נחלות ג

And to arrive at this joy is through thunder — which is the aspect of the sound of the shofar (as explained in the aforementioned teaching). And this is the aspect of the thunder and the sound of the shofar of the Giving of the Torah, as we say [in the liturgy]: “With voices and lightning You were revealed upon them, and with the sound of the shofar You appeared to them.” And the shofar of the Giving of the Torah was the shofar of the ram of Yitzchak, which is the aspect of g’vuros, the aspect of thunder as above (as explained in the aforementioned teaching). For through the thunder and the sound of the shofar of the Giving of the Torah, the crookedness of the heart was straightened, and they merited the aforementioned joy. But one needs to empty the brain of external thoughts, of fantasies, which are the aspect of chametz; also, one needs to guard the fear, etc., as above. 10

The matter of the shomer chinam [unpaid guardian], who is exempt from everything and is only obligated to swear that he guarded properly and did not act negligently in his guarding and did not lay his hand upon it, etc. But after he guarded properly and nevertheless a loss occurred — such as theft or loss, and all the more so accidents — he is exempt from them.

Based on the Torah teaching: “Come to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart,” etc. (Shemos 10:1), in Likutay HaRishon, siman 64 — see there, the entire teaching.

And this is the aspect of the 49 days of the S’firah, in which one goes from impurity to purity in order to be fit for receiving the Torah. And the essential purification is to purify oneself from the impurity of Egypt. And the essential exile of Egypt was that the Daas was in exile, as is known — which is the aspect of the blemish of the bris. And in the 49 days of the S’firah, the essential intention of the purification is to purify oneself from the blemish of Daas, which is the blemish of the bris, which is the impurity of Egypt, the aspect of chametz. 11

And the general principle for our purposes is that the essential thing is emunah sh’laimah [complete faith]. For Israel, the holy nation, are called by the name Ivri’im [Hebrews] — because through their complete faith they pass over [ovrim] all types of wisdoms, and over all the wisdoms that are not truly wisdoms — for it is impossible to resolve the difficulties that derive from there except through emunah alone; one passes over them as well.

And through purifying the Daas during the days of the S’firah from the impurity of Egypt — which is the aspect of the blemish of Daas — then the brain becomes clean and pure from fantasies, etc. And then the voice of the thunder of the receiving of the Torah is heard, and one merits the aforementioned joy, as above. Also, one needs to guard the fear, etc., as above. 12

For there are two types of apikorsus [heresy] and difficulties. There is apikorsus that derives from the aspect of ribbui or [an excess of light] that caused the sh’viras hakailim [shattering of the vessels]. From there is the hold of the klippos, which are the aspect of heresy and apikorsus. And regarding this apikorsus it is said: “Know what to answer the heretic” (Avos 2:14). For regarding this apikorsus it is possible to find an answer and a resolution, since it derives from the aspect of an excess of light, etc., as above, where there are many holy sparks that are the aspect of wisdom and intellect. For all the sparks are drawn from the Chochmah, which is the essential light and vitality of the entire creation — for “You made them all with Chochmah” (Tehillim 104:24), etc. — see there.

And this is the aspect of the omer of barley that is waved from the morrow of Pesach. For it is found in the [Kabbalistic] writings that s’orah [barley] has the gematria of 575, which is two times ManTzePaCh [the five final letters: Mem, Nun, Tzadi, Peh, Chaf]. And ManTzePaCh are g’vuros, the aspect of fear. And through waving the omer of barley, through this one waves and elevates all the fallen fears to their root. And this is the aspect of the tikkun of fear, which is the aspect of the blowing of the shofar, as above. 13

But there is apikorsus that derives from the aspect of the chalal hapanui [the Vacated Space], from which He completely contracted His G–dliness, as it were. And therefore the apikorsus and the difficulties that derive from there cannot be resolved through the intellect in any way whatsoever. For this Vacated Space was a necessity for the creation of the world, since had there not been the contraction of the Vacated Space, everything would have been Ain Sof [Infinite], and there would have been no place for the creation of the world. Therefore it was necessary that He contract and remove His G–dliness from there completely, in order that there be a place for the creation. And therefore it is impossible to find Hashem, blessed be He, there through the intellect in any way. And therefore difficulties derive from there that cannot be resolved in any way. For if one could resolve them and find Hashem, blessed be He, also there, then everything would be Ain Sof and there would be no place for the creation, as above.

And this is [the meaning of] s’orah with the kollel [adding one for the word itself] having the gematria of “Tik’u bachodesh shofar” [“Blow the shofar at the new moon”] (Tehillim 81:4) — namely, the aspect of the blowing of the shofar, which is the aspect of fear, from where the essential aspect of the thunder derives (as explained there in the aforementioned teaching; see there). 14

But in absolute truth, certainly also there, in the Vacated Space itself, Hashem, blessed be He, is also found. It is only that He is in a very great concealment, and it is impossible to grasp this through the intellect in any way, except in the future. But throughout all the days of the world it is impossible to grasp through the intellect the aspect of the Vacated Space and the difficulties that derive from there, as above — except through emunah alone. One must simply believe with complete emunah that in truth all the difficulties are nullified and void from their very root. For in truth everything is from Him, blessed be He, alone. And even the entire Vacated Space and all the difficulties in the world — everything is drawn from Him, blessed be He. For He, blessed be He, fills all worlds and surrounds all worlds, etc. — see there.

And therefore, on the day of the waving of the omer of barley, we begin to count S’firas HaOmer. For the essential thing is to guard one’s brain, to purify the Daas, as above. But the beginning must be from fear, for fear always precedes. For the essential purification of Daas is through the aspect of love, the aspect of chesed [kindness], as it is brought: “From the right side, the white brain is like silver.” And fear precedes love, as Rabainu, of blessed memory, wrote there in the aforementioned teaching regarding the statement of Rabbah bar bar Chanah: “And when the horseman cast an arrow, she [the female demon] preceded it” (Bava Basra 73b) — for fear precedes, for the owner of the lost item searches for his loss. 15

And the general principle is that regarding these difficulties that derive from the aspect of the Vacated Space, regarding them it is said: “All who enter there do not return” (Mishlai 2:19). For it is impossible to resolve them through the intellect in any way whatsoever. Rather, only through emunah alone does one pass over and proceed even past these wisdoms that are not truly wisdoms, etc. For the essential drawing close to Hashem, blessed be He, is only through complete emunah alone, etc. — see all of this there well.

