העושה שליח לגבות חובו ב

Likutay Halachos - Laws of One Who Appoints an Agent to Collect His Debt 3 (Part 2: §§12-22)

הלכות העושה שליח לגבות חובו, הלכה ג

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Laws of One Who Appoints an Agent to Collect His Debt, Halachah 3 – Part 2 (§§12–22)

Based on Likutay Moharan I:8, "I Saw a Golden Menorah."

For Haman was very jealous when he saw that Mordechai would not bow and prostrate himself to him and did not wish to receive the ruach chayim [spirit of life] from him. For he thought that all the ruach chayim was already with him, chas v'shalom [G-d forbid], and that it was impossible for any Tzadik of the aspect of Mordechai to receive chiyus [vitality] except from him. And therefore he was filled with rage against Mordechai and wanted to kill him, for he thought he had the power to put him to death and to rob his ruach chayim, because he thought that all the ruach chayim was on the side of his sitra [aspect], chas v'shalom.

And therefore they advised him to make a tree fifty amos [cubits] high — this is the aspect of the Aitz HaDa'as Tov vaRa [the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil], from which the wicked Haman, yimach sh'mo [may his name be erased], drew his sustenance. As Chazal said, "Where is Haman [alluded to] in the Torah? As it says, 'Hamin ha'aitz' ['Did you eat from the tree?']" (Chulin 139b). For there are two trees — ilana d'chayei [the Tree of Life] and ilana d'mosa [the Tree of Death], as is explained at the end of the aforementioned Torah [lesson] on the pasuk "ush'nayim zaisim aleha" etc. ["and two olive trees upon it"] (Zechariah 4:3), see there. And the ilana d'chayei is the aspect of the fifty sha'arai k'dushah [gates of holiness], and the ilana d'mosa is the opposite — the aspect of the fifty sha'arai tumah [gates of impurity].

And it is known that the fiftieth gate — no one can attain it except Mashiach Tzidkainu [our Righteous Messiah], and even Moshe Rabbeinu, alav hashalom [peace be upon him], attained only forty-nine facets, as it is written, "Vat'chas'raihu m'at mai'Elokim" ["You made him slightly less than G-d"] (T'hilim 8:6), as Chazal said (Rosh HaShanah 21b). For Moshe, through his great power, was able to descend into all the forty-nine sha'arai tumah from which Pharaoh and Mitzrayim [Egypt] drew their sustenance, and he shattered all their evil channels. And through this he brought Yisroel out of their galus [exile] in gashmiyus [the physical] and ruchniyus [the spiritual], for he took them out of the aspect of the forty-nine sha'arai tumah and brought them into the forty-nine sha'arai k'dushah, as is known.

And all of this was through the power of the fiftieth gate, as it is written, "Vachamushim alu b'nai Yisroel mai'eretz Mitzrayim" ["And the Children of Israel went up chamushim (armed/in fifties) from the land of Mitzrayim"] (Sh'mos 13:18). And fifty times Y'tzias Mitzrayim [the Exodus] is mentioned in the Torah, for "misitra d'yovla nafku" ["from the side of Yovel (the Jubilee) they went out"], which is the aspect of the fiftieth gate, the aspect of "sh'nas hachamishim" ["the fiftieth year"]. For even though Moshe Rabbeinu, alav hashalom, did not attain the fiftieth gate, nevertheless through the greatness of his power and holiness he drew the freedom and holiness from there to all the forty-nine gates, which all receive from there. And through this a great light was added to them, and they prevailed against the forty-nine sha'arai tumah and shattered and subdued them. And through this he brought Yisroel out from there, and they received the Torah on Shavuos on the fiftieth day, after they counted the forty-nine days of the S'firah, as above. For Pharaoh and Mitzrayim — the main source of their power and sustenance was from the forty-nine sha'arai tumah. And therefore, as soon as Moshe drew the illumination from the fiftieth gate, the forty-nine sha'arai k'dushah prevailed and he brought Yisroel out of the galus.

Based on Likutay Moharan I:8, "I Saw a Golden Menorah."

But Haman, yimach sh'mo, who is Amalaik, is in the aspect of the fiftieth gate of tumah, about which it is said, "Vataired p'la'im" ["she descended wondrously"] (Eichah 1:9). This is the aspect of this last galus, in which the kaitz [end] is sealed and very hidden. And Haman thought he would prevail against Mordechai with all the fifty sha'arai tumah. And therefore he plotted to make a tree fifty amos high and to hang Mordechai upon it — for he wanted to cast him down and make him fall, chas v'shalom, through the overpowering of the Sitra Achara [Other Side] of the fiftieth gate, from which Haman drew his sustenance, for there is no one who can descend there to shatter this evil channel that encompasses all the evil channels of all the Sitrin Achranin [Other Sides], all of which draw sustenance from there.

And this is the aspect of specifically hanging — that he wanted specifically to hang him. For these sha'arai tumah that are opposite the sha'arai k'dushah — there is the main b'chirah [free choice]. For this is the essential aspect of the Aitz HaDa'as Tov vaRa — that every person according to his level must guard himself very, very carefully not to touch the evil and the tumah, but only to choose the good. However, there are Tzadikim of the aspect of Moshe who have already sanctified themselves completely from all hold of evil, and they are entirely holy, to the point that they have no b'chirah whatsoever in any matter of desire. Rather, their entire b'chirah is only in the aspect of "Moshe added one day from his own understanding" (Shabbos 87a) — meaning, when they cannot find counsel within themselves how to conduct themselves, because they do not know how He Yisbarach truly wants [them to act]. This was the essential b'chirah of Moshe and of the Tzadikim who are of his aspect, as is explained in the Torah "Vaya'anu kol ha'am" (in Siman 190 and in the Sichah [conversation] pertaining to it that is written in another place).

Based on the Torah [lesson] "Ra'isi m'noras zahav etc." in Siman 8, see there. The general principle is that the main completion of all deficiencies through a sigh is through the true Tzadik who is attached to the Torah, which is where the ruach chayim [spirit of life] for each and every person is found, to complete all of his deficiencies through a sigh etc. However, the wicked who dispute the Tzadik — they receive their ruach chayim through the rav of k'lipah [the master of the husk], which is the aspect of Eisav etc. See there.

