פקדון וד' שומרים ב

And this is why the Torah is compared to wine and milk. For the essential Torah comes through the purification of the souls, which are purified from the places where they have been scattered. And this itself is the aspect of wine and milk — the aspect of “blood becomes turbid and becomes milk” — the aspect of purification, which is itself the aspect of the purification of the souls, as is known. 25

Based on the Torah teaching: “And the ravens I have commanded to sustain you” (Melachim I 17:4) — in Likutay Tinyana, siman 4. See there the entire matter.

And the rule, in brief: through tzedakah one merits to subdue the maitzach hanachash [the forehead of the serpent], which is the root of the wisdom of nature [chochmas hateva]. Which draws sustenance from the elders of the generation who lack completeness. For the essential old age is to increase each and every day holy light and da’as — so that each day that comes afterward should shine more in the service of Hashem. But when one does not increase holy light and da’as each day, then even when he ages he is called “short of days” [k’tzar yamim]. And from such elders who lack completeness, the forehead of the serpent draws sustenance — the root of the wisdom of nature.

And this is also the aspect of wine. For in wine also there are two aspects: if he merits, it makes him a head; if he does not merit, it makes him poor (Yoma 76b). And one needs to purify the “bloods” in order to merit that the wine will be in the aspect of “if he merits, it makes him a head” — which is the aspect of the purification of the bloods, in the aspect of “Do not look upon wine when it reddens” (Mishlay 23:31) — “for its end is blood.” For the blemish of wine is through the aspect of the blemish of the bloods. And when one purifies the bloods, then the wine is in the aspect of “if he merits, it makes him a head” — the aspect of the whiteness of the brain, the aspect of “blood becomes turbid and becomes milk.” It emerges that the purification of wine for good is also the aspect of “blood becomes turbid and becomes milk.” 26

And through tzedakah, the sustenance of the forehead of the serpent, the root of the wisdom of nature, is nullified. And then the maitzach haratzon [the forehead of the Will] is revealed — which draws sustenance from the holy elders, the aspect of: “elder and of uplifted countenance,” as is explained there.

And therefore, the Torah is compared to wine and milk — which are the aspect of the purification of the souls, in the aspect of “blood becomes turbid,” etc. — from which Torah is made, as above. And this is “I have gathered my myrrh with my spice” — namely, the gathering and purification of the souls, as above. “I have drunk my wine with my milk” — namely, the Torah, which is compared to wine and milk, which are themselves the purification of the souls, in the aspect of “blood becomes turbid,” etc. And then Torah is made from them, as above. 27

And then the voice of the calling of the Yamim Tovim [holy festivals], the mikra’ai kodesh, is revealed and heard — which call and reveal the Ratzon [Divine Will]. See there.

And through the revelation of the Ratzon — that it is revealed that everything is according to His will, blessed be He, and there is no compulsion of nature at all — through this, yir’ah [awe/fear] is made. And the yir’ah is a vessel to receive the bestowal of chesed [kindness] that flows constantly. And then, when His kindness flows upon us, one does not need to do any business or labor or trade for the sake of sustenance, for it is fulfilled: “And strangers shall stand and tend your flocks, and foreigners shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers; and you shall be called the priests of Hashem,” etc. (Yeshayahu 61:5–6) — see there. It emerges that through tzedakah one merits that one does not need to spend time on any business or labor or trade for the sake of sustenance, and one can engage in the service of Hashem always. And through tzedakah one merits to widen all the openings [p’sachim] of all the beginnings. For all beginnings are difficult, for at the time of the beginning one needs to make an opening anew — see there. And through tzedakah, all the openings that one needs to make at the time of the beginning are widened, in the aspect of: “You shall surely open” [pasoach tiftach] (Devarim 15:8) — see there, all of this is explained well. And this is the aspect of Chanukah. For the essential Chanukah is to subdue the wicked kingdom of Yavan [Greece], which rose against Israel to make them