אבידה ומציאה ג

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Therefore, in truth, one must give tzedakah before the prayer, in order to break the desire for money — to nullify the anger and the strict judgments that cling to the World of Asiyah. For all the business dealings and commerce and labors that one does are in the aspect of Asiyah, and since that is where the primary hold of idolatry and the k’lipos [husks of impurity] is, therefore one must strengthen and fortify oneself greatly not to fall into the desire for money, G–d forbid. And the main remedy is through tzedakah, through which one breaks the desire for money, as above — which is the aspect of korbanos, which are the aspect of tzedakah, which are the aspect of rectifying the World of Asiyah, as above. And this is the aspect of Ketores [incense] that is recited then — for the Ketores is the aspect of drawing the power of tzedakah into the heart, to cool the heat of the heart, to nullify the desire for money, as explained there. This is the aspect of the rectification of the World of Asiyah, as above. And afterwards we say Psukay d’Zimrah [Verses of Song]. This is the aspect of: “And when that spirit descends to the heart, the heart receives it with the joy of the melody of the Levites.” “The joy of the melody of the Levites” — this is the aspect of Psukay d’Zimrah, which are songs and melodies (z’miros) and praises that the Levi’im [Levites] would engage in at the Holy Temple. And then one merits drawing down holy wealth, which is the aspect of “Who is rich? He who rejoices in his portion” (Avos 4:1). This is the aspect of: “The incense makes one wealthy.” And this is the aspect of: “And the riches and the honor come from before You, and You rule over all” (I Chronicles 29:12). And then one must again give tzedakah, in order to draw the “generous spirit” — the aspect of tzedakah — so that the heart receives it with joy, in the aspect of “the joy of the melody of the Levites,” in the aspect of “when that spirit descends,” etc., as above. And through this, chesed is drawn down, etc. Therefore, afterwards we say the Birchos Krias Shema [blessings of the Shema], which are Birchas HaMe’oros [the blessing over the luminaries] and Ahavas Olam [“Eternal Love”]. For Birchas HaMe’oros is the aspect of chesed, which is the light of day, as it is written: “By day Hashem commands His chesed” (Psalms 42:9). And as is explained there in the Torah on the statement of the Sages: “And he was standing in a deep place,” etc. See there. And this is the aspect of Birchas Ahavas Olam, which is the aspect of love and chesed, for it is the aspect of the “Chamber of Love,” which is chesed, as found in the Kavanos. That is, as above: through breaking the desire for money via tzedakah, which is the aspect of korbanos, as above — through this one merits “the joy of the melody of the Levites,” which is the aspect of Psukay d’Zimrah, as above. And through this one merits chesed — which is the aspect of Birchos Krias Shema, the blessings of the luminaries and Ahavas Olam, as above. And through the chesed, da’as is drawn down, as above. And this is the aspect of Krias Shema [the reading of the Shema], for the essential drawing of the mochin [mentalities/intellects] and da’as is through Krias Shema, as explained in the Kavanos. And through the da’as, one is able to take and gather the nefashos and elevate them in the aspect of mayin nukvin and unify Kudsha B’rich Hu and Shechinah. And then the nefashos are renewed in the aspect of ibbur, and through this, Torah is born and drawn down. And all of this is the aspect of Tefilas Shemoneh Esrai [the Eighteen Blessings / the Standing Prayer], for then is the essential union of Kudsha B’rich Hu and Shechinah, which is accomplished through the da’as and mochin that we drew down during Krias Shema, as explained in the Kavanos. And then all the nefashos ascend in the aspect of mayin nukvin, etc., and through this, Torah is drawn down. And this is the aspect of Birchas Sim Shalom [the blessing “Grant Peace”], which is the culmination of the prayer, when the essential union takes place, and then one draws down the renewal of the Torah that is born from the union. This is the aspect of “Who blesses His people Yisrael with peace” — which is the Torah, for the Torah is called “peace,” as it is written: “Hashem will give strength to His people; Hashem will bless His people with peace” (Psalms 29:11) — which is said regarding the receiving of the Torah, as the Sages taught. And this is the aspect of: “A wise man ascends a city of warriors and brings down the stronghold of its confidence” (Proverbs 21:22), the aspect of “Hashem will give strength to His people; Hashem will bless,” etc. And therefore the receiving of the Torah is mentioned in Birchas Sim Shalom, as we say: “For in the light of Your face You gave us, Hashem our G–d, a Torah of life,” etc. And through the Torah, hashgachah shelaimah [complete Providence] is drawn down. And this is the aspect of Ashray and U’va l’Tziyon and the Shir shel Yom [Song of the Day] and Ketores [recited after the prayer], which is the aspect of the descent of the shefa [Divine abundance], as found in the Kavanos. That is, through the Torah mentioned above, we draw upon ourselves His hashgachah in completeness, through which abundant goodness, blessing, and shefa descend upon us, etc. It turns out that the entire order of the prayer is the aspect of all the rectifications mentioned above. For one must draw down the aspect of the receiving of the Torah each day anew — this is the aspect of the renewal of the mochin that occurs each day. The essential illumination of the mochin is specifically during the day. At night, the mochin withdraw. However, at that time one sustains oneself through the Torah that was received during the day, in the aspect of: “This is my consolation in my affliction, for Your word has sustained me” (Psalms 119:50). For in the time of darkness and exile — which is the aspect of night — one sustains oneself through the Torah that was received during the day. This is the aspect of the mitzvah of kindling the lamps of the Menorah. And this is also the aspect of kindling the Chanukah lamp. For, on the broadest level, all the days that the tzadik lives upon the earth are called the aspect of “day.” And afterwards, when he passes from this world, that is the aspect of “night” — as it is written regarding the death of Yoshiyahu: “On the day the sun set at noon” (cf. Amos 8:9), etc. That is: during the time of the Beis HaMikdash, when the primary illumination of the mochin was manifest, as is known, and then was the primary drawing down of the Torah, as it is written: “For from Tziyon shall go forth Torah” (Isaiah 2:3), etc. But even then, the primary drawing of the mochin and Torah was during the day, and close to nightfall they needed to kindle the lamps of the Menorah — that is, to draw down the aspect of the shemen mishchas kodesh [the holy anointing oil], which is da’as, to draw it from the Torah that was received during the day, and to kindle with it all the holy lamps at night, so that the holy lamps would shine at night — meaning, that even at night the light of the Torah we received during the day should