עדות ה

This halachah expounds kidushin b'chesef (betrothal with money) as a window into the entire chain: sipuray ma'asiyos → his'orerus hashainah → pekidas akoros → yir'ah → arichas yamim → ashirus → hisbonenus. 46

And therefore Israel, the holy nation, do not investigate at all the material matters that are not essential for them. Rather, they set all their aim to attach themselves to the living G-d through the fulfillment of the Torah and the mitzvos. And they pass over all their wisdoms, for they know the true and eternal wisdom, which is holy faith — that they know and believe that the entire world and all that fills it — mineral, vegetable, animal, and human, etc. — from beginning to end, they and all that is in them, and all their powers, with all their fine details and particulars, and all kinds of wisdoms and strategies that exist in them — everything, all of it, the Blessed Name created with His great power, and He gives life to all of them at every moment and every hour. And all of them were created for the sake of this lowly man, so that he should know this with complete faith, so that he should engage all his days in attaching himself to the Blessed Name Who gives life to all of them, through the engagement in Torah and mitzvos. For this wisdom, which is the true faith — knowing that the Blessed Name created everything, with all the wisdoms that are in them — this surpasses all wisdoms altogether.

And therefore all the wisdom of the investigators is in the aspect of the returning voice. For they do not hear His essential voice, blessed be He, at all; rather, they look only after the creation, after nature alone, and investigate all matters that are after nature alone. But they do not turn their face to incline their heart and their ear to listen and hearken and hear — from whose womb did this voice emerge — in order to set all their yearning to cleave to Him, blessed be He. For they are only "wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge" . And they wish, G-d forbid, to separate the aspect of the returning voice from the direct voice, as if the returning voice, G-d forbid, has independent existence. And this is the aspect of "a slanderer separates a chief" — who separates the Chief of the world, and cuts the plantings and denies the living G-d. For all of this is drawn from the aspect of the returning voice, from where the Evil Inclination and the heresies grip, as mentioned above — through not exerting themselves to know and believe that everything is drawn from Him, blessed be He, alone, Who gives life to all. And all the wisdoms that one hears and understands, and all the things in the world, are all merely the aspect of the returning voice, which in truth has no independent existence at all; it is merely the return of the direct voice.

And one who errs when he is in a forest and hears an echo and thinks it is an independent voice — he is a fool, a simpleton and a madman, a foolish wicked one. For the returning voice has no existence at all; it is merely the continuation and return of the direct voice. Exactly so is all their wisdom, when they investigate after nature and do not turn their face to connect the returning voice to the direct voice — that is, to connect all the wisdoms to their root, to know and believe that everything is drawn from Him, blessed be He, and to devote all one's mind and wisdom all one's days to connecting oneself to Him, blessed be He. For this rises above all the wisdoms in the world, and in it are included and subsumed all the wisdoms, and one merits eternal life, forever and ever.

And also, one who merits to attach himself in the ultimate perfection to the true wisdom — which is wholeheartedness, to serve Him, blessed be He, in wholeheartedness, through Torah and service in simplicity — he can merit afterward to attain also all the wisdoms in the world by themselves. As we have found with several true tzadikim, who at the beginning of their service served only in wholeheartedness and simplicity, and broke all the desires, and engaged in Torah, service, and prayers, etc., with great toil, until they came to great perceptions, and afterward they merited to perceive naturally all the wisdoms in the world.

And even one who does not attain this does not need it at all, for in this world one can spend all his days in goodness without any knowledge of these wisdoms, and in the World to Come they are certainly not needed at all. On the contrary, for simple people who have not yet broken all their desires, these wisdoms can uproot them from both worlds, as is seen tangibly — that all those who engage in this, even a little, in wisdoms and languages, etc., become great heretics who cast off the yoke completely, may the Merciful One protect us. For only the very great tzadikim of exceedingly high level, the truly elevated ones, are able to use them for what they need for their service, and also in order to break the opinions of the heretics. And also, they do not waste time on this, for they attain afterward naturally all the wisdoms, as mentioned above. And they are able to connect all the wisdoms to their supernal root, for they know that everything is drawn from Him, blessed be He.

It emerges that the essential grip of the Evil Inclination and the heresies is from the aspect of the returning voice, which is the aspect of din, through not connecting and joining the returning voice to the direct voice, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of: At first it arose in [His] thought to create the world with the attribute of din; He saw that the world could not endure; He arose and joined the attribute of mercy with the attribute of din — as it is said: "On the day that Hashem Elokim made earth and heaven" .

