אישות ד

You return man to dust; You decreed, “Return you mortals!” Every person is obligated to beget a son and a daughter:

On the basis of the Torah[-teaching] “Tik'u Tochachah” in Likutay Tinyana, Siman 8; see there. This has already been explained in Hilchos Ishus, Halacha 2, on the basis of the aforementioned Torah; see there. And there are yet more words for G-d — on the basis of what is written there in the aforementioned Torah (in Oas Vav) on the verse “And the inhabitant shall not say, ‘I am sick’” etc. The matter is wondrous and exceedingly awesome: the enormity of the wondrousness of the multiplication of houses that come into being when one soul is added to the gathering of Israel, etc. — that the houses multiply by thousands of thousands and myriads of myriads of myriads without end. For three stones build six houses, four [build] twenty-four, five [build] one hundred and twenty, etc. — until the mouth cannot speak and the heart cannot conceive, etc.; see there.

And now it is understood of itself quite well — the greatness of the obligation upon every individual of Israel to beget children. And it is the first mitzvah in the Torah. For when one begets a soul from Israel, he is adding to the gathering of Israel one soul, through which the houses multiply exceedingly, exceedingly — what the mouth cannot speak, etc. — as is written there. Through this he causes wondrous and great delights to arise before the Blessed Name, through the enormity of the multiplication of the houses, etc., as mentioned above.

For certainly the essential mitzvah is to beget a proper son, a Jewish son who will fulfill the Torah and the mitzvos. And even though not every person merits that his children should be complete tzadikim and truly proper, nevertheless, since they are included among Israel — who believe in the Blessed Name and in His Torah — and their father educates them from their youth to engage in Torah and tefillah, and to enter the synagogues and houses of study and to be added to the holy gathering of Israel to pray together with them, and to unify His Blessed Name together with them twice every day, and to say Sh'ma Yisra'el, etc. — he causes wondrous delights before Him, blessed be He, since he has added a soul to the holy gathering of Israel so that the houses multiply without end, etc. And also, perhaps worthy descendants will emerge from him who will be complete tzadikim. Therefore, the essential thing is that he should see to educate them to walk in the path of the holy faith as we have received from our forefathers, and as we are admonished in the parashah of K'rias Sh'ma: “And you shall teach them diligently to your children,” etc.; “And you shall teach them to your children, to speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the way,” etc. And it is written: “And you shall make them known to your children and your children’s children” (Devarim 4:9). And in particular, to distance them with all manner of distancings from the evil sects that have arisen in these generations to lead astray, G-d forbid, the youth of the children of Israel from the essential holy religion — who have established houses of worthlessness to teach the children of Israel external wisdoms, etc., all of whom are complete rebels against the yoke [of Torah]. And if at first they deceive their parents and say that they will also teach them Torah study, it is all hypocrisy and falsehood, for the small amount they study with them is only Scripture with their evil commentaries and interpretations that emanated from famous, outright heretics — and some of them converted their faith and composed interpretations and translations on Torah, Prophets, and Writings, as is all well known to proper Jews. (And here is not the place to elaborate on this.) But since the majority of proper Jews educate their children in the way of our forefathers from of old — that they should spend their days only on Torah and tefillah, to meditate on the Torah of Hashem in its Written and Oral [forms], in Shas and Poskim — they are thereby adding a soul to the gathering of Israel and the houses multiply exceedingly, exceedingly. Therefore their reward is very, very great, and through this the redemption will come, as it is said: “The smallest shall become a thousand, and the youngest a mighty nation; I am Hashem, in its time I will hasten it” (Yeshayahu 60:22). And it is all through the aforementioned aspect — through the multiplication of the houses, through the multiplication of the permutations without end — through which “the youngest shall become an exceedingly mighty nation,” as mentioned above. Through this, wondrous delights will arise before the Blessed Name until His compassion will be stirred and He will hasten to redeem us, as it is written: “I am Hashem, in its time I will hasten it.”

And this is the aspect of “And Ya'akov called to his sons and said: Gather together and I will tell you that which will befall you in the end of days,” etc. (Bereishis 49:1). And our Sages, of blessed memory, said, as is brought in the commentary of Rashi, that he sought to reveal the end of the redemption and the Shechinah departed from him, etc., and he began to speak of other matters. And certainly what he spoke afterward was of the same nature, in that he concealed and hid within his words the secret of the End. (As is found in the holy Zohar on this verse; see there — revealed yet hidden.) That is, Ya'akov saw his bed was complete and they were all complete tzadikim; he thought he could already reveal the end of the redemption, which is the keitz ha'pela'os [the end of the wonders], sealed from every eye. And it is impossible to reveal it and bring it close except through the gathering of those who are far away, specifically. For the essential elevation is when a new soul is added to the holy gathering — one who was previously far away, as far away as he was — and now they have brought him close to His service, blessed be He, so that he is added and becomes a neighbor to the holy gathering. This is the essential delight of the Blessed One, as is explained in the holy Zohar, and in particular in our words — that this is the essential greatness of the Blessed One. And through this, specifically, the houses multiply without end, etc.

Key elef shuneem bi-ainechu ki-yoam esmoal key yaavor vi-ashmooru valuylu. And this is what he said afterward: “Gather together and hear, O sons of Ya'akov,” etc. And at first he said “He'asfu” [“Assemble”]. And the distinction between aseifah [assembling] and kibbutz [gathering] is as follows: aseifah is said regarding assembling a congregation that are not very far from one another, as in “Gather for Me seventy men from the elders of Israel,” etc. And likewise: “Go and gather the elders of Israel,” etc. But the term kibbutz is said regarding the gathering of those who are very, very far away, at the ends of the earth, etc., as it is written: “If your dispersed ones are at the ends of the heavens, from there Hashem will gather you,” etc. And likewise: “He gathers the outcasts of Israel; yet more will I gather to him, to his gathered ones” (Yeshayahu 56:8).

For in Your sight a thousand years are like yesterday that has passed, like a watch of the night.

Therefore, at first Ya'akov used the language of aseifah: “He'asfu — Assemble, and I will tell you,” etc. — for he thought that through the assembling alone of his holy sons, who were all tzadikim, he would be able to reveal and bring close the end of the redemption. But the Shechinah departed from him, and then he understood that it is impossible to bring the redemption through the aspect of aseifah alone — that is, by assembling only the tzadikim. For the Blessed Name devises plans so that none cast away be cast away from Him (Shmuel II 14:14), and the entire delay of the redemption and the lengthening of the exile is on account of the abundance of His compassion upon all those who are very far away and outcast, for whom one must tarry and wait until the far-off ones hear and come and are added to the holy gathering of Israel, etc.

5 זְרַמְתָּם שֵׁנָה יִהְיוּ בַּבֹּקֶר כֶּחָצִיר יַחֲלֹף And this is what he said afterward, using the language of kibbutz: “Hikavtzu — Gather together and hear,” etc. He was saying: Now I understand that the essential redemption depends on the aspect of “Hikavtzu” — that is, through the gathering of those who are very far away, who are called “outcasts,” in the aspect of “He gathers the outcasts of Israel,” in the aspect of “And it shall be on that day, a great shofar will be blown, and those who are lost shall come” etc., “and the outcasts,” etc. (Yeshayahu 27:13). Through this, specifically, the holy gathering will grow and multiply with the addition of many neighbors who were previously far away, through which the houses will multiply without end — through which His compassion, blessed be He, will be stirred and He will hasten to redeem us, as mentioned above.

Ziramtum shainu yeehi-yoo baboakehr kechutzeer yachaloaf. And this is: “Gather together and hear, O sons of Ya'akov, and hear Yisra'el your father” (Bereishis 49:2). For Ya'akov is the aspect of katnus [smallness], the aspect of ibbur [gestation], and then there is the essential battle — this is the aspect of “and his hand was grasping the heel of Esav,” for he was fighting with him from the womb, and likewise with his [Esav’s] angel, as it is written: “And Ya'akov was left alone, and a man wrestled with him,” etc. That is, the aspect of those who are very far away, who are in the aspect of katnus — they are called the aspect of b'nei Ya'akov [children of Ya'akov], and each of them must be gathered from wherever he is, in the aspect of “Gather together and hear, O sons of Ya'akov” — that they should hear the words of His holy Torah and return to Hashem. And this is: “And hear Yisra'el your father” — for afterward, when they gather together and hear and draw close to the truth, then they are called the aspect of Yisra'el, which is named for the victory of the battle when he [Ya'akov] defeated the angel of Esav — when it was said: “Your name shall no longer be called Ya'akov, but Yisra'el, for you have striven with G-d and with men and have prevailed” (Bereishis 32:29). And through this the essential redemption will come about — through the combining of the souls of Israel, which are the aspect of the permutations of the letters of the Torah in numerous permutations without end, etc. This is the aspect of Yisra'el, which alludes to the totality of the six hundred thousand letters of the Torah, which are the aspect of the six hundred thousand souls of Israel, as is brought in all the holy books — that Yisra'el is an acronym for Yeish Shishim Ribbo Osiyos La'Torah [There are six hundred thousand letters in the Torah]. And as mentioned above; understand well.