illuminate upon us, through having kindled from it the holy lamps of the Menorah. For the essential illumination of the Menorah lamps is drawn from the aspect of the light of Torah, as it is written: “In the Tent of Meeting, outside the curtain of the Testimony, he shall arrange it” (Leviticus 24:3), etc. — that the lamps of the Menorah must be arranged opposite the Ark of the Testimony, where the Torah is, for from there they illuminate each night — that is, from the Torah that was received during the day, as above. And so too on the broadest level: all the days of the tzadik’s life are the aspect of “day,” and then is the primary drawing of the da’as and Torah that he draws upon us. After his passing, which is the aspect of “night,” the gates of the Garden of Eden are sealed and da’as withdraws. But we sustain ourselves through the Torah that he drew upon us during the “day” — that is, during his lifetime. For the great tzadikim, who are in the aspect of Moshe, draw down their chidushay Torah through the elevation of nefashos, as above. And they draw the Torah from such a lofty, awesome, and exalted place, with such wondrous saichel, that there is power in their Torah to restore and revive all the nefashos who will engage in their Torah, forever. For the revelation of their Torah came about through their elevation of the nefashos, as above, and in the greatness of their power, they elevated even all the nefashos destined to come in the future, in the aspect of: “Not with you alone [do I make this covenant]… but with those who stand here with us today, and with those who are not here with us today” (Deuteronomy 29:13–14). And they drew the Torah down in such holiness that anyone who engages in their Torah — the Torah will illuminate for him, to come out of the darkness of his gloom, in the aspect of: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalms 119:105). For through engaging in the Torah, his soul is again renewed in the aspect of ibbur, because this Torah was drawn through the elevation and renewal of the nefashos — “those who stand here… and those who are not here,” etc. And this is the aspect of: “She perceived that her merchandise was good; her lamp does not go out at night” (Proverbs 31:18). Even at “night” — that is, after his passing from this world — his lamp shall never be extinguished, forever and ever, because his merchandise — that is, his Torah — is so very good, in the aspect of “she perceived that her merchandise was good,” etc. For he drew down his Torah with such saichel — in the aspect of “the wise one captures souls” (Proverbs 11:30), in the aspect of “a wise man ascends a city of warriors,” etc., in the aspect of the shin of three heads and the shin of four heads, etc. — that through this, his Torah has the power to illuminate even at night, and his lamp shall never be extinguished, forever and ever. And this is the aspect of the extraordinary power of the miracle of Chanukah. For when the wicked kingdom of Greece rose up against Your people Yisrael — “they sought to make them forget Your Torah,” etc. The wicked kingdom of Greece is the aspect of the desire for money, in which all idolatry is embedded. And whoever falls into it finds it extremely difficult to escape, as is written in the Story of the Master of Prayer. Therefore, this desire for money is called “the wicked kingdom of Greece,” in the aspect of: “I have sunk in the mire of the deep, and there is no foothold” (Psalms 69:3), etc. For when one falls, G–d forbid, into this desire for money, it is the aspect of sinking in the mire of the deep with no foothold, for it is impossible to escape, as above. And this is the aspect of the fact that they sought to make the Torah completely forgotten, and they decreed forced apostasy (sh’mad), etc. For the essential forgetting of the Torah from the majority of the Jewish people is through the desire for money, as we can actually observe in many people who are idle from Torah study due to their preoccupation with money — they chase after their livelihood all their days and do not engage in Torah, until they forget it completely, may the Merciful One save us. As we see how many people who in their youth were Torah scholars, and many who were outstanding in their studies in their younger years, and afterwards, because they went out to the marketplace, they fell, G–d forbid, into the desire for money and became preoccupied with their livelihood until they abandoned Torah study, until they forgot it completely. They did not believe in Hashem that He could provide for them with minimal effort, and they did not set fixed times for Torah study, for they were drawn after the desire for money until it seemed to them they needed to toil all their days for a living — and neither this nor that remained in their hands. And this is the aspect of all the decrees of apostasy that the wicked kingdom of Greece decreed, which is the aspect of the desire for money. For all the decrees of apostasy and all forms of idolatry are embedded in the money, as is explained in the discourse “Tzivisa Tzedek” (Torah 23), on the verse: “And He drove the enemy from before you and said: Destroy!” (Deuteronomy 33:27). And from the immense strengthening and spread of the desire for money — which is the aspect of the wicked kingdom of Greece — the Torah was almost forgotten from Yisrael. However, Hashem, blessed be He, performs miracles and wonders for us in every generation, and gives strength to the true tzadikim in each generation to gather and elevate all the tzedakos that Yisrael give. And through this, they break and nullify the desire for money from Yisrael, so that it does not spread to such an extent that the Torah would be forgotten from Yisrael, G–d forbid. And this is the aspect of the miracle occurring through the Kohanim of the Chashmonai family. Kohanim are the aspect of the power of tzedakah and chesed of Yisrael, for the Kohen is the man of chesed. He gathers all the tzedakos of Yisrael, for one must give him terumos and ma’asros [tithes] and all the priestly gifts, which are in the aspect of tzedakah and chesed. And with this power they break and nullify the desire for money from Yisrael. And this is the aspect of the Chashmonai family — in the aspect of: “Nobles (chashmanim) shall come from Egypt” (Psalms 68:32) — which is the aspect of tzedakah that breaks the desire for money. For Egypt is the aspect of the desire for money, since it is full of idols and idolatry, which are the aspect of the desire for money, as explained in the Story of the Master of Prayer, which hints at the verse in Isaiah chapter 31: “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,” etc. See there. And one who takes his money and gives tzedakah — this is the aspect of “nobles shall come from Egypt” — that from within the desire for money, he overcomes and breaks his desire and gives his money to tzedakah. It turns out that the Kohanim of the Chashmonai family are the aspect of the power of the tzedakah that Yisrael give, and through this they subdue and nullify the aspect of the wicked kingdom of Greece, which is the aspect of the desire for money, as above. And this is the aspect of the fact that the Greeks defiled all the oils. The shemen