it" [sadness and effort] clings to them most strongly — sadness, specifically the opposite of joy, which is the dimension of holy azus. But permitted foods — we can clarify them through the blessing, eating them in holiness in the dimension of joy, which is the dimension of holy azus.

Therefore the essential eating in holiness is on Shabbosos and Festivals, which are days of joy — as our Sages expounded on the verse "there is nothing better for a person than to eat and drink and rejoice" [Ecclesiastes 2:24]: this refers to Shabbos and Festivals. For on Shabbas and Yom Tov great joy is awakened in all the worlds, for then the crowns are returned to Israel [the crowns they received at the giving of the Torah — the dimension of na'aseh v'nishma]. And all the Festivals are a memorial to the Exodus from Egypt, which was for the sake of the giving of the Torah — for the essential purpose of the Exodus was the giving of the Torah, as it says: "when you take the people out of Egypt, you shall serve G-d upon this mountain". And therefore the illumination of the giving of the Torah radiates on all the Festivals, and they said na'aseh v'nishma — the crowns are returned to Israel on each Festival, and the essential holiness of eating on Festivals comes from there.

And there is much more in this matter. For Adam was commanded in the first commandment specifically in the matter of eating — not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. And the essential feeding of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil comes from the mixture of knowledge [da'as] — mixing the knowledge of two different levels, wanting to attain everything before its time. For through eating, the vitality within a person is augmented, and the essential vitality flows from the dimension of na'aseh v'nishma — as it says: "for it is your life" [Deuteronomy 32:47]. For the essential life is to live each time with a new vitality [as the word chai means "alive" — new life each time], and new vitality each time is drawn from the higher dimension of na'aseh v'nishma that one must attain each time. And this is the dimension of eating from the Tree of Life — "and he ate and lived forever" — which the righteous will merit in the World to Come, at the feast that Hashem will make for them from the Leviathan, the wild ox, and the preserved wine — through which, by this mode of eating, they will attain each time the higher crown of na'aseh v'nishma: the essential life and delight of the World to Come.

But Adam ate from the Tree of Knowledge and looked at what was not permitted to him, and confused the knowledge drawn from the attainment of two different levels — descending toward desires that were not appropriate for him, wanting to rise above his level. And from this all the prohibitions of the Torah flow, and from there flow all the confusions of every person who desires all desires and wants to understand everything with his coarse intellect. And each time many difficulties arise for him about Hashem and the righteous ones. And even if difficulties arise for him about himself — this too is not good, for even this is the work of the Adversary, who weakens his mind through these difficulties: how can you pray with concentration and fervor, when just now you did such-and-such? And similar confusions without number. All of this flows from the contamination of the serpent that confuses a person's mind — who wants to understand everything.