דיינים ג

But the essential, complete tefillah is when a person prays only for the needs of his neshamah itself. That is, when all his prayers are to merit the fear of Hashem and His service, blessed be He. As Dovid HaMelech, peace upon him, said: "One thing have I asked of Hashem, that is what I seek — to dwell in the house of Hashem all the days of my life" (Tehillim 27:4). And as Rabeinu, of blessed memory, wrote in Torah 14 on the teaching of "Rabbah bar bar Chanah": "and I took my bread and placed it in the firmament of heaven" — see there. 15

Based on the teaching “T’homos y’chasyumu” [“The depths covered them”] in Likutay [Moharan] I, Siman 9. See there what is explained on the verse: “A tzohar [light/window] you shall make for the taivah [ark] etc.” (Genesis 6:16). And the general principle [is that] when a person stands to pray, then alien thoughts and k’lipos [husks of impurity] come and surround him, and he remains in darkness and cannot pray etc. And in truth there are many openings within the darkness through which to exit from there etc., but the person is blind and does not know how to find the opening. And through emes [truth] he merits to find the opening, for the essential light that illuminates is the Holy One, Blessed is He, as it is written: “Hashem is my light and my salvation” (Psalms 27:1). And through sheker [falsehood] one drives away the Holy One, Blessed is He, etc. But through truth, the Holy One, Blessed is He, dwells with him etc. And when the Holy One, Blessed is He, is with him, He illuminates for him how to exit from the darkness that prevents him in his prayer, as it is written: “Hashem is my light.”

And such a tefillah is not subsidiary to the Torah. On the contrary! Such a tefillah is the essential fulfillment of the Torah, since one asks only to fulfill the Torah — and that is the essential completeness of the Torah, for "it is not the study that is the essential thing, but the action" (Avos 1:17). And this is the aspect of "a woman who fears Hashem — she shall be praised" (Mishlay 31:30). That is, the tefillah, which is the aspect of eishes chayil (the woman of valor), when it is for the sake of yiras Hashem — to merit His fear, blessed be He — "she shall be praised," for this is the essential completeness of the tefillah. 16

And this is the meaning of: “A tzohar you shall make for the taivah etc.” And it all depends upon the magnitude of the truth etc. And then: “And the opening of the taivah you shall place at its side” (Genesis 6:16). That is, the taivah [word] that goes forth in truth — it will set for you an opening in the darkness in which you are trapped etc. And through exiting from within the darkness and praying well, through this he rectifies “lower, second, and third [stories]” (Genesis 6:16) — that is, the olam hashofel [lower world], the olam hakochavim [world of the stars], and the olam hasaichel [world of the intellect] etc. See there.

And this tefillah is equal to the Torah and higher than it. For the essential intention in studying the Torah is to fulfill the Torah, since "it is not the study that is essential but the action." And this is his intention in his tefillah — that he asks to fear Hashem and to fulfill the Torah. It follows that the Torah and the tefillah — both are equal in their stature. And even so, the tefillah is even higher, in the aspect of "a woman of valor is the crown of her husband" (Mishlay 12:4) — the aspect of "the beginning of wisdom is the fear of Hashem" (Tehillim 111:10). That is, the tefillah, which is the aspect of "a woman who fears Hashem" — namely, one who prays for yirah — is the reishis (beginning/pinnacle) of chochmah. For it is above the chochmah, which is the Torah. For such a tefillah is the essential fulfillment of the Torah, for the essential thing in the Torah is the ma'aseh (action), which one merits through this tefillah, for "it is not the study that is the essential thing," etc. 17

And this is the aspect of three da’yonim [judges], for the essential rectification of mishpat tzedek [righteous judgment] is emes [truth], for it is impossible to clarify the judgment except through truth. For when the two litigants come to be judged and contradict one another regarding a monetary matter — this is the aspect of the intensification of the darkness exceedingly, for the sheker [falsehood] is darkness. And especially since the essence of their denial is on account of money — it emerges that they have fallen into the ta’avas mamon [lust for money] to the point that one wishes to oppress and rob his fellow, which is the essential lust for money. And the lust for money is the aspect of darkness, the aspect of “He has set me in darkness” (Lamentations 3:6), as is well-explained in the teaching “Tzivisa Tzedek” etc., see there (Siman 23), that the lust for money is a very great darkness, the aspect of anpin chashochin [dark faces] — idolatry that is comprised of all the seventy nations.

For "everything is in the hands of Heaven" — which is the Torah, the aspect of Z'eir Anpin which is called Shamayim (Heaven), as is known — "except for the fear of Heaven" (Brachos 33b). But through tefillah, one can merit yiras Shamayim. And this is the aspect of all of Sefer Tehillim that Dovid HaMelech, peace upon him, composed — which is entirely prayers to merit yiras Shamayim and His service, blessed be He, as will be explained further, with Hashem's help. 18

It emerges that all types of darkness, which is the Sitra Achara [Other Side] and the idolatry — all the seventy anpin chashochin [dark faces] — are all included in the lust for money, which is the aspect of falsehood, as is explained there. And therefore the judge who sits to judge — it is as if Gehinnom [purgatory] is open beneath him, as our Sages of blessed memory said (Yevamos 109b), for the intensity of the darkness intensifies then, which is the aspect of the darkness of Gehinnom where the essential darkness and shadow of death reside — since one wishes to rob his fellow of money, which is the aspect of the sin of the Generation of the Flood, whose decree was sealed on account of robbery, as our Sages of blessed memory said (Sanhedrin 108a).

And this is the aspect of Rosh HaShanah, when we engage in raising and building the tefillah, which is the aspect of Malchus — to separate her from Z'eir Anpin, from the aspect of back to back, and to build her as a partzuf on its own and to unite her with Z'eir Anpin face to face. That is, then our engagement is to draw this tikkun of tefillah into the world: that every single person's essential prayer should be only for yirah — to fear Hashem, the honored and awesome Name. 19

And therefore it is in truth exceedingly, exceedingly difficult to clarify a righteous judgment. And therefore the judge cannot clarify the judgment except through truth — for the essential thing is the truth. That is, the judge should look only at the truth. And there should be in his heart no aspect of bias or inclination, G-d forbid, to any side of the sides, and both [litigants] should be equal in his eyes, and he should look with the eye of truth to its truth. And then, through the magnitude of the truth of the judge — and truth is the light of Hashem Yisborach Himself — then it will be fulfilled: “G-d stands in the congregation of the Mighty; in the midst of the judges He judges” (Psalms 82:1). And then Hashem Yisborach, Who is the very essence of truth, Who is the illuminating light, will illuminate his eyes. And through this the judge will merit to clarify the righteous judgment from within the great darkness, and to be saved from the Gehinnom — which is the great darkness that surrounded him through the falsehood of the darkness of the lust for money, as above. For it is impossible to be saved from all this except through truth, which is the light of Hashem Yisborach Himself, the aspect of “G-d stands in the congregation of the Mighty,” as above.

Therefore, we begin on Rosh HaShanah with "And so, place Your fear, Hashem our G-d, upon all Your works, and Your dread, etc. — and all the works shall fear You, etc. — and they shall all form a single bond to do Your will with a complete heart, etc." For this is our essential engagement on Rosh HaShanah — to build the stature of the tefillah, that she be a complete stature, the aspect of a partzuf on its own, etc. That is, that the tefillah should be in the aspect mentioned above — only for yiras Hashem and His service. For then the tefillah is not subsidiary to the Torah in the aspect of back to back; rather, she is a complete stature on her own, for she is eishes chayil ateres ba'alah (a woman of valor, the crown of her husband), for she is the essential fulfillment of the Torah, and the Torah has no completeness except through such a tefillah, as mentioned. 20

For without truth it is impossible to clarify any judgment, for there are many distinctions, too numerous to count. And they are “like mountains hanging by a hair” (Chagigah 1:8). And also there is a fraudulent case, and it is impossible for the judge not to stumble in the matter of judgment except through truth, which is the light of Hashem Yisborach, which illuminates his eyes and he merits to judge righteously.

And this is the aspect of the sleep and the dormita that falls upon Z'eir Anpin, which is the Torah, and afterward he is awakened through the shofar — through which the Malchus is separated and its stature is built, as mentioned in the kavanos. For when one wishes to draw this path into the world — to make from the Toros, tefillos — one needs to draw for this purpose chiddushei Oraysa (Torah innovations) of the very highest order, drawn from the aspect of the Oraysa d'Atika S'sima'ah (the Torah of the Hidden Ancient One). Through these innovations, all the paths and pathways of the Torah are revealed — how all the mitzvos and middos (character traits) are bound and connected to one another. 21

And this is the aspect of the greatness of the prohibition of bribery: “For the bribe will blind etc.” (Exodus 23:8) — “will blind,” specifically. That is, the aspect of the great darkness mentioned above, which intensifies even more through the lust for money — that is, bribery — in which case it is impossible in any manner to judge righteously. And therefore it is forbidden to take a bribe even to acquit the innocent etc., as our Sages of blessed memory said (Kesubos 105a), for it is impossible in any manner to judge righteously when one takes a bribe, for then he has no truth, for the darkness intensifies exceedingly etc., as above. For it is impossible to exit from this great darkness except through the truth — that the judge should have great truth and should look only at the truth without any falsehood and without any deviousness whatsoever.

Just as an expert physician, when he wants to heal some ailment in a person, cannot know the nature of the ailment and its cure unless he is proficient in the science of anatomy — that is, he must know all the details of the human form: the nature of all its limbs, sinews, and arteries, etc., in completeness; he must know well how all the internal and external organs are arranged and ordered, one next to the other; and the nature of their joints and connections and bonds — how each limb and bone, etc., is connected, joined, and ordered one to another through the connections of the sinews and arteries, etc.; and how the blood flows through them; and all the rest of the body's nature and the distances between its segments, etc. — all of which are included in the science of anatomy. Only then, when the physician is proficient in all of this, can he begin to understand the nature of the ailment and engage in its cure. 22

And this is the aspect of “men of truth, haters of monetary gain” (Exodus 18:21), regarding which the judges are especially warned, for “truth” and “haters of monetary gain” are [both] the aspect of truth, for the lust for money is the aspect of darkness, the aspect of falsehood, as explained in the teaching “Tzivisa Tzedek” mentioned above. It emerges that the essential rectification of the judgment of the da’yonim is truth.

In the same way, the true tzaddikim of the generation who occupy themselves with the healing of the illnesses of the souls of Yisrael — they cannot occupy themselves with their cure unless they know the nature of the illness of the neshamah. And this is through knowing the aspect of the nature of the form of the Supernal Man, which is the aspect of the tzelem Elokim (Divine image), which is the aspect of the nature of the stature of the Torah, which is called Adam (Man), as it is written: "This is the Torah — a man" (Bamidbar 19:14). For the Torah is the aspect of the stature of a man, for it consists of 248 limbs and 365 sinews, which are the aspect of the 248 positive commandments and 365 negative commandments, as is known. And just as the 248 limbs and 365 sinews in a person are arranged and connected and ordered one to another, etc., and the physician must be proficient in their order and connections well, as mentioned — so too, one needs to know in the aspect of the stature of the Torah the order of the connection and bond of all the 248 positive commandments and 365 negative commandments and all the middos and rabbinic commandments included in them — to know well how they are arranged, ordered, connected, and bound one to another. And then one can know the special quality of each mitzvah and each middah — for which healing it is most uniquely suited — and how to heal the illness of the neshamah. 23

And therefore there must be three da’yonim, for through truth — through which one merits to pray — through this one merits to sustain all the three worlds, which are the lower world, the world of the stars, and the world of the angels — which are the aspect of “lower, second, and third [stories] you shall make it” (Genesis 6:16), as above. And this is the aspect of three da’yonim, who are the aspect of three lines of truth, the aspect of three prayers per day, which sustain all the three worlds, as above. For the essential sustenance of all the worlds is truth, which is the aspect of the three da’yonim, whose essential warning is [regarding] truth, as above.

(See a hint of this in the second introduction to the Sefer HaAlef-Beis, and you will understand a little of this.) 24

And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said (Shabbos 10a): “Whoever judges a judgment of truth to its truth becomes as if he became a partner with the Holy One, Blessed is He, in the work of Creation.” That is, as above — for through a judgment of truth to its truth, where he looks only at the truth to its truth, through this he sustains all of the work of Creation, which is the generality of the three worlds mentioned above. And behold, he is a partner with the Holy One, Blessed is He, in the work of Creation, as above.

And precisely then, when one draws such Torah innovations — through which one knows the aspect of the nature of the stature of the Torah, as mentioned — then one can draw this path: to make from the Toros, tefillos. For precisely through this, one reveals the order of tefillah — how we merit to open our hearts and pour out our hearts like water before the face of Hashem, and to beseech our Creator, blessed be He, that He stand in our aid and return us to Him in truth. For the essential completeness of the tefillah is drawn from the aspect of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, for the essential tefillah is rachamim v'tachanunim (mercy and supplications), and therefore its essential completeness is drawn from the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy. 25

It emerges that a judgment of truth is the aspect of the rectification of prayer, whose essential rectification is through truth, as above. And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said: “Why is the section of [civil] laws juxtaposed to the section of the altar? To tell you that you should place the judges near the altar” (Sanhedrin 7b). For the altar, where they offer korbanos [sacrifices], is the aspect of t’fillah [prayer], which atones like sacrifices, as it is written: “And I will gladden them in My house of prayer; their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon My altar etc.” (Isaiah 56:7). And therefore the da’yonim need to sit near the altar, for the essential rectification of prayer, which is the aspect of sacrifices, is through truth, which is the aspect of truthful judges, as above.

And the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy are the aspect of the Thirteen Hermeneutical Rules by which the Torah is expounded, through which all chiddushei Oraysa are drawn — when one expounds the Torah and connects it from place to place and from subject to subject, through generality and particularity, through kal vachomer, through g'zeirah shavah, etc. And these Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, which are the aspect of the Thirteen Rules of the Torah, are all drawn from the aspect of Atik, from the aspect of the Thirteen Tikunay Dikna (rectifications of the beard), which are the aspect of the tikunei Atik, as is known. 26

And therefore the essential judges from the Torah are mumchin us’muchin [experts and ordained] in Eretz Yisroel specifically. For the essential rectification of prayer is in Eretz Yisroel, as is explained there in the aforementioned teaching. For there, in Eretz Yisroel, is the essential truth, which is the rectification of prayer, the aspect of “A tzohar you shall make for the taivah” mentioned above, which illuminates and saves from the waters of the Flood, which are the darkness that surrounds, G-d forbid. For Eretz Yisroel is “a land that was not rained upon in the day of wrath” (Yechezkel 22:24), for in Eretz Yisroel the Flood did not occur, as our Sages of blessed memory said (Zevachim 113a). For there is the essential truth, which is the aspect of Yaakov, as Rabbainu of blessed memory wrote in the teaching “Va’achaltem achol v’savo’a” (Siman 47), see there.

