מתנה ומתנת שכיב מרע ב

Likutay Halachos – Choshen Mishpat II – Matanah 5 MB (Sections 74–78), Hashmatot, Halachos 2–3

For every thing has its root above, and the root of the matter of a gift — that it is found in the world that one person gives a gift to his fellow — is drawn from the fact that also with Him, blessed be He, there is found a treasury of matnas chinam [undeserved gifts], that at times He is gracious and gives as an undeserved gift even though it is not due to [the recipient] according to mishpat [strict justice]. For Hashem, blessed be He, governs His world with tzedakah and mishpat, as it is written: "He loves tzedakah and mishpat" [Psalms 33:5]. And it is written: "Mishpat and tzedakah in Yaakov, You have performed" [Psalms 99:4]. And in truth, this is among His wondrous and deeply hidden ways that are impossible to understand or grasp. And as the piyut [liturgical poem] expresses wonderment about this, in the yotzer of the first day of Rosh Hashanah, as we say there: "And in the place of mishpat there is no tzedakah, and where there is no mishpat there is tzedakah — and You, through mishpat, perform tzedakah." For in truth, it is a great wonder that is impossible to understand. For Hashem, blessed be He, created the world for the sake of man, who has free choice, in order that he should merit to receive the hidden good reward through mishpat — so as not to eat nahama d'kisufa [the bread of shame], as is brought. And therefore it is necessarily the case that He must govern the world with mishpat, for if not, then the matter reverts to what it was — that one would eat nahama d'kisufa — and if so, what was the purpose of the entire effort of Creation? And this is in truth the matter of the angels' objection — they who prosecuted regarding the creation of man and said: "What is man that You should remember him?" [Psalms 8:5], etc. — "for he is destined to sin before You and to provoke You", etc. And Hashem, blessed be He, answered them: "Was it for naught that I am called Gracious and Merciful?", etc. And at first glance this is puzzling — what kind of answer is this? Did the angels not know that Hashem, blessed be He, is Gracious and Merciful? Does He not bestow good and have compassion upon all the heavenly beings with free chesed? And as our Sages of blessed memory said — they [the angels] eat in the aspect of nahama d'kisufa, which is only through mercy, as an undeserved gift. And if so, what is this great uproar that they raised regarding the creation of man — that he is destined to sin? Is Hashem, blessed be He, not Gracious and Merciful?! But their entire objection was the matter mentioned above. They raised a dilemma, as it were: they understood immediately that the creation of man was in order that he should receive his reward through mishpat and not eat nahama d'kisufa like them. And therefore they objected: if so, how can it endure, for he is destined to sin, etc.? And if You say that You will forgive him through Your mercy — then he will eat nahama d'kisufa with even greater shame than before! For before his creation he had not sinned, but now he has sinned and You have mercy on him and give to him as an undeserved gift — if so, his shame is even greater! And why should You create him? But Hashem, blessed be He, paid them no heed and answered them: "Was it for naught that I am called Gracious and Merciful?", etc.! That is, He answered them: you do not understand or grasp My ways. For even though I wish to create man so that he should receive his reward through mishpat, nevertheless, certainly it is not for naught that I am called Gracious and Merciful. For certainly I will not abandon My ways of mercy and chesed from man, even though he was created [within the framework of] mishpat. For upon him specifically will My abundant mercy and graciousness be revealed. For upon the heavenly beings, who do not sin, the abundance of His mercy is not so evident through them. Only upon man specifically — who is destined to sin — through him specifically will the abundance of My mercy be revealed without end or limit. Only that certainly, it is impossible for you to grasp this — how He will govern with mishpat and tzedakah [simultaneously]. For this is "the wonders of the One perfect in knowledge" [Job 37:16], which are impossible to grasp, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of: "Originally it arose in [G-d's] thought to create the world with the attribute of din. He saw that the world could not endure — He arose and partnered the attribute of mercy with the attribute of din." And at first glance this is difficult: is it not known that Hashem, blessed be He, is good and does good and is full of mercy, and the entire creation of the world was in order to reveal His mercy and His goodness, as explained in all the holy books of Kabbalah? And how is it possible that it should arise in the thought to create the world with the attribute of din?! But