בכור בהמה טהורה ד

And as is written there in the Midrash: the Blessed Lord answered: "Is it for nothing that I am called 'Merciful and Gracious'?!" And this is what he said afterward: "Behold, You desire emes in the hidden places (ba-tuchot)" — that is: even though according to the emes in my own mind it seems very far-fetched to me that the Blessed Lord would forgive me for such a great sin. And because of this I nearly, nearly fell in my mind and distanced myself from You through this, God forbid. But Your kindness prevailed upon me, granting me the merit to understand from afar that the truth of Your mercies — the truth of Your holy mind — is impossible to attain. Therefore I am obligated to do my part: to strengthen myself each time and to cast my supplication before You, until "the Lord will look down and see from heaven" (Ekhah 3:50). And this is what he said: "Behold, You desire emes in the hidden places" — for certainly the essential thing is emes and all that You desire and request from this lowly man is only the emes. But I request: "and in the concealed place You will make wisdom known to me" — teach me genuine wisdom that is hidden and concealed from me, which is the very essence of the true emes. That is: he strengthened himself and argued with the Blessed Lord: even though You desire only emes — in the aspect of "Behold, You desire emes in the hidden places" — according to the emes in my own mind it seems very far off that the Blessed Lord will forgive me. To the point that it appears, God forbid, as though there is no hope whatsoever, heaven forfend. But I know that I have still not attained the truth of Your mercy in its completeness. And I request: "and in the concealed place You will make wisdom known to me" — teach me what is hidden and concealed from me, which is the truth of Your mercy and kindness, which are so very exalted and deep and concealed from me. Through which I too have great hope — for "His thoughts are very deep" and we do not know at all. And there is a matter through which everything will be rectified and turned for good, and all sins will be turned into merits. Only he must not despair of crying out and praying and supplicating. And as I heard from his mouth, of blessed memory, as is explained in its place — see there.

And this is the essential principle of all the service of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur and all of Yerach Ha'Aisanim — "Aisanim" meaning those who are steadfast in commandments. For it is all about clarifying the point of emes in every place where it exists, through the tzaddik of emes who has genuinely merited to the point of emes in its truth in completeness. For on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, emes is clarified through the multitude of the services that Israel performs then — for they engage then in an abundance of Torah and prayer and cries and supplications to the Blessed Lord and acts of charity, and so on. And this is the essential emes that one merits through the voices of the shofar and through the multitude of prayers and cries to the Blessed Lord, in the aspect of "the voice is the voice of Yaakov" (Bereshis 27:22), in the aspect of "give emes to Yaakov" (Micha 7:20), as above. But after Yom Kippur one begins to engage in Sukkah — which is also in the aspect of emes to Yaakov, in the aspect of "and Yaakov journeyed to Sukkos" (Bereshis 33:17). That is, after Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur one engages in revealing emes also in the external services — namely, eating and drinking and sleeping. For this is the essential commandment of Sukkah: in order to know and to believe that through the truth of the emes, one can be supported and close to the Blessed Lord in any place whatsoever, in the aspect of "in all your ways know Him" (Mishlai 3:6).

And this is the aspect of the Four Species, which encompass all the groupings within Israel — those who possess Torah and commandments, and so on — up to and including the aravay nachal, the willows-of-the-brook, who are bound together with them. For these represent those who are exceedingly distant, who possess neither taste nor fragrance. Because through the emes it is revealed that from them too the Blessed Lord receives satisfaction and takes pride in every genuine movement found within them, through which they draw themselves toward the Blessed Lord, as above. And this is the aspect of Simchas Torah and Shemini Atzeres. "Atzeres" in the sense of gathering and ingathering — that it gathers and assembles everything and draws all of them close to the Blessed Lord, even those who are exceedingly distant, through the sukkah of peace in which we merited to dwell. For then we brought sacrifices even on behalf of the seventy nations in order to draw all of them close to the Blessed Lord, in the aspect of "Then I will transform to all the peoples a pure language" and so on (Tzefanya 3:9). And therefore on Simchas Torah everyone ascends to the Torah, to show that every single one of Israel has a portion in the Torah of emes. For the essential thing about emes is to draw close and not to distance — only to clarify and to reveal the point of emes that exists in every single one of Israel, even those who are exceedingly distant. For this is the essential truth of His will, blessed be He, as above.

And this is the reason we complete the Torah in the presence of all Israel and begin again immediately from "In the beginning God created" and so on. For our Sages of blessed memory expounded on the verse "which Moshe performed before the eyes of all Israel" (Devarim 34:12) — that this refers to his breaking of the Tablets. And this is the aspect mentioned above. For Moshe saw the extent of the ruin — that Israel had sinned so greatly and transgressed against the entire Torah and served idolatry — to the point that the strict line of emes-judgment, according to the Torah, required that Israel be distanced and destroyed, heaven forfend, as the Blessed Lord said: "Leave Me be and I will destroy them" and so on (Shemos 32:10). Therefore Moshe acted wisely and cast the Tablets to the ground — this being the aspect of "and it cast emes to the earth," as above — just as the Blessed Lord cast the emes to the ground because it had brought accusations against the creation of man, as above. So too did Moshe act, cleaving to the Blessed Lord and casting down the Tablets — which are in the aspect of emes, in the aspect of the Torah of emes. He cast them to the earth, to indicate that even though they are the Torah of emes, even so: since through them it was appearing as though there was no hope and it was impossible to pray further on behalf of Israel, therefore he cast them to the ground and distanced them from before him. And he strengthened himself to believe that it is impossible to fathom the depth of His mind at all — until he understood that even so the Blessed Lord wished for him to pray on their behalf. And through this he multiplied his prayers on their behalf so powerfully that the Blessed Lord was appeased and forgave them and commanded him to carve a second set of Tablets. And this itself is the very same aspect mentioned above: the aspect of "and it cast emes to the earth," and through this very thing "emes will sprout from the earth," as above.

And so too did Moshe act — for had he not cast the Tablets down, and had the accusation, heaven forfend, grown so great that Israel would have been destroyed, heaven forfend, then emes would have been entirely concealed. For there is no one who reveals emes in the world but Israel. Therefore he cast down the Tablets — which are in the aspect of emes, in the aspect of "and it cast emes to the earth" — and strengthened himself in prayer. For he believed that it is impossible to fathom the truth of His mind, for His thoughts are very deep. And he merited that it worked — and the Blessed Lord was appeased and forgave him, and commanded him to carve a second set of Tablets. This is the aspect of "let emes rise from the earth" — the aspect of "emes will sprout from the earth," as above.

And therefore, after "in the presence of all Israel," we begin immediately with "In the beginning God created" — the final letters of which form the word "emes," as is cited. To indicate that this is the essential emes: when one knows that one does not know at all and does not distance oneself in any way whatsoever, but only begins anew each time. This is the aspect of "in the presence of all Israel" — "In the beginning God created" — for Moshe, through the force of his strength, drew down this path through the breaking of the Tablets, and the Blessed Lord acknowledged it and said to him: "Your strength is upright, for you broke them" (Shabbos 87a). So that through this, every single one of Israel can strengthen himself and begin anew each time. This is the aspect of the beginning of the Torah: "In the beginning God created" — final letters spelling "emes." For this alone is the essential truth of the emes: that one not distance oneself through emes, but understand and know that one does not know at all and that one must begin afresh each time — for the truth of His mercies surpasses all measure. Throughout all the days of man's life, one can begin to draw close to the Blessed Lord, as it is written: "You return man to being crushed" (Tehillim 90:3) — even to the very depths of a crushed soul. For "the kindnesses of the Lord are not exhausted, His mercies are never spent" (Ekhah 3:22) — forever and ever.

And this is what was said: "Whoever judges a judgment of emes la-amito — emes to its very truth — it is as though he has become a partner with the Holy One, blessed be He, in the act of creation" (Shabbos 10a). And the halachic decisors emphasized the word la-amito (to its very truth), as is cited in the Beis Yosef at the beginning of Tur Choshen Mishpat — see there. That is, as above: the essential thing is to judge emes la-amito specifically, without misleading oneself through emes into perverting the judgment, heaven forfend. Rather the emes must be clear and pure, in the aspect of emes la-amito — which is along the lines of what the commentators there explained: to exclude a falsified judgment (din merooma) — see there. That is, as above. And then one becomes a partner with the Holy One, blessed be He, in the act of creation. For the essential act of creation was specifically through emes la-amito. For the plain emes brought accusations against the creation of man — who is the essential purpose of the entire act of creation — and therefore the essential act of creation, which is the creation of man, came about only through emes la-amito specifically: which is the very essence of His being, blessed be He, which it is impossible to fathom — that even so, man needed to be created, for there would be such great tzaddikim who would clarify emes la-amito. And therefore the one who judges emes la-amito specifically is in this very aspect — and therefore he becomes a partner with the Holy One, blessed be He, in the act of creation. As it is written there: "And there was evening and there was morning — one day" (Bereshis 1:5). For from there our Sages of blessed memory derived this Midrash — that one becomes a partner and so on. For emes is entirely One, entirely good, as above. But the essential thing is the emes la-amito, as above.

And this is what is meant by: "And God spoke to Moshe and said to him: I am the Lord. And I appeared to Avraham" and so on "by El Shaddai, but by My name Havayah I was not known to them" (Shemos 6:2–3). For all the exchanges between the Blessed Lord and Moshe our teacher regarding his mission to redeem Israel — where Moshe repeatedly refused several times, and the Blessed Lord was displeased with him and compelled him to go on His mission to redeem them, as is explained in the preceding parashot — all of it was in the matter of the emes mentioned above: that even the greatest of tzaddikim find it difficult at first to stand upon the very point of emes la-amito, and so on, as above. Rather each and every tzaddik clarifies emes according to his toil and exertion in his service — and throughout all the days of his life he has trials each time, for it is necessary that he have free choice throughout all the days of his life. And the essential free choice is in the matter of the clarification of emes la-amito, as above.

