ערב ד

And therefore the first mention of the name "arvus" [guarantee/pledge] in the Torah is mentioned only in connection with Y'hudah, as it is written: "Im titein airavon," etc. ["If you will give a pledge"] (B'raishis 38:17). For from the beginning of the Torah until here, the name "arvus" is not mentioned. For the main arvus begins from Y'hudah, who is the aspect of Mashiach, who will descend from him.

Likutay Halachos, Choshen Mishpat. Based on Likutay Moharan I:59. Translated from the Hebrew. Continued from Part 1.

And this is the aspect of: "Mah ha'airavon...vatomer chosamcha ufsailecha umat'cha asher b'yadecha" ["What is the pledge?...And she said: Your signet and your cord and your staff that is in your hand"] (B'raishis 38:18). This can be explained according to the aforementioned Torah. For in truth, this union of Y'hudah and Tamar was very precious, for through them the neshamah of Mashiach was drawn, as is known. And therefore, in truth, this entire matter was from Hashem, as it is written: "Tzadkah mimeni" ["She is more righteous than I"] (B'raishis 38:26) — as Rashi explains there. For Tamar's intention was for the sake of Heaven. And also Y'hudah was a great tzaddik, and all his intention was for Heaven — in order to draw the neshamah of Mashiach.

But Tamar was afraid of the aforementioned matter — meaning, of the aspect of the ruach kin'ah, which is the spirit of Mashiach, that was enclothed in Y'hudah. And she was afraid lest through the greatness of the ruach kin'ah that was enclothed in him, he would afterward damage this holy building — as indeed happened afterward, that she was in very great and terrible danger, for he said: "Hotzi'uha v'sisaref" ["Bring her out and let her be burned"] (B'raishis 38:24). And this was from the greatness of his jealousy over the blemish of the bris, for Y'hudah is the aspect of Mashiach, who is exceedingly jealous about this, as above.

Therefore she said that he should give her as a pledge: "Your signet and your cord and your staff," etc. Meaning, that it is impossible to complete this building except when he removes from himself the aspect of the k'dushah of the holy sefarim, upon which rests the spirit of Mashiach, which is the ruach kin'ah — so that this ruach kin'ah should not damage the building of this holy union, as above.

And this is the aspect of "your signet and your cord," which are the aspect of tallis and t'filin, as is brought. For they are the aspect of the generality of the Torah, which Yisroel accept upon themselves every day through putting on the tallis and t'filin. For tzitzis comprise the generality of the Torah, as it is written: "Ur'isem oso uz'chartem es kol mitzvos Hashem," etc. ["And you shall see it and remember all the mitzvos of Hashem"] (B'midbar 15:39). And likewise regarding t'filin it is written: "L'ma'an tihyeh toras Hashem b'ficha" ["So that the Torah of Hashem shall be in your mouth"] (Sh'mos 13:9). And Chazal said: "The entire Torah in its entirety is compared to t'filin" — and all the laws of writing a Sefer Torah are learned from t'filin.

"And your staff that is in your hand" — this is the aspect of the kulmos [quill] with which the holy sefarim are written, as is stated in the Zohar: "In the first galus, with your staff you split the sea; in the last galus, with your quill, which is a kulmos, you split the sea of Torah." Meaning, she requested from him that now he should conceal and remove from himself the k'dushah of the holy sefarim, and deliver it into her hand, so that through this the ruach kin'ah that rests upon the sefarim should be removed — so that it should not damage, chas v'shalom, this building, as above. As indeed happened — that through this specifically she was saved.

And it can be explained that these three things — his signet, his cord, and his staff — correspond to three aspects that exist in every holy sefer. For every sefer that is written is completed through three things: the parchment, the ink, and the quill. And they are the aspect of the three aforementioned things — his signet, etc.