And the true tzaddikim, according to what they merit in drawing chiddushim of Torah from there through the Thirteen Rules by which the Torah is expounded, correspondingly they merit to open and reveal and draw the aspect of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy. And correspondingly they reveal to us the order of tefillah that is comprised of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy. And this is the essential aspect of the completeness of the tefillah that is made from Torah: from the Thirteen Rules of the Torah, which are the generality of the Torah, one makes the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, which are the generality of the tefillah, as mentioned. But all of this is accomplished only through the tzaddikim who know the root of all the Thirteen Rules of the Torah, which are the generality of the Torah — how they are arranged and ordered in their root, how all the matters of the Torah and its mitzvos and its middos and its details and its fine points are arranged and ordered and connected and joined and attached one to another in wondrous connections and in wondrous and awesome understanding — just as in the stature of a person, where one sees the Creator's wonders in the nature of his form and the arrangement of his limbs, and how sinews and pathways travel from the head to the heel of the foot in wondrous ways, etc. — so too is it exactly in the stature of the Torah, as mentioned. And the tzaddikim who know the Torah in its root know all of this well. 27

And this is the aspect of the court not concerning itself except for the value of a p’rutah [smallest coin]. For it is brought there in the aforementioned teaching, regarding the words of our Sages of blessed memory: “The son of Dovid will not come until the p’rutah ceases from the purse” (Sanhedrin 97a) — that p’rutah is the aspect of the angel “dif’ritah sif’vasav” [whose lips move/separate], the aspect of emunah, t’fillah [faith, prayer] etc., see there. And therefore the essential measure of theft is the value of a p’rutah, for one must conduct business dealings with emunah [faithfulness] — “with emunah,” specifically. That is, one must be exceedingly careful not to rob his fellow, for the essential emunah depends upon money. That is, when one breaks the lust for money, this is the essential emunah in its completeness, as Rabbainu of blessed memory wrote there in the teaching “Tzivisa Tzedek Aidosecha V’emunah M’od”. And emunah is the aspect of t’fillah, the aspect of p’rutah, as above.

And precisely then, they know how to expound the Torah through the Thirteen Rules, which are the generality of the Torah, and then they know how to draw this holy path: to make from the Toros, tefillos — to draw from the Thirteen Rules of the Torah, which are the generality of the Torah, the aspect of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, which are the generality of the tefillah. And from this, great delight is made Above. 28

And therefore the measure of theft — which is the lust for money, the blemish of emunah — is the value of a p’rutah. And therefore the essential sitting of the da’yonim is on account of the value of a p’rutah, for the sitting of the da’yonim is in order to clarify the judgment of truth, which is the aspect of the rectification of prayer, which is the aspect of emunah, as above — in order to extract the p’rutah, which is the aspect of emunah/t’fillah, from the hand of the oppressor who wishes to blemish the emunah through the lust for money, as above.

And this is the aspect of the shofar. For at first, one withdraws the mochin (mental faculties), which is the aspect of the falling of the dormita, as mentioned. For it is known that when one wishes to ascend from level to level, one must withdraw the mochin that one had before, as we find in the Gemara: when he would ascend to Eretz Yisrael, he would fast in order to forget the Torah of the diaspora, for he needed to receive the mochin of Eretz Yisrael; therefore he needed to withdraw the mochin from before, which were the mochin of the diaspora. Therefore, on Rosh HaShanah, which is the first day of the Ten Days of Teshuvah, and one needs to draw down the path of teshuvah into the world — to rectify the blemish of the sin of Adam HaRishon who blemished on this day on which he was created, and likewise to rectify the blemishes and sins of each and every person in every generation — therefore one needs to draw down mochin as lofty as these, so that through them we will merit to draw down the pathways of teshuvah, to return to Him, blessed be He. Therefore one needs to withdraw the mochin from before, which is the aspect of the falling of the dormita and sleep, which is the aspect of the withdrawal of the mochin in order to merit loftier mochin. And the essential new mochin that one needs to receive then on Rosh HaShanah is that we should merit to draw down mochin such as these, through which we will merit to build the stature of the tefillah in completeness — that is, to make from the Toros, tefillos — which is the essential completeness of the tefillah, through which comes the essential drawing down of the arousal of teshuvah that we need to draw down now on Rosh HaShanah, which is the first day of teshuvah, as mentioned. For the essential arousal of teshuvah one merits through making from Toros, tefillos. For to merit teshuvah — not every person merits it, due to the abundance of obstacles that exist regarding this. Therefore, the essential drawing down of the path of teshuvah into the world is through making from Toros, tefillos. For to return in teshuvah is very difficult. For consider: at first, before he sinned, when he had not yet been drawn after his evil inclination, the evil inclination overpowered him until it caused him to sin!! All the more so now, when he has already been drawn after it and has been caught in its trap — how is it possible to return?! But the essential teshuvah is drawn from the aspect mentioned above, through making from Toros, tefillos. For through tefillah one can accomplish everything. For even though a person is as he is, and has already been caught in his evil desires, such that it seems to him that it is impossible to escape from there — even so, at least his power of speech is in his hands. And if he will speak many words of tefillah and supplications, and pray much to Hashem, blessed be He, that he should merit to return and to fulfill all the words of the Torah, he will certainly arouse the mercy of Hashem, blessed be He, upon himself until Hashem, blessed be He, will open for him the gates of teshuvah, and he will merit, in the end of ends, to return to Hashem, blessed be He, and He will have mercy upon him. 29

And therefore one must give tz’dakah [charity] before praying, as our Sages of blessed memory said (Bava Basra 10a), for tz’dakah is the aspect of breaking the lust for money, as Rabbainu of blessed memory wrote in the teaching that begins “L’hamshich hashgachah sh’laimah” etc. (Siman 13). And when one breaks the lust for money, then the emunah is completed, as above, which is the essential rectification of prayer, which is the aspect of emunah, as above. And therefore the measure of tz’dakah is also a p’rutah, the aspect of the p’rutah mentioned above, which is the aspect of emunah/t’fillah, as above.

And this is the aspect of what Rabeinu, of blessed memory, wrote in Likutay Tinyana, Siman 73 mentioned above, that the essential teshuvah is through the recitation of Tehillim. For the entire Sefer Tehillim consists of supplications and requests of Dovid HaMelech, peace be upon him, who beseeched Hashem, blessed be He, to merit to draw close to Him and to fulfill His Torah and mitzvos, as it is written: "One thing have I asked of Hashem, that is what I seek — to dwell in the house of Hashem all the days of my life," etc. And it is written: "Teach me, Hashem, Your way; I will walk in Your truth," etc. "Help us to do Your will," etc. And similarly many others. And everything that he asks to be saved from his enemies and his foes — his entire intention is to be saved from the enemies of the neshamah, which are the Sitra Achra and its forces. And also all the physical enemies from whom he asked to be saved — it was all for the sake of meriting to fulfill the Torah and the mitzvos. For all the enemies of Dovid HaMelech, peace be upon him, and of Klal Yisrael, are on account of the fact that we hold fast to the Torah of Hashem and His mitzvos; it is because of this that they provoke us. It comes out that all our foes and enemies in the physical realm are all haters of Hashem, enemies of the neshamah, enemies of the Torah. And all our request to be saved from them is to be saved from the enemies of the neshamah and of the Torah, so that we should merit to fulfill the Torah. The general principle is that the entire intention of Dovid HaMelech, peace be upon him, in Sefer Tehillim is to beseech Hashem, blessed be He, that we should merit to fulfill the Torah and the mitzvos and to be saved from all the enemies and obstacles and hindrances to serving Hashem, blessed be He, both physical and spiritual. And as Rabeinu, of blessed memory, said, that Dovid HaMelech composed the entire Sefer Tehillim from his hisbodedus (secluded prayer), etc., as explained in Siman 156 — see there. And therefore there are five books of Tehillim corresponding to the Five Books of the Torah, which are the generality of the Torah — that is, the aspect mentioned above of making from Toros, tefillos. For Dovid HaMelech made from the Five Books of the Torah five books of Tehillim, which are tefillos and requests — that is, he made from Toros, tefillos, which is the essential completeness of the tefillah, as mentioned. And therefore the essential arousal of teshuvah is through Tehillim, as mentioned, for the essential teshuvah one merits through making from Toros, tefillos, which is the aspect of Tehillim, as mentioned. 30

And this is the aspect of two witnesses, who have trustworthiness [ne’emanus — note the root shared with emunah] and they clarify the truth — which of the two litigants claims truth — as it is written: “By the mouth of two witnesses a matter shall be established” (Deuteronomy 19:15).

It comes out that the essential teshuvah one merits through making from Toros, tefillos, which is the essential completeness of the tefillah. And this is all our engagement on Rosh HaShanah, which is the first day of the Ten Days of Teshuvah, when one needs to draw down the path of teshuvah into the world so that all who come into the world should merit to return to Hashem, blessed be He, as it is written: "And they shall all form a single bond to do Your will," etc. And this is drawn down through engaging in building the stature of the tefillah in completeness — that is, that we should merit to engage much in hisbodedus, to pray always to Hashem, blessed be He, to fulfill the Torah and to make from the Toros, tefillos. This is the aspect of Tehillim, for all of Yisrael engage then in the recitation of much Tehillim, for it is precisely through this that one merits teshuvah, as mentioned. But this path needs to be drawn down from a very lofty place, from the aspect of the Torah innovations that are drawn from the Oraysa d'Atika S'sima'ah, as mentioned. And this is the aspect of the dormita, which is the withdrawal of the mochin in order to merit loftier mochin through the shofar — that is, to draw down the Torah innovations mentioned above, through which we will merit to build the stature of the tefillah, to make from the Toros, tefillos, which is the essential completeness of the tefillah, as mentioned. 31

And this is the aspect of the secret of the ibbur [intercalation/leap year] that was given over to the bais din to intercalate years and to establish new months. And they intercalate Adar and add a month to the twelve months, and the year becomes sometimes thirteen months, in order to equalize the solar years with the lunar months so that the Sholosh Regolim [Three Festivals] should be in their [proper] time, as it is written: “Guard the month of spring etc.” (Deuteronomy 16:1), as our Sages of blessed memory said.

And this is the aspect of the shofar, which is the aspect of the receiving of the Torah that was given with the sound of the shofar. That is, one draws down Torah innovations such as these, through which we will merit to raise up the tefillah, to make from the Torah, tefillah — through which comes the essential teshuvah, that we should merit to return to Him, blessed be He, and to fulfill all of the Torah. For the shofar is the aspect of yirah (fear), as it is written: "Can a shofar be sounded in a city and the people not tremble?" And yirah is the aspect of tefillah, as it is written: "A woman who fears Hashem — she shall be praised." And for this reason the Torah was given with the sound of the shofar — to teach that the essential completeness of the Torah is when one merits to make from the Torah, tefillah, which is the aspect of yirah, through which one merits to fulfill the Torah, which is the essential thing, for "not the study is the essential thing, but the action." And this is the aspect of: "And in order that His fear shall be upon your faces, so that you will not sin" — said in the context of the thunderings and lightnings and sound of the shofar with which the Torah was given. That it is "in order that His fear shall be," etc. — that is, so that we should merit tefillah, which is the aspect of kolos (voices/sounds), the aspect of "My voice — to Hashem I cry out; my voice — to Hashem I supplicate," the aspect of yirah as mentioned — that is, that we should merit to make from the Toros, tefillos. Through this, one is saved from sins and merits to fulfill the Torah. And this is: "And in order that His fear shall be upon your faces, so that you will not sin." "So that you will not sin" specifically — for to merit to fulfill the Torah without sinning, this one merits through the aspect of the kolos, the aspect of the sound of the shofar, which is the aspect of yirah — that is, through the tefillos that are made from the Toros, which are the aspect of yirah, the aspect of the sound of the shofar — through them one merits to not sin, but rather to fulfill the Torah, as mentioned. 32

For it is explained in the teaching “T’homos y’chasyumu” mentioned above that truth is the essential rectification of prayer, through which one sees the openings to exit from within the great darkness and the k’lipos that surround a person at the time of prayer, so that he cannot pray because of them. And there is no remedy for this except through truth — that a person must strengthen himself and exert himself with all his might to bring forth the utterance from his mouth in truth, in whatever capacity he can, even if he cannot pray at all. At the very least, let him say the word from his mouth in truth, with complete simplicity, so long as it is in truth. And then the word of truth will illuminate for him to exit from within the darkness, and he will be able to pray well etc., as is explained there.

And for this reason we blow the shofar on Rosh HaShanah — in order to draw down the Torah in the aspect of yirah, in the aspect of tefillah — that is, to make from the Torah, tefillah, through which one merits teshuvah to fulfill the Torah, as mentioned. For the first Luchos (Tablets) were broken on account of the sin of the Golden Calf. And then Moshe ascended to appease Hashem, blessed be He, and then Hashem, blessed be He, revealed to him the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, as it is written there in the matter in Parashas Ki Sisa: "And He said: I shall pass all My goodness before you," etc.; "And Hashem passed before him," etc. That is, because Moshe saw that he had given the Torah to Yisrael with such a revelation of G-dliness and nevertheless they transgressed the Torah and did what they did — therefore he asked Him, blessed be He, His ways, that he should merit to know in which way to instill in Yisrael the fulfillment of the Torah, that they should merit to fulfill the Torah. And then Hashem, blessed be He, revealed to him the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, which are the aspect of the Thirteen Hermeneutical Rules by which the Torah is expounded, which are drawn from the T'leisar Tikunay Dikna — that is, the aspect of making from the Toros, tefillos, as mentioned. That is, Hashem, blessed be He, revealed to him that through the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, which are drawn from the Thirteen Rules of the Torah — that is, through making from the Toros, tefillos — through this one merits to instill in Yisrael the fulfillment of the Torah, to return them all to Hashem, blessed be He, in complete teshuvah, as mentioned. And therefore, on Rosh HaShanah, which is the first day of the Ten Days of Teshuvah that conclude on Yom HaKipurim — they being the last ten days of the last forty days during which Hashem, blessed be He, was appeased by Moshe, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said — therefore we draw down this tikkun then. That is, we build then the stature of the tefillah — that is, we engage in drawing down the path of making from Toros, tefillos, through which comes the essential tikkun, as mentioned. This is the aspect of the sound of the shofar, that we return and draw down the receiving of the Torah that was given with the sound of the shofar — that is, mochin are drawn then from the aspect of Atik, as is brought in the Kavanos — that is, we draw down Torah innovations such as these, through which we will merit to raise up the tefillah, that all our tefillos should be for yirah, to merit to do His will, blessed be He, and to make from the Toros, tefillos — through which one merits teshuvah and everything is rectified, as mentioned. 33

And it is brought there that truth has two aspects. For there are those whose speech is complete truth to its truth, and then their utterance is the aspect of a precious stone [even tov] that illuminates on its own etc. And there are those whose utterance is truth, but it is not so completely clear truth, and then their speech is the aspect of a window [chalon] — that is, another can illuminate through it. For the difference between a precious stone and a window is that a window has no light of its own; rather, through it the light enters. But when there is no light [outside], it does not illuminate. But a precious stone, even when there is no light from outside, illuminates on its own.

And this is the aspect of Malchuyos, Zichronos, and Shofaros — that we say many verses from Torah, Nevi'im, and Kesuvim in the tefillah. That is, we make from Torah, tefillah, as mentioned. 34

So too, there are people whose speech is the very essence of truth, the aspect of a precious stone. And there are those whose truth is less refined — the aspect of a window, through which the tzadik of truth illuminates. And these two aspects are the aspect of two witnesses — for they are called “witnesses” because they are the aspect of truth, as is explained there, that truth is called “testimony” [aidus] in many places, as in: “The testimony of Hashem is faithful” (Psalms 19:8). And the two witnesses are the aspect of the two types of truth — the precious stone and the window — for through both of them the truth is clarified.

