חזקת מטלטלין ג.

Likutay Halachos, Choshen Mishpat. Based on Likutay Moharan II:32 ("Yeish Tzaddikim G'nuzim"). Translated from the Hebrew.

And this is the aspect of the machlokes (dispute) between Bais Shammaye and Bais Hillel regarding the kindling of the Chanukah candle: Bais Shammaye say: one decreases and goes; and Bais Hillel say: one adds and goes, etc. For it is understood from the words of our Master, Teacher, and Rebbe, of blessed memory, that the essential holiness of Chanukah is drawn from the service of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, as is explained in Siman 7 of Likutay Tinyana, and as is brought above — that according to how much the "S'lach na" (Please forgive) that one achieves on Yom Kippur, so does one merit the holiness of Chanukah. And this is known: that to achieve the request of S'lach Na on Yom Kippur properly, the essential thing is through the holiness of Rosh HaShanah, which is the beginning — and on Yom Kippur is the completion and the sealing, etc. 197

The matter of arvus [guarantorship] according to the Torah that begins "Yeish Tzaddikim G'nuzim" in Likutay Tinyana, Siman 32; see there the entire Torah.

And the essential holiness of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur according to this Torah [discourse] is that one must draw emunas chachamim through the abundance of s'farim that one merits through teshuvah, etc., until the Torah is completed in the aspect of the Tablets of Stone — the aspect of the Foundation Stone, Kodesh HaKodashim. This is the aspect of the Kohen Gadol's entry on Yom Kippur into the innermost sanctum, to the Foundation Stone, etc. — in order to atone for the sins of Yisrael through the incense of fine spices, ground exceedingly fine. And through the sprinklings of the bull and the goat, etc. And from there the holiness of Chanukah is drawn, etc. 198

And the main point: for the sefer [holy book] is the aspect of the Name of Hashem. And there the spirit of Mashiach hovers, etc. And the aspect of the spirit of Mashiach is present in each member of Yisroel according to his k'dushah in guarding the bris [covenant], etc. And the aspect of the spirit of Mashiach becomes a ruach kin'ah [spirit of jealousy] over the blemish of the bris, etc.

And the essential thing is that through all the tikkunim of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur mentioned above, we should merit complete counsel, as mentioned. And this is drawn on Sukkos, in the aspect of: "Spread over us the sukkah of Your peace and direct us with good counsel from before You," etc. — as is explained elsewhere and as is brought above. And this is the essential holiness of Chanukah now: that we need to draw upon ourselves, through the kindling of the holy Chanukah candle, the holiness of all the holy s'farim that complete the Torah, etc. — which is the aspect of the holiness of Yom Kippur, as mentioned. Through which all the dinim in the world will be sweetened, etc. — until each and every one of us merits complete counsel in every place where he is, in physical and spiritual matters, in a manner that he can rescue his soul. 199

But there is a yichuda tata'ah [lower union] in this world that is of great k'dushah, that is very precious, upon which the yichuda ila'ah [upper union] depends. And there the ruach kin'ah of Mashiach is on account of love, etc. But since it is in this world, the peace between them can be damaged through the ruach kin'ah, etc.

For through the tremendous power of the miracle of Chanukah, through the great power of the great tzaddikim, they drew for us such a light that we are able to draw the holiness of all the yichudim included in the kindling of a candle of holiness — which is the aspect of the candles of the Menorah, of the Shabbos candle and the Yom Tov [candle], etc. — to draw them down very far below, into the intensity of Asiyah, below ten t'fachim, during actual weekdays, when there is no ascent at all for the aspect of Malchus, etc. — as is understood from all of this in the kavanos of Chanukah, and as is brought in our words. And all of this one merits according to the teshuvah on the blemish of emunas chachamim on Yom Kippur, etc. — as mentioned. 200

And therefore, because of this, the great tzaddikim need to conceal their Torah — to burn them sometimes, etc. — in order to remove the ruach kin'ah that rests upon the faces of the Torah, which are the holy sefarim. And when the holy sefarim are burned and concealed, the ruach kin'ah is concealed and the holy union between the worthy couple is not damaged, etc.

It comes out that the essential aspect of Chanukah is to merit the tikkun of counsel in completeness — which is the essential thing, as mentioned. And therefore they are eight days of Chanukah — which are the aspect of eight tikkunim from Chochmah-Binah-Daas through Netzach and Hod. For Netzach and Hod are the aspect of raglayim (legs), the aspect of counsels, as is brought elsewhere — for there is the essential place of counsel. And this is the essential tikkun: that good, complete counsels should be drawn below, into the intensity of Asiyah, in the aspect of raglayim, where the k'lipos hold on — to rescue and elevate the souls and the sparks that have fallen there, to rescue them from all the many and immense types of k'lipos to which they have become attached through their sins — Hashem, blessed be He, have mercy. This is the aspect of the work of the great tzaddikim, who toil with great exertions to return in teshuvah the worst and most distant, through their exceedingly deep counsels. 201

And this is the aspect of: "My Name that was written in k'dushah shall be erased," etc. And then they carry a kal vachomer [a fortiori argument] Above — to burn, to erase, to destroy, to uproot, to annihilate, and to nullify all the books of the heretics and the apikorsim, which are the books of the philosophical investigators — that their name and their memory should be lost and erased from the world, etc. See all of this there well.