It emerges that one must always begin from fear. And through the fear, love is automatically drawn. And through this, one can purify the brain. For in truth, at the beginning of drawing close, when one wants to enter into the service of Hashem, to sanctify and purify oneself — the essential beginning is from fear. And through the fear, one merits love and Daas, to purify one’s brain and one’s Daas in its completeness. 16

And this is the aspect of the distinction between a shomer chinam and the other guardians who receive payment. For the shomer chinam is exempt from everything with an oath, while the other paid guardians are obligated to pay for the damage, each one according to his law. For in truth, all possessions and all things need to be guarded very much from damages. And as we find, our Sages of blessed memory were very stringent about the guarding, even of the shomer chinam, who must guard the deposit with an exceedingly superior level of guarding. But certainly the essential guarding is only through Hashem, blessed be He, who is “the Guardian of His people Israel forever.” And as it is written: “If Hashem does not guard the city, in vain does the watchman keep vigil” (Tehillim 127:1). And if so, seemingly it is difficult: why does a person need to guard his possessions and money at all? And why did the Torah impose stringency regarding the law of guarding of the four guardians? Is it not impossible for a person to guard at all, since certainly the essential guarding is from Hashem, blessed be He, alone, as above? But it is based upon the Torah teaching mentioned above. For all the damages in the world derive from the klippos and the Sitra Achra, which are the aspect of the harmful forces of the world [mazikai alma]. And it is known in the words of Rabbainu, of blessed memory, and in the holy Zohar, that the essential Sitra Achra is the aspect of heresy. For the yetzer hara is called “a foreign god” [ail acher] — heresy — as is brought in the words of Rabbainu, of blessed memory, elsewhere. And from there are drawn all the klippos and all the evil desires and all the harmful forces in the world. And therefore there are two types of guarding needed — to guard everything from the two types of damages that derive from the two types of heresy mentioned above. That is: the heresy that derives from the aspect of the excess of light, where it is possible to find a resolution; and the heresy that derives from the Vacated Space, where it is impossible to resolve them in any way and one must rely only on emunah alone, as above. For there are harmful forces of the world that derive from the aspect of the heresy that derives from the klippos that came into being through the excess of light. And all the damages that derive through them — a person is able to guard himself from them through his intellect and da’as with which Hashem has graced him. And this is the aspect of the guarding that is incumbent upon man — that a person is obligated to guard his possessions and his money very well, with a superior level of guarding, to set his eye upon them so that no loss should come to them, and he should not be a fool who loses what is given to him. And as Rabbainu, of blessed memory, warned very much that a person must guard his possessions and his money very, very much. All the more so when one becomes a guardian over the money of his fellow — he is certainly obligated to guard very, very much, with an open eye, and not act negligently in his guarding, G–d forbid — in order to save the object from all the damages that come from the aspect of the harmful forces of the world that derive from the shattering of the vessels. For all the damages that come from there are subdued and nullified through the guarding of man specifically. For this is the essential work of man in this world: to clarify all the sparks that fell through the shattering of the vessels, as is known. And the essential clarification is through the wisdom and the intellect, for “they are all clarified through thought.” And therefore the fulfillment of the entire Torah is called by the name “guarding” [shmirah], as it is written: “Guard and listen,” etc. (Devarim 12:28). And as it is written: “And you shall guard yourselves very much” (Devarim 4:15). And many similar instances. And this is the aspect of: “to work it and to guard it” (Beraishis 2:15) — “to work it” through the positive commandments, and “to guard it” through the negative commandments. For through the fulfillment of all the mitzvos of the Torah, through this one guards oneself and everything dependent upon him from all the klippos and the harmful forces of the world, for one clarifies the sparks from them — through which the harmful forces of the world are subdued, fall, and are nullified. But there are harmful forces of the world whose sustenance is from the aspect of the heresy of the aspect of the Vacated Space, as above, where there is no intellect in revelation at all, and it is impossible to find Hashem, blessed be He, there except through emunah alone. And therefore, from these damages that derive from there, it is impossible for a person to guard himself at all in any way. And regarding them it is said: “If Hashem does not guard the city, in vain does the watchman keep vigil,” as above. For all the causes and events that derive from there are beyond human intellect, and it is impossible for a person to understand them at all, and it is impossible to guard oneself from them at all. For they are not clarified through human intellect at all, since it is impossible for human intellect to clarify them. And one must rely only on emunah alone — to rely upon Hashem, blessed be He, alone, that He Himself will guard us from all types of damages that derive from there. For it is impossible to guard oneself from them through one’s intellect in any way, except to rely upon Him, blessed be He, with complete emunah, as above. And this is the aspect of masa u’matan [commerce/business] — the aspect of bitachon [trust] and hishtadlus [effort] — which is impossible to understand in any way, as is discussed in the holy books. For in truth the essential thing is bitachon in Hashem, blessed be He, for “not from the east nor from the west, and not from the desert of the mountains, for G–d is the judge — He humbles this one and raises that one” (Tehillim 75:7–8). And nevertheless a person must engage in some business and commerce to draw down sustenance, as it is written: “And He will bless you in all that you do” (Devarim 15:18). But this is based upon what was explained above. For the essential occupation — that one must engage in the activity of commerce — is for the sake of clarifying the sparks from the shattering of the vessels, as is known. For the clarification is accomplished through man specifically, as is known. And therefore he necessarily must engage in some business in order to clarify the sparks through this, and through this he draws down sustenance. But in truth the essential thing is bitachon in Hashem, blessed be He. For one needs to clarify the abundance of money and sustenance from the two types of klippos mentioned above, that derive from the two types of heresy mentioned above. And the clarification from the klippos that derive from the shattering of the vessels — this is accomplished through man, for this is why man was created: “to work it and to guard it,” etc., as above. But the clarification of the abundance from the klippos that derive from the Vacated Space — this does not depend on human da’as, and it is impossible for a person to do any action or wisdom or effort for this. Rather, one can only trust in Hashem, blessed be He, alone and believe in Him, blessed be He, with complete emunah that He, blessed be He, will provide him his sustenance in His mercy. And this is the aspect of: “Lest you eat and be satisfied and your heart becomes haughty and you forget,” etc. — “And you shall remember Hashem your G–d, for He is the One who gives you the power to amass wealth” (Devarim 8:12–18). And the Targum translates: “For