in truth, even what arose in the thought — to create the world with the attribute of din — was also from the side of His mercy and chesed. For from the very abundance of His mercy, He wished to create man, who would receive his reward through mishpat and not eat nahama d'kisufa. Therefore, it is certainly fitting — from the side of His mercy, specifically — that the world should be created with the attribute of din and mishpat. For if not, there would be nahama d'kisufa. For in truth, all His judgments and laws, blessed be He, are drawn only from His chesed and goodness. For the attribute of din came into existence only in order that there be contractions and vessels to receive the chesed within them, as is known. And therefore in truth, the din itself is a great chesed. And as is brought regarding the verse: "Avraham begat Yitzchak" [Genesis 25:19], etc. And this is the aspect of: "With the mighty acts of salvation of His right hand" [Psalms 20:7]. And everything is for the sake of man, so that he should receive his good reward through mishpat, as mentioned above. But He saw that the world could not endure — therefore He partnered the attribute of mercy with the attribute of din, etc. And He created the world to be governed with mishpat and tzedakah, as mentioned above. And in truth, it is impossible to grasp this, as mentioned above. And these two aspects — mishpat and tzedakah — are the aspects of Torah and prayer. That is, the aspect of Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem — which are impossible to grasp, except by one who merits to ascend from level to level until he is included in the Ain Sof [the Infinite], where there is Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem literally. For it is brought in the Torah-teaching "Chosam b'soch chosam" [Likutay Moharan II:22]: that one must strengthen oneself with great azus d'kedushah [holy boldness] against the brazen-faced ones, whose entire self-exaltation comes only through brazenness, etc. And likewise one needs azus d'kedushah against the brazenness of the body, etc. And azus is the aspect of holy voices, etc. — the aspect of the voice of the shofar, etc. And to come to azus is through joy, in the aspect of: "For the joy of Hashem is your strength" [Nehemiah 8:10]. And this joy is merited through the aspect of na'aseh v'nishma — which are the two crowns with which Yisrael were crowned at the time of the receiving of the Torah — which are the aspect of: "and eternal joy upon their heads" [Isaiah 35:10], etc. And na'aseh and nishma are the aspects of revealed and concealed, the aspects of Torah and prayer, the aspects of Toras Hashem and "his Torah" — the aspect of "In the beginning G-d created" — a statement and a half-statement, etc. And one must ascend from level to level, etc. — until one is included at the beginning of Atzilus, which is the first point of Creation. And there, the concealed dimension — the aspect of prayer — is Toras Hashem literally, etc. And afterward, when one is included in the Ain Sof, there the na'aseh — the aspect of Torah — is Toras Hashem literally. And the nishma — the aspect of prayer — is t'filas Hashem literally. For also with Him, blessed be He, we find the aspects of Torah and prayer — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "From where [do we know] that the Holy One, blessed be He, dons tefillin?", etc. And likewise they said: "From where [do we know] that the Holy One, blessed be He, prays?", etc. And certainly there is a distinction between our Torah and prayer and the Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem, etc. And before one ascends from level to level, there must be a descent before the ascent — for the descent is the purpose of the ascent, etc. See there, all of this, very well. It emerges that with Him, blessed be He, there is Torah and prayer — and this is the aspect of mishpat and tzedakah mentioned above. For Torah is the aspect of mishpat — for the Torah is called mishpat — that is, the aspect of governance according to the mishpat of the Torah. But according to the mishpat of the Torah, it is difficult for the world to endure — for the Torah obligates the sinner with his punishment, G-d forbid. And even teshuvah would not be effective according to the mishpat of the Torah. But Hashem, blessed be He, partnered mercy with din, and governs the world with tzedakah and chesed — which is the aspect of prayer, the aspect of t'filas Hashem. Which is that He prays: "May it be My will that My mercy overcome My anger" — as our Sages of blessed memory said. That is, Hashem, blessed be He, draws supernal mercies each time, even though Yisrael have sinned as they have sinned — in order that they should endure until they all return in His mercy. For through His praying, blessed be He, and overcoming His anger and sweetening the din and mishpat with mercy and tzedakah — through this itself He weakens and nullifies the power of the