You engulf men in sleep; at daybreak they are like grass that renews itself;

And this is what he rebuked Shimon and Levi: “Into their counsel let my soul not come; in their assembly let my honor not be united” (Bereishis 49:6). And our Sages, of blessed memory, explained that this was said regarding the gathering of the deed of Zimri and the assembly of the dispute of Korach, etc. — all of which is the opposite of everything mentioned above, through which the redemption is delayed. For all the aforementioned tikkun is drawn through the tzadik of great power who is able to pray a tefillah in the aspect of din [judgment] — like Pinchas at the time when he was zealous regarding the deed of Zimri, as is written there in the aforementioned Torah. It emerges that the deed of Zimri is the opposite of the aforementioned tikkun. And likewise the dispute of Korach, who sought to assemble the congregation of Israel to dispute Moshe, to uproot the Torah, G-d forbid — and in truth he caused great damage for generations. For all the disputes in every generation against the true tzadikim and those who follow them contain sparks of Korach, Dasan, and Aviram, as is brought. For “this one corresponding to that one” (Koheles 7:14) — for the Sitra Achara provokes against the tzadik of great power who is able to gather those who are far away and add many neighbors to the holy gathering of those who tremble at the word of Hashem, who exert themselves to pray with strength and concentration — through which he raises wondrous delights to the Blessed Name each time, etc.

6 בַּבֹּקֶר יָצִיץ וְחָלָף לָעֶרֶב יְמוֹלֵל וְיָבֵשׁ But the aspect of the dispute of Korach and his assembly intensifies in every generation, and they assemble in great numbers to dispute the holy gathering. And not only do they not add by bringing the far-off close to the Blessed Name, but they also lie in ambush and scheme with all their might, through many stratagems, to distance the souls who wish to draw close to the holy gathering, to pray with concentration, etc. And one is dependent on the other: through the deed of Zimri, the dispute of Korach intensifies, and vice versa. For through the abundance of the desire of adultery that is prevalent now, in our many sins, which is the aspect of the deed of Zimri that came about through the counsel of the wicked Bil’am — through this the dispute intensifies against the tzadik of great power, the aspect of Pinchas, who fights against the aspect of Zimri and kills and subdues him and uproots the counsel of Bil’am from the world. But the Adversary does not relinquish his place and provokes with all his might to increase dispute against this tzadik, so that more far-away souls should not draw close — which is the aspect of the dispute of Korach. For all the intensification of dispute against the true tzadik and his tikkunim is through blemishing the bris — blemishing the drops of the mind — as is written on the verse “The ear that hearkens to the reproof of life shall dwell among the wise,” etc. (as written in the Torah “Ba'Chatzotros,” Siman 5). And likewise in reverse: through the dispute against the tzadik, the deed of Zimri intensifies, may the Merciful One protect us, for there is no one to save them from their great foolishness and folly, as all this is known.

And regarding this Ya'akov prayed: “Into their counsel let my soul not come; in their assembly let my honor not be united,” etc. — which was said regarding the deed of Zimri and the dispute of Korach, that they should not be able to assemble and gather together. For in truth, their gathering and bond is not a bond and gathering at all, for the bond of the wicked is not counted, as is written regarding the matter of Shevna and his faction — who was great in Torah and in Israel, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said — and he disputed Chizkiyahu and his faction: “Do not say ‘conspiracy’ to everything this people calls a conspiracy,” etc. (Yeshayahu 8:12). For the essential bond and gathering is when the assembly binds itself to the source of unity — to the Blessed Name and to His Torah and to the holiness of Israel, which are all one, as is written in the holy Zohar. And as it is said: “You are One and Your Name is One, and who is like Your people Israel, one nation on earth.”

Baboakehr yutzeetz vichuluf lu-erev yimoalail vi-yuvaish.at daybreak it flourishes anew; by dusk it withers and dries up.

But when the gathering is to dispute the true ways of the Torah and to distance from the true tzadik — who is the kotz [thorn-point] of the letter Daled of Echad [One], as is brought elsewhere and in the holy Zohar, for he strives to make peace and unity between Israel and their Father in Heaven, that they should all return to be included in His unity, blessed be He — certainly this gathering of the disputants is not a gathering and bond at all, since they are distant from and distance others through their words from the simple One, blessed be His Name. And as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: Esav had six souls, yet they are called “nefashos” [souls] in the plural; and Ya'akov had seventy soul[s], yet they are called “nefesh” in the singular — as is brought in the commentary of Rashi there (Bereishis 46:26).

And even if the disputants also engage in Torah and tefillah, nevertheless, since they dispute the true tzadik, they distance themselves from the unity. For it is known that the small amount of Torah and tefillah of the common people — even though this too is very precious to the Blessed Name — nevertheless their service cannot ascend on high, to be included in the place where it needs to be included, except through the power of the true tzadikim to whom we bind our tefillah and our service. For only they are able to elevate everything to the highest heights. For every person knows his own blemishes and his many sins, and how flawed is the small amount of his Torah and his service — especially the tefillah, where there are many whose thoughts are preoccupied outside for most of the tefillah, and they conclude in their minds all their business dealings and all their mundane affairs, etc., during their tefillah, until they do not know where they are standing in the tefillah — as is seen tangibly among many, many people, even among those who call themselves Chasidim, and as they themselves admit.

Key chuleenoo vi-apechu oovachamusichu neevhulnoo.

And even so, on account of the good point from the holiness of Israel that still remains within them, and some holy words of tefillah are cast from their mouths, etc. — they certainly do not have the power in themselves to ascend on high, due to the extreme smallness and the abundance of refuse and very, very many evil thoughts that surround them. Therefore, the entire essence of their ascent is through the true tzadik, as is explained at length elsewhere. For the tzadik strives with all his might to elevate even the few letters and words that they said with some small amount of concentration in their tefillah, and he also strives to arouse them and awaken them from their deep slumber, that they should open their mouths and their hearts and exert themselves with all their might to pray with concentration — many, many words and verses and psalms, etc., in quantity and quality: that the quality of concentration should be in greater measure, and the quantity of words and letters should be as many as possible. For to pray the entire tefillah with concentration is very far away, even from the truly proper, those who truly fear [G-d] — except for the complete tzadikim who are very great in stature, as is explained in our words elsewhere.

But in any event, those who are bound to the tzadik pray many, many more words, etc., and with much greater concentration, and with vitality and enthusiasm and holy arousal, etc. And with all this, their tefillah would not have the power to ascend on high except through the power of the true tzadik to whom they are bound — for through the intensity of his power they pray with the concentration that they pray with, and through the intensity of his power he elevates their tefillah heavenward, to the loftiest heights, to the place that is needed, to the source of the unity. Therefore, only this is called a holy bond and gathering, and whenever one merits that a soul is added to this holy gathering, the house of tefillah grows and increases with many, many vast houses, beyond all reckoning.

So we are consumed by Your anger, terror-struck by Your fury.

And see well in the aforementioned Torah, in our words in the places where we have explained somewhat these awesome, holy words of his. And understand well how everything is connected together. For at first he speaks of the greatness of the tefillah of the man of great power, etc. — through which he extracts from the Sitra Achara all the souls, etc., that it has swallowed, until he extracts also from its innards, the aspect of the souls of the converts, etc. And afterward he speaks (in Oas Vav) on the verse “And the inhabitant shall not say, ‘I am sick,’” regarding the awesome matter mentioned above — the enormity of the multiplication of houses that come into being when a neighbor is added to the holy gathering, etc. And in truth it is all one. For through extracting many souls from Israel that were literally swallowed up in the Sitra Achara, in the deep mire where there is no footing, etc., may the Merciful One protect us, and also extracting the souls of converts — these very souls are the aspect of the neighbors who are added to the gathering of Israel, through which His glory, blessed be He, is greatly increased, for the house of tefillah grows through many, vast houses, as mentioned above. And it is all through the tefillah that they are aroused to pray with concentration — whether those who did not pray with concentration at all, or those who prayed somewhat with concentration but it was a minimal amount, and the concentration was with extreme contraction and smallness that is called the aspect of sleep compared to true concentration. And it was all on account of their many sins and their blemishes, and the essential thing — on account of the blemish of the bris, the aspect of the deed of Zimri.

