פדיון בכור ב

And similarly when a non-Jew intends to cause one to violate his religion, and it is in public, or in a time of religious persecution — then one should be killed rather than transgress, even for something as minor as the strap of a sandal. For when the non-Jew intends to cause one to violate his religion — then it is a time of war, and one must fight them to overcome them. And the essential battle is through the aspect of prayer in the aspect of judgment — through which one extracts from them all the holinesses that they swallowed, and subdues them. And therefore one must surrender his soul for kiddush Hashem (sanctification of G-d's Name), to be killed — for this is the aspect of prayer in the aspect of judgment, as above. And through this one subdues them, as above.

For the essential vitality and strengthening of the non-Jews is when they suckle from the holiness that they swallowed. But when one extracts from them the holiness that they swallowed — then they are subdued. For in truth they have no dominion whatsoever over us to cause us to violate our religion, G-d forbid. For even now in exile — when Hashem, may He be blessed, granted them dominion over us and delivered us under their rule — they have no power over us except over our bodies. But not over our souls, G-d forbid. For the suckling of the sitra achra and the non-Jews is only from the aspect of judgment, which is the aspect of the body (sitra d'gufa). And therefore they have dominion only over the bodies alone, and not over the souls — which are the aspect of mercy and life — for from there they have no suckling whatsoever. And therefore they have no power whatsoever, from the essential nature of their dominion, to rule over us, G-d forbid, in any matter that pertains against our holy religion — which is the aspect of the soul (sitra d'nishmasa). For the essential vitality and sustenance of the soul comes from the commandments of the holy Torah. For in the aspect of the soul — which is the aspect of the Torah, the aspect of da'as (G-d-awareness), the aspect of mercy — they have no suckling whatsoever there. For their essential suckling is in the aspect of judgment, which is the aspect of the body, as above.

For this is a principle: they have no power whatsoever to prevail against holiness, G-d forbid — except when they suckle from it, G-d forbid. And since they have no suckling from the aspect of mercy, the aspect of da'as, the aspect of the Torah, the aspect of the soul — therefore they have no power whatsoever to prevail against the religion — to nullify, G-d forbid, any matter from the holy Torah. And this is what Chananiah, Mishael, and Azariah said to Nevuchadnetzar: "King Nevuchadnetzar." And our Sages, of blessed memory, said: if you are a king etc. — only for taxes and levies are you our king over us. But against the Torah — you, Nevuchadnetzar — you and a dog are equal. For in truth he has no dominion whatsoever — only over the bodies, to take tax from them and the like. But in the matter of our religion — he and a dog are equal. For he has no dominion over us in this, as above. And as it is said: "the mouth of the king — keep, and on account of the oath of G-d" (Ecclesiastes 8:2) — and as Rashi explained there — see there.

And therefore when non-Jews prevail against us, G-d forbid, and wish to cause us to violate our religion, G-d forbid — this is a sign that the sitra achra has strengthened and suckled from the aspect of mercy and da'as — which is the aspect of the Torah, the side of the soul — through which they prevailed against us in the matter of our religion and wish to cause us to violate our religion, G-d forbid. For without this — that is, if they had no suckling from the aspect of mercy etc. — they would not have prevailed in this to cause transgression against our religion. For the essential prevailing against holiness is only when they have suckling from there, as above. It is thus found: when non-Jews wish to cause Israel to violate their religion, G-d forbid — then they have suckling from the mercy. And when they have suckling from the mercy — then one must pray a prayer in the aspect of judgment, as explained there in the discourse mentioned above. And therefore one must be killed rather than transgress — for this is the aspect of prayer in the aspect of judgment, as above — through which one extracts from them all the holinesses and holy sparks that they swallowed — through which they prevailed against us until they wished to cause us to violate our religion, as above. And through mesiras nefesh (self-sacrifice) to actual death — which is the aspect of prayer in the aspect of judgment — through this one extracts from them all the vitality and holiness that they swallowed, as above.

For "minayh u'vayh abba layzil bayh narga" — "with the very wood of the tree itself does the woodcutter's ax-handle go against it" — as our Sages, of blessed memory, said. This was the case with Bilaam: Israel seized his craft against him. For Israel has no power except through the mouth etc. Therefore they seized his craft and killed him with a sword. For Israel has no power except through the mouth — that is, prayer, which is the aspect of mercy and supplication. And the non-Jews — their essential power is through the sword, which is the aspect of judgment. And Bilaam had suckling from da'as (spiritual power), as is cited — and he wished to suckle from the mercy, the aspect of prayer — and through this he wished to prevail against Israel through the desire for sexual immorality, G-d forbid — as it is said: "behold, they caused the children of Israel to sin through the matter of Bilaam" etc. For the essential strengthening of this desire is when they suckle from the mercy, G-d forbid, as above. And therefore Israel came against him through the aspect of judgment. For the subduing of Bilaam — that is, the subduing of the desire for sexual immorality, G-d forbid — was through Pinchas, who prayed a prayer in the aspect of judgment, as above. And therefore also in the physical realm, Pinchas killed Bilaam with a sword — as it is said: "and Bilaam son of Beor they killed with the sword." And our Sages, of blessed memory, said that Pinchas killed him. For Pinchas first subdued him through the prayer in the aspect of judgment that he prayed — the aspect of "and Pinchas stood and prayed" — through which he extracted all the holiness from the sitra achra. And this is the aspect of subduing it. And then Bilaam was subdued at his root. And afterward they subdued him completely below as well, and killed him with an actual sword — which is the aspect of judgment — for the essential subduing of him was through this, as above.

