הלוואה א

Student of Rabbi Yisrael Karduner o.b.m. Based on what our holy Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, wrote in the teaching "Teekoo — Memshalah" in Likutay Tinyana, Siman 1.

And it is found there that through the completeness of yir'ah [fear/awe of G-d] — which is completed through receiving properly the Shalosh R'galim [Three Pilgrimage Festivals] — through this one merits the bestowal of n'vu'ah [prophecy]. And through the n'vu'ah, t'filah [prayer] is redeemed from exile etc. And then, when one merits t'filah, one does not need any remedies through herbs. For one can be healed through the bread and water that one eats. For all the herbs receive their power from the stars, and the stars from what is above them, and what is above from what is above it etc. And all of them are in the aspect of borrowers, one from another and this one from that one etc. As is written in the Zohar: "All the stars borrow, one from another; the moon borrows from the sun" etc. — up to the supernal root, which is the d'var Hashem [word of G-d].

Student of Rabbi Moshe Breslover o.b.m. And one who merits t'filah, which is the d'var Hashem — then all of them receive their power from him, and he is in the aspect of the great Lender. For all of them are borrowers from him, for they all receive their power from him. And therefore, when a person merits t'filah, all the herbs and all the si'ach hasadeh [vegetation of the field] are obligated to return their power into the t'filah, in the aspect of: "And Yitzchak went out to converse [lasuach] in the field" (Genesis 24:63). That is, his prayer was with the si'ach hasadeh — all the vegetation of the field ascended and was included in his prayer, for they returned their power to their original root, which is the t'filah, which is the d'var Hashem. And then one can draw the power of healing into bread and water etc.

Student of Rabbi Nussun of Breslov o.b.m. It emerges that all of them are in the aspect of borrowers, one from another and this one from that one, up to the great Lender, who is the aspect of the Ba'al T'filah [Master of Prayer]. And therefore, through the t'filah, all of them return their power to their root, which is the t'filah. And then he can draw the power of healing even into bread and water etc.; see there, this matter well.

Student of the holy master

And this is the aspect of halva'ah [lending]. For when one does chesed with his fellow and lends to him, through this the lender becomes in the aspect of the aforementioned great Lender — who is the Ba'al T'filah, from whom all receive. And the receiving that they receive from the Ba'al T'filah — that is, the fact that all the worlds and all the hosts of heaven all draw sustenance and receive their power from the t'filah — all of this is called by the name of halva'ah, as above, as it is written: "All the stars borrow, one from another" etc.

And therefore, when one lends his fellow money or the like and does g'milus chesed [an act of lovingkindness] with him — through lending to his fellow, through this, by an arousal from below an arousal is stirred above [b'is'arusah dil'satah is'ar l'ailah]. And then above as well, all the hosts of heaven, each one lends to its fellow — that is, each one bestows to its fellow, down to this lower world. And all of this is called by the name of halva'ah, as above.

