הפקר ונכסי הגר א

Likutay Halachos – Choshen Mishpat II – Hefker v'Nichsay HaGer, Halachos 1–3

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And this is: “The deep calls unto the deep at the sound of Your channels; all Your waves and billows have passed over me” (Psalms 42:8) — that Dovid HaMelech cries out that the troubles, which are as vast and deep as actual abysses, intensify greatly, and as Rashi explains there: “One trouble calls to its fellow,” etc. “And all Your waves and billows” — which are the abundance of hardships, etc. — “have passed over me” — until hope was almost lost, G–d forbid. But in this I sustain myself and still hope for salvation: “By day Hashem commands His kindness” (Psalms 42:9) — for even though the troubles are great, especially the troubles of the soul — that we are like ones rebuked before our Father in Heaven because of our many failings, etc. — even so, “by day Hashem commands His kindness.” And yomam [by day] means every single day, as Rashi explains elsewhere (on Ezekiel 12) — meaning that every single day, Hashem, may He be blessed, commands His kindness upon us, for He performs miracles and wonders with us every day. And these indeed are His mighty acts, these indeed are His awesome deeds: that we survive in so bitter an exile, in body and soul and money and livelihood, etc. And through this: “and at night His song is with me” (Psalms 42:9) — that through the kindnesses and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, does with us every single day, through this even at night His song is with me. That is, even in the time of trouble and darkness itself, which is the aspect of night — even then I say song and thanksgiving and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, for all the kindnesses He has already done with us, and that even now He expands for us, as above. And through this, precisely: “a prayer to the G–d of my life” (Psalms 42:9) — that I am able to pray to Hashem, may He be blessed, as above, in the aspect of “giving thanks for the past and entreating for the future” — for precisely through giving thanks for the past, one is able to entreat for the future. (And as is explained in the Laws of Kil’ay Bahaimah mentioned above, at length; see there.) And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said (Avodah Zarah, Chapter 1 [4a]), and this is their language: “And this is what Rava said: What is meant by the verse ‘But He will not stretch out His hand to the pid; when they cry out He saves them’ (Job 30:24)? The Holy One, blessed be He, said: When I judge Israel, I do not judge them like the nations of the world, regarding whom it is written: ‘Ruin, ruin, ruin I shall make it!’ (Ezekiel 21:32). Rather, Israel — I exact from them a little at a time, like the pid [pecking] of chickens that peck at the refuse-heap. Another interpretation: Even if Israel perform mitzvos before Me only a little, like the pid of chickens that peck at the refuse-heap, I combine it into a great reckoning, as it says: ‘When they cry out, He saves them.’ Another interpretation: In the reward for crying out before Me, I will save them. And this is what Rava said: What is meant by the verse ‘And I will redeem them, but they have spoken lies about Me’ (Hosea 7:13)? ‘I said: I will redeem them through their money in this world so that they merit the World to Come — but they have spoken lies about Me.’ And this is what Rav Pappi said in the name of Rava: What is meant by the verse ‘And I have chastised them, I have strengthened their arms — yet they think evil of Me’ (Hosea 7:15)? The Holy One, blessed be He, said: ‘I said: I will chastise them with sufferings in this world in order that their arms be strengthened for the World to Come — yet they think evil of Me.’” End of the language of the Gemara. And behold, I have transcribed before you this entire teaching, and in it you will see and understand very well all our words mentioned above. For our Sages of blessed memory arouse and urge us to walk in the path mentioned above that we have explained — that a person should not be pushed away, G–d forbid, on account of the troubles, hardships, and sufferings that pass over him and his household, whether sufferings of the body or hardships of livelihood, G–d forbid. Rather, he should look at all times at the expanses that Hashem, may He be blessed, grants him at all times, even within the trouble itself. And all the sufferings, G–d forbid, come through great kindness, a little at a time, so that one can bear them, and through this one will merit the World to Come — if he is not a fool, etc., to deceive himself into saying that he cannot serve Hashem, may He be blessed, on account of the troubles and sufferings. For on the contrary, all the troubles and sufferings in body and money all come for great good — so that precisely through them one will merit the World to Come, as is explained well in these holy words of our Sages of blessed memory, who revealed to us that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not send upon Israel sufferings and obstacles that they cannot bear, to push them away entirely, G–d forbid. For all the sufferings are only like chickens pecking at the refuse-heap — for He exacts from them a little at a time, and He does not judge them like the nations of the world, G–d forbid, of whom it is said: “Ruin, ruin, ruin I shall make it!” etc., as above. And now you will see how these words of our Sages of blessed memory mentioned above are connected and tightly bound together in a wondrous construction, and they constitute a path and good counsel and wondrous encouragement, so that a person should always draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, from whatever passes over him in body, money, and soul. For there are those who deceive themselves, saying that they cannot draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, because of the abundance of sufferings and hardships and financial pressures that pass over them and their households. To this, it is explained in these words mentioned above that the sufferings come through great kindness, to draw close precisely through them to Hashem, may He be blessed, and not to become distant through them. For Hashem, may He be blessed, does not exact from Israel in a manner that destroys them entirely; rather, He exacts from them a little at a time, like the pid of chickens — in a manner that precisely through this they will remember and return and draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, and merit the World to Come. And as is explained in the conclusion of their words itself: “And this is what Rava said: What is meant by ‘And I will redeem them, but they have spoken lies about Me’? ‘I said: I will redeem them through their money in this world so that they merit the World to Come — but they have spoken lies about Me.’” That is, as above — Hashem, may He be blessed, arranges for the person to have financial pressures and hardship in livelihood, and it is only for good — in order to redeem him through this from Gehinnom and the lowest depths of the grave that would have been his due according to his deeds, as he knows in his own soul. And not only this, but he will also merit through this the World to Come. For the essential intent of Hashem, may He be blessed, is only for good — so that precisely through this one will draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed. “But they have spoken lies about Me” — that they speak as if with lies about Hashem, may He be blessed, as if Hashem, may He be blessed, is distancing them. And they say: “It is impossible for us to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, on account of financial pressures” — when in truth it is the very opposite, etc. And similarly, it is explained there afterward: “And this is what Rav Pappi said in the name of Rava: What is meant by ‘And I have chastised them, I have strengthened their arms’ — that the sufferings in this world are in order that their arms be strengthened for the World to Come — ‘yet they think evil of Me’ — that they say the opposite, as if Hashem, may He be blessed, sends them the sufferings for their harm, G–d forbid, to distance them, G–d forbid. And if the person says: “The truth is indeed so — that the sufferings and financial pressures come through kindness, and His intent, may He be blessed, is for good, so that precisely through this one should draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, as above. But even so, it is difficult for me to draw close, for I have already gone very far astray and I am very distant from the Torah and the commandments, and how can I cleanse my path to return to Hashem, may He be blessed?” — to this, the Gemara responds and says there, afterward: “Another interpretation: Even if Israel perform mitzvos before Me only a little, like the pid of chickens that peck at the refuse-heap, I combine it into a great reckoning.” Behold, it is explained to us — a fitting answer to all of the above — saying: even so, even if you are as you are, you can still return from the place where you have been ensnared and seize good every day and merit eternal life in the World to Come. For behold, even if Israel perform mitzvos only a little, like the pid of chickens that peck at the refuse-heap, He too, may He be blessed, combines them into a great reckoning, as above. And set your heart well to these holy words of our Sages of blessed memory — how far they encourage each and every person: even if he is as he is, he can still seize Torah and mitzvos and merit a good portion for the World to Come. For even when they perform mitzvos only like a chicken pecking at the refuse-heap, etc. And understand the parable well, to understand from it the lesson (as it is written: “to understand parable and metaphor” [Proverbs 1:6]) — that they compared the matter to a chicken standing in refuse and dirt, etc., and pecking from there, a tiny bit at a time, its food — which is a fraction of a fraction of a single grain of wheat or a single legume. And even if Israel perform mitzvos before Him only like this chicken pecking at the refuse-heap, as above — even this, He, may He be blessed, in His mercy, combines into a great reckoning. And behold, the Tanna has informed you how far His mercies, may He be blessed, extend. And therefore you too can draw close, even though it seems to you that you are standing in refuse and dirt, etc. — even so, even from there you can peck at the refuse-heap and seize a little bit of good at a time. For even this is precious in His eyes, may He be blessed, as above. (And all of this is explained well according to the Torah “I will sing to my G–d while I yet live,” etc., where it is explained that even if the small amount of good is mixed with waste, even so, at least there is a good point in it, etc. — that is, as above.) And if you still argue and say: “The truth is indeed so — that Hashem, may He be blessed, sends the sufferings with mercy, a little at a time, and He also asks of us that we should at least seize mitzvos and good deeds, a little at a time, like a chicken pecking at the refuse-heap. But what shall I do, for I have become so distant that I cannot even accept these sufferings and financial pressures, and they are preventing me greatly” — to this, they responded there, in their holy words, saying there, adjacent to this: “Another interpretation: In the reward for crying out before Me, I will save them.” That is to say: Behold, I am giving you good counsel for this as well — that you should cry out and beseech Hashem, may He be blessed, about this. And He will certainly save you and deliver you even from these sufferings and financial pressures. You see that in this teaching, all our words mentioned above are contained — that a person must believe in the mercies of Hashem, may He be blessed, that certainly the sufferings are for good, and he should endeavor to find within them many expanses. For in truth, Hashem, may He be blessed, exacts only a little at a time, and through this one can seize, at least a little bit at a time, Torah and mitzvos, like a chicken pecking at the refuse-heap. And through this, one will be able to cry out and entreat Hashem, may He be blessed, until Hashem, may He be blessed, saves him even from this, and he will merit to emerge from the troubles entirely and to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, in fullness. For certainly the intentions of Hashem, may He be blessed, in all that passes over a person, are all for great good — as the Gemara concluded there afterward: “And this is what Rava said: What is meant by ‘And I will redeem them,’” etc., as above. And this is: “And G–d spoke to Moshe and said to him: I am Hashem” (Exodus 6:2) — that Hashem, may He be blessed, rebuked him for having said: “Why have You done evil to this people?” (Exodus 5:22). This was because Dasan and Aviram came out and stood to confront him and said: “May Hashem look upon you and judge!” (Exodus 5:21), etc. For in truth, if everyone had listened to the voice of the tzaddikay emes [true righteous ones], to walk in this path — to always believe in Hashem, may He be blessed, that everything is for good, and to constantly give praise and thanksgiving to Hashem, may He be blessed, both in His goodness and in His severity, as it is written: “In Hashem I praise a word; in G–d I praise a word” (Psalms 56:11) — certainly all the troubles and all the exiles would have been nullified entirely and there would have already been a complete redemption. But the essential hindrance of the redemption, both generally and individually, is through the abundance of disputants, who are the aspect of Dasan and Aviram, who came out standing to confront Moshe, etc. For in truth, even though when one gives thanks to Hashem, may He be blessed — through which all the troubles drawn from the pe’ulos mishtanos are nullified, etc., until the trouble is nullified entirely, etc. — even so, “this opposite this has G–d made” (Ecclesiastes 7:14), and as soon as some sprouting of the horn of salvation begins, immediately the Sitra Achra and the accusers incite themselves more and more to prosecute and to intensify the trouble, G–d forbid — like two people fighting, where when one sees that his fellow is overpowering, he strengthens himself more, etc. (as is explained in the Torah “And Boaz said,” etc., Siman 65, and elsewhere). And from this come all the downfalls, may the Merciful One save us, and the estrangement of all people, and especially of the upright ones who began to draw close and then became distant, may the Merciful One save us. And therefore, when Moshe came to redeem them, and “the people believed,” etc., “and they bowed and prostrated themselves” — through which the redemption began — the Sitra Achra strengthened itself greatly and hardened Pharaoh’s heart, until he said: “Who is Hashem?” etc., and he said: “Let the work be heavy” (Exodus 5:9), with extreme severity, not to give them straw. And this was a test for Israel — to strengthen themselves precisely then in faith, to believe that certainly the word of Hashem through Moshe, the trusted one of His house, would certainly stand forever — as indeed the majority of the upright ones followed this path. But there were found disputants — Dasan and Aviram — who led many astray after them, until they came out standing to confront Moshe and said: “May Hashem look upon you,” etc. — as if they were zealous with the zeal of the L–rd of Hosts, and arguing on behalf of Israel, and handing a judgment to Heaven against Moshe Rabbeinu who gives his very soul for their sake — until they say: “May Hashem look upon you and judge!” And through the abundance of their machlokes, the pe’ulos mishtanos overpowered, concealing, G–d forbid, the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut, from which comes all the redemption, as above. And their evil machlokes intensified, as above, until “the oppression makes a wise man foolish and destroys the heart of a gift” (Ecclesiastes 7:7) — which is the heart of Moshe, as our Sages of blessed memory said — until Moshe, from the intensity of his distress, said: “Why have You done evil to this people?” etc. For Moshe argued: “Why is it that You sent me?” (Exodus 5:22) — for this was his very argument from the outset, that he did not want to go on this mission, because of the abundance of disputants, etc., as above. And Hashem, may He be blessed, answered him that certainly He would complete what is His, in His great mercy, and through the merit of the Forefathers, and through the merit of Aharon and the upright ones who accompany him — who truly believe in Moshe and nullify the divergence of their own opinions, which are the aspect of pe’ulos mishtanos, to the one da’as of Moshe — through which they are included in the achdus ha’pashut, as above. And through all of this, the redemption would be complete. And this is: “And G–d (Elokim) spoke to Moshe and said to him: I am Hashem” — that is, the aspect of “Know that Hashem, He is the G–d (Elokim)” (Psalms 100:3), as explained at the end of the Torah mentioned above, where he interpreted that all the pe’ulos mishtanos that are drawn from the Name Elokim, are all included in