פריקה וטעינה א

Praise Him with blasts of the horn; praise Him with harp and lyre.

Whoever comes first to the property of a ger [convert who died without heirs] acquires it.

4 הַלְלוּהוּ בְתֹף וּמָחוֹל הַלְלוּהוּ בְּמִנִּים וְעוּגָב See the discourse beginning “Vay’hi heim mereikim sakeihem” (Likutay Moharan I:17) — what is explained there on the verse: “He shall not lie down until he eats prey, and the blood of the slain he shall drink” (Numbers 23:24). For through geirim [converts], the blemishes of the mizbai’ach are completed — which is the aspect of eating in holiness. For through their casting away the idolatry that was theirs and returning to the service of Israel, the mizbai’ach is completed.

And this is the aspect of: “He shall not lie down until he eats prey” — the aspect of the completion of the mizbai’ach, which is in the portion of the one who tears [preys], which is accomplished through the aspect of “and the blood of the slain he shall drink” — the aspect of geirim, as Onkelos translates: “and the property of the nations he shall inherit.” And this is the aspect of geirim — for whoever comes first to the property of the ger acquires it. All of this Rabbainu, may his light shine, wrote there — see there. And because of this itself, whoever comes first to the property of the ger acquires it. For this is the aspect of the completion of the mizbai’ach, which is the table — through all the idolatry being returned to the service of Israel, which is the mizbai’ach, as above. For all the idolatries are embedded within money, as Rabbainu, may his light shine, wrote in the discourse “Tzivisa Tzedek” (LM I:23) — and therefore every nation’s idolatry is engraved upon its coinage. Thus, the money of the nations of the world is itself the idolatry itself, and they receive and suckle from the mizbai’ach of holiness, as above — which is the aspect of the table that is comparable to a mizbai’ach, as is explained there. That is, they suckle from the table of holiness, which is the eating and sustenance of Israel; and they suckle from there and receive sustenance and money, and it becomes actual idolatry in their hands, for the money of the sitra achra constitutes all the idolatries, as above. And therefore the essential virtue of the geirim is that their money returns to holiness — which is the aspect of the return of all the idolatry to the mizbai’ach and the table of holiness, as above. And therefore whoever comes first to the property of the ger acquires it — for Israel acquires his money, for this is the aspect of the return of the idolatry to holiness, to the mizbai’ach and table of holiness. For their money is the idolatry, and it returns to holiness, to the sustenance and eating of Israel, that Israel acquires his property. And therefore the verse alludes to the geirim only in terms of his property that Israel inherits, as it is written: “and the blood of the slain,” etc. — “and the property of the nations he shall inherit,” as Rabbainu, may his light shine, wrote, as above. For this itself is the completion of the mizbai’ach, the aspect of “he shall eat prey” — which is accomplished through their money returning to Israel, as above. And this itself is the aspect of the good that is captive among them — namely, the money that they receive from Israel. For all good is hidden within the money of holiness, meaning the money of Israel. And as Rabbainu, may his light shine, wrote (LM I:69) — that all the souls have their root in wealth, and the souls of Israel are entirely holy, entirely good, as is hinted in Rabbainu’s words many times. And this is the aspect of: “and all the good of his master was in his hand” (Genesis 24:10) — which refers to the wealth, which is the aspect of “all good.” And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said that upon the shekalim — which are the coins of Israel — was engraved a holy Name, for there lies the holiness, as above. And therefore the essential exile and dominance of the nations over Israel is only to take their money through taxes and tributes — and this is the essential aspect of the good that is captive among them, in the aspect of “and all the good of his master was in his hand” — in the hand of the servant, G–d forbid, as is brought in the Zohar. And therefore the ger who converts — which is the aspect of the good returning to holiness, drawing with him also from the evil (see there) — therefore his property goes to Israel after his death, for this is the aspect of the return of the good, as above. Thus, when a Jew acquires the property of the ger, he elevates and clarifies the good toward holiness. And therefore the law regarding the boundary of reshus [domain] in property is the same as its law regarding Shabbos — that whatever is considered a separate reshus regarding Shabbos, for the prohibition of carrying, is considered a separate reshus in the property of the ger, so that one cannot acquire it without