פדיון בכור ד

And therefore at the onset of the prohibition of idolatry — at the moment it is made — the rule is reversed: the idolatry of the nations is forbidden immediately, while that of a Jew is not forbidden until it has been worshipped. For in truth, Israel are entirely remote from idolatry — for Israel as a whole are in the aspect of the radiance of the gevonin, in the aspect of the light of the true intellect of holiness. And the nations are in the aspect of the koach hamidameh — for within a human being there is both the faculty of intellect and the faculty of imagination. And this koach hamidameh is itself also a faculty derived from the intellect — namely the lower faculty of the intellect, which is the imagination and pictorial faculty — the faculty that pictures all material things and all crafts within the mind and brings them all into the brain and the intellect. And one who possesses the faculty of true intellect must cause the intellect to prevail over the imagination — that is, he must strip every thing of its materiality and understand from within it the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — until he strips his mind of the material form of a thing that was pictured in his mind — which is the aspect of the imagination — and returns to the faculty of true intellect — to be included in the Infinite, which is the Creator, blessed be He. For the entire purpose of the true intellect is to know and recognize Him, blessed be He — to nullify the koach hamidameh that is clothed in the materiality of asiyah (action — the lowest spiritual world, corresponding to physical reality), and to ascend to the attainment of the true intellect: to recognize the Creator, blessed be He, Who is above all the forms and images of the koach hamidameh — from which all forms and images are drawn — for all forms and images are drawn from the Infinite, which itself has no form (as is explained in the Torah "Anochi Hashem Elokecha" — "I am the L-rd your G-d" — in §4 of Likutay, Part One [LM I:4]) — see there. And just as in the totality of the world, man in general is in the aspect of intellect and animal in the aspect of imagination — as brought in the holy books — so too among human beings themselves: Israel are called "Adam" (man — the Hebrew designation for a complete human being) and the nations are not called "Adam" — as our Sages, of blessed memory, said — meaning that Israel as a whole are in the aspect of the faculty of true intellect as above. And the nations are from the aspect of the imagination, which is the force of animality — for they are not called "Adam" as above. And the essential rectification of the imagination within a human being occurs when it becomes a chariot to the intellect and does the will of the intellect — just as an animal which has no understanding finds its essential rectification and growth through the human being. So too the imagination within a human being — which is the aspect of the force of animality — its essential rectification is when it follows the intellect, which is the defining character of the human being, the defining character of Israel — that is, when the imagination does not follow physicality, does not follow the desire of animality — but rather nullifies its fantasies and vanities before the intellect and nullifies everything toward the intellect — and then the evil within the imagination is nullified and the imagination is included within the intellect. And so too the nations — who are as a whole in the aspect of the imagination, in the aspect of animal — their entire rectification is when they nullify themselves before Israel, who are the aspect of intellect, the aspect of Adam. And when the nations become a chariot to Israel and nullify themselves before them — and serve them and fulfill their will and attend to their every need like a servant to his master — this is the essence of their rectification. Just as the essential rectification of the animal is when it follows the human being — and just as within the human being, the essential rectification of the imagination is when it follows the intellect — so too the essential rectification of the nations is when they follow and are nullified before Israel as above. And as it shall be in the future in truth — when all will recognize the holiness of Israel and nullify themselves and follow after them — as it is said: "And kings shall be your nurturers... they shall prostrate themselves before you with their faces to the ground" (Yeshayahu 49:23) — and similarly in many verses. For the essential force of the triumph of the intellect over the imagination is through the silver and gold as above. And these gevonin radiate only in the presence of Israel — but in the presence of the nations the radiance of the gevonin is concealed. And when the radiance of the gevonin is concealed — the imagination is in full force — and therefore they have no power to reveal the gevonin and to nullify the imagination before the intellect except through Israel, among whom the primary radiance of the gevonin dwells. Therefore Israel are truly in the aspect of intellect, as above. And when the nations nullify themselves before Israel and become a chariot to them — then specifically they are able to be included in the intellect and to recognize the Creator, blessed be He — for this is the aspect of the total inclusion and nullification of the imagination before the intellect, as above.