For "your signet and your cord" are the aspect of the ink and the parchment. For "your cord" — which is "your tallis," as Rashi explains, which is the aspect of tzitzis — this is the aspect of the sheets of parchment of the sefer, in the aspect of: "Oteh or kasalmah, noteh shamayim kayri'ah" ["Who wraps Himself in light as a garment, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain"] (T'hilim 104:2). For tzitzis comprise the entirety of the Torah, as above. For they are in the aspect of the "chaluka d'rabbanan" [garment of the scholars], the aspect of the sheets of parchment, which are in the aspect of a garment, the aspect of "or uvasar talbishaini," etc. ["You clothed me with skin and flesh"] (Iyov 10:11). For the generality of the entire Torah in the tzitzis is still in a state of potential — like the parchment upon which all the letters of the Torah are inscribed, but in the parchment itself there is no inscription. Rather, it is a vessel upon which to inscribe all the letters of the Torah. Similarly, tzitzis is a mitzvah that has no k'dushah in its body itself; rather, all the mitzvos are inscribed upon it. For all the mitzvos that one performs are inscribed in the garments, as is known, as it is written regarding Y'hoshua the Kohen Gadol (Z'charyah 3:4): "Hasiru hab'gadim hatzo'im mai'alav...v'halbeish oscha machalatsos" ["Remove the soiled garments from upon him...and I will clothe you in festive garments"]. And therefore it is stated regarding tzitzis: "Ur'isem oso uz'chartem...l'ma'an tizkeru va'asisem es kol mitzvos Hashem." For they are in the aspect of the parchment from which a sefer is made — which is the aspect of a memorial, the aspect of "k'sov zos zikaron basefer" ["Write this as a memorial in the sefer"] (Sh'mos 17:14).

"Your signet" — this is the aspect of the black t'filin, the aspect of the blackness of the ink of the sefer, which is the aspect of a seal. For the ink depicts and seals upon the parchment the letters of the Torah. And therefore in the t'filin several passages of the Torah are written. For through the ink is the depiction of the letters of the Torah, which are the aspect of a seal.

"And your staff" — this is the kulmos, as above, which is what depicts the letters through the ink upon the parchment. And this is the aspect of the tongue, which is "the quill of the heart," the aspect of "l'shoni eit sofer mahir" ["my tongue is the pen of a skilled scribe"] (T'hilim 45:2).

And therefore the chamaitz is forbidden for seven days, until the splitting of the Yam Suf. And after the seventh day of Pesach, when the Sea was split, chamaitz was permitted. For it is explained in the aforementioned Torah [of Rabbainu] that when one merits the chomah [wall] of wealth, then this chomah guards the person from anger. Only at the beginning, when the flow of wealth descends, [the Adversary] provokes greatly to transform the flow of wealth into anger, and sometimes he provokes him with such great anger that he could even ruin the chomah of wealth — meaning that even though he has already merited wealth and merited the aspect of chomah, nevertheless [the Adversary] would corrupt the wall of wealth through the excessive intensification of anger, chas v'shalom.