making a specific chazakah [act of possession] and zechiyah [act of acquisition]. For the acts of possession and acquisition in the property of the ger are the aspect of the clarification and repair — he clarifies and repairs the good that is there, and through this he acquires it. And when there are divisions of domains, it turns out the good is captive in many separate places — therefore each one requires a specific act of acquisition. And the measure is like the divisions of domains of Shabbos, for it is known that the division of domains of Shabbos is in the aspect of the beirurim [clarifications]. And therefore on Shabbos, when there is no clarification, it is prohibited to carry from one domain to another, as is brought. And therefore what is considered a domain regarding clarifications, such that it is prohibited to carry from it on Shabbos, as above — is also considered a domain regarding the property of the ger, requiring a separate acquisition and clarification. For the domain interrupts and requires a specific clarification, namely the chazakah and zechiyah, as above. And similarly, a domain that interrupts regarding tumah [impurity] interrupts regarding the property of the ger — for the property of the ger was initially within the boundaries of impurity. And therefore what is a boundary regarding impurity is also a specific boundary in the property of the ger, requiring a specific acquisition and clarification to elevate it from the boundary of impurity to the boundary of holiness. And similarly, a domain that interrupts regarding pe’ah [the corner of the field left for the poor] interrupts also regarding the property of the ger — for pe’ah is ownerless for the poor. And it is known that the essential clarification and elevation of the sparks is through tzedakah; also, the geirim themselves are made essentially through tzedakah, as Rabbainu, may his light shine, wrote there. And therefore a domain that interrupts regarding tzedakah (that is, pe’ah, which is the aspect of clarifications) interrupts regarding the property of the ger, as above. Regarding the name “zechiyah” [acquisition] — that whatever a person acquires, whether from ownerless property or from his fellow, is called zechiyah. In the aspect of what Rabbainu, may his light shine, wrote in the discourse “Hai man” etc. (LM I:29) regarding “zachah” [he merited/acquired]: he became a head — zachah is the aspect of purifying (mezakech) the bloods of the 365 sinews, in the aspect of white garments — see there. And this is the aspect of masa u’matan [business transactions]: masa [burden] is the blemish, and matan [gift] is the repair, as is explained there — see there. Thus, when one conducts business and acquires some item, or acquires from ownerless property — through this he repairs and elevates the thing, namely the sparks. And this repair is in the aspect of white garments, the aspect of the purification of the bloods. And therefore it is called zechiyah, the aspect of purifying the bloods, as above — and through this he acquires it. For this is the essential acquisition: through repairing and elevating the object. And therefore one must specifically perform some act of repair, such as hagbahah [lifting], meshichah [pulling], kinyan sudar [acquisition via a cloth], or other methods of acquisition — for through these repairs and acquisitions of the masa u’matan, one repairs the object in the aspect of the purification of the bloods, as above. And therefore it is called zechiyah, as above. And similarly with land, one must specifically perform some act of repair, as they said regarding land, as is brought in the Shulchan Aruch — and through the repair, one acquires it, as above. A ger who died and has no heirs — whoever comes first to his property acquires it. According to what is explained in the discourse beginning “Tik’u” which discusses emunah, in Likutay Tinyana, siman 5. And it is stated there that through the ish tevunos [man of understanding], one merits emunah. And the ish tevunos is one who burnishes his soul — and this is accomplished through drawing spiritual divinity into constrictions [tzimtzumim] and bodies. For through drawing spiritual divinity into constrictions — that is, the joining of soul and body — through this, sustenance is drawn, etc.; see there. And the sustenance of the tzaddik is the aspect of “the tzaddik eats to the satisfaction of his soul” (Proverbs 13:25), the aspect of “and He shall satisfy in brilliant lights your soul” (Isaiah 58:11). And therefore, through drawing spiritual divinity into constrictions and bodies, through which one merits sustenance — through this one burnishes his soul in the aspect of “and He shall satisfy in brilliant lights your soul.” And then he is the aspect of the ish tevunos, and then he can reveal the holy emunah, etc., as is explained there — see all of this there well. And through elevating the fallen emunah, through this, geirim are