He is the One who gives you the aitzah [counsel/strategy] to acquire property.” For in truth, one who has a brain in his head can understand and see that all the profit from all commerce — the essential thing is through the aitzah that Hashem, blessed be He, gives him: what to trade, to buy and sell at the right time. For “no man knows through what he will profit” (Pesachim 54b). And as long as he does not know the true aitzah of what to trade, certainly no action or effort will help him — for on the contrary, he could lose through the activity of the commerce. And therefore the essential thing is the aitzah — that he should merit that Hashem, blessed be He, prepare for him a complete aitzah in his heart, that he should know what to trade in a way that he will profit. And this aitzah is drawn from Hashem, blessed be He, alone, and does not depend on human action at all. Only afterward, when he merits the aitzah to know what to trade — afterward man must carry out the business that Hashem, blessed be He, prepares for him. That is, as above: the aitzah to know what to trade — which is the essential thing — does not depend on human action at all, but only on bitachon and emunah alone. For this is the aspect of the clarification from the Vacated Space. For before one knows any aitzah, it is the aspect of the Vacated Space, which is empty of intellect — that one does not yet know any strategy of how to draw the light of the abundance of sustenance. And afterward, when Hashem, blessed be He, enlightens his eyes and prepares for him a good aitzah to trade in something that he will profit from — even so, man still needs to carry out the business, for Hashem, blessed be He, desires our service, in order to clarify all things from the aspect of the klippos that come from the shattering of the vessels, as above. And therefore the Torah warned man not to deceive himself. Since he sees that a person must engage in some business for sustenance, he might, G–d forbid, err and say, G–d forbid: “My power and the might of my hand have made me this wealth” (Devarim 8:17) — that is, he might, G–d forbid, err that even the aitzah of the commerce was also through his own wisdom and effort. And this is: “My power [kochi] and the might of my hand,” etc. “Kochi” is the aspect of the aitzah of the commerce, as is explained in the context: the Targum translates “for He is the One who gives you koach” as “for He gives you aitzah,” etc. For when one knows the aitzah of what to do but has not yet done it, the matter is still in potential [b’koach]. And then man needs to carry out the business, to bring it from potential to actuality. But the knowledge of the aitzah does not depend on human action, but only on emunah and bitachon in Hashem, blessed be He, alone, as above. And therefore the Torah warned that one should not err that everything depends on his own action and effort, G–d forbid, as if even the aitzah is from himself, G–d forbid. And this is: “My power [kochi] and the might of my hand [v’otzem yadi],” etc. “Kochi” is the aspect of the aitzah; “v’otzem yadi” is the aspect of the effort and exertion through the work of his hands. But in truth everything is from Hashem, blessed be He, alone, as the verse concludes: “And you shall remember Hashem your G–d, for He is the One who gives you the power to amass wealth” — and the Targum translates: “For He gives you the aitzah to acquire property.” That is, one must know and believe that everything is from Hashem, blessed be He, alone. For the essential thing is the aitzah, as above, and the aitzah is drawn only from Hashem, blessed be He, alone, and through this is the essential profit and abundance. And certainly Hashem, blessed be He, who gives him the aitzah, could have given him all the abundance by Himself. It is only that He, blessed be He, desires our service, in order to clarify the sparks from the shattering of the vessels. But everything is through His hand, blessed be He, alone. For He is the One who gives the koach, which is the aitzah, through which is the essential profit and sustenance, as above. And the general principle is that the essential thing is emunah and bitachon. But nevertheless one must engage in some business, in order to clarify the sparks from the fragments of the vessels — which depends on the work of man specifically. But in truth the essential abundance is from Hashem, blessed be He, alone, without our action at all — only through emunah and bitachon. Through this, the abundance is drawn and clarified from the aspect of the Vacated Space, where it is completely empty, as it were. And then, before one clarifies from the aspect of the Vacated Space, one does not know at all what to do, in the aspect of: “no man knows through what he will profit.” But when one believes that even there, in the Vacated Space, Hashem, blessed be He, is found — then Hashem, blessed be He, prepares for him there specifically a good aitzah of what to trade. For he clarifies the abundance through the emunah from the klippos that derive from the Vacated Space. And afterward one must carry out the business with wisdom and da’as, in order to clarify the sparks from the aspect of the shattering of the vessels, as above. And this is the aspect of the distinction between the shomer chinam and the other guardians. The shomer chinam is exempt from everything and is only liable for negligence [pshi’ah]. While the other paid guardians are liable for other damages. For all the damages that come from the shattering of the vessels depend on the guarding of man, as above. And man must guard against them. And this even the shomer chinam is liable for, since even he is obligated in guarding — to guard the deposit well from all damages, with an open eye, in the manner of guardians. For these damages depend on the guarding of man, as above. But there are damages from which a person cannot guard himself in any way. And even if he guards with everything possible, nevertheless the damage can come. For these damages derive from the aspect of the Vacated Space, where human da’as does not reach to guard and save from the damages that come from the klippos that derive from there, from the aspect of the Vacated Space, as above. And from these damages none can guard except Hashem, blessed be He, alone. And regarding them it is said: “If Hashem does not guard the city, in vain does the watchman keep vigil,” as above. And therefore, regarding these damages, the shomer chinam is not liable if they occur. For what can he do? He guarded properly and did not act negligently in his guarding. And if despite all this, the loss came from Heaven — for example, if he guarded properly and nevertheless it was stolen or lost without negligence, but only from Heaven, and all the more so if it was taken by force — therefore the shomer chinam is exempt from them. For what can he do, since he guarded properly and the loss came from Heaven? He is not liable for this, since the matter is not his responsibility regarding the loss and damage that comes from Heaven alone, which is drawn through the klippos that come from the Vacated Space. And the responsibility for this damage and loss does not fall upon the shomer chinam at all, since he does not receive payment for his guarding. But the other guardians who receive payment — such as the shomer sachar or the sochair, since the benefit of being hired to him, etc., as our Sages of blessed memory said, or the artisans — and all the more so the sho’el, for whom all the benefit is his. And since he received payment or benefit — which is also payment — from the object, therefore the responsibility for the loss that comes through the Vacated Space also falls upon him. And therefore they are liable even for theft and loss without negligence, or even for accidents — each one according to his law. For this responsibility of the loss that comes from there, from the aspect of the Vacated Space, does not fall upon a person unless the money is his own or he receives benefit from it, which is considered like his own money. For there, in