For the attribute of din is the aspect of the returning voice. At first He wished that the sustenance of the world should be through the aspect of the returning voice alone, which is the aspect of the attribute of din, as mentioned above. He saw that the world could not endure, for if only the aspect of the returning voice sustained the world, heresy would have increased, for it would not have been possible for a person to perceive that everything is drawn from Him, blessed be He — which is the aspect of connecting the returning voice to the direct voice, as mentioned above. Therefore He arose and joined the attribute of mercy with the attribute of din, which is the aspect of the third voice compounded of both — that the Blessed Name joined the direct voice with the returning voice and drew forth the aspect of the third voice, which is the aspect of the voice of strength, the voice compounded of both. And through this the world has sustenance.

For now, because the sustenance of the world is through the compounded voice, which is the aspect of "The voice is the voice of Ya'akov," through this the world has sustenance. For now we have the power to attach ourselves to the Light of Life, to know and perceive the holy faith that everything is drawn from Him — and all the wisdoms and the crookedness in the heart that is drawn from the aspect of the returning voice, from the aspect of din — everything is drawn from Him, blessed be He, Himself, for the sake of free choice. For the returning voice has no existence except from the direct voice. And all of this we have the power to perceive through the compounding of the voices that the Blessed Name Himself compounded and joined — the two voices together — which is the aspect of joining the attribute of mercy with the attribute of din, as mentioned above. And were it not for this, a person would have no power to break the free choice at all, for the klipos and heresies drawn from the aspect of the returning voice would overpower him, as mentioned above. But now he has the power to incline his heart to the truth, to the aspect of the direct voice, from which everything is drawn, since the sustenance of the world is through the compounding of the two voices together, as mentioned above. For the direct voice itself in its essence, it is impossible to reveal, so that [beings] would not be nullified from existence, as mentioned above.

And this is the aspect of what our Sages, of blessed memory, said: With ten utterances the world was created. And there they asked: These "vayomer"s ["and He said"] of Bereishis — they are [only] nine! And they answered: "Bereishis" is also an utterance. And now, seemingly it is difficult: Why indeed is "vayomer" not written also regarding the first utterance, as it is in the other nine utterances? But this is the aspect mentioned above — that "Bereishis" is the aspect of the first utterance, which is the aspect of the direct voice, in which all the ten utterances and all the worlds from beginning to end are included. For they are all included in "Bereishis," which is called a "sealed utterance" that includes everything, as is explained in the words of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, elsewhere . And because it is the aspect of the direct voice itself, it is not designated by the name of an "utterance" — which is the aspect of voice and speech — for this voice and speech it is impossible to hear and to perceive at all, lest they be nullified from existence, as mentioned above.

Rather, after the direct voice went out, which is the aspect of "Bereishis" that includes everything, afterward the returning voice immediately came into being. And then the Blessed Name compounded the two voices together, which is the aspect of the third voice mentioned above, and with it He created everything. And this is the aspect of the nine "vayomer"s of Bereishis, which are the aspect of voice that it is possible to hear, for they are drawn from the aspect of the returning and the direct voice compounded together, through which the world was created in its particulars and was divided into categories — which are all the things that were created through the nine utterances during the six days of creation. For in the aspect of "Bereishis" — the sealed utterance, the direct voice — there, everything was included together, and it was not yet possible to discern the particularity of creation, because this voice is very sealed and hidden.

And this is the essential purpose of our service: to include everything in the aspect of "Bereishis," to return everything to its root — to know and believe that everything is drawn from Him alone, for the returning voice has no existence except from the direct voice, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the ten kinds of melody of holiness, which are the aspect of the ten utterances, as mentioned above, which clarify the good from the bad, the faith from the heresies. For they connect and compound all the voices and join well the returning voice with the direct voice, until the melody is made that draws the heart to the Blessed Name — that draws and extracts the heart from the heresies and desires drawn from the aspect of the returning voice, and returns and connects it to the aspect of the direct voice. And this is the aspect of the totality of creation at its root, the aspect of attachment to the Blessed Name, whose essential means is through the aspect of the ten kinds of melody, as mentioned above. For the essential attachment is faith — which is the aspect of returning the returning voice to the voice of the Blessed Name — which is the aspect of the ten kinds of melody, as mentioned above. And therefore the essential melody is from the aspect of the side of the Levites, which is the aspect of the returning voice. For there is the essential clarification that one needs to clarify the good from the bad that grips there, by joining to it the direct voice and returning everything to the direct voice, which is the essential core of everything. For all the voices in this world are the aspect of the returning voice in relation to the supernal direct voice itself. And there is the essential clarification — that one needs to attach them to the direct voice through the aspect of melody, as mentioned above.