made, etc. — see there. And to connect the matter somewhat — it is precisely through elevating and repairing the fallen emunah, through the ish tevunos (that is, through drawing spiritual divinity into constrictions) — precisely through this, geirim are made. For in truth, the drawing of spiritual divinity into constrictions, which is the joining of soul and body — this is the aspect of holadah [birth/begetting]. And the essential birth that the tzaddikim produce is the souls of the geirim — for the tzaddikim birth the souls of the geirim, in the aspect of “and the souls they made in Charan” (Genesis 12:5), as is explained in the holy books. And this is the aspect of drawing spiritual divinity into constrictions. And therefore, precisely through this, geirim are made afterwards, as is explained there in the discourse mentioned above. And therefore the inheritance of the ger belongs to all Israel, and whoever comes first acquires it. For the matter of inheritance is explained according to the above — that the essential inheritance, whereby one acquires the estate of the deceased, is in order to repair the soul of the deceased, in the aspect of “to establish the name of the dead upon his inheritance” (Ruth 4:5). For the essential inheritance is drawn from the aspect of drawing spiritual divinity into constrictions, through which one merits sustenance — namely, inheritance and wealth. And through the sustenance and inheritance, one merits the aspect of “and He shall satisfy in brilliant lights,” as above. And when one departs, the essential purpose for him is that he merit the aspect of the tzachtzachos [brilliant lights] mentioned above, to burnish his soul and his neshamah in the aspect of “and He shall satisfy in brilliant lights your soul.” And each person merits this according to what he strove during his life to draw spiritual divinity into constrictions — through which one merits these tzachtzachos, as above. For this is the totality of all the Torah and mitzvos: the totality of all the Torah and mitzvos is in order to draw spiritual divinity into constrictions, in order to reveal His divinity, may He be blessed, in the world. For no thought grasps Him at all — only through the Torah and mitzvos are constrictions made to reveal His divinity in the world. And through every single mitzvah that one performs, one draws His spiritual divinity into the aspect of constriction, in order to reveal His divinity in the world. And therefore, through the mitzvos — which are the aspect of constrictions for His divinity, may He be blessed, the aspect of drawing spiritual divinity into constrictions — through this one merits the tzachtzachos mentioned above, as above. And the essential aspect of this — the aspect of drawing spiritual divinity into constrictions — is accomplished through holadah, through meriting worthy children. For the children that one begets — this is the essential aspect of drawing spiritual divinity into constrictions, namely the joining of soul and body. And therefore, after one’s departure, it is impossible for him to ascend to appear before the King except through having merited to leave behind children in this world. For it is impossible for him to ascend and take delight in the lights of the tzachtzachos mentioned above except through levushim [garments] to clothe his soul, as is known. And the garments are made through the mitzvos and good deeds he accumulated during his life, which are the aspect of constrictions, as above — the aspect of garments. And therefore he must leave behind children — for the children are the essential aspect mentioned above, the aspect of drawing spiritual divinity into constrictions, as above. And through leaving his children behind him, through this he has garments to clothe his soul, as is brought. For the essential garments are made through the aspect of drawing spiritual divinity into constrictions, which is the aspect of garments — and this is accomplished through the worthy children one begets, who are the joining of soul and body, the aspect of the connection of spiritual divinity with the constriction and body, as above. And therefore one merits to be clothed in garments, the aspect of constrictions, as above — and through this one merits the aspect of tzachtzachos, the aspect of “and He shall satisfy in brilliant lights your soul.” For this one merits precisely through the aspect of drawing spiritual divinity into constrictions, which is the aspect of children, as above. And therefore the children — who are the aspect of drawing spiritual divinity into constrictions, as above, through whom one merits inheritance and sustenance, and through this one merits the tzachtzachos, as above — they are the ones who acquire the inheritance. For the inheritance, namely the sustenance, belongs to them — for they themselves are the aspect of drawing spiritual divinity, etc., through which one merits inheritance, as above. And therefore the