ערלה ב

And this is the dimension of the crimson thread [shni tolaas] which binds the cedar with the hyssop — as our Rabbis of blessed memory said — this being the dimension of azus di-kedushah [holy boldness], for through this is the essential Torah and prayer. For every person, according to his holy boldness, so does he merit Torah, and likewise is his prayer, as is well explained at the end of the Torah teaching mentioned above. See there carefully, and understand there carefully the connection and linkage of that Torah teaching — for it is explained there that the essential rectification of the intellect mentioned above, which is the dimension of Malchus, through which one merits perception of Godliness, its essential rectification is through Chesed [loving-kindness], for through this one cuts the Malchus away from the Sitra Achra, away from the four kingdoms, away from the dimension of Amalek, etc. And this Chesed is received through rebuke [tochachah] — in the dimension of "she opens her mouth with wisdom and the Torah of kindness is upon her tongue" [Proverbs 31:26]. And the essence of the rebuke is according to the holy boldness he sees in each person, whether it is of holiness or the opposite — and correspondingly is his Torah and his prayer, etc. — see there — and through this rebuke the Chesed is revealed, and through this one cuts the four aspects of the intellect mentioned above away from the Sitra Achra, etc., and elevates it to the illumination of the Countenance that shines at the three festivals, through which one merits perception of Godliness even for the very small and very humble, etc. — see there and understand.

It emerges, then, that the essential rectification and teshuvah of every person, who is obligated to receive rebuke from the true Tzaddik in order to return to Torah and prayer — the essential rectification is through azus di-kedushah, for through this is the essential rectification of Torah and prayer, which is what the true Tzaddik rebukes him about. And through this — that he accepts the rebuke and returns to God, blessed be He, and strengthens himself in holy boldness not to be ashamed before the mockers — as is explained at the beginning of the Shulchan Aruch, "Orach Chayyim." And as the holy Tur begins at the start of Orach Chayyim: "Yehudah ben Teimah says: be bold as a leopard, etc." — for the essential beginning of Jewishness is through azus di-kedushah, especially in these generations and these times, and as our Rabbis of blessed memory expounded: Why was the Torah given to Israel? Because they are bold, etc. And through this one merits Torah and prayer.

It emerges: when one accepts this rebuke, through this the Chesed mentioned above is revealed, through which one cuts and severs the four [kingdoms], etc., from the Sitra Achra, and one merits the perception of Godliness, etc., as mentioned above. It emerges that the essential rectification of the intellect mentioned above — that even the very small and low and humble should merit the perception of Godliness — is only through azus di-kedushah, as mentioned above. And this is the dimension of the crimson thread [shni tolaas], which connects and binds the cedar with the hyssop — being the dimension of the connecting and binding of the higher intellect with the lower intellect — through which one introduces the perception of Godliness even into the most humble, as mentioned above. For the crimson thread is the dimension of the holy boldness of the holy people, the upright and wholesome of Israel, who are very small and despised in their own eyes — truly in the dimension of a worm — in the dimension of "but I am a worm and not a man" [Psalms 22:7]. And yet they are very, very bold and firm in their minds against the opponents and the scoffers and the mockers, etc. — for God, blessed be He, and the true Tzaddikim strengthen them greatly in holy boldness, in the dimension of "fear not, O worm of Jacob, O men of Israel — behold I have made you a sharp new threshing-sledge with edges; you shall thresh the mountains and beat them fine, etc." [Isaiah 41:14-15]. For the essence of our strengthening now in this bitter exile from all directions is in the dimension of the worm — as our Rabbis of blessed memory said: just as a worm has no strength except in its mouth, so Israel has no strength except in its mouth. And on this rests our essential support and our hope and our trust.

And this is the dimension of the crimson thread [shni tolaas] — the dimension of speech and mouth — which is the essential strengthening and holy boldness of upright Israel, in the dimension of "like a thread of crimson are your lips" [Song of Songs 4:3]. For the essence of the holy boldness is in speech — one must know how to answer with holy boldness the heretics and the opponents and the disputants and the mockers, in the dimension of "and know what to answer, etc." [Avos 2:19]. And not to be broken inwardly and not to be ashamed before them at all. And likewise one thereby merits Torah and prayer as mentioned above — for they all depend on the speech of the mouth. For the essence of Torah is in the mouth, as it is said: "for they are life to those who find them" — "to those who bring them forth" [l'motzi'eihem] in the mouth, as our Rabbis of blessed memory expounded [Proverbs 4:22, Eruvin 54a]. And so too prayer is specifically in the mouth — in the dimension of "O Lord, open my lips" [Psalms 51:17]. And there in speech is the essence of holy boldness, in the dimension of "they shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, etc." [Psalms 145:6], and it is written: "and Your power shall they declare" [Psalms 145:11]. And this is the dimension of the crimson thread, the dimension of "like a thread of crimson are your lips", as mentioned above.