And behold, the Malveh [lender] who does chesed [kindness] with the Loveh [borrower] and lends him his money — he is in the aspect of the Tzadik who completes the deficiency, because the loan that the Loveh was compelled to borrow from his fellow is due to the deficiencies, that he lacks his money and livelihood. And the Malveh who has mercy upon him and lends to him and does chesed with him and completes the Loveh's deficiency — he is in the aspect of the Tzadik, who is the aspect of rav chesed [abundant kindness], which is the aspect of "Tzadik chonaim v'nosain" [the righteous one is gracious and gives], who completes all the deficiencies, as above. However, the Loveh must be careful to pay on time to the Malveh, and he must see that he pays him himself, from his own hand directly, and not send through a shaliach [agent], because then there is achrayus haderech [liability of the road] and the achrayus [liability] is upon the Loveh, as the laws are explained in the Shulchan Aruch there.

And this b'chirah is drawn from the fiftieth gate of the fifty sha'arai binah [gates of understanding] that Moshe did not attain. And because he did not yet attain this level of understanding, therefore he cannot give himself counsel when he reaches there, and from there is all of his b'chirah. And therefore Haman, yimach sh'mo, who drew sustenance from the fiftieth gate of tumah, wanted to prevail and to raise Mordechai upon the tree that was fifty amos high and to hang him upon it. That is, the k'lipah [husk] and the Sitra Achara that is opposite the k'dushah wanted to raise the Tzadik up to the fiftieth gate of binah and to plunge him into a very subtle and hidden investigation until he would fall into doubts and would not know himself how to conduct himself. And this is the aspect of hanging — like one who hangs in doubt, for doubt is called "hanging," as in an asham taluy [a suspended guilt-offering] that comes because of doubt. For these doubts are the main b'chirah of the great Tzadikim, of the aspect of Moshe, who is the aspect of Mordechai.