And this is the aspect of the sound of the shofar, which is comprised of three voices — teki'ah, shevarim, teru'ah — which are the aspect of the three Patriarchs: Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya'akov, as is known. For the shofar is the aspect of the ten kinds of melody, as mentioned above, and therefore they are the ten sounds of Malchuyos, and likewise alongside Zichronos and Shofaros, as mentioned above. But the essential root of the variation of the sounds of the shofar consists of only three, which are the aspect of the three voices mentioned above, which are the root and foundation of all the ten kinds of melody included in the sound of the shofar. For they are all drawn from these three voices, which are the aspect of the three Patriarchs, as mentioned above.

It emerges that the essential aspect of the ten kinds of melody, which is the essential aspect of clarification, which is the essential service of Israel, is to join the returning voice with the direct voice — to attach ourselves to the voice of the words of the living G-d, in the aspect of “to hear His voice and to cleave to Him, for He is your life,” etc. — for the essential life and sustenance of all the worlds is drawn from the aspect of His direct voice, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the joy that is drawn through melody, for the essential root of joy in truth is drawn from the aspect of the joy in Him, blessed be He, which is the essential joy in truth. For in ultimate truth there is no joy in the world except when one merits to believe and to know of Him, blessed be He — which is the essential true life for each and every person, each one according to what he perceives in his heart. As it is written: “For in Him our heart shall rejoice” — “for in Him” specifically “our heart shall rejoice,” for there is no other joy in truth besides this. And this matter is impossible to explain at all, neither by mouth nor in writing, for it is only for each one according to what he perceives in his heart, in the aspect of “Her husband is known in the gates,” as mentioned above. And each and every person, according to what he sometimes merits to feel a little of the pleasantness, sweetness, and delight of this true joy, can understand this well — that there is no other joy besides this. And even the multitude of the upright, simple folk of Israel who do not merit to feel this well — nevertheless, all the joy of upright Israel on Shabbasos and Yamim Tovim and at a chasunah and the like, all of it is drawn from this joy, which is the aspect of attachment to Him, blessed be He. For even though they have not yet merited the aspect of attachment in truth as is fitting, nevertheless, “even though he does not see, his mazal sees,” and because at the root of their neshamah they sometimes feel the pleasantness and sweetness of this joy, through this there is drawn upon them below as well a great joy at the time they merit to rejoice in Hashem through some simchah shel mitzvah. And therefore all upright Israel are accustomed, at the time of their joy, to sing pesukim and tefillos of the drawing close of Israel to their Father in Heaven, for this is the essential source of their joy. And especially on Simchas Torah and Purim and the like, for this is the essential source of our joy — that He chose us from among all the nations, etc. And as we say every day: Ashrainu, how good is our portion, etc., and how pleasant, etc., and many similar expressions, as mentioned above. For in truth this is the essential joy — that we know of the Creator of all, blessed be He, forever, through our holy faith, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of what is explained in the pesukim regarding the excessiveness of the joy in Him, blessed be He, as it is written: “Rejoice in Hashem and exult, O righteous ones,” etc. . And it is written: “Rejoice, O righteous ones, in Hashem”; “I will rejoice in Hashem” . And many similar instances in the Book of Tehillim and likewise in the Book of Yeshayahu and in the other books, as it is written: “I will greatly rejoice in Hashem; my soul shall exult in my G-d,” etc. And many similar instances there. And it is written: “And I will exult in Hashem; I will rejoice in the G-d of my salvation,” etc. . And in the future, when His G-dliness and His kingship will be revealed to the eye of all, it is written: “Hashem reigns; let the earth exult; let the many islands rejoice,” etc. . And it is written: “Let the heavens rejoice and the earth exult, and let them say among the nations: Hashem reigns! Let the rivers clap their hands; together let the mountains sing,” etc. . And similarly it is explained in very, very many pesukim, for the essential true joy is what one merits to know of the Creator of all, blessed be He, through the holy faith that we received from our forefathers through the holy Torah, as mentioned above. And because through the melody of holiness one clarifies the good spirit from the bad spirit — that one clarifies the faith from the heresies and from false beliefs, and attaches everything to the Blessed Name, for one returns the returning voice to the direct voice, etc., as mentioned above — therefore a great joy is drawn through the melody, in the aspect of “Upon a ten-stringed instrument and upon a lute, for You have gladdened me, Hashem, with Your work,” etc. — for the essential joy is what one knows and believes in Him, blessed be He, that He, blessed be He, wrought and made everything, as mentioned above.