For "great is g'milus chasadim more than tz'dakah" (Sukkah 49b). And it is known that the essential arousal of the bounty above — until it descends from level to level down to below — is accomplished essentially through tz'dakah. For just as people have mercy on one another and one bestows to his fellow and gives him tz'dakah, so too the bounty is aroused above, and all the supernal levels and all the hosts of heaven bestow from one to another and from this one to that one, down to this lower world. And therefore one must give tz'dakah before t'filah. For through the t'filah one draws all the bounties — for t'filah is the supernal root of all the bounties, for all receive from there, as above. And therefore one must give tz'dakah before t'filah, so that through the tz'dakah he has the power to draw the bounties below. And g'milus chesed — that is, a gracious loan — is greater than tz'dakah, and through it one arouses even more the bounty to descend from level to level down to below. For the drawing-down of the bounty — the fact that all the hosts of heaven receive from one another and this one from that one — is called by the name of halva'ah, as above: "all the stars borrow, one from another" etc. And therefore, through the halva'ah that one lends to his fellow as g'milus chesed, one arouses above as well that all the hosts of heaven should lend to one another and this to that — that is, that each one bestows to its fellow, which is the aspect of halva'ah, as above. It emerges that through the halva'ah that one lends to his fellow — which is a mitzvah from the Torah, as it is written: "If you lend money to My people" (Exodus 22:24), and our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded that this "if" is obligatory — through this he is in the aspect of the aforementioned great Lender, namely, the Ba'al T'filah, as above. And therefore all the properties of the borrower are encumbered to the lender — even what he sold and gave after the loan is all encumbered to the lender, by law. For all the purchasers who acquired from the borrower and come by the borrower's power — all of them must return their power to the lender at the time of repayment. Just as the Ba'al T'filah, who is the great Lender, requires all the herbs to return their power to their root, which is the t'filah, as above. And for this reason, the power that all the hosts of heaven receive, each from its fellow, and also the power that the herbs draw and receive from the stars above them — all of it is called by the name of halva'ah, as mentioned above in the name of the Zohar. And at first glance this is surprising: what does the term halva'ah have to do here, and when is the repayment? — for a loan stands to be repaid. But in truth, according to the words of Rabbeinu, it is precisely intended. For it is literally the aspect of a halva'ah, and in truth it always stands to be repaid. For all the powers and bounties that all receive, one from another and this from that, down to below — it is all only in the aspect of a halva'ah, as above — and it stands to be repaid. That is, all of them must return and elevate their power at the time of t'filah, in the aspect of "And Yitzchak went out to converse in the field," as above — for at the time of t'filah, which is their root, the aspect of the great Lender, all the powers that were drawn from above, from one to another etc. down to below — all of them must return their power to the t'filah, as above. And this is the aspect of the repayment of all the aforementioned loans. And this is the aspect of the aliyas ha'olamos [ascent of the worlds] during t'filah, as is known. For all the powers, from below to above — all return to their root, which is the d'var Hashem, the aspect of t'filah, which is the great Lender. And this is the aspect of the repayment of all the loans, as above. And afterward, the Ba'al T'filah returns and sends down the bounty to all the worlds, down to below — and then they become borrowers from him once again, as above. And therefore, just as the Ba'al T'filah, who is the great Lender, can seize all the powers from wherever they were drawn — he can seize and take the power from there and elevate it to its root, for all are compelled to return their power to their root, which is the t'filah, as above, and wherever the powers were drawn, from one to another and from this to that, down to below, from every place they must return the power above to their root, as above — so too, literally, all the purchasers who acquired from the borrower must all return to the lender at the time of repayment. For they all come by the borrower's power, and at the time of repayment all must return their power to the lender — just as all the lower powers must return their power to their root, which is the t'filah, which is their great Lender, as above. However, there is a distinction between lending with a document and lending by oral agreement. For this power — that the lender can seize the power from wherever it was