8 שַׁתָּה עֲוֹנֹתֵינוּ לְנֶגְדֶּךָ עֲלֻמֵנוּ לִמְאוֹר פָּנֶיךָ And the tzadik fights on their behalf through tefillah in the aspect of din, etc., as mentioned above, until he extracts them from the Sitra Achara and arouses and awakens them to pray with concentration, etc. Then the houses multiply in an enormous multitude, in several aspects. For it is explained there that the houses are made through the aspect of three stones build six houses, four [build] twenty-four, etc., as mentioned above — up to etc. This is stated literally in Seifer Yetzirah regarding the matter of words: that a word of four letters builds twenty-four permutations, and of five — one hundred and twenty, etc. And our master, our teacher and our rabbi, of blessed memory, explained the matter regarding the souls, etc., as is written there.

Shattu avoanoasaynoo linegdechu aloomainoo leemi-ohr punechu. And now come and see, and understand that it is all one. For the addition of souls and the addition of letters of words is all one. And from this you can understand, from afar, how many, many wondrous delights come into being when one soul is added, to pray with concentration somewhat more than before. For, by way of example, even someone who prayed previously somewhat with concentration, but only ten words ascended from his tefillah, and he was also not bound to the tzadik and to the gathering that prays with concentration in truth — and afterward, when he is added to the holy gathering, he now prays one hundred words and with greater concentration than before, and he is a neighbor to the holy gathering — how many, many vast houses without end are multiplied! Both from the side of the multiplication of words and letters and vowels, and from the side that all this is added to the many souls from whom are made many houses without end — so that now, when one soul is added, the houses multiply in an enormous multitude, in manifold folds upon folds, etc. — both from the side of the addition of souls and from the side of the addition of the multitude of letters and words that have now multiplied beyond all reckoning.

You have set our iniquities before You, our hidden sins in the light of Your face.

(And see our words in the place where we explained the explanation and interpretation regarding the matter of the folds of the multiplication of houses, etc. And from there you will stand trembling and astonished and will be exceedingly amazed at the enormity of the multiplication of houses beyond all reckoning. And you will understand from afar the greatness of Hashem and the greatness of His Torah and the greatness of the true tzadik who revealed all this and more and more, etc., and the greatness of the souls that merit to draw close to those who follow him, and who pray with concentration, etc. See there well, and join these words of ours to there. Then you will understand the fear of Hashem, and the knowledge of G-d and His tzadikim and His holy Torah you will find.)

9 כִּי כָל-יָמֵינוּ פָּנוּ בְעֶבְרָתֶךָ כִּלִּינוּ שָׁנֵינוּ כְמוֹ-הֶגֶה It emerges that the essential bond and gathering is when they gather toward holiness, to pray with concentration, and to devise strategies and plans to distance themselves from sins and transgressions and blemishes, etc. Through all of this they are included in the unity, as mentioned above. But the disputants — their bonds are not called a bond at all. For the small amount of good that is in them cannot ascend except through the tzadik, who strives to elevate even the service and tefillah of the disputants against him, etc., as is explained elsewhere. But in that they dispute, in this they are divided and scattered far from the unity, in the aspect of dispersion for the wicked, etc. And their bonds are not a bond at all, for Ya'akov our father already preceded to pray regarding this: “Into their counsel let my soul not come; in their assembly let my honor not be united,” etc., as mentioned above.

Key chul yumaynuoo punoo vi-evrusechu keeleynoo shunaynoo chimoa hegge. And this is what is juxtaposed immediately afterward: “Yehudah, you — your brothers shall acknowledge you,” etc. (Bereishis 49:8). Ya'akov began afterward to draw Yehudah close, after he had rebuked the first ones, as Rashi explained there. For Yehudah is the aspect of David and Mashi'ach who emerged from him, and this is what his entire blessing alludes to, as is written in the Targum and in the commentary of Rashi. That is, he hinted to him that the essential gathering of Israel through which the redemption will come is through the aspect of David Mashi'ach who emerged from him, of whom it is said: “And the scattered ones of Yehudah He will gather” (Yeshayahu 11:12) — that he will gather those who are very far away, to add many neighbors to Israel, through which the essential drawing near of the redemption takes place, as mentioned above.

All our days pass away in Your wrath; we spend our years like a sigh.

And this is: “Yehudah, you — your brothers shall acknowledge you” — that all your brothers will love you and acknowledge and praise you and gather to you. “Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies” — that you will subdue and uproot all the disputants and obstructers, etc. “And your father’s sons shall bow down to you” — that all of Israel who will emerge from his four wives, among whom there are many and great differences of opinion, will all bow down and submit to him.

And this is: “A lion’s cub is Yehudah” (Bereishis 49:9), which was said regarding David — at first a cub and in the end, etc. — as its translation: “A ruler shall he be at the beginning,” etc. All this is the aspect of “And the path of the righteous is as a shining light, going and illuminating until the fullness of the day” (Mishlei 4:18) — that even though at first the dominion is exceedingly small, afterward it will intensify and multiply greatly. “From the prey, my son, you have risen” — that you have no part among those who prey upon the tzadik, the aspect of Yosef. For in every place where there is a dispute of the Sitra Achara, you have no part among them; on the contrary, you love peace and pursue peace and draw people close to Torah and tefillah, to add to and enlarge the holy gathering, etc.

And this is: “He crouched, he lay down like a lion and like a lioness; who shall rouse him?” — in the aspect of “Behold, a people that rises like a lioness and lifts itself like a lion; it shall not lie down until it devours the prey and drinks the blood of the slain” (Bamidbar 23:24). This was said regarding the intensity of the battles that the aspect of David fights against all manner of disputants, until he devours their prey — that he extracts from them all the souls they have swallowed, as mentioned above, until he even extracts the converts. This is the aspect of “and he shall drink the blood of the slain” — “and the possessions of the nations he shall inherit,” which are the aspect of converts (as is brought in the Torah “Va'y'hi Heim M'rikim Sakeihem,” Siman 17). Through this he adds many neighbors, etc., through which the redemption will draw near, etc., which will come through the seed of Yehudah, as mentioned above.

Yimay shinoasaynoo vu-hem sheeveem shunu vi-eem beegvooroas shimoaneem shunu viruhbum umul vu-uven key guz cheesh vanu-oofu.

And this is: “The scepter shall not depart from Yehudah, nor the lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes” — this is Mashi'ach, etc. (Bereishis 49:10). That is, he blessed him that even in the intensity of the long exile in the end of days, the scepter shall not depart from Yehudah, nor the lawgiver, etc. Rashi explained that these are the heads of the exile, etc. That is, even though the dominion of the Sitra Achara and falsehood intensifies as it intensifies, nevertheless “in our servitude our G-d has not forsaken us” (Ezra 9:9), and the scepter and a ruler — a small amount of true dominion — will not depart from Yehudah, and the lawgiver — who are the masters of Torah who write and inscribe with their mouths and tongues, “the pen of a swift scribe,” and with a literal writer’s pen. And this is “from between his feet” — they are the aspect of children and students who follow their counsel, who are called “his feet,” in the aspect of “a son is the leg of his father.” And likewise: “And all the people who are at your feet” (Shemos 11:8) — Rashi explained: who follow your counsel — who are the aspect of the students mentioned above. They shall not depart and shall not cease, G-d forbid, “until Shiloh comes,” for through this the redemption will draw near, as mentioned above.

And this is: “And to him shall be the obedience of peoples” — and Rashi explained: the gathering of peoples. That is, the aspect of what was mentioned above: that all those who are very far away will gather to the gathering, even those who do things of idolaters — for when they return in teshuvah they are like literal converts. And likewise even literal converts from the nations — they will all gather and be added, etc. Through this the wondrous houses will multiply without end, through which the redemption will come speedily in our days, as mentioned above.