It is found, then, that the nations are in the aspect of the imagination, and Israel are in the aspect of the intellect. And therefore idolatry is primarily found among the nations — as it is said: "which He assigned to them" (Devarim 4:19) — for the primary source of idolatry is from the koach hamidameh as above. And therefore the nations — who are in the aspect of the imagination — are very close and near to idolatry, and they cannot escape from their confusions except through Israel — when they nullify themselves before Israel — just as the imagination cannot be clarified except through the intellect, as above. And therefore the idolatry of the nations becomes forbidden immediately the moment it is made — as it is said: "the carved images of their gods" (Devarim 7:25): "once he has fashioned it (pasalo), it has become a god" (Aramaic rendering of the Talmudic teaching — Avodah Zarah 52a) — for as soon as the non-Jew separates himself from Israel and fashions an idol for himself, it immediately becomes idolatry — for the primary dwelling place of idolatry is in the non-Jew — for he is in the aspect of the imagination, in which the primary dwelling place of idolatry is found, as above. He only has the power to nullify himself and to become a chariot to Israel, who is the aspect of the intellect. But as soon as he fashions idolatry for himself and separates himself from Israel — it immediately and automatically becomes idolatry — for that is the dwelling place of idolatry, as above. And this is alluded to in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, cited above: "once he has fashioned it (pasalo), it has become a god" — "once he has fashioned it" precisely — meaning that he has cut and severed (pasal — also meaning "to hew away") the imagination from the intellect by making for himself an idol — then it immediately becomes idolatry — for as soon as he severs himself from Israel, it easily becomes idolatry, as above. But the idolatry of a Jew is not forbidden until it has been worshipped — for Israel is in the aspect of the radiance of the gevonin, in the aspect of intellect — and they are remote from idolatry. Therefore he cannot easily uproot himself from the intellect toward the imagination — since at his root he is remote from idolatry, for he is in the aspect of intellect as above. Therefore the idolatry that belongs to him is not forbidden until it has been worshipped — for the act of worship is in the aspect of the imagination — which is the aspect of action and service. And all the sacred acts of service — whereby one must serve the L-rd, blessed be He, through actual deed and action — all of this exists for the sake of clarifying the imagination, which can only be clarified through deed and service. And conversely — when one worships idolatry through an actual deed, G-d forbid — then the power of idolatry is drawn in, and it becomes forbidden for all time — for where there is greater holiness, the grip of the Sitra Achra (the Other Side — the forces of spiritual impurity) is also greater — as is known. For certainly the human being has free choice — and even a Jew, who at his root is entirely remote from idolatry — nonetheless free will remains free. And when the imagination triumphs within him to the point that he actually transgresses idolatry in deed — it then becomes forbidden through the act of worship precisely, as above — for worship is in the aspect of the imagination as above — and then it is forbidden for all time, as above.

And therefore Israel did not leave Egypt until they borrowed from the Egyptians vessels of silver and vessels of gold and garments — as it is said: "Speak now in the ears of the people that they shall ask..." (Shemos 11:2). For Pharaoh and Egypt represent the klippos (husks) — the aspect of the koach hamidameh — as is explained in the Torah "Vay'hi mikeitz" ("And it was at the end of two full years" — Bereishis 41:1) in §54 of Likutay, Part One [LM I:54]: that Pharaoh and Egypt are the aspect of the imagination — and this is the essential nature of exile: when the koach hamidameh — from which all desires and confusions and so on arise — gains dominance over Israel, which is the intellect, as above. And this represents the magnitude of the servitude of Egypt — that they enslaved the Children of Israel with crushing labor (b'ferech) — as it is said: "let the labor be heavy upon them... and they embittered their lives with hard labor with mortar and with brick" (Shemos 1:14) — for the essential servitude and bitterness that most of the world endures — those who chase after the lust for money — who are slaves to themselves and enslave themselves with hardship, and embitter their own lives with hard labor with mortar and brick: building great structures for themselves like Pisom and Raamses, in order to embitter their own lives through them — and through all the hard labor in the field — roaming and wandering always across the fields on distant roads, and enduring the bitterness of servitude exceedingly — all that they themselves impose upon themselves. And all of this comes from the koach hamidameh — which is the aspect of Egyptian exile in every person and in every generation — for this imagination misleads and confuses the person in desires and superfluous luxuries and enslaves him with crushing labor and hard toil and so on. For the essential servitude and labors are in the aspect of the imagination as above. And the essential rectification of the Egyptian exile is through the aspect of Yosef — as explained in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, in many places: that the essential redemption from Egypt was through Yosef — as it is said: "And Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him" (Shemos 13:19). That is — for Yosef is the aspect of charity to worthy paupers — as it is said: "And Yosef sustained his brothers" (Bereishis 47:12). And therefore Yosef is