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Likutay Halachos – Choshen Mishpat – Hilchos Onaah 1

And this is the aspect of the kindling of the Shabbos lights, for this is the first sanctity of Shabbos, for the first mitzvah at the beginning of the entry of Shabbos is the kindling of the lights, which one kindles during Tosefes Shabbos [the addition to Shabbos], at the time when one adds from the weekday onto the holy. For the light of Shabbos is the aspect of the light of truth, which is the essential light that illuminates. And therefore this mitzvah was given to the woman, for she extinguished the light of the world; therefore she must kindle the light of Shabbos. For the essential blemish of the truth mentioned above — which is the essential light — was through the woman, who was led astray by the falsehood of the Serpent and deviated from the truth. For his entire seduction was through falsehood, for he said: “Did G-d indeed say: You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?” etc. (Genesis 3:1). And likewise he said to her: “You shall surely not die” etc. (Genesis 3:4). And he said: “From the tree He ate and created the world” etc., as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Bereishis Rabbah 19). It emerges that her essential blemish was that she deviated from the truth to falsehood, and therefore she extinguished the “light” of the world — “light” specifically, for the essential light is truth. And therefore his essential seduction is through the woman, who is the aspect of the second type of truth mentioned above, where they [the forces of the Sitra Achara] have a hold, chas v’sholom, due to the diminution of the truth, as above. And therefore she must kindle the light of Shabbos, for through this she draws the light of the very essence of truth, which is the aspect of the sanctity of Shabbos. And she kindles the light while it is still day, at the time when one adds from the weekday onto the holy, in order to draw the light of truth — which is the aspect of the light of Shabbos — to draw it from Shabbos into the weekday. For this is the aspect of the joining of the sun and the moon, the two aforementioned aspects of truth, so that they become one — and this is the essential rectification, as above. For this is the aspect of: “The secret of Shabbos: it is Shabbos, which has unified in the secret of Oneness etc., and we have established that He is One and His Name is One” etc. For this is the essential aspect of Shabbos: that then the truth illuminates and the moon is included in the sun — which is the aspect of the completeness of truth, the aspect of the rectification of prayer, the aspect of “Hashem is One and His Name is One,” as above. And this is the aspect of the three mitzvos that were given to the woman, which are: challah, nidah, and hadlakas haner [kindling the light]. For all of this is to rectify the sin of Adam HaRishon, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said. And the sin was the blemish of truth, the blemish of the moon, as above. And these three mitzvos are the aspect of the light of truth — which is the aspect of the kindling of the light of Shabbos, as above. And this is the aspect of challah: to bring a blessing into one’s house, through the challah that one gives to the Kohen, who is a man of truth, as it is stated regarding Aharon the Kohen: “A Torah of truth was in his mouth” etc. (Malachi 2:6) — for through this one merits blessing, the aspect of sustenance and livelihood, which is drawn through the truth, which is the rectification of prayer, as is explained in the aforementioned teaching. And this is the aspect of guarding from nidah, which is the contamination of the Serpent, the blemish of the bris [covenant]. And through guarding from menstrual impurity — which is the aspect of the rectification of the bris — through this one merits the light of truth. For the essential light of truth is through the rectification of the bris, as above. And therefore the Tzadik merits the very essence of truth, for a Tzadik is one who guards the bris, and through this one merits the very essence of truth, through which everything is rectified, as above. Amen and amen. And this is the aspect of Havdalah [the separation ceremony] over the flame at the departure of Shabbos. For the essential Havdalah is to draw from the sanctity of Shabbos into the six weekdays, as is known — which is the aforementioned aspect of drawing light from the very essence of truth, from the aspect of a precious stone to the aspect of a window, from the sun to the moon etc., as above. And therefore one makes Havdalah over the flame, for truth is the aspect of light, as above. And this is the aspect of the avukah [braided torch] for Havdalah etc. For the avukah is two candles braided together. This is the aspect of the inclusion of the two aforementioned aspects of truth that are included and joined together through adding from the weekday onto the holy, at its entry and departure, as above. And this is the aspect of the two candles that must be kindled on Shabbos, which correspond to Zachor and Shamor [“Remember” and “Guard”], as is brought. For Zachor and Shamor are the two aforementioned aspects of truth, the aspects of the sun and the moon, as is known. And therefore, with the Shabbos candles, the custom is not to have the two candles braided together. But at Havdalah they are braided together. For at the entry of Shabbos, then “all the workers of iniquity are scattered” (Psalms 92:10), and then one does not fear the chitzonim [external forces], and then it is not necessary for the two aforementioned aspects to be joined together, for even though each stands on its own, nevertheless they are included together. But at the departure of Shabbos, at Havdalah, when the six weekdays are aroused, then they need to be joined together in a single braiding, in order to guard the second type of truth mentioned above from the chitzonim. For at the time when guarding is needed from them, then extra guarding is needed — to bind emunah to emes with a strong and firm bond, so that they should not take hold, chas v’sholom. But on Shabbos, one does not fear them, for then emunah is strong and included in emes even when they are not tied and joined together. And this matter is known and understood in the writings of the Ari, zichrono livrachah. And through the ibbur [intercalation] that adds onto the twelve months of the year, the year becomes one of thirteen months. For the blemish of the moon is filled — which is the aspect of the second type of truth mentioned above, which is the aspect of a window, the aspect of the twelve formulations of prayer, the twelve tribes etc., as above — and this truth is included in the very essence of truth etc., as above. For the truth in its essence is in the aspect of thirteen, the aspect of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, which are