That is, certainly the Tzadik who is attached to the Torah and who draws forth the ruach chayim to all flesh to complete all of their deficiencies — his primary intention is for the sake of the honor of Hashem Yisbarach, meaning that he draws forth ruach chayim to them and completes their deficiencies so that they will serve Hashem Yisbarach with the chiyus [vitality] that he draws to them and with everything that he bestows upon them and completes for them, for this alone is the primary tachlis [purpose] for which Hashem Yisbarach created the world, and for this He Yisbarach sustains and enlivens the world through the Tzadikim, through whom He draws the ruach chayim to all. And everything is for this — so that they will return and serve Hashem with this chiyus that the Tzadik draws to them at every moment. As it is written, "Kol pa'al Hashem l'ma'anaihu" ["Hashem made everything for His sake"] (Mishlei 16:4). Therefore, the main thing is to be close to the Tzadik and attached to him in truth at every moment, and with each and every breath that one breathes and draws the ruach chayim, he should immediately remember that this breath — which is his chiyus — is drawn from the true Tzadik who is attached to the Torah and to Hashem Yisbarach. And he should be careful to draw close to Hashem Yisbarach and to the Torah and to the Tzadik with every breath, and to serve Hashem Yisbarach with every breath, as Chazal [our Sages of blessed memory] said, "'Kol han'shamah t'halleil Yah' — for every breath, praise Yah" (B'reishis Rabbah 14:9). And this is the aspect of "hevel nachis, hevel salik" [the breath descends, the breath ascends] (Tikunay Zohar, Tikun 69, 96), for a person through his breathing, which is his chiyus, takes in ruach and expels ruach, as is known. That is, one must know and remember at all times that with every breath he draws and takes in ruach chayim from the true Tzadik. And immediately he must return and elevate and expel the ruach chayim in some matter of k'dushah [holiness] — in Torah, or t'filah [prayer], or yearnings and longings and good desires for Hashem Yisbarach and the like — in the aspect of "kol han'shamah t'halleil Yah — for every breath" etc. as above. It comes out that the Tzadik is in the aspect of a Malveh, for the ruach chayim that he draws is in the aspect of a halvaah [loan] that he lends to the person — the ruach chayim — so that afterwards he will discharge and pay his obligation to give thanks and praise to Hashem Yisbarach for every breath, for indeed it is the "chovas" [obligation] of all creatures to give thanks and praise etc. as above. And one who is attached to the Tzadik in truth in the aforementioned manner, he discharges his obligation immediately, directly to the Tzadik himself, because he is attached to the Tzadik in truth and draws the ruach chayim from the Tzadik himself, and likewise returns the chiyus and elevates it to the Tzadik himself, because he is attached to the Tzadik and the entire intent of his service and his t'filah is that the avodah [service] and the t'filah should reach the true Tzadik, and he [the Tzadik] will elevate it to the place it needs to go. As has been explained many times, that the primary t'filah and avodah must be with hiskashrus [attachment] to true Tzadikim. But one who is not attached and close to the true Tzadik — then even though he does not dispute him, he does not return the ruach chayim immediately to the Tzadik himself, but rather through the aspect of a shaliach [agent], and there are in this matter several levels. For one who completely disputes the Tzadik and speaks arrogantly and contemptuously against him — he is a rasha who does not receive chiyus at all from the Tzadik, but rather from the rav of k'lipah, from the aspect of Eisav, ish sa'ir [the hairy man]. And likewise, through his evil deeds he returns and gives power and chiyus to his rav of k'lipah, for it is known that through all evil deeds, chas v'shalom, one gives power and chiyus to the Sitra Achara [the Other Side], chas v'shalom, Rachmana litzlan [may the Merciful One save us]. But there are somewhat kosher people who do not entirely dispute the Tzadik, only they are not close to him, and they do mitzvos and engage in Torah and t'filah, but they are not connected to true Tzadikim. Then their avodah and all of their dealings travel through many levels of agents until they return and arrive at the true Tzadik. And then the achrayus is upon the Loveh, who is the one who receives the chiyus to complete his deficiency. For then there are many, many types of achrayus on the road, lest the ambushers along the way rob it, and it is possible that the discharge of the aforementioned debt might arrive into the hand of whomever it arrives, chas v'shalom — meaning to the Sitra Achara and the k'lipos [husks], which are the aspect of the rav of k'lipah. For in truth, even the rav of k'lipah himself — all his chiyus he suckles in great concealment from the Tzadik and the rav of k'dushah, through the avonos [sins] of Yisroel, chas v'shalom. For when Yisroel receive the chiyus from the Tzadik and do not serve Hashem Yisbarach with it, and all the more so when they commit, chas v'shalom, aveiros [transgressions] with this chiyus — from this, chas v'shalom, the rav of k'lipah, which is Eisav, suckles chiyus, for all of his chiyus comes from the avonos of Yisroel, chas v'shalom, as is known. Therefore, one who is not close to the Tzadik, even though he is a somewhat kosher person, since he is not close to the Tzadik, he returns the chiyus to the Tzadik through the aspect of a shaliach, and as is understood from the words of Adoneinu Moreinu v'Rabbeinu z"l [our Master, our Teacher and our Rebbe, of blessed memory] in another place, that many agents travel (called "shtafettin") from one to another and from one to another until it reaches the Tzadik etc. And then there are many dangers on the road as above, and the achrayus is upon the Loveh who is the one receiving the chiyus from the Tzadik to complete his deficiency, who is in the aspect of a loveh as above. And this is the aspect of Purim, which is the erasure of Amalaik, which is greater than all the Yomim Tovim, as Chazal said, "All the mo'adim [festivals] will be nullified, but the days of Purim will never be nullified" (Midrash Mishlei 9). For in the aforementioned Torah [lesson], the entire matter of Y'tzias Mitzrayim [the Exodus from Egypt] and Matan Torah [the Giving of the Torah] is explained. As is explained at the end there on the pasuk, "Anochi Hashem Elokecha hama'alcha mai'eretz Mitzrayim, harchev picha va'amal'aihu" ["I am Hashem your G-d Who brought you up from the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide and I will fill it"] (T'hilim 81:11), see there. For in Mitzrayim, before Kabbalas HaTorah [the receiving of the Torah], there was the aspect of mikotzer ruach [shortness of spirit] — they were unable to draw the ruach chayim to complete the deficiency etc., as is written there. And from this was the main galus [exile], for the Egyptians and Pharaoh grew mighty, as their ruach was great in their time, and they prevailed over Yisroel. And through this they held them in galus so greatly. For all the exiles and troubles of the nations who rule over Yisroel are drawn from the aforementioned aspect — because their ruach is great in their time, and through this they rule over Yisroel all the days of the galus. As it is written there, that this is the aspect of "Al amcha ya'arimu sod v'yisya'atzu al tz'funecha" ["Against Your people they plot cunningly and take counsel against Your hidden ones"] (T'hilim 83:4). And for this reason Yisroel are called "aniyah so'arah" ["a storm-tossed, afflicted one"] (Y'shayah 54:11), because the ruach chayim of the nations, which is a ruach s'arah [storm wind], rules over them, as is explained there, see there. And because in Mitzrayim it was before Kabbalas HaTorah, which is where the primary ruach chayim is, as above — therefore it was very difficult to go out from there. But Hashem Yisbarach had mercy on His people in the z'chus [merit] of our forefathers, Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, who began to draw the illumination of the Torah into the world, for Hashem Yisbarach spoke with them and they were commanded several mitzvos. And likewise Moshe, through the great wondrousness of the power of his k'dushah [holiness], merited that Hashem Yisbarach revealed Himself to him in Mitzrayim, and he began to draw forth the aspect of Kabbalas HaTorah in Mitzrayim. And through this, Moshe merited even in Mitzrayim to receive the ruach chayim from the Torah. And therefore Hashem Yisbarach sent him to redeem His children. And for this reason Moshe refused greatly to go, and argued much with Hashem Yisbarach: "Mi anochi ki ailaich v'chi otzi" ["Who am I that I should go and that I should bring out"] (Sh'mos 3:11). And Rashi explained: "What z'chus [do they have]?" etc. That is, he thought: since they still had not received the Torah, how is it possible to draw upon them the ruach chayim to bring them out from Mitzrayim, which rules over them? And Hashem Yisbarach answered: "B'hotzi'acha es ha'am miMitzrayim ta'avdun" ["When you bring the people out of Mitzrayim, you will serve"] (Sh'mos 3:12). And Rashi explained: "And as for what you asked, 'What z'chus do they have?' — a great z'chus I have upon them: 'B'hotzi'acha' etc., that they are destined to receive the Torah." That is, Hashem Yisbarach had mercy on them and drew upon them the ruach chayim from the Torah that they were destined to receive, even though they had not yet received it. And this is the aspect of what was initially revealed to him from within the s'neh [burning bush], corresponding to "imo anochi v'tzarah" ["I am with him in distress"] (T'hilim 91:15). For the Tzadik and the Torah and Hashem Yisbarach are one, for the Tzadik receives the ruach chayim from the Torah, which is His achdus [unity] Yisbarach, and with this he enlivens Yisroel and completes all of their deficiencies. And when it is necessary to subdue the wicked who rule over them, the Tzadik must descend into the evil middah [trait] in which they are most deeply sunk — which is their tzinor [pipeline/channel] through which they receive chiyus. And the Tzadik enters specifically there and shatters that tzinor, which is their evil middah, as is explained well there on the pasuk "Mashpil r'sha'im adei aretz" ["He brings down the wicked to the ground"] (T'hilim 147:6) — rashei taivos [initial letters]: aish, ruach, mayim, afar [fire, wind, water, earth], see there. And therefore He Yisbarach revealed Himself to him from within the s'neh, because of "imo anochi v'tzarah" — to show that when Yisroel are in distress in galus under the nations who rule over them through the tzinor of their middah, one must be with them in their distress, to enter into that very tzinor from which their main distress comes, and to shatter it, as above. For Yisroel in galus are called "k'shoshanah bain hachochim" ["like a rose among thorns"] — that the thorns prick it etc., as Rashi explained there. That is, the nations who oppress Yisroel are the thorns and thistles, the aspect of a s'neh. And there the Tzadik who is included in Hashem Yisbarach must descend, to shatter that tzinor that distresses Yisroel, which is the aspect of a s'neh, the aspect of thorns and thistles as above. For the main galus is the evil middah itself, which is their tzinor — meaning, their prevailing over Yisroel with their evil middah — that is the main galus, the aspect of "vayis'arvu vagoyim" ["and they mingled among the nations"] (T'hilim 106:35) etc. And this is the aspect of all the ten makos [plagues] that Moshe brought upon them, showing them that all the ruach chayim of all the things in the world are with him. And therefore he was able to do as he wished in the world and change from water to blood and afterwards change back from blood to water etc., because from him comes all the chiyus of all the things in the world. And therefore he could certainly rule in the world and change nature as he desired. And therefore at first he showed them the sign of the mateh [staff] that turned into a nachash [snake] and afterwards from a nachash back to a mateh. For the mateh of Moshe alludes to the fact that he had already broken the b'chirah [free will, i.e., overcome the evil inclination] and sanctified himself completely from the hold of the Aitz HaDa'as Tov vaRa [the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil], and no evil from any middah had a hold on him — this is the aspect of "u'matei haElokim b'yadi" ["and the staff of G-d in my hand"] (Sh'mos 17:9), as is explained in the Tikunim and in the words of Rabbeinu z"l, see there in Siman 79. And therefore he showed them specifically through the mateh that he could descend into their evil tzinor, which is the aspect of the Nachash HaKadmoni [the Primordial Serpent], from which come all the evil middos and all the channels of all the wicked. And afterwards he would emerge from there in peace, for afterwards it would return from a nachash to a