And therefore we blow the shofar and pray Malchuyos, etc. — all in the Tefillas Musaf. For Tefillas Musaf is prayed only for the korbanos (offerings) that we would have needed to offer in the Beis HaMikdash. And due to our many sins, the Beis HaMikdash was destroyed and we are unable to offer a korban, etc. Therefore we pray to Hashem, blessed be He, for the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash, that we should merit to offer the korbanos, as we say: "And because of our sins," etc.; "And there we shall prepare and offer before You," etc.; "And the Musaf of the day," etc. It comes out that Tefillas Musaf is the aspect of making from Torah, tefillah — that is, from the mitzvah of offering the Korban Musaf we make a tefillah. And in this we draw down the path of making from Toros, tefillos. For this is also in this same aspect of Tefillas Musaf: that each and every person, according to how far he is from fulfilling some mitzvah, whether a positive commandment or a negative commandment, he must pray to Hashem, blessed be He, that he should merit to fulfill it. This is exactly Tefillas Musaf, in which we pray that we should merit to fulfill what we are unable to fulfill now, due to our many sins, during the time of the destruction. And this tefillah is considered in the place of a korban. And also through this, we will merit, in the end of ends, to return to our land and to offer there the korbanos of our obligations. In the same way exactly are the tefillos that are made from Toros: we need to beseech Hashem, blessed be He, greatly that we should merit to fulfill that which is difficult for us to fulfill now, due to our many sins, in the intense exile of the neshamah. And through these tefillos, we will merit in the end to return to Hashem, blessed be He. And also, all the time that we do not yet merit the redemption of the neshamah in completeness, it will be considered for us through the tefillah as though we fulfilled and did what is incumbent upon us. It comes out that Tefillas Musaf is in the aspect of tefillos that are made from Toros. Therefore, we blow the shofar then and pray Malchuyos, etc. For shofar and Malchuyos and Zichronos, etc. — they are all for this aspect: to merit to raise up the tefillah, to make from Toros, tefillos, as mentioned. This is the aspect of Tefillas Musaf, as mentioned. 35

And in Siman 112, where this matter is also repeated on the verse “A light shall you make for the ark” (Genesis 6:16), with a bit of additional explanation. And everything is according to the greatness of the truth etc. For the essential longing of Hashem Yisborach is only for truth etc. And every person must connect his prayer to the Tzadik of the generation, and the Tzadik knows how to direct the gates and to elevate each and every prayer to the gate that pertains to it. For every Tzadik is the aspect of Moshe–Moshiach etc., and Moshiach is comprised of all the prayers etc.

And therefore, on every day that has an additional measure of holiness, we pray Tefillas Musaf — that is, on Shabbos, Yom Tov, and Rosh Chodesh. For all of these holy days are in the aspect of days of teshuvah. For Shabbos is the aspect of "entirely teshuvah," the aspect of "And you shall return to Hashem your G-d," the aspect of the World to Come, as Rabeinu, of blessed memory, wrote in Siman 6. And likewise all the Yamim Tovim are days of teshuvah, as explained in Siman 10 — see there. 36

For there are twelve tribes corresponding to twelve mazalos [constellations]. And each and every tribe has a unique formulation [of prayer] and has a unique gate through which its prayer enters. And each tribe arouses through its prayer the power of its mazal among the twelve mazalos, and the mazal illuminates below and causes the growth to flourish etc. And this is the aspect of: “A person’s livelihood is as difficult as the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, and his match is difficult” etc. (Pesachim 118a, Sotah 2a) — for the Sea of Reeds was split into twelve parts corresponding to the twelve tribes etc.

It comes out that all of the holy days mentioned above — one needs to draw down in them the path of teshuvah into the world, as mentioned. Therefore, we pray Musaf in them, which is the aspect of making from Torah, tefillah, through which comes the essential drawing down of the path of teshuvah into the world, as mentioned. 37

And this is the meaning of: “They guarded His testimonies and the statute He gave them” (Psalms 99:7). “Testimony” — this is prayer, as it is written: “The tribes of Yah, a testimony etc., to give thanks to the Name of Hashem” etc. (Psalms 122:4). For in prayer we testify to His unity. And according to the prayer, so one merits livelihood and to find one’s match etc.; see there all of this well.

And this is the aspect of Rosh Chodesh. For the essential tikkun of Rosh Chodesh is to fill the blemish of the moon, so that both of them should be equal in their stature, in the aspect of "And the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun." This one merits through making from the Toros, tefillos. For through this, the aspect of Malchus and Tiferes — which are the aspect of Moshe and Dovid, the aspect of the sun and the moon — both of them are equal in their stature, and both of them make use of a single crown. For the purpose of both of them is one: the purpose of the Torah is teshuvah and good deeds, and this, too, is the purpose of the tefillah, since all of one's tefillah and supplication and request is to merit to fulfill the Torah. For one makes from the Torah, tefillah, that one should merit that the Torah come to actual practice, which is the essential thing and the purpose, as mentioned. And this is the aspect of Rosh HaShanah being established on Rosh Chodesh, which is a great chesed (kindness), as explained in the Torah "Tik'u 1" in Likutay Tinyana — see there the entire Torah. For Rosh HaShanah, which falls on Rosh Chodesh, is the aspect of the inclusion of the sun and the moon together. For the years are counted by the sun and the months by the moon, as is brought. And therefore Rosh HaShanah, which falls on Rosh Chodesh, is the aspect of the inclusion of the sun and the moon together. For then, on Rosh HaShanah, which is the first of the Ten Days of Teshuvah, when we begin to engage in the arousal of teshuvah through engaging in raising up the stature of the tefillah, to make from the Torah, tefillah, as mentioned — therefore then the sun and the moon are included together, in the aspect of "the light of the moon as the light of the sun," for both of them are equal. For all of this one merits through making from the Toros, tefillos. 38

And this is the aspect of the secret of the ibbur [intercalation]. They intercalate the year in order to equalize the moon with the sun, which is the aspect of filling the blemish of the moon so that the light of the moon should be like the light of the sun. For the essential illuminating light of the sun and the moon — which were given to illuminate upon the earth, as it is written: “And they shall be for luminaries, and for signs, and for festivals etc.” (Genesis 1:14) — the essential light of theirs is truth, which is the essential illuminating light, as above. And therefore they are two luminaries, the sun and moon — this is the aspect of the two aspects mentioned above, which are the aspects of the precious stone and the window. For the precious stone illuminates on its own, and the window does not illuminate on its own, rather it receives the light from another. And this is the aspect of sun and moon, which are the aspects of ispaklaryah d’nahara mi’garmah [a lens that shines of its own] — which is the sun, which illuminates on its own, the aspect of the precious stone mentioned above — and the moon, which is the aspect of ispaklaryah d’lo nahara mi’garmah [a lens that does not shine of its own], rather only what it receives from the sun — which is the aspect of a window that does not illuminate on its own, but only what it receives from another, as above.

And this is the aspect of the twelve months (roshai Chodashim) that correspond to the Twelve Tribes of Ka-H. For it has already been explained that making from the Toros, tefillos is the aspect of Tehillim, which consists of five books corresponding to the Five Books of the Torah, as mentioned — that the essential arousal of teshuvah is through this. For Tehillim is propitious for teshuvah, as mentioned. And it is explained there in the Torah "Tehillim," etc., mentioned above, in Siman 73 in Likutay Tinyana, that there are fifty gates of teshuvah, and forty-nine gates every person can enter and attain. But the fiftieth gate is the aspect of the teshuvah of Hashem, blessed be He, Himself, as it were, for also by Him, blessed be He, we find the aspect of teshuvah, as it is written: "Return to Me and I will return to you." And these forty-nine gates of teshuvah are the aspect of the forty-nine letters that are in the names of the Twelve Tribes of Ka-H, etc. And the general principle is that Tehillim contains all the gates of teshuvah, which are the aspect of the totality of the letters in the names of the Tribes. And therefore, through the recitation of Tehillim one merits teshuvah, for through the recitation of Tehillim one merits to arouse the letter of the Tribe that is the gate of teshuvah pertaining to the root of one's neshamah. And through this, one merits teshuvah — see there. And now it is well explained how the twelve months correspond precisely to the Twelve Tribes, for it is all one. For the root of teshuvah is Rosh Chodesh, for then Hashem, blessed be He, said: "Bring upon Me an atonement for having diminished the moon" — as explained in Siman 10, see there. For Rosh Chodesh is the aspect of Malchus Dovid, as mentioned — that is, the aspect of Tehillim that Dovid composed, who is the "sweet singer of Yisrael." And therefore there are twelve months corresponding to the Twelve Tribes, which have forty-nine letters, which are the aspect of the forty-nine gates of teshuvah that one merits to reach through Tehillim, which is the aspect of Dovid — and all of this is the aspect of Rosh Chodesh, as mentioned. And now, how exceedingly correct it is that the twelve months correspond to the Twelve Tribes, for they are both one, as mentioned. 39

And this is the aspect of the secret of the diminution of the moon, from which the essential hold of the Sitra Achara [Other Side] and the k’lipos [husks] and the yaitzer hara [evil inclination] [derive]. And from there all sins and all blemishes that come through the evil inclination, which takes hold from there, descend and come. And the essence of our service all the days of the world is to rectify this — to rectify the blemish of the moon so that there should be no diminution in it, and the light of the moon should be like the light of the sun, as is known. For the sun and moon were created equal, as it is written: “The two great luminaries” (Genesis 1:16). But because of the complaint of the moon, which said: “It is impossible for two kings to use one crown,” therefore it was diminished (Chullin 60b). For in truth, the essential creation was only for the sake of truth, as it is written: “In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth” — and our Sages of blessed memory said: bara Elokim es — the final letters [of these three words] spell emes [truth] (Bereishis Rabbah).

And this is: "The Tribes of Ka-H, a testimony for Yisrael, to give thanks to the Name of Hashem." "To give thanks" specifically — the aspect of Tehillim, which is the aspect of giving thanks and praise to Hashem, blessed be He. For the Tribes of Ka-H are the aspect of Tehillim, and all of this is the aspect of Rosh Chodesh, as mentioned. And the essential tikkun of Rosh Chodesh — the aspect of Tehillim, the aspect of the letters of the Tribes of Ka-H — is accomplished on Rosh HaShanah, which is established on Rosh Chodesh, as mentioned. And this is what the verse adjoins there: "For there the thrones of judgment sat" — that is, the aspect of Rosh HaShanah, when the thrones of judgment sit, for it is a day of judgment and din. Then one needs to engage in this tikkun, to arouse the names of the Tribes of Ka-H through Tehillim, in order to merit teshuvah, whose root is Rosh Chodesh, etc., as mentioned. And this is: "Thrones of judgment, thrones of the House of Dovid." For the essential tikkun of Rosh HaShanah, which is the aspect of "thrones of judgment," is rectified through the aspect of Malchus Dovid, the aspect of "thrones of the House of Dovid" — that is, through Tehillim, which is the aspect of Malchus Dovid, as mentioned. 40

And this is the aspect of the secret of ibbur [intercalation]: that they intercalate the year in order to equalize the moon with the sun. For this is the aspect of filling the blemish of the moon, so that the light of the moon should be like the light of the sun. For the essential illuminating light of the sun and the moon — which were given to illuminate upon the earth, as it is written: “And they shall be for luminaries and for signs and for seasons” etc. (Genesis 1:14) — their essential light is emes, which is the essential illuminating light, as above. And therefore they are two luminaries, the sun and the moon — this is the aspect of the two aforementioned aspects, which are the aspects of a precious stone and a window. For a precious stone illuminates on its own, and a window does not illuminate on its own but rather receives the light from another. This is the aspect of the sun and the moon, which are the aspects of an ispaklaryah d’nahara mi’garma [a lens that shines of its own] — which is the sun, which illuminates on its own, the aspect of the precious stone mentioned above. And the moon is the aspect of an ispaklaryah d’lo nahara mi’garma [a lens that does not shine of its own] at all, but only what it receives from the sun — which is the aspect of a window, which does not illuminate on its own, but only what it receives from another, as above.

And therefore, in truth, then on Rosh HaShanah and the Ten Days of Teshuvah, all of Yisrael engage in the recitation of Tehillim. For the essential tikkun of Rosh HaShanah and the Ten Days of Teshuvah — which is to raise up the tefillah, which is the aspect of Malchus, and to merit teshuvah — this one merits through Tehillim, as mentioned. Which is the aspect of hisbodedus, and of making from the Toros, tefillos, as mentioned. And as explained there in its place, at the end of Siman 73 mentioned above, that for this reason all of Yisrael engage on Rosh HaShanah and Yom HaKipurim, etc. in the recitation of Tehillim, for Tehillim is propitious for teshuvah — see there. That is, as mentioned above. 41

And this is the aspect of the secret of mi’ut hayareach [the diminution of the moon], from which derives the essential hold of the Sitra Achara and the k’lipos and the Yetzer HaRa. And from there descend and come all the sins and all the blemishes that come through the Yetzer HaRa, which takes hold from there. And our essential service, all the days of the world, is to rectify this — to rectify the blemish of the moon so that there should be no diminution in it, and the light of the moon should be like the light of the sun, as is known.

And this is the aspect of Yom HaKipurim, when the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) enters the innermost sanctum, to the place of the Aron (Ark) and the Luchos (Tablets), which are the generality of the Torah in its root. And there is the essential place of the ascent of the tefillah. As is known, all the tefillos ascend through Eretz Yisrael and Yerushalayim and the Beis HaMikdash, etc., until they come to the Holy of Holies, to the point of the Even Sh'siyah (Foundation Stone), through which all the tefillos ascend Above, as it is written: "And they shall pray to You by way of their land and the House that I have built for Your Name," etc. And as it is written: "For My house is a house of tefillah." And the essential point of the holiness of the Beis HaMikdash is in the place of the Aron and the Luchos, which stood upon the point of the Even Sh'siyah — which is holier than everything. It comes out that the essential pinnacle of the Supernal holiness is there, in the place of the Aron — that is, as mentioned above: the essential completeness of holiness is when Torah and tefillah are included together, which one merits through making from the Toros, tefillos, as mentioned. And this is the aspect of the point of the Holy of Holies, where the essential completeness and ascent of the tefillah takes place. And specifically there is the Aron and the Luchos, which are the generality of the Torah — to teach that the essential completeness of the tefillah, the completeness of holiness, is when one makes from the Torah, tefillah, and includes Torah and tefillah together, as mentioned. And therefore, there in the place of the Aron, there is the ultimate yichud (unification), as is known. For there, Torah and tefillah are unified in complete unity, as mentioned. And therefore, the Kohen Gadol enters there on Yom HaKipurim and draws down from there this Supernal wisdom — to make from the Torah, tefillah. Through this comes the essential teshuvah and the essential forgiveness and pardon. And therefore, on Yom HaKipurim the latter Luchos were given, and then Hashem, blessed be He, was appeased by Moshe and said to him: "I have forgiven, as you have spoken" — that his tefillah was accepted. For then, the Torah and the tefillah were included and joined and unified together, for one merits to draw down the tikkun of making from the Toros, tefillos — through which everything is rectified, as mentioned. 42

For the sun and moon were created equal, as it is written: “the two great luminaries” (Genesis 1:16). But because of the complaint of the moon, which said: “It is impossible for two kings to use one crown,” therefore it was diminished (Chullin 60b). For in truth, the essential Creation was only for the sake of truth, as it is written: “In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). And our Sages, of blessed memory, said: Bara Elokim es — the final letters spell emes, with which heaven and earth were sealed. For the Holy One, Blessed is He, is the very essence of truth, and the seal of the Holy One, Blessed is He, is truth. And the essential longing of Hashem Yisborach is only truth. And the entire Creation, from beginning to end, was only for this: to reveal the truth. As is found in the holy Zohar, that the Creation was “in order that they should know Him” — which is the aspect of truth. That is, for this Hashem Yisborach created the entire Creation: so that they should recognize and know the truth of His G-dliness and His sovereignty and His greatness etc.