And this is the aspect of the machlokes between Bais Shammaye and Bais Hillel mentioned above. For Bais Shammaye hold: one decreases and goes — like the bulls of the festival that were brought on Sukkos, which would decrease and go. For this is known in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, that Shammaye was strict and therefore pushed away the converts who came to convert not according to the law, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said in Maseches Shabbos. But Hillel, who was exceedingly humble, drew them close as well. 202

For every matter has its root in the Torah. And the matter of arvus has its root in the aspect of the general receiving of the Torah — that all of Yisroel are guarantors for one another, as Chazal said. For the main arvus is needed in a place where there is a concern of change and denial, etc. And since the main fulfillment of the Torah must be specifically in this world of Asiyah, and this world has much hold of the k'lipos and the Sitra Achara — for this world is in the aspect of the feet, the aspect of "v'ha'aretz hadom raglai" ["and the earth is My footstool"] (Y'shayahu 66:1), and in the feet is the main hold [of the Sitra Achara], in the aspect of "avon akavay y'suvaini" ["the sin of my heels surrounds me"] (T'hilim 49:6), as is brought elsewhere — therefore a person is in great danger. Therefore he needs a great arvus so that he should merit to fulfill the Torah.

For Shammaye was a great tzaddik, but he went in the aspect of the middah of din (strict judgment) and said that it was not fitting to draw close those who were excessively bad. Therefore Bais Shammaye, who were his students and followed his way, hold that on the first day one must kindle all eight candles — to draw the generality of all the tikkunim. For they hold that it is impossible to illuminate the light of the Torah, the light of truth, in the world, and to return souls in teshuvah, except when one illuminates in them the truth in completeness — until they come to convert and return in teshuvah with all their hearts and accept upon themselves all the words of the Torah with all the fine details, in completeness. And this is the aspect of the tzaddikim who do not engage in their holy tochachah (rebuke/teaching) except with elders and holy tzaddikim, in whom they illuminate the light of the revelation of their holy Torah in order to raise them to an extra level and refine them greatly — but with the distant ones they cannot engage, due to the intensity of their holiness. 203

And therefore Hashem Yisbarach did not give the Torah except when all of Yisroel would be guarantors for one another. And therefore the arvus is in the aspect of the feet, as it is written: "Ragloi d'var inash inun arvin leih" ["A person's feet are his guarantors"] (Sukkah 53a). For the main arvus is in the place where there is a concern that one will change and deny, and this is the aspect of the feet, where the Sitra Achara has its hold, as above.

And therefore Bais Shammaye hold: one decreases and goes — that one must begin first by kindling all eight candles, to illuminate in the souls of Yisrael the full illumination of all the tikkunim in completeness. And then specifically they will be able to draw them close. Therefore in truth they draw close only those who are fitting for this, and they illuminate in them all their Torah. But the bad and distant ones they push away, due to the intensity of their holiness — only they hold that afterward they will be able to draw them close as well. This is the aspect of "decreasing and going": after they have already illuminated all the eight tikkunim — which is the aspect of kindling all eight candles on the first day, according to their view — afterward they need to diminish the light, to kindle on the second day only seven, and then six, etc., in order to diminish the light each time in a manner that they will then be able to draw close also the distant ones. For from the greatness of the tikkun they drew on the first day — when they illuminated all the tikkunim in their holy students until they became complete tzaddikim — through this they will afterward be able to draw close also the distant ones, those of lesser level; and afterward the even more distant — and this is the aspect of "decreasing and going." 204

And therefore, in truth, Chazal said: "Harchek min ha'airvonos" ["Distance yourself from guarantees"] (Y'vamos 109a). For certainly one needs to distance from the arvus of mundane business, since the main arvus is in the aspect of the feet — in a place where falsehoods and denials and k'firos are common, as above.

And therefore they derived from the bulls of the festival, which would decrease and go. For it is known from the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, that on Sukkos they would offer seventy bulls corresponding to the seventy nations. But at first glance, their holy words are not understood — for it is brought in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, that they would bring the seventy bulls so that the seventy nations should be sustained; but it is also brought in their words that they diminish and go, like the bulls of the festival. And it seems at first glance that the matters contradict — do they bring the seventy bulls in order to destroy them? But both are true: the essential reason we desire their continuance and bring the seventy bulls for their sake is in order to clarify the good from them and convert from them converts, until it is fulfilled: "For then I will turn to all the peoples a pure language," etc. But the complete evil in them, which cannot be clarified, must be destroyed. And this itself is through the clarification of the good from them, through which the evil will fall and be consumed — as is understood from the words of our Sages, of blessed memory. And as our Master, Teacher, and Rebbe, of blessed memory, wrote regarding the statement of "Rabbah bar bar Chanah" — "and the kingdom heard and killed it" — in Siman 12, Likutay, Part I. 205

And behold, the main root of the arvus is upon the receiving of the Torah — the aspect of "all of Yisroel are guarantors for one another," as above. But the main reliance of the arvus is upon the most reliable people, who are the great and true tzaddikim. For even though each member of Yisroel is a guarantor on behalf of his fellow, still this is not sufficient assurance, for "your guarantor needs a guarantor." And as we find that many times the majority of Yisroel blemished the mitzvos.

