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Likutay Halachos, Choshen Mishpat. Based on Likutay Moharan I:51 ("Amar Rabbi Akiva"). Translated from the Hebrew.

And this is what Chazal said: "Whoever averts his eye from tzidakah [charity] is as if he worships avodah zarah [idolatry]." "Averts his eye" specifically. For the main tzidakah is the aspect of eyes — to draw the eyes of His hashgachah [providence] upon us. As it is written regarding gifts to the poor (D'varim 26:15): "Hashkifah mim'on kodshichah min hashamayim uvaraich es amichah Yisroel," etc. ["Look down from Your holy dwelling, from the heavens, and bless Your people Yisroel"].

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For the main poverty is drawn from the blemish of the moon — which is the aspect of darkness, the aspect of "vatichhaina ainav mair'os" ["and his eyes were dim from seeing"] (B'raishis 27:1) — which is the aspect of the diminishing and concealment of the hashgachah. For all livelihood and wealth is the aspect of eyes. As it is written (Koheles 5:10): "Umah kishron liv'alav ki im r'us ainav" ["And what advantage is there to the owner except the seeing of his eyes"]. And as it is written (T'hilim 145:15): "Ainai chol ailechah yisabairu vi'atah nosain lahem es ochlam bi'ito," etc. ["The eyes of all look to You with hope, and You give them their food in its time"].

For wealth is drawn from the aspect of "s'mol" [the left side]. As it is written (Mishlai 3:16): "Bismolah osher vichavod" ["In her left hand is wealth and honor"]. And "s'mol" [left] — this is the aspect of "after the Creation," as is explained in the aforementioned Torah. And as long as s'mol [left] is not included in yamin [right], chas v'shalom — meaning, as long as the totality of the Creation, which is the aspect of s'mol, is not included in "before the Creation," which is the aspect of "kula yimina" ["entirely right"] — then certainly it is impossible to receive shefa [abundance] and livelihood, since one is distant from the Root Who gives life to all. And even the small amount of shefa that descends in hiddenness and in great concealment — through the concealment of His hashgachah within nature — even this small amount is mostly received by the akum and the wicked, whose sustenance is from the aspect of "after the Creation," which is their portion that they chose. And the upright of Yisroel, who are in the aspect of hashgachah, their livelihood is very meager. And therefore the main drawing of shefa to Yisroel is when s'mol is included in yamin. Meaning, when we merit to overpower through the emunah [faith] of the hashgachah — that everything is from Him, Yisbarach, alone — and there is no way of nature in the world at all. And through this we merit to draw the eyes of His hashgachah upon us. And then "after the Creation" is included in "before the Creation" — which is the aspect of the inclusion of s'mol in yamin, as above. And then HaKadosh Baruch Hu bestows shefa and vitality upon the Creation — which is the aspect of livelihood and wealth. And therefore in truth, "a person's livelihood is as difficult as the splitting of the Sea of Reeds" (as Chazal said, Pesachim 118a). For in truth, "before the Creation" is the aspect of "kula yimina" ["entirely right"] — and "there is no s'mol and there is no wealth there," as is stated in the holy Zohar. "Before the Creation" is kulo echad ["entirely one"] — and shefa and vitality and wealth are not applicable there. For when there is no Creation, shefa and vitality are not applicable. And therefore the main wealth is in s'mol, as above. For s'mol is the aspect of "after the Creation" — where shefa and vitality are needed, which is the aspect of wealth and livelihood. But in the aspect of "after the Creation" alone, there is certainly no livelihood and vitality. For "the wealth and the honor are from before Him, Yisbarach," etc. — and He gives life to all. And if, chas v'shalom, He were to cease the flow of His vitality, even for a brief moment, the world would revert to tohu vavohu [void and emptiness]. And therefore the main shefa is when s'mol is included in yamin — "after the Creation" in "before the Creation." For then Hashem Yisbarach bestows the shefa from the supernal Root — which is the aspect of yamin. For the main supernal Root of the shefa is from