And therefore we say at the end of Ne'ilah: "Hashem Hu HaElokim" (Hashem is the G-d) seven times. For "Hashem Hu HaElokim" — that is, Hashem and Elokim, which are the aspect of Torah and tefillah, Z'eir Anpin and Malchus, as is known — are all one. For one merits to make from the Toros, tefillos, through which Torah and tefillah are included together in the ultimate unification, as mentioned. And therefore we say "Hashem Hu HaElokim" seven times — this is the aspect of the tefillah, the aspect of "Seven times a day I praise You for Your righteous judgments." And likewise the Torah is in the aspect of seven, as it is written: "She has hewn her pillars, seven." And this is: "Seven times a day I praise You for Your righteous judgments" — which is the Torah. For it is all one: the tefillah, in the aspect of "seven times a day," etc., is made from the Torah, which is the aspect of "Your righteous judgments," as mentioned. And this is the aspect of "refined sevenfold" — seven times seven — through which the seven is included from the seven, and the forty-nine gates of teshuvah shine forth — the forty-nine letters of the Tribes, which are the aspect of Tehillim, which is the aspect of the tefillos that are made from Toros. And then is fulfilled: "And the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold," etc. 43

And behold, the essential purpose is that they should reach the ultimate truth to its truth; that is, that we should recognize and know His truth as it truly is. For Hashem Yisborach is the very essence of truth, kivyachol [as it were], as it is written: “And Hashem Elokim is truth” (Jeremiah 10:10). So may we merit, even in this lowly world, to know the truth of His G-dliness as it truly is. And this is the aspect of “the two great luminaries” — that initially He wanted both to be great; that is, that the light of truth clothed in this world, which is the aspect of Malchus, the aspect of the moon, should be equal to the very essence of the light of truth, which is Hashem Yisborach Himself, kivyachol — that we should merit, even in the worlds, to know His truth as it truly is, as above. But because of the complaint of the moon — “it is impossible for two kings to use one crown” — for in the worlds it is impossible to bear and receive the very essence of the light of truth, for they would be nullified from existence. Therefore Hashem Yisborach said to her: “Go and diminish yourself.” And the diminution of the moon is the aspect of darkness, for its light was darkened and diminished. That is, kivyachol, Hashem Yisborach contracted the light of truth and hid and concealed and clothed the light of truth and diminished it, in a manner that we could receive it. And because He diminished and contracted the light of truth — which is the aspect of the diminution of the light of the moon — from there derives the hold of the entire Sitra Achara, which is the aspect of darkness, the aspect of falsehood, whose hold derives from the diminution of the light of the moon; that is, from the diminution and contraction of truth, from which derives the essential hold of falsehood, which is the Sitra Achara. For certainly, if there were only the very essence of the light of truth by itself, certainly the Sitra Achara — which is falsehood — would have no hold at all. For since everyone would know the very essence of truth, how would it be possible to cover the truth and turn truth into falsehood? For certainly, whoever knows the truth to its truth, it is impossible to mislead him with any falsehood in the world. But since the truth was diminished and contracted — even though it is still complete truth — nevertheless, since the truth was diminished and covered and concealed through many contractions and garments, through this their hold unfolds. For since one does not know the very essence of truth, but rather sees the truth from afar, through many windows and garments — even though one knows the truth to its truth — nevertheless, they already have a hold, and they are able to mislead and to cover the truth with falsehood and to overturn the words of the Living G-d, to turn falsehood into truth, chas v’sholom. And therefore our essential service and toil is to fill the blemish of the moon; that is, to clarify the truth from the falsehood. And therefore the essential counsel and remedy in the totality of the service that we need in this world — the essential thing is only truth. We need not to deceive ourselves, G-d forbid, but rather to look at everything with the truth to its truth, and to exert oneself in prayer — even if one cannot pray at all, at the very least one should see to it that he brings forth the utterance from his mouth in truth, according to his level. And even though the truth is not yet refined and pure, nevertheless, since he desires the truth and draws himself only toward the truth and compels himself to speak a word of truth — therefore this word of truth, even though it is not the very essence of truth, the aspect of a precious stone — even so, the truth is the aspect of a window, and another can illuminate through it. That is, the tzadikim [righteous ones] of truth, who are comprised of all the prayers of Yisroel — and to them we connect all our prayers — for the true tzadikim are, relative to us, the aspect of the very essence of truth. And they illuminate in all the prayers of Yisroel and elevate them according to the truth that is in each and every prayer of each and every person, which is the aspect of a window that receives the light from the tzadik. And according to the clarity and purity of the window — that is, the word of truth — so does the tzadik, who is the very essence of truth, illuminate within it. And this is what is explained there in the aforementioned teaching, that one needs to connect all prayers to the tzadik of the generation etc., see there and understand well. For the tzadik of the generation together with all of Yisroel are the aspect of sun and moon, which is the aspect of Yaakov and his sons — who are the totality of the rectification of prayer, as is explained there. For Yaakov is comprised of all the twelve tribes, who are the totality of Yisroel, the totality of the twelve gates, the twelve formulations of prayer. And he [the tzadik / Yaakov] clarifies and elevates each prayer to its root, to the gate that pertains to it. For Yaakov is the aspect of the very essence of truth, the aspect of “Give truth to Yaakov” (Michah 7:20). And he is the aspect of the sun, as Rabbainu of blessed memory wrote in another place, as it is written: “And the sun shone upon him” (Genesis 32:32). And the totality of Yisroel, who are the aspect of the twelve tribes, twelve gates, twelve formulations of prayer — this is the aspect of the moon, the aspect of the window mentioned above. For the moon is comprised of twelve months, for all the twelve months are reckoned to the moon, as is brought — and they correspond to the twelve tribes, the twelve formulations of prayer, the twelve gates of Yerushalayim below and above, through which prayer ascends. And this is the aspect of the twelve windows of the synagogue, which is the aspect of “and windows were open for him in his upper chamber” (Daniel 6:11) — the aspect of prayer that ascends through twelve gates, which are twelve windows in the firmament through which prayer ascends. This is the aspect of “gazing through the windows” etc. (Song of Songs 2:9), concerning which it is said: “chalu na p’nay El” [“Entreat the face of G-d” — where chalu shares the root of chalon, window], as is found in the Tikkunim. For prayer is the aspect of Malchus, the aspect of the moon, as is known — the aspect of a window, the aspect of “a prayer of the poor man” (Psalms 102:1). For a poor man leis lei mi’garmeih klum [has nothing of his own] except what he receives from another — and this is the aspect of the moon, as above. And this is the aspect of Torah and t’fillah [prayer], that both of them need one another, and one cannot exist without the other. For this is the aspect of K’rias Sh’ma [the recitation of Sh’ma] and t’fillah, for K’rias Sh’ma is the aspect of Torah, for the Torah is the aspect of emes [truth], the aspect of “a Torah of truth” (Malachi 2:6), for the holy Torah is the very essence of truth, for all the mitzvos of the Torah are the very essence of truth. For example, the mitzvah of tzitzis [fringes], that Hashem Yisborach commanded us to place tzitzis on a tallis — this is the very essence of truth to its truth. However, t’fillah [prayer], which is the aspect of is’arusa dil’sasa [arousal from below] — which is the aspect of the generality of the service that we perform and fulfill, for everything is included in the t’fillah; that is, that which we pray and request from Hashem Yisborach — in this there are many variations and shades. For certainly not everyone merits the ultimate purpose of t’fillah in completeness; that is, that the t’fillah should be included in His unity, Yisborach, in the aspect of “He is your praise and He is your G-d” (Deuteronomy 10:21) — which is the aspect of the very essence of truth. But the common people certainly do not merit this. And each person merits t’fillah according to the aspect of the point of truth that he strengthens himself and exerts himself to draw himself toward the truth. And this truth is the aspect of a chalon [window] that receives the light, as explained above — in which there are many shades without measure, according to the magnitude of the truth that one possesses, as above. It emerges, then, that Torah and t’fillah are the aspects of the even tov [precious stone] and the chalon [window] mentioned above — which is the aspect of the chamah [sun] and the l’vanah [moon], which are the aspects of Torah and t’fillah, as is known — which are the aspects of the Torah Shebichsav [Written Torah] and the Torah Sheb’al Peh [Oral Torah], as is brought. And this is what Rabbainu, zichrono livrachah, wrote there regarding the statement of Rabbah bar bar Chanah, who was asked: “How far are we from the water?” — meaning, from t’fillah in completeness. He answered him: “Eight parsa’os [parasangs].” And he [Rabbainu] wrote there that this is the aspect of Torah and t’fillah, which are the five Chumshay Torah [Books of the Torah] and three t’fillos [prayers] per day, etc. And at first glance this is puzzling, for previously Rabbainu did not mention there at all anything about Torah being connected to t’fillah. But according to what was explained above, it is explained well, for the rectification of t’fillah is through emes [truth], and emes is the aspect of Torah, the aspect of “a Torah of truth,” as above. And this is the aspect of K’rias Sh’ma and t’fillah, the aspect of s’michas g’ulah lis’fillah [juxtaposing the [blessing of] redemption to the prayer]. For K’rias Sh’ma is the aspect of Torah, the aspect of the very essence of emes, the aspect of “Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One” (Deuteronomy 6:4), which is the very essence of truth. And afterward we pray, which is the is’arusa dil’sasa [arousal from below]; that is, we arouse ourselves and prepare ourselves to pray before Him, Yisborach, and to request our needs. And this is according to the truth that each and every person possesses. And this truth is the aspect of a chalon [window], as above, which needs to receive the light from the very essence of truth, which is the aspect of Torah, the aspect of K’rias Sh’ma, as above. For this is a great principle: that every aspect is comprised of all the aspects, and there are many aspects within each and every aspect. And therefore, even though in the aforementioned teaching it is explained that within the t’fillah itself there is the aspect of a precious stone and a window, nevertheless, the generality of the t’fillah of the common people is the aspect of a window relative to the tzadik of the generation, who is the aspect of a precious stone, as above. And likewise, the generality of t’fillah is the aspect of a window, the aspect of the l’vanah [moon], relative to the Torah, which is the aspect of the chamah [sun], the aspect of a precious stone, as above. And this is the aspect of s’michas g’ulah lis’fillah [juxtaposing redemption to prayer], for the essential g’ulah [redemption] is through emes [truth], which is Moshiach Tzidkainu [our righteous Messiah] — who will come speedily in our days — who is called “emes,” as it is written: “Send Your light and Your truth; they shall lead me, they shall bring me etc.” (Psalms 43:3) — which Rashi explained as referring to Moshiach, as is brought. For the essential coming of Moshiach is to reveal the truth in the world, for then will be fulfilled: “Truth shall sprout from the earth etc.” (Psalms 85:12). And as it is written: “The lip of truth shall be established forever” (Proverbs 12:19). “Shall be established” [tikon] is written, not “has been established” [kon’nata] — for now the truth is in a great exile, and the truth has become scattered into separate flocks, and each and every person says that the truth is with him. And it is impossible to clarify the truth except for each individual according to what he estimates in his heart — he can understand a little of the truth. And the essential truth will be revealed through Moshiach, the aspect of “the lip of truth shall be established” etc. And this is the essential g’ulah [redemption], as it is written: “Come, gaze from the peak of amanah [faith]” (Song of Songs 4:8). And emunah [faith] depends upon emes [truth], for “Tzedek, when joined with emes, becomes emunah” (Zohar, Balak 120). It emerges that the essential g’ulah is through emes. And therefore the essential birchas hag’ulah [blessing of the redemption] — that is, the blessing of “Who redeemed Yisroel” — begins with “Emes v’yatziv v’nachon” [“True and firm and correct”] etc., and speaks only of truth, for emes is mentioned there eight times, because the essential g’ulah is emes, as above — through which one redeems the t’fillah from exile and merits to pray. For it is impossible to exit from the exile of the darkness that intensifies at the time of prayer except through emes, as above. And this is the aspect of: between “Hashem your G-d” and “emes v’yatziv” one should not make an interruption — for it is written: “And Hashem Elokim is truth” (Jeremiah 10:10). For the emes is comprised of the two aforementioned aspects, which are the aspects of the precious stone and the window. For the chamah [sun] and the l’vanah [moon] are the aspects of Torah and t’fillah etc., as above. And these two aspects are the aspect of the Shem Molei [the Full Name], the aspect of “Hashem Elokim.” For they are the aspects of the light of the sun and the moon, in the aspect of: “For a sun and a shield is Hashem Elokim” (Psalms 84:12). For the Name of Havayah, as it were, is the aspect of the very essence of truth, the illuminating aspect of “Hashem is my light” (Psalms 27:1), as is explained there. And “Elokim” is the aspect of diminution and contraction of the light, the aspect of Malchus, the aspect of the l’vanah [moon], as is known. And the essential thing is to fill the blemish of the l’vanah [moon]; that is, to join and unify the chamah and the l’vanah together; that is, to join the two Names — Hashem [and] Elokim — together. For this is the essential yichud [unification], the aspect of “Hashem is One and His Name is One” (Zechariah 14:9). “Name” — this is the aspect of Elokim, Malchus, as is brought. That is, for the essential thing is to join the two aspects of emes together; that is, to elevate and clarify the emes that is clothed in this world — which is the aspect of the light of the point of truth that each and every one of Yisroel possesses, which is the aspect of a window, the aspect of the l’vanah, the aspect of Malchus — to join it and connect it and unify it with the very essence of the light of truth. For in truth, to its truth, everything is one. And this is the aspect of “And Hashem Elokim is truth” (Jeremiah 10:10), for this is the essential emes: when these two Names — Hashem [and] Elokim — are joined and unified together; that is, the two aforementioned aspects of emes. For then is the essential completeness of the emes, and the intention of the Creation is fulfilled. For the essential Creation was only for the sake of this: for Hashem Yisborach is the very essence of truth, as it were, and He has no need for the created beings, chas v’sholom, and the essential Creation was for our benefit — so that the truth should be revealed also in this world, so that we should know the truth of His existence, Yisborach, also in this world. And this is the essential completeness and the ultimate purpose: when the emes that is clothed in this world is clarified and ascends and is included in the very essence of the emes, and everything becomes one. For in truth, it is all one, for emes is one, as is explained elsewhere (in the words of Rabbainu in Siman 51). It is only that in this world the emes has been clothed and covered and contracted into many garments. And the essential delight of the Holy One, Blessed is He, is when they recognize the truth also in this lowly world — for the sake of which He created all of Creation. That is, when the truth in this world is clarified until they know, also in this world, the truth to its truth. For this is the essential completeness of the light of truth, in the aspect of “as the advantage of light from darkness” (Ecclesiastes 2:13). For in a place where there is no falsehood at all, it is not relevant to speak the word “truth,” for the essential emes exists in a place where there is truth and falsehood, for then it is relevant to say that such-and-such is the truth, and not like the one who claims falsely; rather, the truth is as this one says. And therefore the essential completeness of the emes is when one clarifies the truth from this world — for the sake of which everything was created, as is known. And then, when the truth is clarified from this world through our service and our prayers, then the two aforementioned aspects of emes are joined together — which are the aspects of Hashem Elokim — and this is the essential completeness of the emes, the aspect of “And Hashem Elokim is truth,” as above. And therefore between “va’yomer” [“and He said,” the concluding word of Sh’ma] and “Emes v’yatziv” one should not make an interruption; that is, between “Hashem your G-d” and “truth,” as above. For “Hashem your G-d” — this itself is the essential completeness of the emes, as above. For K’rias Sh’ma is the aspect of emes, as above, and this is the essential g’ulah, as above — through which one merits t’fillah, the aspect of s’michas g’ulah lis’fillah, as above. And this is the aspect of the eight times that “emes” is said in “Emes v’yatziv” — this is the aspect of the “eight parsa’os” mentioned above in the aforementioned teaching, which are Torah and t’fillah, as above; that is, the five Chumshay Torah and the three t’fillos, which are the aspects of the precious stone and the window, as above, that are included together. For this is the essential completeness of the emes, which is the completeness of the t’fillah, as above. And this is the aspect of the joining of emes and emunah [truth and faith]. For emunah is the aspect of the window mentioned above, the aspect of the l’vanah [moon], ispaklaryah d’lo nahara mi’garmah [a lens that does not shine of