And this is the aspect of Kohanim, Levi'im, and Yisra'elim are permitted to intermarry with one another, and the offspring follows the male. For Kohanim, Levi'im, and Yisra'elim are the essential foundation of the totality of holiness, which are the aspect of the three lines mentioned above, which are the aspect of the three Patriarchs, the aspect of the three voices mentioned above, from which are drawn all the ten kinds of melody, which are the totality of joy. For this is the essential aspect of the connection and union of holiness of Israel, which is in the aspect of joy — to transform the grip of yagon va'anachah to joy, to include ishah [wife] in ish [husband], left in right — that is, to join the returning voice with the direct voice, which is the aspect of the sweetening of din through its being included in the supernal rachamim. For all of this is one aspect, as mentioned above — that one clarifies the returning voice through the ten kinds of melody, through which the holy faith is clarified, and through which the yagon va'anachah is nullified, whose grip is from the aspect of din, from sitra d'nukva [the feminine side]. For its grip endures only as long as one does not know that the returning voice, too, is from Him, blessed be He, from the aspect of the direct voice, for it has no other existence, as mentioned above. But as soon as one knows this in truth, the grip of yagon va'anachah is nullified, and then the yagon va'anachah is transformed to joy, as mentioned above. For this is the essential aspect of a zivug shel mitzvah, as mentioned above. And therefore the essential connection of holiness is the aspect of Kohen, Levi, Yisra'el, who are the essential foundation of the ten kinds of melody, as mentioned above, through whom is the essential transformation of yagon va'anachah to joy, the essential joining of the returning voice with the direct voice, which is the aspect of the unification of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Shechinah, which is the essential aspect of the holy zivug, as mentioned above. And therefore the offspring follows the male, for Israel constantly draw down the neshamos from sitra d'dichura [the masculine side], because all their service and toil and all their thought and occupation is to draw close to the Blessed Name through the Torah and the mitzvos that each one fulfills according to his level. Therefore they include all of creation in its root, which is the aspect of joining the returning voice with the direct voice until the returning voice is nullified in relation to the direct voice. For “in a place where the male is present, the female is not mentioned there,” for in truth there is no existence to the returning voice at all, for it is merely the continuation and return of the direct voice itself, in the aspect of “bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh,” for at their root everything is one. And therefore Israel, the holy nation, are always included in sitra d'dichura, since they know and believe in truth that everything is drawn from the First Emanator, Who is the aspect of sitra d'dichura. And through this they are always included there. And therefore the offspring always follows the male among Kohen, Levi, and Yisra'el, who are the essential holiness, as mentioned above.

But in a case where there is valid kiddushin but there is a transgression, the offspring follows the blemished one, which is the aspect of yagon va'anachah. For in a place of transgression, G-d forbid, which is the desires of this world, it emerges that one is bound after the desires of this world and uproots himself from the Blessed Name, and does not connect creation to its root. Rather, on the contrary, he is “a slanderer who separates a chief” — who separates himself, together with all the creation that depends on him, from the Blessed Name. Therefore he is not included in holiness, which is the aspect of sitra d'dichura. Rather, on the contrary, he draws himself toward the Sitra Achara. Therefore the offspring follows the blemished one, which is the aspect of yagon va'anachah, where all the blemishes are. For whoever is more blemished, there the grip of yagon va'anachah is greater. And even if the husband is blemished and the wife is from a proper family, the essential grip of yagon va'anachah is upon him. For this is the principle: that sitra d'nukva d'kedushah [the feminine side of holiness] is considered as the aspect of dichura [masculine] in relation to dichura d'Sitra Achara, which is considered as the aspect of nukva [feminine] in relation to it, as is known. And therefore the blemished one is in the aspect of sitra d'nukva, the aspect of yagon va'anachah, and the offspring follows him in a case where there is a transgression. For the essential transgression, especially the blemish of the bris, is from the aspect of yagon va'anachah, from where the essential desire derives, as mentioned above. And therefore in a place of transgression, the offspring follows the blemished one, which is the aspect of yagon va'anachah, as mentioned above. But in a zivug shel mitzvah, which is the aspect of Kohen, Levi, Yisra'el, there the yagon va'anachah is sweetened and transformed to joy, and everything is included in sitra d'dichura, as mentioned above. And therefore the offspring follows the male, as mentioned above.