called Yosef HaTzaddik — in the aspect of "a righteous man is gracious and gives" (Tehillim 37:21) — that is: it is impossible to be saved from the bitterness of the servitude of the confusion of the imagination — which is the aspect of the Egyptian exile — except by greatly increasing charity to worthy paupers. And through this all one's money is rectified and the gevonin in the silver and gold begin to radiate — which are the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this the imagination is subdued, as above. And this is the aspect of the great wealth that Israel merited at the Exodus from Egypt — for through the power of Moshe, who is the da'as (knowledge — the faculty of Divine knowing that unifies the other faculties), they merited to reveal and illuminate the gevonin in the silver and gold. And therefore they did not depart from there until they were commanded to borrow from Egypt vessels of silver and vessels of gold and garments — in order to extract the money and wealth from the imagination, from Pharaoh and Egypt, and to return it to holiness — that is, to Israel — among whom the supernal gevonin within silver and gold radiate. For the gevonin do not radiate except in the presence of Israel — and through this specifically they departed — in the aspect of: "and afterward they shall go out with great wealth" (Bereishis 15:14) — "with great wealth" precisely — for through the great wealth itself, through this very thing, they departed — through their meriting to reveal the gevonin within the silver and gold, which are the greatness of the Creator — and through this the klippos — which are the aspect of the koach hamidameh, the aspect of Pharaoh and Egypt — were subdued. And then they departed from there, as above. And this is the aspect of "And Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him" — and our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded: "The wise of heart takes commandments" (Mishlei 10:8) — for all of Israel were occupied with the spoils of Egypt, while Moshe was occupied with the bones of Yosef. And at first glance this is difficult — was not the plunder of Egypt also a great mitzvah from the L-rd, blessed be He, Who commanded and warned them to engage in this — as it is said: "Speak now in the ears of the people that they shall ask..." — and our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded: "I beg of you — warn them about this..." — and so on? But in truth everything is well resolved according to the above — for certainly the holy wealth of Israel's upright people is exceedingly precious — for through it the supernal gevonin are revealed, which are the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and this wealth, this revelation, is the primary subduing of the klippos and desires that are the koach hamidameh and so on. And through this one goes out from the imagination to the intellect, as above. But one does not merit such wealth except through abundant charity to worthy paupers — for through this specifically all one's money is rectified and the supernal gevonin radiate within it and so on, as above. And therefore at the time of the Exodus from Egypt — which is the aspect of the subduing of the imagination — whose primary subduing is through the revelation of the gevonin within the money of Israel and so on, as above — which is the aspect of the plunder of Egypt, as above — Moshe at that time was occupied with the bones of Yosef the Tzaddik — for the bones of Yosef the Tzaddik are the aspect of the power of charity, as above. Meaning: while Israel were occupied with the plunder — to elevate the wealth from the klipah (husk) to holiness in order to reveal the gevonin within the wealth — which are the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this the subduing of the imagination, which is the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt as above — at that time Moshe, who is the da'as, was occupied with the bones of Yosef, which are the power of charity as above — for this is the essential rectification as above — for specifically through the power of charity the gevonin within the silver and gold are awakened and illuminated — and through this comes the essential Exodus from Egypt as above. And now you will understand on your own how this aspect of the Exodus from Egypt applies to every person and in every generation: when one is engaged in commerce, one's entire intention must be to reveal the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He, through one's money — for therein are clothed supernal gevonin and so on, as above. And one merits this by placing all one's heart and mind on charity — to greatly increase charity to worthy paupers from one's money — and then all one's money is rectified, and one merits through the money specifically to reveal the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He, and to subdue the imagination and ascend to the intellect, as above. But conversely — when one does not give charity, G-d forbid — then one falls into the lust for money, which is literal idolatry, drawn from the confusion of the imagination, which is the aspect of Pharaoh and Egypt — which enslaves with crushing labor and so on — which is the aspect of the bitterness of the labors of all those mired in the lust for money, as above. But when one gives charity — then one's money is rectified and the supernal gevonin radiate and so on. And then the imagination — which is Pharaoh and Egypt — is subdued, and one is saved from the bitterness of servitude as above, which is the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt — going out from the bitterness of the exile of the lust for money, as above. For one merits to be content with one's portion — as Rebbe said in §13 on the passage of the holy Zohar (Pinchas, folio 224): "Rucha nacheis l'shakei chamima d'liba..." (Aramaic: "A spirit descends to cool the fervor of the heart...") — see there.