And therefore even Moshe our teacher refused to go on the mission of the Blessed Lord. And all of it was because of the abundance of his light — for in the holiness of his wisdom he knew the emes: that it is exceedingly difficult to save Israel with a complete salvation to the very end. For he saw that they would ultimately sin and rebel against him and against the Blessed Lord several times, both at the beginning and at the end — as indeed came to pass, as it is written: "And they tested Me these ten times" (Bamidbar 14:22). And therefore he wished to remove himself from his mission, attributing the matter to his humility. For he was small in his own eyes and said: "Who am I?" and so on (Shemos 3:11). And all of this was in the aspect of emes — for Moshe our teacher certainly spoke all his words in emes and in genuine humility. But even so the Blessed Lord was displeased with him, as it is said: "And the anger of the Lord flared against Moshe" and so on (Shemos 4:14), and He compelled him to go. For all those views and reasonings of Moshe for refusing his mission — all of it descended and developed from the emes of the angels mentioned above who brought accusations and said that man should not be created, saying: "What is man that You should remember him?" — "He is destined to sin before You and provoke You," and so on. As is explained above: from that accusation comes the entire power of the evil inclination. And even genuinely great tzaddikim require great exertion to clarify their thinking from the reasonings drawn from that accusation, and so on. And from this descended what Moshe said: "Why have You done evil?" and so on, "Why is it that You sent me?" (Shemos 5:22–23). For this was drawn through the power of the machlokas of the opponents — these being Dasan and Aviram who stood against them and said: "May the Lord look upon you and judge" and so on (Shemos 5:21). And they too spoke, according to their own understanding, in emes — as if they were zealous on behalf of Israel's sufferings. For all the blemishes in the world — and particularly all kinds of machlokas — are drawn only from the blemish of the emes mentioned above, from which all free choice comes, as above. And therefore even utter evildoers clothe their evil words in some emes, as if their intention were toward the emes.

As we see with Paro, who said to them: "Why do Moshe and Aharon distract the people?" and so on — "let the labor be heavy upon the men and let them do it, and let them not heed words of sheker (falsehood)" (Shemos 5:4–9). Look and see and understand well, you who study: how far does falsehood spread itself to exchange and substitute for emes — to the point that in the force of his lies he impudently dares to say that the emes is on his side! So that Paro the wicked — who tormented Israel with falsehood and groundlessly with such harsh labor — said: "Let the labor be heavy" and so on, "and let them not heed words of sheker" — as if, heaven forfend, the words of Moshe and Aharon who wanted Israel to serve the Blessed Lord were words of falsehood, and he alone desired only the emes: that Israel serve him for nothing. And so it is in every generation and era. And "the oppressor praises the wise man and destroys the gift of the heart" (Koheles 7:7) — as our Sages of blessed memory expounded this verse regarding Moshe our teacher: that through the terrible audacity of Dasan and Aviram who said "May the Lord look upon you and judge," through this they caused that even Moshe our teacher erred and said "Why have You done evil?" For even the great and awesome tzaddikim err at times — through an excess of emes beyond measure, which is drawn from the accusation of the angels mentioned above, as above.

And this is what the Blessed Lord made known to him: what he had erred in regarding this parasha of Va'era — which was drawn from the preceding matter of "why have You done evil," as Rashi explained there. And this is: "And God spoke to Moshe and said to him: I am the Lord" (Shemos 6:2). For all the difficulties one has regarding the Blessed Lord are drawn from the concealment of the emes — from which the ways of the Lord are drawn, which it is impossible to fathom. These are the ways that are in the aspect of "a tzaddik and it is good for him, a tzaddik and it is evil for him, a wicked man and it is good for him" and so on. And all of it is for the sake of free choice, as above. And this is: "And God spoke" — the aspect of strict judgment (din), and so on. "And said to him: I am the Lord" — the aspect of mercy (rachamim). That is, He made him know that the Lord is the God (Havayah Hu HaElokim) — that it is all One. For the attribute of mercy and the attribute of judgment are in truth entirely One — only it is impossible to fathom this. For the very essence of the truth of His ways and His attributes, blessed be He, it is impossible to fathom — just as it is impossible to fathom His very being, blessed be He, as above.

And this is: "And I appeared to Avraham, to Yitzchak, and to Yaakov by El Shaddai, but by My name Havayah I was not known to them" (Shemos 6:3). For the essential revelation of the truth of His divinity, blessed be He, came through the patriarchs — Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov. But it is impossible to reveal the emes all at once. For emes must be clarified in this very world of free choice, in every generation and generation, until Moshiach comes — then the emes will be revealed in completeness. For the Blessed Lord is One and His name is One — which is the essential emes, in the aspect of "entirely One, entirely good, entirely holy." But even so, from the side of those who receive, there are many distinctions in the matter of the attainment of His truth, blessed be He — each person according to his toil in His service, blessed be He. And this is the aspect of "her husband is known in the gates — to each according to how he measures in his heart" (Mishlai 31:23) — meaning, according to one's toil to attain His truth, blessed be He, so does one merit to the inner measures of one's heart. As is understood from the Zohar HaKadosh in many places: that there are those who possess "hands and feet" who attain in the aspect called "hands," and so on. And there are those who are "in the king's garments," and so on — "but He Himself does not change in any place," and so on. And each person, according to his attainment of His truth, blessed be He, so is a mystery of one of His names, blessed be He, revealed to him in accordance with his attainment. For there are seven names that are not erased, and among them there are several gradations. And the Name of Havayah, blessed be He, is above all of them, for it is in the aspect of the Name of the Essence. But even all the names — even the Name of Havayah, blessed be He — exist only in the aspect of after-creation: He revealed His names, blessed be He, to the tzaddikim so that they might be able to attain His truth. For before creation He has no name at all, as it is written: "And You have no known name" and so on (Tikunay Zohar, Tikun 17). As is cited in all the books of the Kabbalists. And in the aspect of these matters mentioned above lies the distinction between the levels of the tzaddikim — in that even though all of them know and recognize His truth, blessed be He, that He is entirely One, entirely good, and so on, even so there is a great distinction among them, as above. And in proportion to the distinction between them, so each one attains a name from His names, blessed be He, as above.

And this is: "And I appeared to Avraham by El Shaddai" — which is a holy and awesome Name. But this Name is also shared with the angels, as it is said: "Behold I am sending an angel before you" and so on — "Beware of him, do not defy him, for My name is within him" (Shemos 23:20–21). And our Sages of blessed memory expounded: "Do not exchange Me for him." "For My name is within him" — this is Metatron, whose name is like his Master's name. For Metatron in gematria equals Shaddai, as is cited. That is: the angel attains the truth of His being, blessed be He, from the direction of this Name — to the point that the angel is included within Him, blessed be He, in the aspect of this Name, and is called by His name. But there one must take care not to err into thinking that this attainment is the very essence of His truth, blessed be He — for regarding this it is said: "Beware of him, do not exchange Me for him." And therefore Moshe did not choose that aspect and said: "If Your Presence does not go" and so on (Shemos 33:15). For all of Moshe's attainment was at a very elevated level — for he attained from the aspect of the Name of the Essence, which is the Name of Havayah, blessed be He. But even the great tzaddikim whose attainment is only in the aspect of this Name — which is the Name Shaddai — they know and are careful not to err, and do not err, heaven forfend, that this is the ultimate attainment. Rather they know that it is impossible to attain the very essence of His truth, blessed be He. And likewise it is impossible to attain the ways of His governance of the world — which operate through His attributes, blessed be He, which are His names as is known. For "His ways are higher than our ways" — for the attainment of the very substance of the emes is hidden and exceedingly sublime.

And this is what the Blessed Lord said to Moshe regarding his saying "Why have You done evil" — consider: to Avraham and all the patriarchs I did not reveal Myself except in the aspect of the Name Shaddai, where there is some grip for the attainment of the angels, as above. But "My name Havayah" — where there is no grip at all for the angels — "was not known to them." And even so, they certainly knew far less of the ways of the truth of My being, blessed be He — and even so they did not have second thoughts about My ways. As our Sages of blessed memory expounded, and as cited in Rashi's commentary there: "I promised them the Land, and when Avraham came to bury Sarah he was compelled to purchase" and so on. And similarly Yitzchak and Yaakov. For they knew that they had not yet attained the very truth of His attributes, blessed be He. But you — to whom I have already revealed the attainment of the Name of the Essence, the Name of Havayah, blessed be He — you wish to know and to understand the ways of the truth of My governance in completeness. But on the contrary: the higher the level of emes one attains, the more one needs to know that one is still far from attaining the very substance of the emes. For the essential emes is only to know that one is far from the very substance of the emes — which is the essential aspect of "the ultimate knowledge is that we cannot know," as above.

And this is: "And I also established My covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan" and so on, "and I also heard the groaning of the children of Israel" and so on (Shemos 6:4–5). That is, He revealed to Moshe that even though He did not reveal His truth, blessed be He, to the patriarchs even to the degree that He revealed it to Moshe — even so, all their toil and exertion was not in vain, heaven forfend. For even so it was specifically they who, through their service, drew down and bequeathed to us the inheritance of our heritage — which is Eretz Yisrael, where the essential attainment of His truth, blessed be He, resides for each and every one of Israel. Only one must wait for this until the first redemption, and afterward until the final redemption. But in the end of all ends, all the conquest of Eretz Yisrael — both the first time and the final time — was entirely through the power of the patriarchs, as is explained throughout the Torah. And likewise you: even though I have revealed to you the attainment of the Name of Havayah, blessed be He — which is the attainment of emes at a higher level — even so you are still unable to attain the ways of the truth of My governance in completeness. Therefore, even though you see in your own emes that Israel will not heed you and will provoke Me and you several times, and even now Paro is refusing to send Israel and has greatly added to the burden of their labor, and Dasan and Aviram have also stood against you — on account of all this you did not wish at first to go on My mission. And even now you cry: "Why is it that You sent me?" and so on. Even so, you are compelled to nullify your thinking against Mine and to go on My mission. For even so you will act and benefit and succeed greatly in your mission — for in the end you will bring them out of Egypt with an upraised hand and give the Torah to Israel. And what will come afterward — one should not have second thoughts about this. For everything you accomplish for the good of Israel is never lost forever.

