מצרנות א

Divar bileeya-al yutzook boa vaashehr shuchav low yoaseef lukoom.“Something baneful has settled in him; he’ll not rise from his bed again.”

Choshen Mishpat — Laws of Buying and Selling (Mekach Umimkar) 1–4

Based on Likutay Moharan I, Torah 280.

Based on what is explained in the words of Rabbainu, may his light shine, on the verse “When you go out to war” etc. [Likutay Moharan I:280] — that the aspect of masa umattan [commerce/negotiation] is that one lifts up and raises the thing, and then returns and places it in its proper place. That is, one raises and elevates the nitzozos [holy sparks] that are clothed there, for this is the essence of masa umattan — to elevate the sparks; see there. And this is accomplished through the emunah [faithfulness] that is in the masa umattan, as it is written: “Did you conduct your business with faithfulness?” — that is, that one should be faithful in one’s speech, not to change one’s word, etc.; see there.

And behold, all the acquisitions are in order to uphold the masa umattan, so that one will no longer change [one’s word]. And this is the aspect of hagbahah [lifting], which is an especially important acquisition, for hagbahah is that one literally lifts up the thing and carries it and raises it to return it to its place, in the aspect of masa umattan as mentioned above. For the hagbahah is from the ground, where the nitzozos fell, for they literally fell from heaven to earth. And the essence of hagbahah is with the hands, which are the aspect of emunah, as Rabbainu, may his light shine, wrote there, as it is written: “And his hands were emunah” [Exodus 17:12]. And through the hagbahah, when one lifts it with one’s hands from the ground, one raises and elevates the nitzozos from their fallen state, as mentioned above, through the emunah that is in the hands, as mentioned above. And then the transaction is upheld, since the emunah has already been rectified and elevated, in the aspect of “For I lift My hand to heaven” [Deuteronomy 32:40], in the aspect of “Lift up your hands in holiness” [Psalms 134:2] — that is, one raises the emunah together with the nitzozos to holiness, and then it is impossible to change the transaction any further — that is, to damage the faithfulness of one’s word and change it — for the emunah has already ascended together with the nitzozos in the masa umattan and has been rectified. And through this the masa umattan is upheld, for this is the essence of the masa umattan, as mentioned above.

And this is the aspect of kinyan sudar [acquisition by cloth/kerchief], which is a very important acquisition and is effective in every situation. For all masa umattan is exchange (chalifin) — that is, one gives another person this thing and receives in return another thing or money. That is, one exchanges the holy nitzozos that have fallen, which exist in every object and need to be elevated. And when the time comes that the nitzozos belonging to one’s portions of nefesh, ruach, neshamah [soul-levels] have been exhausted and depleted, and one can no longer elevate the remaining nitzozos, then one must sell it to another person who has portions of nefesh, ruach, neshamah that correspond to those remaining nitzozos. And one receives from one’s fellow another object corresponding to one’s own soul-portions, as is brought in the discourse “Vayehi Mikaitz” [Likutay Moharan I:54]. And all the nitzozos are sparks of Malchus [Sovereignty/the Shechinah], as is known. And garments are the aspect of Malchus, as is brought in the words of Rabbainu, may his light shine [Likutay Moharan I:29]. It turns out that the roots of all the nitzozos are there [in the garments]. And therefore the klipos [husks/forces of impurity] cling to the hems of the garments, as is known — this being the aspect of tzitzis on the corners of the garments, in order to drive them away. As our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “The garments of the scholars wear out from their rubbing” [Berachos 47b] — for that is where they [the klipos] cling, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of “to grasp the corners of the earth, and the wicked are shaken from it” [Job 38:13] — the “corners” are the aspect of the four corners of the tallis, from which the wicked — the klipos — are shaken off and removed, for they had previously been clinging there, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of kinyan sudar — that one acquires from the other by taking the corner of one’s fellow’s garment in one’s hand, through which one elevates the nitzozos from the klipos clinging to the corner of the garment, as mentioned above. For each person must lift and elevate nitzozos that were until now with one’s fellow — this being the essence of masa umattan, which is the aspect of exchange, as mentioned above. And this is accomplished by taking the corner of one’s fellow’s garment, where the roots of all the nitzozos are, and one receives them and acquires them and elevates them from the klipos. And this is kinyan sudar. And through this the masa umattan is upheld, for this is the essence of the upholding and rectification of the masa umattan — to elevate the nitzozos — and this is accomplished specifically through the garments, as mentioned above. And therefore the custom is to acquire by [taking] the corner of the garment, as mentioned above. And all of this is done through the hands, for kinyan sudar is with the hands, for the elevation of the nitzozos is through the hands, which are the aspect of emunah, as mentioned above. Also, the matter of kinyan sudar can be understood according to the discourse “Hai man d’azail l’minsav” etc. [Likutay Moharan I:29]; see there well. And this has already been explained somewhat above in Hilchos Shutafin b’Karka [Laws of Land Partnerships]. For the rectification of the masa umattan and the rectification of the garments are one and the same aspect, and their rectification is through the whiteness (lavnunis) that is drawn from the brain, through which the garments are rectified in the aspect of “white garments”; see there well. And this is also the rectification of speech, and this is also the rectification of masa umattan; see there. And therefore all masa umattan is done through the garments, for they are one and the same aspect, as mentioned above. And when one receives a kinyan [formal acquisition], one draws the rectification of the garments into the masa umattan, and then the masa umattan is properly rectified in the aspect of “white garments,” and through this it is upheld. For the blemish of the masa umattan is the aspect of the blemish of the blood of the 365 sinews, in the aspect of “For my iniquities have gone over my head; as a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me” [Psalms 38:5], as is explained there. And this is the blemish of the garments through a stain, which is also the blemish of blood in the aspect of menstrual blood, as is explained there. And this itself is the blemish of one who changes one’s word and lies in one’s speech, for falsehood comes through the muddying of the blood, as Rabbainu, may his light shine, explained in the discourse “Rabbi Akiva said: When you reach the stones of pure marble” [Likutay Moharan I:51]. And this is also the aspect of speech that is not heard, which is not speech at all, as stated at the beginning of the discourse mentioned above — and this is because there is no good in it, as explained there, which is also the aspect of falsehood, meaning one who changes one’s word as if one never spoke at all. And this is also the aspect of speech that is not heard, for “falsehood does not stand,” and no one listens to one’s speech at all, as it is written: “Such is the punishment of liars — even when they speak truth, no one listens to them” [Sanhedrin 89b]. How much more so when one is entirely falsehood — one’s speech is not heard and is not speech at all. And this is because there is no good in it, for falsehood is the evil and the impurity, as Rabbainu, may his light shine, explained. And therefore, through the kinyan one draws the aspect of the rectification of the garments, which is the rectification of the masa umattan, the rectification of speech — which is the aspect of truthful speech. And then it is impossible to change any further, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of what is said [by the court]: “He Who punished the generation of the Flood and the generation of the Dispersion — He will punish one who does not stand by one’s word.” “The generation of the Flood and the generation of the Dispersion” specifically. And this is said when the acquisition was only through money. For the blemish of the generation of the Flood was the blemish of the Covenant, as it is written: “For all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth” [Genesis 6:12]. And this is the blemish of speech — one who does not stand by one’s word — as is written in the discourse mentioned above, that the rectification of speech is through the aspect of the totality of the sinews, which is the aspect of the rectification of the Covenant, as is explained there in the aspect of “As an eagle stirs up its nest” etc.; see there. And the primary blemish is when one arouses the intellect and draws the whiteness (lavnunis) to other places, God forbid, which is an exceedingly great blemish, may the Merciful One save us. And this was the blemish of the generation of the Flood, who drew the whiteness of the brain to other places, as it is written: “For all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth” — they corrupted their way and spilled seed in vain. It turns out that they were drawing the whiteness of the brain to other places, and therefore their sin was too great to bear. And this is also the aspect of the blemish of the generation of the Dispersion, as it is written: “Come, let us make bricks” [Genesis 11:3] — for they wanted to draw the aspect of whiteness, the aspect of “white garments,” to the Sitra Achra [the Other Side]. For this was the essence of their intention — to draw the holiness to the Sitra Achra in the aspect of blemishing the Covenant, as mentioned above. And it is written: “And all the earth had one language and unified words” [Genesis 11:1] — and Rashi explains: in the Holy Tongue. “And it was when they journeyed from the east, and they found a valley in the land of Shinar” — that is Bavel. And Bavel is the aspect of the Aramaic language (lashon Targum), for there the Aramaic language is spoken. And they wanted to suckle and draw the aspect of the Holy Tongue into the Sitra Achra through the Aramaic language, as is brought in the discourse “A prayer of Chavakuk” [Likutay Moharan I:19]. And therefore their punishment was that the languages were confused, as it is written: “For there Hashem confused the language of all the earth” etc. [Genesis 11:9]. It turns out that the blemish of the generation of the Dispersion was exactly the blemish of the generation of the Flood — namely, the aspect of drawing the whiteness to the Sitra Achra, God forbid. For the Holy Speech is also through the whiteness of the brain, as mentioned above, for the rectification of speech and the rectification of the Covenant are one and the same, as mentioned above. And so it is taught that the generation of the Flood and the generation of the Dispersion are one and the same aspect. And therefore in Egypt, where the reincarnated souls of the above [generations] were present, as is taught in the writings of the Arizal — therefore they were compelled to work with mortar and bricks, as is known. And therefore the main labor was to produce a quota of bricks, for Pharaoh also wanted to draw the whiteness to the Sitra Achra, to Egypt, God forbid. And therefore, when he saw the sprouting horn of salvation through Moshe, he decreed not to give them any straw, yet they must still produce bricks, as it is written: “And you shall provide the quota of bricks” [Exodus 5:18] — for he wanted to overpower them so that they would draw the aspect of bricks, the aspect of whiteness, from themselves without any assistance from Egypt, in order to draw the aspect of the bricks of Yisrael themselves to the Sitra Achra, God forbid. But none of this availed him, for on the contrary, through their labor there they rectified and elevated the whiteness to holiness. And this is also the aspect of the blemish of one who changes one’s word in the masa umattan that was already acquired through money. For money is the aspect of the brain and the life-force of the masa umattan, as it is written: “In the shadow of wisdom, in the shadow of money” [Ecclesiastes 7:12]. And therefore all things in the world are acquired through money, for money is the aspect of the brain and the life-force of all things, as is brought above. And it is the aspect of whiteness, in the aspect of “the brain is white like silver” [Zohar]. And when the masa umattan is conducted through money, it turns out that the aspect of whiteness has already been drawn. And therefore, when one then changes one’s word, it turns out that one annuls the giving of the money; it turns out that the whiteness was drawn in vain, to the Sitra Achra, God forbid — and this is exactly the blemish of the generation of the Flood and the generation of the Dispersion, as mentioned above. And therefore we say: “He Who punished the generation” etc. — “the generation of the Flood and the generation of the Dispersion” specifically, as mentioned above. However, despite all this, the transaction is still not fully upheld. For the essence of the upholding of all things — that is, that the thing should be established and the external forces should not be able to cling to it and annul it — is specifically when the matter is drawn and clothed in asiyah [action], in an actual deed, in a complete act. This is the aspect of the performance of mitzvos, which must be done in an actual act specifically. And conversely, the blemish of transgressions is greatest when one performs an actual act, God forbid. And therefore, when the masa umattan is only in speech alone, even though it is a great blemish when one changes one’s word and one is called lacking in faithfulness — nevertheless, the transaction is not upheld through this, since there was only speech and no action was yet performed. And even if one gave money, nevertheless it is not called an action, since money is in the aspect of the brain, as mentioned above. But when an action has already been performed — such as hagbahah or meshichah [pulling/drawing] etc. — then it is impossible to change any further, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of kinyan sudar, which always acquires. For when the aspect of the rectification of the masa umattan is drawn in the aspect of the rectification of the garments — which is the aspect of drawing the whiteness into actual garments and coverings — then it is upheld and will not be annulled, as mentioned above. For this is the aspect of asiyah [action], as mentioned above. For the essence of the rectification of asiyah is that one makes a body and a garment for the holy life-force, so that the external forces will not cling to it, for they cling most to that which is unclothed (artilayin). And therefore Adam, before the sin, it says “And they were both naked” etc. [Genesis 2:25] — for then there was no dominion of the external forces and they could be naked. But afterward, they knew that they were naked and needed to sew fig leaves to cover and clothe themselves, so that [the external forces] would not