inheritance belongs to them. And through their receiving the inheritance of the deceased, through this the soul of the deceased can be repaired. For the inheritance is drawn from the aspect of drawing spiritual divinity into constrictions, which is the aspect of garments — and therefore through the inheritance drawn from there, one can clothe through it the soul of the deceased, so that he can ascend and be clothed and merit the aspect of the tzachtzachos mentioned above. For through the inheritance, namely sustenance and wealth, through this one merits the aspect of the tzachtzachos, as above. And therefore his children elevate his soul to the aspect of the tzachtzachos through his inheritance specifically, in the aspect of “to establish the name of the dead upon his inheritance” specifically, as above. For the name is the soul. And when one does not merit children, G–d forbid, then the inheritance reverts to its lodging-place — namely, to the members of his family. And the father takes precedence over all who descend from him, for he [the deceased] was drawn from there [from his father]. And the principle is: the essential inheritance is drawn to the place from which the spiritual divinity was drawn into constrictions — for from there is the root of the inheritance and sustenance, as above. And therefore the essential inheritance goes to his children and his children’s children, etc. — for this is the essential thing: that spiritual divinity should be drawn into constrictions more and more, from generation to generation, in order that His divinity, may He be blessed, should be revealed in the world more and more each time. And to there the inheritance is drawn — namely, the sustenance, as above. And therefore the essential inheritance goes to the children, as above. But when one did not merit children, G–d forbid, to draw spiritual divinity into constrictions, to draw to them the inheritance — then it must necessarily return to the root from which he himself was drawn. For he himself was drawn from his father, also in the aspect mentioned above, in the aspect of drawing spiritual divinity, etc., as above — and from there is the root of his inheritance, as above. And the essential thing is that it should be drawn onward, further, from generation to generation, as above. But when he did not merit this, then it must necessarily return to the root, to his father from whom he was drawn in the aspect mentioned above, in the aspect of drawing spiritual divinity, etc. — and from there is the root of his inheritance. And now the inheritance returns to the root from which his soul was drawn into his body — from which is the root of the inheritance, as above — and now everything returns to its root. And if his father is no longer alive, it is drawn to his father’s children or his children’s children, who are the aspect of the continuation, the aspect of drawing spiritual divinity, etc. — and to them the inheritance is drawn, for the inheritance pertains specifically to the aspect of drawing spiritual divinity, etc. — namely, to his father, who is the root from which he was drawn, as above, or to his children and descendants who were drawn from him in the aspect mentioned above. And therefore the ger who has no children — his property is ownerless for all Israel, and whoever comes first acquires it. For the essential soul of the ger was drawn from the totality of Israel — for all Israel are called tzaddikim, as it is written: “And your nation are all tzaddikim” (Isaiah 60:21). And they create the souls of the geirim, for they draw spiritual divinity into constrictions, the aspect of the joining of soul and body — which is the aspect of holadah, the aspect of the souls of the geirim that are created through this, as is known. And through this, one merits sustenance, as above. And this is the aspect of: “and all the property that they had acquired, and the souls they had made in Charan” (Genesis 12:5) — for this depends upon that. For through “the souls they had made” — namely, the souls of the geirim, the aspect of drawing spiritual divinity, etc., as above — through this, one merits sustenance and wealth. And therefore the inheritance of the ger belongs to the totality of Israel — for from them are drawn the souls of the geirim, from which the inheritance and sustenance is drawn, as above. And therefore the inheritance reverts to its lodging-place — namely, to the totality of Israel. And whoever comes first acquires it — for from them was drawn the soul of the ger, from which the inheritance is drawn, as above. And through the Jew receiving and acquiring the inheritance of the ger, through this he can repair the soul of the ger. For the inheritance is drawn from the aspect of drawing spiritual divinity into constrictions, which is the aspect of garments — and therefore, through the inheritance drawn from there, one can clothe through it the soul of the deceased, so that he can ascend