Hashem, which is the achdus ha’pashut; see there. And this is: “And Elokim spoke to Moshe and said to him: I am Hashem” — for it is all one, for Hashem, He is the Elokim, for all the pe’ulos mishtanos are included in the achdus ha’pashut, and He will certainly complete what is His, to redeem them. For Pharaoh said: “Who is Hashem?” (Exodus 5:2) — for he did not believe in the Name Hashem, for his sustenance was only from the Name Elokim, as is brought. For he wanted to separate, G–d forbid, between the Name Hashem and the Name Elokim — which is the essence of separation, G–d forbid. That is, he wanted to deny and to separate the pe’ulos mishtanos from the achdus ha’pashut, because it is impossible to grasp this through the intellect, as is explained there. But Hashem, may He be blessed, struck him with great blows and delivered Israel from them all, and demonstrated great and awesome wonders, through all of which he saw with his own eyes that all the pe’ulos mishtanos are from the achdus ha’pashut — until he was compelled to acknowledge it himself and said: “Hashem is the righteous One” (Exodus 9:27). And so it continues now — that whenever some sprouting of the horn of salvation is aroused, whether generally or individually, immediately the opposing side intensifies more and more, like two people fighting, etc., as above. And if one wants to strengthen himself more, they intensify even more and more, etc. — until the heart becomes very bent, as if it were impossible now, G–d forbid, to return and draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed. But in the end of all ends, Hashem, may He be blessed, will complete what is His, and will redeem us with a complete redemption — through the merit of the Forefathers, and through the power of the tzaddikay emes and the upright ones who accompany them, who believe in the truth and walk in the path mentioned above: to believe that everything is for good, and to constantly give praise and thanksgiving to Hashem, may He be blessed, with joy, and to strengthen themselves through this to pray and beseech Hashem, may He be blessed, as above. And through this, Hashem, may He be blessed, will save us and deliver us and bring us out from all the troubles and pressures, and will hasten to redeem us with a complete redemption, after which there will be no exile — speedily in our days, Amain, may it be His will. And therefore there is an obligation upon us to remember the Exodus from Egypt every day, as it is written: “In order that you remember the day you left the land of Egypt, all the days of your life” (Deuteronomy 16:3). And similarly, at the beginning of the Giving of the Torah, He began: “I am Hashem your G–d who took you out of the land of Egypt” (Exodus 20:2). And similarly, in most of the commandments, He mentioned the Exodus from Egypt. For now, all our beginning to enter the service of Hashem, each and every day, is through the Exodus from Egypt. For now, praise be to G–d, we have a good beginning — a place from where to begin — since Hashem, may He be blessed, has already completed His salvation through Moshe and brought us out of Egypt with awesome signs. For this we give praise and thanksgiving to Him, may He be blessed, every day, evening and morning — which is the aspect of todah/halachah, through which truth illuminates, etc., until the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, through which the power of the exile of the nations is nullified, etc., as above, until we merit through this a complete redemption, as above. And therefore we are obligated to remember the Exodus from Egypt every day, evening and morning, and whoever tells more of the Exodus from Egypt is praiseworthy — for all our beginning now to look forward to salvation still and to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, is through the Exodus from Egypt, as above. And from this we learn to understand also in particular the miracles and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, does with us in every generation — until even in the most particular details, Hashem, may He be blessed, does many miracles with each and every person, each and every day. For this we thank Him, may He be blessed, every day — which is the aspect of todah, etc., etc., through which each person can draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, as above. And therefore we say every day, before the prayer of Shemoneh Esrai: “True and firm” (Emes v’Yatziv) in the morning, and “True and faithful” (Emes v’Emunah) in the evening — where we tell and give thanks to Him, may He be blessed, for the miracles of the Exodus from Egypt and for the miracles and wonders of every generation, as we say: “You are the help of our fathers,” etc., “a shield and savior for them and for their children after them in every generation.” For it is precisely through giving thanks to Him, may He be blessed, for all the miracles, etc., as above, that precisely through this we are able to enter into prayer — to pray and to beseech before Him, may He be blessed, as above. And therefore on Shabbos we add Nishmas, which is a wondrous praise and thanksgiving — for the essential inclusion of all the pe’ulos mishtanos within the achdus ha’pashut is through the holiness of the holy Shabbos, which one merits through hoda’ah, as above. Therefore we say then the wondrous praise and thanksgiving, which is “The soul of all living shall bless,” etc. And this is the aspect of the entire Book of Tehillim, which was composed by Dovid HaMelech, peace be upon him, who is the aspect of Mashiach, through whom the complete redemption will come. It consists of five books corresponding to the Five Books of Torah. For the essential fulfillment of the Torah is through the aspect of Tehillim, which is the aspect of todah/hoda’ah — through which one draws close to Hashem, may He be blessed, and fulfills the Torah, as above. And therefore Moshe concluded with: “Fortunate are you, Israel” (Deuteronomy 33:29), and with this Dovid opened: “Fortunate is the man” (Psalms 1:1), as is brought in Midrash Rabbah on Parshas Vayechi and Parshas V’Zos HaBerachah. For Moshe toiled greatly until he found the beginning — for he was the first redeemer, and it was very difficult to find this path of todah and hoda’ah, because no redemption had yet preceded him, and from the time that the children of Israel began to be a nation, they immediately went down into the Egyptian exile. Therefore the mission was indeed very difficult in his eyes. But now that He has already taken us out of Egypt and given us the Torah and wondrously bestowed His kindness upon us so greatly, praise be to G–d, we have what to give thanks for — through which we can draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, as above. And therefore Moshe concluded with “Fortunate are you, Israel; who is like you, a people saved by Hashem!” etc. — to instruct them that they must always praise and give thanks to Hashem, may He be blessed, for the pleasantness of their lot, and to say every day with joy: “Fortunate are we! How good is our portion, how pleasant is our lot!” etc. And with that which Moshe concluded, Dovid opened the Book of Tehillim: “Fortunate is the man,” etc. — and he composed all the chapters of Tehillim upon this — to instill in us this path, to always begin from the aspect of Tehillim, to give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, for all the kindnesses, etc., as above — through which comes the essential drawing close to Hashem, may He be blessed, through which the redemption will come, as above. And this is what our Master, our Teacher, and our Rebbe, of blessed memory, wrote — that Tehillim is conducive to teshuvah. That is, to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, and to His holy Torah — as above — that the essential drawing close is through todah, which is the aspect of Tehillim, as above. And therefore Moshe concluded with Ashray, which is the aspect of todah — giving thanks for our portion and saying, “Fortunate are we,” etc. For Moshe was unable to begin with this, because he was the first redeemer and no redemption had preceded him, as above. But after he had already redeemed Israel and toiled all his days until he instilled the Torah in Israel, then he concluded with Ashray — to instruct them to walk in this path, to give thanks for their portion, etc., as above. And therefore Dovid, who came after Moshe, said: “I will begin with this — with that which Moshe concluded” — for now that we have already merited the Exodus from Egypt and the Giving of the Torah through Moshe, now all our beginning is through the aspect of Ashray, which is the aspect of todah, as above. And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said — that Dovid said Ashray twenty-two times in Tehillim, corresponding to those who fulfill the Torah, which is written in twenty-two letters. That is, as above — the essential fulfillment of the Torah is through Ashray, as above, and each person must say Ashray many times each day, to place joy in his heart over his portion, that he merited to be among the community of Israel, etc., as above. For the main thing is the joy of Torah and mitzvos, as is brought at length in the writings of the Ari z”l, and especially in the words of our Master, our Teacher, and our Rebbe, of blessed memory. And so our predecessors established for us to say Ashray three times every day, and we also say every day in the morning: “Fortunate are we! How good is our portion!” etc. — “Fortunate are we!” etc. And similarly, we say after the prayer: “Blessed is our G–d, Who created us for His glory and separated us from those who go astray,” etc. And similarly, much more. And each person must set his heart to this — to gladden himself with every single good point that he has from the holiness of Israel, etc., for this is our life — for through this comes the drawing close to Hashem, may He be blessed, as above. And this is the aspect of what is brought in Midrash Rabbah, Shemos, Chapter 23: “Then Moshe sang” (Exodus 15:1) — this is what is written: “Your throne is established from then (mai’az)” (Psalms 93:2). Said Rabbi Berechiah in the name of Rabbi Abahu: “Even though You exist from eternity, Your throne was not settled and You were not known in Your world until Your children sang the shirah,” etc. “A parable of a king who fought a war and was victorious,” etc. — “Rather, He was, as it were, standing, as it says: ‘He stood and measured the earth’ (Habakkuk 3:6). But when You stood at the sea and we sang shirah before You — from then (mai’az) Your sovereignty was settled and Your throne [established]” — this is: “Your throne is established from then (mai’az)” — through “Then (az) Moshe sang.” End of the Midrash’s language. And the general intent of the Midrash is that before Israel sang the shirah, Hashem, may He be blessed, was in the aspect of “standing,” and His throne was not yet established for Him to sit upon — that is, His sovereignty was not yet settled and He was not yet known in His world. But after they sang the shirah, then they established His throne, as it were, and then they seated Him, may He be blessed, as it were, upon His throne — for then His sovereignty was settled and He was known in His world. And then His sovereignty, as it were, became exceedingly great, in the aspect of Augustus. But at first He was only in the aspect of a king, as it says there: “A parable of a king who won a war and they made him Augustus,” etc.; see there. That is, according to the Torah mentioned above — the essential drawing close to Hashem, may He be blessed, is through hoda’ah and songs and praises, through which truth illuminates within the fourfold speech, until one merits to reveal the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — which means that many, who have divergent opinions (which is the essential aspect of pe’ulos mishtanos), agree to one true da’as, etc. — through which all the troubles and all the exiles are nullified, etc., as above. And therefore, the essential knowledge of His G–dliness in the world in fullness, which is the aspect of the settling of His throne, as it were, as above — is specifically through shirah. For shirah is the essential fullness of hoda’ah — when the thanksgivings are said with a whole heart in song and joy. This is what Israel merited at the splitting of the Sea of Reeds — after their salvation had already begun in that they had left Egypt, and they had already said Hallel and hoda’ah on Pesach — until they merited to topple Egypt entirely. For the abundance of divergences of the pe’ulos mishtanos were nullified, and the achdus ha’pashut was revealed, and they believed in Hashem and in Moshe His servant. And the more the exile and the troubles of the Egyptians were nullified — until all the nations were nullified, for dread and fear fell upon them, as it is written: “The peoples heard and trembled,” etc. (Exodus 15:14) — through this, the achdus ha’pashut was revealed even more from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, and through this the todah and hoda’ah grew greater and greater until they sang the shirah with a whole heart, in the aspect of “Then Moshe sang.” And then, precisely, His sovereignty, may He be blessed, was settled, in the aspect of sitting upon a throne — because then the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos was revealed even more — which is the essential glory of His sovereignty, as is explained there. For the essential building of His throne, as it were, is from the pe’ulos mishtanos when they are gathered together into one da’as and included in the achdus ha’pashut — from this His throne is built, as it were, which is comprised of many colors. For the main thing is that many, who have divergent opinions, are all included in one true da’as, as above — as it was then at the time of the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, as it is written: “And they believed in Hashem and in Moshe His servant” (Exodus 14:31) — that they all agreed to one da’as and were included in Hashem and in Moshe with complete faith. And all the souls of Israel are hewn from the Throne of Glory, and when they are included together in one da’as in the holy faith — through this, the Throne of His Glory, may He be blessed, is built and enlarged, for its entire structure comes from the souls of Israel who are hewn from there. And then His sovereignty was settled, like a king sitting upon his throne — in the aspect of sitting and not standing — for He was well known in His world and was settled in the mind and heart of each and every person, in the aspect of sitting upon a throne, as above. And all of this they merited through shirah, which is the fullness of hoda’ah with a whole heart, as above. For all the songs are comprised of the ten types of melody through which the Book of Tehillim is composed, which are the aspect of simple, double, triple, quadruple song — as is explained elsewhere — and this is the aspect of the fullness of the fourfold speech, which is hinted at in the verse: “I am not a man of words — not from yesterday, nor from the day before, nor from then (mai’az)” (Exodus 4:10) (see there well in the Torah mentioned above). “A man of words” — this is the aspect of simple song. “Also from yesterday” — that is, today and yesterday — this is the aspect of double. “Also from the day before” — this is the aspect of triple. “Also from then (mai’az) that You speak” — this is the aspect of quadruple. For Hashem, may He be blessed, debated with Moshe for seven days, as our Sages of blessed memory said and as Rashi explains — for the three instances of gam [“also”] are amplifications. And these seven days correspond to the three lines of truth that illuminate within the fourfold speech, so that through these seven days the three lines of truth would illuminate within the fourfold speech — through which the achdus ha’pashut would be revealed, etc., which is the essential completion of the repair of the redemption. But Moshe said on the seventh day: “I am not a man of words — not from yesterday, nor from the day before, nor from then,” etc. And even though Hashem, may He be blessed, said to him: “Who gave man a mouth?” etc. (Exodus 4:11), he replied: “Send, please, by the hand of whom You will send” (Exodus 4:13) — “for I know that I am not their final redeemer,” etc., as our Sages of blessed memory said. That is, he said that he had not yet merited the completion of the repair of the fullness of the speech, which is the aspect of malchus peh [“sovereignty of the mouth”], hinted at in the verse “also from then (mai’az),” which is the aspect of “Your throne is established from then (mai’az),” as is brought there regarding this verse for this matter. For this completion of the repair of the fourfold speech will only be through Mashiach, who will merit the holy malchus. But Hashem, may He be blessed, decreed upon Moshe that even so, he was compelled to go — for it was necessary to begin the first redemption, so that they would merit todah/hoda’ah, in order to reveal the achdus ha’pashut, etc., until in the end of all ends, the completion of the final redemption would come through this — in the aspect of “As in the days of your going out from