And this is what is found in the holy Zohar, that even through one synagogue or one town, etc. — when they return in teshuvah, the redemption will come. This matter seems astounding at first glance: how can the entire world be rectified through such a small number of tzadikim and proper ones, who are only one town, let alone one synagogue?! But on the basis of what was said above, the matter is explained and understood well. For even through one synagogue and one town, the houses will multiply through the multiplication of permutations in such an enormous multitude as mentioned above, until of themselves all the souls will be gathered into them — even those that are poured out at the head of every street. And through this will be fulfilled: “Hashem builds Yerushalayim; He gathers the outcasts of Israel” (Tehillim 147:2). And it is all through the power of the great tzadik of very great power who is engaged in all the tikkunim explained there, who builds all the aforementioned houses, through which everything will be rectified, as mentioned above.

And this is: “A little that a tzadik has is better than the multitude of many wicked ones” (Tehillim 37:16). For the few souls that draw close to the tzadik — from them multiply such many and wondrous houses, through which everything will be rectified, and they will prevail over the entire multitude of many wicked ones, who are the multitude of disputants, the aspect of the dispute of Korach mentioned above. For a little of the truth pushes away much of the falsehood, just as a little light pushes away much darkness, as is brought. And it is all through the aforementioned aspect — through the enormity of the multiplication of houses that he builds through the wondrously awesome intensity of his power, through the multiplication of the holy permutations, etc., as mentioned above. (And see further elsewhere where we spoke of the matter of the aforementioned wondrous permutations, and that this pertains to the matter of the dispute of Korach, as is explained in Hilchos Nizkei Sh'chainim, Halacha 4; see there.)