and take delight in the lights of the tzachtzachos, the aspect of “and He shall satisfy in brilliant lights your soul” — which is the aspect of inheritance, the aspect of “to establish the name of the dead upon his inheritance,” as above. And this is also the aspect of the inheritance of the ger — for he is repaired through the totality of Israel, from which is the root of his soul, as above. And therefore his inheritance belongs to them, as above. The matter of hefker [ownerless property] and the property of the ger, which is also ownerless after his death, and whoever comes first acquires it. For all the acquisitions of all things in the world are through da’as [knowledge/mind] — for through da’as, all the acquisitions in the world are made. For the essential acquisition is when it is made with full awareness. And for this reason our Sages of blessed memory instituted all the acts of acquisition for each kind of thing — such as movable property through meshichah [pulling] or hagbahah [lifting], and real property through chazakah [possession], and the like. For our Sages of blessed memory assessed that through such an acquisition, the da’as is drawn into the sale or the gift — that is, when he tells him “go, pull it, and acquire it,” and the buyer pulls the object, then the minds of the seller and buyer are surely settled that the transaction will be upheld and they will never retract. And so with all acts of acquisition — for the essential acquisition is through da’as, from which all things in the world are drawn, as it is written: “You have made them all with wisdom” (Psalms 104:24). And as our Sages of blessed memory said (Nedarim 41a): “If you have acquired da’as, what do you lack? If you lack da’as, what have you acquired?” And as it is written: “Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding” (Proverbs 4:5). And da’as is the Torah, which is called “the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7). Thus, the essential existence of all the commerce in the world is through the Torah, which is the da’as that gives life to everything — through which all acquisitions are made, according to the law of the Torah, such as meshichah or hagbahah, etc. For through the da’as, which is the Torah, all the acquisitions in the world are upheld, as above. And therefore it is impossible to transfer any object to one’s fellow through sale or gift except through some act of acquisition according to the law of the Torah — for without the appropriate acquisition for that object, the da’as, which is the Torah, has not yet been drawn into that sale, and so on. And therefore the transaction is not yet upheld, as above. But the matter of hefker is the aspect of before the receiving of the Torah. For the essential existence of all the world is only through the Torah, as our Sages of blessed memory said (Shabbos 88a) regarding the “hei” of “hashishi” [the sixth] — that the entire world was suspended until the sixth of Sivan, when Israel received the Torah. And as it is written: “The earth and all its inhabitants were dissolving — I established its pillars, selah” (Psalms 75:4) — and our Sages of blessed memory expounded this regarding the receiving of the Torah, through which the world was established. But before the receiving of the Torah, the entire world was in the aspect of chaos and void, in the aspect of hefker. And even the existence of the world before the Giving of the Torah was only on account of the future, that Israel would receive the Torah. But without the Torah, the entire world is considered hefker, like a wilderness, and everyone can rule over it, G–d forbid. For in truth, both regarding the world in general before the receiving of the Torah, and regarding every individual person in particular, as long as he does not conduct himself properly, G–d forbid, and does not keep the Torah, G–d forbid — then the world and the person are in the aspect of hefker. For there is no greater hefker than when one does not think about his end and purpose, and what will become of him in the World to Come after his death. For it is impossible to escape death in any way — for even Mashiach himself will die, not as the world thinks, that when Mashiach comes, death will be nullified — for it is not so, as above. And if so, since one cannot escape this, and then there will be a long world, forever and for eternity of eternities — is there a greater mufkar [abandoned person] than one who follows the desires of his heart and abandons himself from eternal life? And as Rabbainu of blessed memory said — and it is printed in Sichos HaRa”N — that Rabbainu of blessed memory said that hefkeirus [abandon] is not needed for the service of Hashem, may He be blessed, for one can be a worthy person without hefkeirus. And he said: although in my view this is not hefkeirus at all — for on the contrary, in reverse, the one who is truly mufkar is one who does not abandon himself for Hashem, may