Therefore on Pesach, when the flow of wealth begins to descend, one needs great guarding from chamaitz, which is the aspect of anger. And therefore the main mitzvah of eating matzah is on the first night, at the time of Y'tzias Mitzrayim, at the time of receiving the r'chush gadol [great wealth] — for then one must be especially careful to eat matzah, which is the opposite of anger, which is the aspect of chamaitz. But after the beginning, which is the first night, there is no obligation to eat matzah. Nevertheless one still must guard oneself from chamaitz. For even though we have already merited wealth at the time of Y'tzias Mitzrayim, we had not yet received the wealth in completeness, and the chomah of wealth was not yet completed in fullness — for we were still afraid of the Egyptians who wished to pursue after Yisroel. But on the seventh day of Pesach, when the Sea was split, and then the Egyptians fell completely, and then we merited the wealth in very great completeness — for the plunder of the Sea was greater than the plunder of Mitzrayim, as it is written: "Torai zahav" ["Circlets of gold"] (Shir HaShirim 1:11) — therefore then the chamaitz was permitted. For then the chomah of wealth was already completed for us through the splitting of the Yam Suf, in the aspect of: "V'hamayim lahem chomah" ["And the waters were a wall for them"] (Sh'mos 14:22) — so that one no longer fears that they will transform the flow of wealth into anger. Therefore then, after the seventh day of Pesach — which is the splitting of the Yam Suf — the chamaitz was permitted. For we had already merited the chomah of wealth in very great and wondrous completeness, so that they are unable to corrupt the chomah of wealth through the chamaitz. And the wind and air of the world had already been purified, so that even the great wind that dominates the chamaitz has no ko'ach to introduce anger and charon af into it, chas v'shalom. For we had already merited the chomah of wealth in very great completeness, the aspect of "v'hamayim lahem chomah," as above. For certainly the reason they are sometimes able to provoke, even though the person has a chomah of wealth, is only when the chomah is not complete. But on the seventh day of Pesach, when we merited the splitting of the Yam Suf — when the aspect of the chomah, the aspect of wealth, was completed in very great completeness — therefore we no longer fear chamaitz, as above. Therefore afterward the chamaitz was permitted, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of lechem oni ["bread of poverty/affliction"]. And the main mitzvah is with matzah aniyah ["poor matzah," i.e. plain matzah], but with matzah ashirah ["rich matzah," i.e. enriched matzah] one does not fulfill the obligation. For matzah ashirah — meaning matzah kneaded with oil and honey and fruit juice — does not come to a state of leavening, because the chamaitz has no dominion over the aspect of wealth, as above. But we do not fulfill our obligation on the first night with this, because now we specifically need to eat lechem oni, which recalls the poverty of Mitzrayim — to indicate that now we do not yet have wealth. For we were poor and destitute in Mitzrayim; only now Hashem Yisbarach in His kindness draws down upon us the flow of wealth. Therefore one must eat specifically bread that is carefully guarded from chamaitz — meaning bread kneaded with water, guarding it well from chamaitz — so that through this guarding we will guard the flow of wealth that is coming upon us now, to protect it from the hold of anger, which is the aspect of chamaitz, as above. And therefore the main guarding from chamaitz is from the time of placing water in the dough. For water is the aspect of the supernal flow, the aspect of the flow of wealth. For all the flows of abundance in the world are drawn and grow through water, which causes everything to grow and sprout. And even wealth and treasures are drawn through water, as it is written: "Yiftach Hashem l'cha es otzaro hatov es hashamayim...lasais m'tar artzecha" ["Hashem will open for you His good storehouse — the heavens...to give rain to your land"] (D'varim 28:12), and as is explained in the Torah "Pasach Rabbi Shimon" (in Siman 60) — see there. And therefore when one places water in the dough, this is the aspect of drawing down the flow of wealth. And now, at the time of Y'tzias Mitzrayim, when a very great and supernal flow descends — immediately when this flow begins to descend into this world, meaning at the time of placing the water — one must immediately guard the dough very, very carefully so that the air and wind of the world — which has not yet been purified from the contamination of Mitzrayim — should not take hold of it, so that it should not transform this great light and flow into anger, which is the aspect of chamaitz. For water encompasses two aspects, as it is written: "Ki vam yadin amim" ["For through them He judges the peoples"] (D'varim 32:8 [per Rashi]), as Rashi explains there: a parable of a baker, etc. For all flows of abundance descend through water, and all the punishments — which are the aspect of charon af — are also through water. Therefore from the time of placing water [in the dough], one must guard the dough — which is the bread, which is the aspect of wealth — one must guard it very carefully from the hold of anger, which is the aspect of chamaitz, as above. And therefore chamaitz on Pesach [is forbidden] b'mashehu [in the slightest amount], which is not the case with other prohibitions that are nullified in sixty. For it is explained in the aforementioned Torah [of Rabbainu] the matter of nullification of a prohibition in sixty — which is the aspect of "shishim haimah m'lachos" ["sixty are the queens"] (Shir HaShirim 6:8), the aspect of igula [circle] and