On the basis of all the above, our eyes shall see and our heart shall rejoice, and we can find relief and salvation to ease the extreme fear and trembling that falls upon us when we see the holy words of our Sages, of blessed memory, who spoke exceedingly about the matter of the areivus [mutual surety] of Israel — that each one is a guarantor for his fellow. And from this the hair of our head stands on end: who can stand in this? For would that we could extricate ourselves to fulfill all the words of this Torah! And how can we further discharge the obligation of the areivus? Especially in these generations, where those who fear sin are despised, and there is no reproof, and the truth is cast to the ground, and there are very, very many perpetrators of grievous transgressions — some openly and publicly, and some in secret — who call themselves Chasidim and dispute and pursue exceedingly those who are truly proper, etc. And nevertheless, the word of our G-d shall stand forever and the Torah is eternal, and certainly it is never nullified, even in these generations. Therefore, certainly the obligation is upon every person, even now, to also discharge the obligation of the areivus as we accepted upon ourselves at Sinai. But at first glance it is very difficult for us, especially when we take to heart the teaching of our Sages, of blessed memory, in Gemara Sotah, Chapter 7, where they spoke exceedingly about the multitude of covenants that were made for each and every mitzvah on account of the areivus — until they concluded there: There is no mitzvah upon which forty-eight covenants were not made, [each] of six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty — and in each one there are six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty. See there in the commentary of Rashi and Tosafos. Until Rabbi M'sharsh'ya said: There is a surety, and a surety of a surety, between them. And now, who can stand in this — to discharge the obligation of the areivus, to fulfill thousands of thousands and myriads of myriads of covenants that were made for each and every mitzvah?! But on the basis of all that was mentioned above, we can sweeten the matter somewhat, through His kindness and His compassion that He has had mercy upon us in these generations and has illuminated our eyes with the holy and awesome teachings mentioned above. For if you apply your heart to understand the enormity of the multiplication of houses that come into being when one soul is added to the holy gathering — which cannot be estimated — and nevertheless we can enter them into a reckoning somewhat, on the basis of what is explained in our words in the explanation of this, elsewhere (see there, at the beginning of Chayei Moharan). And it emerges from there that when one soul is added to a gathering of nineteen people and it becomes twenty, then the houses multiply to more than two thousand million times mili million, as the reckoning is explained there well. And when one more soul is added, the number will be several thousand times all the above, and so on further — what the mouth cannot speak and the heart cannot conceive, as is explained in Seifer Yetzirah regarding the permutations of letters of words, and the same applies to souls, as mentioned above. And you already know the number of a mili million, which is a million times a million, meaning a thousand times a thousand times a thousand times a thousand (which is explained by the investigators that even if a person were to live more than ten thousand years, he would not be able to count this number one by one, even at a rate of counting a hundred per minute, etc. — and the reckoning has already been clarified by the masters of reckoning). And now, go forth and learn, each one for himself, whoever wishes to fulfill His will, blessed be He, and to discharge the obligation of the areivus and the enormity of the multitude of covenants mentioned above that were made for the areivus, as mentioned above. For if you merit to walk in the way of Hashem in truth, and you endeavor to bring close one soul, to return him to the good — or at least to dislodge and move him somewhat from the place he was in previously, so that he will now diminish his blemishes, etc., and increase in tefillah with concentration, etc., as mentioned above, and be added to the aforementioned holy gathering — behold, how many, many thousands of thousands and myriads of myriads of millions of holy houses will be made through this, as mentioned above, which are multiplied by manifold folds, thousands of times more than the multitude of covenants mentioned above that were made for the areivus! Go forth and verify the reckoning and you will find it. For it is impossible to explain the reckoning here (and see Chayei Moharan mentioned above, where the reckoning is somewhat explained). And it is already explained in our words that he said at the time when he revealed the secret of the awesome teaching of the multiplication of houses, etc. — that he said then that through the enormity of the multiplication of houses, even the souls that are completely outside are brought inside, into the multitude of the aforementioned houses that are built of themselves around them as well, due to their great multitude, etc., etc., as is explained there. And then you too will discharge the obligation of the areivus through the drawing close of one soul to the gathering, and all the more so when you merit to bring close more souls. For since through you the houses have multiplied so much — to the point that even all those who are utterly far away, who are cast out at the head of every street, have been gathered into the holy houses, as mentioned above — understand this very well. And this is: “The hidden things are for Hashem our G-d, and the revealed things are for us and for our children forever” (Devarim 29:28) — which Rashi, of blessed memory, explained regarding the matter of the areivus, as is written there in the commentary of Rashi: And if you will say, You punish the many for the thoughts of the individual — is it not so that no man knows the hidden things of his fellow? I do not punish you for the hidden things, etc., but “the revealed things” etc.; see there. That is, the verse settles our mind and tells us not to fear this. For He does not come, G-d forbid, with tyranny against us, to load upon us a yoke that we cannot bear. For we need only do what is in our hands — to see to educate our children and our students in the holy way, and that they should be added to the holy gathering. And through this, of itself, we will discharge the obligation of the areivus through the multiplication of houses that will be added, etc., as mentioned above. And this is: “The hidden things are for Hashem our G-d” — for only He, blessed be He, alone knows the hidden things, and certainly He will not punish us for the things hidden from us, as Rashi explained according to his context and approach. Rather: “And the revealed things are for us and for our children” specifically — that we principally need to endeavor to bring close our children and our students, who are also called children, to bring close what we can to His service, blessed be He, and to combine them and add them to the holy gathering, as mentioned above. And through this the houses will greatly multiply until of themselves everyone will draw close inside, etc., as mentioned above. And this is: “Forever, to do all the words of this Torah” — that is, through this alone — that we bring close our few children and students to the gathering, as mentioned above — through this, certainly the keeping of the Torah and tefillah will endure forever, “to do all the words of this Torah.” For through this, in the end of ends, everyone will draw close to the Blessed Name in truth, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of kiddushin (betrothal) through money, and the derivation of kichah kichah (taking, taking) from the field of Efron, where it says: “I have given the money for the field; take it from me” (Bereishis 23:13). For husband and wife — their root is from the aspect of chesed and din (kindness and judgment), as is known, which is the aspect of Hashem Elokim, from which is drawn the aspect of Providence and nature. In truth, the two of them are one, for “Hashem — He is the Elokim” (M'lachim I 18:39). That is, nature, which is the aspect of Elokim, the aspect of Malchus, the aspect of ishah (wife), has no power or dominion at all to govern the world in any matter great or small, except for Hashem, which is Providence. For Hashem and Elokim are in truth a single unity, for only the Blessed Name alone is the primordial Creator; He is the One who oversees, He is the One who governs and rules. And nature has no governance or dominion at all except as Providence directs it. And therefore in truth it is in His power to change nature at any time, as we saw through the awesome wonders of Moshe at the Exodus from Mitzrayim and the splitting of the Reed Sea, etc., and afterward through the other tzadikim, etc. And it is like the wife, who although she is the mainstay of the home and manages the entire household — she bears and raises the children, and cooks and bakes, etc., and manages her husband’s house in every need — nevertheless, she has no vitality and no power and no dominion except from what her husband gives her, for from him comes the begetting, and he gives her all manner of sustenance — food and drink and garments, etc. — to manage the household. Only, everything in which one can err as if nature has some power, G-d forbid — all of this is also drawn from the Blessed Name for the sake of free choice, for the essential free choice depends on this, as is explained and understood in our words in several places; see there. And from there is also drawn that which sometimes the wife rebels against her husband or opposes him as if the dominion is in her hands. For an evil wife is the aspect of idolatry and heresies, as is explained throughout Seifer Mishlei, as Rashi explained there. And as is explained in the words of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, who compared the Torah and the holy faith to a good wife, to an eishes chayil (woman of valor), etc. And this is the aspect of all the praise of eishes chayil with which Seifer Mishlei concludes — that the general thrust of the praise is that she does everything, all the necessities: “She seeks wool and flax, and works with the pleasure of her hands. She is like the merchant ships” (Mishlei 31:13–14), etc., etc. And nevertheless, “The heart of her husband trusts in her” (Mishlei 31:11) — that she will not rebel and betray him by saying, G-d forbid, that everything is hers, that, G-d forbid, nature itself governs the world, etc. And conversely, idolatry and the heresies of the investigators of nature are called an evil wife, a strange woman, in the aspect of: “The adulteress — under her husband she takes strangers” (Yechezkel 16:32). And as the Alshich explained in Mishlei — it is all regarding the distancing from the wisdoms of nature. For the general principle is already established in our hands: the idolatry of ancient times and the heresies of the investigators of nature that have multiplied since then until now — they are both the same aspect. For it all stems from the evil ancient sages, from whom come all the foundations of their wisdom, as is explained in their own words. And therefore when they return to the Blessed Name and believe in His Providence, the verse says: “I will go and return to my first husband” (Hoshea 2:9); “And she did not know that I gave her the grain and the wine and the oil,” etc. (Hoshea 2:10). And therefore the wife is acquired through money, for money is the generality of all influence, as it says: “And money answers everything” (Koheles 10:19). This is to indicate that the essential bond is that she must receive from him all influence, and through this she manages his household. For she is bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh — for the entire existence and all the power of nature is entirely from Providence itself, as mentioned above. But she must be willing to this, for a woman is only acquired with her consent — to indicate that it is impossible to draw close those who are bound after nature except with their knowledge and their will. For the power that nature has to conceal Providence is only for the sake of free choice, as mentioned above. And therefore, one who does not want the truth, and wants to throw off the yoke, and lawlessness is agreeable to him, and inclines his mind after the investigators of nature — it is certainly impossible to turn him from his evil way, in the aspect of: “All who go to her do not return, and do not attain the paths of life” (Mishlei 2:19). And it is written: “Do not speak