He be blessed. But even so, even what the world calls hefkeirus, etc. — this too is not needed, for one can be a worthy person without hefkeirus — see there. Thus, in truth, one who does not walk in the ways of Hashem — this is truly mufkar. For there is no greater hefkeirus than abandoning eternal life and true, everlasting good for a fleeting moment, for the pleasures of this world which is like a passing shadow, and all its pleasures are mixed with bitterness, anger, grief, and pains. And there is no person who chases after this world who has contentment and pleasure in this world, for “all his days are anger and pains” (Ecclesiastes 2:23) — for this world is full of calamities and troubles and sufferings and worries and great bitterness at all times and every hour. And as is brought in the Shela”H: “There is no moment without affliction, no week, no shemitah,” etc. — see there. And as is explained among us elsewhere — that in truth, there is not found even one person who has “this world” at all. And certainly there is no good in a person except to pursue always the true purpose, the eternal purpose — which is to serve Hashem always, to turn from evil and to do good — which is true good for eternity of eternities. Thus, one who does not accept upon himself the yoke of Torah and mitzvos is the aspect of mufkar, and in truth he is hefker — for His protection, may He be blessed, departs from him and everyone can rule over him. And as we find regarding the totality of Israel: when they sinned in the days of the First Temple, the prophets prophesied to them that it would be like hefker and the nations would rule over them, as it is written in Jeremiah: “Behold, I proclaim for you freedom, says Hashem — to the sword…” (Jeremiah 34:17). And Rashi explains there: “Behold, I proclaim for you freedom from Me, that I am no longer your master, and you will be hefker to the sword,” etc. And similarly in many verses. And this is the aspect of the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash — for because of their sins, Hashem, may He be blessed, made the Bais HaMikdash hefker, until foreign hands ruled over it. For before the receiving of the Torah, and similarly when they abandon the Torah, G–d forbid, and do not keep it, G–d forbid — then the world is, G–d forbid, in the aspect of hefker, for the essential existence of the world is through the Torah. And Israel acquired the entire world and its fullness through the receiving of the Torah. And for this reason Israel received the Torah in the wilderness — for a wilderness is a place of hefker, to teach that Israel acquired the entire world from hefker through the Torah. For before the receiving of the Torah, everything was considered like the wilderness, which is hefker. And therefore hefker takes effect through a mere verbal declaration, without any act of acquisition. For when one gives a gift or sells an object to his fellow, as long as the fellow has not performed an acquisition, the sale and gift are nothing, and one can retract. But with hefker, as soon as one declares it ownerless, the hefker takes effect and he cannot retract, even though no one has yet taken possession of it — unless he himself goes back and takes possession of it, like any person who acquires from ownerless property. But the hefker takes effect immediately without any act of acquisition. For all the acquisitions are in the aspect of da’as, which is the aspect of the Torah, as above. But hefker is drawn from the aspect of before the receiving of the Torah, which is the aspect of hefker. And before the receiving of the Torah, there is still no da’as at all, for the essential da’as is the Torah. And therefore no act of acquisition at all pertains to hefker — which is the aspect of da’as — for hefker is in the aspect of before the drawing of the da’as, which is before the receiving of the Torah. For a person at all times has the free will to keep the Torah, which is the aspect of receiving the Torah, or, G–d forbid, the opposite — which is the aspect of hefker, as above. And this is the aspect of the property of the ger, which is hefker. For the ger — Israel acquires him from hefker, for before he converts and accepts upon himself the Torah and mitzvos, he is in the aspect of hefker, as above. And it is impossible for the ger to convert except through Israel — for before Israel received the Torah, everything was hefker, and every person had the right to receive the Torah, and through this he would have acquired the entire world and its fullness from hefker. But as soon as Israel merited and received the Torah, they acquired the Torah and the entire world and its fullness that depend upon the Torah — and then everything is ours. And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said: “He saw and released the nations” (Habakkuk 3:6) — that at the time of the receiving of the Torah, He released their money to them. For everything is ours through