cling to them, as mentioned above. And therefore, when the rectification of the masa umattan is drawn into garments, which is the aspect of asiyah — for asiyah is the ultimate level of garments, as is known — then it is impossible to change any further, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of kinyan sudar, as mentioned above. Based on Likutay Moharan I, Torah 25. Based on the discourse beginning “Since the Bais HaMikdash was destroyed” etc. [Likutay Moharan I:25]; see there well. And the general principle that emerges from there: that every person must extract oneself from the imaginative faculty and ascend to the intellect, etc. And know that at every level there exist these illusions, and when a person is uprooted and transferred from level to level, the klipos [husks] at that level intensify and do not let one enter, and one must prevail to break and subdue them, etc. And the main subjugation of these klipos that intensify when one moves from level to level is through the greatness of the Creator, blessed be His Name. And the revelation of the Creator’s greatness is through the supernal colors (gvanin ilayin) that exist in silver and gold, for there the supernal colors are clothed. And they are revealed when one gives charity (tzedakah) to a worthy poor person — through this, all one’s money is rectified and the supernal colors in the money are revealed. And then the greatness of the Creator is revealed and the klipos at that level are subdued, etc. For the essence of the colors only shine in the hand of a Jewish person; but among the nations they are concealed. And because of this, they desire Jewish money, etc.; see all of this there well. And this is the aspect of all the acquisitions — that the transaction is not finalized through words alone, but only through an acquisition. For it has already been explained many times that all matters of masa umattan and buying and selling are for the purpose of elevating the fallen holinesses. And when one elevates these nitzozos and fallen holinesses through the masa umattan, it turns out that they ascend from level to level, and then the klipos at that level intensify, for at every level these illusions and klipos exist, as mentioned above. And therefore the transaction is not finalized through words alone, for the main intensification [of the klipos] is at the time when they ascend from level to level, as mentioned above. And at the moment the transaction is finalized — when the object leaves one domain for another — that is the aspect of the refinement. And then the holiness that is there is refined and ascends from level to level, and then they [the klipos] intensify, as mentioned above. It turns out that at the time the object leaves one domain for another — which is the aspect of refinement and ascent from level to level — that is when they intensify, as mentioned above. And therefore, as long as the purchased object has not yet entered the buyer’s domain, the transaction is not finalized through words alone. For even though [the seller] has consented to sell to one’s fellow, the transaction can still be reversed and annulled through their intensification — for they always intensify when [the sparks] want to ascend from level to level. And therefore one must perform some act of acquisition. And the essential acquisition, from the Torah itself, is through money, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, as it is written: “And he shall give the money, and it shall be established for him” [Leviticus 27:19]. For the essential acquisition is through money specifically, for there the supernal colors are revealed, which are the aspect of the greatness of the Creator, as mentioned above, through which the klipos at that level are subdued, and one can ascend from level to level, and then the transaction is finalized — for the transaction is the aspect of the refinement and ascent from level to level, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of “And he shall give the money, and it shall be established for him” — “established” specifically, in the language of rising and ascent, as it is written: “And the field of Efron was established” etc. [Genesis 23:17] — and our Sages, of blessed memory, expounded: “It had a rising” etc. For through money specifically, which is the aspect of the supernal colors as mentioned above, through this the transaction is finalized — which is the aspect of refinement, the aspect of rising and ascent from level to level, as mentioned above. However, our Sages, of blessed memory, enacted that money does not acquire [movable property]. For in truth, even though money at its root is very exalted and contains the supernal colors, as mentioned above — nevertheless, below [in this world], the colors in silver and gold are not revealed except through rectifying the money — that is, through giving charity to a worthy poor person, etc., as mentioned above. For it is known that all things were damaged through the sin of Adam. And therefore the colors in silver and gold cannot be revealed except through rectification — that is, through charity, as mentioned above — but without the rectification, the colors are not revealed even in the hand of a Jewish person. And therefore our Sages, of blessed memory, enacted that money does not acquire, for we do not have the power to subdue the klipos at that level through money, since the colors in money are not always revealed, as mentioned above. And when the colors are not revealed, the klipos at that level are not subdued, and therefore the transaction is not finalized, etc., as mentioned above. And one may hint at this in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, who said: From the Torah itself, money acquires; so why did the Sages say that pulling (meshichah) acquires? As a precaution, lest [the seller] say to him: “Your wheat was burned in the upper story (aliyah).” And at first glance this is puzzling — why did our Sages, of blessed memory, seize upon “upper story” (aliyah) specifically? They should have simply said: “Your wheat was burned in my domain,” or “in the house and courtyard” — why did they seize upon aliyah specifically? But one may hint at what was said above: that because we do not have the power to always reveal the supernal colors in money, as mentioned above, therefore the klipos can still intensify at the time the transaction ascends (oleh) from level to level, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of “lest he say to him: your wheat was burned in the upper story (aliyah)” — that is, at the time the transaction ascends from level to level, it is damaged and burned through the intensification mentioned above, which intensifies at the time of ascent — ascending from level to level — from which come all forms of damage. And therefore the transaction is finalized only through meshichah [pulling] or hagbahah [lifting] and the like. For the main thing is that the object must be in the buyer’s domain for some time, so that it leaves one domain for another. And as soon as it enters the other’s domain even once, the klipos at that level have already been subdued. For their main intensification is at the time it leaves from level to level — that is, at the time it leaves from one domain to another, which is when the refinement is completed. And therefore, as soon as one pulls the object or the like and it enters one’s domain even briefly, the object has already ascended from level to level, since it has already left one domain for another. And through this the transaction is finalized, for the essence of finalizing the transaction is through this, as mentioned above. And therefore, even if immediately after the pulling etc. one returned and placed the object with the seller, the transaction is already finalized, since it already left one domain for another and the klipos at that level were subdued, since it already entered one’s domain, as mentioned above. And therefore, with hekdesh [consecrated property], money acquires even rabbinically. For hekdesh money is holy, and the supernal colors are revealed in it since it is holy and the Sitra Achra has no hold on it; therefore the supernal colors are certainly revealed in hekdesh money, and therefore with hekdesh, money acquires, etc., as mentioned above. And therefore also when a Jew buys from a non-Jew, money acquires according to many opinions. For Jewish money in relation to a non-Jew is very holy, and the supernal colors are revealed in it. As is well understood there in the words of Rabbainu mentioned above — that because of this, they desire Jewish money as if they had never seen money before, because in Jewish money the supernal colors are revealed; see there well. For in truth, even though Jewish money also requires rectification so that the colors will shine in it, as mentioned above — nevertheless, compared to the non-Jew, Jewish money is certainly very holy in the aspect of the shining of the colors, like the advantage of light over darkness [Ecclesiastes 2:13]. As is understood in many places — that even the light that does not have the power to illuminate during the day, such as a candle, nevertheless at night and in the darkness it illuminates greatly, in the aspect of the advantage of light over darkness. And therefore certainly, Jewish money compared to the non-Jew illuminates greatly in the aspect of the colors mentioned above. And therefore, a Jew [buying] from a non-Jew acquires through money according to many opinions, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of why land is acquired through money. For the main concealment of the colors in money — that the colors only shine through the rectification of charity, as mentioned above — all of this is because of the sin of Adam, through which [the lights] were, as it were, darkened, and the lights of the colors were concealed and cannot be revealed except through rectification. For the essential lights of the colors in silver and gold are drawn only from Gan Eden, in the aspect of “And a river went out from Eden to water the garden, and from there it divided into four headwaters. The name of the first is Pishon; it surrounds the entire land of Chavilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; there is the bedolach and the shoham stone” [Genesis 2:10–12] — meaning the gold of holiness, drawn from the river that goes out from Eden, etc. — which is the aspect of “the gold of that land is good” — “good” specifically, for there the lights of the colors are revealed, in the aspect of “there is the bedolach and the shoham stone,” which are the aspect of supernal colors that are revealed in the good gold drawn from Gan Eden. For there, in Gan Eden, is the essential gold of holiness; for gold is counted among the thirteen canopies that the Holy One, blessed be He, made for Adam in Gan Eden, as is brought in Yechezkel [Ezekiel 28:13], and it is included among all the precious stones enumerated there: “odem, pitdah, and barekes, every precious stone” etc. That is the aspect mentioned above — that there the gold is comprised of many colors, which are the aspect of all the precious stones — for they are the totality of the colors, since each of the precious stones has its own distinct color, for they are the aspect of the supernal colors. It turns out that the aspect of the gold of holiness, in which the lights of the colors are revealed, is the aspect of the good gold drawn from Gan Eden, as mentioned above. For there in Gan Eden all the supernal lights are revealed — which are the aspect of the supernal colors, as is known. And when Adam sinned and was expelled from Gan Eden, all the lights were concealed — that is, the lights of the supernal colors — for the silver and gold were blemished in the aspect of “in sorrow shall you eat” [Genesis 3:17] — meaning diminished livelihood with great toil, which is drawn from the concealment of the supernal colors in silver and gold. For when the colors shine within silver and gold, great livelihood and abundance flow from them. And the main diminishment of livelihood, the aspect of “in sorrow shall you eat,” is because of the concealment of the colors. It turns out that the primary concealment of the lights of the colors in silver and gold is because of the sin of Adam, as mentioned above. And the primary damage of Adam’s sin — the contamination of the serpent — clings most to the earth, in the aspect of “Cursed is the ground on your account” etc. [Genesis 3:17]. And the essential rectification of Adam’s sin depends on rectifying the earth — to remove the ground from its curse. For the earth is the root of all things in the world, in the aspect of “Everything was from the dust” [Ecclesiastes 3:20]. And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said [Yevamos 63a]: “Anyone who does not have land is not [considered] a person (adam).” For the essential aspect of being called adam is when one rectifies the sin of Adam — for through Adam’s sin, the aspect of adam was blemished, in the aspect of “Man (adam) in glory does not abide; he is likened to the beasts that perish” [Psalms 49:13] — for through this, the power of the imaginative faculty — the animalistic power — was strengthened. And all of this was because the supernal colors that had been shining in the face were concealed — which are the aspect of “the Divine image” (tzelem Elokim) — for the colors are the aspect of the intellect, which is the tzelem Elokim, the essential nature of the adam. But when the colors are concealed, the aspect of tzelem Elokim departs, and one is not called by the name adam. And this is “Adam in glory (yekar) does not abide” — “yekar” refers to the tefillin, which are called pe’er [glory/beauty], which is the aspect of the supernal colors — which are the aspect of pe’er, as is explained elsewhere. And through this, “he is likened to the beasts that perish,” as mentioned above. And each person, to the extent that one merits to rectify the sin of Adam, through this one is called by the name adam. And the essential rectification of Adam’s sin — the contamination of the serpent — is through rectifying the land, as mentioned above. And therefore one who does not have land is not [called] adam, for everything that a person possesses, one refines it from the contamination of the serpent, and the main thing is to refine and rectify the land, which is the root of everything — and there is the essential rectification, as mentioned above. And when one rectifies the land, everything is rectified and everything is purified from the contamination of the serpent — from the sin of Adam — and then one is called by the name adam, as mentioned above. And when the land, which is the root of everything, is rectified, then everything is rectified. And therefore, when one acquires land — and it is a general principle that through all acquisitions one rectifies and refines the thing, as mentioned above — it turns out that when one acquires land and rectifies the aspect of land, which is the root of everything — which is the aspect of the general rectification of Adam’s sin, to remove the ground from its curse, from the aspect of “Cursed is the ground” etc. — therefore, at the time of acquiring land, the lights of the colors in silver and gold are revealed, since it is the aspect of the general rectification of Adam’s sin. And therefore land is acquired through money. For at the time of purchasing land, the colors in the money are revealed, since it is the aspect of the general rectification of Adam’s sin, as mentioned above. For