in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words,” etc. (Mishlei 23:9). For free choice has great power, as is explained elsewhere. But one who chooses life, and thinks about his ultimate purpose in truth, and inclines his mind toward the truth — he can see and understand the truth. And the essential thing is that he should seek and search greatly to draw close to true tzadikim who possess ruach hakodesh (holy spirit), whose words all flow from and are founded upon the Torah of Moshe, in truth, in writing and orally, as the Prophets and the Tanna’im transmitted to us, who all had ruach hakodesh. For only they can clarify the imaginative faculty, through which is drawn the faith of the renewal of the world, etc., through which Providence is revealed, etc., as is well explained in the aforementioned Torah. But one who wishes to uproot himself from the world and to incline his mind after the investigators of nature, whose opinion is almost entirely — virtually all of it — the very opposite of the words of the holy Torah — it is certainly impossible to compel his mind to clarify for him the foolishness and falsehood of the wisdom of nature, for free choice is free, as mentioned above. And therefore a woman is only acquired with her consent — for the wife, which is the aspect of nature, cannot be acquired for her husband, from whom comes all her existence and vitality, which is Providence, except with her knowledge and her will, for free choice is free, etc., as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of Avraham pressing himself to purchase the Cave of Machpelah for full money specifically, as it says: “But if you — please hear me: I have given the money for the field; take it from me” (Bereishis 23:13), etc. And likewise David, when he purchased the place of the Beis HaMikdash from Aravnah the Jebusite, etc., who said: “I will not offer to Hashem my G-d burnt offerings for nothing” (Sh’muel II 24:24). And as it is brought in the holy Zohar, for these places were holy with exceedingly awesome holiness. The Cave of Machpelah — it is the gateway to the Garden of Eden, through which all the souls ascend to the Tree of Life, etc. And likewise the place of the Beis HaMikdash is the gateway of Heaven, etc., etc. And the essential holiness of these places is that there the revelation of Providence is greatest — which is the essential holiness of the Land of Israel, as it says: “The eyes of Hashem your G-d are always upon it” (Devarim 11:12), as is explained there in the aforementioned Torah. And certainly also within the Land of Israel itself, wherever the holiness is greater, Providence is revealed there more and more. For Providence is the essential generality of holiness, whose essence is in the Land of Israel, as mentioned above. And there in the Land of Israel, there are ten levels of holiness up to the Holy of Holies, where the essential revelation of Providence is. And likewise the Cave of Machpelah, which was prepared for the burial of the Patriarchs, to ascend through there to be included in Him, blessed be He. But these places were under the hand of the Sitra Achara — by Efron, and by Aravnah the Jebusite. For such is the way: wherever awesome holiness is concealed in this physical world, it is initially under the hand of the Sitra Achara, as is brought. And the essential Sitra Achara is the aforementioned heresies of nature, as mentioned above. Therefore it was impossible to extract the holiness from them in completeness except with their knowledge and their will, through full payment and not for free. For money is the generality of all influence, as mentioned above. And all their error after the heresies of nature, which is the aspect of idolatry — the essential cause is the desire for money, in which all seventy forms of idolatry are embedded, as is explained elsewhere. And therefore it is impossible to extract what they have swallowed except through money, with good will — like Avraham and David, as mentioned above. And there is much, much to explain in this, and those of understanding will understand. And therefore it is called kiddushin (sanctification), for the essential bond is for the sake of revealing Providence, as mentioned above. And the essential thing is through the offspring that emerge from this — that a soul of Israel is added to the holy gathering and the aforementioned houses multiply, and His glory, blessed be He, is magnified, in the aspect of: “G-d is known in her palaces as a stronghold” (Tehillim 48:4). For through the multiplication of the houses and the palaces of Yerushalayim the holy city, which is the aspect of faith — for the entire edifice is from the aspect of the multiplication of houses, as mentioned above — through this He is “known as a stronghold,” for through this the loftiness of His greatness, blessed be He, is known and revealed to all who enter the world. And Providence is the generality of holiness, as mentioned above. And therefore it is called kiddushin. And this is what he says to her: “Behold, you are sanctified to me according to the law of Moshe and Yisra’el” — according to the law of Moshe and Yisra’el specifically. That is, like the law of Moshe and Israel, which is the holy Torah that Moshe gave to Israel, which is the generality of all the levels of prophecy, through which comes the essential clarification of the imaginative faculty, through which comes the essential faith, through which is drawn the aspect of the governance of the Land of Israel, the aspect of Providence — as is well explained in the aforementioned Torah. And in exactly this same way he sanctifies and acquires her, for the essential kiddushin is for the sake of the revelation of Providence, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the k’subah (marriage contract), for it is forbidden to dwell with one’s wife without a k’subah. For this is known and understood in the holy Zohar and in the writings of the Ari, of blessed memory, that the union of husband and wife has its root very high, and all the worlds from top to bottom depend upon it. For the Blessed Name and K’neses Yisra’el (the Congregation of Israel) are the aspect of husband and wife, as is understood throughout all of Shir HaShirim and throughout all the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, regarding the giving of the Torah. And therefore our Sages said: “On the day of His wedding” — this is the giving of the Torah, etc. And it is the aspect of the generality of the Creation, which was created for the sake of Israel, which is the aspect of “a G-d-fearing woman,” the aspect of the receiver. And the aspect of before the Creation, which is the Blessed Name, the Creator alone, is the aspect of the husband, the aspect of “Hashem is a Man of war” (Sh’mos 15:3), as is brought. And therefore it cascades from level to level and from world to world, and from cause to effect, from the supernal intellect to the lower intellect. And all the lower levels, the aspect of the lower intellect, are the aspect of receivers, the aspect of wife, relative to the one above them, which is the aspect of the giver, the aspect of husband. And it is the aspect of true wisdom and faith, which are the root of husband and wife, which in truth at their root are all one. And even within the intellect and wisdom itself there is the power of the intellect and the power of the imaginative faculty — and they too are the aspect of giver and receiver, the aspect of husband and wife. And the essential clarification of the holy faith, which is the aspect of “a G-d-fearing woman,” is through the imaginative faculty, as is explained in the aforementioned Torah. And all of this is for the sake of meriting the aspect of the renewal of the world, which is the aspect of Providence — to nullify the error of the wisdom of nature from the world. To know the truth: that even now the entire governance of the aspect of the wife is all through Providence, the aspect of the husband alone. For nature is in the hand of Providence like clay in the hand of the potter — when He wills, He expands, and when He wills, He contracts, etc. Only that now Providence conceals and hides itself within nature for the sake of free choice. And all the unions of Israel according to the Torah, which are the aspect of holy union — they are all for the sake of all the above: to join and unify the lower world with the upper world, until the generality of after-the-Creation is included in before-the-Creation, until the imaginative faculty is clarified, which is the clarification of faith, through the tzadik, the foundation of the world. And through this, Providence is revealed. And everyone must receive from the true tzadik of the generation, through whom all the aforementioned tikkunim are drawn. And it is explained there that the tikkun of the bris is drawn through the power of the great tzadik who prays tefillah in the aspect of din, etc. — through which he extracts all the souls and all the da’as and all the holy sparks, etc., from the Sitra Achara, etc. — through which His glory, blessed be He, is increased, through which one merits the spirit of prophecy. And all of this is the aspect of the tikkun that comes about through the great enlargement of the holy gathering through the addition of many neighbors — from which is drawn healing, which is the aspect of the spirit of prophecy, etc. And it is explained there that prophecy only rests upon one who is wise, mighty, and wealthy — for all these aspects have their root in kavod (honor/glory), etc. And through the aspect of the spirit of prophecy, ruach hakodesh — through this specifically the imaginative faculty is clarified, through which comes the essential clarification of faith. And all of this is the aspect of the holy union of husband and wife — it is all for the sake of begetting souls of Israel who will reveal the holy faith in the world, as mentioned above. For the wife is the aspect of faith, as mentioned above. And the husband is in the aspect of wisdom, who receives his power from the true tzadik who possesses the spirit of prophecy. And the prophecy is drawn from the aspect of Netzach and Hod, which are the aspect of the “legs,” through which descends the drop that is drawn from wisdom, as is known. For the essential union is through the aspect of ruach (spirit), as it is written: “And no man’s spirit stood up” (Yehoshua 2:11). And this spirit, at its root in the supernal holiness, is the aspect of the spirit of prophecy mentioned above, which is drawn through the true tzadik, who is the aspect of tzadik y’sod olam (the righteous one, foundation of the world), to the aspect of the imaginative faculty, to clarify the many thousands of levels of descent, etc. And the aspect of wisdom, might, and wealth, from which the spirit of prophecy is drawn to faith — all of these are included in the holy union. For the drop descends from the wisdom that is in the mind, as is known, and descends in the aspect of might — for the bris is called “Bo’az” — bo oz, bo tokfa (in it is strength, in it is might), as is brought. And the drop itself, which is for the sake of the begetting of souls, is the aspect of the influence of wealth. For all the souls have their root in wealth, as is brought in his words, of blessed memory, Siman 69. And therefore all her acquisition is through money, the aspect of wealth, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the k’subah that he must give her, so that his cohabitation should not be licentious cohabitation, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said. For he must guarantee her in writing that there will remain with her from him the influence of wealth even when she separates from him, whether through a get (bill of divorce) or through death — in order that the bond should be firm and strong and enduring forever, for the sake of revealing the holy faith according to the root of their souls in the supernal holiness. And this is drawn through the money of the k’subah that he guarantees her will remain in her possession — to indicate that the influence he draws to her through the union endures forever, for it is drawn from the aspect of the spirit of prophecy that is drawn through wisdom, might, and wealth, the essential being the aspect of wealth, from which comes the entire drawing down of the souls, etc., as mentioned above. And therefore it must endure forever — that even if she separates from him, the influence of wealth should remain in her possession, which is two hundred zuz, which is the measure of wealth, as is brought above. And through this the chitzonim (external forces) will not have dominion and will not draw sustenance from her — they being the aspect of the wisdom of nature, who constantly lie in ambush for the imaginative faculty, the aspect of faith, which is the aspect of the wife, when she is far