the aspect of the Vacated Space, no guarding or da’as or wisdom or strategy helps — only emunah alone. Whether regarding the difficulties and the inquiries and the confusions and the obstacles that derive from there, which are impossible to withstand through any wisdom or strategy except through emunah alone — that one must believe with complete emunah that even there Hashem, blessed be He, is found. Even though it is known and explained that there He removed His G–dliness, blessed be He, as it were, for if not, it would not be vacated and everything would be Ain Sof, as above. Nevertheless, in absolute truth, even there Hashem, blessed be He, is hidden and concealed in a wondrous and deeply hidden manner, which is impossible through human intellect to grasp in any way, except through emunah alone. For one must say there two opposites — yaish and ayin [existence and nothingness], etc., as above, and as is explained well in the Torah teaching mentioned above. And this is the aspect of hisbodedus and conversation — which is prayer — that every person must pour out his speech before Hashem every single day, to ask for his soul from Hashem, blessed be He — that He should grant him merit to draw close to His service, blessed be He, in truth. And this is the foundation of everything — that all his service and his Yiddishkait depends on this, as is explained among us many times. And more than what is written there, we heard from his holy mouth orally many, many times — many awesome conversations on this matter that it is impossible to explain in writing. And he said that all the tzaddikim and worthy people did not merit to come to what they came to except through this — through conversation between himself and his Creator, in the language of Ashkenaz [Yiddish] that one speaks in, as is explained in the printed sefarim. And seemingly it is difficult: do not our Sages of blessed memory say: “Everything is in the hands of Heaven except for the fear of Heaven” (Berachos 33b)? And if so, how is prayer relevant to this, since Hashem, blessed be He, has given the free will to us? And yet in truth we find that all the tzaddikim engaged in this — to ask of Hashem, blessed be He, that He save them from the yetzer hara and draw them close to His service, as we heard directly from the true tzaddikim who were close to our times. And also in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, in the Gemara and other sefarim, we find many prayers that they prayed every day to be saved from the yetzer hara, as their prayers are stated in Maseches Berachos. And also from the prayers that are arranged for us every day by the Anshai K’nesses HaGedolah [the Men of the Great Assembly], we see this. For we pray three times every day: “Return us, our Father, to Your Torah; and draw us close, our King, to Your service; and bring us back in complete teshuvah before You.” It emerges that we pray to Hashem, blessed be He, three times every day to merit teshuvah and to serve Him, blessed be He — even though this depends on the free will of man. And many similar prayers are established from long ago, all of which are founded upon this request: to merit His service, blessed be He. And so too the entire Sefer Tehillim is founded upon these prayers and supplications — to merit drawing close to Him, blessed be He, as is evident there. And in truth it is impossible to understand this. For it is also among the difficulties that cannot be resolved in any way except through emunah alone. And also at the time when Rabbainu, of blessed memory, informed me of the matter of hisbodedus and conversation between oneself and one’s Creator, I spoke with him a little about this: “Is not man a possessor of free will?” And he did not answer me explicitly, only in a casual manner, as if to say: “Even so” — meaning, even though this is difficult and it is impossible to clarify the matter for you or to resolve it for you, even so, one must conduct oneself this way. And I was not able to ask further, for I knew that this difficulty can be raised against all the prayers that our Sages of blessed memory arranged for us long ago, regarding teshuvah and drawing close to Hashem, blessed be He — such as the blessing of Hashivainu, etc., as above. Therefore one must rely only on emunah — to believe in our Sages of blessed memory, who all went in this path and led us in this path: to increase in prayer and supplications to Hashem, blessed be He, to merit the service of Hashem, blessed be He. For this is the essential thing and the foundation upon which everything depends. And in truth all of this is the matter mentioned above — that every person needs two aspects of service to Hashem, blessed be He. One service that depends on the human intellect — which is the aspect of the service of Torah and mitzvos, in which a person must invest his da’as and intellect to the extent that his hand reaches. And through this he clarifies all the sparks that fell through the shattering of the vessels, which are clarified through the wisdom and intellect of holiness — of the engagement in Torah and mitzvos. For “they are all clarified through thought.” But the essential fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos is only through emunah, which is the foundation upon which everything depends. As it is written: “All Your commandments are emunah” (Tehillim 119:86). And as our Sages of blessed memory said (Makkos 24a): “Chavakkuk came and established them upon one — ‘and the tzaddik lives by his emunah’” (Chavakkuk 2:4). For in truth every person must subdue and nullify the klippos that come from the aspect of the Vacated Space. Those klippos are impossible to subdue and nullify through any intellect, but only through emunah alone, which is the foundation of the entire Torah. For the emunah in the Vacated Space — that one believes with complete emunah that even there Hashem, blessed be He, is found — this is the foundation of everything. And the entire Torah and mitzvos depend on this, for without emunah there is no sustenance for any Torah or mitzvah. Only when one has complete emunah that even in the aspect of the Vacated Space — that is, in the aspect of the difficulties and inquiries that cannot be understood or resolved — even there Hashem, blessed be He, is found — then, when one has complete emunah and does not allow any inquiry or difficulty to enter his mind at all, for he relies on emunah alone that we received from our holy forefathers — then there is sustenance for the Torah and mitzvos. And then he can serve Hashem, blessed be He, with intellect — that is, with the intellect clothed in the Torah and mitzvos, whose foundation is emunah. For through the emunah one subdues and nullifies the klippos that come from the Vacated Space, and through the intellect that is in the Torah and mitzvos one clarifies the holiness from the klippos that come from the shattering of the vessels, for “they are all clarified through thought,” as above. And this is the aspect of Torah and tefillah — that both are needed specifically. For tefillah is the aspect of emunah, as is explained in the words of Rabbainu, of blessed memory, many times, as it is written: “And his hands were emunah” (Shemos 17:12). And the Targum translates: “spread out in prayer.” And the Torah is the aspect of intellect, for the Torah is called wisdom and understanding and da’as, as it is written: “I am Wisdom” (Mishlai 8:12), etc. — “I am Understanding,” etc. For through Torah and tefillah, which are the aspects of emunah and intellect of holiness — through this one subdues and nullifies the two types of klippos: those that come from the shattering of the vessels and those that come from the aspect of the Vacated Space, as above. And one clarifies the holiness and reveals His G–dliness everywhere, as above. And therefore one must specifically increase in prayers and supplications and conversations between oneself and one’s Creator, and cries and entreaties and appeasements and conciliations to Hashem, blessed be He — that He should grant him merit to