the prutah [coin] of silver that one gives at the time of acquiring land is literally the aspect of a prutah of tzedakah, through which one rectifies all the money and the colors are revealed, as mentioned above — by giving a prutah to a poor person and removing the poor person from the aspect of “in sorrow shall you eat” through the money one gives — and through this the colors are revealed, for the main concealment was through the aspect of “in sorrow shall you eat,” as mentioned above. And therefore the prutah of acquiring land is also in this aspect, for through this one rectifies and purifies the land from the contamination of the serpent, which is the root of everything, and through this everything is rectified and the colors are revealed — for the one depends on the other, as it is written: “Cursed is the ground — in sorrow shall you eat” etc. And conversely, when one rectifies the ground, the aspect of “in sorrow” is rectified and the colors are revealed. And therefore land is acquired through money, for at the time of purchasing land, the colors are revealed, as mentioned above. And this is also the aspect of kinyan sudar — the aspect of what is explained there in the discourse mentioned above regarding the colors mentioned above that are revealed in silver and gold — that they are the aspect of “garments of salvation” etc.; see there well. And this is the aspect of kinyan sudar, that one acquires through garments, which are the aspect of “garments of salvation,” the aspect of the supernal colors. For Rabbi Yochanan called his garments “my honorers” [Bava Kama 91b] — the aspect of garments of honor and glory, the aspect of the totality of the colors. And through this one acquires everything, for the essential acquisition is through the revelation of the colors, through which the obstacles at each level are subdued and the thing is acquired and ascends from level to level, as mentioned above. For the colors in silver and gold are not always revealed, as mentioned above, and therefore one must acquire through garments — which are the aspect of “garments of salvation,” as mentioned above — for the colors are clothed in the garments, which are the aspect of the rectification of Adam’s sin, in the aspect of “And Hashem God made for Adam and his wife garments of skin and clothed them” [Genesis 3:21]. For at first they were naked and then they could receive the lights of the colors without a garment; but afterward, through the sin, [the lights] were concealed and can only be revealed through the aspect of garments, in the aspect of “And He made … and clothed them.” And this is the aspect of tzedakah, through which the colors are revealed, as mentioned above — for tzedakah is the aspect of garments, in the aspect of “I clothed myself in righteousness (tzedek)” [Job 29:14], the aspect of “garments of salvation,” as mentioned above — which are the aspect of the colors, as is explained well in the discourse mentioned above: that when the lights of the colors are revealed and shine, they are in the aspect of “garments of salvation, a cloak of righteousness (tzedakah)” [Isaiah 61:10]; see there well. And this is the aspect of kinyan sudar, that one acquires through garments — which acquires in every matter. And most acquisitions are through this, for the garments are the aspect of “garments of salvation,” the aspect of the revelation of the supernal colors, which are the aspect of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — through which one acquires and rectifies and elevates all things in the world, as mentioned above. Blessed be Hashem forever, Amen and Amen. Based on Likutay Moharan I, Torah 159. Based on the Torah that begins “Know that there is an intermediary” [Likutay Moharan I:159]; see there, the entire Torah. And the general principle: there are two types of Torah study. There is the study of the true tzaddik, which ascends to the Shechinah, who is the intermediary between Him, blessed be He, and the world. And then from the right and left aspects of the Torah — which are fire and water — there is produced spiritual abundance and material abundance. That is, from the right aspect comes spiritual abundance — the supernal flow for all the heavenly beings, the angels and seraphim, etc. And from the left aspect comes material abundance for the lower worlds, etc. However, not every person merits that one’s study ascends to the Shechinah, etc. And then, when one’s study does not ascend to the Shechinah, when one studies, vapors go out from one’s mouth, etc. And the nature of the Torah is to raise itself upward to the Shechinah, as mentioned above, but it cannot ascend because this student does not merit that one’s study should ascend to the Shechinah, as mentioned above. And behold, one’s Torah rises up, trying to ascend upward, but it cannot, as mentioned above. And meanwhile night falls, and then all the gardinai nimusin [angelic prosecutors] come out, etc., and they strike against it, etc. And then this Torah is scattered in the air, and all people in the world draw from this Torah that was scattered in the air. And according to the nature of the person to whom this Torah arrives, so is what is made from it. For a kosher person, etc., or a great person and tzaddik, when they receive from these Torahs that were scattered — it becomes the dew of Torah for them, etc., according to the nature of the receiver. For some, Torah insights (chiddushei Torah) are produced from these Torahs, etc. And this is the aspect of the right that is in the Torah. But from the aspect of the left, the opposite is produced — namely, the 39 categories of work (lamed-tes melachos) — for these Torahs that reach people who are not worthy, the opposite is produced for them from the dew mentioned above. That is, the aspect of the 39 categories of work, which is the opposite of the dew (ta“l = 39) of Torah — meaning, a new arousal toward the toil of commerce and the pursuit of livelihood, which is the aspect of “By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread” etc. [Genesis 3:19]. And this is the aspect of right and left in the Torah: for in Torah study that ascends to the Shechinah, from the right and left are produced spiritual and material abundance, etc.; and from this study that cannot ascend to the Shechinah, from the right and left are produced the dew of Torah or the 39 categories of work, etc., as mentioned above; see all of this there well. And this is the aspect of masa umattan. For the essence of masa umattan is in order to refine the holy sparks that are clothed in all the objects of commerce, as is known. And the essence of the refinement is to refine the holy sparks — which are the aspect of sparks of the letters of the holy Torah — from the aspect of the 39 categories of work, which are the aspect of “By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread,” from which all the activities and toil of commerce and all the types of crafts and all the businesses in the world are drawn — all of which are included in the 39 categories of work, as is known. For the root of the 39 categories of work in holiness is the aspect of the letters of the holy Torah, the aspect of the holy sparks. And one must refine all these letters and holy sparks from within the aspect of the 39 categories of work — which are all the activities of masa umattan, as mentioned above. And the essence of the refinement — the reason we must toil and labor to refine them — is drawn from those Torahs that do not merit ascending to the Shechinah, which are scattered in the air. From these, sometimes the 39 categories of work are produced, in the aspect of “By the sweat of your brow,” etc., as mentioned above. And therefore one must toil in masa umattan and in crafts, and strive and beseech Hashem, blessed be He, that one should merit to perform all the 39 categories of work and all the activities of masa umattan with great holiness — so that one may merit to refine from there all the sparks of the letters of the Torah, mentioned above, that fell there, from which these 39 categories of work were produced, as mentioned above. And it is impossible to refine these holy sparks from within the 39 categories of work except when one connects oneself to the tzaddik of the generation, who is the aspect of Yosef. For Yosef is the ruler, he is the one who provides grain, etc. [Genesis 42:6] — all the sales and acquisitions in the world are all accomplished through the tzaddik of the generation, who is the aspect of Yosef, as mentioned above. As it is written: “And all the earth came to Egypt, to Yosef, to buy” [Genesis 41:57] — for all the earth, meaning all the world who are engaged in masa umattan, in truth all business is to refine refinements, to refine holy sparks from the depths of the klipos. And all of them are in the aspect of those who descend to Egypt, for all the exiles are referred to by the name “Egypt”; see there — for they constrict (meitzrim) Yisrael [Bereishis Rabbah 16]. And the main exile is the exile of the soul — that the Sitra Achra, the nations, do not allow the Jewish soul to return to Hashem and truly cleave to Him. And therefore, one who enters the masa umattan, where the klipos and the Sitra Achra cling and surround the holy sparks within the masa umattan — one who enters there is in the aspect of descending to the Egyptian exile, which includes all exiles — which is the aspect of the exile of the Sitra Achra upon the Jewish soul and the holy sparks attached to it. And then, when the Jewish soul descends into the exile mentioned above — that is, when one engages in masa umattan — one cannot stand there and succeed in accomplishing one’s task completely, to refine the sparks from there and emerge from there in peace, except by connecting oneself then to the true tzaddik of the generation, who is the aspect of Yosef, through whom all the refinements in the world are accomplished. This is the aspect of “And all the earth came to Egypt, to Yosef, to buy” — that all the merchants in the world engaged in masa umattan are all compelled to come to the Egyptian exile where all the sparks are captive in exile, as mentioned above. Therefore they are all compelled to come there in order to elevate the sparks from there. And when they come there to the Egyptian exile, they need to come to Yosef — the aspect of the true tzaddik — to buy and to trade and to make all the acquisitions through him specifically, for through the true tzaddik all the refinements in the world are accomplished, as mentioned above. For in truth, all the life-force of the entire world and its fullness is only from the holy Torah, as is known, as it is written: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” [Genesis 1:1] — “in the beginning” refers to the Torah, which is called “the beginning of wisdom” [Psalms 111:10]. And with it Hashem created the entire world and its fullness, and it is the life-force of all things and all objects in the world. It turns out that in every object in the world, the letters of the holy Torah are clothed, for it is its life-force. And if we all merited to be as we should, in accordance with His good will in truth, and to study Torah for its own sake (lishmah) in truth — then all things would be refined, even all the mundane objects, for they all receive their life-force from the Torah, as mentioned above. But since not every person merits that one’s study ascends to the Shechinah, as mentioned above, and when one’s study does not ascend to the Shechinah, the Torah is scattered, etc., and sometimes the 39 categories of work are produced from it, etc., as mentioned above — therefore one must toil in masa umattan and strive greatly that the masa umattan should be conducted with great holiness, so that perhaps one will merit to refine the sparks — the letters of the Torah clothed in the 39 categories of work, which were produced from the letters of the Torah whose study was not adequate, which was scattered in the air, etc., as mentioned above. And therefore the main refinement and rectification is through the tzaddik of the generation, who is the aspect of Yosef, as mentioned above. For the tzaddik studies Torah for its own sake, and one’s study ascends to the Shechinah, and through one all the abundances in the world are drawn — spiritual abundance and material abundance, etc., as mentioned above. And even when the Torahs of the rest of the world — who do not merit that their study should ascend to the Shechinah, and their study is scattered in the air, as mentioned above — reach the true tzaddik, they become the dew of Torah, the opposite of the 39 categories of work. It turns out that the tzaddik also refines these studies of the rest of the world from the aspect of the 39 categories of work, for with the tzaddik they become the dew of Torah — namely, Torah insights, as mentioned above. And therefore, every person, at the time of one’s study and service, must connect oneself to the true tzaddikim of the generation. For certainly not every person merits that one’s study and service ascends to the Shechinah. And then, when one’s study and service does not ascend to the Shechinah, it is scattered in the air and could reach an unworthy person, and from one’s Torah the aspect of a poison of death could be produced, God forbid — which is the 39 categories of work, the aspect of “By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread,” as mentioned above. Therefore, every person must intend during one’s study and service to connect oneself to the true tzaddikim of the generation. And then one will merit that even though one’s study does not ascend to the Shechinah, at least one’s study will be scattered and arrive at the true tzaddik, who will produce the dew of Torah from it. And then, when the tzaddik produces the dew of Torah — that is, Torah insights — from one’s study, and the tzaddik studies and reveals this Torah that one merited to derive from those Torahs that were scattered in the air, as mentioned above — then it returns and becomes spiritual abundance and material abundance for all beings above and below, as mentioned above. For now it has become the Torah of the true tzaddik, from whose Torah comes spiritual and material abundance, as mentioned above. It turns out that through the true tzaddik, all the studies of the rest of the world — who do not merit that their study should ascend to the Shechinah, as mentioned above — are also refined, for with the tzaddik they become the dew of Torah, the opposite of the 39 categories of work, etc., as mentioned above. And this is: “Happy is the person who has not walked in the counsel of the wicked … but in the Torah of Hashem is his desire, and in His Torah he meditates day and night” [Psalms 1:1–2]. For King David, peace be upon him, opened his book with the praise of those who truly serve Hashem, and he found no quality better for a person than distancing oneself from the counsel of the wicked and drawing near to the tzaddikim. For this is the foundation and the essential principle upon which everything depends — for the main refinement and rectification of every person in the world is through the true tzaddikim. And therefore the main thing is to distance oneself from the counsel of the wicked, etc., who oppose and contend against the true tzaddikim. For certainly not every person merits that one’s study and service ascends to the Shechinah, as mentioned above. For even important and worthy people in truth, and even complete tzaddikim — very few merit that their study ascends