And the principle is: even though one does not merit to attain the very substance of the emes, even so every true tzaddik accomplishes a very great deal through his service — illuminating in us the holiness of the truth of his Torah according to the generation and according to the time and era, whether during the period of the Temple or not during the period of the Temple. And even every single good point of emes of the most humble among Israel is exceedingly, exceedingly precious in His eyes, blessed be He, and is never lost forever. And what will be done with each and every one — it is impossible for them to fathom. For even the great tzaddikim themselves cannot fathom the ways of His truth, blessed be He, in completeness, as above. And even so all their deeds in emes endure forever and ever, as it is written: "And I will pay their deeds in emes" (Yeshaya 65:7). And likewise every point from the points of emes with which they illuminate us — even in our immense degradation — everything endures forever.

And through all of this — that the Blessed Lord spoke with him and illuminated in him the attainment of the true da'as until he nullified his mind and went on His mission, blessed be He, and accomplished his deeds in emes, and redeemed us from Egypt and gave us the Torah and so on — through all this he understood from afar the enormity of His kindnesses, blessed be He, without end or limit, which it is entirely impossible to fathom. To the point that he understood that even in the very force of the wrath and blazing anger of the Blessed Lord, heaven forfend, even then one must pray to Him, blessed be He. For the very substance of the true intention of His being is entirely impossible to fathom — and whatever way it may be, it is His will that we seek and pray and supplicate before Him. For the very substance of the true essence of His kindness and His mercy is impossible to fathom at all, as above. And therefore after the giving of the Torah, when Israel came to that act of the Golden Calf, to the point that His anger, blessed be He, blazed greatly and He said to destroy them, heaven forfend — then Moshe understood that he must not look upon the plain emes as it appears to human understanding and judgment. For it appeared that certainly the intention of the Blessed Lord was to punish them, heaven forfend, as befitted the severity of that evil deed which warranted their destruction, heaven forfend. But in emes la-amito it is not so. And therefore Moshe strengthened himself then and did not look at any truthful reasonings according to plain understanding — which made it appear that they deserved, heaven forfend, what they deserved. Rather he cast away that emes and strengthened himself greatly in prayer until he became ill, as it is written: "And Moshe implored (vayechal) the Lord" (Shemos 32:11). And as our Sages of blessed memory expounded: he prayed so greatly and extensively until a trembling (achilu) seized him. And then the Blessed Lord was appeased toward Moshe and was consoled from the evil, and so on. And then the Blessed Lord taught him the order of prayer and arranged before him the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy — and there He revealed to him the emes la-amito: that the very substance of His truth, blessed be He, is the multitude of His mercies and His graciousness and the abundance of His kindness forever, which never ceases. For this is the essential emes, as it is written there: "The Lord, the Lord, God, merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and emes" (Shemos 34:6). That is: the aspect of merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness — this is the essential emes of the Blessed Lord. For His mercies are never exhausted forever, as our Sages of blessed memory said: He promised him then that they never return empty — that is, as above. For the essential emes of the Blessed Lord is that His mercies and kindnesses are never exhausted, no matter what. Always, always, prayer and supplication and crying out and calling to the Blessed Lord are effective. For all of this is the opposite of the emes of the angels who, according to their truth, said: "What is man that You should remember him?" and so on. But the tzaddikim — like Moshe and those who follow after him — toiled and exerted themselves until they attained that: after all the provocations with which people provoke Him, blessed be He, still His true mercies are never exhausted. And in every generation there are found tzaddikim and upright ones who follow after them, who constantly strengthen themselves in prayer — and through this they sweeten all the judgments in the world and nullify all evil decrees from Israel and introduce the true da'as into Israel to strengthen themselves in prayer and supplication always. For this is the essential emes la-amito, as it is written: "The Lord is close to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in emes" (Tehillim 145:18). And it is written: "And as for me, may my prayer come to You, O Lord" and so on, "in Your abundant kindness answer me in the emes of Your salvation" (Tehillim 69:14). "In emes" specifically — for I believe that in emes la-amito, even now still You desire to save me. Therefore I strengthen myself and pray: answer me in the emes of Your salvation, as above. And understand well how very greatly one must always strengthen oneself in prayer, no matter what. And this itself is the aspect of the breaking of the Tablets written above (in §28) — for Moshe understood all of this afterward, through what the Blessed Lord hinted to him in the parasha of Va'era and so on, as above.

And this is the aspect of what the Blessed Lord said to Avimelech: "I also knew that you did this with integrity of heart, and I withheld" and so on (Bereshis 20:6). And Rashi explained: it is emes that you did not intend to sin from the outset — but cleanliness of hands is not present here. For the essential emes la-amito one cannot merit except when one is completely clean and pure from all desires — and the essential thing is from the principal desire. For guarding the covenant is in the aspect of emes, in the aspect of "entirely seed of emes" (Yirmiyahu 2:21), as is explained elsewhere. For the essential origin of falsehood is through the turbidity of the blood, as is explained at the beginning of the Torah discourse mentioned above: that it is impossible to say falsehood except by one who makes his blood turbid, and so on — see there. And all desires — and particularly the principal desire — stem from the turbidity of the blood. Therefore when the ba'al davar (adversary) tempts a person to mislead him into some harmful path through his own emes — and particularly when he tempts him to persist in machlokas because of his emes — he must look at himself and ask: am I pure and clean from desires? And in particular from the desire mentioned above? And since he knows within himself that he is not pure — how can he possibly rely upon his own emes, and in particular to pursue a fellow Israelite, all the more so to pursue many? For clear emes, in the aspect of emes la-amito, one merits only through the true tzaddik who is genuinely clean-handed — meaning, clean from all desires, particularly from the principal desire entirely, having no turbidity of blood at all. And only he merits to emes la-amito. All others: the essential emes for them is to know that they are far from attaining the true da'as — and they need only to strengthen themselves in emunah, as above.

And this is what the Blessed Lord said to Avimelech: "I also knew" and so on. For Avimelech considered himself entirely righteous in his own eyes — as if he were a man of emes and Avraham had misled him with his falsehood by saying "she is my sister." Therefore it seemed to him that he had a great claim against the Blessed Lord who had struck him without cause. Therefore he argued and said: "Will You also slay a righteous nation? Did he not say to me: she is my sister? — with the integrity of my heart and the cleanliness of my hands I did this" (Bereshis 20:4–5). It turns out that according to Avimelech's words, he is the man of emes and Avraham is the liar, heaven forfend. The Blessed Lord answered him: "I also knew that you did this with integrity of heart" — for certainly the emes is with you, that you did this in emes and with integrity of heart. But cleanliness of hands is not present here, as Rashi explained, as above. For if you had been clean-handed — that is, if you were not a man of such desire — you certainly would not have come to such a stumbling-block. For from the very foundation of the law, what business did you have asking Avraham whether she was his wife or his sister?! As Avraham truthfully answered when he was asked: "What did you see that you did this?" (Bereshis 20:10) — he answered him: "Because I said: surely there is no fear of God in this place" (Bereshis 20:11). And as Rashi explained: a traveler who comes to a city on account of his wife — they ask him about her, and so on. And since you are such a man of desire and are not clean-handed, your own emes misled you until you took her for yourself. And when the plagues came upon you, you cry out that you are righteous and that Avraham misled you with his falsehood — without heeding the fact that the turbidity of your blood misled you into erring from the path and from attaining emes la-amito. But since even so your intention was not toward a grave prohibition — therefore "I also withheld you from sinning against Me" and so on (Bereshis 20:6). For the Blessed Lord has compassion on a person when He sees that he desires the emes, only that he misleads himself — He has compassion on him and hints to him through His wondrous ways that he should return from his error. But in any case, you must take to heart that you are not clean-handed — and because of this you came to such an error through your own emes.

And this is what is said: "Who shall ascend the mountain of the Lord, and who shall stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted his soul to falsehood (shav)" and so on (Tehillim 24:3–4). "Clean hands and pure heart" specifically — for specifically when one has clean hands, specifically then one merits to the aspect of "pure heart who has not lifted his soul to shav" and so on: that he is saved from shav and sheker and merits to emes la-amito. And only he merits to ascend the mountain of the Lord and to stand in His holy place. And therefore Avraham was compelled to conceal the emes and to say she was his sister — for "it is permitted for tzaddikim to employ cunning against the cunning" (Megillah 13b). For when the tzaddik sees that there is no emes in the world, he is compelled to conceal the emes in various ways in order to save his life. And specifically through this he brings emes into the world. And as Yaakov conducted himself with Lavan and Esav and so on.

And this is the aspect of: it is permitted to deviate from the truth for the sake of peace (mutar l'shanos bidvar ha-shalom). For all machlokas comes from the emes of those who err — or of those who are outright liars — because they are not clean from desires and their blood is very turbid. They invert falsehood into emes and call good evil and evil good, as Yeshayahu cried out: "Woe to those who call good evil and evil good, who make darkness into light and light into darkness, who make the bitter sweet" and so on (Yeshaya 5:20). Therefore the true tzaddik is compelled to deviate and to clothe the emes in various garments in order to draw peace into the world.