And this is the aspect of what Israel was commanded after the incident of the Golden Calf regarding the donations for the Mishkan. For the Calf — which is idolatry — was drawn only from the confusion of the imagination as above — through not striving to illuminate the gevonin within the silver and gold in order to subdue the imagination — and thereby the imagination gained strength and inverted the matter: it drew vitality from the falling of the gevonin and made from the silver and gold an act of idolatry — because in truth the supernal gevonin were concealed within them and so on, as above. And this is the aspect of "V'di Zahav" ("and Di-Zahav" — Devarim 1:1) said concerning the Calf — as our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded: that through the abundance of gold, they made the Calf — as above. Therefore the rectification was through the donations for the Mishkan (the Tabernacle), which are the aspect of charity — the aspect of the revelation of the supernal gevonin — which are the aspect of the thirteen materials that came with the donations of the Mishkan: gold, silver, copper, blue, purple and so on — all of which are the aspect of the supernal gevonin — the aspect of bigday yesha ("garments of salvation" — the radiant garments of holiness that correspond to the revealed glory of the Creator) — explained in the aforementioned Torah teaching. And through this the imagination — from which idolatry springs — was subdued. And therefore through this the sin of the idolatry of the Calf was rectified — and therefore from these donations the Mishkan was built — where all the sacrifices were brought — for the sacrifices brought from animals are the aspect of subduing the imagination, which is the force of animality. As explained in the aforementioned Torah teaching on the statement of our Sages, of blessed memory: "Since the Beis HaMikdash was destroyed..." — see there. And therefore through these donations — which are the aspect of the revelation of the gevonin — they merited the building of the Mishkan where all the sacrifices were brought — which are the subduing of the imagination — for the imagination was subdued there through the revelation of all the gevonin — and through this the imagination was essentially subdued, as above.

And therefore the Kohanim (Priests) were blessed with wealth — as it is said: "They shall place incense before Your nostrils... the L-rd shall bless his wealth" (Devarim 33:10–11). And as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: incense enriches — and no person ever repeated the incense formula — so that all the Kohanim might be wealthy. For the Kohanim are occupied with the sacrifices of animals, which are the aspect of the breaking of the imagination, as above. And therefore the High Priest — who is the primary holiness of all the Kohanim as a whole, included within all of them — therefore Israel was commanded to enrich him — as our Sages, of blessed memory, said on the verse: "And the Kohen who is greater than his brothers" (Vayikra 21:10) — "elevate him above his brothers" — that is, as above. So that he should be able to engage in the Temple service with wholeness — which is the service of the sacrifices — which is the breaking of the imagination — whose breaking and subduing comes specifically through holy wealth — for through it the gevonin are revealed, which are the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He, as above.

And this is the aspect of the severity of the prohibition of ribbis (interest — charging a fee for a loan). And the primary prohibition is agar natar (Aramaic: "payment for waiting" — the act of taking a fee for the gift of time during which one's money sits with the borrower, which is the essential Torah prohibition of interest) — that is, to take payment for the gift of one's money — for this is the primary prohibition of interest, which is exceedingly severe, as explained in the Gemara and the decisors. For the holy money of Israel is exceedingly precious — for through it the supernal gevonin are revealed, which are the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this one subdues the koach hamidameh — which is all the klippos and desires and obstructions and so on — and one merits to ascend to the true intellect — which is the ultimate purpose of everything. For this is the essential task and ultimate purpose of the person who comes into this world: to break the evil inclination, which is the koach hamidameh from which all desires arise and so on — and to merit the intellect: to recognize the Creator, blessed be He — which is the entire essence of true intellect. And beyond this there is no wisdom and no understanding and nothing that may be called intellect and wisdom at all — as it is said: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom... but only in this let one who glories glory: that he has insight and knows Me" (Yirmiyahu 9:22–23). And as it is said: "And you shall know this day and take it to your heart that the L-rd, He is G-d" (Devarim 4:39). And it is written: "You have been shown to know that the L-rd, He is G-d" (Devarim 4:35). For the essential knowledge and intellect — the Jewish intellect — is to merit through the da'as to serve Him, blessed be He, and to recognize Him, blessed be He, with complete faith. And all of this one merits through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He, which is revealed through the money of Israel — within which the supernal gevonin are revealed. And through this one breaks the imagination, which is all the desires of the evil inclination and so on, and merits this intellect as above. It is found, then, that the holy money of Israel is exceedingly precious — for through it the supernal gevonin are revealed, which are the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this one merits the ultimate purpose as above. But the supernal gevonin are not revealed within the money except through the mitzvah of charity and acts of kindness — which is even greater than charity — for through this all one's money is rectified. And then specifically the gevonin are revealed and one merits through this to break the imagination and so on, as is explained in the aforementioned Torah teaching. For it is explained there in that Torah teaching in section 3 and these are its words: "And know: no two human beings are equal — for all souls are one above the other, and each is a garment to the other and so on. It is found: when one wishes to ascend from one's level to a higher level, the person standing at the higher level proceeds and is transferred to an even higher level, and so on." And it is explained there at the end in the addenda pertaining to this: that this is the aspect of the "elevation" (haramah) — where one lifts and raises his fellow and so on — see there. It is found that it is impossible for a person to draw close to the L-rd, blessed be He, and ascend from level to level except when one also lifts and raises one's fellow — as is understood and explained in the aforementioned Torah teaching. And this is the aspect of: all Israel are guarantors one for another. And this is the aspect of: "Love your neighbor as yourself — this is a great principle of the Torah" (Vayikra 19:18) — for all Israel are as one person. And each person must lift and raise his fellow toward holiness until the Tzelem Elokim ("image of G-d" — the spiritual likeness in which each person was created) is perfected completely — until all souls ascend to their place and level — each to his proper place — and then the rectification will be complete and so on. And all of this one merits through charity and kindness done from one's money — for through this the supernal gevonin within the money are revealed, which are the primary manifestation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — and through this one breaks the imagination and ascends from level to level — and through this one's fellow also ascends from level to level — and one lifts and raises one's fellow as above. And now the matter is explained and connected well — for certainly the essential rectification is specifically through charity and kindness that each person does with his fellow Israel. For through this one establishes and elevates him and illuminates within him the supernal gevonin in the money of Israel — and through this itself one merits to ascend from level to level — for the essential ascent is when one also elevates one's fellow as above — which one merits through charity and kindness specifically done with one's fellow. And just as one merited to illuminate within one's fellow through the money given to him in charity or in a loan of kindness, and illuminated within him the supernal gevonin — so too one merits to ascend from level to level — for the essential ascent also comes through striving for the benefit of one's fellow, to elevate one's fellow as above — for all Israel are included one within the other. And the greatness of the Creator is not revealed and the gevonin are not revealed except when the gevonin are included within one another and illuminate one to the other — as understood from the aforementioned Torah teaching — see there what is explained there: "and when they are included one within the other these gevonin shine and illuminate..." — see there. That is: when Israel do charity and kindness one with the other — for Israel themselves are the gevonin — in the aspect of "Israel, through whom I am glorified" (Yeshayahu 49:3) — in whom the glory of the gevonin is manifest. And each individual of Israel contains a unique gavon (color-radiance) according to his root — corresponding to the stones of the Choshen (breastplate) and the Eifod (priestly apron), which are the holy wealth of Israel — for they were worth a great fortune and within them were all the gevonin. And when they are included one within the other and illuminate one to the other through the charity and kindness each does with the other from his money — in which the primary gevonin dwell, as above — then the gevonin are included one within the other and illuminate one to the other — and then the primary revelation of the glory of the gevonin occurs. And then specifically the greatness of the Creator is revealed and the klippos — which are the koach hamidameh — are subdued — and one ascends from level to level and elevates one's fellow from level to level. And then the L-rd, blessed be He, is increasingly glorified and praised — for the more Israel ascend from level to level above and above, the more the L-rd, blessed be He, is magnified and sanctified and glorified and exalted, as it were, more and more. And therefore the Torah warned us to lend to one's fellow a loan of grace and kindness — as it is said: "If you lend money to My people..." (Shemos 22:24). And it is greater than charity — as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: acts of loving-kindness are greater than charity. For through a loan one supports one's fellow even more — enabling him to sustain himself through the loan. And in the livelihood of the man of Israel the gevonin are illuminated as above. It is found that one does a great favor and kindness both physically and spiritually. And afterward the fellow repays and settles — and returns the gevonin within the money — and they illuminate one to the other — which is the essential wholeness of the radiance of the gevonin when they shine and illuminate reciprocally. And therefore this is called by the name loveh u'malveh (borrower and lender) — the language of livui — accompaniment and connection — for through the grace-loan, one accompanies and connects to the other, and the supernal gevonin illuminate reciprocally, as above. And therefore it is called in common parlance "halvoas chain" — a "charm-loan" — chain precisely: this is the aspect of the radiance of the gevonin, which are the primary grace and beauty — as our master, our teacher and Rebbe, of blessed memory, explained on the verse: "grace in the eyes of the L-rd" (Shmuel I 2:26) — see there.