to the Shechinah, for this is only achieved by an exceedingly great tzaddik. And therefore, one who is not at such a level of righteousness — if one does not intend to connect one’s study and service to the true tzaddikim, then, God forbid, one’s Torah will be scattered and will reach unworthy people, and from one’s Torah will be produced the 39 categories of work, etc. — where the klipos and Sitra Achra cling, as mentioned above. Therefore one must intend to connect oneself to the tzaddikim of the generation, and then one will merit that one’s Torah will ascend in the aspect of the right, and from one’s Torah will be produced the dew of Torah, as mentioned above. And this is: “Happy is the person who has not walked in the counsel of the wicked … but in the Torah of Hashem is his desire, and in His Torah he meditates day and night.” That is, it is good for a person who distances oneself from the wicked, etc. — rather, the essence of all one’s Torah and service is included in “the Torah of Hashem” — which is the Torah of the true tzaddikim, for all one’s desire and will is toward them, and one connects to them during the time of one’s Torah study and service. And this is “but in the Torah of Hashem is his desire, and in His Torah he meditates” etc. That is, “the Torah of Hashem” refers to the Torah of the true tzaddik, whose every study ascends immediately to the Shechinah, who is included in Him, blessed be He. And therefore one’s Torah and study is literally “the Torah of Hashem.” But the study of the rest of the world that does not ascend to the Shechinah is called “his Torah” — for it does not ascend and become included in Him, blessed be He, immediately, and therefore it is called “his Torah” and not “the Torah of Hashem.” But the main rectification for this is to connect oneself with all one’s desire and will to the true tzaddik whose study is the aspect of “the Torah of Hashem,” as mentioned above — and then one’s Torah will also be rectified, for it will reach the tzaddik and become the dew of Torah. And then the tzaddik will innovate Torah insights through it, and then it will return and become included and ascend to its root, for now it has become the Torah of the true tzaddik, which is literally “the Torah of Hashem,” as mentioned above. And this is “but in the Torah of Hashem is his desire, and in His Torah he meditates day and night” — even though one studies “his Torah” and does not merit that one’s study should ascend to the Shechinah and be called literally “the Torah of Hashem” — nevertheless, “in the Torah of Hashem is his desire,” for all one’s salvation and aspiration and desire is in “the Torah of Hashem,” which is the Torah of the true tzaddik to whom one connects oneself and in whom one is included, as mentioned above. Through this, one’s Torah also returns and is included in “the Torah of Hashem,” for from one’s Torah the dew of Torah is produced by the true tzaddik, as mentioned above. And this is: “And he shall be like a tree planted by streams of water” etc. [Psalms 1:3]. “A tree planted by streams of water” — this is the aspect of the Torah of the true tzaddik that ascends to the Shechinah. For the Torah is called a tree, the aspect of the Tree of Life, as it is written: “It is a tree of life to those who grasp it” etc. [Proverbs 3:18]. And the Shechinah is called “streams of water,” the aspect of “the stream of God is full of water” [Psalms 65:10]. For the Shechinah is the aspect of the sea, into which all the rivers flow, in the aspect of “all the rivers flow to the sea” etc. [Ecclesiastes 1:7], as is known. That is, this person who merits to connect oneself to the tzaddikim of the generation — one’s Torah is considered like a tree planted by streams of water, like the study of the true tzaddik that ascends to the Shechinah — which is called a tree planted by streams of water, as mentioned above — from which is produced spiritual abundance for the upper worlds and material abundance, etc., as mentioned above. And this is “whose fruit it gives in its season” [Psalms 1:3] — this is the aspect of spiritual abundance, which is the primary fruit. For the primary reward of the Torah is for the world that is entirely long [the World to Come], as is known — which is the aspect of spiritual abundance. And this is “whose fruit it gives in its season” — “in its season” specifically, the aspect of “At this time it shall be said to Yaakov and to Yisrael: What has God wrought?” [Numbers 23:23] — which alludes to the fact that the tzaddikim enliven all the angels and all the upper worlds, as our Sages, of blessed memory, learned [Yerushalmi Shabbos ch. 2] from this verse: that in the future, the tzaddikim will have a place within the angels, and the angels will ask Yisrael: “What has God wrought?” As Rabbainu, of blessed memory, cited this teaching elsewhere; see there. And this is the aspect of spiritual abundance — for the main abundance of the angels and the upper worlds that the tzaddik provides them is revealing to them the knowledge of His Godliness, blessed be He — for this is their primary life-force and sustenance — that the tzaddik gives them spiritual abundance through one’s Torah that ascends to the Shechinah, as mentioned above. That is, one reveals to them through one’s Torah the knowledge of Godliness, which is their primary life-force, as mentioned above. And this is “whose fruit it gives in its season” — this is the aspect of spiritual abundance, as mentioned above. “And its leaf does not wither, and all that he does prospers” [Psalms 1:3] — this is the aspect of material abundance that descends to this world from the left aspect of the Torah, which is the aspect of leaves — the aspect of the mundane conversation of a Torah scholar, which is the aspect of the left compared to the body of the Torah. And this is “and all that he does prospers” — the aspect of material action, meaning material abundance — livelihood and wealth — for in all of them the tzaddik, who is the aspect of Yosef, prospers, as mentioned above, in the aspect of “and all that he does, Hashem causes to prosper in his hand” [Genesis 39:3], as mentioned above. For one draws all the abundances — spiritual and material abundance, as mentioned above. And King David, peace be upon him, said that this person who connects oneself to the true tzaddikim and does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, etc., who distance from them, as mentioned above — rather, all one’s desire and will is to be included in them and in their Torah, which is called “the Torah of Hashem,” etc., as mentioned above — then this person is like a tree planted by streams of water, etc. That is, one’s study is actually considered like the Torah of the true tzaddik, which is called a tree planted, etc. — “whose fruit,” etc. — for one also merits to be included in him through the connection to him. Through this, one’s Torah comes to the tzaddik and becomes the dew of Torah — namely, the tzaddik’s Torah insights. It turns out that one’s Torah returns and becomes the Torah of the true tzaddik, which is “the Torah of Hashem” — which is the aspect of a tree planted, etc. — for from it flows spiritual and material abundance, etc., as mentioned above. And [David] concluded: “Not so the wicked — but they are like chaff that the wind drives away” [Psalms 1:4]. For their Torah is scattered in the air literally like chaff that the wind drives away, for the cold wind — the aspect of all the gardinai nimusin mentioned above — strikes against it, and from it is produced the 39 categories of work, which are the opposite of the dew (ta“l) of Torah, as mentioned above. And the 39 categories of work are the aspect of chaff and straw, which are the refuse — the aspect of the husk that precedes the fruit — which is why all the toil of all the 39 categories of work exists: to refine the wheat — the 22 letters of the Torah — from the chaff and straw, which are the refuse, the aspect of the 39 curses, as is known — which are the aspect of “By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread,” etc. That is, for the wicked who are not connected to the tzaddik, from their Torah that is scattered in the air is produced the 39 categories of work, which is the aspect of chaff that the wind drives away, as mentioned above. And this is [Genesis 44:18]: “And Yehudah approached him and said: Please, my lord, let your servant speak a word in the ears of my lord, and let not your anger burn against your servant, for you are like Pharaoh.” Yehudah — this is the aspect of the collective of Yisrael, who are all called Yehudim [Jews] after Yehudah. Yosef is the tzaddik of the generation, as mentioned above. And this is “And Yehudah approached him” — that Yisrael beseech the tzaddik, the aspect of Yosef, that all the Torah they will study — even though they do not merit that their Torah should ascend to the Shechinah — at least their Torah should ascend and reach the tzaddik, and then it will be considered as if their Torah ascended to the Shechinah itself. And this is “Let your servant speak a word in the ears of my lord.” And Rashi explains: “Let my words enter your ears.” That Yehudah — the aspect of the collective of Yisrael — beseeches that the words of their Torah should enter the ears of the tzaddik, so that from their Torah should be produced the dew of Torah and not the opposite, God forbid — which is the 39 categories of work, which are the aspect of the left, the aspect of “By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread” — which are the aspect of burning anger, the severity of judgment, the aspect of the 39 curses, as mentioned above. And this is “let not your anger (apecha) burn against your servant” — that from the Torah should not be produced, God forbid, the aspect of burning anger, the aspect of “the sweat of your brow (apecha),” etc., the aspect of the 39 categories of work, as mentioned above. Rather, may we merit that our study should ascend to the true tzaddik, and then the dew of Torah — Torah insights — will be produced from it, and then the study will return and ascend to the Shechinah and become included in Him, blessed be He. For now it has become the Torah of the true tzaddik, which is literally “the Torah of Hashem,” as mentioned above. And this is “for you are like Pharaoh” — that Yehudah — Yisrael — gives the tzaddik the honor of the malchus [sovereignty], as is explained there. That is, they accept the tzaddik as king over them, in order that all their Torah and service should be included in him and ascend through him to the Shechinah, as mentioned above. For the essential cause of all the sparks falling into the place of the klipos was through the aspect of machlokes [dispute/conflict] drawn from self-aggrandizement — the aspect of “I shall reign” [Zohar] — from which came the essential shevirah [shattering] and the falling of the sparks, as is known. For the machlokes came because each spark wanted to be the greatest, wanting the aspect of “I shall reign.” And afterwards as well, the essential falling of the sparks — namely, that the klipos continue to draw sustenance from holiness — is all through machlokes. For the main sustenance of the klipos is from machlokes — which is the opposite of peace, the opposite of the Shechinah, which is called “peace,” as is known. For there — at the Shechinah, which is the aspect of peace — is where all the study and service must ascend, as mentioned above. And the machlokes, which is drawn from “I shall reign” — that is, there is one who wants to aggrandize himself and make himself great, claiming that he is the tzaddik of the generation — this is the very opposite of the Shechinah, which is the aspect of peace, the aspect of the true tzaddik, which is the aspect of Yosef who is the aspect of the Shechinah, as mentioned above — for to the Shechinah, to the true tzaddik, everything must ascend, as mentioned above. And when one grasps a different tzaddik — that is, one who is not truly worthy of being the tzaddik of the generation, the aspect of Yosef mentioned above, but only claims so — then one’s study, since it does not ascend to the Shechinah through the true tzaddik, is scattered in the air, and the 39 categories of work are produced from it, etc., as mentioned above. And since these 39 categories of work were produced from this machlokes, it turns out that the sparks that fell into the 39 categories of work — their falling was all because of the machlokes, as mentioned above. And this itself is the concept of the halachos of buying and selling and all the modes of acquisition. For through commerce one performs refinements from the haichlei hatmuros [chambers of exchange]. This is the entire matter of commerce — it exists solely because sparks fell into the haichlei hatmuros, through which the abundances and objects became exchanged. In all of them there are holy sparks, and items belonging to one person’s soul-portion of nefesh, ruach, neshamah are in another person’s hands, and the other’s are in one’s hands, and so on — innumerable exchanges and substitutions. Because of this, one must engage in commerce. The essential commerce is exchange — this person has this item and that person has another item, and they exchange and buy from one another. Through this, the sparks are re-exchanged and the sparks leave the haichlei hatmuros, as the item passes from this one to that one and from that one to this one, until each spark returns to its place and root — which is its essential rectification and refinement. For as long as the sparks are not in their place, but one person’s are in another’s hands, as mentioned above, the chitzonim [external forces] have a hold on them, since the primary hold of the chitzonim is from the aspect of the haichlei hatmuros, as mentioned above. But when they are re-exchanged and return to their owners and their root, that is their rectification. This is the aspect of the refinement accomplished through all commerce, as is brought. For all commerce is exchange, as mentioned above, through which the sparks are re-exchanged and the sparks leave the haichlei hatmuros — since the item returned from this one to that one and from that one to this one, until it returned to the person it properly belongs to, according to the sparks within that item that specifically belong to that person’s soul, as mentioned above. And the essential refinement is through the tzaddik of the generation, the aspect of Yosef. For the essential refinement of commerce is to refine commerce from the 39 categories of work, as mentioned above. And therefore, through the tzaddik of the generation, all the commerce in the world is rectified, for one refines and elevates the holy sparks from within the 39 categories of work through which all the activities of commerce came into being, as mentioned above. And therefore all modes of acquisition are derived from the tzaddik of the generation, the aspect of Yosef, who is the main one through whom all the refinements of commerce are accomplished, as mentioned above. And conversely, one who is distant from the tzaddik — all the more so when one disputes him, God forbid — then “in the way a person wants to go, one is led.” Then one’s study, when scattered in the air, reaches unworthy people and is transformed into the 39 categories of work, etc., as mentioned above. This is the aspect of the blemish of the Shevatim [Tribes] who disputed Yosef until they sold him for silver. For Yosef was then the tzaddik of the generation, and they all needed to receive from him, and