ribu'a [square], the aspect of the mem and samech of the Luchos [Tablets], etc. — which is drawn through the fire of the mishpat; see there well. But the prohibition of chamaitz is drawn from the r'sha'im for whom the fire of the mishpat is ineffective — who are the aspect of the airev rav [mixed multitude], who are in the aspect of: "Yachilu d'rachav b'chol ais, marom mishpatecha mineigdo" ["His ways prosper at all times; Your judgments are far above, out of his sight"] (T'hillim 10:5), as is explained there at the end of the aforementioned Torah. And from there is the main prohibition of chamaitz, as it is written: "V'gam airev rav alah itam...vayofu es habatzaik ugos matzos ki lo chamaitz ki gorshu miMitzrayim v'lo yachlu l'hismahmai'ah v'gam tzaidah..." ["And also a mixed multitude went up with them...and they baked the dough into cakes of matzos, for it had not leavened, for they were driven from Mitzrayim and could not delay, and also provisions..."] (Sh'mos 12:38-39). Meaning, the main prohibition of chamaitz is because of the airev rav that went up with them, through which they could not be completely purified from the contamination of Mitzrayim. And therefore they needed to leave in very great haste, and therefore they were compelled to hurry and rush and form the flow immediately in the aspect of matzah, before the wind of the world could dominate it, chas v'shalom — so that it should not become chamaitz through it, so that it should not be transformed into anger, chas v'shalom — because the wind and air was not pure, due to the contamination of the airev rav that went out with them, whose evil was not subdued and nullified through the fire of the mishpat. And through this, all the souls that are the aspect of Haichal HaKodesh must guard themselves very carefully — and this is the aspect of the warning about chamaitz, as above. (And understand these words well, and study the aforementioned Torah carefully, and understand well both there and here.) And likewise it is brought in the holy Zohar that the blemish of the airev rav is the aspect of the blemish of chamaitz, the aspect of: "Vayar ha'am ki voshaish Mosheh" ["And the people saw that Mosheh was delayed"] — "ba shaish" ["the sixth hour came"], "that they separated between six and seven" — the aspect of chamaitz, which is forbidden in the moment between six and seven [hours of the day], the aspect of "voshaish" — the aspect of chamaitz that is made through delay and lingering. And therefore chamaitz is not nullified in sixty. For nullification in sixty only applies where the fire of the mishpat is effective, as is explained in the aforementioned Torah. But chamaitz, which is drawn from the aspect of the airev rav for whom the fire of the mishpat is ineffective — therefore it certainly is not nullified in sixty, which is the aspect of the aforementioned igula and ribu'a. Therefore it is forbidden b'mashehu, as above. And this is the aspect of: "Rasha k'govah apo bal yidrosh...yachilu d'rachav b'chol ais, marom mishpatecha mineigdo" ["The wicked one, in the height of his anger, does not seek [G-d]...his ways prosper at all times, Your judgments are far above, out of his sight"] (T'hillim 10:4-5) — this is the aspect of the airev rav, from whom the mishpat is "far above them," for the fire of the mishpat is ineffective for them, as above. And this is the aspect of "yachilu" — meaning success, for they too are very wealthy. And this is: "Rasha k'govah apo" ["the wicked one, in the height of his anger"] — for the wealth of the r'sha'im, the aspect of airev rav, is the aspect of anger and charon af, the opposite of the wealth of k'dushah of Yisroel, which is drawn only through subduing anger and charon af. But for them, the wealth is through charon af. And therefore it is truly said of them: "Gam kol yamav ka'as umach'ovos" ["Also all his days are anger and pain"] (Koheles 2:23). For their greatness and wealth is itself literally anger. And regarding such wealth it is said: "Osher shamur liv'alav l'ra'aso" ["Wealth guarded by its owner to his detriment"] (Koheles 5:12) — this is the aspect of anger, which is called ra'ah [evil], as it is written: "V'haser ka'as milibecha v'ha'aver ra'ah mibs'arecha" ["And remove anger from your heart and remove evil from your flesh"] (Koheles 11:10), as Rabbainu z"l wrote. And because of this, now most of the wealth is with the nations and the wicked, and the worthy members of Yisroel are mostly poor. For the worthy members of Yisroel can only merit wealth through subduing anger, for their wealth is wealth of k'dushah — the root of souls — which is drawn specifically through subduing anger. But the great wicked ones, the aspect of airev rav — all their wealth is itself anger, as above. And in truth it is not wealth at all, for all their days are anger and pain, and it is only temporary — like anger, which is charon af that swells and intensifies temporarily in the aspect of a stormy wind, and afterward it is consumed and lost. For "a hot-tempered person gains nothing but his temper," for their wealth — which is the aspect of rage and anger — does not remain in their hands; on the contrary, it uproots them from both worlds. For "he shall not lodge with his toil, and nothing shall he carry in his hand." But the wealth of k'dushah of Yisroel, which is drawn through subduing anger, is the root of the nefesh, and through this one merits both worlds — for he increases tz'dakah through his wealth, and also magnifies the nefesh and shem of k'dushah through the wealth, through which many souls are drawn near to Hashem Yisbarach, as above. And regarding such wealth it is said: "Hon ashir kiryas uzo uch'chomah..." ["The rich man's wealth is his strong city, and like a wall..."] (Mishlai 18:11). And therefore "Rasha k'govah apo" is