mateh — only that he descended there to subdue and shatter their evil, in the aspect of "vayivla matei Aharon es matosam" ["and the staff of Aharon swallowed their staffs"] (Sh'mos 7:12). And this is what Yochanai and Mamrai asked him: "Are you bringing straw to Afarayim [a city of straw]?" And he answered them: "L'masa yarka yarka sh'kul" ["To a city of vegetables, bring vegetables"] (as Chazal said, M'nachos 85a). For this is precisely what one must do — specifically enter into the very tzinor and conduct of the wicked rulers, to subdue and shatter them. For "minei u'vai abba laizil bei narga" ["from the forest itself comes the handle for the axe"]. This is the aspect of "l'masa yarka yarka sh'kul," for one must descend into his evil middah specifically, which is their tzinor, in order to shatter them as above. And therefore he brought upon them several types of makos, to show that the chiyus of all the things in the world is entirely in his hand. For in the ten makos there were wondrous changes and signs in all four y'sodos [elements] — aish, ruach, mayim, afar [fire, wind, water, earth] — which are the aspect of domeim, tzomei'ach, chai, m'dabeir [inanimate, vegetable, animal, human]. For the water was struck — the aspect of y'sod hamayim [the element of water]. And the dust of the earth became lice — the aspect of y'sod he'afar [the element of earth]. And the east wind carried the locusts — the aspect of y'sod haruach [the element of wind]. And fire blazing within the hail — the aspect of y'sod ha'aish [the element of fire]. And likewise the domemim [inanimate things] were struck, which is the dust of the earth; and the tzomei'ach [vegetation], which is all the grass of the field that the hail struck etc.; and the chai [animal], which is the arov [wild beasts] that came upon them, and likewise the dever [pestilence] that killed all their livestock; and the m'dabeir [human] was struck in all the makos, especially in sh'chin [boils] and makas b'choros [the plague of the firstborn]. It comes out that through the ten makos he showed them that He Yisbarach rules in the world over all four y'sodos — aish, ruach, mayim, afar — and over all the domeim, tzomei'ach, chai, m'dabeir, for from Him comes the chiyus to all of them, and therefore He can do as He wishes. And therefore each time he demonstrated His might, that He could nullify the plague, as it is written, "Hispa'air alai l'masai a'tir l'cha...l'ma'an taida ki laHashem ha'aretz" ["Set your glory over me: for when shall I entreat for you...that you may know that the earth is Hashem's"] (Sh'mos 8:5–6). That is, he showed them that He can complete all the deficiencies through His ruach chayim, for all the makos are deficiencies, and He can remove the makos and complete all the deficiencies, for from Him is the ruach chayim to all the things in the world. And therefore they were not subdued until He brought upon them makas b'choros [the plague of the firstborn], which is the main tzinor of their chiyus, for they worshipped the lamb, which is the firstborn of the constellations, as is brought [in the sources]. And this is the aspect of "uvailohaihem asah Hashem sh'fatim" ["and upon their gods Hashem executed judgments"] (B'midbar 33:4). And therefore the water was struck first, because they worshipped it. As Rashi explained there, that when HaKadosh Baruch Hu exacts punishment from a nation, He punishes their gods first. For their evil tzinor — from which they receive their ruach chayim — this is the aspect of their avodah zarah [idolatry] and their elohim achairim [other gods]. And therefore He punished their gods first, which is their evil tzinor, which He shattered and subdued and nullified. And through this the Egyptians were nullified automatically, and Yisroel went out from there in peace. And this is what Yisro said: "Atah yadati ki gadol Hashem mikol ha'Elokim, ki badavar asher zadu alaihem" ["Now I know that Hashem is greater than all gods, for in the very matter in which they plotted against them"] (Sh'mos 18:11). "Badavar asher zadu" specifically — that is, specifically through the matter in which they wickedly and intentionally sinned, which is their evil middah, which is their tzinor — specifically through it they were broken and fell, because Moshe was able to descend into their evil tzinor, which is their evil middah, to shatter and nullify it, through which came their downfall, as above. And behold, even though all Yisroel saw then the greatness of the power of Moshe, that all the ruach chayim of all the things in the world was with him, as above, and likewise they saw in all the wonders he did for them in the midbar [wilderness], providing all their needs — food, drink, and clothing, which are the well, the clouds, and the mahn etc. — from which they saw that the Tzadik, who is Moshe, completes for them all deficiencies, as it is written, "Lo chasarta davar" ["You lacked nothing"] (D'varim 2:7) — despite all this, they kept complaining each time, and they tested Him Yisbarach with ten trials etc., as Chazal said. And all of this was drawn from the k'lipah [husk] and contamination of Amalaik, who is from the seed of Eisav, who is the main rav of k'lipah, as is explained there in the aforementioned Torah [lesson]. For Amalaik is comprised of all the evil middos, which are the totality of all the evil channels of all the nations, as it is written, "Raishis goyim Amalaik" ["The first of the nations is Amalaik"] (B'midbar 24:20) — he is comprised of all the evil of all the nations and he is their head and root. And therefore, even though Moshe shattered the evil tzinor of Pharaoh and Mitzrayim and through this took Yisroel out from there in both gashmiyus [physical] and ruchniyus [spiritual terms] — for just as he took them out in gashmiyus from the galus of Mitzrayim, so he brought their n'shamos [souls] out from the contamination of Mitzrayim, from their evil, for he took them out of the forty-nine sha'arai tumah [gates of impurity] and brought them into the forty-nine sha'arai k'dushah [gates of holiness] — despite all this, the Ba'al Davar [the Adversary] still incited them to complain about Moshe. And all of this was drawn from the fact that the root and totality of all the evil channels — which is the k'lipah of Amalaik — had not yet been shattered, as above. And this is what is written: "Al riv b'nai Yisroel v'al nasosam es Hashem laimor hayaish Hashem b'kirbainu im ayin, vayavo Amalaik" etc. ["Because of the quarrel of the Children of Israel and their testing of Hashem, saying, 'Is Hashem among us or not?' And Amalaik came"] (Sh'mos 17:7–8). For because they tested Hashem and did not believe completely that Moshe could complete for them all their deficiencies — since all the ruach chayim is with him, as above — this p'gam [blemish] of emunah [faith] was drawn from the k'lipah of Amalaik as above. Therefore "vayavo Amalaik" — he came upon them also in gashmiyus to wage war with them. As Rashi explained there, and this is his language: "'Vayavo Amalaik etc.' — this parashah is placed adjacent to this verse to say: I am constantly among you and ready for all your needs, and you say 'Is Hashem among us or not?' By your lives, the dog comes and bites you" etc. That is, as above. And therefore Amalaik came before Matan Torah, for the primary drawing of the ruach chayim is through the Torah, which is the Aseres HaDibros [Ten Commandments], the aspect of the ten types of pulses, as is written there. And Amalaik, who is the aspect of the rav of k'lipah, the aspect of the ruach of the Sitra Achara, wanted to prevent them and delay them from this. But Moshe Rabbeinu stood against him through abundant t'filah, praying greatly to Hashem Yisbarach then, as it is written, "Vay'hi yadav emunah" ["and his hands were faith/steady"] (Sh'mos 17:12). And the Targum [translates]: "his hands were spread in prayer." And this is "vay'hi yadav emunah" — "yadav" [his hands] is the aspect of the ruach chayim, which is the aspect of the ten types of pulses whose main [presence] is in the hands, where all the pulses, all the ten types of pulses [are found]. That is, he prayed so much until he drew the ruach chayim of k'dushah to subdue and shatter the k'lipah of Amalaik, who is the rav of k'lipah who opposes the rav of k'dushah, as above. And then "vayachalosh Y'hoshua es Amalaik" etc. — "he cut off the heads of his warriors" etc., and he did not kill them all. From here [we see] that they acted according to the Dibur [the Divine Word], for it is impossible to completely subdue Amalaik in one time, because he is the aspect of the Samech-Mem and the Ba'al Davar himself, whom it is impossible to completely nullify, for then b'chirah [free will] would be nullified. And therefore he strengthens himself each time against Yisroel. But Hashem Yisbarach has mercy on His people and fights with him Himself, as it is written, "Ki yad al kais Yah, milchamah laHashem ba'Amalaik midor dor" ["For a hand is upon the throne of Yah, a war for Hashem against Amalaik from generation to generation"] (Sh'mos 17:16). HaKadosh Baruch Hu swore that His Name is not complete and His throne is not complete until the memory of Amalaik is erased. This is the aspect of the idea that, kiv'yachol [as it were], Hashem Yisbarach Himself lowers the letters of His Name into the evil channels of the k'lipah of Amalaik, in order to subdue and shatter it etc. And this is the aspect of Purim, for Haman from the seed of Amalaik plotted against the Jews to destroy them. For he saw that Yisroel had been in galus for so many years, when the ruach of the Sitra Achara of the nations rules over them — about which it is said, "Tacharish k'vala rasha tzadik mimenu" ["Will You be silent when the wicked swallows one more righteous than he?"] (Chavakuk 1:13), for Chavakuk said this about galus Bavel [the Babylonian exile]. For in the time of galus, when the nations rule over Yisroel, Yisroel are considered as though the nations have swallowed them, chas v'shalom, with the ruach chayim of the Sitra Achara, which is great in their time. And Haman, yimach sh'mo [may his name be erased], thought that since he was in league with Achashvairosh, who is the wicked kingdom, and he was from the seed of Amalaik who is comprised of all the evil channels of all the nations — therefore they would be able to swallow Yisroel completely, chas v'shalom. And therefore he gathered all the forces of the Sitra Achara, which are all the ten kisrin dim'sa'avusa [crowns of impurity], which are his ten sons, as is brought in the Tikunim. And he wanted to overpower Yisroel to destroy them completely, chas v'shalom, and he decreed "l'hashmid laharog ul'abeid" ["to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate"] etc. (Esther 3:13). For he wanted to rob from them all the ruach chayim that they receive from the rav of k'dushah, and to prevail over them with the ruach of tumah [impurity], the ruach of the Sitra Achara, and to swallow them completely, chas v'shalom. For he thought there was no one to be found who could descend into his evil to shatter his tzinor, because he was comprised of all the evil channels, as above. And therefore there truly was then a great danger, a time of trouble the like of which had never been. But Hashem Yisbarach had mercy on His people and sent them Mordechai and Esther, who through the greatness of their power descended even into the evil channels of Haman and Achashvairosh and shattered and subdued them, and saved Yisroel from them, and "v'nahafoch hu asher yishl'tu" etc. ["it was reversed, that the Jews ruled"] (Esther 9:1). And therefore the miracle came about through the fact that Esther was taken to the king Achashvairosh — this is the aspect of the above-mentioned secret, that the great Tzadik must descend into the evil tzinor of the rasha etc., which is his evil middah, as above. And the main evil tzinor that encompasses all evils is the desire for mishgal [sexual immorality], and through there is the main sustenance of the world, for it is the aspect of ruach, as it is written, "v'lo kamah od ruach b'ish" ["and no spirit remained in any man"] (Y'hoshua 2:11). And from there is the main procreation, through which the ruach of life is drawn from generation to generation, from father to son etc., for it is the aspect of "Tzadik Chai almin" ["the Righteous One Who lives forever"]. But "es zeh l'umas zeh" ["this opposite this"], for there is the main hold of the ruach of the Sitra Achara. And from the sin of Adam HaRishon, all the n'shamos [souls] became intermingled between good and evil. And therefore it is impossible to draw forth and beget any n'shamah in this world unless one descends and passes through their ruach and shatters their tzinor and brings the n'shamah out from there. And all of this is through the power of the true Tzadikim who shattered this desire completely, for they descended and passed through all the evil channels of the Sitra Achara and shattered them completely to bring out all the n'shamos from there. And Amalaik, who is the ruach of tumah of the rav of k'lipah, is the aspect of the desire of adultery, as