And through this there is also resolved what is difficult in the words of the Midrash cited above — which writes there that He cast the emes to the earth because it brought accusations against the creation of man. But why did He not take exception to the shalom (peace), seeing that shalom also brought accusations against the creation of man, as is explained there in the Midrash cited above?! However: the essential accusation of shalom was that man should not be created since he is all quarreling. And in truth all the quarreling and machlokas comes from the emes mentioned above that is not yet pure and clarified as it should be — for each one imagines that the emes is with him, and through this quarreling and machlokas multiply in the world, as above. It follows that the essential corruption of peace — for the sake of which shalom brought accusations against the creation of man — comes from the emes mentioned above that is not yet refined as it should be. And therefore the Blessed Lord took exception only to the emes and cast it to the earth. And this itself is its tikun, as above — for through this, the great tzaddikim will clarify and refine it until they attain emes la-amito — until they know the true extent of His mercy, blessed be He, upon Israel in truth, and judge everything favorably and find a genuine good point in every single one of Israel. And through this they will make peace in the world — for they will draw this path into the world to nullify all the accusations and conflicts that are drawn from the accusation of the angels: from an excess of emes beyond measure. Rather, every person will nullify his thinking against the thinking of the true tzaddikim of emes who attain the truth of His mercy, blessed be He. And each person will look at his fellow and see the good within him and not the evil — for this is the true will of the Blessed Lord, blessed be He. And through this, peace will come about in the world.

It turns out that through casting the emes to the earth, the accusation of the shalom was automatically nullified. For through the casting of the emes mentioned above, the quarreling is automatically nullified and peace is made, as above. And therefore the Blessed Lord cast only the emes and not the shalom — for through the casting of the emes mentioned above, as above, the accusation of the shalom is automatically nullified: the accusation of shalom was because man is all quarreling. But through the casting of the emes as above, the quarreling and machlokas are nullified and peace comes about. For all machlokas is drawn only from an excess of emes beyond measure — which is the emes not yet refined through the true tzaddikim of emes, as above. And this itself is the aspect of: it is permitted to deviate from the truth for the sake of peace — that for the sake of peace one must deviate and distance that emes. For on the contrary, this is the very substance of the emes that the Blessed Lord desires: to change the emes for the sake of peace. For this is the aspect of what the Blessed Lord cast down — the emes that brought accusations against the creation of man, hinting through this that one must cast away and distance such emes as generates accusations and machlokas, as above. It follows that through the casting of the emes, the accusation of the shalom is automatically nullified. And therefore He cast only the emes — in order to reveal that the essential emes is something that no angel can attain, only the true tzaddikim of emes who clarify emes la-amito, as above. And through this all the accusations and quarrels will be automatically nullified, and peace will be drawn into the world. And it will be fulfilled: "Love emes and shalom" (Zekharya 8:19).

And this is the aspect of Havdalah at the conclusion of Shabbos — for it is specifically through this that one draws the holiness of Shabbos into the six weekdays. For Shabbos is in the aspect of the very substance of emes, as our Sages of blessed memory said: even an am ha'aretz (an unlearned person) is afraid to lie on Shabbos. And therefore Shabbos is in the aspect of the ultimate purpose of the World to Come — when after-creation will then be included within before-creation, in the aspect of "father and son as one." For the essential inclusion is through emes, as above in the Torah discourse cited above. And the six weekdays are in the aspect of after-creation, for they are the days of action — the days in which creation emerged from potentiality into actuality. And all of creation was through emes, as it is written: "In the beginning God created" (Bereshis 1:1) — the final letters of which spell "emes." But even so, immediately after creation emerged from potentiality into actuality, an impression was drawn of the grip of falsehood, as above. And therefore there is some grip for falsehood in the six weekdays. And the essential tikun comes through Shabbos — which is the aspect of the true tzaddik, who is "the Shabbos of all the days," who is in the aspect of the very substance of the emes. For one must draw the holiness of Shabbos into the six weekdays. And likewise one must draw the holiness of the true tzaddik upon the entire multitude of the people of Israel — who are in the aspect of chol (the everyday) relative to him — that is, to illuminate among them the emes, which is the essential holiness, as above.

But the essential drawing of the emes — which is the holiness of Shabbos — upon the weekdays, which is the aspect of drawing the holiness of the true tzaddik upon the entire multitude of the people, is specifically through the aspect of Havdalah: through knowing how to make a distinction between the holy and the everyday, between Shabbos and the six days of labor, between the tzaddik and the multitude of the people. For one must know that there is a great distinction between the very substance of the emes of Shabbos — which is the aspect of the true tzaddik — and the emes of the weekdays, which is the aspect of the multitude of the people. For even though their very life and tikun and sustenance all comes through the emes — even so they cannot attain and understand the truth of the da'as of the true tzaddik, which is the aspect of Shabbos. For His thoughts are exceedingly deep. Rather the essential emes of the multitude of the people — the aspect of the weekdays — is to know that they are far from attaining and understanding the truth of the da'as. They need only to strengthen themselves in emunah, as above. And this is the essential emes for them. It follows that specifically through Havdalah one draws the holiness from Shabbos to the weekdays — from the tzaddik to the multitude of the people. Understand this very well.

And this is the aspect of: "Lest they break through to the Lord to see" and so on — "and you shall ascend, you and Aharon" and so on (Shemos 19:24). And Rashi explained: you are your own partition and Aharon is his own partition, and the people should not break through at all to ascend, and so on. That is, as above — for it is certainly impossible to draw close to the partition of the tzaddik's attainment, and it is impossible to understand or attain his da'as. Therefore it is forbidden to have second thoughts about him. And this is the aspect of the prohibition against strangers (zarim) coming close to the holy in the Beis HaMikdash and in the Mishkan. For the essential holiness is the emes, as above. And in every place where His truth, blessed be He, shines more intensely, there is greater holiness. But not every person is capable of drawing close and approaching this holiness of the emes. For the very substance of the emes — which is the attainment of His truth, blessed be He — it is impossible to attain. Rather every person must stand at his own place and his own partition and cleave to the path of emes according to his own level. And this is the essential emes for him: not to break through to approach what is not fitting for him — for "into what is hidden from you, do not inquire" and so on (Ben Sira 3:21). It follows that the essential drawing of the holiness which is the emes from Shabbos to the chol — from the tzaddik to the multitude — is specifically through the aspect of Havdalah, as above. And this is the mystery of Havdalah at the conclusion of Shabbos — that specifically through this one draws the holiness of Shabbos into the weekdays, as cited above.

And this is how our Sages of blessed memory derived the law of Havdalah over wine at the conclusion of Shabbos from the parasha of the wine-intoxicated (shesuay yayin) (Vayikra 10:8–11) — which was stated to Aharon immediately after the death of his sons who had gone beyond the boundary and broken through to ascend to the Lord and entered to offer incense within the sanctuary without authorization. For this is the aspect of the blemish mentioned above: the blemish of the emes that is not yet fully refined. For Nadav and Avihu were exceedingly great and awesome tzaddikim, as our Sages of blessed memory said. And certainly their intention was for the sake of Heaven in emes — for they desired to draw close to the Blessed Lord, and they imagined that through this they would be able to bring all of Israel to the ultimate purpose. And as our Sages of blessed memory said: Moshe and Aharon were walking, and Nadav and Avihu were behind them, and they said: "When will these die and we — I and you — will lead the generation" and so on (Sanhedrin 52a). And certainly their intention was not, heaven forfend, for the sake of their own honor, but genuinely for the sake of Heaven. But even so they erred greatly in this, as is made explicit in the Torah and in the words of our Sages of blessed memory. For in the matter of the emes mentioned above that is not yet refined, even great tzaddikim stumble at times. And from this come all the errors cited in the words of our Sages of blessed memory concerning the errors made by the great tzaddikim — for it was all through the blemish of the emes mentioned above, as above.

And therefore after the death of the two sons of Aharon, the parasha of the wine-intoxicated was stated immediately — and there the mystery of Havdalah is alluded to, as it is written there: "And to distinguish between the holy" and so on (Vayikra 10:10). From this our Sages of blessed memory derived the law of Havdalah at the conclusion of Shabbos, as above. For the essential aspect of Havdalah is to distinguish between the clarified emes — which is the aspect of Shabbos — and the emes of the weekdays. And the essential tikun is specifically through Havdalah: through knowing that one is far from the very substance of the emes of the aspect of Shabbos — which is the aspect of the pure, refined emes of the choicest of the tzaddikim who aim at emes la-amito and so on, as above. And therefore the matter of Havdalah was juxtaposed to the death of Aharon's sons — for they blemished in this: they broke through to approach the holiness which is the aspect of emes beyond their own level. And even though it appeared to them that their intention was toward the emes — even so they erred in this, as is made explicit in the Torah. It turns out that they blemished in the aspect of the mystery of Havdalah, as above. Therefore the verse "And to distinguish" was juxtaposed to their death, as above.

And this itself is the aspect of the prohibition against wine-intoxicated kohanim entering the Sanctuary — which was juxtaposed to their death. And our Sages of blessed memory said that it was wine-intoxicated kohanim who entered the Sanctuary — for this is the essential aspect of the prohibition of wine-intoxication. This is the aspect of the prohibition of drunkenness, against which our Sages of blessed memory warned exceedingly regarding the gravity of its prohibition. For through drinking wine and becoming drunk, one's da'as is blemished and one breaks through to ascend beyond one's own partition — in the aspect of "wine entered, secret departed" (nikhnas yayin yatza sod). And this is the aspect of the confusion of mind and the madness that drunkards speak — for through the da'as departing from its vessels and breaking through to ascend beyond the boundary, one's mind becomes entirely confused and one speaks words of foolishness, if one is not a person of great da'as. And even a person of great da'as, who does not speak foolishness at the time of his drunkenness, can even so blemish greatly through drunkenness — for he breaks through to ascend beyond the boundary, as above — and through this he deviates from the emes. And therefore a drunk person is forbidden to render halachic decisions (hora'ah), for he is unable to aim at and clarify the hora'ah in emes. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory also said, and it is already known, regarding the drunkard that all roads become for him like a level plain (mishor) — for he deviates greatly from the emes through wine-drinking, and it appears to him as if all the emes is with him, as one sees with one's own senses. And therefore this prohibition was juxtaposed to the death of Aharon's sons — for they blemished in this, as above.

And therefore the parasha of the Yom Kippur Avodah begins with the matter of the death of Aharon's sons, as it is written — and it is already known — "After the death of the two sons of Aharon when they drew near before the Lord and died, and He said: and let him not come at all times into the holy place... With this shall Aharon come into the holy place" and so on (Vayikra 16:1–3). For the entire Avodah of Yom Kippur — through which the Blessed Lord forgives the sins of Israel each year — is through the aspect of the pure, refined emes of the Blessed Lord Himself, mentioned above, which none can attain except the choicest of the great tzaddikim, each according to his own aspect. For if one relies on the plain emes, there is no remedy for the sinner — as our Sages of blessed memory said, and as it is already known: they asked Wisdom and so on, and it said: "the soul that sins, it shall die" and so on (Yerushalmi Makos 2:6). And this is the aspect of the emes of the angels mentioned above who brought accusations against the creation of man — for according to their emes there is no remedy for the sinner, and they saw that man would sin against Him, blessed be He. Therefore they brought accusations against his creation. And in truth, according to plain understanding, the emes inclines in that direction. But they did not know the true extent of His mercy, blessed be He — which is the very substance of the emes that it is impossible to attain, as above — and from there the forgiveness of Israel's sins on Yom Kippur is drawn.

But not every person can enter into this holiness of the emes — for even the Kohen Gadol was warned that he must not come at all times into the holy, but only "with this" and so on, only on Yom Kippur. For to such an emes — which is in the aspect of the holiness of the Holy of Holies, the innermost of the innermost — it is impossible to enter except on Yom Kippur, through the order of the Avodah that the Blessed Lord commanded. And then one can draw down the forgiveness of sins — which is drawn from the aspect of the very substance of the truth of His mercy, blessed be He — the aspect of "abundant in lovingkindness and emes." And therefore the entire matter is juxtaposed to the parasha of the death of Aharon's sons — for they blemished in this, as above.

And this is what was juxtaposed afterward: the parasha of arayos (forbidden sexual relations), which begins: "Like the deeds of the land of Egypt" and so on, "and like the deeds of the land of Canaan" and so on, "and in their statutes you shall not walk" — and it is already known. And we read this on Yom Kippur at Mincha. And this is the aspect of Aharon placing lots upon the two goats (se'irim) — one lot for the Lord and one lot for Azazel (Vayikra 16:8). For the essential tikun of sins is through the tzaddik — who is in the aspect of the Kohen Gadol — who can enter into the beginning of creation and sweeten and nullify the most subtle and delicate grip of falsehood that took hold there. This is the aspect of the avodah of the great tzaddikim on Rosh Hashana and so on, as above, at the beginning of this Torah discourse. And from there comes the forgiveness of sins on Yom Kippur — for the Kohen Gadol needed to ascend to the aspect of the beginning of creation, where the grip of falsehood cannot be recognized at all.

And this is the aspect of the two se'irim that were identical in appearance and in height and so on — and even so they needed to distinguish between them and to bring one up for the Lord and one for Azazel. And therefore it was necessary to elevate them very high — to the aspect of the beginning of creation mentioned above — and to cast lots upon them. For it is impossible to clarify the emes from the grip of falsehood in that place except through the Blessed Lord Himself — which is the aspect of the lot that issues from the Blessed Lord Himself, determining which is for the Lord and which is for Azazel. For the lot clarifies between them. And through this specifically the grip of falsehood is sweetened and nullified at the very beginning of its root — and through this the sins of Israel are forgiven, which are drawn through falsehood whose essential grip lies at the very beginning of when creation emerged from potentiality into actuality. For there it is impossible to clarify the pure emes from the grip of falsehood except through the lot that issues from the Blessed Lord Himself, as above.

And this is: "Like the deeds of the land of Egypt" and so on, "you shall not do, and like the deeds of the land of Canaan you shall not do, and in their statutes you shall not walk" (Vayikra 18:3). For the essential principle from all the above is that emes is the essential thing, and the emes is One — for it is impossible to say emes except One, as above. And as is explained well in the Torah discourse "Amar Rabbi Akiva" cited above. But the very substance of the emes is very difficult to attain, as above. Therefore the essential emes of most of the world is only to know that it is impossible to attain the very substance of the emes through da'as — but one needs only to strengthen oneself in emunah, as above. And as is explained from this elsewhere, and as is already known, as above.

But one who does not merit to the emes in truth — who only misleads himself as if he desires the emes, but whose intention is toward his own benefit, such as honor and other desires — he can err greatly through his own emes, as above. And this is the aspect of the error of Avimelech mentioned above, who said: "With the integrity of my heart and the cleanliness of my hands I did this" and so on. As above. And not only can he err through his own emes into confused paths — but he can also come to false beliefs (emunos kozoyviyos) through his confused emes. And this is the aspect of all the false beliefs of the nations (akum) who are very strong in their beliefs — and even so it is all falsehood and sheker. For all their belief is drawn from desires and honor. And this matter occurs in every generation and generation, and it is very understandable to one who is somewhat versed in the events of the generations that are cited in books.

And therefore in the earlier generations there were various forms of idolatry that involved much licentiousness in their practice — and those forms of idolatry were very strong among them. And even afterward when they became somewhat wiser and abolished those specific idolatrous forms, even so the other false beliefs that are close to desire and honor are still strong among them. And all of it is because of desire and honor — through which they deviated from the true emes and imagined that the emes was with them, until they came to false beliefs. And one who deviates from the emes to false beliefs — it is exceedingly difficult to bring him back to the emes. For the emes is in the aspect of da'as — attaining the emes regarding some matter, such as attaining the emes in the movements of the celestial spheres and the like, or attaining the emes that this one is righteous and that one is wicked. And even in this there are many errors, as above — as one sees with one's senses: that many investigated deeply in the science of astronomy and it appeared to them that this was the emes. And then the scholar Copernicus arose and made a new astronomical system, and now they say this is the emes — and who knows if it is truly so? And many of their scholars dispute this greatly. All the more so we ourselves, whose hearts are very, very far from his confused opinion.

And likewise sometimes it appears that one has attained the emes — that this one is righteous and that one is wicked — and in truth it is the opposite. But one who errs through emes: even though it is very difficult to bring him back to the emes la-amito, there is still hope to bring him back, for one can clarify for him through various reasonings and proofs that the emes is not as he thinks — only great exertions are needed for this, as above. But one who deviates from the emes to the point that his confused emes brings him to false beliefs — it is exceedingly more difficult to bring him back to the emes and the true upright emunah. For emunah is something without reason and da'as — for where one understands the reason through da'as, that is not emunah, as is known and as is explained in his writings, of blessed memory. Rather the essential emunah depends on the emes, as above: for through the emes one understands that one must believe in this. And therefore when the emes is confused and mistaken and has erred so greatly as to arrive at false beliefs, it is very difficult to bring him back — for even if one clarifies for him through many proofs and true reasonings that the matter is not so, he will turn and say: "I nullify my da'as and I believe in this with complete emunah without any reason or da'as" — for this is indeed the definition of genuine emunah, as above. And because of this, it is in truth difficult to clarify the emes in the world. And therefore the emes is cast to the ground and the emes becomes flocks and flocks, and each one says that the emes is with him.

For in truth, in holiness — in the place where there is the point of pure and refined emes — the matter of emunah there is a great elevation. And this is the aspect of the excellence of the children of Israel who are ma'aminim b'nei ma'aminim — believers the children of believers. For we believe in the Lord our God of truth and in His holy Torah in emunah alone, without any philosophical investigations or wisdoms at all. For we have already seen great emes through all the signs and wonders and so on that Moshe performed before the eyes of all Israel — and through the wondrous delights of our holy Torah with which He graced us. And even though even so it is impossible to understand or attain Him, blessed be He, and it is impossible to answer any of the objections of the investigators — on this we are steadfast in emunah. For we do not need to answer or resolve anything at all — for it is impossible to resolve, for "as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His ways higher than our ways" and so on. And as our master, teacher and rebbe, of blessed memory, said: that regarding the Blessed Lord there must necessarily be questions (kushyos) and so on — as is explained in §55 of Likutay Tinyana — see there.

But one who does not merit to the true upright emunah and falls into false beliefs — then that blemish of false beliefs is the worst of all. For it is then exceedingly more difficult to bring him back — since he believes in the sheker, namely the confused and erring emes without reason, as above. And this is the matter of: "If he merited — ezer (helper); if he did not merit — ke-negdo (against him)" — which we mentioned above in §22, though we did not explain it well there. For it is already explained there that emes and emunah are in the aspect of man and woman as is cited. And regarding this it is said: "It is not good for man to be alone, I will make him a helper corresponding to him." That is: it is not good for the emes to be alone, for it is impossible to attain the very substance of the emes, as above. And therefore "I will make him a helper" — which is the emunah — for the essential sustenance of the emes is through it. And likewise the essential sustenance of the emunah is through the emes: for one who looks at the emes la-amito without biases and misleadings of the desires and honor of this world and so on, will be able to understand from afar in whom it is fitting to believe, as above. And this is: "If he merited — ezer." If he did not merit — ke-negdo." Namely: "he merited" refers to one whose emes is pure and clear — who looks at the emes in emes, and looks only at the eternal purpose in truth, and does not mislead himself. Then the emunah is certainly a helper for him — for the essential sustenance and vitality comes through emunah, as our Sages of blessed memory said: Chavakuk came and established them all upon one principle: "the tzaddik shall live by his emunah!" (Makos 24a). For the very substance of the emes is impossible to understand through da'as — one needs only to strengthen oneself in emunah through the emes, as above.

But "he did not merit" — one whose emes is not pure and who misleads himself as if he desires the emes, but in truth he is drawn only after the honor of the world and its desires and so on. Then the emunah is ke-negdo (against him). For through the impure emes he arrives at false beliefs — which is the aspect of "against him." For false emunah is in the aspect of "a wicked woman — more bitter than death" (Koheles 7:26). For she misleads and pushes him further away — for it is no longer possible to speak with him, since he says: "I believe without da'as and reason," as above. And in truth all of it is drawn through his desires and honor and so on, as above.

And this is the warning of the verse: "Like the deeds of the land of Egypt" and so on, "you shall not do, and in their statutes you shall not walk." Their "statutes" (chukim) are false beliefs that have no reason in them — be careful and guard yourselves from walking in them. And this depends on being careful not to do like the deeds of Egypt and the deeds of the land of Canaan and so on. That is: do not be entangled after their desires — and the essential one is the desire of licentiousness (ta'avas ni'uf). And not only were they sunken in this desire exceedingly — but they even made for themselves statutes and false beliefs that were related to this. Through which they were even stronger in their desires, to the point that they could fulfill their desires without shame. And the verse warns Israel not to mislead themselves in this, heaven forfend. For this one depends on the other: according to how much one is careful from the deeds of Egypt and so on, so is one distant from their statutes and their false beliefs. And conversely: according to how much one distances oneself from their statutes and their false beliefs, so is one distant from their desires. And therefore the Torah prohibited walking in their statutes — such as their customs and their ways, even if there is no prohibition in them and no idolatry. For since the nations made this a statute for themselves, it is certainly related to their desires — for their statutes are drawn from their false beliefs, and therefore it is forbidden to Israel with a stringent prohibition.

And this is: "My mishpatim you shall do and my chukim you shall keep to walk in them" and so on, "which a man shall do and live by them" and so on (Vayikra 18:4–5). For mishpatim and chukim are in the aspect of emes and emunah — for mishpatim are those things whose reason one can understand, which is the aspect of da'as, the aspect of emes, as above. And chukim are things that have no reason in them — which is the aspect of emunah, as above. And the verse warns us to walk only in the mishpatim and chukim that He commanded us — which are the essential pure emes and the true, upright, genuine emunah. Through which one merits to distance oneself from the desires of this world and to cleave to Him, blessed be He. But from false beliefs — which are their statutes — one must distance oneself greatly, as above. And this is: "which a man shall do and live by them" — and not die through them. For even within the mishpatim and chukim of the holy Torah there are various paths and distinctions of opinion from which all the strife in the world is drawn. And therefore the verse warns: "which a man shall do and live by them" — and not die through them (Yoma 85b). Which is as our Sages of blessed memory said: "if he merited, it becomes for him a potion of life; if he did not merit, it becomes for him a potion of death." For from this it follows that there are found among the children of Israel some who have deviated from the emes and say that all the emes is with them — and it is impossible to clarify all of this. But one who does not mislead himself and looks at the eternal purpose in emes la-amito can understand the emes from afar and merit to complete emunah — to know who the true tzaddikim and upright ones are, and to whom it is fitting to attach oneself. And may the Lord God of emes give emes to Yaakov and guide us in the path of emes, until we merit to draw close to Him, blessed be He, in emes, Amen — so may it be His will. And therefore all of this was juxtaposed to the parasha of the Yom Kippur Avodah, and we also read this on Yom Kippur. For the essential kapparah and selichah of Yom Kippur is drawn from the very substance of the emes, as above.

And this is the aspect of the prohibition of divination and omens (me'onen u-menachesh), as it is written: "You shall not divine and you shall not practice omens" (Vayikra 19:26). For it is already explained at the beginning of the discourse (in §1) that the essential grip of falsehood is from the multitude of changes — whose essential source is through time, as above. And as is explained there in §17 — see there. For this is the essential excellence and completeness of emes when one merits to clarify the emes specifically in the place of multiplicity — where there is the greatest multitude of changes. For the emes is One, and this is the essential excellence of man: to reveal the simple Unity which is the very substance of the emes from within varied actions specifically, as above. And for this reason Israel — the holy people — bless and praise the Blessed Lord at every change of times and seasons: in the morning with Yotzer Or, and in the evening with Ma'ariv Aravim. And this is why these blessings were instituted — over the change of times, in the blessings of Krias Shema — which seems puzzling at first glance: what connection do these blessings have to the matter of Krias Shema? But according to the above it is well explained.

For at every time when there is a change — such as in the morning when the sun rises, and in the evening when it sets and so on — from which falsehood could take hold, since the essential grip of falsehood is in the changes which are essentially a matter of time, as above — therefore specifically at the time of the change of time one must give thanks and praise and bless the Blessed Lord. That is: in the morning Yotzer Or and so on, and in the evening Ma'ariv Aravim and so on — to declare and to reveal that every change of time comes from Him, blessed be He, alone. As we say: "Who by His word brings on the evenings... and with understanding He changes the times and alternates the seasons and arranges the stars" and so on. And in the morning we say: "Who forms light and creates darkness" and so on, "and in His goodness renews each day continually the work of creation" and so on. And through all of this we declare that all the changes encompassed in the change of times — all of them come from Him, blessed be He, alone. For all varied actions are drawn from the simple One, blessed be He. And therefore they fixed there the paragraph of Krias Shema — which is the emunah of the Unity: where we acknowledge and declare that the Blessed Lord is One and Unique and United — which is the very substance of the emes. And as we conclude the paragraph of Krias Shema: "The Lord your God is emes." And we say Emes V'Yatziv in the morning, and Emes V'Emunah in the evening. And therefore they fixed all of this alongside Birkas HaMeoros at morning and evening — for this is the excellence of the emes which is the emunah of the Unity that we acknowledge and declare in Krias Shema. For the essential completeness is when one reveals the simple Unity from within varied actions specifically, as above. Therefore our Sages of blessed memory, in their holy spirit, fixed everything in a correct and wondrous order: that in the morning when there is a great change from darkness to light and the sun rises, and likewise in the evening when the sun sets — one must then give thanks to the Blessed Lord for this and declare and reveal that every change of time — within which all changes are encompassed, as above — all of it comes from Him, blessed be He, alone. For He, blessed be He, in His goodness renews each day continually the work of creation. And therefore they fixed there the paragraph of Krias Shema, which is the emunah of the Unity. For this is the essential completeness of emunah: to believe in all the changes specifically — that all of them are drawn from the simple One, blessed be His name, as above.

And likewise each month there is a great change — the renewal of the moon. Therefore our Sages of blessed memory instituted Kiddush Levanah: to fix a special blessing on this wondrous change. And therefore the blessing of Kiddush Levanah is very great and precious and important — for the change of the month is certainly greater than the daily change. Therefore they instituted for us then a most wondrous and awesome blessing: "Who with His utterance created the heavens" and so on (blessing of Kiddush Levanah) — to reveal and to declare that this entire great change of the moon that waxes and wanes each month — upon which depend countless changes that occur in the world — all of it comes from Him, blessed be He, alone, as above. And therefore the blessing mentions "poel emes" — His work is emes — and "to the moon He said that it should renew itself" and so on. For the essential praise of this blessing is the revelation of the truth of the emes from within such a great change, as above.

And this is the aspect of the greatness of Rosh Hashana. For it is because on Rosh Hashana the change of time is the greatest of all — for then the time changes from year to year. And also then was the creation of the world — when creation emerged from potentiality into actuality and the aspect of "years" (shanim) came into being, within which all changes in the world are encompassed. And therefore it is called shanah — from the language of shinuy (change). Therefore on Rosh Hashana the avodah is very great and immense — to the point that a simple person cannot complete his avodah alone and many from Israel need to gather together, as is the custom of all Israel: to gather together in synagogues and houses of study. And the essential thing is to come to the true tzaddikim of emes — for only they know the wonders of the avodah of Rosh Hashana: to clarify and reveal the truth of the emes from within such a great change. And therefore on Rosh Hashana one adds in every Shemoneh Esreh the revelation of His divinity and His malkhus over us — to crown Him and to accept His dread and fear and awe upon us. That is: what one adds in the blessing "Atah Kadosh" by saying "u-v'khen tein pachdekha" and so on ("and therefore place Your dread" and so on). And we request: "May You alone reign, O Lord, over all Your works, and so on, and may every being know that You created it and every creature understand that You formed it" and so on. And likewise on Rosh Hashana one multiplies in this matter with an abundance of prayers and songs and praises and piyutim — all to unify Him, blessed be He, and to crown Him over us. For this is the essential avodah of Rosh Hashana — when the changes are the greatest of all, as above. Therefore one must engage especially in revealing the emes from within the many changes specifically. For this is the essential excellence of the revelation of the emes, as above. And therefore on Rosh Hashana one concludes every tefillah with "for You are God of emes and Your word is emes" and so on. For this is the essential avodah of Rosh Hashana: to reveal the very substance of the emes in the world — that the Lord is God, to accept the yoke of His malkhus and His dread and His fear upon us, as above.

And those who practice divination and omens are the very opposite of all this. For in their falsehoods they attribute all the events that happen to a person to the change of time and to the other changes that occur in the world. And they say: "such-and-such a time is auspicious to begin" and so on — as if everything were governed, heaven forfend, according to the order of times and seasons. And likewise with the other changes in the world — such as one's bread falling from his mouth, or a deer crossing his path along the way and so on — as if, heaven forfend, events and occurrences were drawn from the changes that come about according to the array of the constellations. This is the essential denial and sheker that grips hold in the changes, as above. And therefore the Torah prohibited us with a stringent prohibition from going in this path at all — for "not in these is our portion." For on the contrary: we believe that every change of time and every change in the world comes from the specific supervision of the Blessed Lord — and there is no sign or omen in the world at all. For who knows His intention, blessed be He, in each and every day and time and hour? For His thoughts, blessed be He, are very deep. Therefore we are forbidden to practice divination and omens at all. Rather, on the contrary: at every change of time and every change in the world, we are required to give thanks and praise and bless the Blessed Lord. And the greater the change, the more we must praise and bless Him, as above. For this is the essential excellence of the revelation of the emes when one reveals the emes from within the multitude of changes specifically — for this is what man was created for, as above.

And therefore Moshiach Tzidkeynu — through whom the essential revelation of the emes throughout the entire world will come — he will therefore come specifically at the end of days, after time has already greatly multiplied and extended far from the beginning of the creation of the world until that time when he will come speedily in our days. And likewise human beings have already multiplied greatly, and the da'as and wisdoms have multiplied exceedingly — and this is the essential multiplicity and change. From all of this falsehood has taken a very strong grip, to the point that it cast the emes to the ground, and God-fearers have become despised, and Israel is in great degradation and so on. And then specifically will the greatness of the stature of Moshiach be seen — that he will reveal the emes, specifically then, from within such many changes as these. And it will then be fulfilled: "Emes will sprout from the earth, and the speech of emes will be established forever" and so on (Tehillim 85:12) — speedily in our days, Amen.

And this is the aspect of the prohibition of tattoo inscription (kesoves ka'aka). For writing (k'sav) is for the sake of emes and to repel falsehood — that is, in a place where there is concern of change and sheker, one writes a document so that the liar can no longer change his position and claim falsehood. But in truth, against the deceiver and liar even a document is of no help, as one sees with one's own senses — for the deceiver and liar can exchange positions ten times even against a written document, claiming some false and deceptive argument and saying that such was the writer's intention. And this is the aspect of: "their mouths spoke shav (falsehood), and their right hand is a right hand of sheker" (Tehillim 144:8) — "their right hand" — which is the aspect of writing, which is also done by the right hand — is also sheker, as above. And therefore the essential thing is one who has genuine faithfulness in emes and in simplicity — only with him is it possible to engage, whether in business matters or in matters of Torah and musar. For the essential emes is in the heart: that one not mislead oneself — in the aspect of "and speaking emes in his heart" (Tehillim 15:2). And as our Sages of blessed memory said: the heart knows whether it is for straightness or for crookedness and so on.

And therefore our holy Torah was given in writing and orally — which are the aspects of emes and emunah. For the Written Torah (Torah shebikhtav) is the aspect of emes, the aspect of "written upright — words of emes" (Koheles 12:10). But even so, from the Written Torah alone one cannot know the truth of the Torah — for in the Torah no laws of any commandment are explained, and one does not know how to lay tefillin and so on, or the other laws of the Torah — except through the Oral Torah (Torah sheba'al peh), which is the aspect of emunah, in the aspect of "I declare Your emunah with my mouth" (Tehillim 89:2) — that is, the emunah of the Sages (emunah chakhomim). For we are required to believe in the true Sages according to how they explained to us all the laws and paths of the Torah. For the essential grip of the confused emes — from which come all the liars and deceivers in the world, in the aspect of "any sheker that has no emes at its beginning cannot endure" and so on — its essential grip comes from the aspect of writing. Writing is for the sake of emes so that they will not be able to change anything once it is all written in writing. But from there come all their lies — for they make many changes and offer interpretations and explanations of the writing as they wish, according to their falsehoods.

And therefore the nations of the world (akum) study only the Written Torah — for from there their falsehoods take root, since they separate and divide the Written Torah from the Oral Torah and do not believe in the true Sages — who are the Sages of the Talmud, who explained the entire Torah to us well in emes. Therefore they interpret the Torah as they wish and reveal aspects of the Torah not in accordance with the law, as is known. And therefore in all their legal matters and judgments they are exceedingly stringent that everything must be specifically in writing — and they accept no statement from great or small, neither from the claimant nor from the judge, except specifically in writing. And all of it is for the sake of emes, so that they will not be able to change anymore. But this emes is far, far too much — and from there comes the grip of the sheker. As one sees with one's own senses: that after they multiply the writings and all the words are written, even so they are full of sheker and they exchange positions ten times and interpret the writing as they wish, and so on — as all of this is known. For the essential emes is One, not many, as above. For the essential thing is that the judge judge the judgment of emes la-amito, as above. And the matter is entrusted to the heart — and He Who probes hearts knows whose intention is in emes la-amito. But through the multitude of writings it is impossible to clarify the emes — on the contrary, from there comes the grip of the sheker, as above.

And this is the aspect of the prohibition of tattoo inscription (kesoves ka'aka) — that the Amorites used to practice: writing and incising upon their flesh the letters of writing pertaining to the ways of their false beliefs. And all of it was in order to strengthen their confused emes — to show that they are so cleaved to their beliefs that they engrave and incise upon their flesh a writing pertaining to their belief. And in truth this is the very essence of their falsehood and their lies. For their grip is specifically upon writing — which belongs to the world of asiyah (action), as is known — where their grip is the strongest, as is known. And therefore they engrave the writing upon their flesh. For the essential grip of falsehood is upon the flesh of the body — where all the desires take hold. The aspect of: "the serpent's dominion is over the flesh" (nachash shultanei al bishrah) — for the serpent is the essential deceiver and liar, from whom come all the falsehoods and deceptions in the world, in the aspect of "and the serpent was cunning" and so on (Bereshis 3:1), who misled Adam and Chavah and all the generations after them. And the essential dominion is over bishrah — over the flesh of the body — where all the desires are found, which mislead a person through many deceits and invert sheker into emes and emes into sheker. And all of it because of the desire of the body — through the desires of the body and its vanities the emes is inverted in one's eyes, until one says that this is the emes. And as is explained a little above (in §34). And therefore the Torah forbade us all of this — namely, the prohibition of tattoo inscription. For we are forbidden to bring letters of writing to engrave and incise them upon the flesh of the body — for from there comes the essential grip of the falsehood that takes hold from an excess of emes beyond measure, as above. Which is the aspect of the writing: that one wishes to engrave the emes in writing and to incise it upon the flesh of the body so that the emes will be engraved within it. And all of it is sheker and lies. For on the contrary, from there comes the essential grip of the sheker, as above. For the essential emes must be written and engraved in the heart in emes la-amito, in the aspect of "write them upon the tablet of your heart" and so on (Mishlai 7:3), as above. But not to engrave it upon the flesh of the body in physical materiality — for this is the aspect of an excess of emes beyond measure, which is the essential sheker, as above.

And this is the aspect of the "perushim nokfei perushim koza'ei" and so on — which our Sages of blessed memory mentioned (Sotah 22b): who showed their emes to everyone beyond measure — which is the essential sheker. For the emes is only One, not many. And its essential root is in the inwardness of the heart, where one does not mislead oneself. And as we say every day in the morning: "Let a person always be God-fearing in private" and so on, "and acknowledge the emes and speak emes in his heart" and so on. And the essential thing is through genuinely nullifying oneself — in the aspect of "what are we, what is our life, what is our kindness" and so on, "for most of our deeds are emptiness, and the days of our life are vanity before You" and so on. For only through this does one merit to emes la-amito: when one genuinely nullifies oneself and has no intention whatsoever for one's own benefit, as above.

And this is the aspect of: "There shall not be a man's implement upon a woman, nor shall a man wear a woman's garment" (Devarim 22:5). For man and woman are the aspect of emes and emunah, as above. And one must take care not to exchange their implements and their garments — lest one stumble upon a strange woman, heaven forfend — which is the aspect of denial and false beliefs. For emes is the aspect of da'as, as above, and emunah is something without reason. But the essential emunah comes through the emes, in the aspect of "when tzedek combines with emes" and so on (Tikunay Zohar). For one who desires the emes la-amito understands in whom one must believe, as above. But one who misleads himself and is entangled after the vanities of the world, who has biases of honor and money and the desires of this world — he exchanges and inverts the order. For in truth: whatever human intelligence can understand regarding a commandment — one should understand the matter clearly. And what it is impossible to understand, one must rely on emunah. As is stated in the Torah: "And God led" and so on (Shemos 13:18). And this is the aspect of emes and emunah, as above.

And the essential thing is that everything be in emes la-amito. And all of this it is impossible to explain in writing or orally — for the essential completeness of the emes and the emunah is for each one according to how he measures in his heart, as I heard from his holy mouth, of blessed memory. But those who deviate from the emes because of the vanities of the world, as above — they invert the order. And in the place where emes is needed — that is, the aspect of da'as to understand the matter clearly — they say they nullify their da'as and rely on emunah. And in the place where emunah is needed, they say they desire only to understand the emes with their da'as. And this is the aspect of the prohibition: "there shall not be a man's implement upon a woman" — in the place where emunah is needed, which is the aspect of woman as above, there shall not be upon it a man's implement — which is the aspect of emes, the aspect of da'as — so that one not break through to investigate there and understand the matter with one's da'as. And conversely: "nor shall a man wear a woman's garment" — in the place where it is possible to understand the emes, which is the aspect of man — the aspect of "gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one, in your glory and your splendor, and in your splendor ride forth for the sake of emes and humility and righteousness" and so on (Tehillim 45:4–5) — which was said regarding the true Torah scholar who wages the war of Torah and clarifies the paths of Torah in emes la-amito, as Rashi explained there: this was said regarding the war of Torah, and for this reason he is called a "man" (gever). And the Torah forbade him to wear a woman's garment — which is the aspect of emunah. For in the place where one can clarify the emes through da'as, one must clarify it according to the ways of the Torah — and not invert the true emes and da'as and lie about the emes through a false and deceptive emunah.

And all of this it is impossible to clarify except for one who desires the emes la-amito and does not mislead himself — he can understand, according to how he measures in his heart, where the true da'as is that it is fitting to rely upon. Since he sees that one reveals such true da'as. And what it is impossible to understand — he certainly must nullify his da'as before it and rely on emunah, as above. But not the reverse, heaven forfend — to despise the true da'as and to nullify one's thinking against foolishness where no true intellect is seen.

And may the Lord God of emes teach emes and give emes to Yaakov, and guide us in the path of emes la-amito all the days of our lives forever — Amen and Amen.

It is forbidden to dress in their garments on account of the statute of the nations (chukkas ha-akum), and likewise all other similar matters — see there. For Israel is a holy people who were raised above all the seventy nations and merited to draw near to the Blessed Lord. And the essential distinction between Israel and the nations is only through the guarding of the bris (covenant) — as it is written: "And your people Israel are all tzaddikim" (Yeshayahu 60:21). For Israel are called "all of them tzaddikim" in the aspect of the guardians of the bris — for through this comes the essential closeness of Israel to their Father in Heaven, as is explained in the discourse "Hayye man d'azil l'minsav," in §29 of Likutay, Part One — see there. And likewise this teaching is cited in many places in the words of Rabbaynu, of blessed memory — see there.