all their service and study needed to come to him and ascend through him. Even though they were all very great tzaddikim, the essential one was Yosef the tzaddik — the aspect of the point of truth among the tzaddikim — to whom Yaakov transmitted everything, as Rashi explains on the verse: “And Yisrael loved Yosef more than all his sons, for he was the son of his old age” [Genesis 37:3]. The true tzaddik, who is the aspect of Yosef, has compassion on the generation — the aspect of the totality of the Tribes — and constantly tells them his dreams and his words, so that they should merit to connect themselves to him. He alerts them that they all need to connect themselves to him, for the entire ascent of their Torah and service is through him. This is the aspect of the dream he told them: that he saw “we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, your sheaves surrounded and bowed to my sheaf” [Genesis 37:7]. That is, he saw that they were all engaged in their service, performing unifications and binding connections — level to level and world to world — which is the aspect of “binding sheaves” — which are bonds and bundles, the aspect of holy unifications and connections made in the upper worlds through the service of the true tzaddikim. “And behold, your sheaves surrounded and bowed to my sheaf” — all their service needed to come to the true tzaddik and be encompassed within him, for the essential purpose of all the connections and unifications is to elevate everything to the Shechinah, which is accomplished only through the true tzaddik, the aspect of Yosef, as mentioned above. But they did not want to believe in this and said: “Shall you indeed reign over us? Shall you indeed rule over us? And they hated him even more on account of his dreams and his words” [Genesis 37:8]. For they say that whatever the true tzaddik reveals — his Torah, his innovations, and his perceptions — to the Children of Yisrael, his intention is, God forbid, for self-aggrandizement, to reign and rule over them. They dispute him and pursue him with every kind of persecution — just as the brothers of Yosef wanted to kill him and cast him into a pit. Even those who somewhat sided with him and had mercy on him proposed to sell him for twenty pieces of silver. That is, they sell the tzaddik and conceal him from the world for the sake of money — for the craving of wealth. For when one blemishes the true tzaddik, one’s study no longer ascends to the tzaddik, and then the 39 categories of work are produced from one’s study, as mentioned above — the aspect of “By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread” — which is the aspect of the craving for wealth. It turns out that through blemishing the tzaddik, one falls into the craving for wealth, as is explained elsewhere in the Torah “Tzavisa tzedek” [Likutay Moharan I:23]. This is the aspect of selling Yosef for silver — for one falls into the craving for wealth by blemishing the honor of the tzaddik, as mentioned above. This is the aspect of all the modes of acquisition, and the primary one is kinyan sudar. For through commerce one performs refinements from the haichlei hatmuros [chambers of exchange]. This is the entire matter of commerce — it exists solely because sparks fell into the haichlei hatmuros, through which the abundances and objects became exchanged. In all of them there are holy sparks, and items belonging to one person’s soul-portion are in another person’s hands, and the other’s are in one’s hands — innumerable exchanges and substitutions. Because of this, one must engage in commerce. The essential commerce is exchange, as mentioned above, through which the sparks leave the haichlei hatmuros and return to their root — which is their essential rectification and refinement. And the essential refinement is through the tzaddik of the generation, the aspect of Yosef. For the essential refinement of commerce is to refine commerce from the 39 categories of work, which are drawn from the Torahs of those who dispute the true tzaddik, which are scattered in the air and transformed into the 39 categories of work, as mentioned above. The text is incomplete here — chaseir. Blessed be Hashem forever, Amen and Amen. Based on Likutay Moharan I, Torah 266. Based on the Torah beginning “And for his cattle he made sukkos” [Likutay Moharan I:266]; see there. And the general principle: that through blemishing the mitzvah of sukkah, one falls from the shefa [influx/abundance] of adam [man] — which is from the place of binah [understanding], the aspect of the sukkah, which is the aspect of “Ima [the Mother] who shelters over her children,” the aspect of “if you call to binah” [Proverbs 2:3] — and then one falls to the shefa of behemah [animal] and draws the vitality and sustenance of the animals. Through this, one causes the animals to die before their time, since one has taken their sustenance, etc.; see there. And this is the aspect of “and for his cattle he made sukkos,” for the sukkah is for the sake of one’s cattle, as mentioned above. Also, those who engage in building — it harms them if they do not build the house with wisdom, etc. But through the sukkah, which is the aspect of intellect and knowledge, the aspect of “if you call to binah,” through this one can build a house, in the aspect of “Through wisdom a house is built” [Proverbs 24:3], etc. And this is the aspect of “And Yaakov traveled to Sukkos and built himself a house” [Genesis 33:17], as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of Shavuos, etc., for the Torah emerges from the aspect of sukkah, etc. And therefore immediately after Sukkos comes Simchas Torah, etc. — for through entering the sukkah they themselves become the aspect of Torah, etc. And then the Torah begins, which is “Bereishis” [“In the beginning”] — the aspect of bayis [house], that is, the letter beis of “Bereishis,” etc.; see there. This is the aspect of the rectification of the sin of Adam HaRishon. For it is known that during these holy days — the days of Tishrei — we must rectify the sin of Adam HaRishon, who ate from the Tree of Knowledge on the day he was created, which is Rosh HaShanah. And we must, every year, in every generation, rectify this sin. We are engaged in this rectification from Rosh HaShanah until Shemini Atzeres, as is explained in the writings of the Arizal. For Adam HaRishon, through eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, fell from the shefa of adam to the shefa of behemah. For the defining characteristic of man is daas [knowledge/awareness], and he blemished the daas by eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and was drawn after the animalistic desires, which are the aspect of the evil within the Tree of Knowledge. Through this he fell from the shefa of adam to the shefa of behemah, as it is written: “And you shall eat the grass of the field” [Genesis 3:18] — which is animal food, as our Sages said: that Adam HaRishon said, “Shall I and my donkey eat from the same trough?” Only that Hashem, blessed be He, had compassion on him even then, and immediately told him: “By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread” [Genesis 3:19]. As our Sages said [Avos d’Rabbi Nassan, ch. 1]: When the Holy One, blessed be He, told Adam HaRishon, “And you shall eat the grass of the field,” he trembled and said, “Shall I and my donkey eat from the same trough?!” Once he heard “By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread,” his mind was settled. That is, through his sin he caused himself to fall to the shefa of behemah, as mentioned above — this is the aspect of “you shall eat the grass of the field,” the aspect of “I and my donkey at the same trough.” Only that Hashem, blessed be He, even while cursing him, had compassion on him and hinted to him that it is within his power to rectify the blemish, and immediately told him: “By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread.” That is: it is possible for you to return and draw the shefa of adam, which is the aspect of lechem [bread]. But it will come to you through great toil and exertion, in the aspect of “by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread.” For because of the sin, one must toil and exert oneself greatly until one refines the shefa from the aspect of shefa of behemah to the shefa of adam. This is the aspect of how all the grain falls into chaff and straw, which are the aspect of the klipos [husks] that cover the fruit — which are the aspect of the shefa of behemah, for chaff and straw are animal food, as are bran and coarse bran. And within them precisely the wheat is clothed — the wheat being human food. A person needs great toil and exertion before refining the wheat — which is human food, the aspect of shefa of adam — from the aspect of shefa of behemah, which is the chaff, straw, bran, and coarse bran. And all of this is because Adam HaRishon blemished and fell to the shefa of behemah. According to his sin, he deserved to draw sustenance only from the shefa of behemah; only through Hashem’s mercy was it placed in his power to refine the shefa of adam from the shefa of behemah. This is the aspect of the power a person has to refine food from chaff, straw, and all the other husks and waste that cover it — all of which are drawn from the blemish that one fell to the shefa of behemah. But this requires great exertion, in the aspect of “by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread,” as mentioned above. And just as it is in the physical realm, so it is in the spiritual: one must do teshuvah and many rectifications, each person according to the blemishes one has caused by being drawn after the sin of Adam HaRishon, engaging in teshuvah and rectification before refining one’s sustenance from the aspect of shefa of behemah to the shefa of adam. And we are engaged in this rectification especially from Rosh HaShanah until the end of Sukkos, which is Shemini Atzeres, for then we are engaged in rectifying the sin of Adam HaRishon (as is brought in the writings of the Arizal) who blemished in this way, as mentioned above. And through the great rectification that all Yisrael accomplish during the Ten Days of Teshuvah, from Rosh HaShanah until Yom HaKippurim, until their sins — which are the aspect of the sin of Adam HaRishon — are forgiven, through this Hashem, blessed be He, shows His great love toward us and brings us into the holy and awesome sukkah, which is the aspect of “Ima who shelters over her children,” the aspect of “if you call to binah,” which is the aspect of the shefa of adam, as explained in the Torah mentioned above. That is, through this He shows us that our sins have already been forgiven and we have already rectified the blemish of Adam HaRishon, who through his sin fell to the shefa of behemah — for now we are sitting in the holy sukkah, from which the shefa of adam is drawn — the shefa of binah and daas — to know and recognize our Creator and Fashioner, blessed be His Name, through this sustenance. This is the essential daas that is drawn through the holy sukkah, and this is the essential defining characteristic of man. Therefore the primary mitzvah of sukkah is eating, drinking, and sleeping, and one recites the blessing only at the time of eating. For the essential aspect of the sukkah is to draw the vitality and shefa of adam, which is drawn through eating in the sukkah — which is the vitality of the human being. For this reason, all the early tzaddikim, who are the patriarchs of the world, were shepherds of animals. For they were engaged in rectifying the sin of Adam HaRishon, as is known. Therefore they were shepherds of animals, in order to restore the pasture and shefa to the animals — to rectify what Adam HaRishon had blemished by falling to the shefa of behemah and drawing the shefa of behemah to himself, thereby causing the death of animals before their time. And now they rectify this by shepherding animals and restoring the shefa of the animals to the animals. And so it is understood from the words of Rabbainu, of blessed memory, elsewhere [Likutay Moharan II:63], that the essential intention in shepherding animals was to refine the spirit of man from the spirit of animal, in the aspect of “Who knows the spirit of man…” [Ecclesiastes 3:21]; see there. That is, to refine the shefa of adam from the shefa of behemah — for they purified themselves of all animalistic desires and restored the sustenance of the animals to its proper place. Through this they drew for themselves only the shefa of adam, pure and clean, without the waste that is the aspect of chaff and straw, as is known; understand this. Therefore the great tzaddikim are called “shepherds,” in the aspect of the shivah ro’im [Seven Shepherds] — because they restored the shefa and pasture of the animals to the animals, and took nothing for themselves from the shefa of behemah, for they purified themselves completely from animalistic desires and merited the shefa of adam, as mentioned above. Therefore all the Seven Shepherds enter the sukkah, for the sukkah is the aspect of the shefa of adam — this being the rectification drawn through the Seven Shepherds, as mentioned above. And the essential completion of the rectification of all the Seven Shepherds is through Dovid HaMelech, peace be upon him, who is the seventh — for he completed and will complete the rectification in fullness, through Mashiach Tzidkainu, who is Dovid himself. Therefore the sukkah is called by his name — the aspect of Sukkas Dovid [the Booth of David]. For Dovid is the King of Yisrael, and the essential shefa is drawn through the king, as is explained in the words of Rabbainu, of blessed memory. Therefore the king of Yisrael must be especially careful not to fall, God forbid, to the shefa of behemah, for upon him depends the sustenance of all Yisrael. Therefore he must engage in this especially — to refine the shefa from behemah to adam. And this is what is written regarding Dovid: “From behind the nursing ewes He brought him, to shepherd Yaakov His people” [Psalms 78:71]. That is, precisely through having been a shepherd of animals he merited to become the shepherd of Yisrael — “to shepherd Yaakov His people.” As our Sages said: he was diligent and watchful over the animals, as is brought in Rashi’s commentary — that he would send out the young kids first and feed them the tender tips of the grass, etc., then the older goats, and then the aged ones, etc. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: “This one is fit to shepherd My people!” At first glance, it is puzzling that through shepherding animals one should merit kingship. And regarding Dovid himself, it is puzzling why he engaged in this — did he not have mitzvos and acts of kindness of greater importance to engage in? He could have engaged in supporting the poor and the like, which is certainly a greater mitzvah — to have compassion on them — than to engage in shepherding animals and having compassion on them! But in truth, his essential intention in this was in order to rectify the sin of Adam HaRishon, for he needed to engage in this especially, as is known. Therefore he was compelled to engage in shepherding animals and to have compassion on them and to watch over them well — in order to restore and rectify what Adam HaRishon had blemished. That is, to restore the sustenance of the animals to its place, and to restore to each individual animal its proper sustenance, so that the animals would receive their sustenance and vitality as is fitting for each one, so that he could return to his elevated status and draw and receive the shefa of adam, as mentioned above. Therefore it was precisely through this that he merited kingship — “to shepherd Yaakov His people” — for the king must draw the shefa to all his people. Therefore it is impossible for him to be king unless he merits to draw the shefa of adam and is clean and pure from the shefa of behemah — which he merited through shepherding animals, as mentioned above. And in this you will see wonders: for this reason Nevuchadnetzar the wicked, who is the opposite of Dovid HaMelech, peace be upon him — for this one built the Beis HaMikdash [Holy Temple] and settled Yisrael upon their land, while that one destroyed it and exiled them from their land — therefore Hashem, blessed be He, punished him with a strange and terrifying punishment that has never been heard of: he was turned into an animal for seven years. For so it was fitting and appropriate for him, since he is the wicked kingdom that first overpowered Yisrael — who are the aspect of the kingdom of Dovid, whose sustenance is from the shefa of adam — for Yisrael are called adam, etc. Therefore he became an actual animal, for because he blemished the holy kingdom, the kingdom of Dovid, so greatly — for he was the first to destroy the Beis HaMikdash, which is the House of Dovid, etc. — which is the aspect of the shefa of adam, as mentioned above — because of this, through his wickedness, he stood against them so greatly; therefore he fell to the shefa of behemah so greatly until he became an actual animal for seven years. And he was an animal for specifically seven years, corresponding to the Seven Shepherds whom he blemished. For they all engaged in drawing the shefa of adam, which is the aspect of the kingdom of Yisrael, the kingdom of Dovid, as mentioned above. And he blemished this so greatly; therefore he fell to the shefa of behemah so greatly until he became an actual animal for seven years, as mentioned above. And the ways of Hashem are just, for He returned his deeds upon his head and showed him what he had blemished, as mentioned above. This is the aspect of “On that day I will raise up the Sukkas Dovid that has fallen” [Amos 9:11], and adjacent to it: “Behold, days are coming when the plowman shall overtake the reaper… and the mountains shall drip sweet wine” [Amos 9:13]. For Sukkas Dovid is the aspect of the shefa of adam, and then blessing and great abundance is drawn, and the grain and all the fruits are blessed, in the aspect of “the plowman shall overtake the reaper… and the mountains shall drip sweet wine.” For the essential obstruction of blessing is from the sin of Adam HaRishon, through which the earth was cursed on his account — which was caused by falling to the shefa of behemah, in the aspect of “you shall eat the grass of the field,” etc., as mentioned above. Therefore, through raising the Sukkas Dovid — which is the aspect of the rectification for this, the aspect of the shefa of adam, as mentioned above — through this, great blessing and abundance will be drawn to all the grain and fruits. Therefore, everywhere that it consoles Yisrael regarding the final redemption, it mentions each time the great abundance that will exist then: “The vine shall give its fruit,” etc. For the essential redemption — the aspect of the kingdom of Dovid, Mashiach — is through the aspect of sukkah, the aspect of Sukkas Dovid. That is, to restore and refine the shefa from behemah to adam, through which the curse that Adam HaRishon caused is annulled, and great blessing is drawn to all the grain and fruits, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of “In the future, the Land of Yisrael will produce baked loaves” [Shabbos 30b] — for the shefa of adam will be drawn refined, without chaff, straw, or waste, as mentioned above. This is the aspect of why Sukkos is called Chag Ha’Asif [the Festival of Ingathering], as it is written: “And the Festival of Ingathering you shall make for yourself, when you gather in your produce from the field” [Exodus 34:22]. For all the days of summer the grain lies in the field, and the field is the place of animals and beasts. As long as the grain is in the field, it has not yet been refined from the shefa of behemah to the shefa of adam, for it is still clothed in chaff, straw, bran, and coarse bran, etc. The essential refinement is when one gathers it from the field into the house, for in the house one refines it from all the waste until one makes from it bread for human consumption — the aspect of the shefa of adam. Therefore, at the time of the ingathering, the holy Torah commanded us to enter the sukkah, in order to merit the shefa of adam that is drawn from the sukkah. For then is the time for this, because then is the time of ingathering, when one gathers the grain from the field into the house — which is the aspect of refinement from the shefa of behemah to the shefa of adam. Therefore one needs the mitzvah of sukkah then, for specifically through the mitzvah of sukkah one has the power to refine the shefa from behemah to adam, as mentioned above. This is the aspect of why the essential sukkah is made from p’soles goren v’yekev [the waste of the threshing floor and winepress], as our Sages said on the verse “when you gather in,” etc.: “Scripture speaks of the waste of the threshing floor and winepress.” For through this one rectifies what Adam HaRishon — or any person through his sins — corrupted by falling to the shefa of behemah through being drawn after animalistic desires. For now one lifts and elevates the shefa of behemah — which is the aspect of the waste of the threshing floor and winepress — and makes from it specifically a sukkah. Through this precisely, “Ima shelters over her children,” and one merits the shefa of adam. It turns out that with the very thing one corrupted, one is rectified — for so it must be in the rectification of everything: to rectify with the very thing one corrupted. And this is the aspect of all the korbanos [sacrifices] — that when a person sins, one brings an animal as a korban. At first glance, this is puzzling. But according to the above, it is well explained: for through one’s sin, having been drawn after animalistic desires, one fell to the shefa of behemah and thereby caused the death of animals before their time, since one took their sustenance. Therefore one must bring an animal as a korban. And in slaughtering and putting to death the animal for the sake of a korban, one rectifies what one blemished — having taken the shefa of behemah and drained its vitality until it was fit to die before its time. For now one puts it to death through the slaughter for a korban and elevates it as a pleasing fragrance to Hashem — which is a great rectification for the animal, for now one restores the vitality and shefa of the animal to a level far greater than before, since it has ascended as a korban. It turns out that through the korban of an animal, one rectifies what one blemished regarding the shefa and vitality of animals. Therefore the korbanos atone for all sins, which are the aspect of the blemish of the sin of Adam HaRishon, who fell to the shefa of behemah and took their vitality, etc., as mentioned above. (For even though Rabbainu, of blessed memory, wrote the essential matter of this teaching regarding the mitzvah of sukkah — that through this one causes the death of animals, etc. — that is, the essential blemish depends on the mitzvah of sukkah, as is explained there. But certainly through every sin and transgression one also causes this, for through every sin one blemishes the mitzvah of sukkah, from which the Torah emerges — that is, one blemishes the daas, for a person does not commit a sin unless a spirit of folly enters into him. And through this one falls to the shefa of behemah, God forbid, etc., commensurate with the blemish. And there is more to say about this, and it will be explained elsewhere, God willing.) Therefore, on Sukkos, more korbanos are offered than at any other time of the entire year. For then one needs to elevate and rectify the shefa of behemah and restore and draw the shefa of adam, as mentioned above — which one merits through korbanos, as mentioned above. Therefore, on Sukkos, seventy bulls are offered, corresponding to the seventy nations. For the nations of the world are called behemos [animals], and Yisrael are called adam. As our Sages said: “You are called adam” [Yevamos 61a], etc. The essential shefa descends only for the sake of Yisrael, who are called adam. For everything was created and sustained and given abundance for the sake of the adam — which is Yisrael. And when the adam — the person of Yisrael — falls from the shefa of adam to the shefa of behemah and draws the shefa of behemah and diminishes their sustenance, as mentioned above, then one draws from the shefa of the nations, who are called behemah. And this is the aspect of “So shall the children of Yisrael eat their bread impure among the nations” [Yechezkel 4:13] — for when they are in exile among the nations, they eat their bread impure; that is, their sustenance is the aspect of impure bread, which is the shefa of the behemos, from which all the animalistic desires derive, as mentioned above. And from this is the essential prolongation of the exile. For when Yisrael fall from the shefa of adam and draw from the shefa of behemah, God forbid — which is the shefa of the nations — then the nations, the aspect of behemos, have no shefa or vitality, to the point that it could cause their death before their time, as mentioned above. Then sometimes the behemos, the aspect of the nations, overpower and draw from the shefa of adam, the aspect of Yisrael. As it is written: “And when Yisrael would sow, Midyan and Amalek would come” [Judges 6:3], etc. And from this comes the overpowering of wild animals and beasts to cause harm, God forbid, as it is written: “And the teeth of beasts I will send against them” [Deuteronomy 32:24], etc. For when the adam receives the essential shefa — that is, the shefa of adam — and he draws the shefa to the behemos, which are the aspect of the nations, then he rules over them. But conversely, when he falls to their sustenance, the shefa of behemah, God forbid, then they rule over him, God forbid. As it is written: “And have dominion over the fish of the sea and over every living creature” [Genesis 1:28]. And Rashi explains: if one merits — one rules over them; if one does not merit — one becomes subordinate before them. That is, as mentioned above. And in truth, when the behemos, the aspect of the nations, overpower and consume the shefa of adam, which is Yisrael, it harms them greatly, and from this itself they are consumed and die — for the food of adam harms behemah, as is seen through the senses. And likewise, the food and shefa of Yisrael harms the nations, in the aspect of “a time when man rules over man to his detriment” [Ecclesiastes 8:9]. Only temporarily do they have dominion over Yisrael, because they take the shefa of adam, which is Yisrael, and rule over them — since Yisrael blemished and fell to the shefa of behemah, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of “And it shall be, when you are aggrieved, you shall break his yoke from upon your neck” [Genesis 27:40]. This verse, “and it shall be, when you are aggrieved” [v’hayah ka’asher tarid], has no straightforward explanation, and Rashi himself struggles greatly with its interpretation; see there. But now it is explained according to its plain sense: “and it shall be, when you are aggrieved” [tarid] — that is, when you descend from your shefa. That is, when Yisrael fall to the shefa of behemah, which is the shefa of Eisav, as mentioned above — and then the behemah, the aspect of Eisav, descends from its own shefa, for it has no shefa since the adam, the aspect of Yisrael, has taken its sustenance — then “you shall break his yoke from upon your neck.” That is, you will cast off the yoke of the adam — Yisrael — who rules over you always, for you will overpower him and take his shefa. For since the adam, Yisrael, changed the order and fell to the shefa of behemah, and the behemah has no shefa, the behemah is forced to descend to an even lower level of shefa — according to the order of creation, in which the animal is lower than man and under man’s dominion — and since man descended to its level of sustenance, it must descend further. And this is the aspect of “when you are aggrieved” — tarid literally — that his sins cause you to descend from your sustenance, as mentioned above. Then “you shall break his yoke from upon your neck” — that you will also change the order and take his sustenance and rule over him. But this is only temporary, during the time of the overpowering of the exile — when they take the essential shefa and Yisrael are sustained from the leftovers, as is stated in the holy Zohar. But it cannot remain this way, for it is impossible to change the order of creation permanently. For Yisrael will return to their dominion and take their sustenance — the shefa of adam — and the animals and nations who draw from the shefa of adam will be greatly harmed by it, for the shefa of adam harms behemah, as mentioned above. And even now, during the exile, each person of Yisrael, to the degree that one merits to fulfill the mitzvah of sukkah in completeness — so one merits even during the exile the shefa of adam. For the sukkah protects and shelters over one, and from there the shefa of adam is drawn, which is drawn from the place of binah, which is the aspect of sukkah, as mentioned above. Therefore, on Sukkos, seventy bulls are offered corresponding to the seventy nations. For now, through the mitzvah of sukkah, we restore to the seventy nations — who are the aspect of behemos — their sustenance. For now we return to the shefa of adam through the mitzvah of sukkah, as mentioned above, and then the shefa of the animals returns to the animals. And then the animals, which are the aspect of the nations, are sustained, for we restore to them their sustenance. And this is the aspect of what our Sages said: that the bulls diminish progressively, like the festival offerings of the Chag [Sukkah 55b]. That is, their greatness and dominion diminishes through this. For all their dominion was because Yisrael fell to the shefa of behemah, through which they overpowered and changed the order and drew from the shefa of adam, as mentioned above. But now Yisrael returns to their sustenance — the shefa of adam — and they return to their sustenance, that of behemos. And then the adam, the aspect of Yisrael, rules over the behemos, the aspect of the nations. But even so, it is to their benefit, for through this they are sustained. For when they drew from the shefa of adam — even though they ruled through it — it was to their detriment, for the shefa of adam harms behemah, as mentioned above. But now, on Sukkos, when the behemos — the nations — return to their own sustenance, then they have endurance, as mentioned above. Therefore the final redemption is called by the name Sukkas Dovid, as it is written: “On that day I will raise up the Sukkas Dovid that has fallen,” etc. For the essential redemption — to annul the dominion of the nations and to restore Yisrael to their dominion — is through the aspect of sukkah, for through this one merits the shefa and vitality of adam, which is the aspect of Yisrael, as mentioned above. This is the aspect of why a transaction is not finalized through words alone, but through an act of acquisition. For