forget Your Torah, etc. For the wicked kingdom of Yavan is the aspect of the sages of nature, whose entire wisdom is called the wisdom of Yavan [Greek wisdom]. And they wanted to overpower Israel and to nullify the Torah, G–d forbid, and to make the wisdom of nature dominant in the world, G–d forbid. For the entire Torah is the aspect of emunas haratzon [the faith of the Will] — that we believe that everything is according to His will, blessed be He — which is the foundation of the entire Torah, as is known. And they wanted to nullify emunas haratzon, G–d forbid, the totality of the Torah, and to draw, G–d forbid, the wisdom of nature. And therefore we must in each and every generation, in each and every year, subdue the wicked kingdom of Yavan — that is, the wisdom of nature — during these holy days of Chanukah. And the essential subjugation of the wisdom of nature and the intensification of the revelation of the Ratzon is through connecting all the desires [r’tzonos] to the root of the Ratzon, which is the aspect of the maitzach haratzon [the forehead of the Will], which intensifies through the holy elders of the generation, as above. And the essential old age of holiness is the aspect of zakain — “this one has acquired wisdom” [zeh kanah chochmah]. That is, to increase each day holy light and da’as. For so must a person conduct himself all the days of his life — that each and every day that he ages further, he should shine more in the service of Hashem. And on each and every day of the days of his life that comes afterward, he should increase in it more holy light and da’as. And this is the essential old age of holiness, through which the Ratzon intensifies, in the aspect of “elder and of uplifted countenance.” And this is the aspect of the kindling of the Chanukah light. For the oil of the Chanukah light — this is the aspect of the light of the da’as, the aspect of the holy anointing oil [shemen mishchas kodesh], through which one draws the light of da’as on each and every day. And each and every day one adds and goes, for the Chanukah light adds and goes [mosaif v’holaich]. For each and every day that comes afterward must shine more, as above — and this is the essential old age of holiness, as above. And this is the aspect of the oil of the Chanukah light, in the aspect of: “Like the good oil upon the head, that descends upon the beard, the beard of Aharon,” etc. (Tehillim 133:2). And through this the Ratzon is revealed and the wisdom of nature, the aspect of the wisdom of Yavan, is subdued — and this is the essential aspect of Chanukah, as above. And this is the aspect of the eight days of Chanukah. For it is necessary that all the seven days — which are the aspect of the seven days of building, the seven days of Creation — all should be illuminated from the eighth day, which is the aspect of the World to Come, which is above time, which is the aspect of “a day that is entirely long and good.” For there is the essential old age of holiness. And this is the aspect of: “The days of our years, among them are seventy years; and if with might, eighty years” (Tehillim 90:10) — which are the essential old age. For seventy years are the aspect of the seven days of building. And the essential old age is above seventy years, which is the aspect of above time. For above the seven days of building, which are the aspect of time, the aspect of seventy years — above them is the aspect of Binah, Ima Ila’ah [the Supernal Mother], which is the aspect of the eighth day. And this is the aspect of “and if with might, eighty years.” And from there is the essential old age. For there is the aspect of length of days and years — for it is the aspect of the World to Come, “a day that is entirely long.” And therefore Moshe Rabbainu, who is the essential revelation of the Ratzon — for he revealed that everything is according to His will, blessed be He, through all the signs and wonders that he did before the eyes of Pharaoh, etc., in the Exodus from Egypt and the splitting of the Sea of Reeds and the giving of the Torah — therefore Moshe was eighty years old when he stood before Pharaoh. And this is the aspect of “and if with might, eighty years” — which is the essential old age, through which is the revelation of the Ratzon, as above. And therefore Moshe departed on Shabbos at Minchah, at the time of the Ratzon of the Ratzonos [ra’ava d’ra’avin], as is known and as is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above. For the essential revelation of the Ratzon is through him — for he is the aspect of the holy