But the main assurance and reliance of the arvus is upon the great true tzaddikim, who stand in the breach and warn and rebuke and guard Yisroel from transgressions and return them to their Father in Heaven and save them from all troubles.

And therefore on Sukkos — which comes afterward, after Yom Kippur, when all the tikkunim mentioned above have been rectified — then they bring the seventy bulls, and then "one decreases and goes": they bring on the first day thirteen bulls and reveal His G-dliness more, through the abundance of the offerings, until the good among them hears and draws close. And so it decreases each day, in order to clarify each time the more distant. And the more they draw close and clarify the good from them, the more [the nations] are consumed and go — as mentioned — until afterward, on Sh'mini Atzeres, Yisrael meets alone with Hashem, blessed be He, for then is the essential completion of the tikkun of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur and Sukkos, etc. — as is explained elsewhere. And Bais Shammaye hold that similarly, in the kindling of the Chanukah candle, one must draw at first the completeness of all the eight tikkunim in order to draw close the fitting ones, etc. And afterward, "one decreases and goes," as mentioned. 206

And because of the greatness of the danger in this world, and because of the greatness of the provocation of the Adversary and his forces, even the tzaddikim are not able to stand in the arvus in completeness — meaning to return all of Yisroel to the Torah in truth, which is the main arvus, that all of Yisroel are guarantors for one another. For even the great tzaddikim have not yet completed this matter in fullness. And because of this, what has passed over us has passed — through our sins and our many iniquities. For our Beis HaMikdash was destroyed twice, and we were exiled from our land, and we have been distanced, etc., and we still have not returned from our errors. And therefore we are still captive in galus, and the galus has been prolonged upon us, and the bitterness of the sufferings in this world.

But Bais Hillel, who were students of Hillel, who was exceedingly humble, hold the opposite: that one must begin from below going upward — to kindle first one candle and afterward to add and go. For if, chas v'shalom, the tzaddikim would not consent to draw close any but the fitting and complete ones, who are worthy of having all the tikkunim illuminated in them — then the remnant of Yisrael would almost be lost, chas v'shalom. Especially as they looked with their ruach hakodesh upon these latter generations. Therefore they say the opposite: that one must begin from below going upward, from every good point of each and every member of Yisrael — for they know that this is the essential greatness of Hashem, blessed be He: to draw close those who are very far away, as our Master, Teacher, and Rebbe, of blessed memory, wrote. Therefore they engage principally in drawing such a tikkun that they can begin little by little, to draw one tikkun on one day and to draw close the souls of the very distant through whatever single tikkun they illuminate in them — even though he is still very corrupted, only they have illuminated in him some single tikkun. And through drawing close distant souls like these, through this they add and go, each day and each time, to draw close these souls together with yet more souls — until on the eighth day they draw all the tikkunim, which include all the thirteen tikkunai d'dikna, which are the generality of mercies and kindnesses, which are the aspect of the generality of the thirteen rules through which the Torah is expounded, which are the generality of the holy s'farim, etc. Through which everyone is drawn close to Hashem, blessed be He. For "one elevates in holiness and does not descend" — one must begin from below going upward, in the aspect of: "From the straits I called upon G-d; He answered me with expansiveness" — which is the aspect of tikkunai d'dikna, which are the generality of the kavanos of Chanukah. 207

Therefore the entire main reliance of the arvus upon the fulfillment of the Torah — upon which the complete g'ulah depends — everything is through Mashiach Tzidkainu, who will come and redeem us soon. For he is the main completeness of all the tzaddikim of all the generations. And he will complete with us for good all the tikkunim that the true tzaddikim of all the generations began. For only he will complete everything in fullness. For he will return all of Yisroel to Hashem Yisbarach and to the fulfillment of the Torah in truth, and he will redeem us with a complete g'ulah after which there is no galus.