mishchas kodesh [holy anointing oil] is the da’as and Torah. For through the desire for money, all the mochin and da’as become blemished and corrupted. For just as through breaking the desire for money one merits da’as, through which Torah is drawn down, as above — so too, conversely, when the desire for money intensifies, which is the aspect of the kingdom of Greece, then the da’as is blemished and it is impossible to draw down Torah. And this is the aspect of “they defiled all the oils” — that is, the desire for money spreads over everything to corrupt it, G–d forbid. For upon the majority of the world, meaning the common people, it spreads to make them forget the Torah entirely — for from the abundance of their preoccupation with money, they do not engage in Torah and mitzvos until they forget, G–d forbid, the Torah entirely, as above. But even upon those who retain some measure of da’as and do engage in Torah study — even upon them the desire for money intensifies until it defiles and corrupts the da’as. For on account of the desire for money, they generally have great ulterior motives and many foreign thoughts in their prayer, Torah study, and divine service. And this is the aspect of the fact that the kingdom of Greece, which is the desire for money, defiled all the oils — that even in the place where some “oil” was found, meaning da’as and Torah, the desire for money defiles and blemishes the da’as, for various ulterior motives and falsehoods and foreign thoughts enter into it on account of the love of money and preoccupation with livelihood. Because of this there was no oil to kindle — until they found, miraculously, a cruse of oil that was sealed with the seal of the Kohen Gadol [High Priest], etc. The Kohen Gadol is the aspect of the great true tzadik, who is able to clarify and elevate all the tzedakos and acts of chesed that Yisrael do. For the Kohen is the man of chesed, in the aspect of tzedakah, as above. And the Kohen Gadol is the aspect of extremely great chesed, for he encompasses all the Kohanim, and he merits entering the ultimate sanctity of the Beis HaMikdash, for he enters the innermost chamber (lifnai v’lifnim) — to the place of the Ark and the Tablets — and all the service of the Beis HaMikdash depends on him. For he gathers all the tzedakos and acts of chesed of all Yisrael, and breaks and nullifies the idolatry from Yisrael, which is the desire for money. Therefore he merits great wealth, as the Sages taught: “The Kohen who is great among his brethren” — “make him great from the assets of his brethren.” For the true wealth is in truth attained through breaking the desire for money, as explained in the discourse “Tzivisa Tzedek” (Torah 23). See there. And therefore he merits the ultimate sanctity of the Beis HaMikdash, for through tzedakah — which is the breaking of the desire for money — one merits the holiness of the Beis HaMikdash, in the aspect of: “And I, through the abundance of Your chesed, shall come into Your House” (Psalms 5:8), as explained there. And this is the aspect of the cruse of oil that was sealed with the seal of the Kohen Gadol — this is the aspect of: “Seal the Torah among My students” (Isaiah 8:16). That is, the great true tzadik, who is in the aspect of the Kohen Gadol, broke the desire for money completely and utterly through the power of tzedakah, until his shemen mishchas kodesh — meaning his da’as — is sealed with a seal that no foreign touch has contaminated. For he is completely clean and pure from all manner of ulterior motives that come through the desire for money. And through this he is able to draw down Torah in a wondrous holiness, which is the aspect of “seal the Torah among my students” — that the Torah should be sealed and established in their hearts forever, until it returns them to the good, in the aspect of: “Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm” (Song of Songs 8:6), etc. — which is the aspect of tefillin/mochin, for the tzadik mentioned above draws his Torah in the aspect of a holy seal, in the aspect of tefillin/mochin, as explained in this Torah. See there. And this is the meaning of: “And there was not enough in it to kindle but for one day, and a miracle occurred and it burned for eight days.” That is, according to the order of creation, whose entire existence depends on the Torah that the tzadikim draw down at all times, one must draw down the Torah each day anew, for each day new mochin are drawn down, as is known. Therefore, in the oil — which is the holy da’as of the true tzadik who is in the aspect of the Kohen Gadol — there should have been enough to kindle only for one day, because on the next day one needs new mochin and new chidushay Torah. But all this would be if the generation were in its rectified state, and as it will be in the future when our righteous Mashiach comes, when the wellsprings of wisdom will be opened and the tzadikim will reveal chidushay Torah to us each day. However, now, in the depths of the exile, it is difficult to reveal true chidushay Torah even once a year. Only that Hashem, blessed be He, in His immense mercy, gave power to the true tzadik who is clean and pure from all — to draw down Torah in the manner of a wondrous miracle — until the oil and the Torah that is only fit to kindle and illuminate for one day, as above — but from the immense holiness of the tzadik, he draws the Torah from such a lofty and exalted place, from the aspect of the Torah that will be revealed in the Future, which is the Oraisah d’Atikah S’simah [the Torah of the Ancient Concealed One] — until the oil and Torah burns and illuminates for the aspect of eight days. That is, his Torah illuminates for all the days of the world, until the “Eighth Day,” which is the aspect of Binah, the World to Come, when the truth will be revealed in the world and “the iniquity shall close her mouth” (Psalms 107:42), etc. For all the days of this world are in the aspect of the seven days of creation — the aspect of the Seven Attributes (Sheva Middos). But the “Eighth Day” is the aspect of Binah, the World to Come, which is above the [seven-fold] structure, where the Sitra Achra [the Other Side] is completely nullified, in the aspect of: “And the spirit of impurity I shall remove from the earth” (Zechariah 13:2), in the aspect of: “And on the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised” (Leviticus 12:3) — that then, in the aspect of the “Eighth Day,” the foreskin that covers over the holiness will be circumcised, sealed, and nullified, in the aspect of “and the spirit of impurity I shall remove from the earth.” That is, the great tzadik draws the Torah down in such holiness that it illuminates for all the days of the world, until the Future. And for this they established for us the eight days of Chanukah, that every person in his home should kindle the Chanukah lamp, which is the aspect of the lamps of the Menorah. For through the extraordinary power of the miracle, the great tzadikim drew down such a wondrous rectification and such a wondrous illumination through their holy Torah that was spoken through the elevation of nefashos, etc., as above — until every person in his home has the power to kindle the Chanukah lamp, which is the aspect of the