drawn, even if it was drawn to a different domain — this is impossible except when the lender has power. And the power of the lender is through the sh'tar with witnesses. For it is found there, in the aforementioned teaching, that the essential completeness of t'filah is through the aspect of n'vu'ah. For through n'vu'ah, t'filah is redeemed and liberated from exile; see there. And the n'vu'ah is drawn through the yir'ah that is completed through the Shalosh R'galim; see there. It emerges that the Ba'al T'filah does not have the power to elevate all the powers to their root except through n'vu'ah etc., as above. And this is the aspect of lending with a document and lending by oral agreement. For in every matter there is Torah — for everything receives its power from the Torah. And lending by oral agreement has its hold from the aspect of Torah Sheb'al Peh [the Oral Torah], which is the aspect of t'filah. And lending with a document has its hold from the aspect of Torah Shebichsav [the Written Torah]. For in the sh'tar there are many laws that are derived from the language of the sh'tar, and one scrutinizes the writing of the sh'tar for what is missing and what is extra. It emerges that there is Torah and laws in the writing of the sh'tar. And therefore the sh'tar is in the aspect of the Torah Shebichsav. And this is the aspect of n'vu'ah. For n'vu'ah is the aspect of the Torah Shebichsav — for all the prophecies are included within the Torah Shebichsav. For the essential sh'tar operates through the witnesses, and t'rain sahadai [two witnesses] are the aspect of t'rain samchay k'shot [two pillars of truth]. For they uphold the matter, as it is written: "By the mouth of two witnesses, a matter shall be established [yakum davar]" (Deuteronomy 19:15). "Those who establish the matter" — this is what the verse speaks of. "Those who establish the matter" — this is the aspect of t'rain samchay k'shot, for the matter is supported and established through them. And this is the aspect of the n'vi'im [prophets], who are the aspect of t'rain samchay k'shot, as is known. And therefore n'vu'ah is called by the name of aidus [testimony], as it is written: "And I shall bear witness against them"... "I have borne witness against you" (Deuteronomy 4:26, 8:19). And as it is written: "Go down, bear witness against the people" etc. (Exodus 19:21). And this is what is written in Yeshayahu (8:2): "And I shall take for Myself trustworthy witnesses — Uriyah and Zecharyah the prophets." For the prophets are in the aspect of witnesses, the aspect of t'rain samchay k'shot. And therefore, through the sh'tar with witnesses, the lender receives the power to seize from the purchasers. For this is the aspect of how the Ba'al T'filah, who is the great Lender, receives power through n'vu'ah — which is the aspect of witnesses — and through this he can seize from wherever [the power] was drawn, which is the aspect of seizing from the purchasers, as above. And this is the aspect of what Rabbeinu wrote elsewhere: that emunah [faith] performs bairurim [clarifications/sortings], and it is impossible for emunah to perform the bairurim except through receiving power from the Torah; see there, on the verse "Ki Saitzai LaMilchamah" etc. (Siman 280, Likutay I). So too is the matter stated in the aforementioned teaching: it is impossible for the Ba'al T'filah to elevate all the powers to their root — which is also the aspect of bairurim, for when he elevates all the powers to their root, there are also many powers that were drawn to other places, to the Sitra Achara, and during t'filah he elevates even all the powers from there — and this is impossible except through n'vu'ah, which is the aspect of Torah Shebichsav, as above. For n'vu'ah is drawn through the Shalosh R'galim, which are the t'las avahan [three Patriarchs]. And through these aspects — that is, the three Patriarchs and the prophets, which are the totality of the Torah Shebichsav, as is known — through this one can redeem the t'filah from exile. And then the Ba'al T'filah can elevate all the powers, even from another domain, even from the Sitra Achara, as above. For without this it is impossible, since the t'filah itself is, as it were, in exile — as is explained in the teaching "Ki Saitzai"; see there well, and understand. It emerges that it is impossible for the Ba'al T'filah, who is the great Lender, to sort and elevate the powers to their root, which is the t'filah — which is their Lender, as above — except through n'vu'ah, which is drawn from the Shalosh R'galim, which is the aspect of the Torah Shebichsav, as above. And this is the aspect of lending with a document. For it is impossible for the lender to seize from the purchasers who took the power from the borrower except through the sh'tar with witnesses, who are the aspect of the prophets, the aspect of the Torah Shebichsav, as above. And this is the aspect of what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: "Lending with a document has a voice, and