evil inclination, whose entire power stems from dinim and gevuros [severities], and He strengthens the power of the good inclination, whose power comes from chasadim and mercy — as our Rebbe of blessed memory wrote many times, and especially in [Likutay Moharan I:72]; see there. And through this there will be fulfilled: "And I will cause that you shall walk in My statutes" [Ezekiel 36:27], etc. And all of this is the aspect of Rosh Hashanah. For "this day is the beginning of Your works, a remembrance of the first day" — for on Rosh Hashanah, Adam HaRishon was created, and on it the world is judged. But the mishpat must be with tzedakah, as mentioned above. And this is the entire service of the great tzadikim throughout all their days — and especially on Rosh Hashanah, which is the beginning of Creation. For the essential service of the tzadikim is to sweeten judgments and draw mercy upon Yisrael — and through this itself they bring Yisrael back in teshuvah, as mentioned above. And the greater the tzadik, and the higher the level he attains, the more he merits to draw even more supernal mercies and chasadim. And as explained in the Holy Zohar, the distinction between Noach, Avraham, and Moshe, etc. But now, in the intensity of the prolonged bitterness of the exile — when Yisrael have descended greatly due to the length of the exile, in the aspect of: "she has descended wondrously" [Lamentations 1:9] — there is no help for them except through the tzadikim who merit Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem themselves — who arouse Him, blessed be He, to pray Himself on behalf of Yisrael and to draw new mercies and chasadim each time — the aspect of mercies and chasadim that never cease, in the aspect of: "The chasadim of Hashem have not ended, for His mercies are not exhausted" [Lamentations 3:22]. For they are included in the light of the Ain Sof, where mercy is without end. And the essential [work in this regard] takes place on Rosh Hashanah. For each Rosh Hashanah, there recurs what took place at the beginning of Creation, as explained in the writings of the Ari z"l. But certainly, each Rosh Hashanah, completely new things take place — only they are of the same type as what occurred at the beginning of Creation, but certainly it is a wondrous renewal. For this is known: that Hashem, blessed be He, never does the same thing twice. And the essential wondrous renewal that takes place on Rosh Hashanah, of the same type as the beginning of Creation, concerns the sweetening of the judgments. For each Rosh Hashanah, the tzadikim — the "mighty in strength, who fulfill His word, to hear the voice of His word" [Psalms 103:20], mentioned in the Holy Zohar — who are the aspect of the tzadikim who have merited the aspects of na'aseh v'nishma at the highest level, until they have merited the aspect of Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem, which is the essential aspect of na'aseh v'nishma in its completeness, in truth — these tzadikim draw, each Rosh Hashanah, new chasadim and mercies that have never existed before, to sweeten all the severity of the judgments that are aroused on Rosh Hashanah — which are drawn from the aspect of "originally it arose in the thought to create the world with the attribute of din" — which took place on Rosh Hashanah. For now, the essential drawing of chasadim to sweeten the din and sustain the world is only through the aforementioned tzadikim. For at the beginning of Creation, Hashem, blessed be He, Himself drew the attribute of mercy and partnered it with the attribute of din, etc., as mentioned above — for then there was no tzadik in the world. But now, everything depends on the arousal from below, through the great tzadikim, the mighty in strength mentioned above, who are the aspect of: "those who fulfill His word, to hear the voice of His word" — the aspect of na'aseh v'nishma mentioned above. And as our Sages of blessed memory applied this verse to the matter of na'aseh v'nishma. And this is the greatness of the wonder of Rosh Hashanah of the aforementioned tzadikim — that they draw each Rosh Hashanah very wondrous new chasadim, to nullify the prosecutions stemming from the blemishes of that year, until they sweeten every type of judgment in the world. And thereby they automatically nullify all the troubles and sufferings from Yisrael, and draw abundance and great good for the House of Yisrael. And the essential [point is] that through the abundance of new and wondrous chasadim that they draw on Rosh Hashanah, through this they weaken and nullify the power of the evil inclination and introduce wondrous thoughts of teshuvah and strengthening into Yisrael — to begin each time to return to Him, blessed be He, from wherever one is. For the more chasadim they draw and the more they sweeten the judgments, the more they weaken the power of the evil inclination and the Sitra Achra — whose entire power stems from dinim, as