yamin. As it is written: "Nosain lechem lichol basar ki li'olam chasdo" ["He gives bread to all flesh, for His kindness is eternal"] (T'hilim 136:25). And chesed [lovingkindness] is yamin [right]. Except that there, at its supernal Root, in the aspect of "before the Creation," the shefa is fine and pure and luminous — to the point that it is not applicable to call it "shefa" or "wealth" there. Only when "after the Creation" — the aspect of s'mol — receives this light through the hashgachah — through which "after the Creation" is included in "before the Creation" — then the shefa takes form and is called "wealth." And therefore the main wealth is from s'mol. And this is what is stated in the holy Zohar — that "shamayim" [heavens] are from yamin and s'mol, as is explained in Parashas T'rumah: "Maya inun liymina," etc. ["Water is to the right"] — meaning, as above. And this is what is stated in the holy Zohar — that once there was no rain, and they came to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, and he said that one needs to unify Kudsha B'rich Hu [the Holy One Blessed Be He] and His Sh'chinah in the aspect of "apin bi'apin" ["face to face"]. This is the aspect of the inclusion of "after the Creation" in "before the Creation." For know this principle: that Hashem Yisbarach Himself, kivyachol [as it were], is called "Kudsha B'rich Hu" — and the drawing of His vitality, through which He gives life to all the worlds — this is the aspect of "Sh'chinah." And in truth kulo chad ["it is entirely one"] — for "Hashem is One and His Name is One." For His vitality is attached to Him, Yisbarach, in complete unity. Except that Hashem Yisbarach gave free will to man and gave room to err — in order that there should be free will. To the extent that there are deniers and apikorsim who do not believe in His hashgachah. And therefore they cause separation between Kudsha B'rich Hu and His Sh'chinah — meaning, between "before the Creation" and "after the Creation," which is the totality of all the worlds that He, Yisbarach, gives life to through the Sh'chinas Uzo [the Sh'chinah of His might], as above. And in truth it is impossible to understand this matter — how Hashem Yisbarach, Who is exalted above everything, conducts and gives life to this physical world. Rather, the main thing is emunah [faith] alone — that we believe that He, Yisbarach, watches with hashgachah pratis [individual providence] over every single thing in the world — and sits and sustains and provides, from the horns of the wild oxen to the eggs of lice. For the secret of the inclusion of the Creation in "before the Creation" is impossible to grasp through da'as [understanding] — but rather through emunah [faith] alone. And this is the aspect of the three things that Mosheh found difficult — which are: the making of the Menorah, Kiddush HaChodesh [the sanctification of the new month], and Sh'kalim [the half-shekel coins]. And their mnemonic is "MoShE"H" — as it is written in the holy Zohar. For all of these are the aspect of the inclusion of the Creation in "before the Creation" — through the free will of man, who inclines his da'as to believe in His hashgachah. And therefore even Mosheh found them difficult. For it is impossible to understand them through human understanding at all — unless one is in the aspect of Mosheh, and even he found them difficult. For the Menorah is the aspect of the light of the hashgachah — and this is the aspect of the lights of the Menorah, the aspect of the Chanukah candle. Through which one is included in "one" — in the aspect of "el mul p'nai haMinorah ya'iru" ["toward the face of the Menorah they shall shine"], etc. — that all the lights face toward one light, to be included in "one" through the light of the hashgachah, which is the aspect of the light of the candles, as above. And this is the aspect of the Chanukah candles — "chanu" ["they rested"] on the twenty-fifth — which are the twenty-five letters of the yichuda [the declaration of unity] — as is brought in the holy Zohar. For through the Chanukah candle the hashgachah is drawn below. And through this one is included in "one" — which is the twenty-five letters of the yichuda, which is "Sh'ma Yisroel" ["Hear, O Israel"], etc. And this is the aspect of Kiddush HaChodesh — which is to fill the blemish of the moon, that the