light of Torah. For every person is able to illuminate upon himself the light of their Torah, which will shine for him like a light and a lamp to come out of his darkness and gloom. And this is the aspect of Ner Chanukah — “Chanukah” meaning “initiation” (chinuch) — that whoever wishes to initiate himself into the service of Hashem, blessed be He, is able to draw the shemen mishchas kodesh and kindle a lamp from the light of their Torah that they revealed and drew down from the place they drew it from — until every person is able to find himself in their Torah, and it will illuminate for him forever, to come out of darkness into a great light. And this is the aspect of the fact that one kindles the Chanukah lamp below ten tefachim [handbreadths]. For one draws the supernal light, which is the totality of all the yichudim [unifications] that rise as ne”r [a candle — also an acronym for the levels of the soul: nefesh, ruach] — one draws that light even below ten tefachim, as explained in the Kavanos. And this is the aspect of “Go out and see the might of your Master” — explained there at the end of the Torah, meaning that from the immense might of the power of the tzadik, he has the power to elevate even the most lowly nefashos in the aspect of ibbur — even one who has not yet gone from the mundane to the holy even as much as a thread’s breadth, etc. See there. And this is the aspect of “below ten tefachim,” where the ultimate level of Asiyah [the lowest World of Action] is, and it is difficult to illuminate the light of Torah there. But through the extraordinary power of the miracle of Chanukah — which is drawn down in every generation, each and every year, which is the aspect of the revelation of the Torah of the Future that the great tzadikim, the true b'nai aliyah [people of ascent], drew down — through this, there is the power for the light to illuminate even below ten tefachim, that is, even in those who are in the ultimate depths of Asiyah, who have not yet gone from the mundane to the holy even a thread’s breadth — even for them the light of this Torah illuminates. For even their nefashos were elevated in the aspect of ibbur, through the immense power of the tzadikim, in the aspect of “Go out and see the might of your Master,” as above. Therefore one customarily increases in tzedakah during Chanukah. For Chanukah is the aspect of subduing the wicked kingdom of Greece, which is the desire for money, the breaking of which is through tzedakah. Through this one draws the light of Torah, from which the kindling of the Chanukah lamp for every person in his home is drawn, as above. Therefore, one increases in tzedakah at that time. And this is the aspect of the mitzvah of returning a lost object. For returning a lost object is the aspect of breaking the desire for money — since one takes the item he found, which is worth money, and he could take it for himself, yet he takes it and returns it to its owner. It turns out that this is the aspect of breaking the desire for money, the aspect of tzedakah — for returning the lost object to its owner is an act of gemilus chassadim [lovingkindness], which is in the aspect of tzedakah, for “gemilus chassadim is greater than tzedakah” (Sukkah 49b). It turns out that the mitzvah of returning a lost object is the aspect of breaking the desire for money through tzedakah and chesed, and through this, hashgachah shelaimah is drawn down, as above. And this is why the mitzvah of returning a lost object is written in the language of seeing, as it is written: “You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep wandering and hide yourself from them; you shall surely return them” (Deuteronomy 22:1), etc. “And so shall you do for his donkey… you shall not be able to hide yourself” (Deuteronomy 22:3). “You shall not be able to hide yourself” — precisely! — for it is forbidden to avert one’s eye from the lost object, so as not to blemish, G–d forbid, the supernal “Eyes” — the aspect of His complete hashgachah. For when one sets his eye upon the lost object and attends to it, to lift it up and return it to its owner — correspondingly, he draws down from Above the hashgachah shelaimah. For this is the essential aspect of returning a lost object — it is the aspect of breaking the desire for money through tzedakah and chesed, through which the hashgachah shelaimah is drawn down, as above. For the essential cause of losing objects comes from a blemish in hashgachah — through not watching over one’s money properly and not guarding it as one should. And the essential blemish is through hesach ha’da’as [diversion of attention] — which is the aspect of blemishing the hashgachah shelaimah. That is, one does not look at the thing properly until it is returned and depicted in his eyes; rather, he begins to look at it, but before the seeing reaches the thing, he diverts his attention and the seeing scatters to the side toward other things, and through this, it is stolen or lost from him. For certainly no one loses his money on purpose — for that would be the behavior of a fool and a madman, one who destroys what is given to him. Rather, most lost objects are lost through hesach ha’da’as — meaning, he does not guard it properly, meaning the seeing and the thought do not reach the thing he needs to guard; rather, before the seeing and thought arrive at the thing he needs to guard, they scatter to the side, as above. This is the aspect of blemishing the hashgachah shelaimah, as explained there in the Torah. See there well regarding the matter of hashgachah shelaimah. Therefore, one who finds the lost object and sets his eye upon it and does not hide himself from it, and returns it to its owner — he comes back and completes and rectifies the blemish of the hashgachah shelaimah. And therefore he returns and draws down the hashgachah shelaimah, as above. For in truth, every person must be very careful to guard his money and his possessions like the apple of his eye, as our master, our teacher, and our rabbi, of blessed memory, warned us about this numerous times. For even though the desire for money is extremely repugnant, nevertheless, the money of a Jewish person must be guarded very carefully. On the contrary — precisely because the desire for money is extremely repugnant, and there is great danger when one goes out to the marketplace for one’s livelihood that one should not fall into the desire for money — but one is compelled to go out for the sake of livelihood — therefore this money that one has already earned through the hashgachah of Hashem, blessed be He, through some craft or business dealing and the like, one certainly must guard it very carefully, since one endangered oneself physically and spiritually for its sake. Therefore Yaakov Avinu went back for small jugs, for “the righteous — their money is beloved to them” (Talmud, Chulin 91a), etc. And this is not because of the desire for money, G–d forbid. On the contrary — it is because all worldly occupations that one must engage in for the sake of livelihood are despised and difficult in their eyes, since one is thereby idle from words of Torah. Yet one is compelled to engage in this as well, for the sake of essential livelihood. Therefore, this object and money