all commerce and all business is for the purpose of refining the nitzozos that fell through the sin of Adam HaRishon, as is known. For through his sin, when it was decreed upon him “you shall eat the grass of the field; by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread,” great exertion is needed before one draws the shefa and sustenance. The essential exertion is before one refines the shefa and sustenance from the aspect of shefa of behemah to the shefa of adam. This is the aspect of “you shall eat the grass of the field; by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread” — that you need great exertion, “by the sweat of your brow,” before you refine the shefa from the aspect of “grass of the field” — the shefa of behemah — to the aspect of “bread” — the shefa of adam, as explained above. This is the aspect of all commerce: they are all refinements that refine the nitzozos from the sin of Adam HaRishon and elevate them from the shefa of behemah to the shefa of adam. For the distinction between adam and behemah is essentially the daas. And whenever something is not in its proper place and is in exile, it is in the aspect of the absence of daas, as is brought in the words of Rabbainu, of blessed memory, elsewhere [Likutay Moharan II:10], where he cites the teaching of our Sages: “Go to Ammon and Moav whose minds are settled,” as it says: “Moav has been at ease since his youth” [Jeremiah 48:11]. Therefore all the fallen nitzozos, before they are refined and return to their place, are in the aspect of the absence of daas — because they are in exile and not in their place. And then they are in the aspect of the shefa of behemah, which is the absence of daas. This is the aspect of all commerce and business: the goods and merchandise must pass and travel from one person to another, and from this one to that one, until they return to their proper place. Through this precisely, the shefa and sustenance are drawn to the person. For each time the item passes from one domain to another, the nitzozos are refined and ascend from their exile and draw closer to their place. Through this they are refined and ascend each time from the shefa of behemah to the shefa of adam, as mentioned above. Therefore a transaction is not finalized through words alone, but through an act of acquisition. And all acquisitions are performed with the hands — such as meshichah [pulling], hagbahah [lifting], etc. For it is impossible to elevate the nitzozos to their place, to the shefa of adam, except through the aspect of sukkah, as mentioned above — which is the aspect of yadayim [hands], in the aspect of “and in the shadow of My hand I have sheltered you” [Isaiah 51:16], which is the aspect of sukkah, as is known. For the hands are the vessels of the shefa of adam, which is in the place of binah — the aspect of the heart, as mentioned above — for the hands are close to the heart, as is known through the senses. And this is the aspect of “Let us lift our hearts to our palms” [Lamentations 3:41], etc. For it is impossible to draw the shefa of adam except through the hands, which are the aspect of sukkah — and not through speech alone. For adam was created by the Hand, and everything else was created through an utterance, as Rashi explains on the verse “And God created the man in His image” [Genesis 1:27]: everything was created through an utterance, but he was created by the Hand, as it says: “And You placed Your palm upon me” [Psalms 139:5]. That is, as mentioned above: for the adam must be nourished and sustained from the shefa of adam, which is drawn from the aspect of sukkah — the aspect of binah, the heart — which is the aspect of hands, the aspect of “let us lift our hearts to our palms,” the aspect of “You placed Your palm upon me,” which is the aspect of “and I have sheltered with My palm upon you” [Exodus 33:22] — “v’sakosi” being the aspect of sukkah. That is, as mentioned above. Therefore the transaction — which is to refine from the shefa of behemah to the shefa of adam — is not finalized through words, for then it is still in the aspect of the shefa of behemah, since everything was created through an utterance. Rather, it is finalized through the hands — and then it is refined to the shefa of adam, who was created by the Hand, which is the aspect of sukkah — the aspect of “You placed Your palm upon me,” the aspect of “and I have sheltered with My palm,” etc., as mentioned above. This is the aspect of kinyan sudar [acquisition through a garment], which effects acquisition in all matters. For garments are the aspect of sukkah, which is the aspect of the Ananai Kavod [Clouds of Glory] — which are the aspect of garments, in the aspect of “when I made the cloud its garment” [Job 38:9], as is brought in his words, of blessed memory. Therefore, one’s courtyard and house effect acquisition for a person regarding all acquisitions, as our Sages said: “A person’s courtyard acquires for him,” etc. For the essential building of a house is through the aspect of sukkah, in the aspect of “And Yaakov traveled to Sukkos and built” [Genesis 33:17], etc., as mentioned above. For this is the essential aspect of sukkah: that it is at the time of asif [ingathering], at the time when one gathers the grain — the shefa — from the field into the house, which is the aspect of elevating and refining it from behemah to adam, as explained above. Therefore a person’s house and courtyard effect acquisition regarding all acquisitions in the world. For the essential purpose of all acquisitions is through refining the shefa from behemah to adam, which is accomplished through the aspect of sukkah, from which the essential building of the house derives, as mentioned above. Therefore all wealth and shefa is named for the house, as it is written: “The wealth of his house” [Psalms 49:17], etc. For the essential shefa is when it enters the house, which derives from the aspect of sukkah, from which the shefa of adam flows — the essential shefa of holiness, as mentioned above. This is the aspect of matnos kehunah [the priestly gifts]: one must give from everything gifts to the kohein [priest]. For the kohanim are sanctified with the holiness of their father Aharon, and from Aharon HaKohein derives the essential holiness of the sukkah — the aspect of the Ananai Kavod, which existed in the merit of Aharon, as our Sages said. Therefore, whatever Hashem, blessed be He, bestows upon a person, one must give from it gifts to the kohein — in order to rectify and refine the shefa through this from the shefa of behemah to the shefa of adam, which one merits through the aspect of sukkah, Ananai Kavod, which are the aspect of Aharon HaKohein, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the great mitzvah of tzedakah [charity] — for through tzedakah one becomes of the status of adam, in the aspect of “Let us make man” [Genesis 1:26]; and it is written: “And the name of the man” [Ruth 2:19], etc., as is brought in his words, of blessed memory, citing the Zohar; see there. That is, one must be careful to give tzedakah from everything that Hashem, blessed be He, bestows upon a person, in order to refine the shefa from the sin of Adam HaRishon — from the shefa of behemah to adam — which one merits through tzedakah, through which one becomes of the status of adam, as mentioned above. For the essential poverty is drawn from the sin of Adam HaRishon, through falling to the shefa of behemah, in the aspect of “you shall eat the grass of the field; by the sweat of your brow,” etc. And through tzedakah one rectifies the poverty and refines the shefa from behemah to adam, as mentioned above. Therefore, on Sukkos one must increase greatly in tzedakah and chesed [kindness], as is brought in the writings of the Arizal, that he would increase in tzedakah on the eve of Sukkos; see there. And in the holy Zohar, that one must invite guests into the sukkah corresponding to the ushpizin kadishin [holy guests], etc. For on Sukkos one must draw the shefa of adam through the mitzvah of sukkah, as mentioned above. And for this one needs tzedakah, through which one becomes of the status of adam, as mentioned above. This is the aspect of the mitzvah of maaser sheini [the second tithe]: one must separate from the grain and bring it up to Yerushalayim. For the essential aspect of the holiness of sukkah, at its root, is in Yerushalayim — as we bless: “Who spreads the sukkah of peace over us and over all His people Yisrael and over Yerushalayim.” Therefore the Beis HaMikdash is there, for it is the essential House of holiness of Yisrael, the aspect of the beis of “Bereishis,” from which the holiness of all the houses of Yisrael is drawn, as is understood from the Torah “Bereishis” [Likutay Moharan II:67]; see there. For the holiness of the Beis HaMikdash is drawn from the aspect of sukkah, in the aspect of “And Yaakov traveled to Sukkos and built himself a house.” Therefore the Beis HaMikdash is called Sukkas Shalem [the Booth of Shalem, i.e. Jerusalem]. Therefore one must separate from the grain maaser sheini and bring it up to Yerushalayim — which is the aspect of Sukkas Shalem — in order to refine and elevate the shefa to the shefa of adam, which one merits through the aspect of sukkah, as mentioned above. This is the aspect of the prohibition of onaah [fraud/overcharging]: it is forbidden to defraud one’s fellow in money, and even in words. For onaah is a blemish of the daas, for one misleads the daas of one’s fellow. Therefore it is a great prohibition, beyond the prohibition of theft itself. For the essential purpose of all commerce is to refine the shefa from the aspect of behemah — which is the absence of daas — to the aspect of adam — which is the aspect of daas. And when one defrauds one’s fellow in commerce and misleads him, one blemishes the daas, as mentioned above, and is unable to refine the shefa from the aspect of behemah. On the contrary — one falls even further to the shefa of behemah by blemishing the daas through the onaah, as mentioned above. This is the aspect of the measure of onaah being a sixth: less than a sixth is forgiven; more than a sixth, the sale is void; exactly a sixth — the transaction stands but the overcharge must be returned. For the essential birur [refinement] is in the aspect of the six days of the workweek, which are the aspect of the six orders of the Mishnah, which are the aspect of permitted and forbidden, impure and pure, as is known. And during all six days of the workweek one must refine the shefa from the waste through commerce, which is the aspect of the thirty-nine melachos [categories of work]. And the essential birur is to refine the shefa from the aspect of animal food, which was caused by the sin of Adam HaRishon, etc., as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of “the people went about and gathered” [shatu ha’am v’laktu] — “in folly” [b’shtusa], which is said regarding the burdens of earning a livelihood during the six days of the workweek, as is brought elsewhere. For because during the weekdays there is a hold for the waste, which is the aspect of the shefa of behemah — the absence of daas — therefore one who does not sanctify oneself properly can fall, God forbid, into folly, which is the deficiency of daas, through the burden of earning a livelihood. And then one’s livelihood comes with great toil, God forbid, for it is difficult for one to refine the livelihood that comes through the birur of the shefa from behemah to adam, as mentioned above — because the deficiency of daas and the folly that takes hold during the weekdays has taken hold of one. And this itself is drawn from the waste and the klipos that were caused by the sin of Adam HaRishon, who fell to the shefa of behemah, as mentioned above. Therefore, “whoever presses the hour, the hour presses him.” For the more one exerts oneself after livelihood without trusting in Hashem — that He can sustain one through a minor cause — and one is not drawn after the true daas to minimize business dealings and engage in Torah, therefore the hour presses him. For since one blemishes the daas, one’s livelihood comes with even more difficulty, for one cannot refine the shefa from behemah to adam, from which the essential livelihood derives, as mentioned above. Therefore, the essential birur during all the weekdays is through the holiness of Shabbos, for one must draw the holiness of Shabbos into the six days of the workweek, and then one merits to refine the shefa from behemah to adam. For the essential completeness of daas is on Shabbos, as is known. And this is the aspect of “Remember the day of Shabbos to sanctify it” — “remember it from the first day of the week.” And adjacent to it: “Six days you shall labor.” For through remembering Shabbos from the first day of the week — through which one draws the holiness of Shabbos into the six days of the workweek — through this, “six days you shall labor and do all your work.” For through this one can engage in one’s work properly, for one can refine the shefa from behemah to adam by drawing the holiness of Shabbos into the weekdays, through which one draws the daas from Shabbos into the weekdays, through which the essential birur from behemah to adam is accomplished, as mentioned above. Therefore we were commanded regarding the resting of one’s animal on Shabbos, as it is written: “In order that your ox and your donkey may rest, like you” [Exodus 23:12]. For during the weekdays, when there is a hold for the sin of Adam HaRishon — who blemished the daas and fell to the shefa of behemah, and then the shefa of the behemah is diminished, as mentioned above — therefore the behemah also has no rest. Therefore man and the behemah must toil and exert themselves in the thirty-nine melachos in order to refine the shefa — so that the shefa of adam is refined for adam, and the shefa of behemah for behemah. This is the aspect of the general principle of all the melachos during the weekdays: to refine the grain from the chaff and straw, etc., in the physical and spiritual realms, as mentioned above. But on Shabbos, when the birur is completed and the daas of the person is perfected in completeness — for the essential rectification of the sin of Adam HaRishon is on Shabbos, for “Shabbos protects him” [Shabbas agin alohee] — therefore on Shabbos the person leaves the shefa of behemah and returns to the shefa of adam in completeness. Therefore it is a great mitzvah to eat on Shabbos and to have abundant meals, for then one is nourished from the shefa of adam, which is the shefa of daas in completeness, pure and radiant, without waste — through which shefa one merits a complete daas to know and recognize Him, blessed be He. Therefore, on Shabbos one must give rest to the behemah as well. For it certainly has rest now, since its sustenance has been fully restored to it, for man does not take any of its sustenance now, as mentioned above. And now how sweet to the palate are the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, who said: “Give it rest, so that it may graze and eat,” etc. For certainly this is the essential mitzvah of the resting of one’s animal: that it should do no work, and it should graze and eat its food and sustenance — for now its sustenance has been fully restored to it, since man is not drawing or taking from its sustenance at all, as mentioned above. And this is the essential rectification of the sin of Adam HaRishon: to refine the shefa of behemah for behemah, and the shefa of adam for adam, as mentioned above — which is the aspect of