light of the moon should be like the light of the sun. And this is the aspect of the inclusion of the Creation in "before the Creation," as above. And this is the aspect of Sh'kalim — which are tzidakah [charity]. Through which the Creation is also included in "one," as above. And this is the aspect of "machatzis hashekel t'rumah laHashem" ["a half-shekel as a contribution to Hashem"] (Sh'mos 30:13). For after the Creation, free will immediately came into being. And the free will is the aspect of a "miskala" [a scale/balance] — for every person stands upon the scale, and it is in his hand to choose and to tip himself to this side or to that side. And he is in the aspect of "machatzis hashekel t'rumah laHashem" ["a half-shekel as a contribution to Hashem"] — for each person needs to have compassion on himself, to raise the scale toward Hashem Yisbarach — to tip himself toward the k'dushah [holiness] — in the aspect of "machatzis hashekel t'rumah laHashem." And therefore "a person's livelihood is as difficult as the splitting of the Sea of Reeds" — specifically. For Mosheh Rabbainu drew and publicized His hashgachah [providence] in the world — through the signs and wonders that he performed in Mitzrayim and at the Sea of Reeds. And then the renewal of the world was revealed, and His hashgachah, Yisbarach — until it was considered as if the world was created then. And this is the aspect of the splitting of the Sea of Reeds — that the waters were split. And this is the aspect of the beginning of the Creation that was revealed then. For at the beginning of the Creation, Hashem Yisbarach separated between water and water — between the upper waters and the lower waters — which are the aspects of "before the Creation" and "after the Creation," as above. And in truth everything is one — except that it is impossible to understand this at all, as above. And this is what Mosheh showed at the splitting of the Sea of Reeds — that the waters were split, and he separated between water and water, and he turned the sea into dry land. And afterward he stretched out his hand and turned the dry land back into sea, and the Egyptians drowned. And through this he showed that everything is one — water and dry land, yamin and s'mol [right and left], "before the Creation" and "after the Creation." "Vihachayos ratzo vashov" ["And the living creatures ran and returned"] (Yichezkel 1:14) — for the supernal vitality is drawn in the aspect of ratzo vashov [running and returning], which is the aspect of His hashgachah, Yisbarach. Through which everything is one. And therefore "a person's livelihood is as difficult as the splitting of the Sea of Reeds." For in order to draw livelihood, one needs to include "after the Creation" in "one" — that "after the Creation" should be as it was "before the Creation" — that father and son should be as one, and nevertheless the Creation should endure and not be nullified in its existence. And this aspect is very difficult to grasp. And even Mosheh Rabbainu found it difficult. And this is the secret of the splitting of the Sea of Reeds. For from there livelihood is drawn. For this is the aspect of the inclusion of s'mol in yamin — from which comes rain and livelihood, as above. And therefore the main galus Mitzrayim [Egyptian exile] was brought about through the sh'lichus [agency/mission] that Yaakov sent Yosef his son. As it is written: "Vayishla'chaihu mai'aimek Chevron" ["And he sent him from the valley of Chevron"] (B'raishis 37:14). For "all roads are presumed to be dangerous" — because the roads are the aspect of sh'lichus, as above — which is the aspect of "after the Creation," where is the hold of the chitzonim [the external forces], who are the damagers of the world, chas v'shalom. And therefore the roads are presumed to be dangerous. And therefore the sale of Yosef occurred while he was on the road, on the mission of his father. For Yosef is the aspect of the true tzaddik — who is a faithful emissary to the One Who sent him. Whose entire service and aim is to include "after the Creation" in "one." For the tzaddik connects and includes the lower ones in the upper ones, higher and higher, to their root — in the aspect of kulo echad ["entirely one"]. And they blemished him and sold him for silver. And this is the aspect of the blemish of people who blemish the