therefore it seizes from encumbered properties; but lending by oral agreement has no voice." For kol [voice] is the aspect of the Torah Shebichsav, for the Torah Shebichsav is the aspect of kol, and the Torah Sheb'al Peh is the aspect of dibur [speech], as is known. And therefore the essential establishment of the sh'tar with witnesses is only through the Bais Din of three. For a Bais Din of three corresponds to the t'las avahan [three Patriarchs], who are the aspect of the Shalosh R'galim — for the Shalosh R'galim correspond to the three Patriarchs, as is brought. And therefore, through the Bais Din, the sh'tar with witnesses is established. For the witnesses, who are the aspect of the prophets as above, are established through the Bais Din of three, who are the aspect of the Shalosh R'galim, as above. For through the righteous Bais Din, the yir'ah is completed — for the Bais Din is in the aspect of yir'ah, which is the aspect of din [judgment]. And therefore they are three, corresponding to the Shalosh R'galim through which the yir'ah is completed, which is the aspect of din, as above. And therefore through them the n'vu'ah is drawn and established — which is the aspect of the establishment of the witnesses, who are in the aspect of the prophets, through the Bais Din of three, as above. And then the lender has the power to seize from the purchasers who come by the borrower's power, as above. And therefore at the time of the Exodus from Mitzrayim it was said: "Speak, please... and let them borrow vessels of silver" etc. (Exodus 11:2). For the essential Redemption depended upon this: taking all the wealth of Mitzrayim to elevate it to holiness — which is the completeness of the t'filah, when all the bounties return to holiness. And the Exodus from Mitzrayim is the aspect of the t'filah being redeemed and ascending from exile, as is understood from the words of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, in several places. For in Mitzrayim the speech of t'filah was in exile etc., as is known. And when they left Mitzrayim — when they needed to bring the t'filah out of exile in the aspect of peh sach [a mouth that speaks = Pesach] — then they needed to return all the bounties to holiness. And this is the aspect of the spoils of Mitzrayim, as above. And because they did not yet have the Torah, they were unable to take the bounties from them except as a borrowing [she'ailah]. For it is impossible to take the bounties and powers from them except when the t'filah receives power from the Torah, as above. But in Mitzrayim, since they had not yet merited the Torah, they were compelled to take from them as a borrowing, as it is written: "And they borrowed" etc. (Exodus 12:35). And this is the aspect of the haste [chipazon] of Yisroel at that time. It was all because they had not yet received the Torah — it was difficult to leave from there, and they were compelled to leave in haste, as is brought in the Tikkunim. But in the future, when they will leave the exile, there will be the merit of the Torah. And therefore they will not need to leave in haste, as is written in the Tikkunim. Therefore, then, all the powers and all the bounties will ascend to their root in holiness of their own accord. For then the t'filah will ascend from exile, and then all the powers return to their root, as above — which is the aspect of the hisnatzetzus Moshiach [the glimmering forth of Moshiach], as is explained in the aforementioned teaching. And understand. Baruch Hashem l'olam, Amain v'Amain. This halachah (5 osiyos) applies the magnificent opening Torah of Likutay Tinyana — LM II:1 "Teekoo Memshalah" — to the laws of lending. The core metaphor: the entire cosmic order is a chain of halva'ah (lending). Stars borrow from stars, the moon borrows from the sun, herbs borrow their healing power from the stars — all the way up to the supernal root, which is d'var Hashem = t'filah. The Ba'al T'filah (Master of Prayer) is thus the "great Lender," and the return of all powers to their root during prayer is the cosmic "repayment" — the ascent of the worlds (aliyas ha'olamos). The distinction between lending with a sh'tar and lending by oral agreement maps onto Torah Shebichsav (Written Torah = voice = prophecy) vs. Torah Sheb'al Peh (Oral Torah = speech = prayer). The lender can only seize from purchasers (= retrieve powers from wherever they've been drawn) through the sh'tar with witnesses — because the Ba'al T'filah can only elevate powers from the Sitra Achara through n'vu'ah (prophecy = Written Torah), which is drawn through the Shalosh R'galim (= three Patriarchs = the Bais Din of three who establish the witnesses). Os 5 brings it all to the Exodus: they could only "borrow" Egypt's wealth (not seize it by right) because the Torah hadn't yet been given. In the future redemption — with the merit of Torah — all powers will return to holiness of their own accord, without haste. This is the glimmering of Moshiach. Based on Likutay Moharan II:1 — "Teekoo Memshalah"