And this is the severity of the prohibition of interest — for it is exceedingly severe and is equivalent to denying the G-d of Israel and the Exodus from Egypt — and many negative commandments are stated concerning it — as explained in Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah — see there. And the primary prohibition is to take payment for the gift of money as above. For it is brought in Likutay Tinyana §61 and these are its words: The L-rd, blessed be He, is above time and so on. The general principle is that the essence of time comes from the deficiency of da'as and so on. And therefore in a dream — when the intellect has departed and one has only the koach hamidameh — it seems as though a short while is a very long time and so on. For in a dream it seems as though seventy years pass in a quarter-hour. But when one wakes from sleep and returns from the imagination to the intellect — one understands that this time which seemed like seventy years in the dream was in reality only a quarter-hour. Yet seventy actual years are indeed seventy years. But for the intellect that is higher than ours, even these seventy years are only a quarter-hour and so on. And there is an intellect even higher than that and so on — until there is a true intellect so lofty that there all time is entirely nullified and one is included in the aspect of above time — see there carefully. And apply your intellect and your mind to understand this matter very, very well — for it is a wondrous and awesome thing, very, very much. It is found that the essence of time exists only in the koach hamidameh — but in the intellect time is diminished — and the higher one ascends in intellect, the more time is diminished and eventually completely nullified, as above — which is the essential ultimate purpose — for the essential purpose is to be included in the L-rd, blessed be He, who is above time — which one merits through the perfection of the intellect specifically — which one merits through the breaking of the imagination. For through the true intellect one is included in Him, blessed be He — as the sage said: "If I knew Him, I would be Him." As is explained elsewhere (§21 of Likutay, Part One [LM I:21]) — see there. It is found: one who merits to do charity and a loan of kindness — through which the gevonin radiate and one merits to break the imagination and ascend to the intellect — through this one nullifies time and is included in the aspect of above time. For according to one's breaking of the imagination and one's ascent to the intellect — so too does one nullify time and is included in the aspect of above time, as above. And this is the severity of the prohibition of interest: to take agar natar — payment for the gift of one's money for a certain period of time — for the essential purpose of the holy money is to reveal the gevonin within it in order to break the imagination and nullify time, as above. And this one who takes interest blemishes this greatly — for he takes payment from his money for the gift of time. It is found that he reinforces the imagination over the intellect — in which the essential grip of time lies — upon which all the blemishes of the world depend. For all blemishes and sins come from the koach hamidameh from which all desires arise, as above. And the essential root of all desires and sins, G-d forbid, is only through the reinforcement of the evil that is gripped within time precisely — which is comprised of both good and evil — from the aspect of the good days and evil days — the aspect of "on a good day, be in good, and on an evil day, consider..." (Koheles 7:14) — which are the twenty-eight times: times for good and their opposite — the aspect of the blemish of the Tree of Knowledge — of which it is said: "on the day you eat of it..." (Bereishis 2:17) — "on the day" precisely — for the essential power of the tempter is through the evil gripped within time precisely. For above time there is only good and no evil whatsoever. And this is the entire service of the human being in this world — in the time and the limited days allotted to him: to strive to exit from the imagination to the intellect — that is, to merit to nullify time, whose essence is in the imagination — and to ascend to the intellect where time is nullified and one is included in Him, blessed be He, who is above time — which is the summation of the entire Torah and commandments. As is understood from the headings of the chapters that our master, our teacher and Rebbe, of blessed memory, wrote in §79 of Likutay Tinyana [LM II:79] — see there. And the essential purpose is to give charity and to do kindness with one's fellow Israel — for charity is equal in weight to the entire Torah — for specifically through charity and kindness the gevonin within the coins illuminate — and through this one breaks the imagination and ascends to the intellect as above. And through this time is nullified and one is included in the aspect of above time — which is the essential purpose, as above. And therefore when one takes, G-d forbid, interest from the money in exchange for the gift of time — one blemishes this greatly — as if one wishes, G-d forbid, to conceal the supernal gevonin in the money of Israel — which are the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — which nullify the time of the imagination as above. And one wishes, G-d forbid, to reinforce time — which is the aspect of the imagination — over the gevonin of the coins. Therefore this iniquity is exceedingly severe and is reckoned as absolute denial of the G-d of Israel — since through him the gevonin are concealed, G-d forbid, and the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He, is concealed, and the imagination is reinforced — from which all idolatry and heresies spring, as explained above. And therefore it is also reckoned as denial of the Exodus from Egypt — for the essential Exodus from Egypt was through the revelation of the gevonin within the money of Israel — as is explained above — see there.