sukkah, through which the shefa of adam is drawn, as mentioned above. For on Shabbos the sukkas shalom [booth of peace] is spread over us, as we bless on the eve of Shabbos: “Who spreads the sukkas shalom over us,” etc. And through this the essential birur during all the weekdays is accomplished — by drawing from Shabbos the aspect of the sukkas shalom upon all the weekdays. Therefore, during all the weekdays we pray in the blessing of Hashkiveinu: “And spread over us the sukkah of Your peace, and direct us with good counsel from before You.” For during all the weekdays one must draw the aspect of the holiness of the sukkas shalom from Shabbos — when the sukkas shalom is spread over us, etc. — through which the essential birur from behemah to adam is accomplished, as mentioned above, and through which the essential drawing of livelihood through all commerce and melachos is accomplished, as mentioned above. And this is why “and direct us with good counsel from before You” is placed adjacent to “and spread over us the sukkah of Your peace.” For the essential drawing of wealth and livelihood through commerce is through good counsel. For if one would merit to know the right counsel in commerce — what to buy and trade — one would certainly always profit greatly, for there is certainly no time or season when there is not some merchandise through which one could become very wealthy. Only it has been decreed that “a person does not know in what he will profit.” And when Hashem, blessed be He, wishes to give livelihood or wealth to a person, He places good counsel in one’s heart — what to trade — and through this one profits easily. And this is clear to anyone with a brain in his head (and as is explained elsewhere). And this is what is written regarding commerce, that a person should not err, God forbid, to say: “My power and the might of my hand have made for me this wealth” — “And you shall remember Hashem your God, for He is the One Who gives you power to make wealth” [Deuteronomy 8:17–18]. And the Targum renders: “For He is the One Who gives you counsel to acquire possessions.” For the essential wealth and livelihood is through counsel. Therefore, in truth, all the excess exertions and toils and worries and burdens and sadness that many people have regarding livelihood are all folly, vanity, and utter foolishness, for they do not help at all — on the contrary, they cause great harm. And the essential lack of livelihood comes from the excess of worries and burdens, for no exertion, toil, cleverness, or stratagem will help at all as long as one does not merit to know the complete counsel in commerce, as mentioned above. Therefore one need only raise one’s eyes to heaven at all times, every day, and request mercy from the One Whose business it is — that He give one good counsel in one’s heart, to know what to trade and how to conduct oneself in commerce — and then one’s livelihood will come easily, as mentioned above. And the essential good counsel is drawn from the daas that one merits through the aspect of sukkah, which is the aspect of “if you call to binah,” through which the essential birur is accomplished and from which the essential livelihood derives, as mentioned above. Therefore “and direct us with good counsel” is placed adjacent to “and spread over us the sukkah of Your peace,” for through the aspect of sukkah, the aspect of daas, one merits good counsel, from which the essential livelihood derives, as mentioned above. Therefore, on the festival [of Sukkos] we are judged regarding water. For the essential livelihood is drawn through water, through which all things grow. Therefore on the festival of Sukkos we are judged regarding this, for we need to draw livelihood through the mitzvah of sukkah, through which one merits the shefa of adam, as mentioned above — for the essential birur is through the aspect of sukkah, which is the aspect of daas, as mentioned above. For “everything is refined through thought” [kulla b’machshavah isbariru]. For the sukkah is the aspect of the Ananai Kavod [Clouds of Glory] that went before the children of Yisrael in the wilderness, and the Ananai Kavod would kill the snakes and scorpions of the wilderness and straighten the way, as our Sages said, and as is brought in Rashi’s commentary. For when one goes out to the marketplace to engage in external occupations — in commerce and the thirty-nine melachos — it is like going in a wilderness full of snakes and scorpions, and one needs great protection so as not to stumble through them, God forbid. And the essential protection is through the aspect of sukkah, which is a great protection. Therefore we request “and spread the sukkah of peace” in the blessing of Hashkiveinu, which is the blessing of protection, as we conclude on the weekdays: “Who guards His people Yisrael forever.” And the essential protection is through the aspect of the spreading of the sukkas shalom that is spread on Shabbos, from which the protection is drawn upon all the weekdays. For from the aspect of sukkah, the aspect of the Ananai Kavod is drawn upon a person, going before him to straighten the way and to kill and destroy all the snakes and scorpions, etc. — which are the klipos and waste that surround livelihood and wealth. Therefore, when one goes out to the marketplace to engage in commerce, one must be especially careful to remember the Shabbos at all times, and to intend during the commerce to merit to receive the Shabbos properly and to select a fine portion for Shabbos, as our Sages said: “Remember it from the first day of the week.” And when one remembers the Shabbos — which is the totality of the entire Torah — the holiness of the daas of Shabbos will be drawn upon one, which is the aspect of the holiness of the sukkas shalom that is spread on Shabbos. And through this one will not be bound up after physical money, but will remember at every turn one’s end and purpose — that neither silver nor gold accompany a person, etc., but only Torah and good deeds alone. And one will direct all one’s aspiration toward Torah and service of Hashem, and increase in tzedakah, and minimize business dealings and engage in Torah, and trust in Hashem that all one’s livelihood is only from Hashem, blessed be He, through the good counsel He will give one. And if Hashem, blessed be He, wishes to send one good counsel in one’s heart, one will easily profit greatly; and if, God forbid, Hashem, blessed be He, does not wish to counsel one in what to profit, then no exertions or worries will help at all. And when one conducts commerce in this manner, then it is said: “The toil of your hands you shall eat — you are praiseworthy, and it is good for you” [Psalms 128:2]. This is the aspect of “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is threshing” [Deuteronomy 25:4], and we derive “ox” “ox” from Shabbos, etc. For at the time the ox is engaged in the work of threshing and the like, it is refining the wheat from the waste — that is, refining the shefa of adam from the shefa of behemah. Therefore it certainly follows that one should not muzzle it then — not prevent it from its sustenance and eating — since our entire occupation with it in the work is for the purpose of this birur: that is, to refine the shefa, as mentioned above, and to restore to the behemah its sustenance, as mentioned above. Therefore one must allow it to eat as it wishes, since we are now engaged in restoring to it its sustenance and food and vitality, as mentioned above. Therefore we derive “ox” “ox” from Shabbos, where it is written: “In order that your ox may rest,” etc. For the prohibition of muzzling an ox while it is threshing and the mitzvah of the resting of one’s animal are of one and the same aspect, as mentioned above. It turns out that the essential birur from the shefa of behemah to the shefa of adam during the weekdays is through the holiness of Shabbos that one draws into the weekdays, as mentioned above. Therefore the essential completion and perfection of the birur is through the aspect of the sixth day, which is erev Shabbos Kodesh [the eve of the holy Shabbos], when the additional holiness of Shabbos is drawn upon the weekdays. Then is the essential birur, in the aspect of “And it shall be on the sixth day, they shall prepare what they bring in” [Exodus 16:5] — for then one refines and prepares the shefa and the food from the weekday to Shabbos, which is the aspect of refining it from behemah to adam. For the weekday in relation to Shabbos is in the aspect of behemah — the absence of daas — in relation to adam, which is the daas. For Adam HaRishon was created on the sixth day. And our Sages said: in order that he enter the festive meal immediately. And then all the animals were also created. And immediately upon his creation, Hashem, blessed be He, said to him: “Behold, I have given you every herb… it shall be yours for food; and to every beast of the earth… every green herb for food” [Genesis 1:29–30] — warning him immediately regarding his food and the food of the animals and beasts, that his food should be separate and the food of the animals should be separate. That is, that the shefa and food of adam should not be mixed with the shefa and food of behemah. But he did not fulfill the command of Hashem, blessed be He, and ate from the Tree of Knowledge, and through this he fell to the shefa of behemah, etc., as mentioned above. Therefore we must refine through the thirty-nine melachos during the six days of the workweek, as mentioned above. And therefore the essential birur is on the sixth day, when Adam was created and blemished then. And therefore then we must rectify — to refine the shefa from behemah to adam — through the holiness of Shabbos, which is drawn then especially upon the person, as is known. Therefore the general term for the service of man in this world is called by the name erev Shabbos, as our Sages said: “Whoever toiled on erev Shabbos shall eat on Shabbos.” For the essential service is to refine the nitzozos from the sin of Adam HaRishon — the essence of which is in the aspect of erev Shabbos, which is the sixth day, as mentioned above. Therefore Hashem added the hei to “HaShishi” [“the sixth”], to indicate that the entire world is suspended until the sixth of Sivan, when Yisrael received the five [chamisha] books of the Torah. For the essential birur is through the Torah. Therefore the hei — which alludes to the Torah — was added specifically to “the sixth,” for the essential completeness of the birur is on the sixth day, as mentioned above. Therefore the measure of onaah is a sixth — that is, one part in six — for the essential birur of commerce from behemah to adam is in the aspect of the six days of activity, as mentioned above, and the essence is the sixth — that is, the sixth day, as mentioned above. Therefore when the onaah is exactly a sixth: the transaction stands and the overcharge is returned. For as long as one has not blemished the daas more than a sixth — which is one part in six, the aspect of the sixth day — there is still a remedy through return. And this is the aspect of teshuvah: that one can return and restore the matter to its place. For the essential teshuvah is in the aspect of the sixth day, when one elevates and returns the six days of the workweek into the holiness of Shabbos, which is the aspect of the World to Come. For the sixth day, on which Adam HaRishon was created, is in the aspect of Rosh HaShanah — for Adam HaRishon was created on Rosh HaShanah, as our Sages said — and Rosh HaShanah is the first day of teshuvah. For the sixth day is the essential birur from the contamination of the serpent, as mentioned above — which is the aspect of teshuvah, in which one returns and rectifies the sin of Adam HaRishon, as mentioned above. Therefore, as long as the onaah is only a sixth, the transaction stands and the overcharge is returned, for there the remedy through return exists — for there is the essential teshuvah, as mentioned above. But more than a sixth — the sale is void. For when one has distanced oneself more than a sixth and has completely departed from the aspect of the sixth day, then one cannot refine, and the transaction is completely void. But less than a sixth is forgiven, for less than a sixth begins to enter into the aspect of one-seventh. And there, forgiveness is granted through the holiness of Shabbos, which is on the seventh day — on which sins are forgiven, as our Sages said on the verse: “mechallelo” — “it is forgiven for him” [machul lo]. (This pertains to the above.) This is the aspect of what our Sages said: it is forbidden for a person to eat before feeding one’s animal, as it is said: “And I will give grass in your field for your cattle” — and afterward: “and you shall eat and be satisfied” [Deuteronomy 11:15]. For certainly one must feed one’s animal first, before eating oneself, in order to restore and give the food and shefa of the behemah to the behemah — to demonstrate that one has no hold, God forbid, in the shefa of the behemos. For one restores to it its sustenance and gives it its food first, before eating oneself. And then, precisely, one may eat oneself — for now one is nourished from the shefa of adam, since one has already restored the shefa of the behemah to the behemah by fulfilling the mitzvah of the Torah and giving the behemah its food first, as mentioned above. (Halachah 5 — in Hilchos Sheluchim, Halachah 5, §14.) Mekach Umimkar 4 is based on Likutay Moharan I:266 (“And for his cattle he made sukkos”). Its central theme: the distinction between the shefa (influx/sustenance) of adam (man) and the shefa of behemah (animal). The sin of Adam HaRishon caused man to fall from the human level of sustenance to the animalistic level. The rectification comes through the sukkah, which is the aspect of Binah (Understanding) — “Ima who shelters over her children.” The patriarchs were shepherds precisely to restore animal sustenance to the animals and draw only human sustenance for themselves. Dovid HaMelech, as the seventh shepherd, completed this rectification, which is why the sukkah bears his name. His opposite, Nevuchadnetzar, who destroyed the Temple, was punished by becoming an animal for seven years — corresponding to the Seven Shepherds he damaged. Commerce exists to refine the sparks from the animal level to the human level. Therefore: transactions are not finalized through words alone (everything was created through utterance = animal level), but through acts of the hands (man was created by the Hand = human level = sukkah). Kinyan sudar works because garments = Clouds of Glory = sukkah. The house acquires because the house derives from sukkah. Priestly gifts, tzedakah, and maaser sheini all refine sustenance from behemah to adam through the power of sukkah. The sub-section on Hilchos Onaah (§§15–20) extends the teaching: fraud (onaah) blemishes the daas and prevents the refinement. The measure of onaah is one-sixth, corresponding to the six workdays through which the birur is accomplished. The essential refinement depends on drawing Shabbos holiness into the weekdays; Shabbos is when the sukkas shalom is spread over us, restoring all sustenance to its proper place. Good counsel (eitzah tovah) in commerce comes from daas drawn through sukkah. Not muzzling the ox during threshing, feeding one’s animal before eating, and the holiness of the sixth day all express the same principle of restoring the shefa of behemah to behemah and the shefa of adam to adam. Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman