חלה ב

The essential ultimate rectification of all weekday labors is through the holiness of the Beis HaMikdash — the upper point — upon all thirty-nine melachos (derived from the Mishkan). The meraglim damaged the Beis HaMikdash by slandering Eretz Yisrael, when its destruction was decreed: "You wept…" (Ta'anis 29). All their damage was through the grapes — the damage of wine, through which Adam HaRishon sinned: "She squeezed grapes and gave him" (Bereishis Rabbah 19). Noach too stumbled upon leaving the teivah. Most spies took the cluster of grapes: "and the days were the days of the first-ripening of grapes" (Bamidbar 13) — all their sin's stumbling was through grapes from which wine is made, through which their minds went astray saying it was impossible to conquer Eretz Yisrael. Their essential error was through the kelipah of Amalek — they had great da'as and saw Amalek was exceedingly powerful, but did not overcome to nullify their understanding before Moshe Rabeinu who had the power to subdue it. They frightened Yisrael through Amalek specifically: "Amalek dwells in the Negev" (Bamidbar Rabbah 16). They stumbled through the grapes specifically — for there the kelipah of Amalek grips more: "their grapes are grapes of poison, bitter clusters" — the strengthening of the blood. 118

Yehoshua was saved from the spies' counsel through Moshe's power — he subdues and cuts off the kelipah of Amalek, so he was not ensnared by their grapes. On the contrary, he merited bringing all Yisrael into Eretz Yisrael. Therefore at Kiddush, when the lower point — Yehoshua — shines, we sanctify over wine specifically, for then the wine is in holiness. Yehoshua cut off the evil blood of the chalal has'mali — then wine is the gladdening wine: "song is said only over wine." Therefore on Purim, the essential cutting off of Amalek's seed, it is a great mitzvah to become intoxicated — Amalek is subdued through wine specifically, meriting simchah, for his essential subduing is through simchah. 119

This is the seventy words of Kiddush — to subdue the seventy nations whose totality is Amalek. The ayin [70] of Amalek is subdued through the wine of holiness in Kiddush, which equals seventy. 120

This is what our Sages expounded: "Remember the day of Shabbos to sanctify it" — "remember it over wine" (Kiddush), and also: "remember it from the first day of the week." These are one and the same: through Kiddush, holiness is drawn upon all weekday deeds and labors. "Remember it from Sunday" — one must remember Shabbos throughout all six weekdays to draw Shabbos holiness upon them, whose essential completion is through Kiddush over wine. 121

Our words are founded upon what Admo"r z"l wrote in the Torah above, os 4: "When a person wants to walk in the ways of teshuvah, he must be expert in halachah and have two expertises — expert in ratzo, expert in shov, as it says: 'Praiseworthy is he who enters and exits.' This is 'If I ascend heaven, there You are' — ayeil, expert in ratzo; 'and if I make my bed in She'ol, behold You' — nafik, expert in shov." See there at the end, the secret of the Kavanos of Elul, where the plain meaning is explained: whoever wants to return must gird his loins and strengthen himself in Hashem's ways always, in whatever passes over him. See our words in many places where we spoke of this in many formulations, with awesome eitzos to strengthen oneself — the essential thing through the power of the true Tzadik. 122

This is the summary of our words in this entire halachah: to strengthen ourselves through meriting to receive Shabbos, through which we always remind ourselves through the true Tzadik's power — the aspect of Shabbos. These depend upon each other: the more one believes in the Tzadik and draws close, the more one merits drawing Shabbos holiness; through keeping Shabbos with simchah, one merits drawing close to the Tzadik — and through this one merits walking in the ways of teshuvah, drawing the expertise to hold oneself in whatever passes, however it may be. The essential means is through Rosh HaShanah, when they gather together — for the ways of teshuvah are drawn through Elul, Rosh HaShanah, and Yom Kippur. All Yisrael's service during these days is to draw these teshuvah pathways so that Yisrael merit teshuvah, through which the redemption from this exceedingly long exile will be brought near. Its end cannot be fathomed — "the end of wonders" — but it is explained in the Gemara and all Midrashim that the essential matter depends on teshuvah. Therefore the true Tzadikim labor only to draw teshuvah pathways into the world, so that even the very far and fallen will be strengthened in teshuvah, through which everything is rectified. For now Hashem asks only a little arousal: "Let them open in teshuvah like the eye of a needle, and I will open great gates." But even this infinitesimal bit is exceedingly hard to begin without the great Tzadikim who draw the teshuvah pathways to strengthen all who wish to return, wherever they may be. 123

All this is hinted in the Zohar Chadash regarding Noach's teivah (Parshas Noach, 24-25, Slavuta edition): Noach did not beseech for his generation. After leaving the teivah and seeing the whole world destroyed, he began weeping. The Holy One Blessed Be He answered: "Foolish shepherd! Now you say this and not before?" See there: the greatness of Moshe Rabeinu who gave his life for Yisrael; how Noach did not beseech because he did not even think he himself would be saved; how much the Holy One Blessed Be He wants people to beseech for Yisrael, even if they are as they are. See what is written on "And he sent the raven" — this is Dovid, who called constantly like a raven; and on "And he sent the dove" until "and she did not return to him again." All of Noach's damage and its rectification is about the expertise above — he was not expert in this halachah of the ways of teshuvah like Moshe and the great Tzadikim who draw teshuvah pathways with wondrous expertise. Noach was a Tzadik tamim, but did not grasp that it was possible to go out, to lower himself, to look upon such wicked people, to engage with them, to find merit in them, to pray for them, to arouse them through some good point — all of which Moshe and the great Tzadikim after him engaged in with tremendous effort. All this is included in the expertise of ayeil and nafik. Therefore Noach thought: "If only I could save myself" — he did not grasp how far His mercies reach. 124

He was forced to enter the teivah — built with lofty wisdom and holiness, with deep kavanos in its dimensions. It hints at teshuvah on Yom Kippur: "Noach's teivah — this is Yom Kippur" (Zohar, Tikkun 21, 54b); "And the teivah rested in the seventh month — this is Tishrai." Also: Noach's teivah is the words of prayers and supplications that Yisrael pray. All of Noach's entering was ayeil — because he could not save himself with the world, not being expert, especially in nafik. Hashem commanded him to enter — ayeil. And just as he needed the command to enter, he needed the command to exit: "Go out from the teivah" — for his leaving was the aspect of nafik. It is written hotzei but read hayatzei; Rashi: "Tell them to leave; if they don't want to, bring them out against their will." They did not want to leave willingly — hinting at everything we have written: whoever wants to return would prefer sitting always in the beis midrash. But Hashem wants the world's continuity — a person must frequently leave for bodily needs and livelihood, all of which is nafik. This is very hard — one knows the danger of going outside — but it cannot be otherwise. Hashem wants one to serve Him in this world specifically — which is entirely nafik relative to the upper worlds — and therefore even here, service must be in ayeil and nafik. 125

This is "and he sent the raven" — the Zohar Chadash explains: Dovid, who called constantly like a raven. Hashem sent him from his kingdom; "And it went out, going and returning" — "Dovid went up the ascent of olives, going and weeping, his head covered" (Shmuel II 15) — he went out and returned in teshuvah, confessing and seeking mercy, until the waters dried. The dove was sent three times, hinting at the exiles until this final one: "she did not return to him again" — this is why this exile is so long. But nevertheless He is prepared and waiting for when she will return. See all this well. 126