For in truth the root of the coming-into-being of time in holiness is through kindness (chesed) — as is explained in the story of the third day — that the essential coming-into-being of time occurs through the acts of true kindness and so on — see there [LM II:25]. And this is the aspect of: "By day the L-rd commands His kindness" (Tehillim 42:9) — for chesed is the "yoma d'azil im kulhon yomin" (Aramaic from the Zohar: "the day that goes with all the days") — and from there comes the essential coming-into-being of all time and all days, whose root is the seven days of building (shivas y'may habinyan) (the seven primordial days — corresponding to the seven Sefiros from Chesed to Malchus), which are the aspect of the seven midos (Divine attributes) — which are the aspect of the gevonin within the silver and gold — which are the aspect of the seven metals — as is known. And it is known that every thing is sweetened at its root specifically. And therefore the essential maintenance of the world is through kindness — as it is said: "The world is built upon kindness" (Tehillim 89:3). For the essential coming-into-being of time exists for the sake of free choice — which operates specifically within time — that is: so that the person might prevail in his service to break the imagination — and through this he will rise from time to the aspect of above time — which is the aspect of eternal life of the World to Come — where the essential reception of reward occurs. Fortunate is the one who merits this. And therefore the essential purpose is charity and kindness — for there is the root of the coming-into-being of time — and there specifically is where time is sweetened and nullified and elevated and included in the aspect of above time. For it is from kindness that the essential beginning and essential structure of the seven days of building comes — for above kindness is above time — the aspect of Binah (Understanding — the third of the ten Sefiros, associated with the World to Come and the transcendence of time) — the great Yovel (Jubilee) which is above the days. As our Sages, of blessed memory, said: "ask now about earlier days" — for the earlier days you may ask — but you may not ask what is above or what is below (Devarim 4:32) — that is, referring to the first three Sefiros, as explained in the holy writings. Therefore kindness — which is the beginning and the essential coming-into-being of time — through it specifically one sweetens and nullifies time and elevates and includes it in the aspect of above time — which is the essential purpose as above. And therefore one must do charity and acts of kindness — for through this specifically the imagination — in which time resides — is nullified, and one ascends to the intellect — in which time is nullified — which is the essential purpose, as above.