And this is the aspect of “an Ammoni but not an Ammonis; a Moavi but not a Moavis” . And this is the aspect of “Do not distress Moav,” etc. — on account of two fine doves that would emerge from them, which are Rus the Moabite and Na'amah the Ammonite, from whom came David and his descendants, who are the aspect of Mashi'ach who will come from them. For the essential redemption that will come about through Mashi'ach, who will come speedily in our days, is through the great joy that will be then, through the fact that everyone will recognize and know then the truth of His G-dliness and His greatness, blessed be He. And through this, the joy will be exceedingly great then, as it is written: “Let the heavens rejoice and the earth exult, and let them say among the nations: Hashem reigns” . And as it is written: “And it shall be said on that day: Behold, this is our G-d,” etc.; “Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation,” etc. . And similarly in many pesukim, as mentioned above. And through this will be the essential redemption, as it is written: “For with joy you shall go out,” etc.; “the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you in song” . And as Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, wrote — that joy is the world of freedom; see there. And then all the yagon va'anachah, which is the aspect of the bitterness of the exile, will be transformed to joy, in the aspect of “joy and gladness shall they attain, and sorrow and sighing shall flee” . And as it is written: “And I will transform their mourning to gladness, and I will comfort them and make them rejoice from their sorrow” . And as all of this is explained above. And therefore the neshamah of Mashi'ach was drawn down specifically through is'ar'usa d'nukva [an arousal from the feminine side], as is explained in the Torah regarding the matter of the daughters of Lot, from whom came Rus and Na'amah, from whom came David and Mashi'ach, as mentioned above. And likewise in the episode of Tamar and Yehudah, as it is written: “And she sat at the entrance of Einayim” . And likewise in the episode of Rus and Boaz. For all of this is the aspect of the transformation of yagon va'anachah to joy, which is the essential aspect of Mashi'ach, in the aspect of “And I will transform their mourning to gladness,” as mentioned above. For all of these acted with heavenly intent, as is explained in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, and in the commentary of Rashi. And when the arousal is from the woman for the sake of Heaven, to bring forth offspring and to establish generations, it emerges that the yagon va'anachah itself is transformed to joy, since she herself — where the grip of yagon va'anachah resides — by her own will becomes a vehicle for holiness, since her desire is to establish generations for the sustenance of the world, which is the aspect of joy, as mentioned above. For a zivug d'mitzvah for the sustenance of the world is the aspect of joy, etc., as mentioned above.

For Er and Onan blemished greatly, for they corrupted their way, as it is written in the Torah . For this is the great transgression in the Torah, for even one who is completely abstinent due to the greatness of his holiness — this too is a great blemish, since he does not sweeten the yagon va'anachah that grips the aspect of sitra d'smola [the left side], the aspect of the woman, etc., and he does not establish offspring, who are the essential aspect of the enlargement of the joy in the Blessed Name through the multiplication of Israel who recognize His greatness, blessed be He, etc., as mentioned above. For this is the aspect of the blemish of Nadav and Avihu, etc., as mentioned above. All the more so, and how much more so, the very opposite — when one corrupts his way — then he does not sweeten the yagon va'anachah; on the contrary, the yagon va'anachah themselves receive the drop, G-d forbid. For yagon va'anachah are Sam and Lilis, as is brought in the kavanos [of the Ari, of blessed memory]. And they extort the drop that goes to waste, G-d forbid. And regarding this it is said: “And I saw the tears of the oppressed,” etc.; “and from the hand of their oppressors there is power, and they have no comforter” — as is known. “The tears of the oppressed” specifically, for they are full of tears, the aspect of weeping and yagon va'anachah, for there they are oppressed, as mentioned above. And therefore his sin is too great to bear. And the essential tikkun of his teshuvah is through the true tzadik who is able to arouse all the ten kinds of melody, which are the aspect of joy, as mentioned above. For there is the essential place of his blemish — in the aspect of joy, as mentioned above. For regarding this blemish it is said: “All who come to her do not return, and they do not attain the paths of life” . “Paths of life” is the aspect of joy, as it is written: “You shall make known to me the path of life; fullness of joys is before Your countenance,” etc. . And all of this is when he does not do teshuvah. But when he does teshuvah and abandons his evil way and his evil thoughts, and exerts himself with all his might to break the trait of atzvus [sadness], from where come all the evil thoughts and all the evil fantasies, and draws himself close to true tzadikim and to the true upright ones who endeavor for his rectification and know how to instill joy within him — for they have the power to seize even him, together with the intense yagon va'anachah that grips him, and to bring him into the holy joy — through this is his essential tikkun. For his essential tikkun is when he merits that the yagon va'anachah be transformed to joy, as mentioned above.