It emerges that the main arvus and reliance is upon him. And this is what is stated regarding the greatness of the King Mashiach in a language of arvus, as it is written (Yirmiyahu 30:21): "V'hayah adiro mimenu...ki mi hu zeh arav es libo lageshes ailai," etc. ["And his mighty one shall be from among him...for who is this who has pledged his heart to approach Me?"]. Which means: who will fill his heart to stand against Him, Yisbarach? And it calls the assertion of power of the nations by a language of arvus. For the guarantor is the one who enters himself to fulfill and to complete the matter. And therefore the king who leads his army and his nation, and upon whom everyone depends, is called an arev — for he is a guarantor for his people, that he will guard them and save them from every enemy and foe. And this is what is written: "V'chol malchai ha'Erev," etc. ["And all the kings of the Erev (Arabia / guarantors)"] (Yirmiyahu 25:24).

And as our Master, Teacher, and Rebbe, of blessed memory, wrote elsewhere — for they derived from the eight sprinklings of the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur before the Kapores that was on the Ark, where stood the Tablets of Testimony. He would begin the sprinklings from one specifically, as they recite: "One; one and one; one and two," etc. For one must begin from below going upward. For there is no proof from the bulls of the festival, which were for the seventy nations whose good is deeply suppressed within complete evil, etc. — for they did not merit to be in His portion, blessed be He — rather, only the good in them, which are sparks of the souls of Yisrael, must be clarified, and it is impossible to clarify them except through the aspect of "decreasing and going" — to clarify the good, and they will be consumed and go, etc. 208

And therefore in the future, when Mashiach Tzidkainu takes the sovereignty over the entire world, then no one will dare to guarantee — to say that they should rely upon him to stand against Mashiach, chas v'shalom — the aspect of "ki mi hu zeh arav es libo," etc. And then Mashiach will complete the arvus in truth. For upon him everyone will rely, and he will save and redeem Yisroel with a complete g'ulah, in the physical and the spiritual. And he will return all of Yisroel to Hashem Yisbarach, that they should all fulfill the Torah — and this is the main fulfillment of the arvus, that all of Yisroel are guarantors for one another to guard and to fulfill the Torah, and he will complete this arvus in fullness, as above.

But Yisrael — the chosen people, the holy nation, all of them holy — only that the evil of the nations has taken hold of them in the aspect of: "And they mingled among the nations," etc. — therefore every good point found in each and every member of Yisrael, even in the worst of the worst, is exceedingly, exceedingly precious — for it is drawn from an exceedingly lofty and awesome place. And through the great power of the tzaddikim, they can elevate them and illuminate the light of the Torah through them specifically — through raising good like this, from the place where it was. As is understood from all of this in his words, of blessed memory. Therefore one must add and go — the aspect of: "One elevates in holiness," etc. — as mentioned. 209

For when Hashem Yisbarach wished to create the world, He took counsel with the n'shamos of the tzaddikim and created the world, as it is written: "Haimah hayotzrim," etc. ["They were the potters"] (Divrai HaYamim I 4:23). And the matter of Hashem Yisbarach taking counsel with the tzaddikim was because Hashem Yisbarach foresaw that people would sin and anger Him. Because of this, the angels indeed protested the creation of the person and said: "Mah enosh ki sizkerenu," etc. ["What is man that You remember him?"] (T'hilim 8:5) — for he is destined to sin before You and to anger before You.

And this is the aspect of what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: that Shammaye would eat all his days in honor of Shabbos — how so? If he found a fine animal, he would immediately designate it for Shabbos, and would not eat from it until he found another finer than it, and then he would say: "This one is for Shabbos." And then, specifically, he would eat the first one, which had already been sanctified with the holiness of Shabbos through his having designated it for Shabbos. And so he would always conduct himself. And even though this is certainly a very good and holy practice — that he ate all his days in honor of Shabbos — nevertheless our Sages, of blessed memory, said: "But Hillel had a different measure — that all his deeds were for the sake of Heaven," as it is said: "Blessed is Hashem, day by day," etc. 210