it is written, "asher karcha baderech" ["who happened upon you on the way"] (D'varim 25:18), as is brought [in the sources]. And his entire strengthening is in this desire. Therefore the miracle came about through the fact that Esther was taken to the house of the king — this is the aspect of descending into their evil tzinor to shatter and subdue it. For he did not touch her, as is stated in the Tikunim. And this is the aspect of the taking of Sarah to the house of Pharaoh, which is the aspect of "ais asher shalat ha'adam b'adam l'ra lo" ["a time when one man rules over another to his detriment"] (Koheles 8:9). And all of this was through the greatness of the power of Mordechai, who was "yoshaiv b'sha'ar hamelech" ["sitting at the king's gate"] (Esther 2:21) etc., and "b'chol yom vayom" ["each and every day"] etc. "lada'as es sh'lom Esther" ["to know the welfare of Esther"] (Esther 2:11). For through the greatness of the holy power of both of them — Mordechai and Esther — they shattered their evil tzinor, through the fact that Esther was taken to their house, which is the aspect of the descent of the Tzadik into the evil tzinor of the Sitra Achara to subdue and bring it down to the ground. For Mordechai was pure and clear, and no evil had any hold on him whatsoever, in the aspect of "mor d'ror" [myrrh of freedom] — "marai dach'ya" [master of purity] — for he was completely pure and clean, and he was able to guard Esther, who was bone of his bones, so that no stranger would touch her. Rather, on the contrary, through the fact that she was taken to him, she would subdue and bring him low, as above. And therefore Mordechai's prevailing against Haman was through t'filah, as it is written, "Vayiz'ak z'akah g'dolah u'marah" ["And he cried out a great and bitter cry"] (Esther 4:1). And as Chazal said, "Ben Kish — shehikish al dalsei rachamim" ["Son of Kish — for he knocked on the doors of mercy"] (Megillah 12b). For the primary ruach chayim is received from the Torah, and the Torah is drawn through t'filah, as is written there — for the wellspring of wisdom of the Torah comes forth from the t'filah, which is the aspect of Aiden, "ayin lo ra'asah" ["no eye has seen"] etc. (Y'shayah 64:3), see there. And therefore, against Amalaik it is impossible to stand except through t'filah, to greatly increase t'filah and tachanunim [supplications] very, very much, in order to arouse each time the root of the wellspring of the Torah, in order to draw the ruach chayim of the Torah from its root, in order to subdue Amalaik. For he strengthens himself each time because he is comprised of all the evil channels etc. as above, and it is impossible to shatter him completely in one time, as above. Therefore one must each time arouse against him the root of the wellspring, which is the t'filah, from which comes the wellspring that waters the garden, from which comes all the ruach chayim. And through this one subdues and brings him down each time. And therefore Moshe too stood against him with t'filah, as it is written, "Vay'hi yadav emunah," as above. And this is the aspect of "u'Mordechai yatza milifnai hamelech bilvush malchus t'chailes" etc. ["And Mordechai went forth from before the king in royal garments of t'chailes (blue)"] (Esther 8:15) — an allusion to the t'chailes [blue thread] of the tzitzis. For tzitzis is the aspect of the ruach chayim of the true Tzadik, the aspect of Mordechai, through which he prevails over the rav of k'lipah, which is the aspect of Haman-Amalaik, the aspect of Eisav — "admoni k'aderes" ["ruddy, like a garment"], like a tallis etc. — as is written there, see there. The general principle is that the war of Haman-Amalaik in every generation is the main matter of hiskarvus [drawing close] to true Tzadikim. For the primary chiyus of k'dushah in gashmiyus and ruchniyus is through the true Tzadik, who is the true Rav, with whom is all the ruach chayim of the Torah, who completes all the deficiencies in the world and who atones all the avonos, which are the primary deficiencies. As it is written, "V'hayisi ani uvni Shlomo chata'im" ["Then I and my son Shlomo will be sinners"] (M'lachim I 1:21). And Rashi explained: "chasairim" [deficient]. For a person does not commit a transgression unless a ruach sh'tus [spirit of folly] enters him (Sotah 3a), which is the ruach of tumah, the ruach of the rav of k'lipah. And ruach sh'tus is the opposite of da'as [knowledge/awareness]. And therefore he has all the deficiencies, for "da'as chasarta, meh kanisa" ["if you lack da'as, what have you acquired?"] (N'darim 41a). And the Tzadik, the true Rav, can rectify all of this, in the aspect of "v'ish chacham y'chapirenah" ["but a wise man will appease it"] (Mishlei 16:14). For he can descend into the evil of each and every person and bring him out from there and return him to good, and draw upon him at every moment ruach chayim of k'dushah with every breath — especially through a sigh — and complete for him all deficiencies, and enliven him at all times in gashmiyus and ruchniyus, until he merits the true tachlis where it is entirely good, lacking nothing, as it is written, "V'dorshei Hashem lo yachsiru chol tov" ["Those who seek Hashem shall lack no good"] (T'hilim 34:11). And therefore the primary sustenance of the world is through the Tzadik, as it is written, "Alma al mah ka'i? Al amud chad, v'Tzadik sh'mai" ["Upon what does the world stand? Upon one pillar, and Tzadik is its name"] (Chagigah 12b). But opposite this, in every generation there are opponents who dispute the true Tzadik, whose nourishment is from the aspect of the rav of k'lipah, which is the aspect of Eisav, the aspect of Haman-Amalaik, the aspect of "yaish li rav" ["I have much/a master"] (B'reishis 33:9). For every person who does not desire the truth in its truest sense says "yaish li rav" — he chooses for himself a rav, whomever is good in his eyes, who cannot bring him out from his place or raise him from his fall. On the contrary, he distances him from the Tzadik who is the point of truth, for he suckles from the aspect of the aforementioned rav of k'lipah, which is the aspect of the alufai Eisav [chieftains of Eisav], the rabr'vai Eisav [great ones of Eisav]. And these opponents draw their ruach chayim from them — meaning, from the rav of the Sitra Achara, as above — and he is great in his time and very successful, for it seems that they have all the greatness. But it is only temporary, for in the end he is consumed and lost, for "anshei hashaim k'lo hayu" ["the men of renown are as though they never were"]. And all the chiyus that they draw to complete their deficiencies — even though it seems that their deficiency is completed in great abundance, more than enough — it is only for a brief moment. For immediately they are lacking more and more, because "da'as chasarta, meh kanisa." As is visibly apparent, for everyone who is not truly kosher and upright in truth pursues his entire life after livelihood and wealth, and all his days are full of deficiencies, and the more he has, the more he lacks. As Chazal said, "One who has a maneh [100 coins] seeks masayim [200]" etc. (Koheles Rabbah 1:13). And for the most part, he simply lacks, for it seems to him that he profits and profits, yet in the end when he comes to the accounting, he has nothing in hand and remains a great ba'al chov [debtor]. As it is written, "Lo yacharoch r'miyah tzeido" ["A deceitful person will not roast his prey"] (Mishlei 12:27). And he is in the aspect of "v'hamishtakeir mishtakeir el tz'ror nakuv" ["and the earner earns into a bag with a hole"] (Chagai 1:6). Especially now, when this occurrence is very common among the wealthy, for most of them end up as ba'alei chovos [debtors]. And even one who is not a ba'al chov lacks greatly, according to the abundance of his expenditures, for he conducts his household each time with greater extravagance, until everything he earns is not enough. And his head weighs heavily upon him each time from the abundance of his deficiencies, for it seems to him that he lacks from his necessities according to how he conducts himself and his household. And all of this is visibly apparent to anyone somewhat familiar with the conduct of the world — those who do not look at the true tachlis and do not draw close to true Tzadikim. And all of this is because the drawing of their chiyus — which is the aspect of the completion of deficiencies — is drawn to them from the rav of k'lipah, who is himself entirely deficiency, whose heart lacks everything. For their nourishment is from the aspect of "m'oros chasair" [the "luminaries" spelled deficiently], the aspect of "m'airas Hashem b'vais rasha" ["the curse of Hashem is in the house of the wicked"] (Mishlei 3:33). The aspect of "v'haklabim azai nefesh lo yad'u sav'ah" ["and the dogs are brazen of spirit, they never know satisfaction"] (Y'shayah 56:11) — they are never satisfied from their wealth, and they are always greatly lacking. And all of this is because they suckle from the aforementioned rav of k'lipah. And this is "v'haklabim azai nefesh lo yad'u sav'ah, heimah ro'im" etc. — they are the shepherds and leaders of the Sitra Achara, and the chiyus that is drawn from them to complete deficiencies is entirely in the aspect of deficiency, "lo yad'u sav'ah," as above. And this is the aspect of Haman, who is Amalaik from the seed of Eisav, who is the main rav of k'lipah, whose ruach was exceedingly great in his time. As is explained in the Megillah regarding the magnitude of his greatness in his time, as it is written, "Gidel hamelech es Haman vay'nas'aihu vayasem es kis'o" etc., "v'chol avdai hamelech" etc. "kor'im u'mishtachavim l'Haman" etc. ["The king elevated Haman and raised him and set his seat above all" etc., "and all the king's servants" etc. "bowed and prostrated themselves to Haman"] (Esther 3:1–2) — because from him was drawn all their chiyus to complete all of their deficiencies. But "u'Mordechai lo yichra v'lo yishtachaveh" ["Mordechai would not bow and would not prostrate himself"] (Esther 3:2), for he knew it was avodah zarah, the aspect of the rav of k'lipah, whose chiyus is in truth no chiyus at all, and he cannot truly complete any deficiency — he only deceives and misleads people for a brief moment. And therefore Haman was very jealous of him. And this is "Vay'sapeir lahem Haman es k'vod ashro v'rov banav" ["Haman told them of the glory of his wealth and the multitude of his sons"] (Esther 5:11). "V'rov" specifically — meaning, his sons, which are the ten sons of Haman, the aspect of the ten kisrin dim'sa'avusa [crowns of impurity], which are opposite the Aseres HaDibros, which are the totality of the Torah, where the ruach chayim of k'dushah is found. And his ten sons were the opposite of this in k'lipah, from which is the ruach chayim of the Sitra Achara drawn from the rav of k'lipah. This is the aspect of "v'rov banav" — "rov" specifically, the aspect of the rav of k'lipah. And this is "k'vod ashro" [the glory of his wealth], for wealth comes from tzafon [the north], as it is written, "Mitzafon zahav ye'eseh" ["From the north gold comes"] (Iyov 37:22). And tzafon is chasair [deficient]. And from there one must complete all the deficiencies. And he boasted of his wealth, that he had great wealth to complete all deficiencies — for "hakesef ya'aneh es hakol" ["money answers everything"] (Koheles 10:19), and whatever a person lacks he can buy with money. It comes out that wealth is in the aspect of the completion of deficiencies. But in truth, the wealth and money of the Sitra Achara is no wealth at all, for each time he is more lacking, in the aspect of "marbeh n'chasim, marbeh d'agah" ["the more possessions, the more worry"] (Avos 2:7). As we see from Haman himself, yimach sh'mo, that even at the time of the height of his greatness, when fortune was greatly smiling upon him, and he boasted and gloried greatly before his wife and friends in the glory of his wealth and the multitude of his sons — he himself told them of the magnitude of his wound and pain and deficiency, as it is written, "V'chol zeh ainenu shoveh li b'chol ais" etc. ["Yet all this is worthless to me at every moment"] (Esther 5:13). It comes out that even in the time of his lofty greatness he was full of anger and pains. And likewise it is a plague that walks among the majority of people who do not look at the tachlis. Each and every person, to the extent that he has not yet purified himself from the k'lipah and contamination of Haman-Amalaik — which is the contamination of the Nachash [Serpent] — to that extent he is full of sufferings and deficiencies always, even at the time of his greatness. And especially one who has jealousy in his heart over the greatness and wealth of his fellow — then all the wealth in the world is not enough for him. For there are those whose eye is so evil that even if he profits thousands, his soul is bitter over the fact that his fellow profits some profit — and all the more so when he sees someone who profits more than him. This is drawn from the rav of k'lipah, who says, "V'chol zeh ainenu shoveh li b'chol ais" etc.