And therefore Israel must be separate (perushim) and distinguished (muvdalim) from the seventy nations in all matters — whether in eating and drinking, and whether in their garments. And the garments of a person hint at the character traits (middos) of the person, as is cited in the Sefer HaAlef-Beis, letter Begadim (Garments) — for one's clothing corresponds to the tikun (rectification) of the bris of each individual, and upon this all the character traits depend, as is known. See in the discourse §29 cited above, which explains that the essential tikun of garments is that they should be in the aspect of white garments (begadim levanim) — as it is written: "At all times let your garments be white" (Koheles 9:8). And this depends on the tikun of the bris — which is the totality of the sinews (kelaliyus ha-gidin) — see there.

And therefore Israel are distinguished in their garments from all the seventy nations, and they have various commandments pertaining to garments — such as tzitzis and sha'atnez. For the garments of Israel are exceedingly precious — as it is written: "And the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon" (Shir HaShirim 4:11). For the essential holiness of Israel — which is the guarding of the bris — is dependent upon and visible through the garments, as above. For the garments of Israel are in the aspect of white garments, as above. And therefore Israel merited the tikun of the garments — that is, the commandment of tzitzis — which is the tikun of the garments, and which is in the aspect of white garments, in the aspect of a white tallis (tallis lavan). This is the opposite of the blemish of the bris (pegam ha-bris) — for from the blemish of the bris comes the blemish of the garments. That is: garments made dirty through stains — in the aspect of niddah blood (dam niddos) — which is the aspect of soiled garments (begadim tzo'im). For the essential punishment of being clothed in soiled garments, heaven forfend, comes only through the blemish of the bris — as it is written: "And Yehoshua was clothed in soiled garments" (Zekharyah 3:3). And this came about because his sons had married foreign women — for the blemish of the bris is visible in the garments — in the aspect of: "Moreover, in your skirts (bi-knafayich) is found the blood of the souls of the innocent poor" (Yirmiyahu 2:34). For this is the aspect of the blemish of the bris, which is as if one sheds innocent blood, heaven forfend, as is cited.

And this is the meaning of "in your skirts (bi-knafayich)" — specifically "in your skirts," for they are the garments, as above — the opposite of the fringes (kanfay) of the tzitzis, which are the tikun of the garments. That is, white garments — through which comes the tikun of the bris. For tzitzis is the tikun of the bris, as is cited elsewhere.

For soiled garments — which are garments made dirty with stains and niddah blood — are in the aspect of a red tallis (tallis odom). And this is the opposite of tzitzis, which is in the aspect of a white tallis, as above. For a red tallis is the aspect of Esav, as is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, may his light shine — as it is written: "And the first came out red, all over like a hairy mantle" (Berayshis 25:25). And Rashi explained: "like a tallis." See the words of Rabbaynu in the discourse "Ra'isi Menoras Zahav" (I saw a golden menorah), in §8 of Likutay, Part One. And Esav is Amalek — who is the essential blemish of the bris, as is cited.

And this explains why the Torah included the prohibition of wearing the garments of the nations under the category of their statutes (chukosayhem) — for the chukim (statutes) that belong to holiness, that is, the chukim of the Torah, are in the aspect of guarding the bris. As in: "V'chok b'she'eiro sam, u-tze'etza'av chasom v'khul'" — "and a statute in his flesh He set, and His descendants He sealed, and so on" (from the berachah of Bris Milah). For a chok is a thing that has no reason (ta'am). It therefore turns out that it is in the aspect of emunah (faith) — since the intellect does not obligate this thing, for it has no reason. And the essential emunah depends on the tikun of the bris, as is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, may his light shine, §31. And therefore the tikun of the bris is called by the name chok and chukah — in the aspect of "chukkas ha-Torah" — for through the tikun of the bris one merits to the chukim that belong to holiness, which are in the aspect of emunah, as above.

And the nations of the world — who are in the aspect of the blemish of the bris, as above — have false beliefs (emunos kozoyviyos), which are also called "chukim." For they are the blemish and the falling of the emunah and of the chukim of holiness. And therefore they are distinguished in their conduct and in their garments, and they have various customs that follow only a chok without any reason at all — for all of this is in the aspect of their false beliefs, which come to them through the blemish of the bris, as above.

And therefore Israel is a holy people, and the essential totality of holiness depends on emunah — and all of this depends on guarding the bris, as above. And therefore they were commanded: "And in their statutes you shall not walk (u-v'chukosayhem lo saylachu)" — as above.

"In their statutes you shall not walk. And in their statutes you shall not walk" — and this is the language of the Shulchan Arukh, §178: "One does not walk in the statutes of the nations and does not resemble them, and one does not wear a garment that is specific to them, and one does not grow the hair of one's head like the hair of their heads," and so on.

For it is cited in the words of Rabbaynu in the discourse "Achavay lan mana d'lo shavya l'chavala" and so on, in §25 of Likutay, Part One — that the sitra achra (Other Side) is called the koach ha-medame (power of imagination), from which come all the desires and confusions and obstacles that obstruct the levels of holiness and so on — see there. And at every level and every level these imaginings are present — and when one wishes to ascend from level to level they are aroused and so on. And one must subdue and break them. And the essential means of subduing them is through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be His Name. And this is accomplished through giving charity to a deserving poor person — for through this the colors (gevonin) that are present in silver and gold are revealed. For the essential colors are found only among Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride (Yisroel asher b'cha espa'ar)" (Yeshayahu 49:3). Pride (hispa'arus) is the encompassing of all the colors and so on. And this is the aspect of: "For He has clothed me in garments of salvation (bigday yesha)" (Yeshayahu 61:10). "Yesha" — "salvation" — is the aspect of "yistaklutha," that all desire to behold it and so on — see there well.

And this is the aspect of the prohibition of walking in their statutes. And one must distance oneself from them in all matters — so as not to resemble them in any matter whatsoever in the world. Even though in that particular matter there is no actual prohibition in and of itself — even so it is forbidden to resemble them in any manner in the world. And it is forbidden to dress in their garments and so on. For in this is encompassed the entire Torah in its totality. For in truth, Israel from their very selves — from their root — are utterly and completely distant from all sins, and no transgression is at all relevant to a Jewish man according to his holiness from his root. For Israel are the very essence of goodness (etzem ha-tov) and they are distant from evil in the ultimate distance at their root. And therefore the sitra achra has no grip or relevance to entice any one of Israel, heaven forfend — except only through the power of imagination (koach ha-medame). For the medame misleads a person — for it imagines one thing to be another thing — until it overturns, heaven forfend, and makes evil into good, darkness into light — as it is stated: "Those who make light into darkness and darkness into light, who make bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter and so on" (Yeshayahu 5:20). As one sees tangibly that the power of imagination misleads a person many times even in physical matters — for example, when a person sees something from afar, and especially at night, he imagines a piece of wood standing upright to be a person and is frightened of it — and similarly in many matters in which a person errs through the power of imagination.

And exactly the same way, truly, in the matters of a person's opinions and character traits and desires — for in truth the Jewish man is himself utterly distant from all evil things and from all desires and evil character traits. And the essential stumbling of a person, heaven forfend, is only through the power of imagination — which is the sitra achra — which misleads the person and imagines one thing to be another thing, and leads him from thought to thought and from thought to thought, until it brings him to an improper thought, heaven forfend. And likewise to each and every person it brings him to that which it brings him — may the Merciful One protect us.

And therefore the Torah has decreed upon us not to walk in their statutes and not to resemble them in any matter — not to resemble them, specifically — in order not to give power, heaven forfend, to the koach ha-medame. For the nations of the world are the evil of all desires and character traits, as is cited in the words of Rabbaynu, of blessed memory. And therefore when one resembles them in any matter — through this the medame is strengthened, heaven forfend — and one can come, heaven forfend, through this to their opinions and views — as it is written: "And they mingled with the nations and learned from their deeds" (Tehillim 106:35). For the essential grip of the sitra achra is in the medame, as above. And therefore one must distance oneself from them greatly, greatly in all matters.

Rather, one must resemble in all matters and all customs and all garments the holy people Israel — for the essential grace and true glory and honor (hispa'arus ha-amitis) is found only among Israel — in the aspect of "Israel, in you I take pride" — who are encompassed in many colors (d'klulim bi-gvanin saggin) — and the garments of Israel are in the aspect of garments of salvation (bigday yesha) — the aspect of garments of glory (levushay ha-hispa'arus) — the aspect of "majesty and splendor You have clothed (hod v'hadar lavashta)" (Tehillim 104:1). For in them are all kinds of grace and all kinds of glory. And therefore one must dress specifically in the garments of Israel and resemble in every matter the ways of the true wise men and tzaddikim — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Cleave to Torah scholars (hiddabayk b'talmidei chachamim)" (Kesubos 111b). And as it is written: "One who walks with wise men will become wise (holaych es chachamim yechkam)" (Mishlai 13:20). For through resembling oneself in deeds and conduct to the ways of the true righteous ones — through this one merits to be encompassed within them. And in the end one will truly become like them.

For the koach ha-medame is in the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil — the aspect of nogah — which is at times encompassed in the good, and at other times in the opposite. For it is in the aspect of imagination — and wherever it imagines itself, there it is encompassed. And the essential free choice (b'chirah) and trial (nisayon) of a person is through the koach ha-medame. And every person must strengthen himself to clarify (l'varayr) the koach ha-medame — to clarify the good within it so that it should be encompassed in holiness, and to cause the evil within it to fall. And therefore we are commanded to resemble our Creator, blessed be He — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Cleave to His attributes — just as He is merciful, so shall you be merciful, and so on" (Shabbos 133b). And likewise to resemble the Torah scholars and to associate with upright people — for through resembling oneself in character traits to the Blessed Lord and to the tzaddikim and to the truly upright people of the generation, through this one merits to become truly encompassed with them together in the Blessed Lord. For everything depends on the clarification of the medame — which is the essential trial and free choice.