elder, etc. And this is the aspect of the eight days of Chanukah, during which we draw the light of the holy elders through the oil of Chanukah, the aspect of: “Like the good oil upon the head, that descends upon the beard,” etc., as above. And this is the aspect of the tzedakah of Chanukah — that all of Israel have the custom to give much tzedakah during Chanukah. For through tzedakah one subdues the forehead of the serpent, which draws sustenance from the elders of the generation who lack completeness, as above — so that the forehead of the serpent should not overpower against the forehead of the Will, G–d forbid. And this is accomplished only through tzedakah, as is explained well in the Torah teaching mentioned above. It emerges that the essential subjugation of the forehead of the serpent, the root of the wisdom of nature, is through tzedakah. Therefore one gives much tzedakah during Chanukah — in order to subdue the forehead of the serpent that draws sustenance from the elders of the generation who lack completeness, and to make dominant the root of the Ratzon, which intensifies through the holy elders, who add light and da’as each and every day as they grow older. And this is the aspect of the Chanukah light, the aspect of: the Chanukah light adds and goes, etc. And through tzedakah, the openings of all the beginnings are widened, and one can begin in the service of Hashem. And therefore it is called “Chanukah” — which is an expression of chinuch [inauguration/education], in the aspect of: “Educate [chanoch] the youth according to his way” (Mishlai 22:6). For then one can be initiated, to begin in the service of Hashem. For tzedakah is the beginning of all beginnings, as is explained there — see there. And this is the aspect of Chanukah — which is called after the inauguration of the Bais HaMikdash [chanukas haBais HaMikdash]. For the essential revelation of the Ratzon is through the Shalosh R’galim [three pilgrimage festivals], which call and reveal the Ratzon. And the essential holiness of the Shalosh R’galim is in the Bais HaMikdash, where they needed to go up for the festival, as it is written: “Three times a year all your males shall appear before Hashem your G–d,” etc. (Devarim 16:16). For there, in the Bais HaMikdash, were all the korbanos [offerings], regarding all of which it says “for favor” [l’ratzon]. And this is the aspect of: “the Kohanim in their service, and the Levi’im on their platform, and Israel in their standing.” The Kohanim and Levi’im — this is the aspect of the light of chesed that is received through the yir’ah. And this is the aspect of: “For the staff of Aharon blossomed, for the house of Levi” (Bamidbar 17:23) — as is written there. And all of this is made through the revelation of the Ratzon, which is revealed through “Israel in their standing” [Yisroel b’ma’amadam] — for they were engaged in the Torah, in Ma’aseh Beraishis [the account of Creation] and in Parshas Ha’azinu. Which is the aspect of the revelation of the Ratzon — that they reveal that Hashem, blessed be He, created everything by His will in the six days of Creation. And this is the aspect of Ma’aseh Beraishis that the men of the ma’amad would read. And likewise Parshas Ha’azinu also speaks essentially about emunah — that everything is according to His will, blessed be He — as it admonishes there: “Remember the days of old; consider the years of each generation,” etc. (Devarim 32:7). And it concludes there: “See now that I, I am He; I put to death and I bring to life,” etc. — “and none can rescue from My hand” (Devarim 32:39). That is, that everything is according to His will, blessed be He — whether for death or for life, etc. And this is the aspect of the Even Sh’siyah, which is in the Bais HaMikdash, which is Kodesh Kodashim — from which is the essential holiness of the Bais HaMikdash. For the Even Sh’siyah, Kodesh Kodashim, is the aspect of the Ratzon of the R’tzonos, ra’ava d’ra’avin — where all the r’tzonos are connected. For this is the aspect of what Yaakov took — the stones of the place and placed them around his head, and they were all incorporated into one stone, in the Even Sh’siyah. For even [stone] is the aspect of ratzon, the aspect of: “a whole stone — His will” [even sh’laimah r’tzono]. That is, he took all the r’tzonos, which are the aspect of stones, as above, and incorporated them all in the Even Sh’siyah, which is the aspect of the Ratzon of the R’tzonos. For Yaakov is the aspect of the light of the Ratzon, which is the aspect of “elder and of uplifted countenance” — the aspect