mentioned above. And this is what is explained in the aforementioned Torah-teaching — that through na'aseh v'nishma one merits joy, through which one merits azus d'kedushah to overcome the azus of the Sitra Achra — of the brazen-faced ones and of the body. For one depends on the other: for through na'aseh v'nishma mentioned above, all the dinim are sweetened. Through this, one strengthens the power of the good inclination over the evil inclination — which is the aspect of the strengthening of azus d'kedushah over the azus of the Sitra Achra, as mentioned above. For the essential drawing close to holiness is through azus d'kedushah, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Why was the Torah given to Yisrael? Because they are bold", etc. And as is explained there in the aforementioned Torah-teaching. But one must speak about this at great length, for one needs great strengthening every day and every time — which is the aspect of azus d'kedushah. For much, very much passes over each and every person every single day, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Every single day a person's inclination renews itself against him", etc. For the evil inclination — which is in truth old and completely worn out, as it is called "an old and foolish king" [Ecclesiastes 4:13] — wishes each time to renew itself and arouses a person to its foolishness and vanities as if they are new right now. And the wondrous counsels of the Torah — it wishes to make old, G-d forbid, as if they are old, G-d forbid. But in truth it is the opposite, and one must overcome with great azus against it, anew. And one must understand and believe in the truth — for the opposite is true: the desires and follies and confusions are old from long ago, for "there is nothing new under the sun" [Ecclesiastes 1:9]. But above the sun — which is the Torah — there, there are new things every day and every time. For the counsels of the Torah are exceedingly deep and they renew themselves each time. And one must strengthen oneself with strengthening and azus d'kedushah anew each time, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "This day you have become a nation" [Deuteronomy 27:9] — "every day they should be in your eyes as new", etc. But all of this is merited through the tzadikim who merited the aforementioned na'aseh v'nishma. And one depends on the other: the more one draws close to them, the more one merits azus d'kedushah; and the more one merits azus d'kedushah, the more one draws close to them, etc. Until one merits to come to the completeness of emunah [faith] that the Seven Shepherds draw, etc. And there is still need for great explanation to explain the aforementioned Torah-teaching. And some of this has already been explained elsewhere, but there is still much need to speak about this — regarding the matter of the descent that precedes the ascent, explained there, etc. — in a manner that each person can understand wondrous counsels and strengthening through the aforementioned Torah-teaching. And this is the aspect of: "For Your chesed is great upon me, and You have saved my soul from the lowest depths" [Psalms 86:13] — through the fact that You have brought me close to the true tzadikim and placed my portion among those who sit in their study halls, etc. "But, O G-d, the wanton have risen against me, and a company of violent men have sought my soul" [Psalms 86:14], etc. — that is, the brazen-faced ones of the generation have risen against me, etc., as mentioned above. "And You, Hashem, are a G-d compassionate and gracious", etc. — which is the aspect of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy that are drawn from t'filas Hashem, as it is written: "And Hashem passed before him and proclaimed: Hashem, Hashem, G-d compassionate and gracious" [Exodus 34:6], etc. And as our Sages of blessed memory expounded: "This teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, wrapped Himself like a sh'liach tzibur [prayer leader] and taught him the order of prayer: 'In the manner that I wrap Myself...'" That is, Hashem, blessed be He, as it were, revealed then to Moshe and taught him how He Himself, blessed be He, prays and says: "Hashem, Hashem, G-d compassionate and gracious", etc. And in the same way, every Jew should pray — to draw mercy and chasadim from the prayer of Hashem Himself, as mentioned above. And this is what is requested there: "Turn to me and be gracious to me; grant Your strength to Your servant" [Psalms 86:16] — that of all the requests needed, he requests: "Grant Your strength to Your servant" — that he should merit to receive azus d'kedushah from Hashem, blessed be He. And this is "grant Your strength" — specifically — which is drawn from Your Torah and Your prayer — from the aspect of "G-d compassionate and gracious," which is the aspect of t'filas Hashem, as mentioned above. That is, that he should merit azus d'kedushah that is drawn from Hashem, blessed be