its own]. For emunah exists only in that which one does not comprehend and know the truth to its truth, for when one knows the truth, emunah is not relevant. And the essential emunah exists only in the aspect of a window, in the aspect of the second type of truth mentioned above. That is, even though one does not merit knowing the truth in its very essence, nevertheless, because he desires the truth — the truth to its truth — and because he yearns and draws himself only toward the truth, through this he merits to see the truth from afar, [and to recognize] that it is fitting to believe in that which is true. For through the truth that is within him, through this he receives light from the very essence of truth, and emunah is drawn to him. For he gazes upon the truth, and through this he merits emunah; that is, to believe in the truth even though he does not yet merit to grasp and see the very essence of the truth. Understand this. And this is the aspect of “Tzedek, when joined with emes, becomes emunah” (Zohar). For Tzedek is Malchusa Kadisha [the Holy Kingdom], the aspect of the diminution of the moon, as is known. For she [Malchus] is called Tzedek when they [the forces of the Sitra Achara] have a hold upon her, at the time of the diminution, as is known — for then they seek to overpower the little truth and tzedek and to turn it to sheker [falsehood], chas v’sholom. For this is the essential occupation of the Sitra Achara [the Other Side]: to draw sustenance from the diminished truth and to turn it to falsehood, in the aspect of: “Any falsehood that does not have truth at its beginning does not endure in the end” (Sotah 9b). But each person must see to join Tzedek with emes; that is, that he should gaze only upon the truth and draw himself only toward the truth to its truth, and he should speak the utterance in truth. And then, “when Tzedek is joined with emes, it becomes emunah,” and he merits complete emunah — to believe in the very essence of the truth that he does not yet merit to grasp. And then, through the complete emunah, he is connected and included in the very essence of the truth, in the aspect of the joining of emes and emunah, for it is all one, as above. And therefore we say “Emes v’yatziv” [“True and firm”] in Shacharis [the morning prayer], and “Emes v’emunah” [“True and faithful”] in Arvis [the evening prayer]. For in the morning there is the light of day, the aspect of the chamah [sun], which is the aspect of the very essence of truth, the aspect of the precious stone, as above. But at night it is the aspect of “the lesser luminary” (Genesis 1:16), the aspect of the l’vanah [moon], the aspect of a window, which is the aspect of emunah that receives from the emes — the aspect of emes and emunah, the aspect of “Tzedek, when joined with emes, becomes emunah,” as above. And this is the aspect of the secret of ibbur [intercalation of the year]: that we are commanded to intercalate the year in order to equalize the twelve lunar months with the solar years, in order to fill the blemish of the moon so that the light of the moon should be like the light of the sun. And therefore everything depends upon the bais din [court] specifically, for the bais din is the aspect of emes, as above, for they must judge in truth etc., as above. And therefore the bais din — who are the aspect of the tzadikay hador [righteous ones of the generation], the aspect of emes — they know how to intercalate years and establish new months, in order to equalize the sun with the moon — which are the two aforementioned aspects of emes — so that the light of the moon should be like the light of the sun; that is, that the truth in this world — which is the aspect of a window, the aspect of the l’vanah — should be included in the very essence of the truth, which is the aspect of the chamah, as above. And this is the aspect of two witnesses, who clarify the truth. For the two witnesses are in the aspect of the two aforementioned aspects of emes, the aspects of the chamah and the l’vanah [sun and moon], which are the aspects of day and night, Torah and t’fillah — which is the aspect of heaven and earth, as is known. For this is the aspect of two witnesses, in the aspect of: “I call to witness against you today the heavens and the earth” (Deuteronomy 4:26). And this is the aspect of the sun and the moon, the aspect of: “And his throne is as the sun before Me; as the moon it shall be established forever — and a witness in the sky, faithful, forever” (Psalms 89:37–38). And this is the aspect of the totality of the Torah, which is comprised of the two aforementioned aspects of emes — which is the aspect of the Torah Shebichsav [Written Torah] and Torah Sheb’al Peh [Oral Torah], as above. And the totality of the Torah is called aidus [testimony], as it is written: “And you shall place into the Ark the aidus [testimony] that I shall give to you” (Exodus 25:16). For the aidus [testimony/witnesses] clarify the truth. And the essential clarification of the truth is when the two aforementioned aspects of emes are joined together. For the sheker [falsehood] has no hold except through the second type of truth mentioned above, which is the aspect of a window, as above. For in truth, Yisroel are not suspected of falsehood, as it is written: “The remnant of Yisroel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies etc.” (Zephaniah 3:13). And therefore in truth we do not suspect the litigant who denies [owing] his fellow’s money of wanting to rob him through complete falsehood, for “there is a presumption that a person does not act brazenly before his creditor” (Bava Kama 107a). Rather, we say: “He is only evading [for time], reasoning: when I have the money I will pay him” — or he has a possible claim of an old loan against him, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said regarding the laws of one who admits to part [of a claim] and denies the whole (Bava Metzia 3a and following). It emerges that we do not suspect him of complete falsehood; rather, he permits himself and covers the falsehood with truth. And all of this results from the aspect of the diminished truth — which is the aspect of a window — for because of the contraction of the truth, the truth has become so covered for him that he wishes to cover the falsehood with truth and permits himself [the transgression] and denies his fellow’s money. And therefore it is impossible to clarify the truth to its truth except when one illuminates from the very essence of truth — which is the aspect of a precious stone — into the aspect of truth that is the aspect of a window, and one joins and unifies both of them together — which is the aspect of the joining of the chamah and the l’vanah. And then the aspect of the truth that is clothed in this world — which is the aspect of a window — is strengthened and clarified. And when this truth is clarified and included in its root — in the very essence of the truth — then “all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered” (Psalms 92:10), for the falsehood falls and is completely nullified. For the essential hold of the falsehood was only from the weakening of the truth — that this truth, the aspect of a window, was weakened and contracted so much that a hold descended from it to the falsehood. But when this truth is clarified and joined with the very essence of the truth, then the falsehood is completely nullified, as above. And this is the aspect of two witnesses. For two witnesses who testify together about one matter — this is the aspect of the joining of the chamah and the l’vanah, which are the aspects of the “great luminary” and the “lesser luminary” (Genesis 1:16), which are the two aforementioned aspects of emes. For this is a principle: that no two n’shomos [souls] are equal in the world; rather, one is greater than his fellow. And therefore these two witnesses who testify together — certainly one is greater than his fellow, as it is written in the Mishnah: “How does one examine the witnesses? They bring in the greater one first etc.” (Sanhedrin 3:6) — for certainly one is great and one is small. And “great” and “small” — this is the aspect of the chamah and the l’vanah, the aspect of the “great luminary” and the “lesser luminary.” For this is the essential distinction and level that exists among the n’shomos, for the n’shamah [soul] is called “light,” as it is written: “The lamp of Hashem is the soul of man” (Proverbs 20:27). And the essential light of the n’shamah is emes, which is the essential light that illuminates. And every n’shamah that possesses more truth is greater and illuminates more. And the light of the greater one, relative to his fellow who is smaller than him, is in the aspect of a precious stone relative to a window, for the smaller one needs to receive from the greater one, for all the n’shomos receive one from another, from level to level. It emerges that when two people testify together about one matter, this is the aspect of the joining of the two aforementioned aspects of emes, which are the aspects of the chamah and the l’vanah, as above. And through this is the essential clarification of the truth, as above. For the essential clarification of the truth is when the truth in this world — the aspect of a window — is joined and included in the very essence of the truth. For this is the aspect of the Shem Molei [Full Name], the aspect of “And Hashem Elokim is truth.” And therefore two witnesses have trustworthiness forever, and “two are like a hundred” (Makkos 5b) — for the essential clarification of the truth is through the joining of the two aforementioned aspects of emes, as above. And therefore the witnesses must have their testimony m’chuvenes [aligned/matching]. For emes is one, and the two of them must be joined together so that the two aspects of emes are included together, for it is all one. However, nevertheless, the essential thing is that they should align together in the essential matter of the testimony. But if they contradicted one another in the b’dikos [ancillary examinations], their testimony remains valid, as is brought in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, in the Gemara (Sanhedrin 40a and following). That is, as above: for the truth in this world is the aspect of a window, and it is impossible for the truth to be entirely clear for each and every person. And nevertheless, it is truth so long as one guards the truth so that it should not be turned to falsehood, chas v’sholom; rather, one gazes upon the truth to its truth. For then, even though one does not yet merit the truth that is clear to the very essence of truth, nevertheless, another can illuminate within it, and one can exit through this from darkness to light. And this is the aspect of the above: that even though one of the witnesses erred slightly in the b’dikos [ancillary examinations] and did not merit to discern the truth in its very essence, in its ultimate exactitude — nevertheless, since in the essential matter of the testimony he aligns with his fellow, therefore we believe him that his words are true, and we accept his testimony. For the two aspects of truth are included together and illuminate one within the other, and they repel the falsehood of the litigants. For when the two aspects of truth are joined together, the falsehood is repelled — and this is the aspect of two witnesses. And this is the aspect of the sh’vuah [oath] that they impose upon the litigant in order to clarify the truth when there are no witnesses to testify. For the one who denies [owing] his fellow — certainly he is not suspected of complete falsehood, as above; rather, he covers the falsehood with truth, and “he is only evading [for time]” etc., as above. And all of this is because the truth has been weakened and diminished — which is the aspect of a window — because it does not receive from the very essence of truth. For this is the essential aspect of the blemish of the moon: when she is not unified and joined with the sun, which is the aspect of the very essence of truth, as above. And therefore “the Merciful One imposed an oath upon him, so that he should admit” (Shavuos 40b). For the sh’vuah [oath] is the aspect of the Name of Hashem, which is the aspect of the very essence of truth. For a sh’vuah is the aspect of a Tzadik, as is brought. And therefore the sh’vuah is [administered while] holding a sacred object — that is, a Seifer Torah — which is the aspect of the very essence of truth, as above. And therefore, through the sh’vuah — which is the Name of Hashem, which is the aspect of the very essence of truth — which is the aspect of “Give truth to Yaakov etc., that You swore to our forefathers etc.” (Michah 7:20) — therefore, through the sh’vuah, the truth is revealed and clarified, and the falsehood is repelled, by means of the very essence of truth — which is the aspect of a sh’vuah — illuminating into the aspect of truth that is the aspect of a window. And then the truth in this world is strengthened and included in the very essence of truth, and then the falsehood is repelled, as above. These seven sections develop the grand correspondence between the structure of daily prayer and the structure of the court system. The two foundational metaphors from the teaching in Siman 9 — the even tov (precious stone, self-luminous) and the chalon (window, receiving light from another) — are now mapped onto a web of halachic institutions: Os 9 establishes the Torah/t’fillah duality as sun/moon, precious stone/window, with a key insight: each person’s prayer reflects his degree of truth, while Torah is inherently essential truth. Os 10 introduces g’ulah (redemption) as the product of emes — Moshiach will reveal truth fully — and explains the no-interruption rule between Sh’ma and Emes v’yatziv as the unification of Hashem and Elokim. A profound point: the purpose of Creation itself is that truth be recognized in this lowly world where falsehood exists, since without the contrast of falsehood, the word “truth” has no meaning. Os 11 differentiates the morning and evening blessings (Emes v’yatziv vs. Emes v’emunah) as day/night, sun/moon, direct knowledge vs. faithful belief. Os 12 returns to the bais din: intercalation of the calendar (equalizing sun and moon) depends on the court because the court embodies truth. Os 13 explains two witnesses as two aspects of truth joining (sun+moon, great luminary + lesser luminary, greater soul + lesser soul); their combined testimony expels falsehood. A key halachic principle is given mystical grounding: we do not suspect a denier of outright lying — rather, his diminished truth (weakened window) has allowed falsehood to cover itself in truth. Os 14 explains why witnesses need only agree on essentials, not peripherals — no one in this world has perfectly clear truth, yet even imperfect truth is a valid window through which the essential truth can illuminate. Os 15 explains the sh’vuah (oath) as the essential truth (Name of Hashem, Torah scroll) illuminating into the diminished truth of the litigant — like the sun filling the moon’s blemish. — Translator’s summary. Not part of the original text. And this is the aspect of “testimony in Yaakov” [and] “in Yehosayf” (Psalms 81:6) — for they are the aspect of train sahadai k’shot [two witnesses of truth], for Yaakov and Yosayf k’chada chashivai [are reckoned as one], and they are the aspect of the two testimonies that each and every one of Yisroel possesses each day, through which they testify to His unity, Yisborach — which are the aspects of t’fillin and bris [covenant]. And on Shabbos: Shabbos and bris, as is brought. For Yaakov is the aspect of t’fillin, which are called pe’air [splendor], the aspect of shufraih d’Yaakov [the beauty of Yaakov]. And likewise, Yaakov is the aspect of Shabbos, for Yaakov kept the Shabbos, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said regarding the verse “And he encamped before the city” (Genesis 33:18) — that he established t’chumin [Shabbos boundaries] etc. And therefore our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Whoever keeps the Shabbos, they give him the inheritance of Yaakov” (Shabbos 118b), which is an “inheritance without boundaries”. It emerges that Yaakov is the aspect of Shabbos and t’fillin. And Yosayf is the aspect of bris [covenant], as is known, the aspect of “a Tzadik, the foundation of the world” (Proverbs 10:25). And this is the aspect of the secret of ibbur [intercalation], for Yosayf is the aspect of the secret of ibbur. For there are “twelve tribes of Yah, a testimony for Yisroel, to give thanks to the Name of Hashem” (Psalms 122:4) — which are the aspect of the twelve formulations of prayer etc., which is the aspect of the twelve windows through which the prayer ascends through the twelve gates etc., as above. And corresponding to this are the twelve lunar months — which is the aspect of t’fillah, the aspect of a window, the aspect of the “lesser luminary,” the aspect of the contraction of the truth etc., as above. And the intercalary month that they add — and then the year has thirteen months — this is the aspect of Yosayf, whose tribe was divided into two, and an additional tribe was added through him, corresponding to the intercalary month. For the essential ibbur is in order to equalize the lunar year with the solar year — which is the aspect of the joining of the sun and the moon, so that the light of the moon should be like the light of the sun, and both should become one, as above. And this is accomplished through Yosayf, who is the secret of ibbur, who joins both of them — the sun and the moon, which are the two aforementioned aspects of truth — that is, he joins the twelve tribes of Yah, which are the twelve formulations of prayer etc., the twelve months, and he joins them to Yaakov, who is the very essence of truth, the aspect of the sun, as above. And therefore Yaakov gave to Yosayf specifically “one portion above your brothers” (Genesis 48:22) — which is the birthright, that his tribe should be divided into two. For this is the secret of ibbur, as above. And as this verse is brought in the aforementioned teaching regarding prayer; see there. For the essential t’fillah and all its rectification is through emes, and the emes is the aspect of Yaakov. And it is impossible to receive the truth of Yaakov — which is the aspect of the very essence of truth — except through Yosayf, who is the aspect of “a Tzadik, the foundation of the world,” who receives the truth from Yaakov and illuminates it among the generality of Yisroel, in the secret of s’michas g’ulah lis’fillah [juxtaposing redemption to prayer]. For g’ulah [redemption] is in Y’sod [Foundation], as is brought, which is Yosayf, who is “a Tzadik, the foundation of the world,” who is the aspect of the tzadik of the generation, to whom one must connect all the prayers, and he elevates and clarifies all the prayers of Yisroel through the light of truth that illuminates within them. And he joins the twelve tribes to Yaakov, for they are all included in Yosayf, as well, in the aspect of: “And behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing to me” (Genesis 37:9) — for in him, in Yosayf, everything is included: sun and moon and twelve tribes. And therefore he joins them together and includes them together — and this is the secret of ibbur, through which the sun and the moon are joined and included together, as above. And therefore