the receiving of the Torah, as above. And now that we have merited to receive the Torah, whoever wants to convert and accept the Torah upon himself cannot convert except through Israel — that is, through a beis din of Israel, as is explained in the Shulchan Aruch. And if the ger wishes to keep all of the Torah and mitzvos by himself, without converting through Israel — he is not considered a ger and has not yet entered the holiness of Israel, and is as distant from Hashem, may He be blessed, as before. For now that we have already received the Torah, it is impossible for any ger to convert and enter into the holiness of the receiving of the Torah except through Israel — for we have already acquired the Torah and it is ours, and whoever wants to convert must come specifically to us, as above. And as I heard from Rabbainu of blessed memory regarding the drawing close of Jews to Hashem, may He be blessed: that before there exists a true tzaddik in the world, anyone who wants to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, can draw close. But after there is already found a true tzaddik, a true leader of Israel — then it is impossible for any person to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, except specifically through him. Thus, Israel acquires the geirim from hefker. And therefore his property is hefker for Israel after his death — for Israel acquired him and his property from hefker, through his accepting the yoke of Torah upon himself through them. For everything depends on the Torah, as above. And this is the aspect of the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash and all the exiles, that Israel is exiled from exile to exile. For since they transgressed the Torah, they became the aspect of hefker, G–d forbid, until the nations ruled over them and exiled them to places distant from holiness, which is the aspect of a wilderness — which is a place of hefker. But in truth, even so, there is no orphaned generation, and in every generation — even after the destruction — there are found tzaddikim and worthy people who keep the Torah. And then they return and acquire the Torah, and the entire world that depends upon it, from hefker — and they transform wilderness into settlement. Just as Israel originally received the Torah in the wilderness specifically — to teach that they acquire everything from hefker, for the entire world before the receiving of the Torah is in the aspect of hefker, like a wilderness, as above — so too now, in every generation, the true tzaddikim, who illuminate the Torah for us in every generation and draw Israel close to Hashem, may He be blessed, through their counsel that they reveal to us in their Torah-novelties — through this they transform wilderness into settlement, and elevate and uplift all the desolate places to which Israel was exiled. For they acquire all those places from hefker, and uplift everything to Hashem, may He be blessed, in the aspect of: “And he too shall remain for our G–d” (Zechariah 9:7). For this is the essential secret of the exile, as is brought — until we merit speedily in our days the coming of our Mashiach, and then the entire world and its fullness will be returned to our hands and our domain, for everything is ours through the keeping of the Torah that we have merited to keep in all the exiles, as above. And this is the aspect of Shemitah and Yovel. And the entire exile was decreed on account of the neglect of Shemitos and Yovlos, as it is written: “Until the land was appeased of its Shabboses” (II Chronicles 36:21), etc. — and as Rashi explains there. For during Shemitah and Yovel, everything is hefker — for this is the essential mitzvah of Shemitah and Yovel, that all the produce should be hefker. And therefore, through blemishing this, the exile was decreed, as above — for the exile is the aspect of hefker, as above. For Shemitah and Yovel are the aspect of Shabbos, which is the aspect of teshuvah, as is brought elsewhere. And therefore everything is then hefker — in order to repair all the sins that each person committed against the Torah, through which he is in the aspect of hefker, as above. And through the mitzvah of the hefker of Shemitah and Yovel, which are the aspect of teshuvah, one repairs the blemish of the hefker that one caused through one’s sins, as above. For it is known that in every thing there is good and evil. And therefore the essential exile, which is the aspect of hefker, was decreed through the blemish of Shemitah and Yovel, which are the aspect of hefker of holiness, as above — which is the aspect of teshuvah. For one who wants to return in teshuvah — his essential repair is through the tzaddik who abandoned himself for Hashem, may He be blessed, with great hefkeirus. And this is his repair for having initially abandoned himself for his desires. And this is the aspect of Shemitah and Yovel, as above. And there was more to say about this, but it was forgotten.