And this is the aspect of the ten chapters of Tehillim that Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, revealed as a tikkun for a nocturnal occurrence, for these ten chapters of Tehillim are the aspect of the ten kinds of melody, as is explained in his holy words. And the ten kinds of melody are the aspect of joy, the aspect of the transformation of yagon va'anachah to joy, through which is the essential tikkun of the blemish of the bris, as mentioned above. And therefore the final completion of the tikkun of this sin will be through Mashi'ach, as is brought in the holy books. For this is the aspect of “And a redeemer shall come to Tzion, and to those who return from transgression in Ya'akov,” etc. — as is brought in the kavanos. For Mashi'ach will transform the yagon va'anachah to joy, which is the aspect of the enlargement of the joy that will be then, as mentioned above. And therefore David, who is Mashi'ach, engaged all his days in the Book of Tehillim that he composed, which is the aspect of the ten kinds of melody, as mentioned above. Through this is the essential tikkun of this sin, which is rectified specifically through David Mashi'ach, as mentioned above. And therefore the nefesh [soul] of David was drawn from sitra d'nukva, as is brought. And the entire chain of the drawing down of his neshamah into the world was through their arousal, as mentioned above. For this was the intensity of the power of David, who is the aspect of Mashi'ach, who has the power — through his prayers and his songs, which are the Book of Tehillim that he composed, the aspect of the ten kinds of melody — to transform all the yagon va'anachah that grips sitra d'nukva, to transform everything to joy. For this is the essential completion of the enlargement of joy, which is the essential tikkun and the redemption that will come about through Mashi'ach, in the aspect of “joy and gladness shall they attain,” etc., as mentioned above. Through this is the essential tikkun of all those who were cast away due to their sins and who come to return — that they will be rectified specifically through this, in the aspect of “And the redeemed of Hashem shall return,” etc.; “joy and gladness shall they attain,” etc., as mentioned above.

And therefore it is indeed found that David was in great danger all his days, as it is written: “Were it not that Hashem was my help, my soul would soon have dwelt in silence” . And as it is written: “There is but a step between me and death” . For David had no life at all, for he was from sitra d'nukva, where the grip of yagon va'anachah resides, the aspect of sitra d'mosa [the side of death]. And he, through the intensity of his power, merited to transform everything from one extreme to the other, for he transformed death to life, yagon va'anachah to joy, as it is written: “The pangs of death encircled me,” etc.; “distress and sorrow I would find; and in the Name of Hashem I would call,” etc.; “For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. I shall walk before Hashem in the lands of the living,” etc. . And many similar instances. For he merited to transform the intensity of yagon va'anachah to joy. And all of this was through the sweetness of his songs, through the multitude of prayers and supplications and requests that he merited to constantly cry out to Hashem, in all kinds of voices and expressions of outcry and prayer and supplication and songs and praises — which is the entire Book of Tehillim, which is the aspect of the ten kinds of melody, as mentioned above. And through this he transformed yagon va'anachah to joy, death to life, until he merited to be included in life forever, as it is written: “You shall make known to me the path of life; fullness of joys is before Your countenance” — in the aspect of “David, King of Israel, lives and endures,” as mentioned above.

And this is the aspect of the dispute of Korach and his congregation against Aharon. For Korach was a Levi and Aharon was a Kohen. And the essential service of the Levi is in song upon the platform [duchan], and all his service is to join and include himself with the Kohen, who is the aspect of chesed, the aspect of the direct voice — that is, to join and include the returning voice, which is the aspect of din, the aspect of Levi, to join it and include it well within the aspect of the direct voice, which is the aspect of Kohen, as mentioned above. For this is the aspect of all the service of song of the Levites, which is the aspect of the ten kinds of melody, through which one sweetens the din and the yagon va'anachah, which is sitra d'mosa, that grips the aspect of the returning voice. For one connects it to the Source of Life, which is the aspect of the direct voice with which He created the world, and with which He gives life to and sustains the world. For “by the word of Hashem the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth,” etc. — which is the aspect of voice and speech, as mentioned above, and as all of this is explained above well.