a woman is disqualified from testifying. For the essential testimony is to clarify and establish the truth that has fallen and been cast to the ground, in the aspect of “and it cast truth to the ground” (Daniel 8:12), as above. And therefore the essential thing is to clarify and elevate the truth that is the aspect of a window, the aspect of the l’vanah [moon] — and this is the aspect of a woman, which is the aspect of Malchus, the aspect of the l’vanah, as is known. And therefore the woman cannot testify, for “a prisoner cannot free himself from prison” (Berachos 5b). And since this truth has been blemished — which is the aspect of the diminution of the moon, for the essential blemish reaches the aspect of “a woman who fears Hashem” (Proverbs 31:30), which is the aspect of Malchus — therefore certainly the woman cannot raise up and clarify the truth, for she could also stumble in falsehood, since this truth has been blemished now through the falsehood of the litigants, as above. And therefore two men are needed — adults of at least thirteen years — to testify. And they are the aspect of Yaakov and Yosayf, who are the aspect of the two witnesses, the aspect of “testimony in Yaakov,” “testimony in Yehosayf,” as above — who join and unify the sun and the moon, the two aforementioned aspects of truth, which are the aspects of the “great luminary” and the “lesser luminary.” For this is the aspect of the greater witness and his fellow who is smaller than him, as it is written in the Mishnah: “They bring in the greater one first,” as above. And then the sun and the moon are included together — the two aforementioned aspects of truth — and become one, for in truth it is all one. And then the falsehood is repelled and the truth ascends, as above. And therefore Kiddush HaChodesh [the sanctification of the new month] and the ibbur shonim [intercalation of years] was through the bais din and witnesses, for they establish the truth and join the sun and the moon, as above — and this is the aspect of Kiddush HaChodesh and the intercalation of years, as above. And this is the aspect of Purim Gadol [the “Great” Purim] and Purim Katan [the “Small” Purim] that are observed in a leap year. For one only intercalates Adar, because Adar is the aspect of emes [truth], as Rabbainu, zichrono livrachah, wrote: that A-Da-R is an acronym of “Rosh D’varcha Emes” [“The beginning of Your word is truth”] (Psalms 119:160). And therefore the essential miracle of Purim occurred in Adar, in which the year is intercalated. For the secret of ibbur is the aspect of the obliteration of the memory of Amalek. For the intercalation of the year — which is the joining of the sun and the moon, the two aforementioned aspects of truth, and everything becomes one, for emes is one, as above — this is the aspect of the Shem Sholam [Full Name], which is the Name Hashem Elokim becoming one, the aspect of “Hashem is One and His Name is One,” which is the essential aspect of “And Hashem Elokim is truth,” as above. And this is the aspect of the obliteration of Haman-Amalek, for the Holy One, Blessed is He, swore that the “Name is not complete and the Throne is not complete until the memory of Amalek is obliterated” (Rashi, Exodus 17:16). For Amalek is the contamination of the Serpent, the aspect of sheker [falsehood], for Amalek denied the essential [faith], and he is the blemish of t’fillah [prayer], and he is the essential darkness and confusion that intensify at the time of prayer. And his essential power is over the weak of Yisroel, in the aspect of: “And he struck the stragglers among you, all the feeble ones at your rear, and you were weary and exhausted etc.” (Deuteronomy 25:18) — that is, over those whose prayer is weak, whose truth is in the aspect of a window. There he seeks to overpower, chas v’sholom, to turn the truth to falsehood, surrounding them with falsehoods that are the alien thoughts and confusions, not allowing them to pray. And therefore the essential downfall of Haman-Amalek is through t’fillah [prayer]; that is, when one strengthens and arouses the truth upon himself in whatever capacity, as above — and then one merits to see the openings to exit from the darkness [and] from the k’lipas [husk of] Amalek, and one merits to go from darkness to light, in the aspect of: “The Jews had light” (Esther 8:16) — which was stated regarding the downfall of Haman-Amalek. However, it is impossible to merit that one’s small measure of truth should illuminate except through meriting to draw close to tzadikay emes [tzadikim of truth], who are the aspect of the very essence of truth that illuminates in each and every point of truth that exists in each and every one of Yisroel, even in the most lowly of the lowly and the worst of the worst. And this is what is written regarding the war with Amalek: “And Moshe said to Yehoshua: Go out and fight against Amalek” (Exodus 17:9). For the essential downfall of Amalek is through Yehoshua specifically, who is suited for this, as is found in the holy Zohar. For Yehoshua is the aspect of the l’vanah [moon], in the aspect of: “The face of Moshe was like the face of the sun; the face of Yehoshua was like the face of the moon” (Bava Basra 75a). For the essential hold of Amalek is from the diminution of the moon, which is the blemish of the truth that is the aspect of a window, the aspect of the l’vanah, as above. And therefore his downfall is through Yehoshua, who is the aspect of the l’vanah — that is, the aspect of the rectification of the blemish of the moon, through which Amalek falls: when the truth of the truth that each and every one of Yisroel possesses is clarified, which is the aspect of the filling of the blemish of the moon, as above. But it is impossible for Yehoshua to fight the war of Amalek — to illuminate the illumination of truth — except through Moshe, his master, who is the aspect of the chamah [sun], as above, the aspect of the very essence of truth. And this is what the verse states regarding the war with Amalek: “And his hands were emunah [faith/steadfast] until the coming of the sun” (Exodus 17:12). And the Targum renders: “spread out in prayer.” For Moshe is the aspect of the very essence of truth, the aspect of the sun illuminating the prayer, the aspect of “emunah until the coming of the sun” — until he brought and drew the light of the sun, the light of the very essence of truth, into the prayer. For this is the aspect of the filling of the blemish of the moon — and this rectification Yehoshua receives from Moshe, and through this he fights the war of Amalek and illuminates the truth in each and every one of Yisroel, so that each one merits to see the openings within the great darkness that surrounds at the time of prayer, and they go from darkness to light and pray well. For this is the aspect of the downfall of Amalek, who is the darkness, the aspect of falsehood etc., as above. And therefore Moshe and Yehoshua caused the sun to stand still — in the war with Amalek and in the war against the thirty-one kings — to show that they fill the blemish of the moon and draw the light of the sun to the light of the moon, until they were able to draw the light of the sun even at night, for everything is one — sun and moon — and they are included together, as above. It emerges that the essential downfall of Haman is through the filling of the blemish of the moon, which is the aspect of “and the light of the moon shall be like the light of the sun” (Isaiah 30:26) — which is the aspect of the filling of the Name, the aspect of the Full Name, which is the aspect of the secret of ibbur, as above. And therefore the essential miracle of Purim occurred in Adar, in which the year is intercalated, as above. And this is the aspect of “words of peace and truth” (Esther 9:30), that Mordechai and Esther merited to draw the light of truth, which is the essential light, in the aspect of “the Jews had light,” as above — and this is the essential downfall of Haman-Amalek, as above. And therefore the essential miracle was through Esther, who is the aspect of “a woman who fears Hashem” (Proverbs 31:30), the aspect of the l’vanah, the aspect of Malchus, as above. For Haman wished then specifically to overpower Yisroel, chas v’sholom, at the time when Esther was taken to the house of the king — for this was the essential blemish of the truth, chas v’sholom, the aspect of the diminution of the moon. For he reasoned that the aspect of Esther — the aspect of the l’vanah etc., the aspect of the second type of truth mentioned above — had been drawn into the Sitra Achara, chas v’sholom, since she was taken to the bed of the uncircumcised one. And then the essential sustenance of the Sitra Achara — whose sustenance comes from there, from the aspect of the descent of the second type of truth mentioned above among the k’lipos, chas v’sholom — and therefore he wished then to overpower Yisroel, for his essential power comes from this blemish of the truth that is the aspect of the l’vanah etc., as above. And his essential power was through the blemish of the bris [covenant] that existed then, for they had stumbled with foreign women, who are from sitra d’shikra [the side of falsehood]. For guarding the bris is the aspect of emes, the aspect of “all of them are seed of truth.” Which is the aspect of the rectification of prayer, which is the aspect of zivug dik’dusha [holy union], the aspect of the joining of emes and emunah, sun and moon, as above and as explained in the aforementioned teaching — which is the aspect of “their union is as difficult as the splitting of the Sea of Reeds” (Sotah 2a) etc. But union that is not in holiness is the aspect of the blemish of truth, and kal va’chomer [all the more so] the blemish of nidah, shifchah, goyah, zonah, chas v’sholom — this is the essential aspect of falsehood, as is found in the holy Zohar: “Whoever falsifies the holy covenant.” “Falsifies” specifically, for the nations are from the aspect of falsehood, as it is written: “Whose mouth speaks vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood” (Psalms 144:8). And because of this — that they blemished with foreign women — through this they caused the blemish to reach the aspect of “a woman who fears Hashem,” which is the aspect of the l’vanah, the aspect of Malchus. And through this Esther was taken to the house of the king, and Haman reasoned that through this he would overpower Yisroel, chas v’sholom, for a separation had been made, chas v’sholom, between emes and emunah, between the sun and the moon, through the blemish of the bris, from which is the essential hold of Haman-Amalek, chas v’sholom, as above. And therefore there was indeed then a very, very great distress. But Hashem Yisborach was good to us and performed for us miracles and great and awesome wonders in every generation, and He sent then Mordechai and Esther, who are the aspects of the sun and the moon, emes and emunah. And not only was Esther not blemished, chas v’sholom, through being taken to the house of the king; on the contrary, through this she brought forth light from within the darkness. For Achashveirosh did not touch her at all, as is found in the holy Zohar. And the essential means of her deliverance was through emes [truth], as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: when Esther entered the house of Achashveirosh, which was full of idols, she was crying out: “My G-d, my G-d, why have You forsaken me?!” (Psalms 22:2). For this is the essential rectification — to exit from the darkness, as above — that is, when the great darkness intensifies upon a proper person who wishes to draw near to Hashem Yisborach, and especially at the time of prayer, and the darkness surrounds him from every side and from every direction — this is the aspect of the entry of Esther, who is the aspect of Malchus, the aspect of the holy point that is hidden within each and every one of Yisroel, that enters, chas v’sholom, into the house of the wicked Achashveirosh, into a house full of idols and filth — which is the aspect of the extreme intensification of the darkness, and he knows no way or counsel or strategy to be saved from them. And then the essential counsel is only emes: that he should speak the utterance in truth and cry out to Hashem Yisborach in truth — which is the aspect of what Esther cried out when she entered the house full of idols, crying out: “My G-d, my G-d, why have You forsaken me?!” And through this the light of truth illuminated for her, drawn upon her from the aspect of Mordechai, who is the tzadik of the generation, the aspect of the very essence of truth. And through this she was saved from the bed of the uncircumcised one, for he did not touch her, “because a brother guarded her, which is the point of the letter dalet of Echad” (Tikkunim) — that is, the very essence of truth, which is the unity of Hashem Yisborach, which is the very essence of truth, the aspect of “Hashem is my light,” which is the aspect of K’rias Sh’ma, the aspect of “Hashem is One,” as above. This guarded Esther, and this guards each and every one of Yisroel when he cries out to Hashem Yisborach in truth — even if he has fallen to whatever place he has fallen, chas v’sholom, even if the darkness surrounds him from all sides. Nevertheless, when he believes in Hashem Yisborach in truth, in simplicity, believing in Hashem Echad [Who is One], and cries out to Him in truth — “My G-d, my G-d, why have You forsaken me?!” — and supplicates Him in truth, then the truth illuminates for him, and he sees the openings, and he goes from darkness to light, as above. And then, not only can the Sitra Achara and the darkness not prevent him and confuse his prayer, chas v’sholom, he even merits to make an opening also for others — to bring others out from the darkness and to bring them back in t’shuvah [repentance], as is explained there in Siman 112 regarding the verse “And the opening of the taivah you shall place at its side”; see there. For this is the aspect of: “And many of the peoples of the land became Jews” (Esther 8:17) — that Esther merited through her truth, through which she was saved from Achashveirosh and clarified the truth from the falsehood, and she was not distanced from Mordechai, chas v’sholom. And on the contrary, the blemish of the moon was filled through them — through Mordechai and Esther — through her clarifying the truth from the falsehood, to the point that many converted, as above. For this is the aspect of the joining of the two aforementioned aspects of truth — the aspects of emes and emunah, Mordechai and Esther — which is the aspect of the Full Name, as above. And therefore the miracle occurred in Adar, in which the year is intercalated, as above. For this is the aspect of Purim Gadol and Purim Katan, the aspect of “the great luminary” and “the lesser luminary” — which are the sun and the moon, Mordechai and Esther — who were included together, and the blemish of the moon was filled, and the truth was revealed, in the aspect of “words of peace and truth,” as above. And therefore they accepted the Torah anew then, as it is written: “They established and they accepted” (Esther 9:27) — for the Torah is the aspect of emes, as above, and this is the essential downfall of Haman — through truth, as above. And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: that the Megillah requires sirtut [scored lines] “like the truth of the Torah” (Megillah 16b) — for the Megillah is the aspect of “the truth of the Torah,” the aspect of “a Torah of truth” — for this is the essential downfall of Haman-Amalek mentioned above, who is the darkness surrounding at the time of prayer, that falls and is nullified through the truth, which is the essential light to see the openings, as above, in the aspect of “the Jews had light,” as above. And therefore on Purim one must give abundantly in tzedakah [charity], in the aspect of matanos la’evyonim [gifts to the poor]. For through the tzedakah that the giver gives to the poor recipient, through this one fills the blemish of the moon, as is known. For the recipient is the aspect of a window, the aspect of ispaklaryah d’lo nahara mi’garmah [a lens that does not shine of its own], that has nothing of its own. And the one who bestows the tzedakah is the aspect of the sun, in the aspect of: “And the sun of tzedakah shall rise upon you who fear My Name” (Malachi 3:20). And therefore through tzedakah one merits truth, as Rabbainu, zichrono livrachah, wrote in Seifer Ha’Alef-Beis (Emes, Siman 15), and as it is written: “And one who sows tzedakah [reaps] a reward of truth” (Proverbs 11:18). For this is the essential light of truth: when the sun and the moon are joined together, as above — and this is the essential aspect of Purim, as above. And therefore one must give abundantly in tzedakah on Purim, as above. And this is the aspect of Shabbos, which is the aspect of testimony to His unity, Yisborach, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said. And therefore the commandment “You shall not bear [false] witness” corresponds to “Remember the day of Shabbos” (see Mechilta), for Shabbos is the aspect of testimony, as is brought in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory. And therefore they arrange the Lechem HaPonim [Showbread] on Shabbos — which are twelve loaves, which are the aspect of the twelve tribes etc., as above — and all of them are included in the two rows, which are the aspect of lechem mishneh [double bread], the aspect of Mishneh Torah [the repetition of the Torah] — the Written Torah and the Oral Torah — which is the aspect of the two witnesses who clarify the truth, as above. For Shabbos is the very essence of truth, the aspect of the sun, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “the sun on Shabbos is tzedakah” (Ta’anis 8b). For Shabbos is k’vi’ah v’kayama [fixed and enduring], whereas Yom Tov — “Yisroel are the ones who sanctify them” (Beitzah 17a). That is, Shabbos is the very essence of truth, the aspect of the light of Hashem Yisborach, which is the truth that is fixed and enduring and never changes, in the aspect of “And Your word is truth and endures forever” (Psalms 119:160). But the Yomim Tovim [festivals] are in the aspect of a window, in the aspect of the l’vanah, in the aspect of “He made the moon for the appointed times” (Psalms 104:19) — which depends upon Yisroel, who sanctify the months and intercalate the years. And therefore we say “[Who] sanctifies Yisroel and the appointed times” (see Berachos 49a), as our Sages, of blessed memory, said. That is, the sanctity of Yom Tov is the aspect of going from exile [to freedom], for all the festivals are a remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt, which encompasses all the exiles, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said — that is, when one goes from darkness to light through the light of truth, and one can pray, as above. And therefore there are Sholosh Regolim [Three Pilgrimage Festivals] corresponding to the three daily prayers, whose rectification is through truth. And therefore the essential rectification of the festivals is through the bais din, who are the aspect of emes, who intercalate the years and establish the months. And this truth, which is the aspect of the l’vanah, the aspect of a window, is according to the sanctity of Yisroel, upon whom the sanctity of the festivals depends, in the aspect of “These are the appointed