He, Himself — that is, azus that is drawn from Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem in truth. For "Hashem, mighty and valiant; Hashem, valiant in war" [Psalms 24:8] — and all His mighty awesomeness and the power of His war is to introduce azus d'kedushah into Yisrael, to nullify the dinim from which comes all the power of the evil inclination — which is the aspect of the azus of the Sitra Achra — and to strengthen the mercy and chasadim, which are the aspect of tzedakah, the aspect of t'filas Hashem, from which comes the essential azus d'kedushah. This is the aspect of: "G-d is awesome from Your sanctuaries; the G-d of Yisrael gives strength and power to the nation" [Psalms 68:36], etc. And this is: "My strength — to You I will sing, for G-d is my stronghold; the G-d of my chesed" [Psalms 59:18]. For the essential azus d'kedushah is drawn from the chasadim, as mentioned above. And through this one strengthens oneself to hope and look forward to salvation — to guard and to wait until the evil azus of those who strengthen and spread themselves each time with great azus of the Sitra Achra in many aspects — until it is almost difficult to stand against them, and many have fallen through this, may the Merciful One save us. But David HaMelech, peace be upon him, strengthened himself with azus d'kedushah and said: "His boldness — to You I will guard" [Psalms 59:10]. And as Rashi explains there: "his boldness" — that is, the boldness of the enemies, the opponents, who strengthen themselves with the azus of the Sitra Achra for so many days and years — but I will stand at my watch and I will guard and wait until Hashem has mercy and topples their boldness before me, in the aspect of: "His boldness — to You I will guard, for G-d is my stronghold; the G-d of my chesed shall go before me", etc., as mentioned above. And this is: "And I will sing of Your strength, and I will joyfully sing at morning of Your chesed, for You have been a stronghold for me" [Psalms 59:17], etc. That is, "at morning" — which is the Future to Come — I will sing and joyfully sing to You regarding the greatness of the chesed that You performed with me: to strengthen me and embolden me with such azus d'kedushah that I could stand against such azus of the Sitra Achra. For the azus d'kedushah that You bestowed upon me is drawn from very, very wondrous supernal chasadim that are drawn through t'filas Hashem, as mentioned above. (For the secret of these chasadim will only be revealed in the Future, for they are the aspect of the prayer of the supernal concealment, the aspect of t'filas Hashem, which is the aspect of the supernal concealment, as understood from the aforementioned Torah-teaching.) And all of this is drawn and rectified on Rosh Hashanah, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of: "Hashem reigns; He is clothed in majesty" [Psalms 93:1], etc. — which is said regarding Rosh Hashanah, as is brought — that then Hashem, blessed be He, reveals His sovereignty and dons the garments of His grandeur. And this is: "Hashem is clothed — He has girded Himself with strength" — the aspect of azus d'kedushah mentioned above that He bestows upon Yisrael, as mentioned above. And through this: "the world is established; it shall not be moved" — for the essential sustenance of the world is through this, since only through this does one receive and uphold the Torah — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Why was the Torah given to Yisrael? Because they are bold", as mentioned above. And the essential sustenance of the world is through the Torah, as it is written: "The earth and all its inhabitants dissolve — I established its pillars, Selah" [Psalms 75:4]. And this is: "Your throne is established from then" [Psalms 93:2], etc. — that is, the aspect of Rosh Hashanah, when Hashem, blessed be He, sits on His throne to judge with tzedakah. Then all the aforementioned rectifications are drawn through Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem — which are the aspect of "In the beginning, G-d created", etc. — for then the world was created, etc. Through which azus d'kedushah is drawn — the aspect of voices — which is the aspect of the voice of the shofar of Rosh Hashanah, and all the voices and cries that Yisrael cry out then, which are all the aspect of azus, as explained there. But there are, in contrast, the azus of the Sitra Achra — the aspect of the abundance of voices of the Sitra Achra. But the azus d'kedushah that is drawn from Hashem, blessed be He, Himself will overcome them. And this is: "The rivers have lifted, Hashem; the rivers have lifted their voice" [Psalms 93:3] — that is, the enemies and opponents who spread themselves against us like actual rivers, and lift their voice — which is the aspect of the azus of the Sitra Achra that spreads and strengthens exceedingly. But: "From the voices of many waters, the mighty breakers of the sea" — which are voices in the