Egypt, I will show him wonders” (Micah 7:15), as explained above. And then, when Moshe completed the first redemption and the Egyptians fell and died at the shore of the sea, and “they believed in Hashem,” etc. — then Moshe saw that the word of our G–d will stand forever. And therefore “Then Moshe sang” (yashir, with a yud) — for the yud alludes to the future, and as our Sages of blessed memory said: “From here we see that in the future Moshe will sing.” That is, he drew the shirah from the future song — which is the aspect of simple, double, triple, quadruple song, which is the aspect of the fourfold speech. For in the future, all of this will be in ultimate fullness, and now he drew the shirah from there. And through this, the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos was revealed even more — which is revealed through the fourfold speech, for the shirah, which is simple, double, triple, quadruple song, is drawn from there, as above. And therefore then His throne was established and His sovereignty was settled, in the aspect of “Your throne is established from then,” as above. And therefore the shirah concluded: “The peoples heard and trembled; terror gripped the inhabitants of Philistia,” etc. — “Dread and fear shall fall upon them; by the greatness of Your arm they shall be still as a stone,” etc. — “You shall bring them and plant them on the mountain of Your inheritance, the foundation for Your dwelling that You have made, Hashem; the Sanctuary,” etc. (Exodus 15:14–17). For the essential repair is in the aspect of the Bais HaMikdash, which is the aspect of the Throne of Glory, as it is written: “A glorious throne, exalted from the beginning, the place of our Sanctuary” (Jeremiah 17:12) — for there are all the blessings and thanksgivings and all the songs and praises that the Levites sang on the platform. And there are all the halachos, as it is written: “If a matter be too wondrous for you… you shall rise and go up” (Deuteronomy 17:8), etc. And there all the souls of Israel gather together and are included in the achdus ha’pashut, as it is written: “For there the tribes went up… to give thanks to the Name of Hashem” (Psalms 122:4), etc. And all of this they merited through the power of the miracles of the Exodus from Egypt and the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, through which all the Egyptians and all the seventy nations were nullified — for they were all terrified and frightened: the mighty ones of Moav, the chiefs of Edom, and all the inhabitants of Canaan, who are the essential blemish of the divergences of the pe’ulos mishtanos. Through the power of the miracles, they were all compelled to acknowledge the truth — that all the pe’ulos mishtanos are drawn from the Echad Ha’pashut. And this is the aspect of: “By the greatness of Your arm they shall be still as a stone” — that they fell silent and were nullified, in the aspect of the nullification of the pe’ulos mishtanos within the achdus ha’pashut. And this is: “They shall be still as a stone (even)” — even [stone] is the aspect of av [father] and ben [son] as one — that is, the aspect of the totality of the souls of Israel, who are in the aspect of children of the Omnipresent, who are included in their Father in Heaven in His achdus ha’pashut. And then, from the great power of the awesome miracles and wonders, then also all the peoples — dread and fear fell upon them until they fell silent and were nullified like a stone; like Israel, who were included in His unity in the aspect of father and son as one — so too the abundance of their divergences was nullified, and they were compelled to acknowledge the truth. And this is the aspect of “they shall be still as a stone,” as above. And therefore, adjacent to this: “You shall bring them and plant them on the mountain of Your inheritance,” etc. — that is, the building of the Bais HaMikdash, where the essential revelation of the achdus ha’pashut etc., takes place — which is the aspect of sitting upon the Throne of His Glory, for the Bais HaMikdash is the aspect of the Throne of Glory, etc., as above. And it is “the foundation for Your dwelling” — “Your dwelling” precisely, the aspect of sitting upon a throne, etc., as above. And similarly Shlomo said: “A foundation for Your dwelling forever” (I Kings 8:13), as above. And this is: “Hashem shall reign forever and ever” (Exodus 15:18) — for through this is the essential revelation of His sovereignty forever and ever — that His sovereignty is settled upon a throne, as it were, and He is known in His world, as above. And therefore we repeat the verse “Hashem shall reign forever and ever” when we say the Song at the Sea every day — that is, the aspect of king and Augustus mentioned above, which is the essential aspect of His sitting upon His throne, when His sovereignty is enlarged more and more, in the aspect of Augustus, as explained there in the Midrash mentioned above; see there well. And this is the aspect of how we begin on Rosh Hashanah: “The King sits upon a throne, lofty and exalted” — for then is the essential settling of His sovereignty upon the throne, as it were. For on Rosh Hashanah the world was created, and He, may He be blessed, created it with very many diverse activities. And this is our entire service on Rosh Hashanah — to reveal to all who enter the world that Hashem, may He be blessed, created the world, and that all the pe’ulos mishtanos are drawn from His achdus ha’pashut, may He be blessed. And therefore we engage on Rosh Hashanah in an abundance of thanksgivings and songs and praises, as our predecessors established for us in the many piyutim, all of which are wondrous thanksgivings and songs — such as “You are our G–d in the heavens and on the earth,” etc. — “Supreme King,” etc., etc. For through thanksgivings, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above — through which comes the essential repair of the aspect of the Throne of Glory to sit upon, as it were, as above. And therefore we begin then: “The King sits upon a throne” — and we say it without the Name of Hashem, precisely — to show that then is the essential beginning of His sitting upon the throne, etc. For throughout the rest of the year we say “the King Who sits” — that He sat already, namely from Rosh Hashanah, when Israel, as it were, seated Him upon His throne. And therefore on Rosh Hashanah we say “the King sits” — for now, on Rosh Hashanah, when Israel reveal that He created the world today and drew all the pe’ulos mishtanos from His achdus ha’pashut, as above — therefore now He sits upon the throne, etc., as above. And therefore the blessings of Malchiyos, Zichronos, and Shofros that are added on Rosh Hashanah begin with the praise Alainu. For this is the essence of Rosh Hashanah — to give thanks, to praise, to laud the Master of all, etc. — “Who has not made us like the nations of the lands,” etc. — which is the aspect of “Fortunate are we” mentioned above, through which is the essential revelation of the achdus ha’pashut, etc., as above — which is the essential holiness of Rosh Hashanah, as above. And therefore, with this praise of Alainu, they conquered Jericho and entered the Land of Israel, as our Sages of blessed memory said — for the essential purpose of their entering the Land of Israel was to build the Bais HaMikdash, where the essential revelation of the achdus ha’pashut etc. takes place, which is merited through todah/hoda’ah — through which we give thanks and praise to Him, may He be blessed, for the pleasantness of our lot, etc. — which is the aspect of the wondrous praise of “Alainu to praise,” etc., as above. And therefore we say Alainu every day after the prayer. For the aspect of todah/hoda’ah mentioned above, which is the aspect of “Fortunate are we” and Alainu, etc. — that we say three times every day — from this is the beginning and this is the end and the goal. And as was explained above, the end is embedded in the beginning and the beginning is embedded in the end — for the more we praise and give thanks to Him, may He be blessed, for having chosen us from all the nations, etc. — the more the speech is completed and His achdus ha’pashut is revealed, etc. And the more it is revealed, the more the hoda’ah grows — for through the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, the exiles and troubles are nullified more, etc. — and so it cycles around for the good, as above. And therefore we say “Fortunate are we,” etc. and many songs and praises and thanksgivings before the prayer, and similarly afterward we say: “Blessed is our G–d, Who created us for His glory and separated us from those who go astray,” etc. — until we conclude with Alainu to praise, which is a wondrous and awesome praise for having merited the holiness of Israel. For the end is embedded in the beginning, etc., as above. For todah and hoda’ah is our entire service in this world, and it is our ultimate purpose for the World to Come — for this is the essential delight of the World to Come, as is explained at the beginning of the sefer mentioned above. And therefore, adjacent to Alainu, we say: “Whoever studies halachos every day is assured that he is a person of the World to Come” (Megillah 28b) — and afterward we say Alainu to praise, which is the aspect of todah mentioned above. For todah and halachos are one aspect — the aspect of the delight of the World to Come, as above. And this is: “And You are holy, enthroned (yoshaiv) upon the praises of Israel” (Psalms 22:4) — that through the praises of Israel, the aspect of todah/hoda’ah — through this, He, may He be blessed, is in the aspect of yoshaiv [sitting, enthroned], as above. And this is what we say before the shofar: the mizmor “All the peoples, clap hands,” etc. — “For Hashem, the Most High, is awesome — a great King,” etc. (Psalms 47:2–3). “A great King” precisely — the aspect of Augustus mentioned above. And this is: “He leads peoples beneath us, and nations under our feet” (Psalms 47:4) — that all the peoples and nations, who are the essential pe’ulos mishtanos, will all be subdued and nullified to us, we who are included in Him, may He be blessed. This is the aspect of the inclusion of all the pe’ulos mishtanos, which are very, very distant, within the achdus ha’pashut — which is the essential awesome greatness of His sovereignty and glory, may He be blessed, in the aspect of “a great King,” etc., as above. And this is: “He shall choose our inheritance for us” (Psalms 47:5) — that is, the Bais HaMikdash, where this essential revelation takes place, as above. And this is: “G–d has ascended with a blast” etc., “sing to G–d, sing,” etc. (Psalms 47:6–7) — that is, the aspect of all the ten types of melody that are drawn through the shofar, in the aspect of “play well with a blast” (Psalms 33:3), as is explained elsewhere, etc. And this is: “G–d reigns over the nations; G–d sits upon His holy throne” (Psalms 47:9) — “sits” precisely, as above. And similarly, it concludes afterward: “The nobles of the peoples have gathered” etc. (Psalms 47:10) — who are the converts, as our Sages of blessed memory said — that all of this is the aspect of the inclusion of the pe’ulos mishtanos within the achdus ha’pashut, as above — through which “G–d sits upon His holy throne,” in the aspect of sitting upon a throne, as above. And this is what we say on Shabbos: “On the seventh day He was elevated and sat upon the Throne of His Glory” — for the essential revelation of the achdus ha’pashut, etc., is on Shabbos, as above — which is the aspect of His sitting upon a throne, as it were, as above. And this is the aspect of: “The Holy One, blessed be He, the One above, does not sit upon the Throne of His Glory until she is made into the mystery of one,” etc. — and this entire holy passage that we say at the onset of Shabbos; see there well and you will understand wondrous allusions according to all that was explained above. For when the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos below, through this His unity, may He be blessed, is revealed above, etc., as above. And the revelation of His achdus ha’pashut below — this is the aspect of “she is made into the mystery of one” — that the aspect of the Shechinah, meaning the indwelling of His G–dliness among those below, is unified in the ultimate unity through the repairs mentioned above, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos specifically in this world. And through this, the aspect of the Throne of His Glory is repaired for Him to sit upon, as above. For through this, His achdus ha’pashut is revealed above — and then, precisely, His sovereignty is settled and He is known in His world — which is the aspect of the repair of His throne, as above. And therefore “the Holy One, blessed be He, does not sit upon the Throne of His Glory above until she is made into the mystery of one” — that is, that all the pe’ulos mishtanos are included in the achdus ha’pashut, etc., as above. And the entire passage speaks of this. For this is the mystery of Shabbos, etc. — “for the precious, holy throne is unified in the mystery of one and is prepared for the holy King to rest upon it,” etc. See there well and understand. And this is the aspect of the order of inheritance — that the essential inheritance belongs to the son. And if he has no son: “You shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter” (Numbers 27:8), and if he has no daughter, etc. And it has already been explained above (in §4) that the commandment of inheritance to children is because the begetting of children is one and the same aspect as the birthing of halachos, which is drawn through the supporters of Torah who sustain with their money the tzaddikay emes, who birth halachos through this; see there well. And therefore the son precedes the daughter — for the daughter, relative to the son, is in the aspect of pe’ulos mishtanos. For the further a created being is from Him, may He be blessed, the more it is in the aspect of a diverse activity — as was explained above regarding converts; see there. For the souls of the children of Israel are all in the aspect of the achdus ha’pashut, as above — for they are a portion of G–d from above and are included in Him, may He be blessed. And therefore all the seventy souls of the House of Yaakov are all called “one soul,” as above. But the woman, relative to the man, is in the aspect of pe’ulos mishtanos — for she was taken from him, and her creation involves great divergence from the man. For man and woman are very extreme divergences, and even so, at their root they are in the ultimate unity, as is brought in the writings of the Ari z”l, and is brought in the words of our Master, our Teacher, and our Rebbe, of blessed memory — that at the roots of the souls, the soul of the man and his partner emerge together, for at their root they are one soul; only below they are divided. And therefore, through the union of man and woman in holiness according to the Torah — through this is the essential inclusion of the pe’ulos mishtanos within the achdus ha’pashut. But because all the overpowering of the Sitra Achra is in the pe’ulos mishtanos, where they have their hold, and they incite to separate, G–d forbid, the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from the pe’ulos mishtanos — for the essential power of the Sitra Achra is in the aspect of denials, for the Samech Mem is called “another god — denials,” etc., as is brought elsewhere — therefore they lie in ambush there greatly regarding the union mentioned above. And therefore there is the essential battle of the person, as is known. And the essential repair is through begetting children according to the Torah — for through all the children that are begotten, the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos is revealed even more. For the children that are begotten are themselves in the aspect of todah/halachah, as above, through which comes all the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut, etc., as above. For the more the children of Israel multiply, and they all agree to one da’as and believe in His unity, may He be blessed — through this, His glory, may He be blessed, is enlarged even more. For the essential glory of Him, may He be blessed, is when His achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within many diverse activities, and the more the diverse activities multiply, and yet they are all included together in His unity — through this, His glory, may He be blessed, is revealed more and more. For this is exceedingly precious in His eyes, may He be blessed, as above. And this is the greatness of the mitzvah to beget children — so that Israel should multiply from generation to generation, and they should all agree to one da’as, to believe in His achdus ha’pashut, may He be blessed. For the essential divergence of activities is the divergence of opinions — for even though the world is full of innumerable divergences, as above, even so, the main thing is the wondrous extent of the divergences among human beings, that no one resembles his fellow in his face or in his movements. And the main thing is the divergence of opinions among human beings — in which one sees even more the wonders of the Creator, may He be blessed. For this is the rule: the