times of Hashem that you shall call them in their appointed time” (Leviticus 23:4), as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Rosh Hashanah 24a). And this is the aspect of “the sun knows its setting” (Psalms 104:19), but the moon does not know its setting, for sometimes it comes in a long [cycle] and sometimes it comes in a short [cycle]. For the sun, which is the very essence of truth, the aspect of Shabbos that is fixed and enduring — this truth never changes, and falsehood has no hold in it whatsoever. For this is the aspect of the truth of the tzadik of truth, which is the truth that endures forever, and there is no change in it whatsoever, and it is the aspect of “the sun knows its setting.” But “the moon does not know its setting” — that is, this truth that is the aspect of a window, the aspect of the moon. And this truth is the aspect of Esther, which is hidden and concealed for each and every person according to his level and degree, and it is impossible to know the setting and the way of this truth, for sometimes it comes in a long [form] and sometimes in a short [form]. This is the aspect of “whether one does much or one does little, as long as he directs his heart toward Heaven” (Berachos 5b). For one who desires truth and walks in the way of truth — it is impossible to know his way, for sometimes it comes at length and sometimes briefly; sometimes he lengthens his prayer, sometimes he shortens it, in the aspect of “whether one does much or one does little, as long as he directs his heart toward Heaven.” For this is the aspect of truth: the essential thing is that he should direct his heart toward Heaven in truth. And he needs only to receive the light of truth each time from the tzadikay emes [tzadikim of truth], who are the very essence of truth, and according to the truth that he receives from them, according to the time and the moment, according to what they need to illuminate within him, according to his level — so he must go and conduct himself. But Shabbos is fixed and enduring — it is the very essence of truth, as above. For from Shabbos all the Sholosh Regolim receive, for they too are called “Shabbos,” as we say: “the beginning of the holy convocations etc.” For in truth, everything is one — Shabbos and Yom Tov, sun and moon etc., as above. And this is the aspect of Tosefes Shabbos [the addition to Shabbos], that one adds from the weekday onto the holy [day] — at its entry and its departure — through which one draws the sanctity of Shabbos into the weekdays. For also during the weekdays we need to sanctify ourselves through Torah and mitzvos, which are the aspect of emes. But the truth of the weekdays is the aspect of a window etc., as above, which needs to receive the light of the very essence of truth from Shabbos. And therefore one must add from the weekday onto the holy [day], in order to draw the light of truth from Shabbos into the weekdays, as above. For on Shabbos they join together Zachor and Shamor [“Remember” and “Guard”], which are the aspects of emes and emunah, sun and moon, as is known. And therefore the essential zivug [marital union] of talmidai chachomim [Torah scholars] is from Shabbos to Shabbos (Kesubos 62b), for the essential sanctity of the zivug is the aspect of emes, as above — the aspect of the joining of emes and emunah etc., as above. These eight sections extend the sun/moon framework into testimony, the calendar, Purim, and Shabbos. Os 16 identifies Yaakov and Yosayf as the two archetypal witnesses: Yaakov = sun = Shabbos = t’fillin = essential truth; Yosayf = bris = Y’sod = the tzadik who channels truth to the 12 tribes = the 13th month of the leap year (his tribe dividing into two). Os 17 explains why a woman cannot testify: she corresponds to the moon/Malchus/window — the very aspect that has been blemished — and “a prisoner cannot free himself.” Os 18 is a brief summation: Kiddush HaChodesh and intercalation depend on bais din and witnesses because they embody truth and join sun and moon. Os 19 is a major section on Purim: Adar = emes (acronym of “Rosh D’varcha Emes”); Amalek = falsehood/darkness attacking prayer, especially in the weak; his downfall through Yehoshua (moon) empowered by Moshe (sun); the intercalation of Adar = the Full Name = obliterating Amalek. Os 20 applies this to the Purim narrative in detail: Esther (moon/Malchus) taken to the house of Achashveirosh = the blemished truth seemingly captured by the Sitra Achara. But she cried out “My G-d, my G-d, why have You forsaken me?!” in truth, and the essential truth (Mordechai = sun) illuminated within her and protected her. This paradigm applies to every Jew surrounded by darkness: cry out in truth, even from the lowest place, and the truth will illuminate openings to exit. Os 21 connects Purim charity (matanos la’evyonim) to filling the moon’s blemish: the giver = sun, the poor recipient = window/moon. Os 22 maps Shabbos as essential fixed truth (sun) versus Yom Tov as variable truth (moon) that depends on Yisroel’s sanctification; “the sun knows its setting” but “the moon does not know its setting” = each person’s truth varies, “whether one does much or one does little, as long as he directs his heart toward Heaven.” Os 23 explains Tosefes Shabbos (adding from weekday to Shabbos) as drawing the essential truth of Shabbos into the weekdays. — Translator’s summary. Not part of the original text. 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. Based on the Torah [teaching] on the verse “When you go out to war” in Siman 280, which begins: “Know, that one who must litigate before judges in a Torah-law proceeding” etc.; see there well. It is explained there that the judges make Torah out of all the dealings and commerce in the world. For in truth, all commerce is entirely Torah etc.; see there. For when one engages in commerce, only the external aspect of one’s thought should be in the commerce, while the inner aspect of one’s thought must be connected to the Torah. Also, one needs emunah [faith] in the commerce, and one’s speech should be truthful speech, as they [our Sages] said: “Did you conduct your business dealings with faith?” (Shabbos 31a). For commerce means that one lifts up the thing etc.; that is, through commerce one raises and elevates the holy sparks that have fallen etc. And the essential clarification of the sparks from the k’lipos [husks] is through emunah etc. And it is explained there that through connecting one’s thought to the Torah, through this the emunah receives the power to clarify the sparks from the k’lipos and to ascend from them etc. And then a war is made, for one must fight with them to extract the sparks from them. And this is the meaning of “When you go out to war” etc.; see there all of this well. It emerges that the judges who sit in judgment to rule a Torah-law proceeding must elevate and rectify what these litigants have damaged. That is, they did not connect their commercial dealings to the Torah, as if there is no Torah at all in commercial dealings. And now they have been punished, such that they must come before the judges for a Torah-law ruling, and they must detail before them every aspect of the commercial dealing — everything that transpired between them in the entire course of commerce — and upon this the judges rule a Torah law. And in this they show them that it is not as they thought — that they did not wish to connect the commerce to the Torah, as if there is no Torah, chas v’sholom, in the commerce. Not so! For you see with your own eyes that all the commerce is Torah, for behold, now the judges are ruling Torah law upon every aspect of the commercial dealing that transpired between them, and they make Torah from every aspect of their commerce. For in truth all commerce is entirely Torah etc.; see there all of this in its place, explained well. It emerges that the judges must make Torah from all the dealings and commerce of the litigants, to rectify what the litigants damaged, as above. And therefore the judges are called “Elokim” [G-d], as it is written: “The matter of both of them shall come before the Elokim” (Exodus 22:8). And from this our Sages, of blessed memory, derived how many judges are needed, as is explained in the Gemara. For this is the essential work of the judges: they must reveal the G-dliness that dwells in every thing and in every dealing in the world — which is the Torah that is clothed in every thing in the world, from which comes the essential creation and sustenance and life-force of the thing. For “through the Torah the Holy One, Blessed is He, created the world,” as it is written: “And I was beside Him as a craftsman” (Proverbs 8:30) — “Do not read amon [craftsman] but uman [artisan]” etc. (Zohar). And the Torah is entirely G-dliness, for “the Holy One, Blessed is He, and the Torah and Yisroel are all one.” For through the Torah that Yisroel received, His G-dliness — which dwells in every thing and gives it life — is revealed. And every person must know and believe always, with complete faith, that in every thing in the world, even in all mundane dealings, in all of them is clothed the life-force of G-dliness, which is the letters of the Torah that give life and sustain the thing. And this is the essential engagement of commerce: in order to elevate and clarify the holy sparks that have fallen there — which are the letters of the Torah hidden there. For it is known that the k’lipah [husk] precedes the fruit; in all physical things, even permissible ones, the life-force within them — as long as one does not elevate and connect them to the Torah — then the life-force is in the aspect of breakage, the aspect of letters and sparks that have fallen from the Breaking of the Vessels, which Adam HaRishon was supposed to rectify, and through his sin they were further damaged. And everything needs rectification, and before the rectification the life-force is in the aspect of fallen and broken letters and sparks, for they are still distant from their root. And everything depends upon the deeds of man in this world: through engaging in commerce with faith and connecting one’s thought to the Torah at the time of commerce, through this one elevates and clarifies the sparks in the commerce, and raises and lifts them to their place and root, and makes Torah from them, as above. But one whose essential commerce was uprooted from the Torah and did not connect his thought to the Torah at the time of commerce — then his punishment is that he must come before the judges and recount before them the entire commercial dealing, and they make Torah from it, and in this they show him what he blemished etc., as is explained there in the aforementioned Torah teaching. And therefore the judges are called “Elokim,” for they reveal the G-dliness — which is the Torah hidden in every thing — and make Torah from it. For they rule Torah law upon a mundane commercial dealing that transpired between two people. It emerges that they make Torah from mundane, physical things, and the Torah is His G-dliness and unity, Yisborach. And therefore they are called “Elokim,” as above. And this is why the Torah was precise: “For every matter of transgression — for an ox, for a donkey, for a lamb, for a garment, for any lost item — of which one says ‘This is it!’ — the matter of both of them shall come before the Elokim” etc. (Exodus 22:8). That is, the Torah reveals to us and informs us, through a general statement, a particular statement, and then a general statement again, that in all things in the world there is the life-force of His G-dliness that gives life and sustains the thing. And this is the essential Torah-law ruling: in order to bring back all the things [that are disputed] between them before the “Elokim” — who are the judges, who rule Torah law upon all their dealings and make Torah from all their dealings, as above. And in this we see that in all things in the world there is G-dliness, which is the Torah, as above. And this is why the Torah mentioned most things in the world in detail: “for an ox, for a donkey, for a lamb, for a garment” etc. And the rest it included in the general statement, at the beginning and the end: “for every matter of transgression” etc., “of which one says ‘This is it!’” etc. (as our Sages, of blessed memory, derived the rule of a general statement, a particular statement, and a general statement from this verse). And upon all of them it concluded: “the matter of both of them shall come before the Elokim” — to know and to make known and to become known that in all things in the world, in all of them is clothed and hidden His G-dliness, Yisborach, and everything must be elevated “before the Elokim” — who are the judges, who are called by this name “Elokim” because they rule Torah law and reveal the G-dliness and the Torah that is in every thing, as above. And for this reason there must be three judges. For the rectification of all commerce is through three aspects. For one must connect the inner aspect of one’s thought to the Torah, while only the external aspect of the thought is in the commerce — and this is the first rectification, the rectification of thought: to connect it to the Torah, as above. Also, one must conduct the commerce with faith, so that one never alters one’s word, and one’s “yes” should be yes and one’s “no” should be no — and this is the second rectification. And the body of the actual commercial dealing itself — what one buys or sells etc. — through which the essential clarification of the sparks from the k’lipos is accomplished — this is the aspect of the third rectification. And these three rectifications are needed in all things in the world, and they are the aspects of the rectification of thought, speech, and action. For one must clarify the sparks from all things in the world, and this is accomplished through the body of the action and the dealing that one does and engages in with the thing — and this is the aspect of the rectification of action. However, it is impossible to clarify the sparks through the dealing and action alone except through emunah, for the essential clarification is through it, as is explained in the aforementioned Torah teaching; see there. And the essential emunah depends upon speech, in the aspect of “I will make Your faithfulness known with my mouth” (Psalms 89:2). And especially regarding commerce, where the essential ruling of the Torah law is according to the words that came from one’s mouth at the time of the commerce. And therefore emunah is the aspect of the rectification of speech. However, even emunah does not have the power to clarify the sparks except through the Torah — that is, through connecting one’s thought to the Torah at the time of conducting the commerce, through which the emunah is guarded from being blemished, chas v’sholom, and it has the power to clarify the sparks. But without the Torah, chas v’sholom, his faith itself will become corrupted, and not only will he not clarify the sparks, he will even alter and change his word and blemish his faith, as is explained there in the aforementioned Torah teaching; see there. Therefore one must connect one’s thought to the Torah at the time of conducting the commerce — and this is the aspect of the rectification of thought, as above. And then the rectification of the commerce is completed in perfection, for thought, speech, and action are rectified: through the Torah — which is the rectification of thought; through emunah — which is the rectification of speech; and through the clarification of the sparks — which is the rectification of action, for the essential clarification of the sparks is in asiyah [action], as is known. And for this reason there must be three judges, in order to rectify these three rectifications that the litigants blemished — through not connecting the commerce to the Torah. And now these must be rectified through the Torah-law ruling that the judges issue, and they go back and make Torah from the commerce. And then all three aforementioned aspects are rectified once more. Therefore there must be at least three judges, specifically, corresponding to the three aforementioned rectifications. And this is the aspect of the Three Kedushahs [Holy, Holy, Holy]. For this matter applies to all things in the world: whatever a person does — whether eating and drinking, or any craft and dealing etc. — in all of them the three aforementioned rectifications are needed; that is, to connect one’s thought to the Torah that is clothed in this thing, and to strengthen oneself in extra faith, to believe that everything is from Him, Yisborach. And through this one clarifies sparks through the action and dealing that one engages in, as above. And when one performs all the dealings in the world with this holiness, through this one is sanctified with three sanctities — which are the sanctity of thought, speech, and action, as above. And then His holiness, Yisborach, is elevated on High in the aspect of three sanctities, for “through the arousal from below there is an arousal from Above.” And then it is revealed that “the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3) — for it is revealed that in every thing in the world is clothed the glory of His G-dliness, Yisborach. And this is: “Holy, Holy, Holy is Hashem of Hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3) — for through the three sanctities, that is, through a person sanctifying himself with the three aforementioned sanctities — which are the aspects of the sanctity of thought, speech, and action — through which His holiness, Yisborach, is elevated on High in the aspect of three sanctities — through this it is revealed that “the whole earth is full of His glory.” And for this reason the Torah is threefold in all its aspects, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Shabbos 88a): “Blessed is the Merciful One Who gave a threefold Torah on the third day through a third one” etc. — corresponding to the three aforementioned aspects, which are the aspects of the three sanctities. For the essential sanctity is through the Torah, from which the emunah receives the power to clarify the sparks from every thing, as above. And therefore all three sanctities are included in the Torah, and therefore the Torah is threefold in all its aspects, corresponding to these three sanctities, as above. And this is why the parashah of the Giving of the Torah was juxtaposed to the parashah of “And you shall discern” (Exodus 18:21), which speaks of the appointment of judges. And likewise, after it, it was juxtaposed to the Parashas Mishpatim [section of Laws], as is explained in the Midrash (Shemos Rabbah, chapter 30). For the judges who judge Torah law in truth make Torah from all things in the world — and this is the essential Giving of the Torah, the essential sustaining of the world. Through revealing that the Torah sustains everything, as above. And for this reason the entire world was hanging in suspense until the sixth of Sivan, when Yisroel received the Torah, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said (Shabbos 88a). For then it was revealed that Hashem Yisborach created the world and sustains the world through the Torah — and this is the essential sustaining of the world. And all of this is accomplished through the judges, who make Torah from all things, as above. And therefore the parashah of the judges was juxtaposed to the Giving of the