And Haman, through the intensity of his overpowering in the k'lipah, wanted to cast him down from there, for he wanted to twist his heart and mislead him until he would fall completely through this, chas v'shalom. That is, the main overpowering of the Sitra Achara, which is the aspect of the k'lipah of Haman-Amalaik in every generation, is what increases machlokes [dispute] in Yisroel against the true Tzadikim — opponents who stand against them, whose sustenance is from the rav of k'lipah [the master of the husk], the aspect of "yaish li rav" ["I have a master"], as above. And in this matter there are thousands and myriads of aspects without end. For certainly, Yisroel are holy, and most of them are not attached to or drawn close to the rav of k'lipah himself. Rather, there are leaders who are not completely pure and clean from the hold of the contamination of the rav of k'lipah, for "Who can say, 'I have purified my heart; I am clean from my sin'?" (Mishlei 20:9). And they dispute and oppose the Tzadik and all those who accompany him — this Tzadik who is entirely holy, the aspect of Mordechai, "mor d'ror" — "marai dach'ya" [master of purity], pure and clean completely without any hold of the contamination whatsoever, through whom specifically is the main chiyus and k'dushah, as above.

And from the intensity of the confusion of the machlokes, the world becomes completely confounded through the overpowering of the rav of k'lipah, who introduced this machlokes into Yisroel. Not only that, but the Sitra Achara, the aspect of the contamination of Haman-Amalaik, overpowers so much that it wants to introduce doubts even into the heart of the Tzadik himself — that the true Tzadik himself becomes uncertain whether he still has the power to lead Yisroel and bring them back to good, because he sees the great spreading of the Sitra Achara and the abundance of machlokes from every side. And through this it wants to make the Tzadik fall, chas v'shalom. For if he would not lead Yisroel, chas v'shalom, he would descend from his greatness, as Chazal said: "Did I give you greatness except for the sake of Yisroel?" (B'rachos 32a).