of: “those who seek Your face — Yaakov” (Tehillim 24:6) — the aspect of: “and you shall honor the face of the elder” (Vayikra 19:32) — the aspect of “the beauty of Yaakov” [shufreh d’Yaakov]. And therefore when Yaakov awoke from his sleep and Yaakov vowed a vow — and the essential vow was: “And this stone,” etc., “shall be a house of G–d,” etc. — “Of all that You give me, I shall surely tithe to You” (Beraishis 28:22). That is, he vowed to give tzedakah. For the essential revelation of the Ratzon, which is the essential holiness of the Even Sh’siyah, the holiness of the Bais HaMikdash, is through tzedakah, as above. It emerges that the essential Ratzon is revealed in the Bais HaMikdash, where is the ascent of all the tefillos, which are the revelation of the Ratzon. For tefillah is the opposite of nature — for nature compels thus, but tefillah changes nature and reveals that everything is according to His will, blessed be He, as Rabbainu of blessed memory wrote elsewhere (siman 9). And therefore there were in the Bais HaMikdash many miracles constantly, as our Sages of blessed memory said (Avos, chapter 5): “Ten miracles were performed for our forefathers in the Bais HaMikdash.” For the miracles are the opposite of nature, the aspect of the revelation of the Ratzon, as above. And therefore the Bais HaMikdash is the place of yir’ah, as it is written: “How awesome is this place,” etc. (Beraishis 28:17). For the essential yir’ah is made through the revelation of the Ratzon, as above. And this is the aspect of Chanukah, the aspect of the inauguration of the Bais HaMikdash. For then one draws the illumination of the Ratzon and subdues the wisdom of nature, as above — through which the Bais HaMikdash is inaugurated. For the essential drawing of holiness to the Bais HaMikdash is through the revelation of the Ratzon, which is revealed through the holy elders who add holy light each and every day as they age — and this is the aspect of the Chanukah light, as above. And therefore the miracle of Chanukah was through the Kohanim. This is the aspect of: “And strangers shall stand and tend your flocks,” etc. — “and you shall be called the priests of Hashem,” etc. (Yeshayahu 61:5–6) — which is accomplished through tzedakah, through which the Ratzon is revealed, which is the aspect of Chanukah, as above. And this is the aspect of the Chanukah light near the entrance [ner Chanukah samuch lapesach]. The entrance — this is the aspect of tzedakah, which widens all the openings, in the aspect of: “You shall surely open” [pasoach tiftach]. And through this is the essential illumination of the Ratzon, through the holy elders — which is the aspect of the Chanukah light, as above. For through tzedakah, the forehead of the serpent is subdued — which draws sustenance from the elders of the generation who lack completeness. And then the illumination of the holy elders is revealed, through whom the Ratzon is revealed, as above. And this is the aspect of the Chanukah light near the entrance — for the illumination of the holy elders who reveal the Ratzon is through tzedakah, which is the aspect of “You shall surely open,” as above. And this is the aspect of the oil of Chanukah. For oil is the aspect of ratzon, as it is written: “May he be pleasing to his brothers, and dip his foot in oil” (Devarim 33:24). And as Rashi explained on the verse: “And the yoke shall be destroyed because of oil” (Yeshayahu 10:27) — “oil” refers to Chizkiyahu HaMelech, who was pleasing to his generation like oil. That is, he was pleasant and desired by the generation like oil. It emerges that oil is the aspect of ratzon. And the revelation of the Ratzon is through the aspect of the holy elder, as above — and this is the aspect of: “Like the good oil upon the head, that descends upon the beard.” For there the Ratzon is revealed — the aspect of oil — with the holy elder. And this is: “the beard of Aharon” specifically. For the essential aspect of the kehunah [priesthood], the aspect of Aharon HaKohen, is drawn through the Ratzon — through which yir’ah is made, and through the yir’ah the chesed flows, which is the aspect of the Kohen, the aspect of “and you shall be called the priests of Hashem,” as above. And therefore on Chanukah, whose essential purpose is to subdue the wisdom of Yavan, which is the wisdom of nature, and to reveal the Ratzon — therefore its mitzvah is with oil, as above. And see in Hilchos Chanukah that is included in Hilchos K’lai HaYayin, Halacha 1, §8 — there is also explained the matter of Chanukah based on the Torah teaching