Holy One, blessed be He, never does the same thing twice. And therefore no creature resembles its fellow, and no person resembles his fellow in his appearance, and especially not in his opinions. And similarly, no generation resembles its fellow. And even a father and son — their opinions are not equal, and there are many divergences between them, as is visible to the senses. For even though in some matters they are alike, even so, there are many divergences between them in their opinions. And from the day of the creation of the world until the end, there have never been two people entirely alike — not in one generation and not across two generations. It turns out that every new birth is in the aspect of a diverse activity. And when all these births across all the generations agree to one da’as and say “Hear, O Israel, Hashem,” etc. and believe in the achdus ha’pashut — this is the essential revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within very many pe’ulos mishtanos, which is exceedingly precious in His eyes, may He be blessed. And therefore it is a great mitzvah to beget children, so that the children of Israel should multiply even more, and they are all included in His unity, may He be blessed — through which His glory, may He be blessed, is enlarged even more, through many pe’ulos mishtanos that diverge with many diverse divergences from generation to generation, as above, and yet they are all included in His unity, may He be blessed — which is exceedingly precious in His eyes, may He be blessed, as above. And now it is well explained what was written at the beginning of the Torah — that he connected the aspect of todah/halachah with holadah [birth], for it is all one aspect, as above. For through todah/halachah, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, which is itself the aspect of the begetting of children, as above. And therefore the son precedes the daughter — for the essential inclusion of the pe’ulos mishtanos within the achdus ha’pashut is through the son, the male, who is closer to the achdus ha’pashut, as above. And through him the woman ascends with him and is included there, in the aspect of “a woman ascends with him” — which is the essential purpose of the union in holiness, for the sake of begetting Israel, the main thing being in order that the achdus ha’pashut be revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above. But everything is through the man, as above, and therefore he precedes in inheritance, as above. And if he has no daughter, the inheritance returns upward to his father’s house. This is the aspect of the return of the bloods that rise upward at a time of distress, G–d forbid. And when one merits to emerge from the distress — which is the aspect of todah/halachah, the aspect of holadah — then the bloods, which are the aspect of money, return and flow in their proper order within the legs, etc., as is explained there. But when one does not merit holadah, G–d forbid — this is the aspect of one whose soul is still in the aspect of distress, may the Merciful One save us, when the bloods rise upward. And therefore, in truth, our Sages of blessed memory said: “Whoever does not leave a son to inherit him — the Holy One, blessed be He, is filled with wrath (evrah) toward him,” in the aspect of “like a pregnant woman (ubarah)” (Bava Basra 116a). For when he does not beget a son to inherit him, the bloods remain above — which is the aspect of pregnancy without birth, G–d forbid, from which come all the troubles, may the Merciful One save us. And therefore his father’s household receives the inheritance and the money of the estate — for they need to repair him, by receiving the money, whose repair is through the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, etc., as above. And therefore the father precedes all those who descend from him — for first one must return to the father, who is the root of the inheritance and the bloods, etc. And therefore the daughters of Tzelafchad argued: “If we are not considered seed, let our mother undergo yibum” (Bava Basra 119b) — for this is the aspect of yibum and chalitzah. And this is the aspect of the yibum of Yehudah, for the blemish of Er and Onan who corrupted their way, etc. For the essential repair is through begetting children, to bring the souls into bodies specifically — for the son of Dovid does not come until all the souls in the Guf [storehouse of souls] are used up, as it is written: “And a redeemer shall come to Tzion, and to those who return from transgression in Yaakov, says Hashem; and as for Me, this is My covenant with them” (Isaiah 59:20–21), etc. — the initial letters of which spell guf [body], as is brought in the Kavanos; see there. For specifically when the souls, which are a portion of G–d from above, the aspect of the achdus ha’pashut — when they are drawn into physical bodies, which are the aspect of very diverse activities (for in one body alone there are many limbs, faculties, senses, four elements, and innumerable divergences, and all the more so between one body and another) — when all these bodies nullify themselves to the soul and all say with one heart: “Hear, O Israel, Hashem our G–d, Hashem is One” — and are included in His achdus ha’pashut, may He be blessed — this is the essential revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, which is exceedingly precious in His eyes, may He be blessed. And therefore, when the soul (nefesh, ruach, etc.) comes to this world and does not clothe itself in a body, G–d forbid — it is a very great and immense blemish, may the Merciful One save us. For as soon as the soul comes to this world, which is abundant in husks as is known, they seize hold of it greatly and draw it into the abundance of divergences of the Sitra Achra that hold onto the pe’ulos mishtanos of this world, and it cannot ascend to be included in the achdus ha’pashut. For from this world it is impossible for the soul to ascend and be included in the achdus ha’pashut except specifically when it comes inside a physical body — for then it is drawn to the ultimate extreme of the pe’ulos mishtanos, and precisely then it is able to rise up and be included from there specifically in the achdus ha’pashut. For this is why Hashem, may He be blessed, created man with the entire world that depends upon him, in physical bodies — so that precisely from the ultimate extreme of physicality, which is very, very distant from Him, may He be blessed, from there precisely they will be included in His unity, may He be blessed — which is the essential glory of Him, as above. And therefore the angels protested the creation of man and said: “What is man that You should remember him?” (Psalms 8:5). And similarly, they protested the giving of the Torah to Israel in this physical world, for they said: “Place Your glory upon the heavens!” (Psalms 8:2). For certainly even all the angels are in the aspect of pe’ulos mishtanos relative to Him, may He be blessed — for He, may He be blessed, is above all spirituality, and is exalted and elevated above all the angels. Therefore they thought that also through them the achdus ha’pashut could be revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — which is the essential purpose of the creation of man and the giving of the Torah. But Hashem, may He be blessed, rebuked them and did not wish to listen to them, and created man in a physical body specifically, and gave us the Torah in this physical world specifically. For the essential revelation of the achdus ha’pashut is specifically from within very diverse activities that are the most distant — which are human beings clothed in physical bodies specifically, as above. And this is the great severity of the sin of wasting seed in vain, G–d forbid — for then spirits etc. are created without a body, because the drop was not drawn to a G–d-fearing woman so that from it would come the aspect of holadah, through which precisely the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos is drawn, as above. But when the drop does not come into a body, G–d forbid, spirits etc. are made from it, G–d forbid, from which it is very difficult for the achdus ha’pashut to be revealed, as above. And therefore the essential repair for this is through the recitation of Shema upon the bed, which is the aspect of the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut, through saying “Hear, O Israel.” And the essential repair is when one merits to say it with such concentration that one fashions bodies for the drops, etc., as is explained in the Kavanos. And therefore, in truth, the essential repair is through the tzaddikay emes, when one merits to draw close to them, etc. But in any case, it is understood from the Kavanos that it is impossible to repair them except by bringing them into the aspect of bodies; see there. That is, as above. And this is the aspect of the ten chapters of Tehillim that our Master, our Teacher, and our Rebbe, of blessed memory, established to recite for this repair — for they are the aspect of the ten types of melody, the aspect of simple song, etc., mentioned above, through which comes the essential revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — through which is the essential repair, as above. And this is the aspect of: “You, Hashem, are enthroned forever; Your throne is from generation to generation” (Lamentations 5:19) — “from generation to generation” precisely. For it has already been explained above that the essential repair of His throne to sit upon is through todah/halachah, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed, etc., as above. And therefore, precisely through the abundance of generations, they repair and prepare His throne for Him to sit upon — in the aspect of “Your throne, from generation to generation,” precisely. For precisely through the begetting of the generations, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of: “For a hand is upon the throne of Hashem — Hashem’s war against Amalaik, from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:16) — that the Holy One, blessed be He, swore that His Name and His throne are not complete until the memory of Amalaik is blotted out. For Amalaik is the aspect of a denier, as is brought elsewhere — who constantly intensifies with denials and confusions of faith, and fights against the true tzaddikim and the upright ones who engage in revealing the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — which is accomplished through the abundance of generations, as above, in the aspect of “and to generation after generation is His faithfulness,” which concludes Mizmor l’Todah — which speaks of all of this, as is explained in the Torah mentioned above — through which comes the essential preparation of His throne, etc., as above. And therefore Amalaik, who blemishes all of this — His Name, may He be blessed, and His throne are not complete until the memory of Amalaik is blotted out. For the essential repair of the throne in fullness is through the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut, etc., which is drawn through the abundance of generations, in the aspect of “Your throne, from generation to generation.” And Amalaik, who blemishes all of this — therefore the war of Hashem against Amalaik is “from generation to generation,” precisely. And this is: “For a hand is upon the throne of Hashem — Hashem’s war against Amalaik, from generation to generation” — that His throne, as it were, is not complete until He wins His war against Amalaik in every generation. And then it will be fulfilled: “And Hashem shall sit forever, having established His throne for judgment” (Psalms 9:8) — that the Name will be complete and the throne will be complete, as Rashi explains. For the throne will be completed through the upright ones of every generation, in the aspect of “Your throne, from generation to generation,” as above. And the wise person who desires truth can understand in his heart, according to our words, the immensity of the war in every generation — and in particular, what is done with him in that generation in which he lives. For the essential war with each and every individual in particular is the overpowering of the flooding of the bloods, from which come all the troubles in body, soul, and money. For the essential troubles are the overpowering of the desires and evil traits that embitter a person’s life and bring him to what they bring him, G–d forbid — and from there come all the sufferings in body, money, and children, etc., G–d forbid. And at the time of the intensification of the troubles, one does not know at all what to do, and the bloods flood upon the heart — like one who seeks counsel and strategy to emerge from the trouble, as is explained at the beginning of the Torah mentioned above. And afterward, Hashem, may He be blessed, in His mercy brings him out of the trouble — for Hashem, may He be blessed, performs revealed and hidden miracles and wonders with every person, every single day, as above. And as it is written: “The wicked watches the righteous,” etc. (Psalms 37:32). And as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Every day,” etc. — “and were the Holy One, blessed be He, not helping him,” etc. — for “Hashem will not abandon him in his hand” (Psalms 37:33). And as it is written: “He rescues the poor from one who is stronger than him,” etc. (Psalms 35:10). And all the salvations and miracles are all through the power of the tzaddikay emes, who instill in us the ability to cry out and to raise our eyes at every moment to Hashem, may He be blessed — which is the essential glory of Him, may He be blessed, as it is written: “Call upon Me on the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me” (Psalms 50:15). But even though Hashem, may He be blessed, does many kindnesses and miracles and wonders with us every day and at every time, in every generation, and with each individual in particular — even so, the Sitra Achra, the aspect of Amalaik, constantly undermines, slandering and accusing and inciting and provoking each and every person. For he is the Satan, he is the inciter, he is the accuser, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “He descends and incites,” etc. And as is brought in the holy Zohar regarding the war of Amalaik: “The battle is above and below” — that is, as above; and understand. And therefore one must walk very, very much with the counsel mentioned above — to look at every moment at the immensity of the expanses and salvations and wonders that He has already done with us, etc., as above, and to find expanses even within the troubles themselves, as above. And through this, one will be accustomed always to give praise and thanksgiving to Him, may He be blessed, for everything that “until here He has helped us” with His immense wonders. And as it is written: “I have awakened, and I am still with You” (Psalms 139:18) — and as Rashi explains: “I have come to the end of all the generations, and I am still with You” — that is, even now, in these latter days, which is the aspect of the end of all the generations, even now “I am still with You” — that there is still in each and every one of us the aspect of “yet a little, and there is no wicked one,” etc. (Psalms 37:10) — which is the aspect of “I will sing to my G–d while I yet live (‘b’odi’),” etc. — that one must walk in this very much, as he, of blessed memory, warned us. And the main thing is to give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, for this always, and especially in a time of trouble, G–d forbid — that precisely then one should strengthen himself to pay attention, to look at the wondrous true and eternal salvations that Hashem, may He be blessed, has already performed for him, etc. And through the aspect of todah/halachah, etc. — through this, one will merit that truth will illuminate, etc., until one draws the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — through which the trouble is nullified. And through this, the aspect of todah grows, etc., as above — and so it cycles around for the good, etc., as above. And if the opposition, the aspect of Amalaik, returns and intensifies — the choice is in his hand to return and strengthen himself through all the above. And as soon as he sets his heart to this, Hashem, may He be blessed, will help him in this greatly — for “the kindnesses of Hashem have not ceased,” etc. (Lamentations 3:22). And so each time, until he merits, through His mercy, may He be blessed, and through the power of the tzaddikay emes, to win the war — and then he will merit todah in fullness, which is the essential delight of the World to Come. Fortunate is he! And there will be fulfilled in him: “Fortunate is the person whose strength is in You” (Psalms 84:6), etc. For one needs boldness and immense strengthening and great stubbornness beyond measure — whoever desires to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed. And the essential strengthening is through all the above; and understand well, very well. And regarding yibum and chalitzah that we mentioned above, we did not explain it well, for this is not the place for it. And this is: “And she shall remove his shoe from upon his foot” (Deuteronomy 25:9) — for there the soul of the deceased