the t’lisar tikkunai dik’na [Thirteen Rectifications of the Beard], which are the aspect of emes. For “emes depends upon Atika” [the Ancient One], as is found in the holy Zohar. And Atika is the aspect of the Holy Beard, which has thirteen rectifications, the aspect of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, which are the aspect of “and abundant in kindness and truth” (Exodus 34:6). And therefore the time of maturity of the male — when he becomes bar mitzvah — is at thirteen years, for the essential dik’na kadisha [Holy Beard], which has thirteen rectifications, pertains to the male. For a woman has no beard, for the male is the aspect of the very essence of truth, the aspect of the sun. And the woman is the aspect of the moon, Malchus, the aspect of the second type of truth mentioned above, which is comprised of the twelve tribes, twelve gates etc., as above. And therefore the time of maturity of the female is at twelve years and one day, for this is the aspect of the moon, which has twelve months, comprised of the twelve tribes etc., as above. And through the filling of the blemish of the moon, which is the secret of ibbur, the year becomes one of thirteen months — which is the aspect of the very essence of truth, comprised of thirteen, as above. For everything becomes one, and they are included together, as above. For emes is echad [one], which has the numerical value of thirteen, as is brought. And through the secret of ibbur, the moon is included in the sun and everything becomes one, the aspect of “Hashem is One and His Name is One.” And this is what is brought: that the verse “Hashem your G-d” at the end of K’rias Sh’ma corresponds to the commandment “You shall not bear [false witness]” (see Mechilta). For “Hashem your G-d” is the aspect of the emes mentioned above, the aspect of “Hashem your G-d — truth,” as it is written: “And Hashem Elokim is truth,” as above — which is the aspect of two witnesses, as above. And when the witnesses blemish, chas v’sholom, and testify falsely and transgress “You shall not bear [false witness],” they blemish the two Names — Hashem Elokim — as above. For the two witnesses need to testify truthfully, and through this they unify the two Names — Hashem Elokim — the aspect of “Hashem your G-d — truth,” as above. It emerges that the commandment “You shall not bear [false witness]” is well-aligned and precisely fitted with the verse “Hashem your G-d — truth,” as above. And this is the aspect of the blessings of K’rias Sh’ma, which speak of the luminaries that Hashem Yisborach created — as we say in Shacharis “Who forms light” before K’rias Sh’ma, and in Arvis “Who brings on the evenings.” And at first glance, what connection do these blessings have to K’rias Sh’ma? But according to the above, it is well explained and very apt. For the essential K’rias Sh’ma is the aspect of truth, which is the essential unification. For through truth we believe in His unity, Yisborach. For through wisdoms and philosophical investigations it is impossible to know of Hashem Yisborach at all; only through truth and faith — that is, whoever gazes upon the truth to its truth merits complete emunah, in the aspect of “Tzedek, when joined with emes, becomes emunah,” as above. And the essential K’rias Sh’ma is to unify and join the two aforementioned aspects of truth so that everything becomes one; that is, that they should know in truth, in this world, of His unity, Yisborach, as it truly is — which is the aspect of “Hashem your G-d — truth,” the aspect of “Hashem our G-d, Hashem is One,” as above — which is the aspect of the unification of the sun and the moon, to fill the blemish of the moon, through the illumination of the very essence of truth being revealed in the world, as above. And this is the aspect of the blessings of K’rias Sh’ma, which speak of the praise of the creation of the luminaries — which are the sun and the moon, illuminating by day and by night — which are the “great luminary to rule the day and the lesser luminary to rule the night” (Genesis 1:16) — which is the aspect of the two aforementioned aspects of truth: the precious stone and the window, as above. And we include the measure of night in the day and the measure of day in the night, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said — to indicate that everything is one, for we include and unify and join the sun and the moon together, which are the aspects of day and night — and this is the aspect of the two aforementioned aspects of truth. For this is the essential unification: when the truth is included together and the very essence of truth is revealed, as above. And therefore the blessing of the luminaries is the blessing of K’rias Sh’ma, as above. And this is likewise the blessing of Ahavas Olam [“An everlasting love”], which is the blessing and praise of the Torah before K’rias Sh’ma. For the Torah is comprised of the Written Torah and the Oral Torah, which are the aspects of the measure of day and the measure of night, as above. And as Rabbainu, zichrono livrachah, wrote in another place (Siman 3): that when Moshe Rabbainu was on High, he studied the Written Torah by day and the Oral Torah by night, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Midrash Shocher Tov, Psalms 19). And this is the essential aspect of K’rias Sh’ma: to reveal the truth, which is the aspect of the unification and joining of day and night, sun and moon etc., so that everything becomes one, and all who enter the world should know the truth — that “Hashem is One and His Name is One,” as above. And this is the aspect of the Choshen HaMishpat [Breastplate of Judgment], in which were set twelve stones bearing the names of the tribes of the Children of Yisroel. For the Choshen HaMishpat is the aspect of the rectification of justice, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Zevachim 88b): that the Choshen HaMishpat atoned for the perversion of justice. And the rectification of justice is through the aspect of the twelve tribes of the Children of Yisroel, which are the aspect of the twelve stones that were set in the Choshen. For the twelve tribes are the aspect of prayer, whose essential rectification is through truth — and this is the essential rectification of justice, as above. And therefore all the twelve tribes were included in the two avnay hashoham [onyx stones, on the shoulders of the Ephod]. This is the aspect of two witnesses who clarify the truth — which is the aspect of the unification of the sun and the moon — for the essential rectification of justice is through this, as above. And therefore the section of the Shulchan Aruch that speaks of the laws between a person and his fellow is called “Choshen HaMishpat.” For the essential rectification and clarification of true judgment is through the aspect of the Choshen HaMishpat, in which were set the twelve tribes of Yah, who are the aspect of truth, as above.