And this is the aspect of commerce (masa u'matan — buying and selling, conducting business) — in which one must be exceedingly careful to conduct commerce in faith (emunah) — not blemishing the money, G-d forbid — for within it the supernal gevonin dwell, as above. And when one conducts commerce in faith — it is a very great good — for through the commerce in which one gives and receives with one's fellow through their coins — through this the gevonin are illuminated and included from one to the other. And this is the essential intention of commerce — that the L-rd, blessed be He, arranges for one to give and take with the other — all for the sake of the clarification of the nitzotzos (holy sparks) within the money — as is known — that is: so that the gevonin may illuminate from one to the other — and through this the nitzotzos — which are the gevonin themselves — ascend, as is brought in §56 [LM I:56] — see there. And this is the Torah's warning: "And when you sell anything to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor's hand..." (Vayikra 25:14) — and our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded: when one sells, one should sell to a fellow Jew specifically — and so too when one buys and so on — as brought in Rashi's commentary. That is: one must strive to give and take, to sell and buy with one's fellow Israel specifically — so that the gevonin within the money of Israel may illuminate from one to the other and be included one within the other and shine and illuminate one to the other — for this is the essential revelation of the greatness of the Creator as above. And through this the imagination is broken and one ascends to the intellect and time is nullified, as above. And this: "you shall not wrong one another" (Vayikra 25:17) — so as not to blemish the gevonin within the coins of Israel as above. And this is why the Torah linked the commandment of commerce in faith — and not wronging one's fellow — to the Yovel year — as it is said in the portion of Behar, where the passage "And when you sell anything to your neighbor..." is linked to the passage of the Yovel. And in this very passage itself, the prohibition of wrongdoing is linked to the Yovel — as it is said there: "You shall not wrong one another — according to the number of years after the Yovel you shall buy from your neighbor..." (Vayikra 25:17). For the essential prohibition of wrongdoing — which is the blemish of commerce, the blemish of the gevonin within the money of Israel — the essential prohibition and blemish is in what one has blemished in the Yovel, G-d forbid. For Yovel is the aspect of Binah — the World to Come — which is above time, as is known. And therefore the Yovel is called "olam" (eternity) — as it is said: "and he shall serve him forever" — this refers to the Yovel (Kiddushin 15a) — for it is the aspect of above time: the aspect of eternal everlastingness. Therefore the essential holiness of the Yovel falls on Yom Kippur — for Yom Kippur is above time — as is said in the Alef-Beis section under the letter Teshuvah — see there. And from there — from the aspect of the Yovel which is above time — comes the essential coming-into-being of time. For the essential coming-into-being of time and its vitality is from the aspect of above time — from the L-rd, blessed be He, who created time and vivifies and sustains it by His will for all the days that this world endures. And this is what the Torah specified: "You shall not wrong one another — according to the number of years after the Yovel you shall buy..." — meaning: all the purchases and sales and all the commerce in the world all take place according to the number of years after the Yovel — that is: within the dimension of time — the aspect of "the number of years" — for in truth it is only "after the Yovel" — which is above time. For after the Yovel — which is Binah, the World to Come — from there begins the counting of years in the aspect of time, in the aspect of the seven days of building. And all commerce is for the purpose of illuminating the gevonin within the money — to reveal the greatness of the Creator — to subdue the imagination and ascend to the intellect which is above time — the aspect of Yovel. And therefore one must buy and sell and conduct all commerce in faith, and not wrong one's fellow — so as not to blemish the gevonin: which is the aspect of "the number of years after the Yovel" — so that one not be unable to ascend and be included in the Yovel — in the aspect of above time — through the dominance of the imagination, G-d forbid — which is strengthened through the blemish of money — through not conducting commerce in faith, G-d forbid. And this is "You shall not wrong one another — according to the number of years after the Yovel you shall buy" — as above.

And this is the aspect of the commandments of Shmitta (Sabbatical year — every seventh year, when all agricultural land is declared ownerless) and Yovel (Jubilee — the fiftieth year, when all land returns to its original owner and all Hebrew servants are freed) — for then everything is ownerless (hefker) and all are companions and included one within the other. For then it is in the aspect of above time — which one merits through declaring one's property ownerless and being included one within the other — and through this the gevonin illuminate — and through this one is included in the aspect of above time, as above.

And this is the aspect of (Shemos 30): "When you take the count of the Children of Israel for their numbers — each man shall give a ransom for his soul..." (Shemos 30:12) — that is: the shkalim (half-shekel coins — the annual contribution given by every Jew for the communal sacrifices) for the communal sacrifices — for the sacrifices are the aspect of the breaking of the imagination, as above. And through the shkalim that one gives for the sacrifices — which are the aspect of charity — through this the gevonin are illuminated and the imagination is subdued and so on, as above. And then each one lifts his fellow and so on, as above. And this is: "When you take the count (ki sisah) of the Children of Israel" — the aspect of the lifting of the head (n'sias rosh) — to lift and elevate each and every individual to his place and level. For this is the essential commandment of the counting — to count Israel through the shkalim so that they be included one within the other and illuminate one to the other — so that each individual may ascend and be elevated to his place and level. Therefore each person must give charity — that is: shkalim for the communal sacrifices — through which the gevonin are illuminated and the imagination is subdued and so on — and one lifts and elevates one's fellow as above. And therefore one must give the shkalim every single year — in order to rectify and elevate time — the aspect of the number of years — so that it be included in the aspect of above time, as above.