is bound, as is brought. For the essential blemish is in the legs (raglayim) — where the bloods need to flow in their proper order when one merits holadah. And this one who did not merit to leave seed blemished in this — and therefore: “She shall remove his shoe from upon his foot” — “his foot” precisely. And therefore the halachos are called “the goings (halichos) of the world” (Habakkuk 3:6) — for the essential fullness of the halachah is that one should merit through it to walk (lailaich) in it, to draw close through it to Hashem, may He be blessed, to His service — the aspect of “the goings of the world” — that one should merit to remain standing in holiness forever and ever. For the world in general is called the aspect of “legs” relative to Him, may He be blessed, as it is written: “And the earth is My footstool” (Isaiah 66:1). And the woman and the money, where the essential overpowering of the pe’ulos mishtanos takes place, are called “his legs,” as is explained elsewhere. And this is: “The heavens are My throne and the earth is My footstool; what house will you build for Me?” etc. (Isaiah 66:1). For the essential repair of His throne in the heavens is precisely through “the earth, My footstool” — through the legs, which are the very lowest levels, where the essential abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos resides — when they are included in His unity, may He be blessed, in the aspect of: “Hashem in the heavens has established His throne, and His sovereignty rules over all” (Psalms 103:19). For precisely when they know that His sovereignty rules over all, and all the pe’ulos mishtanos are from Him, may He be blessed — then precisely “in the heavens He has established His throne,” as above. And this is the aspect of the Mishkan and the Bais HaMikdash, the aspect of: “Exalt Hashem our G–d and prostrate yourselves at His footstool,” etc. (Psalms 99:5). And this is the aspect of what is brought in the writings [of the Ari z”l] — that the essential completion of the repair will be when it is fulfilled: “And His feet shall stand on that day,” etc. (Zechariah 14:4), in the aspect of “until the feet reach the feet” — that is, as above. And therefore the essential repair is through all the above, which is the aspect of todah/halachah, the aspect of “the goings of the world,” the aspect of the repair of the legs, as above. And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said in the Mishnah: “A guardian (apotropos) whom the father of orphans appointed does not swear; one whom the beis din appointed does swear” (Gittin 52a). For it has already been explained — the matter of inheritance that belongs to children: the begetting of children is drawn through the money of holiness of the tom’chay Oraysa, from which comes all the money in the world, as above. For the essential obligation to leave children is only for this purpose — so that the children who were born through the halachos that were born through the tom’chay Oraysa, from which come all the births in the world, as above, should draw all the repairs that are drawn through the halachos, which are the aspect of todah/hoda’ah — which is to illuminate truth in the world and to complete the speech, until they merit to reveal the achdus ha’pashut from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos — which are the children of the seed of Israel who have multiplied in the world. For the more the seed of Israel multiplies, among whom there is great divergence of opinions, as above — and when they are all included in one da’as and unify His Name, may He be blessed — through this, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed even more from within very many diverse activities, which is the essential preciousness of the holiness of the enlargement of His glory, may He be blessed, as above. And this is the aspect of what the children say Kaddish after the death of their father and mother. For this person who has departed — his entire purpose is to merit a portion of the World to Come. And the essential delight of the World to Come is todah/hoda’ah, as above, through which the holiness of the holy Shabbos is drawn, which is the aspect of the World to Come, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed, etc. — for the sake of all of which man comes to this world. And therefore, after his death, when he needs to come to this — to the aspect of the delight of the World to Come, which is to give thanks and praise to His Name, may He be blessed, as above — therefore the children say Kaddish after him, which is not a prayer for the deceased but rather a wondrous and awesome praise and thanksgiving to Hashem, may He be blessed, as is brought. For Kaddish includes all kinds of praises and blessings and thanksgivings, etc. — for it is an exceedingly wondrous and awesome praise that “shatters all bars of iron,” as is brought in the holy Zohar. And as we say: “May He be blessed and praised and glorified and exalted,” etc. — “Blessed is He, above all blessings and songs and praises,” etc. And therefore we say Kaddish after all the blessings and thanksgivings, and similarly after all the halachos that are studied — for it is the pillar between world and world, as is brought. For Kaddish includes all the thanksgivings and songs and praises and elevates them all to their supernal root, higher and higher, unto the Infinite. And therefore this departed one, whose entire repair is that the parts of good within him should be gathered — according to what he merited to do good in the world, the entire purpose of which is hoda’ah, which is the delight of the World to Come, and he now needs to come to this, that he should have some portion in the delight of the World to Come, which is hoda’ah, as above — therefore his children say Kaddish after him, which is the totality of all the thanksgivings and songs and praises, etc., and elevates them all, as above. And therefore, through this precisely, the children give their father merit for the World to Come — for praise and thanksgiving, this is the entire delight of the World to Come, as above. And therefore the essential thing is that the children specifically should say Kaddish — for his essential repair is through his children specifically, whom he merited to beget in the world and to multiply the seed of Israel, all of whom engage all their days in thanksgivings and blessings. For every single Jew says every day many blessings and thanksgivings, as our Sages of blessed memory established for us — to say blessings and thanksgivings over every matter in the world, and especially in the morning and evening at the time of prayer — for hoda’ah is the entire delight of the World to Come, as above. And through this, all the repairs mentioned above are accomplished, until one merits to reveal the achdus ha’pashut from the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos — which is accomplished through the abundance of children that he merited to beget, through todah/halachah, as above. Therefore the children specifically say Kaddish, which is the totality of all the thanksgivings — in order to elevate all the blessings and thanksgivings that this departed one merited to engage in during his lifetime. For the essential repair is through the children who were born through this — for through them specifically, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed even more from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos, which is the essential completion of the fullness of the repair, as above. And therefore each person must, during his lifetime, before he departs from the world, command his children and arrange the order of the division of his possessions and money to his children. For the essential root of money and its repair is according to what he merited to support true talmidai chachamim, through whom halachos are born, from which come all the births of children, as above. And every single Jew has a portion in this according to his level. And therefore he must arrange, according to his level, the order of the division of his money to his children after him — that each one should receive his portion properly, according to the root of his portion above in the tom’chay Oraysa who birth halachos, from which come all his births — through which comes the entire repair of the departed one. For todah/halachah and tom’chay Oraysa and the births of children are all one aspect, as is explained in the Torah mentioned above — and everything depends upon each other. And this is the entire purpose and repair of the departed one for the World to Come, as above — for through all of this, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed, etc., as above. And therefore he must appoint a guardian (apotropos) himself during his lifetime. For the guardian appointed over the orphans, who is in the aspect of “father of orphans,” must be appointed by the mouth of the father of the children himself — in order that he arrange his inheritance according to the mind of the father himself, according to what he drew upon himself the aspect of todah/hoda’ah/halachah, according to what he merited with his money to be among the tom’chay Oraysa — which is the entire repair of the money, from which come the births of children, etc., as above. And therefore a guardian whom the father of orphans appointed does not swear — for he is not suspected of falsehood, for truth surely illuminates in him, as is explained there in the Torah mentioned above — that through todah/halachah, truth illuminates, etc. And therefore, since the owner of the inheritance himself appointed him as guardian, truth surely illuminates in him in this matter. For since the departed one, the owner of the inheritance himself, appointed him as guardian according to his own mind, according to his level, according to what he merited to clarify his money so as to have a portion among the tom’chay Oraysa — which is the essential repair of the inheritance and the money from which come all the children, as above — therefore, surely, according to his level, truth illuminates, etc. For through the aspect of todah/halachah, the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, the aspect of the births of children — through all of this, truth illuminates, in the aspect of “Grant truth to Yaakov, kindness to Avraham,” etc. (Micah 7:20). And therefore this guardian is not suspected of falsehood and is trusted without an oath at all, since the father of the children himself appointed him according to his level, according to his portion in the delight of the World to Come, which is the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, etc., as above. But if he did not merit to appoint a guardian himself, to transmit by himself to the guardian the order of his inheritance according to his level, etc., as above — then the beis din must be the “father of orphans” and appoint the guardian. For only the beis din has the power for this, for the beis din illuminates truth — for before them are all the halachos of all the laws and judgments of the Torah, through which truth illuminates, as above. For this is the essence of the beis din — that they should know all the halachos and judge with true and righteous judgments. And therefore the beis din must be three, the aspect of the three lines of truth mentioned above. But the beis din cannot clarify the truth of each individual except through the oath — as it is written: “The owner of the house shall approach the judges for an oath” (Exodus 22:7). For as soon as they come to court, this is because there is a denial between them, and all denials are drawn from the flooding of the bloods mentioned above, from the aspect of “men of blood hate the innocent” (Proverbs 29:10), as is brought there in the Torah mentioned above; see there. For all of this is the aspect of the blemish of todah/halachah, the blemish of the money of holiness, which is in the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa who birth halachos — for he denies his fellow, which is the opposite of all of this. Therefore the beis din cannot clarify except through the oath. For an oath is the aspect of binding, as is brought — the aspect of the illumination of the three lines of truth within the fourfold speech, which is the aspect of the seven days of creation, as is brought elsewhere. This is the aspect of shevuah [oath], from the word sheva [seven] — the aspect of the binding of the weekdays to the seventh day, which is Shabbos, which is “an eternal covenant between Me and the children of Israel,” etc. (Exodus 31:17). For Shabbos is “the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He,” the aspect of “the Torah is the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He” — and this is the aspect of the oath, which is in the Name and with holding an object, which is the Torah. For when there is a denial, which is the blemish of truth, the beis din cannot illuminate truth except through the oath, which includes all the repairs of truth — which is the illumination of the three lines of truth within the fourfold speech, etc. And therefore, since the departed one did not merit to appoint a guardian himself and did not illuminate by himself the aspect of truth that he merited to clarify, according to his portion, in todah/halachah in the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, as above, until the beis din was compelled to involve themselves in appointing a guardian — therefore he requires an oath. For when truth is not clarified in fullness and the beis din needs to clarify it, they cannot clarify it except through the oath, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of: “For I have known him, in order that he command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of Hashem, to do tzedakah and justice” (Genesis 18:19). For the essential bequest that a person must command his children and his household after him is that they should keep the way of Hashem, to do tzedakah and justice — tzedakah and justice precisely. That is, that they should give tzedakah to true talmidai chachamim who birth halachos, which are the judgments of the Torah. And this is the aspect of tzedakah and justice — that is, tzedakah to true talmidai chachamim, through whom the judicial halachos of the Torah are born and revealed — which is the essential repair of the money of this departed one who labored for it during his lifetime, whose entire repair is when the money comes to true talmidai chachamim from whom halachos are born, which are the aspect of todah/hoda’ah, the delight of the World to Come — and to this he must now enter, that he should have a portion in the delight of the World to Come, as above. And this is: “Truth and the judgment of peace, judge in your gates” (Zechariah 8:16). For the judges must judge truth in order to merit through this peace — that all should be included in one da’as, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc., as above. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said: “Whoever judges a true judgment to its truth becomes a partner with the Holy One, blessed be He, in the act of creation” (Shabbos 10a) — as it is written: “And it was evening and it was morning, one day” (Genesis 1:5), etc. For it is written “one day” and not “the first day” — to teach that the Holy One, blessed be He, was alone in His world. That is, to teach that all the divergences in creation, which are the aspect of “and it was evening and it was morning” — which includes all the divergences in the world, for the divergence between day and night, between light and darkness, is the greatest of all divergences (and as we say in the blessing of Krias Shema: “and with understanding He changes the times”), and in this are included all the many divergences of each and every day, without end — and everything was created and continues to exist in order that the achdus ha’pashut should be revealed precisely from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos, as above. And this is: “And it was evening and it was morning” — which are the totality of all divergences — “one day” — in the aspect of Him being alone in His world. That is, to reveal His unity, may He be blessed — that the lone Primordial One created everything, and all the pe’ulos mishtanos are drawn from His unity, may He be blessed. And therefore the judge who judges a true judgment to its truth merits this — that he becomes a partner with the Holy One, blessed be He, in the act of creation, as it is written: “And it was evening,” etc. — “one day.” For through truth, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — which is the aspect of “and it was evening and it was morning — one day,” as above. The sum of the matter is that a person must accustom himself to give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, always, in all that passes over him, as it is written: “In Hashem I praise a word; in G–d I praise a word” (Psalms 56:11) — both in His goodness and in His severity, G–d forbid, as our Sages of blessed memory said. And this is a good and wondrous counsel — that even when a person has become as distant from Hashem, may He be blessed, as he has become, and also in the affairs of this world he is greatly pressed in livelihood and children, etc. (as is common among the majority of the world, as explained elsewhere) — he must precisely then seek and find an expansion within the straits of the trouble, and also remind himself of all the good things and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, has already done with him. And the main thing: that He did not make me a gentile and separated us from those who go astray, etc. And to remind himself that nothing will remain of him or of any person at all except what he seized in this world of some good from the holiness of Israel — and only this is his portion from all his toil. And therefore each person, even the worst of the worst, must rejoice in this greatly, and his mouth should be filled with His praise, etc. all day long — to give thanks and praise and laud, etc. the Fashioner of creation, Who did not make us, etc. — Who did not set our portion like theirs, etc. And once he is accustomed to this, he will certainly seize, every day, to learn some halachos of the Torah, which are His knowledge, may He be blessed — through which one comes to know Him, may He be blessed, and is included in Him, may He be blessed. And through this itself, one will emerge from all the troubles, as above. And through this, the achdus ha’pashut will be revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc. — and through this comes the essential nullification of the trouble, etc. — and so it cycles around for the good, until in the end of all ends, he will certainly merit his good ultimate purpose, which is the delight of the World to Come — which is to give thanks and praise to Him, may He be blessed, forever and to all eternity. And the essential thing for all of this is love of friends and peace — that one should have great love and peace with all Israel, and especially with those who walk in this path. And he should be among the tom’chay Oraysa, both with his money and with his body — that he should support with all his strength the talmidai chachamim who engage in this path, who birth halachos. And through this, he will merit to beget worthy children who engage in Torah, etc., etc. — as was explained above: todah/halachah and tom’chay Oraysa and the births of children are all one aspect and depend upon each other. And one must begin from every single good point among them, until he merits what he merits. Fortunate is he! And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said: “What is meant by the verse: ‘Who is the wise man who will understand this, and to whom the mouth of Hashem has spoken that he may declare it — on what account has the land been destroyed, parched like a desert, with none passing through?’ (Jeremiah 9:11). ‘And Hashem said: Because they forsook My Torah,’ etc. — ‘and did not heed My voice and did not walk in it’” (Jeremiah 9:12). And they explained there: “that they did not bless over the Torah first” (Nedarim 81a). And the matter is astonishing, as all the commentators were astonished by it. And especially that which they said there: “This matter was asked of the Sages and the Prophets and they could not explain it, until the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself explained it” — and it is wondrous. What is this great commotion — who does not know all this, that the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash was because they transgressed the Torah? Is not the entire Torah full of this? For Moshe Rabbeinu, peace be upon him, himself already warned them: “If you walk in My statutes,” etc. — “and if you do not listen,” etc. (Leviticus 26). And similarly, in innumerable other places, he told them that if they transgress the Torah they would be lost from the land, etc. And similarly, all the Prophets warned them about this. And what is this — that now they asked everyone “on what account was the land destroyed,” and they could not explain it, until Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself explained it: “Because they forsook My Torah,” etc.? But the essential matter is that Hashem, may He be blessed, asked the Sages and the Prophets to understand this well and to declare on what account the land was destroyed — in a manner that good would come to us from it, that we would understand through this good counsel for how to begin to repair the corruptions that caused the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash. And this is the essential severity and depth of the question that Hashem, may He be blessed, asked the Sages and the Prophets, and they could not explain it. For what was, was — and what difference does it make if it was destroyed on account of whatever it was destroyed on account of? It is already destroyed! But the essential thrust of what Hashem, may He be blessed, sought to ask the Sages and the Prophets — that they should understand this and declare on what account the land was destroyed — is that they should explain the matter well, in a manner that we would understand from it counsel for how to emerge from the corruptions that caused the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash. And therefore they could not explain it, for this is very, very deep — “deep, deep — who can find it?” (Ecclesiastes 7:24). Until the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself explained it: “Because they forsook My Torah, and did not heed My voice, and did not walk in it.” That is, even though they had already transgressed very severe transgressions — idolatry, etc. — even so, in the inner depths of their hearts, their hearts were still burning for Hashem, may He be blessed. For “many waters cannot extinguish the love” (Song of Songs 8:7) between Israel and their Father in Heaven, “and rivers cannot wash it away.” And therefore they should have strengthened themselves, at least to seize some halachos, to learn at least a little every day. But “they forsook My Torah entirely.” And not only that, but “they did not heed My voice” — “hearing depends upon the heart” — that is, they were at least obligated to hear and to attach themselves to the voice of Hashem that calls with a great voice in a person’s heart every single day and at every time, that he should return to Him. And every person must incline his heart to hear the voice of Hashem — that at least he should have strong desires and great yearnings for Hashem, may He be blessed, which is very precious, as is explained elsewhere. And the main thing: “And they did not walk in it — that they did not bless over the Torah first.” For certainly they did not fall in one stroke to such falls, to transgress the law entirely and throw off the yoke as it was at the time of the destruction. And certainly at first they engaged in Torah somewhat — only “they did not bless over the Torah first.” That is, they did not set their hearts to rejoice in the Torah, and to bless and give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, at every time, for the wondrous and awesome kindness that He did with us, in that He chose us from all the nations and gave us His Torah, the hidden treasure, which is our life, etc. — and this is our entire hope forever. And as is explained in the commentators, this is the essential meaning of the blessing over the Torah — to rejoice with all one’s strength in the pleasantness of our portion and our lot. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said that the blessing over the Torah requires great care — that is, the entire matter mentioned above that we have explained: that each person, even if he has fallen and become as distant as he has, even so, he precisely must be accustomed to todah and hoda’ah, to give thanks for the small amount of good points that still remain in him, etc. And through this, he will merit to emerge from all the troubles and to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, etc., as above. And this is: “And they did not walk in it” — for this is a wondrous path and way to draw close and to raise oneself to Hashem, may He be blessed, from all kinds of falls and descents in the world, without end or limit. And had they walked in this path, certainly they would not have fallen so far and they would not have had such troubles. And now, our entire hope to return to our land and to our Bais HaMikdash is through this — for this matter depends upon nothing but teshuvah. But it is very difficult to return, for the adversary lies in wait very, very greatly and spreads himself in length and breadth. And everyone desires to fear Your Name, and even so, most are very far from the paths of teshuvah. And the main reason is because they do not set their hearts to rejoice in the small amount of good that is in them — for sadness and melancholy harm more than anything, and as it is written: “Because you did not serve Hashem your G–d with joy and with gladness of heart” (Deuteronomy 28:47) — that the essential destruction and all the troubles, may the Merciful One save us, are all because they did not serve Him, may He be blessed, with joy — as is brought in the writings of the Ari z”l. That is, as above; and understand well. And therefore Hashem, may He be blessed, was compelled to explain it Himself — in order to hint to us now, in every generation, hints of counsel for how to draw close now to Hashem, may He be blessed, from wherever one is, to repair the corruptions through which the destruction occurred — until we merit a complete redemption soon. And therefore all the above is called “walking” — for it is the repair of the legs, as above, the aspect of “the goings of the world” — through which comes the approach of the redemption, in the aspect of “and His feet shall stand,” etc., as above. For it is a wondrous path and way for every person in the world, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of the work of the Mishkan, which they were commanded after the sin of the eigel [golden calf] — which occurred through the abundance of gold. Through this, the eirev rav [mixed multitude] incited and lured them to separate the pe’ulos mishtanos, G–d forbid, from the achdus ha’pashut — which is the essential sin of idolatry. And the repair was through the Mishkan, which is the aspect of the Bais HaMikdash, the aspect of “throne of glory, exalted from the beginning,” the aspect of “the place of Your dwelling,” etc. — mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the shekalim — “When you raise the head of the children of Israel,” etc. (Exodus 30:12) — that they should all be included together through the counting, and the counting should not cause, G–d forbid, the aspect of separation, which is the sitra d’mosa [the side of death], in the aspect of “and there shall not be a plague among them.” And this is through their giving a ransom for their souls — the aspect of tom’chay Oraysa, etc. For the eirev rav blemished the money — for through the abundance of money they contended against Moshe. And not only did they not want to be among the tom’chay Oraysa, they even reversed to the opposite extreme — assembling upon Aharon to make them an idol from the money. For just as when one merits that money should be in holiness — the essence of which is through giving one’s money to talmidai chachamim, to be among the tom’chay Oraysa, through which halachos are born, etc. — through which the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos is drawn, as above — so too, in reverse, when one blemishes the money and chases after money only for one’s own desires, and even contends against the true talmidai chachamim who engage in birthing halachos — then one separates the pe’ulos mishtanos and causes heresies in the world. This is the aspect of the blemish of the eirev rav, which came through the abundance of money, as it is written: “and enough gold” (Deuteronomy 1:1, per Chazal) — through which they made idolatry and denied Hashem and separated in their minds the pe’ulos mishtanos from the achdus ha’pashut. This was the nature of all the matters of idolatry in the earlier generations — because it is impossible to comprehend in the mind how all the pe’ulos mishtanos are drawn from the achdus ha’pashut, through this they came to heresies until they made idolatry, and they had many false wisdoms in this, as our Sages of blessed memory said. And similarly, the heresies that are found now, in our many sins, through the investigators [philosophers] and those who contend against the true tzaddikim, who engage in external wisdoms — all of this is drawn from this, from the aspect of the sin of the eigel, from which we have not yet been purified, and all the visitations come through this, as it is written: “And on the day that I visit,” etc. (Exodus 32:34). May Hashem, may He be blessed, protect and save us from now on. And therefore the repair for this is the shekalim that they gave as donation for the Mishkan, from which the adanim [sockets] were made, upon which the entire Mishkan was erected. For there, in the Mishkan, all the halachos of the Torah were born and revealed, as Rashi explains — that from the day the Mishkan was erected, Hashem did not speak to Moshe about any of the halachos of the Torah except in the Ohel Mo’ed. And therefore the shekalim, from which the adanim were made upon which the Mishkan stood, are in the aspect of the tom’chay Oraysa — for through the halachos born from there, and likewise the blessings and thanksgivings that took place in the Mishkan, through all of this all the repairs mentioned above were accomplished, until the achdus ha’pashut was revealed from there, as it is written: “And I will meet with you there,” etc. (Exodus 25:22) — in the aspect of: “And the Mishkan shall be one” (Exodus 26:6). And therefore they were commanded to count them through the shekalim. For Moshe found this very difficult, as our Sages of blessed memory said, and as is brought in the piyyut of Parashas Shekalim — for how could he count Israel, who are above counting, for the entire holiness of Israel is to be included in the ultimate achdus ha’pashut, for they are all as one man, as above, and as it is written: “that cannot be counted,” etc. But Hashem, may He be blessed, commanded them to count them precisely through the shekalim — for through the shekalim, which are the aspect of the tom’chay Oraysa, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — which is very precious to Hashem, may He be blessed, when the achdus ha’pashut is revealed below in this world, precisely from within the pe’ulos mishtanos. And the more the pe’ulos mishtanos multiply, which is the abundance of divergent opinions — when they are included together in one da’as to believe in the achdus ha’pashut, it is more and more precious in His eyes, may He be blessed, as above. Therefore, through giving the shekalim, they must be counted precisely — for the counting is the aspect of multiplicity and divergence. They also needed to be counted by the number of names, mentioning each one by his name, which corresponds to the divergence of his intellect and his mind. And through the abundance of divergences, the plague can prevail, G–d forbid — which is the sitra d’mosa, whose hold comes from the world of separation, from the abundance of divergences. But through the shekalim, etc. — through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed precisely from within the abundance of pe’ulos mishtanos, etc. — through this, precisely a great repair is made through the counting, which is the aspect of the revelation of the abundance of divergences. For precisely through this, His glory, may He be blessed, is enlarged and exalted — through the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut, may He be blessed, precisely through the abundance of divergences, as above — through all of them acknowledging one da’as and giving shekalim to the donation of the Mishkan, where His divinity is revealed, etc., as above. And therefore they were commanded to give specifically a half-shekel — to teach that each individual Jew has no completeness except through his fellow. For the essential repair is that they should all be included one within the other in love and unity — and each one is the aspect of a half, until he is included in his fellow, and his fellow in his fellow, until they are all included, in the abundance of their divergent minds, in the achdus ha’pashut — which is very precious to Hashem, may He be blessed, as above. And this is: “The wealthy shall not give more and the poor shall not give less” (Exodus 30:15) — which is the aspect of what is written: “A person’s ransom is his wealth, and a pauper does not hear rebuke” (Proverbs 13:8), in the aspect of: “and the noble is not distinguished before the poor” (Job 34:19), as Rashi explains there — that this was said regarding the shekalim, that each one gave equally a half-shekel, the wealthy and the poor, etc. That is, as above — for the essential purpose of the shekalim is to merit inclusiveness and unity. Therefore they all had to give equally, so that there would be no division and separation between the wealthy and the poor — and the wealthy should not grow proud or rebuke the poor. To teach that this is the essential repair of tzedakah, whose essence is to be among the tom’chay Oraysa — for the essential thing is to merit love and unity, and the wealthy should not