For the essential strengthening against us, G-d forbid, is when they suckle from our mercy — which is our aspect, as above. Therefore we must come against them through the aspect of judgment — which is their aspect — that is, through prayer in the aspect of judgment, which is the aspect of the double-edged sword — through which one extracts all the holinesses from them and subdues them, as above. And this is the aspect of: "the exaltation of G-d in their throat, and a double-edged sword in their hand — to execute vengeance upon the nations" etc. For through prayer in the aspect of judgment of the person of power — which is the aspect of the double-edged sword — through this one subdues them and executes vengeance upon them. For one extracts all the holiness from them, as above. And therefore at every time when they prevail and wish to cause transgression against one's religion, G-d forbid — which is because they suckle from the mercy, as above — therefore one must be killed rather than transgress. For this is the aspect of prayer in the aspect of judgment, as above — and through this one subdues them, as above.

And this is why our Sages, of blessed memory, were precise and said: in a time of religious persecution, even for something as minor as the strap of a sandal — one should be killed rather than transgress. And they chose as their example specifically the strap of a sandal — for this is the essential aspect of mesiras nefesh: to rectify the aspect of the strap of the sandal — that is, the aspect of the feet (raglin) — that is, to subdue the heel of Esav — in the aspect of "and his hand holds the heel of Esav." And this is accomplished through mesiras nefesh to actual killing for kiddush Hashem — which is the aspect of prayer in the aspect of judgment — through which one merits the aspect of the voice mentioned above: the aspect of "the voice — the voice of Yaakov" — which subdues the heel of Esav, as above.

For the essential grip of the heel of Esav — which is the primordial filth of the serpent (zuhamas ha'nachash, the spiritual contamination brought into the world by the serpent's seduction of Chava) — is through bodily nourishment and appetite (mezona d'gufa), as explained there — that is, through the blemish of Adam the First's eating from the Tree of Knowledge — from which the heel of Esav suckles — in the aspect of "and you shall bruise him at the heel" (Genesis 3:15), as is cited. And through the blemish of the Tree of Knowledge there came into being the aspect of garments of skin (kasnos or — the physical, coarsened bodies with which Adam and Chava were clothed after the sin). And it is stated in the Tikunay Zohar, Tikun 58 — see there and you will find all this explained: "those nakedness — the three husks (klippos — forces of spiritual impurity) — upon them it is said: 'and Hashem G-d made for Adam and his wife garments of skin'" etc. "And because of this they established three prayers to remove the three husks" etc. — "upon which it is said: 'how beautiful are your footsteps in sandals'" etc. And upon these three husks it is said: "remove your sandals from upon your feet" etc. And when one strips away from them — then it is said: "how beautiful are your footsteps in sandals" — which are the three Pilgrimage Festivals (shalosh regalim — Pesach, Shavuos, Sukkos) etc. — see there.

That is: when the three husks (klippos) have suckling — which are the aspect of the three transgressions mentioned above, which are subsumed within the desire for sexual immorality — then it is the aspect of "remove your sandals" etc. For their essential suckling is through the blemish of the Tree of Knowledge — through which the blemish caused them suckling from da'as and mercy — through which the three husks mentioned above are strengthened, which are the aspect of the desire for sexual immorality, as above — which is the aspect of the blemish of prayer, as above. And then it is the aspect of "remove your sandals" — that is, the blemish of the garments of skin, which came into being through the sin of the Golden Calf. But when one strips away from them — and then the garments of skin are rectified and refined — then it is the aspect of "how beautiful are your footsteps in sandals" — which is the aspect of the three Pilgrimage Festivals, which correspond to the three prayers, which are the aspect of Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov — the aspect of the three Pilgrimage Festivals.

And therefore we are required to be separated from the non-Jews even in the wearing of sandals. For their sandals come from the aspect of the blemish of the garments of skin — concerning which it is said: "remove your sandals" etc. And our sandals — of holiness — are in the aspect of the rectification and refinement of the garments of skin — in the aspect of "how beautiful are your footsteps in sandals." And therefore we have several laws in the Torah concerning the wearing of sandals — for we must wear sandals according to the holy Torah — in order to rectify and refine the aspect of the garments of skin. And this is the aspect of what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: as with tefillin (phylacteries — the black leather boxes worn during prayer) — so with sandals. For the essential rectification of the sandals — which are the aspect of the feet, the aspect of the heel — is through the drawing down of the brains (moichin — the higher faculties of the soul: wisdom, understanding, and knowledge). That is: when the brains are complete — then the illumination of the brains is drawn even to the feet. And then the feet are rectified. And then the feet too rise from the husk. And then the heel of Esav is subdued — through the heels and feet of holiness being rectified through the illumination of the brains drawn upon them. For it is known that the essential rectification is through the drawing down of the brains. And this is the aspect of: as with tefillin — so with sandals. For we must wear sandals in the aspect of tefillin — that is, in the aspect of the brains — in order to rectify and elevate the feet through the aspect of the brains, as above. And when one draws the brains to the feet, to elevate them and rectify them — then the heel of Esav is subdued, as above.

And all this is accomplished through prayer in the aspect of judgment — which is the aspect of mesiras nefesh for kiddush Hashem — through which the brains are complete, and one merits the aspect of the voice mentioned above — the aspect of Yaakov — through which the heel of Esav is subdued, as above. For from akev (heel) it becomes Yaakov — through the brains, which are the aspect of the letter yud (the first letter of G-d's Name, representing the higher spiritual faculties), illuminating the heel. And then from akev (heel) it becomes Yaakov (the name Yaakov contains the word akev with a yud added). And through Yaakov the essential subduing of the heel of Esav occurs — in the aspect of "and his hand holds the heel of Esav", as above.