aspect of the azus of the Sitra Achra (and similar to Rashi's interpretation there; see there) — "mightier on high is Hashem" [Psalms 93:4]. For Hashem, blessed be He, is certainly mighty and strong over them and will subdue them and bring them low through the aforementioned azus d'kedushah. For "Your testimonies are very faithful" — "Your testimonies" — the aspect of the aforementioned adornments (adayim), which are the aspect of the two crowns of na'aseh v'nishma, the aspect of Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem — and as explained there regarding the verse: "The testimony of Hashem is faithful" [Psalms 19:8]; see there. These testimonies "are very faithful; for Your House, holiness is fitting" [Psalms 93:5] — which is the Beis HaMikdash, from which Torah goes forth and where is the essential place of prayer, as it is written: "For My House is a house of prayer" [Isaiah 56:7]. From there is drawn the azus d'kedushah, in the aspect of: "G-d is awesome from Your sanctuaries; the G-d of Yisrael gives strength", etc. And this is: "Hashem, for length of days". And as Rashi explains there: even though the days have been long [in exile], nevertheless, "Your testimonies are very faithful" — for through Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem, which are the aspect of "Your testimonies" as mentioned above, through this we will merit azus d'kedushah always, to vanquish everything, etc., as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the wondrous Midrash brought in the Kavanos [Kabbalistic intentions], and this is its wording: "'Blow the shofar at the new moon, in concealment, for the day of our festival' [Psalms 81:4]. We learned: Which festival is it on which the moon conceals herself? This is Rosh Hashanah. And why does the moon conceal herself? Because on this day the Holy One, blessed be He, sits on the Throne of Judgment and judges the world, and the Satan comes and prosecutes Yisrael and mentions their sins. And the Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: 'Bring witnesses!' And [the Satan] goes and brings the sun. And the Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: 'By two witnesses shall a matter be established' [Deuteronomy 19:15]. And he goes to bring the moon, and she conceals herself. And he seeks her and cannot find her. And then the Holy One, blessed be He, rises from the Throne of Judgment and sits on the Throne of Mercy", etc. — end quote. The sun and the moon are the aspects of Torah and prayer, the aspects of na'aseh and nishma, etc. For the sun is the aspect of Torah, which is called "sun," as Rashi explains regarding the verse "under the sun" in Koheles. And the moon is the aspect of the kingdom of David, as is known — the aspect of prayer, the aspect of: "And I am prayer" [Psalms 109:4]. And the essence of prayer — the aspect of nishma — is the aspect of strong longings and yearnings for Hashem, blessed be He, in deveikus and complete bitul to the light of the Ain Sof, until one comes to speech — that Hashem, blessed be He, has mercy on him and opens his mouth to express his conversation before Him, as understood from the aforementioned Torah-teaching, and likewise in many places in his [the Rebbe's] words, of blessed memory. And this is the aspect of: "The preparations of the heart belong to man, but from Hashem comes the answer of the tongue" [Proverbs 16:1] — that the essential preparation and arrangement of the heart is when one prepares and arranges his heart with strong yearnings and comes before Hashem, blessed be He, to express his conversation; and Hashem, in His mercy, gives an answer in his mouth, in the aspect of: "and from Hashem comes the answer of the tongue." And this is the essential aspect of nishma, which is the aspect of prayer — which is the aspect of bitul to the light of the Ain Sof, as explained there. And through this one merits to attain Toras Hashem, until it becomes "his Torah" — which is the aspect of making from the nishma — na'aseh; from the concealed — revealed; from prayer — Torah. And this is itself what our master, teacher, and rabbi, of blessed memory, wrote elsewhere, in [Likutay Moharan] II:25 — to make from the Torah, prayer. Although at first glance they seem to contradict each other — for here he wrote to make from prayer, Torah; and there he wrote to make from Torah, prayer — in truth, both intend the same thing. For what he wrote many times — to make from the Torah, prayer — his intention was: from the Torah that one has not yet merited to fulfill and grasp, to make from it a prayer — to pray to Hashem, blessed be He, that one should merit to fulfill it and grasp it. And this is itself what is written here — to make from Toras Hashem — the aspect of prayer, the aspect of nishma — to make from this "his Torah," the aspect of na'aseh, etc. For the Torah that one has not yet merited to fulfill properly and grasp — it is for him the aspect of Toras Hashem, the