that has already come into their hands, they guard very well, so that it should not be lost, G–d forbid, so that they should not need to go back and be idle from words of Torah again, G–d forbid, on its account. And one who blemishes the guarding of money, he blemishes the aspect of hashgachah shelaimah, as above. And therefore one who returns the lost object draws down the aspect of hashgachah shelaimah, as above. And this is the aspect of: “And Yaakov called to his sons and said: Gather yourselves together, and I will tell you what will befall you in the End of Days” (Genesis 49:1). He sought to reveal the End [of the exile], but the Shechinah departed from him, and he began to speak of other things, saying: “Gather yourselves and hear,” etc. And certainly what he spoke afterwards was related to what he had wished to reveal. For at first glance, it is puzzling: since he did not reveal anything of the End, why were these words recorded in the Torah — what he said, “I will tell you,” etc., when he did not reveal anything at all? But in truth, what he said afterwards is connected and related to what he had wished to reveal. For Yaakov had wished to literally reveal the End of the Redemption, and the Shechinah departed from him, for it is the “End of Wonders” (Daniel 12:6) and it is forbidden to reveal it. Therefore, he began to speak of other things and hinted and concealed the End within them, and informed them through what merit they would attain the End of the Redemption. That is, the essential Redemption depends on the revelation of the Torah in the manner described above — namely, through the tzadikim who are in the aspect of Moshe/Mashiach, who have the power to gather the nefashos through their wisdom, and to ascend through their wisdom and draw down Torah, as above. And this is the aspect of: “Gather yourselves and hear, sons of Yaakov; and hearken to Yisrael your father” (Genesis 49:2). “Gather yourselves and hear, sons of Yaakov” — this is the aspect of the gathering of the nefashos, that all these nefashos who come to hear the word of Hashem — he gathers them together and elevates them in the aspect of ibbur. And this is “gather yourselves and hear” — that he commands them to assemble and gather together and incline their ears and be ready to hear. And through this gathering and preparation — that they desire to hear — through this, the wise man elevates their nefashos, and through this, he brings down Torah for them, and then they have what to hear. And this is: “And hearken to Yisrael your father” — meaning, that they should hear the wondrous Torah that he drew down and revealed to them. Therefore “hear” (shim’u) is stated twice, for the first “hear” refers to how they incline their ear and prepare themselves to hear, at the time of the gathering — which is the aspect of the strong desire that each and every one of those who come to hear the word of Hashem has. This is the essential aspect of the gathering of the nefashos, that is, the desires (r’tzonos), as explained there in the Torah, that nefesh is the aspect of ratzon [will/desire], etc. See there. For “hearing depends on the heart” — meaning, the desire of the heart and its great yearning to hear the word of the true wise tzadik, which is the aspect of nefesh, as above. And through this he gathers and assembles them together, in the aspect of “gather yourselves and hear, sons of Yaakov.” And afterwards he brings down Torah for them through this. And this is the aspect of the second “hear” — “and hearken to Yisrael your father” — which refers to the revelation of the Torah that he reveals to them, as above. Therefore, at first it says “Yaakov” — “Gather yourselves and hear, sons of Yaakov” — and afterwards “Yisrael” — “and hearken to Yisrael.” For at the time of the gathering, before the revelation of the Torah — when it is still in the aspect of ibbur — then the mochin and da’as are called the aspect of “Yaakov,” in the aspect of: “In the womb he grasped his brother’s heel” (Hosea 12:4) — which is the aspect of ibbur [the womb]. And afterwards, when it is born and the Torah is revealed, then it is the aspect of “Yisrael,” as our master, our teacher, and our rabbi, of blessed memory, wrote in the Ancient Torah (Torah 21), on the verse: “For Yaakov, Yah chose for Himself; Yisrael as His treasure” (Psalms 135:4). See there. Therefore Yaakov rebuked the first three tribes: Reuven, Shimon, and Levi. For it is known that every aspect is included within all the aspects. Therefore, among the nefashos that the wise man gathers together — when he ascends with them and draws down Torah, which is the aspect of two sichliyos [intellects] (for the gathering is the aspect of one saichel, and the drawing of Torah is a second saichel, in the aspect of the shin of three heads and the shin of four heads) — among these nefashos there are two aspects. For there are nefashos that are in the aspect of the saichel of the gathering, where he gathers them and elevates them in the aspect of ibbur. And there are nefashos that are in the aspect of the saichel of drawing down the Torah. And these first three tribes — Reuven, Shimon, and Levi — are in the aspect of the saichel of the gathering: they are the first ones, and from them begins the elevation in the aspect of ibbur, to bring about the union through them initially. And since all beginnings are difficult, therefore, in the beginning, at the time of the aspect of ibbur, harsh judgments are aroused, G–d forbid, for ibbur [gestation] is the aspect of din [judgment], as is known — as is written: “And Hashem was angered (vayis’aber) with me on your account” (Deuteronomy 3:26) [where the word for “anger” shares a root with ibbur]. And as we saw with our own eyes with the great tzadikim: in the beginning, when they were preparing themselves to say Torah, we would see from them great displays of irritation, which was not their usual manner at all. But all of this was drawn from the aspect of anger and din of the aspect of ibbur. Therefore Yaakov Avinu rebuked these first three tribes, since they are the first ones through whom the primary beginning of drawing down the union occurs, which is the aspect of ibbur, when it is the aspect of din and rebuke, as above. For the names of these three tribes hint at this: Reuven was called by the name: “Because Hashem has seen my affliction; now my husband will love me” (Genesis 29:32). This hints that there is not yet a complete union between the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Congregation of Yisrael, on account of the blemish of their deeds. But the tzadik, in the greatness of his power, awakens a bit of the good within Yisrael and elevates and gathers even the blemished nefashos together with the good ones, in the aspect of: “I have gathered my myrrh with my spice” (Song of Songs 5:1), etc. — as explained there, see there — until he awakens the mercy of Hashem, blessed be He, that He should see the affliction of Yisrael and love them, and draw close and unite with them. And this is the aspect of: “For Hashem saw my affliction; now my husband will love me.” And similarly, Shimon was called by the name: “Because Hashem heard that I am hated” (Genesis 29:33), etc. And similarly, Levi was