And this is the dimension of "she does not fear for her household from snow, for all her household is clothed in crimson [shanim]" [Proverbs 31:21] — said in praise of the Torah. And there the entire praise of the Torah is expressed in terms of garments [levushim], as it says further on there: "she makes coverings for herself, etc." — and through this: "her husband is known in the gates, etc. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants, etc. Strength and splendour are her garments, etc." [Proverbs 31:22-25]. It emerges that the crimson thread — which is the dimension of garments, for from them one makes garments — these are the dimension of the holy boldness of the Torah, in the dimension of "strength and splendour are her garments" [oz vehadar levushah]. And through this one merits the perception of Godliness as mentioned above — for the essential perception of Godliness is through the dimension of garments. For this is the essential craft and deep wisdom of the very great true Tzaddik who knows how to clothe his lofty wisdom in many, many garments until he can lower it and introduce it into the most humble, until they too merit perception of Godliness as mentioned above. This is the dimension of "her husband is known in the gates" — each one according to what he measures in his own heart [kol chad lefum mah d'mishaar b'libbeh] — as the holy Zohar says — which is the dimension of perception of Godliness that cannot be spoken about at all, rather it is for each person according to what he measures in his own heart — and one merits this through the true Tzaddik when one merits to draw near to him. And the essence of drawing near is through holy boldness, as mentioned above.

And this is what continues to be explained there: "strength and splendour are her garments" — as mentioned above. And this is what is immediately juxtaposed there: "she opens her mouth with wisdom and the Torah of kindness is upon her tongue" [Proverbs 31:26] — for this is said about the revelation of the Chesed through the rebuke mentioned above, which is according to the holy boldness he sees in each person, as mentioned above. And therefore it is juxtaposed to "strength and splendour are her garments" — for the essence of rebuke is through holy boldness, on which all Torah and prayer depend, through which one merits the Chesed mentioned above — in the dimension of "the Torah of kindness is upon her tongue" — through which one merits the intellect mentioned above, through which one comes to the perception of Godliness even for the most humble, as mentioned above.

And therefore the crimson thread — in the dimension of holy boldness — connects and binds the cedar with the hyssop, which is the dimension of the connecting and binding of the higher intellect with the lower intellect, through which one introduces the perception of Godliness into the most humble and small, as mentioned above. And all of this is cast into the burning of the Red Heifer, which is burned with fire — which is the dimension of the flame of fire [lavat aish] — which is the dimension of the holy contraction [tzimtzum] of the intellect mentioned above, as is explained there at the beginning of that Torah teaching mentioned above.

And this is the dimension of the slaughter, burning, and gathering [shechitah, srefah, asifah] mentioned in connection with the Red Heifer — for through all the above one merits to cut off the four aspects of the hostile kingdoms from the Sitra Achra and to elevate them to the illumination of the Countenance at the three festivals. And this is the dimension of the three rectifications mentioned: slaughter corresponds to Pesach — for on Pesach one slaughters the Pesach sacrifice; burning corresponds to Shavuos — the dimension of the fire of Torah and the burning love of receiving the Torah; gathering corresponds to Sukkos — the festival of the ingathering [asifah] — for on Sukkos one gathers all the elevated sparks and holy souls into the four species and the dimension of the sukkah.

And this is the dimension of Adino haEtzni said of King David, peace be upon him — as our Rabbis of blessed memory expounded: when he engages in Torah he makes himself delicate [miaden] as a worm, but when he goes out to war he is hard as wood. It emerges that azus di-kedushah is in the dimension of the worm — he is despised in his own eyes like a worm — and yet he is very strong in battle, in holy boldness against those who dispute him, that his forehead be hard against their foreheads, as mentioned above.

For it is already explained elsewhere in the Torah of chotam b'soch chotam [seal within a seal]: that holy boldness flows from shame — see there. And this is the dimension of the crimson thread mentioned above, which is the dimension of holy boldness as mentioned above — for precisely through being despised in his own eyes, loathed as an actual worm, in the dimension of "but I am a worm and not a man" [Psalms 22:7] — and being ashamed in his own eyes over his deeds that are not as they should be — precisely through this he is bold as a leopard in holy boldness against those who wish to prevent him from truth, God forbid. This is the dimension of Adino haEtzni said of King David — see more about this elsewhere.

[Relevant to the above:] Regarding what is written on the verse "she does not fear for her household from snow, for all her household is clothed in crimson [shanim]" [Proverbs 31:21] — which is the dimension of holy boldness, etc. And this is the matter explained elsewhere — it is the dimension of what our Sages of blessed memory expounded on this verse: "for all her household is clothed in crimson [shanim]" — do not read "crimson" [shanim] but "two" [shnayim] — for all the words of the Torah are clothed in double form: "give you shall give [nason titen], adorn you shall adorn [ha'anek ta'anik], open you shall open [pasoach tiftach]" — all these save him from the snow of Gehinnom. Until here is Rashi's language. This is the dimension of the holy boldness and stubbornness [akshanus] — as he of blessed memory warned and said: a person must be a great stubborn one [akshan] in the service of God, as is brought in his holy writings. And this matter of stubbornness is a wondrous strengthening so as not to fall in any manner in the world — as I have heard from many upright ones, that the essential source of their strengthening was through this.