aspect of things concealed from him. And regarding this, one must nullify oneself and pray much to Hashem, blessed be He, until one fulfills it and grasps it — making from Toras Hashem, "his Torah." It emerges that one makes from the Torah — prayer; that is, from the aspect of Toras Hashem, which is the concealed and distant from him, one makes from this a prayer — praying to Hashem, blessed be He, that one should merit to come to this. And afterward, when one merits to achieve one's request and grasps the aspect of the concealed, the aspect of Toras Hashem — then from Toras Hashem, which is the aspect of prayer, it becomes "his Torah." It emerges that the two are one. And let us explain the matter a bit. For the intention of our master, our teacher, and our rabbi, of blessed memory, who cautioned very much to make from the Torah, prayer — his intention was: from the Torah that one has not yet merited to reach, whether in terms of fulfillment or in terms of comprehension — and the essential thing is fulfillment. For example, when one studies in the Torah that through the mitzvah of tzitzis one merits to be saved from licentiousness, as it is written: "And you shall not go astray after your hearts and after your eyes" [Numbers 15:39] — and through this one will be saved from inverted counsels that are not truth, etc. And through this one will merit emunah and prayer and Eretz Yisrael, etc. And [the person] knows of his own distance from this — he needs to pray much to Hashem, blessed be He, and to make from this Torah a prayer, to pray to Hashem, blessed be He, that he should merit to fulfill the mitzvah of tzitzis properly, in a manner that he will merit all of the above. It emerges that this entire Torah-teaching is for him the aspect of Toras Hashem, since he has not yet merited to fulfill it in the proper completeness that would bring him to all of the above — only that the tzadik who revealed this Torah-teaching merited this in its completeness, for with him it is "his Torah" (and it is even thousands and myriads of levels lower than his true level, below the aspect of his revealed dimension — only that he was compelled to lower himself for our sake to say it in this way, etc., as explained elsewhere). But for us, it is the aspect of Toras Hashem, the aspect of the concealed — since we have not yet merited to fulfill it properly, all the more so to grasp it. And regarding this, prayer is needed, as mentioned above. And one makes from the Torah — that is, from the aspect of Toras Hashem — prayer, until one merits to come to this, to fulfill and grasp this Torah-teaching, and then from Toras Hashem, which is the aspect of prayer, it becomes "his Torah." It emerges that the two are one. For what is written here — to make from prayer, Torah — that is, the aspect of "his Torah" — that from the concealed, which is the aspect of Toras Hashem, through abundant prayers, it becomes "his Torah." And this is itself what is found elsewhere — to make from the Torah, prayer — that is, from Toras Hashem, which the tzadikim have revealed but from which we are still distant, to make from this a prayer until we merit this, and it becomes "his Torah." And behold, in both [formulations] one and the same thing is intended, as mentioned above. (And see elsewhere regarding this, in Hilchos Sefer Torah; and here it is explained more clearly, with Hashem's help.) It emerges that the sun and the moon are the aspects of Torah and prayer. And even though the moon is smaller than the sun, and here it is explained that prayer — the aspect of the concealed — is higher? But according to the above, this is explained somewhat: for prayer receives from the Torah — for one prays to merit to fulfill the Torah. And through this one merits to come to this — to make Toras Hashem into "his Torah." And so on, from level to level, without end. It emerges that prayer is smaller than the Torah — that is, than the concealed — and higher than the Torah — that is, than the revealed. For through prayer one achieves everything, and one makes from the concealed — revealed. And then [prayer] is in the aspect of: "A woman of valor is the crown of her husband" [Proverbs 12:4], as brought in the holy writings. For through prayer one can ascend from the very lowest bottom level to the very highest supreme level, without end — until one merits Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem, as understood by one who examines the aforementioned Torah-teaching, and in other places. And these two aspects — which are the aspects of the sun and moon, the aspects of Torah and prayer, the aspects of na'aseh and nishma — they are the aspect of two witnesses. For they are the aspect of the two adornments (adayim) with which Yisrael were crowned at Chorev when they said na'aseh v'nishma, as mentioned above. For the adornments, which are the aforementioned crowns, are the aspect of witnesses — for they testify about a person's