juxtaposed to the pasuk "Yachilu d'rachav" — which is the success of the wicked in great wealth — for his wealth is the aspect of anger, as above. And likewise the entire content of that psalm speaks of this — the greatness of the success of the wicked who is full of anger constantly, as it is written there: "Ki Atah amal vaka'as tabit lasais b'yadecha" ["For You behold toil and anger to place it in Your hands"] (T'hillim 10:14) — meaning that the pasuk expresses astonishment that the wicked one who is full of anger, yet nevertheless Hashem Yisbarach gives wealth into his hand, etc. But at the end it concludes: "Lishpot yasom vadach" ["To judge the orphan and the downtrodden"] (T'hillim 10:18). For ultimately the fire of the mishpat of Mashiach Tzidkainu will prevail, "v'ya'arotz enosh min ha'aretz" ["and mortal man shall no longer cause terror from the earth"] — meaning he will break and subdue the wicked, and will save Yisroel — who are now poor — from their evil, and will bestow upon Yisroel all the wealth. For the main completeness of the mishpat will be through Mashiach, as it is written: "Yishpot aniyai am" ["He shall judge the poor of the people"] (T'hillim 72:4). And it is written: "V'shafat b'tzedek dalim" ["And he shall judge the poor with righteousness"] (Y'shayahu 11:4). And it is written: "Tziyon b'mishpat tipadeh" ["Tziyon will be redeemed through justice"]. And likewise many [such verses] — meaning as above. And study the aforementioned Torah well and understand. And this is the aspect of the four cups of wine, corresponding to the four expressions of redemption, as Chazal said. For the main redemption is through the aspect of the aforementioned mishpat, through which the fire of the mishpat is aroused and burns and consumes the evil surrounding the souls that are the aspect of Haichal HaKodesh. And this is the main aspect of the redemption — that Yisroel were redeemed from Paroh and Mitzrayim. And so it is in every generation, as they said: "In every generation a person is obligated to see himself as if he himself went out of Mitzrayim" — meaning that the holy souls are redeemed from the aspect of Paroh and Mitzrayim, which are the aspect of the Sitra Achara and the k'lipos, which are the aspect of the aforementioned evil surrounding the Haichal HaKodesh — which are the souls that are brought out from the Sitra Achara and drawn near to Hashem Yisbarach. And the main element of their redemption from evil to good, to draw near to Hashem Yisbarach, is through the aforementioned fire of the mishpat — meaning through hisbod'dus and conversation between themselves and their Maker, whereby they pour out their entire heart before Him Yisbarach, and judge and evaluate themselves regarding all their deeds and matters and conduct, etc. And through this the heart is inflamed and the fire of the mishpat is aroused to burn all the evil surrounding their souls, etc., as above. For even though there in the Torah [of Rabbainu] the matter of mishpat is stated regarding the one who engages in drawing souls near, nevertheless certainly all the souls being drawn near — the main element of their drawing near to Hashem Yisbarach, to eliminate and nullify their evil — is also the aforementioned mishpat, meaning hisbod'dus and conversation between themselves and their Maker, as above, as [Rabbainu] warned us about this times without number. For when the souls being drawn near also engage in the aforementioned mishpat, then they arouse and add ko'ach to the fire of the mishpat of the tzaddik who engages in drawing them near. And then the fire of the mishpat is aroused and burns all the evil surrounding their souls, so that it does not take hold in the heart of the tzaddik nor in their hearts, as above. For certainly in all matters one needs is'arusa dil'sata [an arousal from below] — meaning the arousal of the souls being drawn near, which are the aspect of is'arusa dil'sata relative to the tzaddik, who is, relative to them, the aspect of is'arusa dil'aila [arousal from above]. And also, we have already said above that all the souls being drawn near must also engage — each and every one — in drawing yet more souls near to Hashem Yisbarach, each one according to his level, so that they should not be "dry wood," chas v'shalom, as is explained in the words of Adoanainoo Morainu v'Rabbainu z"l many times. For this is a true sign — when more souls are drawn near through him. For there is a tree, and branches, and branches to the branches, etc. And the tzaddik is the gufa d'ilana [trunk of the tree], and the souls being drawn near are the aspect of branches, and more branches must emerge from them, etc., until many, many trees grow with them, until the face of the world is filled with produce, as it is written: "Vayizr'u sados vayit'u ch'ramim vaya'asu p'ri s'vu'ah vay'varchaim vayirbu m'od" ["And they sowed fields and planted vineyards and produced fruit of increase, and He blessed them and they multiplied greatly"] (T'hillim 107:37-38). It emerges that the main drawing near of souls to Hashem Yisbarach — which is the aspect of the redemption from the galus of Mitzrayim, which encompasses all the exiles — the main thing is through the fire of the mishpat. And this is the aspect of: "Uv'ailohaihem asah Hashem sh'fatim" ["And upon their gods Hashem executed judgments"] (B'midbar 33:4). For the evil of the nations who hold the souls of Yisroel captive in galus — both physically and spiritually — is the aspect of their elohim achairim [other gods], from which derives the nourishment of their sar [heavenly minister]. And through the aforementioned fire of the mishpat, [Hashem] subdues and eliminates the aforementioned evil, which is the aspect of their gods, the idols — the aspect of "uv'ailohaihem asah Hashem sh'fatim," as above.