draw him close to His service. And this is the essential tefillah, as it is written: “For this let every pious one pray to You at a time of finding; only that the flood of great waters should not reach him” (Tehillim 32:6) — that the flood of great waters, which are the insolent waters, which are the evil cravings of this world that sweep away at every moment, should not sweep him away. And already very, very many have been swept away by them, may the Merciful One save us. May the Omnipresent have mercy upon us and upon all Israel and save us from them. And there is no wisdom, no understanding, and no counsel to withstand them, except through tefillah and supplications to Hashem, blessed be He, that He should save him from them. For even though man is a possessor of free will, nevertheless the essential thing is tefillah and supplications to Hashem, blessed be He, regarding this. For through his free will — that he chooses the path of good and turns away from the path of evil — through this he subdues the klippos that come from the shattering of the vessels and clarifies the good from them. For the free will is in the intellect, which has the power to choose the good and despise the evil. And the human intellect has power only to subdue and nullify the klippos that come from the shattering of the vessels, in which there are many, many holy sparks, which are sparks of intellect — for “they are all clarified through thought,” as above. But there are confusions and other forces [sitrin ochoranin] and obstacles from holiness that come from the aspect of the Vacated Space, where there is no intellect or wisdom at all, but only emunah alone — which is the aspect of tefillah and supplications and cries and entreaties to Hashem, blessed be He, that He should save him from the klippos and the yetzer hara that derive from there. And regarding this it is said: “Every day a man’s yetzer hara overpowers him, and were it not that the Holy One, blessed be He, helps him, he would fall into its hand” (Kiddushin 30b). For from this yetzer hara that derives from the Vacated Space, it is impossible to be saved in any way except through Heavenly assistance. And therefore one must increase very, very much in tefillah and supplications to be saved from it, for there no intellect helps. On the contrary — through intellect and wisdom one sinks there, G–d forbid. Rather, the essential thing is emunah, which is the aspect of tefillah. And in truth this itself is the essential free will — that is, that one forces his free will to nullify his intellect completely and to rely on emunah alone and to increase in tefillah and supplications. For the adversary [ba’al davar] distorts the heart of man so much that even this is difficult for a person. Even though in truth it is a very easy thing, nevertheless he confuses and distorts his mind so much that for the most part, this matter of tefillah and hisbodedus is harder for a person than all the difficult forms of service. And all of this is due to a lack of emunah — that he does not have emunah in its completeness, which is the essential thing and the foundation. And therefore, whoever merits to accustom himself to this — to increase in tefillah and conversation between himself and his Creator, that Hashem, blessed be He, should grant him merit and help him to draw close to His service, blessed be He — in this itself he is a possessor of free will, in that he merited to choose true life, the path of emunah and tefillah, as it is written: “I have chosen the path of emunah” (Tehillim 119:30). For in truth this is the essential free will — that one sets aside his intellect and chooses emunah and tefillah, which is the essential thing and the foundation upon which the entire Torah stands, as they said: “Chavakkuk came and established them upon one — ‘and the tzaddik lives by his emunah,’” as above. And then, when one has complete emunah and increases in tefillah and conversations to Hashem, blessed be He — that He should grant him merit to return to Him in truth — then Hashem, blessed be He, helps him, that he should merit to serve Him with Torah and mitzvos, and He enlightens his eyes in His Torah. Until he merits to understand in Torah and service whatever it is possible for the human intellect to understand. And through these two aspects — emunah and the intellect of holiness that is drawn from the emunah — through this one subdues the two types of klippos mentioned above, that derive from the aspect of the Vacated Space and from the aspect of the shattering of the vessels, as above. For the two of them together are good for drawing close to Him, blessed be He. And regarding this it is said: “Two are better than one,” etc. — “for if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow,” etc. (Koheles 4:9–10). For Torah and tefillah, which are the aspects of intellect and emunah, depend on one another, and the one strengthens and lifts up the other. But the essential thing is the emunah, as above. And since the essential fulfillment of the Torah and mitzvos is through emunah, as it is written: “All Your commandments are emunah,” and as above — therefore the essential completeness of the mitzvos is when one acquires them with full payment, spending much money for the sake of the mitzvah, as is brought in the holy Zohar: that one must acquire [a mitzvah] with full payment [agar sh’lim]. For when the mitzvah is for free [b’chinam], it has no completeness, and the Sitra Achra, which is called “chinam,” is not subdued — see there. For the essential emunah depends on money — when one spends much money for the sake of something holy. This is the essential aspect of emunah, as Rabbainu, of blessed memory, wrote (siman 23) on the verse: “You have commanded Your testimonies in righteousness and emunah exceedingly [me’od]” (Tehillim 119:138). “Me’od” is money, as it is written: “and with all your me’od” — “with all your money.” For the mitzvah is not called by the name emunah except through spending money for its sake — see there. For money derives from the aspect of the Vacated Space, which is the secret of the tzimtzum [contraction], which is the root of all the dinim [judgments]. From there comes all money, which is the aspect of contractions and judgments, as is known, in the aspect of: “From the north, gold comes” (Iyov 37:22). “North” [tzafon] is the aspect of contraction and judgment that derives from the Vacated Space, in the aspect of: “From the north the evil shall open forth” (Yirmeyahu 1:14). For the Vacated Space is, as it were, empty and open from His G–dliness, blessed be He. And therefore from there “the evil shall open forth,” for from there is the hold of all the Sitra Achra. And it is the aspect of: “One who comes to defile himself — they open for him.” And our Sages of blessed memory said (Yoma 38b): “He has many openings,” in the aspect of: “At the door sin crouches” (Beraishis 4:7). For the root of all the klippos and Sitra Achra and yetzer hara is only from the aspect of the Vacated Space, which is the secret of the initial contraction. For even the klippos that come from the shattering of the vessels, which came into being through the excess of light — even they, their essential root and hold is from the initial contraction, which is the aspect of the Vacated Space. For in truth, the essential aspect of the shattering of the vessels came about only through the heresy that derives from the Vacated Space. For the essential formation of the vessels was through the contraction of the Vacated Space, since at first everything was Ain Sof and there was no place for the creation. And Hashem, blessed be He, contracted His G–dliness to the sides, and the Vacated Space was formed. And afterward He drew His light into it by way of the kav hayashar [straight line]. And this light illuminates in all the attributes and in all the worlds. And this light is drawn into vessels. And the essential formation of the vessels is from the thickening of the light — that in every place where the light is more distant from its root in the aspect