deeds, in the aspect of: "A person's soul testifies about him". For according to how much one fulfills and draws upon oneself the aspect of na'aseh v'nishma mentioned above, to that degree his soul is crowned above with the two adornments, which are the aforementioned crowns. And the reverse is also true, G-d forbid. And this is the aspect of what is written: "And now, remove your adornment from upon you, and I will know what to do with you" [Exodus 33:5] — that Hashem, blessed be He, did not wish to judge them until they would remove the adornments, which are the crowns. And then He would know what to do with them, according to what these very adornments themselves would testify about them — how and how much they had blemished them. And this is itself the aspect of the two witnesses who are believed in every matter. For wherever there is contradiction, this is the aspect of the blemish of emunah. Therefore, two witnesses are brought — which are the aspect of the two aforementioned adornments — through which emunah is built, in the aspect of "the testimony of Hashem is faithful" mentioned above. And therefore two witnesses are always believed — for two witnesses are in the aspect of na'aseh v'nishma. For it has already been explained that at every level there is the aspect of na'aseh v'nishma, and no two people are alike. Therefore, these two Jewish men who come to testify — certainly there is among them a lesser and a greater, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "We bring in the greater of them", etc. And the greater and lesser are the aspect of na'aseh and nishma, as mentioned above. And therefore they are believed — for through the aspect of na'aseh v'nishma, emunah is completed. And therefore the Torah is called "testimony" (edus), as it is written: "And you shall place in the Ark the Testimony" [Exodus 25:16], etc. And it is written: "the Tablets of the Testimony" — and so in many places. And also prayer is called testimony, as it is written: "A testimony for Yisrael, to give thanks to the Name of Hashem" [Psalms 122:4]. And as explained in the Torah-teaching "T'homos y'chasyumu" [Likutay Moharan I:9]; see there — that is, as mentioned above. And according to this, with His help, blessed be He, the words of the aforementioned Midrash will be explained. For Hashem, blessed be He, tells the Satan to bring witnesses. And [the Satan] wants to bring the sun and the moon — which are the aspects of Torah and prayer, the aspects of na'aseh and nishma, which are the aspect of the two aforementioned adornments, which are the essential witnesses — and he wants to bring them to demonstrate that Yisrael have blemished them. And he brings the sun — the aspect of Torah — and she is compelled to testify about the blemishes they have made through their deeds against the Torah. And Hashem, blessed be He, says to him: "By two witnesses [shall a matter be established]", etc. And [the Satan] goes to bring the moon — the aspect of the concealed, the aspect of prayer — and she conceals herself greatly, until he cannot find her. For the nishma — which is the aspect of prayer, the aspect of ratzon and bitul to the Ain Sof of a Jewish person — this [the Satan] is unable to prosecute against or find or grasp at all. For the longing and yearning of most of the children of Yisrael is very, very strong and mighty for Hashem, blessed be He — especially during these days of Elul and the Ten Days of Teshuvah; especially on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, when the hearts of all Yisrael are broken within them, and they gather in the synagogues and study halls and increase in prayers, and their longing and yearning is infinitely strong for Hashem, blessed be He. Until through their strong longing, they ascend to the Ain Sof, through the power of the true tzadikim who have grasped Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem. And therefore [the Satan] cannot find the moon — the aspect of prayer — at all, for she conceals herself greatly, for it is the aspect of the concealed, the aspect of nishma, which ascends to the Ain Sof. And this is itself the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said in the Midrash, and is brought in our words — that the crown of na'aseh, Yisrael have lost, and the crown of nishma remains with them, as explained regarding the verse: "And now, Yisrael, hear" [Deuteronomy 4:1], etc. That is, as mentioned above — for the crown of na'aseh we have lost through our sins, for we are unable to fulfill any mitzvah in its completeness. For even though we do fulfill the mitzvos even in exile, we are unable to fulfill any mitzvah in the proper completeness — for many mitzvos cannot be fulfilled at all in exile, such as korbanos [offerings], etc. And even the mitzvos we do fulfill are not in the proper completeness, and great effort is needed to fulfill any mitzvah properly.

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