And because of this, Hashem Yisbarach took counsel and conferred with the n'shamos of the tzaddikim. And the decision was made between them to create the person and the entire world that depends on him. For Hashem Yisbarach saw in the deeds of the tzaddikim that they would withstand the test in this world, and also, with the greatness of their power, they would return all who come into the world to Him, and they would rectify all the damages that the rest of mankind would cause. And the main reliance was upon the neshamah of Mashiach that preceded the world, who is the root of the generality of all the tzaddikim of all the generations — who will complete all the tikkunim and rectify all the damages that were caused in all the generations. It emerges that Mashiach is the main guarantor of the entire world. And as the din is explained in the Shulchan Aruch in Hilchos Arev: that one who confers with someone whether to lend to a certain person, and he says to lend to him — he becomes a guarantor. And therefore Mashiach and all the tzaddikim who are included in him — who advised Hashem Yisbarach to create the world — therefore they became guarantors in the matter, as above. And in the end of ends, they will complete and fulfill the arvus in fullness, as above. And therefore Dovid HaMelech, alav hashalom, who is Mashiach, requests from Hashem Yisbarach: "Arov avd'cha l'tov," etc. ["Be surety for Your servant for good"] (T'hilim 119:122). "Arov" specifically — for he requests from Hashem Yisbarach that He should be his help to complete and to fulfill the arvus in fullness. For he says: "Behold, I have become a guarantor on behalf of everyone," as above, "and there is no one who will stand in my help except You alone." And therefore he requests: "Arov avd'cha l'tov" — "arov" specifically, as above. And therefore Mashiach bears illnesses on behalf of all of Yisroel. For he is compelled to bear illnesses, etc., since he has become a guarantor on behalf of everyone, as above. Likutay Halachos, Choshen Mishpat. Based on Likutay Moharan II:32. Translated from the Hebrew. Continued from Part 1. Final part of Halachah 4. 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. 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 when a person wraps himself in tallis and t'filin, he draws upon himself the k'dushah of the parchment and the ink of the Sefer Torah. And afterward, when he prays and recites K'rias Sh'ma with his mouth, and makes known and reveals His G-dliness with his mouth and his tongue — then he depicts and engraves the letters of the Torah in ink upon the parchment. And then specifically the k'dushah is completed and perfected — meaning the aspect of the writing of the Sefer Torah that comprises everything. For the main element of the Sefer Torah, and likewise all the holy sefarim that are drawn from there, is primarily to make known and to tell His Name, Yisbarach, in all the earth. And for this reason it is called a "sefer" — a language of "sippur" [telling], the aspect of "ul'ma'an sapeir sh'mi b'chol ha'aretz" ["so that My Name may be told in all the earth"] (Sh'mos 9:16). And this is the main mitzvah of K'rias Sh'ma and t'filah in tallis and t'filin — so that through this the aspect of the aforementioned sefer, which comprises the three aspects, should be completed — in order to reveal and to publicize His G-dliness to all who come into the world. For the main revelation is through speech, the aspect of "t'hilas Hashem y'dabeir pi" ["Let my mouth speak the praise of Hashem"] (T'hilim 145:21), the aspect of "odia emunascha b'fi" ["I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth"] (T'hilim 89:2). And therefore the main element is the speech of K'rias Sh'ma and t'filah, and the tallis and t'filin are in the aspect of vessels through which the speech is depicted and sealed and engraved in the aspect of a sefer — so that there should be permanence for the speech through the aspect of the sefer, which is written as a memorial for generations for all who come into the world — so that all should know from Him, Yisbarach, in the aspect of "l'hodia livnai ha'adam g'vurosav," etc. ["To make known to the sons of men His mighty deeds"] (T'hilim 145:12). (And likewise it is understood in the Kavanos that the main revelation of the Mochin and the Da'as is through the speech of the t'filah, etc.) And these three aspects that are comprised in every sefer are the three sefarim mentioned in Sefer Y'tzirah, through which the entire world and everything in it was created, as is written there in Mishnah 1: "With thirty-two wondrous paths of wisdom He engraved, Yisbarach, etc., His world — with three sefarim: b'sefer v'sofer v'sipur" ["with sefer and sofer and sipur"]. And they are the three aforementioned aspects, and each aspect comprises all of them. And therefore each aspect of them is called a "sefer." And this is "b'sefer v'sofer v'sipur." For "sefer" and "sofer" — this is the aspect of the parchment and the ink, for each one is the main element of the sefer. And "sipur" is the aspect of the kulmos that depicts the ink upon the sefer. And it is called "sipur" because from the body of the kulmos itself nothing remains in the sefer, for there remains in the sefer only the parchment and the ink. And therefore each of them is called by the name "sefer" — the aspect of "sefer v'sofer." But from the kulmos nothing of it remains in the sefer. However, the entire main element of the sefer is not made and depicted except through the kulmos. And it is in the aspect of "sipur," for the kulmos is in the aspect of the tongue and the speech — the aspect of "l'shoni eit sofer mahir." For the main sippur — what the sefer tells of His greatness and His might, Yisbarach — is through the kulmos, which is what depicts and engraves the letters in ink upon