And Korach blemished in this exceedingly, and sought to dispute the Kehunah [priesthood]. For he wished, G-d forbid, to destroy all the worlds and to return the world to tohu va'vohu through his dispute. For he wished, G-d forbid, to make the Levi into the Kohen — to make the aspect of the returning voice as if it were, G-d forbid, the aspect of the direct voice. For this is the essential blemish of all the heretics and deniers of the living G-d, who look only at the voice that is heard in this world, which is the aspect of the returning voice — which is the aspect of the life-force and wisdom that are invested in this world — and they do not turn their face to connect everything to its root, to look and to know and to believe from whose womb the voice emerged — to know and to make known and to be known that He is the Fashioner, He is the Creator, etc., and He said and it was, and everything is drawn from His direct voice, which is the aspect of the Kohen, from where everything is drawn. Only it is impossible to hear His direct voice in its essence, except through its compounding with the aspect of the returning voice, as mentioned above, for the sake of the sustenance of the world, as mentioned above. But in truth there is no existence to the returning voice except through the direct voice, etc., as mentioned above.

And Korach blemished in this exceedingly, in that he wished to take the Kehunah for himself. For this is the very aspect of the blemish mentioned above — that he wished to uproot himself from the Living G-d and to destroy the world, G-d forbid — as if the returning voice, which is the aspect of the side of Levi, has independent existence, G-d forbid. And therefore our Sages, of blessed memory, indeed said: Korach denied the fundamental principle . For he certainly denied the fundamental principle through his dispute in which he challenged the Kehunah, for he wished to separate the side of Levi, the aspect of the returning voice, from the aspect of the Kohen, from the aspect of the direct voice. For this is the essential heresy of all the heretics, as mentioned above. And this is “And Korach took” , and its Aramaic translation is: “And Korach separated himself” — “separated himself” specifically — that he divided and separated himself. For this is the essential blemish and heresy of his — that he wished to divide and separate the aspect of the returning voice from the direct voice, which is the aspect of separating the Leviteship from the Kehunah. And he wished to make the Levi into the Kohen, as if the returning voice has independent existence, as if it itself, G-d forbid, is the direct voice. For this is the aspect of the heresy of all the heretics, who consider that their wisdom in itself has independent existence, until they deny the living G-d. And all of this is because they do not look at the root of the life-force of all the wisdoms — from where everything is drawn — as it is written: “Who has wrought and done it? He Who calls the generations from the beginning” . And as it is written: “Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these?” etc. .

And this is what is written regarding the idol of Michah, which sought to overpower, through the fact that he had the Levi as a Kohen, as it is written: “For I had the Levi as a Kohen” . For from there is the essential grip of the heresies and the idolatry — when they consider that the aspect of the returning voice is the aspect of the direct voice, G-d forbid, as mentioned above. For this is the aspect of the dispute of Korach, who denied the fundamental principle and wished to make the Levi into the Kohen, which is the aspect of the idol of Michah, the aspect of “For I had the Levi as a Kohen,” as mentioned above.

And therefore the essential dispute of Korach was through his wife, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said regarding the verse “The wisdoms of women build her house, and the foolish one with her hands tears it down” — this refers to the wife of Korach . For the essential grip of yagon va'anachah that grips the returning voice is held by his wife, who was drawn from there, as mentioned above. And she intensified in her wickedness to such a degree that she did not wish to be a vehicle for holiness, that ishah should be included in ish, Levi in Kohen. And she, in her wickedness, blemished in this. For this is the essential aspect of an evil wife, regarding whom it is said: “And I find more bitter than death the woman” .

For the service of the Levi is in song upon the duchan, the aspect of the ten kinds of melody, through which yagon va'anachah is transformed to joy and the returning voice is unified with the direct voice, which is the aspect of a holy zivug in which ishah is included in ish, as mentioned above. For this is the aspect of the musical instruments that are played at the chasunah. And as Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, explains regarding the verse “This time my husband will accompany me” — that this is the secret of the musical instruments that are played at the chasunah. For Leah said: “This time” — when Levi was born, who is the aspect of melody — “my husband will accompany me.” For the essential connection of holiness between husband and wife is through the ten kinds of melody, which are the aspect of Levi, as mentioned above; see there, and as mentioned above. And the wife of Korach blemished in this and wished the very opposite — to dispute the Kehunah, to make the Levi into the Kohen, etc. Through this the yagon va'anachah is not sweetened; on the contrary, it intensifies even more, as mentioned above.