from the tzadik, who is the aspect of her husband. But now they will not have the power to take hold of her, for she has already received from her husband the influence of wealth, which is the aspect of the spirit of prophecy, through which faith is constantly clarified and strengthened, as mentioned above. And therefore he must give her the k’subah in writing specifically. And likewise when he wishes to distance her and divorce her, he must give her a get (bill of divorce) in writing specifically. For the essential tikkun of the bond and the connection is that she should be subordinate to him, for b’asar d’is d’char, nukba la id’char saman (in a place where the male is present, the female is not mentioned there). For he must rule over her, as it is written: “And he shall rule over you” (Bereishis 3:16). For kad nukba shalt’a al d’chura (when the female rules over the male), G-d forbid, then dina sakifa (harsh judgment prevails), G-d forbid, as is brought in the holy Zohar. That is, for the root of the union far, far above, at its source, is the aspect of the unification of Havayah and Elokim. And this is the essential tikkun — to know and to make known and to have it known that “Hashem — He is the Elokim.” For Elokim is the aspect of the drawing down of His G-dly vitality that is enclothed within all the worlds, from level to level, down to this lowly, lowest world. And this is the aspect of Malchus, the aspect of Elokim, as it says: “And Elokim is my King from of old” (Tehillim 74:12). And the Name Havayah is the aspect of the Essential Name, the aspect of His essential G-dliness, blessed be He, which is hidden from every eye, in the aspect of: “This is My Name, for concealment” (Sh’mos 3:15), as all of this is understood in the writings [of the Ari]. And therefore it is brought that Elokim has the gematria (numerical value) of hateva (nature). For in truth, even nature — all its vitality comes from His G-dliness, blessed be He, from the aspect of the Name Elokim. Only He, blessed be He, conceals Himself within the governance of nature for the sake of free choice, in the aspect of: “Truly, You are a G-d who hides Himself” (Yeshayah 45:15). And from this concealment — from there is the root of din (judgment), from which comes all the hold of the yetzer hara and the Sitra Achara and the k’lipos and all their hosts. And the essential root of the union is to unify the Name Elokim with the Name Havayah, blessed be He — to believe and to know that “Hashem — He is the Elokim,” for everything is one in the ultimate unity. For His vitality that is hidden and concealed in this world within nature, which is the aspect of Elokim, is the One who brings all into being Himself, blessed be He, which is the aspect of the Name Havayah, blessed be He. And all of this is the aspect of the root of husband and wife at their supernal root, as is known — for at the root of their souls, the two of them are one. For all the souls emerge male and female together, as is brought. Only below they are divided and separated so much, until it is as difficult to match them as the splitting of the Reed Sea, etc. And the essential purpose of their union is for the sake of this aspect — to effect the supernal unification mentioned above, from which come all the begettings. And it is all for the sake of revealing His G-dliness and His unity, blessed be He, for this is why man was created, and for this are all the begettings in the world — for “in the image of G-d He made man” (Bereishis 9:6). And as it says: “And G-d created man in His image; in the image of G-d He created him; male and female He created them” (Bereishis 1:27). And as we bless at the time of entering [under the canopy]: “Who fashioned man in His image,” etc. Only, because all human beings in this world — the man and the woman — have descended through so very many levels of descent until they have come into this physical world in these coarse and physical bodies, therefore the aspect of the hold of din has become greatly attached to them. And especially in the woman — therefore there is the intensification of all the desires and the yetzer hara, whose essence is in this desire. For such is its way: wherever the holiness is higher, there it clings most tenaciously, as it says: “For he has done greatly” (Yo’el 2:20), as our Sages, of blessed memory, said. But nevertheless, when one conducts oneself at least according to the Torah, according to the law of Moshe and Israel, great unifications are effected through every union, and all the souls are born through this — through which they reveal His G-dliness, blessed be He. And the essential thing is through the power of the true tzadikim, the b’nei aliyah (those who ascend). For there are great and awesome tzadikim who have broken their physical desire to such an extent that they have nullified themselves completely, until they have merited that all their union, even in the physical, is without any desire at all, but only for the sake of the supernal unification, etc. — fortunate are they! And from their power, the tikkun is drawn for all who enter the world. And therefore the entire tikkun of the world is that people should nullify their minds before these tzadikim specifically — they being the aspect of the Patriarchs and Moshe Rabbeinu, etc. And through them comes the essential knowledge of His G-dliness, blessed be He — to know that “Hashem — He is the Elokim” — that all the lower worlds that appear to be governed according to nature, which are in their generality in the aspect of the wife, are governed by the Creator, blessed be He, who oversees them and bestows upon them their vitality at every moment and instant. And none of them have any vitality except from Him, blessed be He, for everything is one, for “Hashem — He is the Elokim,” as mentioned above. And all of this is the aspect of the Written Torah and the Oral Torah, which are the aspect of Hashem and Elokim, as is brought. Therefore he must give her the k’subah in writing specifically — to indicate that she is subordinate and nullified to him, for all her vitality is only from him, who is in the aspect of the Written Torah. And likewise when he divorces her, he must divorce her in writing specifically. For from there is the root of her vitality, and from there is the essential root of their union. And likewise when they need to separate — from there specifically he must separate her from him, in order to separate her from him from her root in him, which is the aspect of writing, the aspect of the Written Torah, as mentioned above. For the Written Torah and the Oral Torah are the aspect of the root of husband and wife, as is brought. And the two of them are one at their root, for it is impossible to know anything from the Written Torah except through the Oral Torah, which explains everything — just as it is impossible for the husband to beget any offspring except through the wife. And as it is in the holy Zohar: D’leis rashu l’arka bircha’an (there is no permission to send forth blessings), etc., except through her, etc. But nevertheless, although all the begettings and the entire governance of the world is through her, for she is in the aspect of the mainstay of the home, as mentioned above — nevertheless, one must know that she has no power and no vitality at all except from her husband, from the aspect of the Written Torah. For the entire Oral Torah is all from the Written Torah, for leika milsa d’la r’miza b’Oraysa (there is nothing that is not hinted at in the Torah). For the Written Torah and the Oral Torah — this is the aspect of the aforementioned permutations. For the word itself, as it is written in the Torah — this is the aspect of the Written Torah. And all the permutations that can be formed from it — this is the aspect of the root of the Oral Torah, which explains and interprets the words of the Torah by way of p’shat, remez, drush, and sod — whether in the elucidation of the laws of the Torah in their details with all their rules, or in the secret of the intentions of the mitzvos and in wondrous drushim and chiddushim (novel Torah insights), etc. For they are all drawn from the aspect of the aforementioned permutations, for through their holy spirit they perceive how to permute the letters of the Torah in so very many different permutations, from which are drawn all the elucidations of the Torah according to the thirteen hermeneutical principles by which the Torah is expounded, and all the chiddushim and all the allusions and the secrets, etc. But in truth, the two of them are one — the Written Torah and the Oral Torah. That is, the essence of the words as they are, as they are written in the Written Torah, together with all the many permutations that are formed from them without end, which are the aspect of the Oral Torah. For this is the essential tikkun — to unify the two of them as one in the ultimate unity. For after all the multitude of permutations and drushim and intentions and allusions, etc., everything comes back to one place — which is the fulfillment of the Torah and the mitzvos in their plain sense. For example, the mitzvah of tefillin, which is written in Parashas Kadeish: “And it shall be when Hashem brings you,” etc. In every letter and in every word and in every verse and in every parashah there are secrets and mysteries, deep and awesome, without end, whose root is from all the aforementioned permutations. But nevertheless, after all the drushim and the intentions, etc., the essential thing is as it is written in the Torah, according to what our Sages, of blessed memory, explained to us — which is to put on these tefillin that we put on, which are made of leather, etc., with all their laws. And in them are included all the permutations and all the intentions and the secrets. And so it is with all the mitzvos in the Torah. For the Oral Torah explains all the words of the Written Torah, but it has no existence except from the aspect of the Written Torah — for the two of them are one, as mentioned above. And from this you will understand from afar how to distinguish between the holy and the profane and the impure — that is, between the holy path that our fathers and our masters trod, in Shas and Poskim and in the ways of the holy Kabbalah that they received from Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, upon which the holy Zohar and the writings of the Ari, of blessed memory, were founded according to their holy spirit — and between the bitterness of the willful waters of those who go to interpret the holy Torah according to the way of the philosophical investigators, who are not from the children of Israel. For all the true interpreters of the Torah, according to the Kabbalah, in p’shat and in sod — they all return to one place, and strengthen and arouse and inflame the hearts of the children of Israel greatly to fulfill all the mitzvos in their plain sense as our Sages, of blessed memory, transmitted them to us. For all their interpretations and their elucidations and their chiddushim are from the root of the Written Torah as it is written before us, from which come all the many permutations without end, from which come all their chiddushim, as mentioned above. But everything returns to one place — to fulfill the words of the Torah and its mitzvos according to law and rule, as our Sages, of blessed memory, received. Not so those who pervert the paths of the upright, who go in the way of philosophy and wish to turn the bowl upside down. And they say that they want only the plain meaning of the Torah, and they deny all the secrets, etc. And afterward, their words lead to throwing off the yoke entirely, as is apparent — their thoughts are discernible from their evil deeds. For certainly, if the reasons for the mitzvos, G-d forbid, are merely conventional, for the sake of maintaining society, etc., as they fabricate from their hearts — then certainly it is impossible to stand up in the battle to conquer one’s evil inclination for the sake of this, as is known and understood to anyone who has any familiarity with their evil words — the bitter, the piercing, like the thrusts of a sword — with their bitter taste of the chalamush (poisonous weed) of theirs upon the mitzvos. For the Sitra Achara sharei b’chibura v’sayeim b’feruda (begins with union and ends with separation). They begin with the connection of the letters of the Torah as they are, and they do not want the received tradition of our Sages, of blessed memory. And afterward they come to complete separation, in the aspect of: “And a gossiper separates the chief” (Mishlei 16:28) — they separate the Oral Torah from the Written Torah, until they bring about the throwing off of the yoke entirely, as already many of them have actually converted their religion entirely through this. And those who remain in the name of Israel — it