called by the name: “Now this time my husband will be joined to me” (Genesis 29:34), etc. It turns out that the names of all these three tribes indicate the beginning of the union — meaning, they arouse and bring about the union and love and connection between the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Congregation of Yisrael, whereas at first they were as though distant and “hated” by Him, and suffered torments and many afflictions — and now He will love them and draw them close and be joined and connected to them, as above. And therefore, because these tribes are the aspect of the beginning — the aspect of ibbur, which is din — therefore he rebuked them with words, as above. But Yehudah was the aspect of “This time I will thank (odeh) Hashem” (Genesis 29:35) — which hints that already the mercies of Hashem, blessed be He, were stirred, and the judgments and anger were completely nullified, and the drawing of Torah from Above began. For then all the judgments are sweetened, when the mochin begin to be drawn. And this is: “This time I will thank” — the aspect of the drawing of Torah, for then is the primary praise and thanksgiving, in the aspect of: “I will thank You with uprightness of heart when I learn Your righteous laws” (Psalms 119:7). For Yehudah is the aspect of Mashiach, who will descend from him, when there will be the primary revelation of the Torah in the manner described above, through which the primary Redemption comes, as above. Therefore, when he reached Yehudah, he began to draw them close with good words, for the din and anger that cling to the aspect of ibbur had already been nullified, and the aspect of the revelation of Torah and da’as had begun to be drawn, which is the aspect of mercy and chesed, as above. It turns out that the first three tribes are in the aspect of ibbur, and the remaining tribes are in the aspect of the birth and the drawing of the Torah. And now you will see wonders: for this reason, at the time of the Exodus from Egypt, only these three tribes were mentioned by themselves, in Parashas Va’aira, as it is written: “These are the heads of their fathers’ houses” (Exodus 6:14), etc. And Rashi explains there: “Because Yaakov their father rebuked these three tribes at the time of his death, the verse came back and traced their lineage here by themselves, to say that they are important.” For on the broadest level, the entire Egyptian exile is considered the aspect of ibbur, as is known, and their departure and redemption from there is considered the aspect of birth, as is known. For it has already been explained that every aspect is included within all the aspects. Therefore, even though Yaakov certainly drew down and revealed much Torah to his sons — and especially the holy blessings with which he blessed them before his death, where every word is lofty Torah, and hinted within them is everything that would pass over them and befall them until the End — nevertheless, the Torah had not yet been given in his days. Therefore, the entire matter of Yaakov is in the aspect of gathering the nefashos in the aspect of ibbur. Until Moshe Rabbeinu came and brought about a wondrous union Above, until he brought the nefashos out of the aspect of ibbur and drew down Torah — which is the revelation of da’as, which is the aspect of birth. This is the essential aspect of the Exodus from Egypt. Therefore, during the time of the ibbur, Yisrael suffered many afflictions in the exile of Egypt, for ibbur is the aspect of din, as above. And this is the aspect of: “Moshe commanded us Torah, an inheritance of the congregation of Yaakov” (Deuteronomy 33:4). The revelation of the Torah was drawn through Moshe, in the aspect of “Moshe commanded us Torah.” But the holy inheritance that is the revelation of the Torah that Moshe Rabbeinu brought us — it was drawn through “the congregation of Yaakov,” in the aspect of “an inheritance of the congregation of Yaakov” — meaning, through the gathering of the nefashos in the aspect of ibbur, which is the aspect of Yaakov, for the primary congregation and gathering is through him, for he is the root of all the nefashos, as it is written: “All the soul that came to the house of Yaakov” (Genesis 46:26), as our master, our teacher, and our rabbi, of blessed memory, wrote in another place. Therefore, at the time of the Exodus, only these first three tribes were mentioned, for they are the essential aspect of ibbur, and now the essential Redemption depends on them — to sweeten and nullify the din that clings to the aspect of ibbur (which these three tribes embody) through the chesed and mercy that began to be drawn at the time of the Redemption, through the awakening of the aspect of the drawing of Torah, through which the essential Redemption came, as it is written: “When you take the people out of Egypt, you shall serve G–d” (Exodus 3:12), etc. And now the words of Rashi mentioned above — which are from the Pesikta — are sweetened: that because Yaakov rebuked these three tribes, etc. For certainly so it is — that because he rebuked them, etc., which is because they are in the aspect of ibbur, where the din is, from which the entire Egyptian exile came — therefore now at the time of the Redemption one must go back and mention them specifically. For the essential Redemption depends on them: to sweeten the din from them through the drawing of the Torah that began through them, through their being in the aspect of ibbur, through which the essential Redemption comes, as above. And this is what Rashi explains there — that the verse came back and traced their lineage “to say they are important.” For certainly, the fact that from them is the primary beginning of the elevation of the nefashos in the aspect of ibbur, when it is the aspect of din — this is not because of any deficiency in them, G–d forbid. On the contrary, it is their importance — that they are so great that from them is the primary beginning, which is extremely difficult. And precisely because of this, he rebuked them, as above. But in truth they are important, and therefore at the time of the Redemption they need to be mentioned specifically, for the essential Redemption is through them — for if there were no aspect of ibbur, there would be no aspect of birth, which is the aspect of the drawing of the Torah, which is the essential Redemption, as above. It turns out that on the broadest level: the gathering of the nefashos in the aspect of ibbur is the aspect of Yaakov, in the aspect of “all the soul that came to the house of Yaakov,” as above. And the drawing of the Torah is the aspect of Moshe, who drew down and gave us the Torah. Therefore Yaakov Avinu had to bring them down to Egypt, and Moshe Rabbeinu took them out. For the descent of Yisrael to Egypt was drawn from the aspect of ibbur, as is known — which is the aspect of Yaakov. But the descent is for the sake of the ascent. For if there is no ibbur, there is no birth. As it is written: “I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will surely bring you up” (Genesis 46:4). For through this they merited afterwards the Redemption through Moshe, who drew down and gave us the Torah — which is the aspect of birth, as above. And this is what is found in the