And therefore she indeed caused a bizarre death for herself and for Korach and for all his congregation. For they were all lost through her. For yagon va'anachah is sitra d'mosa, as mentioned above, the opposite of joy, which is the aspect of life and peace, as mentioned above. As it is written: “For with joy you shall go out, and with peace you shall be brought” . For shalom [peace] is the aspect of the joining of two opposites — that is, when left is included in right, Levi in Kohen — which is the essential joy, as mentioned above. And Korach, through his dispute, blemished in all of this, as mentioned above. And therefore the Kehunah is called a “covenant of peace”, as it is written: “Behold, I give him My covenant of peace. And it shall be for him and for his seed after him a covenant of eternal Kehunah” . For the essential joy and peace is drawn from the aspect of the Kohen, who is the aspect of the direct voice, who is the root of everything, and everything needs to be connected to him. For this is the aspect of the service of the Levites in song — to connect everything to the root through the aspect of the ten kinds of melody, which is the essential aspect of peace and joy, when all the worlds return to their root and are not separated from the root of their life-force. And this is the essential joy, life, and peace. For “there Hashem commanded the blessing: life” , for all the life-force of all the worlds is drawn from there — from the aspect of the Kohen, who is the aspect of the direct voice, who is the root of everything, the root of the joy, which is the aspect of peace, the aspect of “for with joy you shall go out, and with peace you shall be brought,” as mentioned above.

It emerges that Korach blemished in his very own attribute — that is, he blemished the peace and joy through his dispute. Through following the counsel of his wife, he separated himself from the Kehunah by wishing to redirect the Kehunah to himself. And through this he denied the fundamental principle. For all of this is the opposite of the tikkun of his very own attribute, for Korach is a Levi, the aspect of the left, the aspect of the returning voice, which needs always to endeavor to be connected to the Kohen, to be included in the right. For this is the aspect of the service of song of the Levites, etc., as mentioned above. And he blemished in all of this, as mentioned above.

And this is the aspect of the twenty-four gifts of Kehunah that the Holy One, blessed be He, gave to Aharon afterward in joy, as it is written: “And I, behold, I have given to you” . And Rashi explained: in joy. For the essential holiness of the Kehunah is the aspect of joy that is drawn from there, as mentioned above. And therefore Aharon merited the Kehunah specifically through joy, as it is written: “And he will see you and rejoice in his heart” — through which he merited the Kehunah, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said . For the essential Kehunah is the aspect of the root of joy, from the One Whose joy is in His dwelling place. And therefore the Blessed Name gave him the twenty-four gifts of Kehunah specifically in joy. For the twenty-four gifts of Kehunah are the twenty-four adornments of the bride, as is known. For the holiness of the Kehunah, which is the root of joy, is the aspect of the connection and unification of groom and bride, the aspect of the unification of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Shechinah. For the essential connection and unification is through the aspect of the ten kinds of melody, the aspect of joy whose root is in the aspect of the Kohen, the aspect of the direct voice, from where everything is drawn, and everything needs to return and be included in it, in the aspect of “to hear His voice and to cleave to Him,” as mentioned above.

And this is the aspect of a captive woman who is forbidden to a Kohen. For captivity and exile and servitude are the aspect of yagon va'anachah, the aspect of the exile of Egypt, where they were in captivity in servitude, which is the aspect of sadness, yagon va'anachah. For this is the essential aspect of exile and servitude, for joy is the world of freedom, as it is written: “For with joy you shall go out,” etc. — as Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, wrote. And conversely, yagon va'anachah is the essential exile and servitude, and as is brought in the words of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, further in another place.

For the essential exile of Egypt was on account of the sin of Adam HaRishon, which is the aspect of the blemish of the bris, as is known. And the essential sin of Adam HaRishon was that through it he drew down, G-d forbid, the aspect of sadness, the aspect of yagon va'anachah, which is sitra d'mosa, as it is written: “In sadness [b'itzavon] shall you eat of it,” etc. . “B'itzavon” means sadness, etc. For this itself is the aspect of the death that he brought upon the world, for the aspect of death is drawn from the aspect of sadness, yagon va'anachah, as mentioned above. And on account of this was the exile and servitude of Egypt, for the essential exile and servitude is also the aspect of sadness, which is the aspect of sadness and servitude, as mentioned above, the aspect of toil and trouble that is drawn from the aspect of “in sadness shall you eat of it,” the aspect of “by the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread, until you return to the earth,” etc. .