is only superficially, and they throw off the yoke of most of the mitzvos entirely. For all their evil interpretations with which they interpret the Torah according to their way are separated from the true, essential intent of the Written Torah, as any person of understanding who desires the truth will be able to comprehend. But we who walk in the footsteps of our fathers and our masters, from time immemorial — all the drushim and all the chiddushim, etc., and all the intentions and the secrets, etc. — they are all to strengthen and fortify and arouse the hearts of the children of Israel to fulfill all the mitzvos with even greater vigor, with fear and love and wondrous arousal. For even one who does not understand the ways of the secrets and the allusions understands from afar that there are hidden mysteries, awesome and exalted, in every law and in every particular detail of every mitzvah. For everything returns to one place, for the Written Torah and the Oral Torah are all one, for “Hashem — He is the Elokim,” as mentioned above. Blessed is our G-d who created us for His glory and separated us from these errant ones, and gave us a Torah of truth, etc. And this is the aspect of: “The wisdoms of women have built her house, but foolishness tears it down with her own hands” (Mishlei 14:1). This is said regarding the true wisdom of the Torah, which is called eishes chayil (a woman of valor), the aspect of “the wisdoms of women,” etc. And conversely, the foolishness of the investigators of nature, who are referred to throughout Seifer Mishlei by the name of the strange woman, the adulteress, the foolish woman — as is explained in Rashi and in all the books of the true commentators. For a literal harlot and the heresies of the investigators of nature are actually the same aspect, according to all the above. And likewise, an eishes chayil, a wise and proper wife, is the same aspect as the holy faith that is clarified through the wisdom of the Torah, which is the true wisdom. And this is: “The wisdoms of women have built her house” — the aspect of the wondrous houses that are made through the many permutations without end, which are all built and founded in firmness and strength, since they all return to one place — to fulfill the Torah and the mitzvos, as mentioned above. But: “And foolishness” — which is the investigators of nature — “tears it down with her own hands,” for they wish to tear down all the wondrous aforementioned houses, since all their words are to distance from the truth of the Torah, as mentioned above. And this is why the k’subah and the get begin with: “On such-and-such a day of the week,” etc., according to the counting that we count from the creation of the world — to reveal in them the faith of the renewal of the world. For this is the essential faith that is clarified through the true tzadik, from which comes the entire tikkun of the union at its root, as mentioned above. And likewise regarding divorce — he must divorce her and separate her from her root in him, and it is impossible to separate her except according to the law of Moshe and Israel. That is, through the Torah, which is the aspect of the generality of the spirit of prophecy that clarifies faith, from which comes the union, as mentioned above. And therefore one must ascend there in order to effect the separation from there. For she is not his destined match, since they have come to the point of separation such that he divorces her. For when she is not his destined match and there are many quarrels between them until they cannot reconcile their minds — and all the more so when he has found in her actual ervas davar (a matter of immorality) — then it is impossible to effect through them the unification of nature and Providence, etc., as mentioned above. For sometimes the investigators of nature become clever against the truth of Providence, which is the aspect of: “The adulteress — under her husband she takes strangers” (Yechezkel 16:32) — who turn away from the truth of faith and go after foreign opinions, etc. And from there is drawn all the damage even in the physical realm between the couples, until he is compelled to divorce her. And then he must separate her from her root, as mentioned above. For every man and woman are the aspect of particular intellects who need to receive from each other specifically — just as it is at the root, in the knowledge of the Torah and its secrets, where each one needs to receive from the intellect that pertains to him specifically. And if he receives from another intellect that does not pertain to him, he can cause great damage. And therefore one truly needs a very great and distinguished Rabbi who can illuminate each and every person according to his intellect, according to the time and the level that is his. And from there is the root of husband and wife, giver and receiver, as mentioned above — that the soul of this wife needs to receive from this husband specifically. And when she does not pertain to him, from there come the divorces. And therefore the get must be in writing, and must mention therein the faith of the renewal of the world, as mentioned above, and according to the law of Moshe and Israel — to indicate that he separates her only from himself, for she does not pertain to him. But she is still bound according to the law of the holy Torah, and she has permission to marry whomever she wishes and to be rectified through him. And therefore the get is called a seifer (book/scroll), for it receives from the aspect of Seifer HaTorah (the Torah scroll). And the get serves her as proof and as witness that she has not been separated, G-d forbid, from the Torah entirely — only from this particular man. But she is still bound to the Torah, for she has been released from him according to the law of Moshe and Israel, etc., as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of yibum (levirate marriage) and chalitzah (removal of the shoe). For it is already explained that the essential purpose of begetting is in order to multiply a soul from Israel, through which the houses multiply greatly, etc. And the essential begetting is drawn at its root from the aspect of the spirit of the tzadik, which is the aspect of the spirit of prophecy, through which the imaginative faculty is clarified, through which faith is clarified — which is the aspect of “a G-d-fearing woman” — from which come all the begettings. And the more that a soul from Israel is born, it is the aspect of the renewal of the world, for man is a microcosm. And every person is the aspect of an entirely new matter and a completely new intellect, as is explained in our words elsewhere — that even a gilgul (reincarnation) is not reincarnated exactly as he was originally, but rather this nefesh with this ruach, etc. And it is all for the sake of publicizing and revealing His faithfulness, blessed be He, in the aspect of: “And from generation to generation is His faithfulness” (Tehillim 100:5). And the more that souls multiply and the house of prayer grows greater through the multiplication of houses, etc., through this the aspect of the spirit of prophecy grows greater. For the spirit of prophecy comes from the souls of Israel, as is explained there. Therefore, the more that the permutations of souls multiply, the spirit of prophecy that comes from them grows and increases all the more. And through this one can beget yet more souls, more and more, who will reveal the faith even more. And so it goes, round and round. And through this the redemption will come, as mentioned above — for the son of David will not come until all the souls in the guf (the celestial repository of souls) are completed. And through all of the above is drawn the voice of the melody that is explained there — which waters the garden, etc. — through which the akeiv d’kedushah (the “heel” of holiness) prevails over the akeiv d’Sitra Achara (the “heel” of the Other Side), in the aspect of: “And his hand grasped the heel of Esav” (Bereishis 25:26), as is explained there; see there well. And this is the aspect of the musical instruments that are played at a wedding. For the essential purpose of the wedding is for the sake of begetting, etc. — through which is drawn the aforementioned voice of melody. And one who dies without children, may the Merciful One save us, is blemished in all of the above. And therefore he does not enter the pargod d’Malka (the curtain of the King), as it is in the holy Zohar. And therefore his soul remains bound to the heel of his brother, as is brought. For the blemish reaches as far as there — to the aspect of the akeiv (heel) — in that he did not merit to spread forth and to beget, through which all the aforementioned tikkunim would have been made, until the aspect of the akeiv d’kedushah (heel of holiness) would have been rectified, as mentioned above. And therefore his soul is bound there, in the aspect of the heel. And therefore his tikkun is through his brother, who is adjacent to him in the permutations of the letters. For the six hundred thousand souls of Israel are the aspect of the six hundred thousand letters of the Torah, and every individual of Israel has a letter in the Torah, and every letter is comprised of all the letters. And likewise, every soul is comprised of all the souls — only that its essence is grasped in this letter. And just as in the Torah there are parashiyos and p’sukim and words and letters, so too among the souls there are tribes and families and ancestral houses, etc. And each person together with his brother is like a single word in the Torah that has several letters — so too in his father’s house there are several souls of his brothers. It follows that his brother is adjacent to him in the aforementioned permutations of the letters. Therefore he has the power to redeem him through the secret of yibum. And the essential tikkun of yibum is through the aspect of hahu rucha d’shadei b’gavah (that spirit which he casts into her) — that is, the aspect of the spirit of prophecy mentioned above, which is drawn at its root from the tzadik, from which comes begetting, as mentioned above. And therefore through hahu rucha (that spirit) he can rectify him, for he is reformed and refashioned through hahu rucha — through which faith is clarified and one merits the aspect of the renewal of the world, from which comes the tikkun. And therefore, when he does not wish to perform yibum, then: “She shall remove his shoe from upon his foot” (Devarim 25:9) — to show him that he has blemished in the aspect of the akeiv (heel), as mentioned above. For all the blemish is drawn from the sin of Adam HaRishon, in that he did not merit to rectify it according to his portion. And the essential sin and blemish of Adam HaRishon was in the aspect of the akeiv — through the serpent who was cunning, from which come all the damages, as is explained in the aforementioned Torah. For through this he caused: “And you shall bruise him on the heel” (Bereishis 3:15) — from which comes the power of the heel of Esav, which is the contamination of the serpent. And the tikkun is through the voice of the melody explained there, which is drawn through the clarification of faith, etc., which is the aspect of: “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid” (Bereishis 3:10), as is explained there. And then, after the tikkun began, it is written: “And Hashem Elokim made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin, and He clothed them” (Bereishis 3:21) — the secret of the shoes, as is brought. And therefore this yavam (levir) who does not wish to perform yibum, and this indicates that he does not have the power to draw all the aforementioned tikkunim — therefore: “She shall remove his shoe from upon his foot,” etc., and she shall answer and say: “So shall it be done to the man who will not build up his brother’s house,” etc. (Devarim 25:9). For there is the blemish in the aspect of the shoes, which are the aspect of the garments of skin, which are the aspect of the tikkun of the heel, as mentioned above. And this is: “And she shall spit in his face” (Devarim 25:9) — which is the aspect of disgrace, the opposite of kavod (honor). For the spirit of prophecy mentioned above is drawn from kavod, as is explained there. And therefore this one who has blemished in this has blemished in kavod. And therefore: “she shall spit in his face” — which is the opposite of kavod. May it be His will that He save us and all His people Israel, that they should not come to chalitzah and yibum. And may it speedily be fulfilled: “The smallest shall become a thousand, and the youngest a mighty nation; I am Hashem — in its time I will hasten it” (Yeshayah 60:22). Blessed is Hashem forever, Amein and Amein. “Hashem shall reign forever; your G-d, O Tziyon, from generation to generation, Halleluyah!” (Tehillim 146:10)