the parchment. And it is the aspect of the tongue — the quill of the heart. For even when the sefer is depicted and made and completed — if, chas v'shalom, no one studies it, it has no benefit, and it is like a golem [an unformed mass], chas v'shalom. And the main completeness of the sefer is when one reads and studies it. And the main thing is to teach and to make heard to the many — for this the world was created: to make known and to tell His honor and His greatness, Yisbarach. For everything was created for His honor, as it is written: "Sichu b'chol nifl'osav" ["Speak of all His wonders"] (T'hilim 105:2) — and likewise much more. And then when one teaches the Torah in public, then is the main completeness of the sefer. For one takes back the letters of the sefer into one's mind and makes known and tells them to the listeners, and they are engraved upon their hearts through the tongue, which is a quill, and they are written upon the tablet of their hearts. And again the aspect of a sefer is made — one that comprises the three sefarim, as above. And as is explained elsewhere, in the Torah "Pasach Rabbi Shimon." And this is: "Az nidabru yir'ay Hashem ish el rai'aihu, vayakshev Hashem vayishma, vayikasev sefer" ["Then those who fear Hashem spoke to one another, and Hashem listened and heard, and a sefer was written"] (Malachi 3:16). And this is the main completeness of the sefer — that is completed through the three aspects, which are the aspect of "sefer v'sofer v'sipur." And the main element is the sipur — to make known to the sons of men His mighty deeds, for which everything was created, as above. And therefore every thing in the world was created with these three aspects, which are the three aforementioned sefarim, as is written in the aforementioned Mishnah. Meaning, for every thing in the world was created for His honor. For in every thing in the world one can see the mighty deeds of Hashem, and His wonders and His awesome acts, and tell and magnify His honor through this — for this that thing was created. And therefore every thing in the world comprises the three aforementioned aspects, which are the aspect of the three aforementioned sefarim — sefer, sofer, and sipur. For in every thing in the world His greatness and His might, Yisbarach, is written and engraved, just as in an actual sefer. But the main element depends on the person — that he should set his heart to examine and to gaze upon this, and to tell His honor and His greatness that he understands from all the creations — to tell to all who come into the world. For likewise in the sefer itself, the main completeness is when one studies and understands it and tells and teaches it to others, as above. And this is what Y'hudah said: "Anochi e'ervenu...ki avd'cha arav es hana'ar" ["I will be his guarantor...for your servant has guaranteed the lad"] (B'raishis 43:9, 44:32). For Y'hudah, who is the aspect of Mashiach, is the main guarantor, as above. And this is why the portion of Y'hudah and Tamar is juxtaposed to the portion of the sale of Yosef. For the sh'vatim who sold Yosef — in this they blemished in the aspect of the blemish of the bris. For Yosef HaTzaddik is the aspect of the bris, as is known. And they sold him to Mitzrayim. Therefore they blemished the bris — for they brought the tzaddik, the aspect of the bris, into Mitzrayim. And therefore then, at that time, "vayaired Y'hudah mai'eis echav," etc. ["and Y'hudah went down from his brothers"] (B'raishis 38:1) — through which Mashiach was drawn and born. For then the spirit of Mashiach was aroused, which is jealous over the blemish of the bris. And therefore they are juxtaposed to one another. And as Chazal said in Midrash Rabbah, Vayaishev: that Hashem Yisbarach said: "You are occupied with selling the tzaddik, and I am occupied with drawing the neshamah of Mashiach into the world." Meaning as above — for the sale of Yosef is the aspect of the blemish of the bris. And therefore Hashem Yisbarach was occupied with drawing the neshamah of Mashiach into the world — which is the tikkun for this, as above. And therefore afterward the verse is juxtaposed: "V'Yosef hurad Mitzraymah" ["And Yosef was brought down to Mitzrayim"] (B'raishis 39:1) — where the test of Yosef HaTzaddik is explained. For Yosef merited to draw upon himself the aspect of the spirit of Mashiach and to guard it well. And through this he merited to withstand the test in this desire [of adultery]. For the main guarding of the bris one merits through the aspect of the spirit of Mashiach, as above. And therefore a guarantor at the time of the giving of money becomes obligated without a kinyan [act of acquisition]. But one who is not [guaranteeing] at the time of the giving of money is not obligated except with a kinyan — as is explained in the Shulchan Aruch. For the main fulfillment of the arvus is through receiving from its root, which is the arvus of Mashiach upon the fulfillment of the Torah — from where the main root of the arvus derives, as above. And therefore at the time of the giving of money, one does not need a kinyan. For at the time of the giving of money — when the lender bestows kindness upon the borrower — through the act of kindness one draws the aspect of the spirit of Mashiach, from whom all the chassadim are drawn, in the aspect of "v'oseh chesed limshicho," etc. For then when Mashiach comes it will be fulfilled: "Ki amarti olam chesed yibaneh," etc. (T'hilim 89:3) — which speaks there about the matter of the sovereignty of Dovid Mashiach. Therefore at the time of the giving of money, the arvus is fulfilled without a kinyan, as above. But not at the time of the giving of money — one needs a kinyan. For a kinyan — in order that the matter should be established and should not change — is the aspect of drawing the k'dushah of the spirit of Mashiach, through whom the main establishment of emunah comes. For the main emunah is through the aspect of Mashiach, who will draw great emunah into the world in the ultimate completeness — and this is the main g'ulah, as it is written: "Tavo'i tashuri mairosh amanah" ["Come, look from the peak of Amanah (Emunah)"] (Shir HaShirim 4:8). And it is written: "Ve'emunasi v'chasdi imo," etc. ["And My faithfulness and My kindness are with him"] (T'hilim 89:25) — and likewise much more. And therefore the kinyan is through the corner of the garment. For the garments are in the aspect of malchus, the aspect of "Melech HaKavod," etc., as is explained elsewhere. The malchus is the aspect of the sovereignty of the King Mashiach, which is complete sovereignty. And this is: "Ufarasta k'nafecha al amascha" ["And spread your wing over your maidservant"] (Rus 3:9) — which is stated regarding Boaz, from whom Mashiach descended. And therefore through the kinyan sudar [acquisition through a cloth] — which is through the corners of the garment — one draws the aspect of the spirit of Mashiach, through whom the main drawing of emunah comes, so that the transaction should be established in emunah and neither of them should change. And therefore the main kinyan sudar we learn from the portion of Boaz and Rus, from whom Mashiach was born, as we learn from the verse: "V'zos l'fanim b'Yisroel al hag'ulah v'al hat'murah shalaf ish na'alo," etc. ["And this was the custom formerly in Yisroel regarding redemption and regarding exchange: a man would draw off his shoe"] (Rus 4:7) — from where Chazal learned the kinyan sudar, etc. For the main kinyan sudar — which is to draw emunah into the transaction so that it should not change — is drawn through drawing the aspect of the spirit of Mashiach, as above, through whom the main emunah comes, as above. And therefore the guarantor not at the time of the giving of money needs a kinyan. For then it is impossible for the arvus to be fulfilled except through a kinyan, through which one draws the spirit of Mashiach, who is the root of the arvus, and through whom the main fulfillment of the arvus comes, as above. And therefore the guarantor to a beis din is also fulfilled without a kinyan. For in every place where a beis din sits, there the spirit of Mashiach hovers. For the main righteous judgment is through the aspect of the King Mashiach, from whom the main righteous judgment comes, as it is written: "V'shafat b'tzedek dalim," etc. ["And he shall judge the poor with righteousness"] (Y'shayahu 11:4). And it is written: "Mishpatecha l'melech tein...yishpot aniyay am," etc. ["Give Your judgments to the king...he shall judge the poor of the people"] (T'hilim 72:1-2). For the spirit of Mashiach is the aspect of the ruach Elokim that rests among the judges, as it is written: "Elokim nitzav ba'adas Eil, b'kerev Elokim yishpot," etc. ["G-d stands in the assembly of G-d; in the midst of judges He judges"] (T'hilim 82:1). For the spirit of Mashiach is the aspect of the ruach Elokim, as it is written: "V'ruach Elokim m'rachefes" ["And the spirit of G-d hovered"] — "this is the spirit of Mashiach," as is brought there in the aforementioned Torah. And therefore a beis din is not fewer than three — corresponding to the three aforementioned aspects, which are the aspect of the three sefarim that are comprised in every holy sefer, upon which the spirit of Mashiach hovers. For the judges need to connect themselves to the holy sefarim of the Torah, in order that they should know how to rule according to the din of the Torah. And therefore the guarantor to a beis din does not need a kinyan, for there in the beis din the spirit of Mashiach rests, as above, through which is the main fulfillment of the arvus, as above. And this is the aspect of S'firas Ha'Omer. For the Omer of barley is the aspect of a Minchas K'na'os [jealousy-offering], as it is written in the Zohar. Meaning, for through the Omer of barley — the aspect of the Minchas K'na'os — one draws the ruach kin'ah of Mashiach, who is jealous over the desire for adultery, which is the main contamination of Mitzrayim. For this the Omer and the S'firah come — in order to purify the nefashos of Yisroel from their contamination, meaning from the contamination of the desire for adultery, which is the main yetzer hara, the main impurity of Mitzrayim. For the entire galus of Mitzrayim was on account of the blemish of the bris — on account of the blemish of the wasted seed of Adam HaRishon, as is known. And now, through the Omer and the S'firah, we need to be purified from this. Therefore one brings the Omer of barley, the Minchas K'na'os — in order to draw the ruach kin'ah of Mashiach, who purifies from this impurity, as above. And this is the aspect of "S'firah" — a language of "sefer." For we draw through the S'firah the k'dushah of the Sefer Torah, which is the aspect of the receiving of the Torah that we need to receive on Shavuos. For there in the Torah rests the spirit of Mashiach, which is the ruach kin'ah, as is brought in the aforementioned Torah. For the S'firah — that one counts the days of the Omer — is the aspect of "sefer," which is a language of "sippur," that tells the greatness of Hashem and His wonders, so that we should remember His wonders and not forget them. And this is the main k'dushah of all the holy sefarim, which is a language of sippur. For the sefer is for a memorial, as it is written: "K'sov zos zikaron basefer," etc. And it is written: "Tikasev zos l'dor acharon" ["Let this be written for the last generation"] (T'hilim 102:19). And this is the main generality of the entire Torah, as it is written: "Vayakem aidus b'Yaakov v'Torah sam b'Yisroel asher tzivah es avosainu l'hodi'am livnaihem l'ma'an yaid'u dor acharon yakumu visapru livnaihem," etc. ["He established a testimony in Yaakov and set a Torah in Yisroel, which He commanded our fathers to make known to their children, so that the last generation should know and arise and tell their children"] (T'hilim 78:5-6). For the main element of the Torah is to reveal His unity and His oneness and His dominion to all who come into the world. And this k'dushah we draw during the days of the S'firah. For on the first day of Pesach all the holy Mochin shine, which came all at once on the night of Pesach. For then His greatness and His wonders and His awesome acts were revealed through Y'tzias Mitzrayim, with awesome signs and wondrous and very, very exalted wonders the like of which had not been heard or seen from the days of old. And according to the revelation of G-dliness that was at Y'tzias Mitzrayim on the first of Pesach, it would have been fitting for us to be attached to Hashem Yisbarach always without interruption. But afterward, immediately on the second day, the Mochin depart, as is brought in the Kavanos. Meaning, that afterward the aspect of forgetfulness is drawn — which is the aspect of the departure of the Mochin. For Hashem Yisbarach created everything for the sake of free choice, and it is necessary that there should be free choice. Therefore even though He performed such awesome signs with us at Y'tzias Mitzrayim, and He shone upon us the revelation of His G-dliness in a very wondrous revelation, that it would have been fitting for us to be attached to Him always — but for the sake of free choice, He drew forgetfulness into the world. Through which one who does not set his heart well to the truth can forget everything, chas v'shalom. And the main forgetfulness is through the desire for adultery — which is the desire for women, which is a language of forgetting, the aspect of "ki nashani Elokim," etc. ["for G-d has made me forget"] (B'raishis 41:51). For guarding the bris is the aspect of the male side, the aspect of "zachar" — a language of "zikaron" [remembrance]. But the desire for adultery is the aspect of forgetfulness, for from the intensity of the desire one forgets everything. And for this reason the Minchas K'na'os comes on the second day of Pesach — which is a "Minchas Zikaron" [memorial offering] — in order to draw the aspect of the spirit of Mashiach, which is the ruach kin'ah, which is jealous over this desire. In order to cause the remembrance to prevail over the forgetfulness — the truth over the falsehood — so that we should remember at all times His wonders and His awesome acts, and remember His awe and His greatness, Yisbarach, in order to overcome through this the desire. For the intensification of the desire wants to conceal the truth. For through the intensification of the desire, one forgets the truth that one knows in one's heart — from the very greatness of the Creator and His signs that we saw with our eyes. But through the power of the spirit of Mashiach, which is the ruach kin'ah, the truth overcomes the desire. For this is the power of Mashiach — that he can descend into the depth of the galus of each and every person who has fallen to wherever he has fallen, and illuminate in him the truth, so that he should remember Hashem and His might and His wonders that He performed — until the truth overcomes the desire, until in the end of ends he returns to Hashem in truth, and He will have compassion on him. And this is the aspect of the S'firah — that one counts the days of the Omer. For the main forgetfulness is through the multitude of the days, as it is written: "B'shekvar hayamim hakol nishkach" ["In the multitude of days, all is forgotten"] (Koheles 2:16). And therefore Mosheh Rabbainu, alav hashalom, warned: "Z'chor y'mos olam" ["Remember the days of old"] (D'varim 32:7). And therefore, as soon as one brings the Omer — which is the Minchas K'na'os — on the day after Pesach, then one begins to count the days, in order to guard each and every day so that it should be connected to the Omer. For on each and every day we draw upon ourselves the k'dushah of the spirit of Mashiach, so that we should remember and not forget the impression of the first day of Pesach — which is Y'tzias Mitzrayim — on which we saw the revelation of His G-dliness, Yisbarach, eye to eye. And therefore it is called "S'firah" — a language of "sefer," which is for a memorial — to tell His greatness and His might, Yisbarach. And this is itself the aspect of S'firah — in order to connect them all to the Omer, which is the aspect of the ruach kin'ah of Mashiach, so that we should not forget His mighty deeds and His wonders, as above, through the multitude of the days, chas v'shalom. Rather, on the contrary, each and every day shall make known to its fellow the greatness of the Creator of all, in the aspect of "yom l'yom yabia omer," etc. ["Day unto day utters speech"] (T'hilim 19:3), the aspect of "yamim y'dabeiru" ["days shall speak"] (Iyov 32:7). And everything one merits through the spirit of Mashiach, which is the ruach kin'ah — which is the aspect of the Omer of barley — that purifies from the contamination of adultery, from where forgetfulness comes, and nullifies all heresy and apikorsus from the world. For it reminds each and every person of His greatness and His G-dliness, Yisbarach, as above. "I created the yetzer hara; I created Torah as its antidote [tavlin]" (Kiddushin 30b). "Tavlin" [spice] specifically — the aspect of a good fragrance, which is the aspect of the spirit of Mashiach that rests upon the faces of the Torah, which is the aspect of fragrance, as is brought many times. For it is the ruach kin'ah that nullifies this desire, which is the main yetzer hara, as is explained elsewhere. [Note at end:] Halachah 5 is in Hilchos G'viyos Chov, Halachah 5, §23. And more needs to be spoken about this and to explain all of this.