tzaddik — who is the aspect of the eyes of the hashgachah [providence]. In the aspect of "ainai Hashem el tzaddikim" ["the eyes of Hashem are upon the righteous"] (T'hilim 34:16). And this is the aspect of Yosef — who is the aspect of eyes. As it is written: "Ben poras alai ayin" ["A fruitful son by a spring"] (B'raishis 49:22). For the tzaddik draws complete hashgachah — through which he includes and connects "after the Creation" in "one." And the multitude of people blemish him because of the silver — because of the desire for money, which takes hold through s'mol [the left]. For they are drawn after the money itself. And the money is their avodah zarah [idolatry]. And they do not believe that all the money and all the abundance — everything is only through the tzaddik, who is the aspect of the drawing of His hashgachah upon us. Through whom comes all the abundance in the world — in the aspect of "viYosef hu hashalit" ["and Yosef is the ruler"], etc. — "hu hamashbir lichol am ha'aretz" ["he is the one who provides for all the people of the land"] (B'raishis 42:6). And therefore through this, the matter was brought about and they went down to Mitzrayim — which is the opposite of Eretz Yisroel. Which is full of idols and avodah zarah — where they deny His hashgachah, Yisbarach. As it is written: "Asher amar Paroh, li yi'ori va'ani asisini," etc. ["Who Pharaoh said: 'My river is mine, and I made myself'"] (Yichezkel 29:3). But "they intended it for evil; G-d intended it for good" — "ki limichyah shilachani Elokim lifnaichem" ["for G-d sent me before you to preserve life"] (B'raishis 45:5,7). "Shilachani" ["He sent me"] specifically. For Yosef was a faithful emissary to the One Who sent him. And although the Sitra Achara overpowered against his sh'lichus and wanted to ruin it, chas v'shalom — that he should be sunk in Mitzrayim, which is the blemish of the hashgachah — until he would be unable, chas v'shalom, to return the sh'lichus to its original Master, to include "after the Creation" in "before the Creation." But Yosef was a very great tzaddik and stood firm in the test. And in every place that he was — even in the intensity of the overpowering of the k'lipos — he believed with complete emunah in His hashgachah, Yisbarach. And he conquered his yetzer [inclination] out of awe of the Creator Who watches, Yisbarach. As it is written: "Vi'aich e'eseh hara'ah hag'dolah hazos vichatasi laiElokim" ["And how shall I do this great evil and sin against G-d"] (B'raishis 39:9). And he chose the good — until he merited to include in "one." Until he elevated and included "after the Creation" itself in "one." For he subdued the tumah of Mitzrayim. And he merited to sustain Yisroel all the days of their being there, and to bring them out from there. For everything was in the merit of Yosef. As it is written: "Vayikach Mosheh es atzmos Yosef imo" ["And Mosheh took the bones of Yosef with him"] (Sh'mos 13:19). Until Yisroel merited to go out from there with great wealth and to receive the Torah. Through all of which His hashgachah, Yisbarach, was revealed, and the entire Creation was included in "one." And all of this was through the sh'lichus of Yosef — who did not stumble in his mission. And he merited to include the sh'lichus in the Sender — through his good choice, that he stood firm in the test and chose life. Through which the entire Creation was included in "one" at the time of the Exodus from Mitzrayim and the receiving of the Torah, etc., as above. And therefore when Yosef was sold and hidden from his father, weeping was aroused. As it is written: "Vayaivk oso aviv" ["And his father wept for him"] (B'raishis 37:35). For through his sale they caused separation, chas v'shalom, between father and son — between Yaakov and Yosef, who are both considered as one, as is brought. For Yosef is the aspect of the eyes of the hashgachah — through which everything is one. But they caused separation — through which weeping was aroused, as above. And therefore when they returned and came together — Yosef and his brothers — it is written: "Vayitain es kolo bivchi" ["And he gave forth his voice in weeping"] (B'raishis 45:2). For Yosef, through his weeping then, sweetened and rectified the aspect of the weeping at its root — in the aspect of the sweetening of the judgment at its root, as above.