And this is the aspect of the hanging that Haman wanted — to hang Mordechai, who is the true Tzadik in every generation, who is entirely pure and holy — he wanted to bring him into doubts so that he would not lead Yisroel, chas v'shalom, as above. And in truth, it was a time of great trouble the like of which had never been, and the entire world was tottering, nearly, nearly being consumed if, chas v'shalom, the scheme of the Satan had succeeded — that the Tzadik would hide his face and look away from Yisroel, chas v'shalom, as the Sitra Achara, the aspect of Haman, desired. For through this, Yisroel would have been consumed automatically, chas v'shalom, in the aspect of "l'hashmid laharog ul'abeid" ["to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate"] etc. For all of their chiyus and continued existence in gashmiyus and ruchniyus is only through the true Tzadik, from whom all the ruach chayim is drawn to all, as above.

But Hashem Yisbarach had mercy on His people in the z'chus [merit] of our forefathers, "v'lo dibeir Hashem limchos shaim Yisroel" ["and Hashem did not speak to erase the name of Israel"] (M'lachim II 14:27). And He placed in the heart of Mordechai — the aspect of the true Tzadik — to prevail against him. For "Mordechai yada es kol asher na'asah" ["Mordechai knew all that had occurred"] (Esther 4:1) — how far the matter reached. And he saw that there was no strategy or scheme to stand against a k'lipah so hard and strong from all sides, except through abundant t'filah [prayer] and tachanunim [supplications] and cries and outcries and pleas. And immediately "vayaitzai b'soch ha'ir vayiz'ak z'akah g'dolah u'marah" ["he went out into the midst of the city and cried out a great and bitter cry"] etc. And likewise in every city etc.

