כלאים

When a vessel passes from the domain of a non-Jew to the domain of Israel, it requires immersion — tevilah — and this applies specifically to vessels used for the table [eating vessels]. For as was explained already in the Laws of Foods of Non-Jews (Halacha 1), one must guard food from the aspect of the Seventy Nations, who are the comprehensive evil as mentioned above, and all the preparations of food are for this purpose. And the essential tevilah is for metal vessels, which alone require immersion by Torah law — for in the dimension of metals their hold is stronger. For there is the root of all the idolatries of all the Seventy Nations, since all idolatry is embedded in money, as is explained in the maamar «Tzivisa Tzedek» (siman 23) — this being the dimension of the desire for money, the dimension of «in sorrow you shall eat it», the dimension of the Seventy Dark Faces, which are the dimension of the idolatries of the Seventy Nations — opposite of «one who is content with his portion», the dimension of Radiant Faces, the dimension of the rectification of the desire for money, the dimension of «Yaakov camped before the city and established a coin» — study it there.

For the essential power of the desire for money is strongest in money itself — that is, in coins — for there the strength of desire is very great. As is implied by the words of Rebbenu, may his light shine, there. And as I understand it, to the best of my limited knowledge, from things I heard from his holy mouth regarding this matter: the passage about gold acquiring silver [zahav koneh es hakesef] can be interpreted according to that maamar mentioned above. And the general principle is: the more widely accepted a coin is, the more important it is — for in money itself — in the coins that are widely accepted — the dimension of the faces mentioned above is clothed, the dimension of the upper sublime colors, the face of holiness, the dimension of the rectification of the coin. And yet precisely there in those coins — because of the great holiness that is there — the hold of the Sitra Achra is also very much greater, which is the dimension of the desire for money — the Dark Faces. And this is the dimension of every nation's idols being engraved on their coins — for there the dimension of the Seventy Dark Faces clings as mentioned above, as is explained in the words of Rebbenu there.

And therefore eating vessels of metal, when they come from the domain of a non-Jew, require immersion — for the evil of the Seventy Nations clings there most strongly, since all metals are the root of all coins, for all coins are made from metals specifically — as on metals the face and form can be most clearly engraved and recognized. It follows that the dimension of metals contains within it the dimension of the face — which is the dimension of the coin. And this is the dimension of the Seven Types of Metals corresponding to the light of the face, which is comprised of seven dimensions — the Seven Orifices of the light of the face and the Seven Qualities of the mind, which is the light of the face, as brought in the words of Rebbenu of blessed memory in another place. And therefore when metal eating vessels are in the domain of a non-Jew, the evil of the Seventy Nations clings there most strongly — for there is the root of their idolatry that is embedded in money, in the coins made from metal. And therefore they require immersion — to render them fit and pure — so they should not contaminate the food of Israel. For the guarding of all the food of Israel and its rectification is entirely to guard it and rectify it from the blemish of the Seventy Nations, as has been mentioned several times.

And this is the dimension of tevilah — to restore to these vessels the Holy Faces that departed from them. For the Dark Faces — opposite of the Holy Face — clung to them. As is known, the dimension of immersion is for the restoration of the Face — for the mochin (intellect) return through immersion, as is brought in the holy texts. And it was already explained above in the Laws of Salting (Halacha 1): that the dimension of immersion within the waters of a mikveh is the dimension of concealment within the waters — the dimension of the World to Come, the dimension of fish in the sea where the waters cover them and the evil eye of the Seventy Nations has no power over them — for the mikveh is the dimension of da'as (knowledge), the dimension of the World to Come, where there is no hold for the Seventy Nations. And therefore when the vessels are taken from the domain of the Seventy Nations, they are purified through the mikveh — bringing them into the waters, in the dimension of «it shall be brought in the water and be pure» — that is, returning them to their root, to the dimension of the World to Come, which is the root of all things, which is the dimension of the mikveh waters. There they are concealed and covered within the water from the eye of the Seventy Nations — for they have no power there, in the dimension of fish in the sea. And then they emerge from there as a new creation — for all things that return to the dimension of the World to Come are renewed there in the dimension of teshuvah — the dimension of «Turn us back to You, O God, and we shall return; renew our days as of old». As is brought in the Laws of Megillah (Halacha 1). And then when the vessels emerge from there — having become a new creation — they are purified and fit to enter the domain of Israel, to prepare food for Israel as mentioned above.