of Ain Sof, there the light thickens more, until the aspect of vessels came into being. And the essential thickening of the light is due to the contraction of the Vacated Space, for had there been no Vacated Space, everything would have been Ain Sof, and there would have been no distancing of the light and its proximity to Ain Sof, as is known. And the general principle is that the essential vessels are the aspect of contractions and thickening of the light, which are drawn through the initial contraction of the Vacated Space. And because of the excess of light, the vessels were unable to bear the light and they shattered, as all of this is explained in the Aitz Chayyim at its beginning — see there. And it is taught that the shattering was due to the abundance of sigim [dross] that were in the vessels. And the dross is the aspect of dinim that derive from the Vacated Space — that is, the aspect of heresy. That is, because each one said “I shall reign” — which is pride, which is the aspect of heresy. That is, they did not have complete emunah that even there Hashem, blessed be He, is found, even in the Vacated Space itself. Rather, it seemed to them as if they were an authority unto themselves, G–d forbid — which is the aspect of the abundance of dross that was in them. And through this they were unable to bear the light, for it is impossible to receive the light in completeness except through emunah, as above. And due to the lack of emunah that was in them, through this they shattered. It emerges that the essential shattering of the vessels also derives from the aspect of the heresy that derives from the Vacated Space. And the entire matter of the contraction and the shattering and the rectification is found in every person. And whoever has a heart to understand can understand a little of this matter in every person. And the general principle is that the essential thing is emunah, as above. And the money derives from the beginning of the contraction, which is the aspect of the Vacated Space, as above. And therefore all the vessels and their shattering and their rectification are called by the name of the “clarification of the silver, refined from the dross,” as it is written: “Remove the dross from the silver, and a vessel emerges for the refiner; remove the wicked from before the king,” etc. (Mishlai 25:4–5). For the subduing of the wicked and the clarification of the holiness from them — which is the aspect of the rectification of the shattering — is the aspect of “remove the dross from the silver, and a vessel emerges for the refiner” — the aspect of the rectification of the vessels, as above. And as is brought: “And I will test them as one tests gold, and refine them as one refines silver” (Zechariah 13:9); and “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver” (Malachi 3:3). And similarly, all the Sitra Achra and klippos are called in the holy Zohar by the name suspisa d’dahava [dross of gold]. And the rectification and clarification of the holiness is called by the name “refined silver,” as it is taught: “mocha chivara k’kaspa” [the white brain is like silver]. For all the vessels of holiness are the aspect of contraction, which is the aspect of silver and gold — all of which derives from the first contraction, which is the aspect of the Vacated Space, as above. It emerges that money derives from the contraction of the aspect of the Vacated Space. And therefore the essential emunah is through money — when one breaks the craving for money and spends much money for the sake of the mitzvah. For there, in the aspect of the Vacated Space, one needs only emunah, for the holiness and the G–dliness are very concealed there, as above. And therefore the money that derives from there — embedded in it are all the forms of idolatry, which are heresy. For all the forms of idolatry and heresy — their essential root is from the aspect of the Vacated Space, as above. And therefore it is taught there in the words of Rabbainu, of blessed memory, in the Torah teaching “Tzivisa Tzedek” mentioned above: that one who falls into the craving for money — the Shechinah cries out over him one hundred and forty cries, two times seventy, corresponding to the seventy forms of idolatry into which he falls doubly. That is, he falls into the two types of heresy mentioned above: the heresy that derives from the Vacated Space, and the heresy that derives from the shattering of the vessels. And all the forms of heresy are called idolatry. And the essential rectification and breaking of the craving for money is only through emunah — that one must believe with complete emunah that even there, in the aspect of the Vacated Space, even there His G–dliness, blessed be He, is found. And therefore also in money, certainly His G–dliness, blessed be He, is concealed — only it is impossible to understand this. And therefore one must know that even when engaged in commerce, even though it seems to him that there His G–dliness, blessed be He, is not found — he must believe that even there His G–dliness, blessed be He, is concealed. And the essential completeness of emunah is when one does not insist on his money for the sake of Hashem, blessed be He, and is mafkir [renounces ownership of] all his money for the sake of Hashem, blessed be He, and spends much money for the sake of tzedakah and mitzvos. It emerges that he believes that even money itself — which is the aspect of the contraction of the Vacated Space — also derives from Hashem, blessed be He. Since he spends the money for His sake, blessed be He — that one believes that the Vacated Space, which is the aspect of the difficulties mentioned above, did not come into being on its own, G–d forbid. Rather, even these inquiries and difficulties themselves, which are the aspect of the Vacated Space, came into being from Hashem, blessed be He, who contracted His G–dliness from there. And since even the Vacated Space came into being from Hashem, blessed be He, certainly even there His vitality is concealed. And the entire essential Vacated Space came into being only in order to draw G–dliness there, in order to reveal His G–dliness in the world — for without this it would have been impossible to reveal His G–dliness, since everything would have been Ain Sof, as above. And this itself is the aspect mentioned above — that one spends money for His sake, blessed be He. For one believes that money itself is only from Hashem, blessed be He, and He gave him the money only so that he should merit through it eternal life — to give tzedakah and engage in Torah and mitzvos. And therefore this is the essential completeness of the mitzvos — when one acquires them with full payment. For this is the aspect of emunah that even in the Vacated Space, which is the aspect of money, Hashem, blessed be He, is concealed. And this is the essential foundation of the entire Torah, as above. And therefore, whoever Hashem, blessed be He, has graced with some abundance of money and possessions — the possessions are not guarded and sustained in his hands except through emunah. For even though a person must guard his money and possessions, as above, nevertheless Hashem, blessed be He, did not give him the power to guard them except from the damages that come from the aspect of the shattering of the vessels. But from the damages that come from the aspect of the Vacated Space, they are not guarded except through believing that everything is from Him, blessed be He, and “if Hashem does not guard,” etc., as above. And therefore the shomer chinam, who does not receive any payment for his guarding, is only liable for the guarding that is within human capacity, as above. But the guarding from the damages that come from the Vacated Space — from which the money is not guarded except through the complete emunah of the owner of the money — therefore the deposit is not his responsibility in this regard. For this money does not depend on the strength of his emunah, since he does not receive any payment or benefit from this money. For the essential emunah is in the aspect of