Midrash on Parashas Vayechi: Yaakov ended with “Zos” (this) — “And this is what [their father] spoke to them” (Genesis 49:28); and Moshe began with “Zos” — “And this is the blessing” (Deuteronomy 33:1). Moshe ended with “Ashray” — “Fortunate are you, Yisrael” (Deuteronomy 33:29); and Dovid began with “Ashray” — “Fortunate is the man” (Psalms 1:1), etc. That is, Yaakov is the aspect of the gathering of the nefashos, and therefore he ended with “Zos,” for “Zos” is the aspect of Malchus/Emunah, as brought in the Tikkunim at length, and Malchus/Emunah is the aspect of the totality of the nefashos, as is known. Therefore Moshe began with “Zos” where Yaakov ended — for through the gathering of the nefashos, which is the aspect of Yaakov, Moshe drew down the Torah. Therefore, there in “V’Zos HaBerachah,” it immediately begins to speak of the drawing of the Torah that was drawn through the gathering of the nefashos, the aspect of Yaakov, as it is written there: “Hashem came from Sinai… Moshe commanded us Torah, an inheritance of the congregation of Yaakov,” as above. Therefore Yaakov ended with “Zos” and Moshe began with “Zos” — for the entire aspect of Yaakov is the aspect of gathering the nefashos, which is the aspect of “Zos,” and with this Moshe began, for through the gathering of the nefashos of Yaakov, which is the aspect of “Zos,” Moshe drew down the Torah, as above. And this is: “Moshe ended with ‘Ashray’ and Dovid began from ‘Ashray’” — for through the drawing of the Torah, hashgachah shelaimah is drawn down, which is the aspect of “Ashray,” in the sense of “I gaze upon him (ashurenu), but not near” (Numbers 24:17) — as our master, our teacher, and our rabbi, of blessed memory, wrote there on the verse “Ashray ha’Am.” And Dovid began from “Ashray,” for Dovid is the aspect of Mashiach, whose entire occupation is to draw hashgachah shelaimah through the Torah that he draws through the aspects mentioned above. For all the afflictions and all the exiles that we suffer now are because of hester panim [the hiding of the Face] — meaning that, as it were, His hashgachah is not drawn upon us in completeness. And about this we cry out at all times: “How long will You hide Your face from me?” (Psalms 13:2), etc. “Why do You hide Your face? You forget our affliction and our oppression” (Psalms 44:25). And it is written: “See my affliction and my toil” (Psalms 25:18), etc. And the entire occupation of the true tzadikim, who sustain us and revive us in the bitterness of this exile, and who arouse and draw down the Redemption — is through the hashgachah shelaimah that they draw down at all times, through the chidushay Torah they draw down through the elevation of nefashos, as above. And this is the aspect of Dovid, who is Mashiach, who began with “Ashray” where Moshe ended — for the primary drawing of Torah that the tzadik, the aspect of Moshe, draws, is in order to draw hashgachah shelaimah, which is the aspect of “Ashray,” which is the aspect of Dovid/Mashiach, who is called “beautiful of eyes and good of appearance” (I Samuel 16:12) — because he draws hashgachah shelaimah, in the aspect of: “And I will set My eyes upon them for good” (Jeremiah 24:6). Through this comes the essential Redemption, as above. It turns out that these three tzadikim — Yaakov, Moshe, and Dovid — are the totality of the three aspects mentioned above: the gathering of the nefashos to elevate them in the aspect of ibbur, which is the aspect of Yaakov; the drawing of the Torah, which is the aspect of Moshe; and the drawing of hashgachah shelaimah, which is the aspect of Dovid/Mashiach. And all these three aspects are included, bound, and dependent one upon the other, as explained in the Torah mentioned above. Therefore, where one ended, the other began, for each one is dependent on and bound to his fellow, as above. For through the gathering of the nefashos, one draws Torah; and through the drawing of the Torah, hashgachah shelaimah is drawn, as above. And this is also the meaning of what is found in the Midrash on Parashas V’Zos HaBerachah, which begins from Avraham, and this is its language: “Avraham blessed Yitzchak, etc., as it is written: ‘And Avraham gave everything he had to Yitzchak’ (Genesis 25:5), etc. Yitzchak arose to bless Yaakov and said: From the place where my father stopped, from there I will begin. My father stopped with ‘he gave’ (va’yiten), so I too will begin with ‘he shall give’ (v’yiten). From where? As it says: ‘And may G–d give you’ (Genesis 27:28). And with what did he conclude? With ‘calling’ (k’riah), as it says: ‘And Yitzchak called Yaakov and blessed him’ (Genesis 28:1). Yaakov arose to bless the tribes and said: I will only begin with ‘calling,’ as it says: ‘And Yaakov called his sons’ (Genesis 49:1). And with what did he conclude? With ‘Zos,’ etc. Moshe arose to bless,” etc. For the beginning of the rectification started from Avraham Avinu, who began to bring the world out of its curses that it had been cursed with through the sin of Adam HaRishon, and to draw down blessings — meaning, to draw the influence of the Torah, from which all blessings come, as it is written: “Hashem will give strength to His people; Hashem will bless” (Psalms 29:11), etc. And the beginning of the rectification is through tzedakah, through which one breaks the desire for money, as above in the Torah. This is the aspect of Avraham, who was the man of chesed, who did much chesed and tzedakah with all who came into the world. Through this he broke the desire for money (and as explained in the discourse “Maishra d’Sakina,” Torah 30, see there), and nullified the aspect of “In sorrow shall you eat” and the aspect of “By the sweat of your brow” (Genesis 3:17–19), which were cursed through the sin of Adam HaRishon. And because he merited nullifying the aforementioned curse, therefore the blessings were given over to him, as it is written: “And you shall be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2), etc. And he transmitted the blessing to Yitzchak and concluded with “Va’yiten” [“and he gave”]. For the attribute of Avraham is the aspect of giving and bestowing — the aspect of giving tzedakah and chesed, in the aspect of: “You shall surely give” (Deuteronomy 15:10), etc. Therefore he concluded with “Va’yiten.” And Yitzchak began from there and concluded with “Va’yikra” [“and he called”]. For Yitzchak is the one who rectified the attribute of Gevurah [Holy Severity], which is the aspect of the “side of Levi,” where the aspect of melody and song is. Therefore he drew down the rectification described in the Torah — the aspect of: “And when that spirit descends to the heart, the heart receives it with the joy of the melody of the Levites” — which is the aspect of the complete rectification of the desire for money, to cool the heat of the heart for money and to transform it into joy, so that one is happy with one’s portion and does not rush to become wealthy. This is the aspect of “the joy of the melody of the Levites.” This is the aspect of Yitzchak, who is the aspect of holy Gevuros, from which the primary chain of the desire for money extends, in the aspect of: “From the north, gold comes” (Job 37:22) — which are the aspect of anger and strict judgments. “And judgment