be proud over the poor. For the essential thing is to be included in the achdus ha’pashut, which is impossible to be included in except through humility and self-nullification, the aspect of love and unity — that each one should nullify himself before his fellow. And this He hinted to them through the shekalim — that He commanded they all give equally, the wealthy shall not give more and the poor shall not give less, in the aspect of “and the noble is not distinguished before the poor” mentioned above, in the aspect of “and a pauper does not hear rebuke.” To teach that they are all equal before Him, may He be blessed, and they all have a portion in the erection of the Mishkan — through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos that are included together, as above. And therefore, in truth, regarding the other donations of the Mishkan, each one gave according to the blessing of Hashem and according to the generosity of his heart, as Rashi explains there: “Three donations are mentioned here.” But regarding the shekalim, He warned them that they all give equally — so that the wealthy would learn and understand hints for themselves, that they should never be proud of their giving, even when they give much. For it is fitting for them to understand that Hashem, may He be blessed, could erect the Mishkan through the poor just as through the wealthy — for “wealth and honor come from before Him,” and He can impoverish this one and enrich that one. And certainly, whoever has a little true understanding, it is fitting for him to understand that he should not be proud — even the wealthy one who gives much tzedakah to true talmidai chachamim. On the contrary, it is fitting for him to be ashamed and greatly self-nullified — who is he that he has merited this, that Hashem, may He be blessed, has given him such wealth that he merits to support the talmidai chachamim? And moreover, he still has much wealth and riches remaining in his house, for certainly he does not even give half of his wealth. And the poor and destitute person, who is a worthy person just like him and usually more so than him, has no bread or garment in his house, and also does not merit to support the talmidai chachamim with his money. And how can one be proud of the wealth that Hashem, may He be blessed, has given him, that much remains with him and he also supports the talmidai chachamim, that he merits to have an everlasting investment? And all of this, Hashem, may He be blessed, hinted to them through the shekalim that He commanded they all give equally — to teach that, just as the adanim that uphold the Mishkan were made through the donation of the shekalim that all gave equally, so too Hashem, may He be blessed, could have made the entire Mishkan through all of them equally. But He desires to bestow merit upon each one according to his worth, according to His designs that have been reckoned for him. But you, the wealthy — do not be proud, for everything is from Him, as David said: “For everything is from You, and from Your hand we have given to You” (I Chronicles 29:14). For the essential tzedakah is to support the talmidai chachamim who birth halachos — which is the aspect of the erection of the Mishkan that the tzaddikim, in the aspect of Moshe in every generation, engage in — for the essential thing is love and inclusiveness, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of Purim, which is the obliteration of Haman-Amalaik. For Amalaik blemishes everything mentioned above, as was explained above (in §27). For “Amalaik is the first of the nations” (Numbers 24:20) — he is the aspect of a heretic and he wants to confuse and cast blemish upon the “beginning” and the “start” — as if Hashem, may He be blessed, has not yet begun to save at all. For he was the first to come to wage war against Israel when they went out of Egypt, and he strengthened himself in his wickedness to stand against Israel, for whom Hashem, may He be blessed, had performed such miracles in the Exodus from Egypt, until Pharaoh was compelled to acknowledge “that Hashem is the righteous One” and expelled them from Egypt. And Amalaik is such a brazen one that he went out against them, and as Rashi explains there on the verse “Write this as a memorial in the book” (Exodus 17:14) — a parable of a boiling bath, etc. For he is a heretic from beginning to end, denying the miracles and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, does with us at all times, and blemishing all the repairs explained above — and the main thing is that he provokes and strengthens himself so that the achdus ha’pashut should not, G–d forbid, be revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above. And he lies in wait against all Israel constantly, and principally he strengthens himself, G–d forbid, in time of exile and trouble — for then he wants to cast heresies into the heart, as if Hashem, may He be blessed, has not yet begun to save Israel at all. And this is the aspect of the strengthening of Haman-Amalaik at the end of the exile of Babylon — for he said: since Nevuchadnetzar has already prevailed and destroyed the Bais HaMikdash which stood for several hundred years and exiled Israel from their land, etc. — they no longer have hope to return, G–d forbid. And therefore he and his impure offspring strengthened themselves to halt the rebuilding of the Bais HaMikdash — for he said that hope was lost for Israel, G–d forbid. And this is what is written: “There is one nation” (Esther 3:8), and our Sages of blessed memory expounded: “Their G–d is asleep” [yashein = yeshno] — meaning, that He would no longer save Israel, G–d forbid, as if He were asleep. And this is: “scattered and separated among the nations, and their laws are different from every nation” (Esther 3:8) — he said that they are scattered and separated among the nations, in the aspect of the abundance of divergent opinions and dispute, the aspect of scattering and separation among the nations, having fallen to the minds of the seventy nations. All of this is the opposite of the inclusiveness of the pe’ulos mishtanos in the achdus ha’pashut, as above. And this is: “and their laws are different,” etc. — he said that the law of Israel is in the aspect of the strengthening of divergences and scattering and separation, G–d forbid. For he denied the holy law of Israel — that the entire law of our holy Torah is that through the law of our holy Torah, one is included in the achdus ha’pashut, through every single mitzvah and through every letter and word of the holy Torah. For “the Torah, Israel, and the Holy One, blessed be He, are all one.” And Haman wanted to turn the dish upside-down, G–d forbid, and said that everything is in reverse. And therefore he wanted to prevail over Israel — to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate, etc. — for he is the aspect of the overpowering of the bloods in the time of trouble. For he is from the seed of Eisav, “the reddish one” (Genesis 25:25) — on account of the overpowering of the evil bloods, from which comes the sitra d’mosa, which is drawn from the sin of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Where is Haman [hinted] from the Torah? As it is said: ‘Is it from the tree?’” (Chullin 139b; Genesis 3:11) — for then death was decreed, and therefore he wanted to annihilate Israel, G–d forbid. And so it is in every generation and in every person, as it is written: “Hashem’s war against Amalaik from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:16) — for he prevails upon every person at all times with all kinds of stratagems to make him fall, G–d forbid. For he is the tempter, he is the accuser, etc. — for first he entices the person to whatever he entices him, and afterwards he prosecutes him, until some trouble or suffering comes upon him, G–d forbid. And it is he himself who weakens and confuses the person’s heart so that he does not cry out and supplicate before Hashem, may He be blessed — for he puts into his heart as if hope is lost, G–d forbid, and he wants to make him forget all the good things and kindnesses and miracles and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, has done with our fathers and with each and every individual in particular. And the repair for all of this is the aspect of Mordechai, who is the aspect of the true tzaddik, the aspect of mor d’ror [pure myrrh] — maray dachya — which is the chief spice of the anointing oil, with which the entire Mishkan and its vessels were anointed, and Aharon the Kohen and his sons. For all of their service in the Mishkan and the Bais HaMikdash was entirely to include all the pe’ulos mishtanos in the achdus ha’pashut, as above — for there was the essential revelation of divinity, as it is written: “And I will meet there with the children of Israel,” etc. (Exodus 29:43), as above. And the essential holiness of the Mishkan and its vessels was drawn through the anointing oil, which is a good fragrance of holiness, drawn from an exceedingly, exceedingly exalted holiness that has the power to sanctify the entire Mishkan and its vessels, etc. — to elevate and bring them from profane to holy. For the essence of holiness is being included in the achdus ha’pashut, where lies the root of all holinesses. Thus, the anointing oil that Moshe made had such wondrous power to elevate the entire Mishkan and its vessels — which were made of gold and silver and copper and blue-purple and red-purple, etc., etc. — in which there was an abundance of divergences and many hues in the silver and gold, etc., which are the totality of all worldly desires, especially the desire for money, which is the aspect of the overpowering of the bloods, etc. mentioned above. And the Mishkan, which was made from all of this, was the repair for all of this, as above. And all its holiness was drawn through the anointing oil, through which the Mishkan and its vessels were sanctified, and it elevated everything — all the many hues and divergences — so that they would be included in the achdus ha’pashut, where lie all the holinesses. Through this, the Mishkan had the power to atone for the children of Israel, to purify them from all the impurities, all of which are the aspect of the heresies drawn from the aspect of separation mentioned above, which separates, G–d forbid, the pe’ulos mishtanos, etc., as above. For the essential repair is through the aspect of good fragrance, which is the life of the soul, which is the aspect of the anointing oil made with such exalted preparations that it has the power to draw a good fragrance to all who are distant from holiness — who cannot be revived except through the aspect of good fragrance, in the aspect of what is said regarding the souls of Israel who are cast down in the exile of their desires and traits, G–d forbid: “Support me with cakes of raisins, spread my bed with apples, for I am lovesick” (Song of Songs 2:5), as Rashi explains there — that these are kinds of fragrances. For in our many sins, in the extremity of our weakness now, in the intensity of the bitterness of exile, our strength has already been so weakened that we do not feel the pleasantness and sweetness of the honeycomb — the words of sweetness of the true tzaddikim who revive us with such pure utterances, in the aspect of: “All food is abhorred by their soul,” etc. (Psalms 107:18). And our life-force comes only from what we smell from afar — a little of the good, holy, and awesome fragrance of the holy Torah-novelties of the true tzaddikim. And this is the aspect of the fragrance of the anointing oil, through which everything is sanctified and enters from outside to inside — from which comes the holiness of Mordechai, as above, who subdues the kelipah of Haman-Amalaik who wants to cast blemish upon the beginning of the salvation, as if Hashem, may He be blessed, has not yet begun to save at all. And Mordechai knows all of this and in his wisdom instills the holy emunah in Israel, and illuminates the heart of man, and reminds him at all times of all the good things and miracles and wonders that Hashem, may He be blessed, has already done with us, in general and in particular, etc. And as it is written: “Bless Hashem, O my soul, and do not forget all His bounties,” etc. (Psalms 103:2). And through this, one has the power to cry out and supplicate before Hashem, may He be blessed, that He should save us even now, as above. Through this came the intensity of the miracle of Purim — that Haman-Amalaik was subdued and fell. And in His mercy, may He be blessed, He frustrated his counsel and spoiled his thought, and everything was turned to good, from one extreme to the other, as it is written: “And it was reversed — that the Jews dominated,” etc. (Esther 9:1). And they established these days of Purim as joy and feasting and a festival for all generations — to make known that even in our servitude, our G–d has not forsaken us. This is the intensity of the miracle and the wondrous salvation of Purim, which is greater than all the festivals, as our Sages of blessed memory said — for the essential miracle is what we saw, that even in our servitude, in the intensity of exile, Hashem, may He be blessed, watches over us so much, with wondrous providence, and arranged events for good from beginning to end. That precisely through Haman, the wicked Vashti was killed, and afterwards, through this very thing, the intensity of the miracle came about, that Haman was hanged through Esther — with such wondrous providences, as is explained in the holy Megillah. And one must set his heart well to this, to understand from this that, just so, even now, He has not withdrawn His kindness from us. And one must strengthen himself in joy always, to draw the holiness of the joy of Purim — to believe that Hashem, may He be blessed, is with us even now, in the intensity of this exile — and to give todah and hoda’ah every day for the past, and to beseech for the future, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of: “words of peace and truth” (Esther 9:30) — this is the aspect of the three lines of truth that illuminate within the speech, through which the achdus ha’pashut is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, which is the aspect of peace, as above. And this is: “seeking good for his nation” (Esther 10:3) — the aspect of halachos, for he was seeking good for Israel and clarifying all the halachos of the Torah, as our Sages of blessed memory said — that he would open with matters and expound them. And: “speaking peace to all his seed” — the aspect of peace mentioned above, which is the aspect of the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut, etc. — which is the essential completion of the fullness of the repair, as above. And this is: “to all his seed” precisely — for the essential thing is that peace should be drawn, the aspect of the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, to all the seed of Israel who are born in every generation, in the aspect of: “A seed will serve Him; it will be told to Hashem for a generation” (Psalms 22:31). For the essential war of Amalaik is in every generation anew — because in every generation, souls are drawn in wondrous novelties anew, for no two people in all the generations are alike, as was explained above (§23). And because of the abundance of divergences and new forms of intelligence that arise in every generation, Amalaik wants to strengthen himself to separate in thought, G–d forbid, the pe’ulos mishtanos from the achdus ha’pashut, as above. And therefore: “Hashem’s war against Amalaik from generation to generation.” And this is the aspect of all the vain wisdoms that arise anew in every generation — both the external wisdoms, which are the wisdom of philosophy that grow stronger in every generation, and the other wisdoms of the world of foolishness and vanity, where each one imagines that the world has now become wiser, as if in previous generations they had no intellect at all, to desire such implements and adornments, etc. — as such foolish talk is common among the youth. And all of this is drawn from the aspect mentioned above — because in truth, at the root of the holiness of the souls, they are drawn in every generation in the aspect of innovation for good, for the essential glory of Hashem, may He be blessed, is precisely that in the abundance of the immense divergence of opinions, they should be included in His achdus ha’pashut, as above. And “G–d has made one corresponding to the other” (Ecclesiastes 7:14) — therefore the aspect of the contamination of Amalaik wants to reverse everything, as if today they are wiser for evil. But Hashem, may He be blessed, fights him in every generation, as above, through His true tzaddikim, and reveals such wondrous halachos and Torah-novelties in every generation — so that through this, in every generation, the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut is ever greater, from within the abundance and divergence of the many opinions, which are the aspect of the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above. This is the aspect of: “seeking good for his nation and speaking peace to all his seed” precisely, in the aspect of “and unto generation after generation is His faithfulness,” in the aspect of “generation to generation praises Your works,” etc., as above. And understand well, to connect everything from beginning to end, and you will understand counsel and strengthening to draw close always to Hashem, may He be blessed, and to give thanks to His Name, may He be blessed, always — which is the essential ultimate purpose, the aspect of the delight of the World to Come, as above. And this is the aspect of Pesach and the greatness of the mitzvah of relating the story of the Exodus from Egypt, as was explained above (in §16). For now that we have already merited to go out of Egypt, etc. — praise be to G–d, we have a good beginning, etc., as above — therefore we must abundantly tell of the Exodus from Egypt, etc. And this is: “We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt.” For the essential redemption was through Shabbos — through Hashem, may He be blessed, in His mercy drawing upon them Himself the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos upon the six days of the week. Through this, the achdus ha’pashut was revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos — that all the pe’ulos mishtanos are all drawn from the achdus ha’pashut Himself, may He be blessed. This was then revealed very, very greatly through all the great, awesome, and immense signs and wonders that Moshe did before the eyes of all Israel — turning water to blood and blood to water, sending frogs, and when he wished, removing them through his prayer. And similarly with all the plagues with which he struck Pharaoh, etc. — demonstrating that all of nature and all the workings of the diverse activities in the entire world are all in the hand of the achdus ha’pashut, and they are in His hand like clay in the hand of the potter. And He reveals His secret to His servants the tzaddikim, so that they can rule over the world and direct everything as they wish. And all of this was drawn at that time by Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself, in the aspect of an awakening from above, as is brought — for they were not yet worthy of the redemption, for they had not yet drawn the repairs mentioned above that are drawn through todah and hoda’ah and halachos, etc. — for it was the first redemption, and they had not yet received the Torah, where all the halachos are, as was explained above. But Hashem, may He be blessed, had compassion upon them, through the merit of the Patriarchs and through the little good He found in them, until through His awesome wonders He compelled Moshe to go and redeem them, and He drew upon them Himself the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos upon the weekdays, until the achdus ha’pashut was revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, through all the signs and wonders, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of Shabbos HaGadol before Pesach — for the essential miracles of Pesach were through the holiness of Shabbos, as above. And therefore it is called Shabbos HaGadol [the Great Shabbos] — for this is the essential greatness of Hashem, may He be blessed — when His unity, may He be blessed, is revealed from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above, which is accomplished through Shabbos, as above. And this is why we begin “We were slaves,” etc. — for before the redemption, in the time of exile (that is, before they merited to draw the holiness of Shabbos to the weekdays), we were slaves — because the aspect of the weekdays held sway, which are the aspect of “servant,” as is explained there in the Torah mentioned above. “And Hashem our G–d brought us out from there,” etc. — that is, Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself brought us out from there, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, even though we were not worthy — for we had not yet drawn upon ourselves all the repairs mentioned above. Even so, Hashem, may He be blessed, had compassion upon us and brought us out Himself, through the power of His wondrous mercy, as above. And this is: “And had the Holy One, blessed be He, not brought out our fathers from Egypt, behold we and our children and our children’s children would still be enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt.” That is, the essential Exodus from Egypt was to reveal His divinity, may He be blessed, from generation to generation forever, as it is written: “And you shall make known to your children and your children’s children” (Deuteronomy 4:9), in the aspect of “and unto generation after generation is His faithfulness” — which one merits through Torah/halachah, from which come all the holy births of the seed of Israel, the holy nation. But at that time, they were not yet worthy of this — only Hashem, may He be blessed, Himself drew in His mercy all the repairs mentioned above, until He redeemed them Himself. But had the Holy One, blessed be He, not brought out, etc. — behold we and our children, etc., would still be enslaved, etc. — for now that we have already merited the Exodus from Egypt and we have a good beginning, as above, through this we merit each time the aspect of todah/halachah, as above, through which the births of children are drawn in the holiness of Israel — and we are able to teach them and make known to them, from generation to generation, from father to son, the works of Hashem, for they are awesome, in the aspect of “generation to generation praises Your works,” etc. — until all of them walk in this path, in the path of the holy Torah, to give thanks and praise to Hashem, may He be blessed, always, etc. — and to engage in halachos, etc., until they reveal in each generation the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, which is accomplished anew in every generation, as above. All of this is the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos, which is the aspect of “son,” to nullify the aspect of the servitude of the weekdays. But had the Holy One, blessed be He, not brought out our fathers from Egypt in His mercy, by Himself, as above — behold we and our children and our children’s children would still be enslaved, etc. — for we would not have merited the birth of children in holiness, in the aspect of “son,” the aspect of freedom — but all the children and children’s children would have been in the aspect of servitude, as above, from which came the entire exile of Egypt, as above. And this is: “And even if we were all wise, all understanding, all elders, all knowing the Torah — it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt.” That is, at first glance it is difficult — why did He emphasize so many times the telling of the Exodus from Egypt? For the essential purpose of the Exodus from Egypt was for the sake of the Giving of the Torah, as it is written: “When you bring out the nation from Egypt, you shall serve G–d on this mountain” (Exodus 3:12) — which is the Giving of the Torah. And it would have been fitting to tell only of the miracle of the Giving of the Torah. And why did He emphasize more the telling of the Exodus from Egypt? And even the Giving of the Torah itself began: “I am Hashem your G–d Who brought you out of the land of Egypt,” etc. (Exodus 20:2). And similarly in most of the mitzvos. But according to the above, it is well explained — for the essential intensity of the miracle is the beginning, which is the Exodus from Egypt, which was the first redemption, which was very difficult because “this depends upon that,” etc., as above. And this is: “And even if we were all wise, etc., all knowing the Torah — it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt” specifically, even more so. Even though now we already know the Torah, which is the essential purpose for which we went out of Egypt, as above — even so, it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt, which is the beginning, through which we merited to know the Torah — for that beginning was the most difficult of all, as above. And we need now to tell about this even more — for even now, all the keeping of the Torah depends upon this. For the more one gives thanks and praises Him, may He be blessed, for the greatness of His kindness of the beginning, which is the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt, which was very difficult — the more one tells and gives thanks and praises Him, may He be blessed — so are all the repairs mentioned above drawn even more, through which the hoda’ah in turn grows ever greater, etc. — and so it cycles around for the good, as above. Through all of this, one merits joy, which is the essential thing — to strengthen oneself from wherever one is, to rejoice in the salvation of Hashem, etc. — through which everyone can enter into the keeping of the Torah, as above. And therefore, even if we were all wise and understanding and elders and knowing the Torah and all that has passed over us has already passed and we have merited the salvation of Hashem and immense wonders — it is a mitzvah upon us to tell of the Exodus from Egypt, when the beginning was, as above — through which one merits to strengthen himself in joy even now, through which comes the essential keeping of the Torah, as above. And this is: “And whoever tells more of the Exodus from Egypt — behold, this is praiseworthy.” For each and every person must tell abundantly of the Exodus from Egypt, in general and in particular — how many miracles and wonders Hashem, may He be blessed, did with us — so that the hoda’ah should grow each time even more, through which comes the essential repair, as above. And this is: “And whoever tells more of the Exodus from Egypt — behold, this is praiseworthy.” And it is brought in the Kavanos: “behold, this is praiseworthy” — in chasadim [kindnesses] — that is, the aspect of “whoever is wise, let him observe these things, and they will contemplate the kindnesses of Hashem” (Psalms 107:43) — the aspect of “the faithful kindnesses of David” (Isaiah 55:3), which are drawn through todah/hoda’ah, as is explained there. And this is: “It happened with Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua,” etc. — who were telling of the Exodus from Egypt all that night, until their students came and said to them: “Our teachers, the time for the morning Krias Shema has arrived.” The time for Krias Shema precisely — for through the abundance of telling of the Exodus from Egypt, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed even more from within the pe’ulos mishtanos, as above, which is the aspect of Krias Shema — to reveal the achdus ha’pashut in the world, in the aspect of: “Hashem our G–d, Hashem is One.” “Hashem our G–d” — that is, His divinity that dwells and is clothed within us, within all the pe’ulos mishtanos. “Hashem is One” — everything is included and unified in His achdus ha’pashut, may He be blessed. And as our Sages of blessed memory said, one must extend the dales of echad in order to crown Him above and below and in the four directions — which are the totality of the pe’ulos mishtanos in all six extremities, all of which are included in His unity, may He be blessed. For Hashem is One, and everything is drawn only from Him, may He be blessed. And all of this is revealed through the abundance of telling of the Exodus from Egypt. And therefore Hashem, may He be blessed, arranged it so that these tzaddikim told of the Exodus from Egypt, etc., until their students came — those who received the halachos from them, which are also the aspect of todah, as above — and said to them: “Our teachers, the time for Krias Shema has arrived,” etc. — for through this, the achdus ha’pashut is revealed, which is the aspect of Krias Shema, as above. And to sweeten further and explain the statement mentioned above — “Whoever tells more of the Exodus from Egypt,” etc. — it is thus: For all the kinds of counsel that our Sages of blessed memory illuminated for us, with which one can strengthen himself — the adversary constantly lies in wait to push him away from them, G–d forbid. Therefore, one needs great stubbornness. And so it is with the matter mentioned above — that one must strengthen himself to give thanks always to Hashem, may He be blessed, for all the kindnesses and wonders, etc., even if he is as he is, for even so, He has already bestowed upon us immense wonders. But the adversary constantly strengthens himself to cause forgetfulness and concealment, G–d forbid, etc. Therefore a person must strengthen himself to tell abundantly of the Exodus from Egypt, etc., in the aspect mentioned above. And this is: “Whoever tells more” — “more” precisely — for one must increase so much, until he increases the telling of the Exodus from Egypt over the hinderer, until it exceeds him and nullifies him — in the manner our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the nullification of a prohibited substance: “one increases over it and nullifies it.” And this is: “And whoever tells more” of the kindnesses of Hashem, etc. — which is the aspect of the Exodus from Egypt, etc., as above — who increases the telling over the hinderer until he nullifies him, as above — “behold, this is praiseworthy,” as above. And this is: “And I will pass through the land of Egypt — I, and not an angel; I, and not a seraph; I, and not an emissary; I am Hashem — I am He and not another.” That is, during the Exodus from Egypt, the revelation of the achdus ha’pashut from within the pe’ulos mishtanos was so great that even above, His achdus ha’pashut, may He be blessed, was revealed — as is explained there in the Torah mentioned above: that when the achdus ha’pashut is revealed below, His achdus ha’pashut is revealed also above, in the aspect of: “You are One and Your Name is One, and who is like Your nation Israel, one nation in the land,” etc. And this is: “And I will pass through the land of Egypt — I, and not an angel; I, and not a seraph,” etc. — for all the concealments and hiddennesses were nullified. For sometimes Hashem, may He be blessed, clothes His conduct through the angels, in the aspect of “Behold, I am sending an angel before you” (Exodus 23:20) — which was said after the sin, and Moshe did not desire this. For then one can err, G–d forbid, as Acheir erred through this. And as the verse itself there warns: “Beware of him, do not defy him,” and our Sages of blessed memory expounded: “Do not exchange Me for him” — for from there is drawn the error of all idolators. And similarly the errors of the naturalist philosophers of today — for the angel is called Elokim, which has the numerical value of ha’teva [nature]. But at the time of the Exodus from Egypt, Hashem, may He be blessed, had compassion upon us and revealed His achdus ha’pashut below and above — that there is no governance in the world except through Himself alone, in the aspect of: “I, and not an angel; I, and not a seraph,” etc. — “I am Hashem; I am He and not another.” For all the diverse activities in the world — all are from Him, may He be blessed, Himself, as above. And therefore we say Birchas Kohanim [the Priestly Blessing] after Birchas HaTorah [the Blessing over the Torah]. For Birchas HaTorah is the aspect of the hoda’ah mentioned above — that we bless and give thanks every day, immediately in the morning, for the pleasantness of our portion, that we merited to receive the Torah, which is the essential path to draw close to Hashem, may He be blessed, from wherever one is, as is explained above (in §5). Through this, all the repairs mentioned above are accomplished, until one merits that all the pe’ulos mishtanos should be included in the achdus ha’pashut — which is the aspect of peace and unity among all Israel, that all the divergent opinions should be included together, etc., as above. This, Aharon the Kohen merited more than anyone else — through the fact that he was not jealous of Moshe his brother, even though he [Moshe] was greater than him, and he went out to greet him with joy, as it is written: “And he shall see you and rejoice in his heart” (Exodus 4:14). And through this, he merited the Kehunah, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “In reward for ‘and he shall see you,’ etc., he merited the Choshen HaMishpat [Breastplate of Judgment] upon his heart.” Therefore we say Birchas Kohanim, which is the holiness of Aharon the Kohen, after Birchas HaTorah — for they are of one aspect and depend upon each other, as above. And therefore Birchas Kohanim concludes with peace, as it is written: “and grant you peace” (Numbers 6:26) — for through the hoda’ah mentioned above, which is the aspect of Birchas HaTorah, one merits peace and unity, as above. And all of this we merited through Aharon the Kohen, as above. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said: “Be of the students of Aharon, loving peace and pursuing peace” (Avos 1:12) — that is, as above. And this is: “loving the creatures and bringing them close to the Torah” — for the essential drawing close to the Torah is through the aspect mentioned above, through todah/hoda’ah, which is Birchas HaTorah, through which one merits peace, which is the aspect of the holiness of Aharon the Kohen, as above. This collection of halachos applies the law of perikah u’te’inah (helping unload and load an animal) across multiple spiritual dimensions, drawing on several of Rabbainu’s Toros.