the money — that one must believe that it is from Hashem, blessed be He, and “not by might does a man prevail” (Shmuel I 2:9). And through this, the money is guarded from all the damages that are beyond human capacity to guard from, as above. And therefore the shomer chinam is not liable for this responsibility; rather, only one who is a shomer sachar, and all the more so a sho’el, who receives payment and benefit from the money — then he is liable for the guarding that depends on emunah. Since he received money and payment from the owner, and there is the essential emunah — that one must believe that even there, in the money, which is the aspect of the Vacated Space, even there His vitality, blessed be He, is concealed, for everything is from Him, as above. And therefore Avraham Avinu did not want to receive the Cave of Machpailah for free from Efron. And similarly, Dovid HaMelech, peace be upon him, did not want to receive the threshing floor of Aravnah the Yevusi — which is the site of the Bais HaMikdash — for free. For the holiness of the Cave of Machpailah, and similarly the holiness of the site of the Bais HaMikdash, were at first very concealed in the utmost concealment — in the aspect of the holiness concealed in the aspect of the Vacated Space. And it was impossible to clarify and reveal them except through the strength of their emunah. For Avraham Avinu was the head of the believers, and similarly Dovid HaMelech, peace be upon him — his attribute is emunah, which is the aspect of Malchus, as is known, as it is written: “And my emunah and my chesed are with him,” etc. (Tehillim 89:25). And therefore they specifically gave full payment for the holy places mentioned above, for the essential emunah is through money — when one gives much money for something holy, as above. And this is the secret of the entire matter of Yaakov Avinu with Lavan, that he guarded his flocks for the sake of his two daughters. “And Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he guarded” (Hoshaia 12:13). For Shamor [guarding] is the aspect of Malchus, the aspect of emunah, the aspect of “a woman who fears Hashem.” And the patriarchs of the world — the entire essence of their toil and service was only for the sake of revealing the holy emunah in the world. For then it was before the giving of the Torah, and the holiness was very concealed, and they did not know of Him, blessed be He, at all. And the entire world was then in the aspect of the Vacated Space, for the world was empty of His G–dliness, blessed be He. And they, through the strength of their emunah and their service, revealed and publicized that even in the Vacated Space, even there Hashem, blessed be He, is found, and they drew emunah into the world. And this is: “And Yaakov went out from Be’air Sheva and went to Charan. And he encountered the Place, and he lodged there, for the sun had set. And he took from the stones of the Place and placed them at his head, and he lay down in that Place,” etc. (Beraishis 28:10–11). For the secret of the Vacated Space is the aspect of the Makom [Place] of all the worlds, for the entire essential formation of the Vacated Space is in order that there be a place for the creation of the world, as above. And there, in the aspect of the Makom — the aspect of the Vacated Space — it is impossible to find His G–dliness, blessed be He, except through emunah alone, which is the aspect of tefillah. And this is: “And he encountered [vayifga] the Place” — “encountering” [pegi’ah] is nothing but tefillah — that is, emunah, as above. And this Place was in truth the site of the Bais HaMikdash, the place of the Kodesh HaKodashim [Holy of Holies], the point of the Even Sh’siyah [Foundation Stone], as our Sages of blessed memory said. Only then the holiness was still concealed, and no person knew of it except Yaakov — through the strength of his emunah, the secret of this point was revealed to him, which is the point of the Even Sh’siyah, which is concealed in the Place of the world, which is the point of emunah. Through this point one merits to believe and know that even there, in the aspect of the Vacated Space, Hashem, blessed be He, is concealed, as above. And Yaakov, when he came there and saw that there it is impossible to stand except through emunah — therefore “he lodged there, for the sun had set, and he lay down in that Place.” And our Sages of blessed memory said (Megillah 17a) that there he lay down, but for the fourteen years that he studied in the house of Aiver he did not sleep, for he was engaged in Torah. And seemingly it is difficult: if he chased sleep from his eyes for fourteen years, why specifically in this Place did he lie down to sleep? But in truth, all fourteen years he engaged in Torah — that is, his service was according to intellect, which is the aspect of the study of Torah, as above. But when he encountered the Makom — and the Makom derives from the Vacated Space, which is the root of the Makom, as above — then he saw that there it is impossible to stand through any intellect, but only through emunah. Therefore “he lodged there and he lay down in that Place.” For there one needs only the aspect of shainah [sleep], which is the aspect of the withdrawal of the mind, and one relies only on emunah alone. For at the time of sleep, the minds enter into emunah, as is explained in the words of Rabbainu, of blessed memory, elsewhere, in the aspect of: “They are new every morning; great is Your emunah” (Aichah 3:23); in the aspect of: “and Your emunah in the nights” (Tehillim 92:3). And this is: “He lodged there, for the sun had set.” The sun is the intellect, as is explained elsewhere (Likutay I, siman 1). He saw that there the intellect had departed, and it is impossible to understand there through the intellect in any way, except through emunah alone, which is the aspect of night, the aspect of sleep — the withdrawal of the minds, as above. And this is: “And he took from the stones of the Place and placed them at his head.” The stones are the aspect of heresy and difficulties that come from the Vacated Space, which is the aspect of the contraction. From there is the essential heaviness of heart, in the aspect of: “For I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants” (Shemos 10:1) — said regarding Pharaoh, who is the aspect of the Vacated Space, as is explained in the Torah teaching “Bo el Pharaoh” mentioned above. And heaviness of heart is the aspect of the laiv ha’even [heart of stone], the aspect of the heaviness of stone. That is, Yaakov took the stones — which are the aspect of the heaviness of heart that comes through the inquiries and difficulties of the Vacated Space — and placed them all at his head, and lay down in that Place, which is the point of the Even Sh’siyah. There all the stones were included in the Even Sh’siyah, which is the aspect of emunah, as above. That is, he took all the inquiries that come from there, from the Vacated Space — which are the aspect of “stones of stumbling” — and brought them all into emunah in order to nullify them there, for it is impossible to nullify them except through emunah, as above. And therefore, when Yaakov awoke from his sleep, he vowed his vow. And the essential conclusion of his vow was: “And this stone … shall be a house of G–d, and all that You give me I shall surely tithe to You” (Beraishis 28:22). He vowed to give tzedakah and tithes — which is a mitzvah performed with his money — for the essential tikkun of emunah is through the money that one gives for the sake of Hashem, blessed be He, as above. And therefore he specifically accepted upon himself the mitzvah of tzedakah then, for the essential tikkun of emunah is through tzedakah that one distributes for the sake of Hashem, blessed be He, in the aspect of: “and emunah exceedingly [me’od],” as above. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said: “The mitzvah of tzedakah is equivalent to the entire Torah,” and wherever “mitzvah” is mentioned without qualification, it refers to the mitzvah of tzedakah. For all the mitzvos stand upon emunah, as above. And the essential emunah is through money that one gives for the sake of Hashem, blessed be He — which is the aspect of tzedakah, as above. And then, when he rectified the emunah — then “Yaakov lifted up his feet,” etc. (Beraishis 29:1). And he merited to take a “woman who fears Hashem” — Rachel and Leah, who are the roots of emunah. For emunah is the aspect of the attribute of Malchus, which is the aspect of “a woman who fears Hashem,” as is known. And therefore he guarded the flocks for this purpose, for Shamor is the aspect of emunah, as above. For the essential guarding is only through emunah, in the aspect of “if Hashem does not guard,” etc., as above. And therefore Lavan the Aramean did not want Yaakov to be a shomer chinam with him, as it is written: “Are you then my brother, that you should serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?” etc. (Beraishis 29:15). For he knew that the guarding against all the damages is specifically through payment, for then the guarding even from the Vacated Space takes effect upon him — since from there is the money, etc., as above. And Yaakov Avinu, throughout all the days of guarding, drew emunah into the world — which is the aspect of Shamor. And therefore it is taught that he engaged then in Sefer Tehillim, for Tehillim is prayers and songs and praises, which is the aspect of emunah. And therefore Dovid HaMelech, peace be upon him, composed Sefer Tehillim, for Dovid is the aspect of emunah, as above. And therefore Dovid found the place of the point of the Even Sh’siyah, which is the point of emunah, as above. And therefore Yaakov then merited great wealth, for all wealth derives from there, from the aspect of the Vacated Space, which is the aspect of the contraction, from which comes all money, as above. And one who does not have emunah, G–d forbid, and enters into the inquiries that come from there — regarding him it is said: “The curse of Hashem is in the house of the wicked” (Mishlai 3:33). For all his money and possessions are all empty and lacking of good — for there is no good but Hashem, blessed be He. And since he does not believe in Hashem, blessed be He, who is concealed in the Vacated Space — in the aspect of the money that comes from there — therefore a curse rests upon him, may the Merciful One save us. But the tzaddik who believes in Hashem, blessed be He — that even in the Vacated Space, Hashem, blessed be He, is found — and wherever Hashem, blessed be He, is, there are all the blessings and the abundance, in the aspect of: “The blessing of Hashem enriches,” etc. (Mishlai 10:22). And therefore Yaakov, through the strength of his emunah that he revealed then, as above — and he nullified the heresy that comes from the Vacated Space through emunah — therefore he merited great wealth. And this is the aspect of akudim, nekudim, u’v’rudim [bound, spotted, and speckled], which are the aspect of the generality of the worlds that are revealed within the Vacated Space, as is explained in the Aitz Chayyim. For Yaakov then rectified the aspect of the Vacated Space, as above. And through this he merited there the revelation of the rectification of all the worlds, which are comprised within the aspects of akudim, nekudim, and v’rudim. And therefore a woman is acquired through money (Kiddushin 2a), for the “woman who fears Hashem” is the aspect of emunah, whose acquisition is through money specifically, in the aspect of “and emunah exceedingly,” as above. And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said there, that the derivation [of the word “taking”] is learned kichah kichah from the field of Efron. For also the field of Efron, which Avraham acquired with full payment specifically — it is also in this same aspect. For it is impossible to acquire the holiness, which is the emunah, except through money, as above. And there is much more to say on this matter. And therefore Lavan said to Yaakov: “I would have sent you off with joy and with songs, with drum,” etc. (Beraishis 31:27). For Lavan the Aramean is the aspect of the Vacated Space. And therefore he sought to uproot everything, for through the heresy that derives from there, those who fall there are completely uprooted, G–d forbid, in the aspect of: “all who enter there do not return,” etc., as above. And it is taught there in the Torah teaching mentioned above that through the melody of the true tzaddik, one goes out from there. For there is a melody of heresy and apikorsus, etc. And there is a melody of holiness that is drawn from the aspect of rosh amanah [the peak of emunah]. And therefore Lavan mentioned to Yaakov: “I would have sent you off with joy and with songs, with drum,” etc. “With songs” specifically, for it is impossible to go out from there except through songs and melodies that are drawn from rosh amanah, in the aspect of: “Come, gaze from the peak of amanah” (Shir HaShirim 4:8), as above. And therefore Hashem, blessed be He, appeared to Lavan and said to him: “Guard yourself from speaking with Yaakov, either good or bad” (Beraishis 31:24). For there, in the aspect of the Vacated Space, one needs silence specifically — the aspect of: “Be silent! Thus it arose in thought” — as is explained there in the Torah teaching mentioned above. And there is yet more for G–d to say. Set your heart to these words that are spoken in the words of Rabbainu, of blessed memory, in the Torah teaching mentioned above, in Likutay HaRishon (siman 64), and in these words of ours — and you will understand wonders from the One who is perfect in knowledge. [Pertains to above.] And this is: “Trust in Hashem and do good; dwell in the land and tend emunah” (Tehillim 37:3). That is, the matter mentioned above — that one needs both bitachon and hishtadlus. For even though the essential thing is bitachon in Hashem, blessed be He, for “the wealth and the honor are from before Him alone” — nevertheless one also needs hishtadlus, to engage in some business in the natural way, such as commerce and the like. And this is: “Trust in Hashem” — that is, bitachon in Hashem, blessed be He, which is the essential thing. And nevertheless — “and do good” — that one must do, specifically. And this is: “Dwell in the land and tend emunah.” For all of this is impossible to understand except through emunah, etc., as above. And one must know, as a preface to all of the above, one principle that is known to those who understand the writings of the Ari z”l and the teachings of our master, teacher, and rabbi [Rabbainu], of blessed memory: that in every world and in every level and in every person, there is the entirety of the hishtalshelus [chain of descent] of all the worlds. And therefore this aspect of the contraction of the Vacated Space exists in every world and in every person and in every level. Before the light of da’as, which is the vitality, descends from world to world, etc. — it is in the aspect of Ain Sof, and one needs for this the aspect of a contraction of the Vacated Space, just as there was at the beginning of creation. And afterward the light is drawn by way of the kav [line], etc., as it were, etc. For every person at every level is comprised of all the worlds, and what exists in the general exists in the particular. And according to this you will be able to understand a little of the Torah teaching “Bo el Pharaoh” mentioned above, and everything that we merited to explain in it from beginning to end. And through this it is possible to understand a little from afar. And as is explained with many, many warnings at the beginning of the Aitz Chayyim and at the beginning of the Idra Rabba — that it is impossible to understand in this at all, except for one who nullifies his intellect, and in the place where he does not understand, he attributes it to the deficiency of his human mind. And then he will be able to understand a little of a great deal, and to see from afar the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He, whose understanding is beyond all investigation, etc. [End of Pikadon v’Arba’ah Shomrim, Halacha 3]