For against the k'lipah of Haman-Amalaik — which is the aspect of the prolonged galus of the present time, called galus Edom [the exile of Edom] — there is no wisdom and no understanding and no counsel, but only to greatly increase t'filah and tachanunim and cries and pleas and outcries without measure, "ad yashkif" etc. ["until He looks down"] (Y'shayah 32:15). For t'filah is above everything and encompasses all the fifty gates, as is explained in the aforementioned Torah — that t'filah is the aspect of Aiden, "ayin lo ra'asah" ["no eye has seen"] (Y'shayah 64:3), which is the root of the Torah, from which is the root of all the wellsprings of wisdom of the holy Torah. For t'filah is in the aspect of "nasiv lo y'da'o ayit" ["a path that no bird of prey knows"] (Iyov 28:7), the aspect of the fiftieth gate that no one has attained.

That is, one who engages in t'filah and strengthens himself with all his might to greatly increase t'filah and conversations between himself and his Creator — he arouses the supernal Aiden, which is the aspect of the fiftieth gate, the aspect of "nasiv lo y'da'o ayit." For there is no intellect that can attain and understand how far the power of the t'filos of Yisroel reaches — even of the most lowly of the lowly. Especially what each one prays about the distress of his own soul, that he is far from Hashem Yisbarach. For even the holy angel who receives the t'filos from Yisroel and binds from them crowns for his Master does not know where to elevate this awesome crown — he only adjures it that it should ascend on its own and rest upon the head of its Master, as Chazal said.