is only sweetened at its root” — that is, when one draws the power of the tzedakah and chesed of Avraham, the man of chesed, into the aspect of the Gevuros of Yitzchak, which is the aspect of the heat of the heart — one cools the heat of the heart of the Sitra Achra, so that the heart does not burn with the desire for money. Rather, on the contrary, one should be happy with one’s portion, until one merits the aspect of “the joy of the melody of the Levites.” For melody and joy are in the aspect of Levi, which is the aspect of Yitzchak, the aspect of the holy “left side,” where song and melody and joy reside — when the hold of the judgments of the Sitra Achra, which are the aspect of the desire for money, is nullified from there, and one merits that one’s heart burns and warms for Hashem, blessed be He, in joy and song and melody, in the aspect of: “My heart and my flesh sing to the living G–d” (Psalms 84:3). Therefore Yitzchak began from where Avraham concluded — which is “Va’yiten” — for the essential thing is to draw the power of the giving of tzedakah of Avraham to cool the heat of the heart that is drawn from the Gevurah of Yitzchak — to nullify from there the anger, the aspect of “by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread,” and to transform it into joy and melody. This is in the aspect of Yitzchak, who is named for laughter and joy. Therefore he concluded with “Va’yikra” — this is the aspect of the need to “call” and invite the power of tzedakah, which is the aspect of Avraham, into the aspect of the Gevurah of Yitzchak, in order to cool the heat of the heart that burns with the desire for money, which extends from there, as above. And this is the aspect of: “Call out offerings (n’davos), proclaim them!” (Amos 4:5) — that one must call the generous spirit (ruach n’divah), which is the power of tzedakah, and make it heard to the heart — for “hearing depends on the heart” — until the heart hears and receives the power of tzedakah, in the aspect of “when that spirit descends to the heart, the heart receives it with the joy of the melody of the Levites,” as above. And from there Yaakov began: “And he called his sons.” And he concluded with “Zos.” For through the power of tzedakah of Avraham, which Yitzchak drew into the heart, etc. — which is the essential completeness of the breaking of the desire for money, until one has transformed the heat of the heart into joy and melody and song, meaning there should be no heat of the Sitra Achra in one’s heart (which is the desire for money, which is the totality of the vanities of this world), but rather one’s heart should warm for Hashem, blessed be He, to give thanks and praise Him, blessed be He, with song and melody, etc. — this is the aspect of “the joy of the melody of the Levites,” as above. And this is also the aspect of “calling” (k’riah), in the aspect of: “Give thanks to Hashem, call upon His Name” (Psalms 105:1). For all the melodies and songs are the aspect of calling, which is the aspect of a voice, the aspect of drawing. For through calling — when one calls one’s fellow — he is drawn and comes to him, and then one speaks with him. This is the aspect of song and melody, through which one calls and draws Him, blessed be He, to us, and afterwards we speak before Him all our needs. For the essential drawing and connection is through the aspect of melody, which is the “side of Levi,” in the aspect of: “This time my husband will be joined (yilaveh) to me” (Genesis 29:34), as our master, our teacher, and our rabbi, of blessed memory, wrote elsewhere. And this is the aspect of why we say Psukay d’Zimrah before the prayer: for through melody and song, we call and draw Him, blessed be He, to us, and afterwards we can pray before Him all our needs. And so the Sages taught: “A person should always arrange the praise of the Holy One, blessed be He, and afterwards pray.” All the praises are in the aspect of songs and melodies of the Levi’im, who engage in songs and praises of Dovid HaMelech, peace be upon him, which are in the aspect of the ten kinds of melody. Therefore the melody of the Levites is the aspect of “calling,” and with this Yitzchak concluded, for he is in the aspect of “the joy of the melody of the Levites,” as above. And with what Yitzchak concluded, Yaakov began: “And he called his sons” — for through the power of tzedakah that breaks the desire for money until one merits “the joy of the melody of the Levites,” through this one can gather the nefashos. This is the aspect of Yaakov, the aspect of “Zos” — which is Malchus, the totality of the nefashos. Therefore he concluded with “Zos,” and with this Moshe began, and gave through this the Torah, etc., as above. Blessed is Hashem forever, Amen and Amen. This halacha, based on Likutay Moharan I:13 (“Ashray ha’Am”), presents a sweeping vision of how returning lost objects connects to the deepest dynamics of spiritual rectification, the daily prayer service, and the ultimate Redemption. The Core Chain: Breaking the desire for money (through tzedakah) → joy in one’s portion (the melody of the Levites) → chesed flows into the world → da’as is drawn → the wise tzadik gathers nefashos → he unifies Kudsha B’rich Hu and Shechinah → Torah is born from this union → hashgachah shelaimah (complete Divine Providence) flows down upon us. The Daily Prayer mirrors this chain exactly: Korbanos/Ketores = tzedakah (breaking mammon-desire, rectifying Asiyah) → Psukay d’Zimrah = joy of Levite-melody → Birchos Krias Shema = chesed/love → Krias Shema = da’as/mochin → Shemoneh Esrai = the union, nefashos ascend, Torah born → Sim Shalom = the Torah of peace flows → Ashray/U’va l’Tziyon = hashgachah descends as shefa. The tzadik’s Torah illuminates even after his passing (like the Menorah at night), and even reaches those in the lowest depths (below 10 tefachim). This is the miracle of Chanukah: oil that should burn only one day burns for eight — because the true tzadik draws from the Torah of the Future (Oraisah d’Atikah), sealing it with the purity of the Kohen Gadol so no foreign thought contaminates it. Returning a lost object is itself the breaking of the desire for money (one could keep it, but gives it back = tzedakah/chesed). The lost object was lost through hesach ha’da’as (diverted attention = blemished hashgachah), and the one who returns it — who sets his eye upon it and does not hide — rectifies and draws down hashgachah shelaimah. The Three Patriarchs & Three Tzadikim: Avraham = tzedakah/chesed (breaking the desire, “Va’yiten”) → Yitzchak = melody/joy (transforming the heart’s heat, “Va’yikra”) → Yaakov = gathering nefashos/ibbur (“Zos”) → Moshe = Torah drawn down (“V’Zos HaBerachah”) → Dovid = hashgachah shelaimah/Mashiach (“Ashray”). Where one ended, the other began — because each depends on the other. The first three tribes (Reuven, Shimon, Levi) represent ibbur — the painful beginnings. The rebuke they received was not due to inferiority but to their greatness: they bear the difficulty of the beginning, which makes the birth (Torah-revelation) possible. This is why they alone were mentioned again at the Exodus. Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman

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