Torah. And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Every judge who judges a case of truth to its truth is as if he became a partner with the Holy One, Blessed is He, in the act of Creation” (Shabbos 10a). For this is the essential sustaining of the world, as above. For the entire act of Creation was in the aforementioned aspect: Hashem Yisborach created the world through the Torah, as it is written: “And I was beside Him as a craftsman” etc., as above. Also through emunah, as it is written: “And all His works are with faith” (Psalms 33:4). And in truth, the Torah and emunah are all one, for both depend upon each other: it is impossible to fulfill the Torah except through emunah, as it is written: “All Your commandments are emunah” (Psalms 119:86); and likewise there is no endurance for emunah except through the Torah, as above. And through the act of Creation itself, which Hashem Yisborach performed each day, through this the sparks were clarified from the broken vessels, from the olmin d’charivin [destroyed worlds], as is known. It emerges that in the act of Creation there were all three aforementioned aspects: Torah, emunah, and the clarification of the sparks — which are the aspects of thought, speech, and action, as above. (And similarly it is explained in the words of our Master, our Teacher and our Rebbe, zichrono livrachah, in several places: that all the activities and dealings and all the commerce and crafts are in the aspect of the crafts of the act of Creation, as is explained in the teaching “And I have commanded the ravens” etc. in Likutay Tinyana, Siman 4; see there.) And this is: “In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). “In the beginning” — that is, through the Torah, which is called “the beginning of His way.” “G-d created the heavens” etc. As our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “And the earth was void and empty, and darkness” etc. — this derives from the aspect of the Breaking of the Vessels, which are the aspects of void and emptiness and darkness etc. “And the spirit of G-d hovered over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2) — “the spirit of G-d” is the aspect of emunah, which is the aspect of Malchus, as is known, which is called “Elokim,” as it is written: “And G-d is my King from of old” (Psalms 74:12). And this is “the spirit of G-d” — that is, the aspect of emunah — “hovered over the face of the waters” — “this is the Torah,” as our Sages, of blessed memory, said. That is, the emunah is connected to the Torah and receives from it the power to clarify the sparks, which are the aspect of the 288 sparks — which is the aspect of “hovered” [m’rachefes], as is explained in the writings of the Ari, zal. And through this: “And G-d said: Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3) — which is the aspect of the World of Rectification, the aspect of the rectification of the entire act of Creation upon its foundations. “And there was light” — for it was so, that everything was rectified. That is, as above: through the emunah receiving power from the Torah — which is the aspect of “the spirit of G-d hovered over the face of the waters,” as above — through this all things that one does are rectified. For through this all the sparks are clarified — and this is the essential substance of the action of the entire act of Creation, which is the aspect of all the dealings and crafts and activities and all the commerce in the world, as above. And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Any judge from whom money is extracted through a law proceeding is not a [proper] judge” (Sanhedrin 7b). For since the judge himself needs to come before judges to be judged in a Torah-law proceeding, certainly he cannot be a judge. For he himself uprooted his own dealings and commerce from the Torah, on account of which he must come before the judges etc., as above. And how can he rectify others — making Torah from their dealings — when he himself has blemished this very thing, to the point that he himself needs to come before judges to make Torah from his own dealings, as above? And therefore he is certainly not a [proper] judge. And this is: “And you shall discern from among the entire people men of valor, G-d-fearing, men of truth, haters of unjust gain, and you shall place them” etc. (Exodus 18:21). “Men of valor” — this is the aspect of those possessing strength for war, in the aspect of “and You girded me with valor for war” (Psalms 18:40). For the judges must go back and clarify the sparks from the commerce and make Torah from the commerce — and this is the aspect of war, the aspect of “When you go out to war,” as above. And therefore they must be “men of valor” — that is, possessing strength for the war to clarify the sparks from the depths of the k’lipos, as above. “G-d-fearing” — this is the aspect of emunah, Malchus, which is called yirah [awe/fear], the aspect of the awe of sovereignty, as is brought in the works of our Master, our Teacher and our Rebbe, zichrono livrachah, many times. And this is the aspect of “And the people feared Hashem, and they believed in Hashem” etc. (Exodus 14:31) — for yirah [fear] is the aspect of emunah [faith]. “Men of truth” — this is the aspect of Torah scholars, for the Torah is called truth, as it is written: “a Torah of truth.” That is, the judges need all three aforementioned aspects: to connect their thought to the Torah always and to strengthen themselves in extra emunah, and through this they will have the strength for the war to clarify the sparks. Through this they go back and rectify the dealing that the litigants blemished, who distanced it from the Torah. For now they are ruling upon it a true judgment, a Torah law, and they go back and make Torah from the commerce, as above. And this is “haters of unjust gain.” And Rashi explained: who hate their own money in judgment — as [the Gemara says]: “Any judge from whom money is extracted through a law proceeding is not a [proper] judge.” That is, as above: the judge must make Torah from the dealings and commerce of the entire world; kal va’chomer [all the more so] he must be careful with his own commerce, that he should not need to come before judges — that is, that he should not uproot his own commerce from the Torah, chas v’sholom, because of which one must come before judges, as above. And therefore he must be a “hater of unjust gain,” so that he should not need to come before a Torah-law proceeding, as Rashi explained, as above. And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “When the litigants stand before you, they should be in your eyes as wicked people; and when they leave from before you, they should be in your eyes as innocent — when they have accepted the judgment upon themselves” (Avos 1:8). And this is puzzling at first glance: why at first are they both as wicked? What did the one who is innocent in the judgment do wrong? And also, why afterward are they both as innocent? But according to the above, it is well resolved. For certainly at first both are as wicked, even the one who is innocent and who claims truthfully. For in any case he blemished his dealing and distanced it from the Torah, and did not connect his thought to the Torah at the time of commerce, because of which he was punished and compelled to come to a Torah-law proceeding. And therefore he too is certainly reckoned as wicked. For the essential righteousness of Yisroel is the Torah and emunah, in the aspect of “and the righteous one lives by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4). And because all of Yisroel are believers, children of believers, therefore they are all called tzadikim [righteous], as it is written: “And Your people are all righteous” (Isaiah 60:21). But this one who blemished emunah and the Torah at the time of commerce, because of which he was compelled to come to a Torah-law proceeding, therefore he is reckoned as wicked. But afterward, when they leave from before the judges, both are as innocent, when they have accepted the Torah-law ruling upon themselves. And through this they went back and rectified what they had damaged, and the commerce was turned back into Torah through their accepting the Torah-law ruling that the judges issued upon their commerce. It emerges that their blemish has been rectified — that their commerce had been uprooted from the Torah, which is where the error and falsehood came from — for behold, now the commerce has been turned back into Torah, as above. Therefore even the one who initially claimed some falsehood and deception is now reckoned as innocent, since he accepted the judgment and Torah was made from his entire commercial dealing. For even initially, he did not come to falsehood and deception except through the aforementioned blemish — through not connecting his thought to the Torah — through which his emunah was blemished, and through this he came to falsehood and alteration and deception, which is the opposite of emunah, as above. For Yisroel are not suspected of complete falsehood, for “the remnant of Yisroel shall not do iniquity nor speak lies.” And the essential falsehood of the one who claims falsely derives from some error, where he erred in himself and permitted himself [the transgression] — similar to what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “There is a presumption that a person does not act brazenly” etc., and “he is only evading,” or perhaps he has a claim of an old loan against him. And all these evasions and self-permissions of his error derive from the fact that he did not connect his thought to the Torah, for had he connected his thought to the Torah within the commerce, his emunah would have been guarded, and he would not have come to these errors, which are the blemish of emunah. Therefore now, after he has accepted the Torah-law ruling upon himself, and the commerce has already been turned back into Torah, his blemish has already been rectified — that his commerce had been uprooted from the Torah, which is where the error and falsehood came from. For behold, now the commerce has been turned back into Torah, as above. Therefore he too is reckoned as innocent. And now the Mishnah is explained upon its foundation, “clear as the sun.” And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “The judge should see as if Gehinnom is open beneath him, and as if a sword” etc. (Sanhedrin 7a). For certainly it is a great war, as above, since he must make Torah from mundane dealings. And it is known that the sparks in mundane dealings are held by many k’lipos and Sitra Achara — and from there comes the intensity of every person’s war in this world. And especially since this particular commerce that has come before the judges has already been blemished by these litigants, who blemished it and distanced it from the Torah, as above. Therefore certainly the judges who wish to rule true Torah law must gird themselves well for war, to fight with the k’lipos and Sitra Achara that surround the sparks in this dealing that was blemished by these litigants. Therefore they must see as if Gehinnom is open beneath them and as if a sword etc. — which is the aspect of the hold of the k’lipos and Sitra Achara that surround the sparks, as above, with whom they must fight, as above. And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Rav, when he would come to the court, would say thus: Of his own will he goes out to be killed; the needs of his household he does not fulfill; and empty he enters his home” (Yoma 87a). That is, as above: because he knew that it is a great war with the k’lipos that surround the sparks in the dealing being judged, in the aspect of “the wicked walk round about” (Psalms 12:9), as above — therefore he said thus. And this is: “The needs of his household he does not fulfill, and empty he enters his home.” That is, Rav, in his great humility, was saying about himself that even he himself does not fulfill his obligation in the needs of his household — for one must connect all the dealings of one’s household to the Torah. And he, in his humility, said that he does not merit this in perfection. And this is: “the needs of his household” — that is, the needs of his household he does not merit to accomplish with the perfection that is fitting; that is, to connect everything to the Torah. And this is: “and empty he enters his home” — for all things are wearisome and are not in perfection, and everything is empty and lacking without the Torah. For only the Torah and emunah are the perfection of all things. And therefore Rav, in his humility, who said he had not yet merited to connect everything to the Torah, therefore said: “and empty he enters his home.” And because of this, it was difficult for him to sit in a Torah-law proceeding, and he said: “Of his own will he goes out to be killed.” For he said: How can I merit to elevate their dealing and make Torah from it, when I myself have not yet merited this in perfection — to make Torah from all the dealings of my own household, that is, from all mundane dealings, as above? And now the matter is well connected and linked, for without this there is no explanation or connection for his words — what is this that he said: “the needs of his household he does not fulfill” etc.? Would it occur to you that Rav was distressed about neglecting the needs of his household in order to sit in a Torah-law proceeding?! Rather, according to the above, the matter is well explained, in a beautiful connection, like a well-fitting seal. And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “Every judge who judges a case of truth to its truth causes the Shechinah to dwell in Yisroel” (Sanhedrin 7a). For certainly he causes the Shechinah to dwell, since he has made Torah from all mundane dealings and revealed that “the whole earth is full of His glory” — that in all things in the world is clothed Torah, as above. Therefore certainly he causes the Shechinah to dwell in Yisroel, for this is the essential dwelling of the Shechinah: when it is revealed that His Shechinah and His G-dliness dwell in all things in the world — and this is accomplished by the judge who judges a case of truth to its truth, as above. And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, were precise in saying in several places: “Every judge who judges a case of truth to its truth” — and the commentators were precise about the word “to its truth,” which at first glance is superfluous, as is brought in the Beis Yosef at the beginning of the Tur, Choshen Mishpat; see there. But according to the above, it is precisely apt. For this is the essential completeness: that he should judge the case of truth to its truth; that is, that he should connect and elevate all the life-force and sparks in the dealing being judged to the Torah, which is called truth, as above. And this is the aspect of “a case of truth to its truth”: that the dealing upon which they ruled a case of truth — he connects it to the root of truth, which is the Torah. That is, that they merit to win the war, to elevate and connect the entire dealing to the Torah, as above. For it is possible that the judge may judge a case of truth, but it is not to its truth; that is, the body of the judgment is true — he acquits the innocent and convicts the guilty — but he does not set his mind to connect the dealing upon which he ruled a case of truth to the Torah. Rather, the essential completeness is that he should judge a case of truth to its truth: that the dealing upon which they judged a case of truth, they should merit to elevate it and connect it to its truth, to the root of truth, which is the Torah. That is, that they should go back and elevate and raise the entire dealing and make from it a Torah of truth, as above. And then he merits everything that our Sages, of blessed memory, said about this; that is, that he becomes a partner with the Holy One, Blessed is He, in the act of Creation, and causes the Shechinah to dwell in Yisroel; that is, as above. For this aspect — when one merits to elevate all things to the Torah — is the aspect of the act of Creation and the aspect of the dwelling of the Shechinah, as above. Blessed is Hashem forever, amen and amen. And therefore the courts are convened on Monday and Thursday, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said. For it is explained in the aforementioned Torah teaching that when one connects one’s thought at the time of conducting the commerce to the Torah, this is the aspect of Chochmah, Binah, and Da’as [Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge] of Asiyah [the World of Action] ascending to Yetzirah [the World of Formation], which is the aspect of the Torah etc.; see there. And it is found in the writings of the Ari, zal, that Monday and Thursday are the aspect of Yetzirah, which is the Torah. And therefore on those days we read from the Torah; see there. And therefore on those days the courts are convened, for on those days the judges can elevate and connect the commerce to the Torah, to rectify the blemish that the litigants blemished, as above. For Monday and Thursday are the aspect of Yetzirah, the aspect of the Torah, as above. Os 24 explains the woman’s kindling of Shabbos lights as rectification for Chava’s sin: she was led astray by the Serpent’s falsehood, so she must rekindle the light of emes. The three mitzvos given to women (challah, nidah, hadlakas haner) all address the blemish of truth. Os 25 explains the Havdalah torch (two wicks braided together = two types of truth bound as one) vs. the Shabbos candles (separate, because on Shabbos falsehood has no hold). Os 26 connects the number 13 to truth: the 13th month of the leap year = the 13 Attributes of Mercy = the 13 Tikkunai Dik’na = Atika = the root of emes. Echad = gematria 13. Males mature at 13 (beard = 13 rectifications); females at 12 (moon = 12 months). Os 27 aligns “You shall not bear false witness” with “Hashem Elokaichem emes” = two witnesses unify the two Names. Os 28 explains why the blessings of K’rias Sh’ma speak of luminaries: sun and moon = day and night = the two aspects of truth that Sh’ma unifies. Os 29 brings the teaching full circle to the Choshen HaMishpat: its 12 stones = 12 tribes = 12 windows; all included in the 2 avnay shoham = 2 witnesses = the clarification of truth. Halachah 4 is based on Likutay Moharan I:280, “Ki Saitzai Lamilchamah.” Its central teaching: all commerce contains hidden Torah (holy sparks clothed in mundane dealings). The rectification of commerce requires three things: connecting one’s thought to Torah, maintaining emunah in one’s speech, and the physical action of the dealing itself — corresponding to thought, speech, and action. When a person fails to connect his commerce to Torah, he is “punished” by having to come before judges — and the judges then do what he should have done: they make Torah from his mundane dealings by ruling Torah law upon them. Judges are called “Elokim” because they reveal the G-dliness hidden in all things. Three judges correspond to the three rectifications (thought, speech, action) = the Three Kedushahs. A judge who judges “truth to its truth” not only acquits the innocent but elevates the dealing to its Torah-root — becoming a partner in Creation and causing the Shechinah to dwell. Courts meet Monday and Thursday because those days = Yetzirah = Torah. — Translator’s summary. Not part of the original text. End of Hilchos Da’yonim 3–4.