mentioned above. However, it is impossible for the bais hamidrash to be without a chiddush. And this is the aspect of the laws of guardians [dinai shomrim] — that the Torah obligated the paid guardian [shomer sachar] for theft and loss, and from unavoidable circumstances [onsin] he is exempt. But the borrower [sho’ail] is liable even for unavoidable circumstances. For this is a great principle, and it is explained in our words many times: that all the losses and damages are drawn from the k’lipos, which are the mazikay alma [damaging forces of the world]. And all the k’lipos and damaging forces of the world are drawn from the heresies [k’firos] and the apikorsus, which are the aspect of the sages of nature who deny the Ratzon. For heresy and apikorsus is the root of the Sitra Achara and the k’lipos. For the yetzer hara is called “a foreign god” [ail acheir] — heresy — as is explained elsewhere. And therefore the essential guarding from all damages is through emunas haratzon — that everything is according to His will, blessed be He, and there is no nature at all. Through this the heresies are driven away and all the k’lipos and all the damaging forces of the world that are drawn from them are nullified. And through this one is guarded from all evil. And therefore the attribute of emunah is called “guard” [shamor], as is known. For the essential guarding is through emunah, which is the aspect of the Ratzon mentioned above — that is, to believe that everything is according to His will, blessed be He — through which is the essential guarding, as above. And this is the aspect of theft, loss, and unavoidable circumstances — regarding which there are distinctions of law between the paid guardian and the borrower, as above. For these two types of damages that come from the blemish of the Ratzon, as above, are drawn, G–d forbid, according to the degree of the blemish of the Ratzon. For it is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above that there is a distinction among the heretics. For there are heretics who are called the aspect of “evil beasts” [chayos ra’os] — who are the heretics for their own pleasure. For they have pleasure from this, to hold onto their opinion and their falsehood, etc. But there is a heretic who is in the aspect of the forehead of the serpent — who is wicked and denies without any pleasure at all, etc. And from these two types of heretics are drawn two types of damages: theft and loss, and unavoidable circumstances. For there are heretics who fell into their heresy through the many errors that the Evil Inclination misled them into, through the abundance of his desires — for he went from his youth after the stubbornness of his evil heart and did not strengthen himself to conquer his inclination and to subdue his desire. And because of the abundance of his desires, he went and was led astray from one opinion to another and from one reasoning to another, until he fell and was led astray into great heresy. But in truth, it was all because of the desires of this world — for the desires brought him to heresy and apikorsus, in order to be able to fulfill his evil desire, as most of the heretics were ensnared in their heresies only through this. And this is the aspect of theft and loss. For just as the thief comes through the tunnel in concealment and hiddenness and steals and damages the owner of the house, and likewise a loss comes through distraction — so too these heresies come through the thefts of the mind of the Evil Inclination, which steals and causes the loss of his da’as through many deceptions and crookedness, until he is ensnared in the trap of apikorsus. And therefore from such heretics, the damaging forces of the world that cause thefts and losses truly draw sustenance — for from there is their root, as above. And these heretics are called “evil beasts” that deny the Ratzon, whose subjugation is through the holy sage who connects all the r’tzonos to the root of the Ratzon, which is the aspect of the maitzach haratzon, the aspect of ra’ava d’ra’avin — where Moshe Rabbainu, peace be upon him, departed, etc. — see there, as is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above. But there are heretics who are in the aspect of the forehead of the serpent — who are wicked and deny without any pleasure, who want to deny, G–d forbid, the root of the Ratzon, etc. And their subjugation is through tzedakah. For through tzedakah, the forehead of the serpent that draws sustenance from the elders of the generation who lack completeness is subdued, and the forehead of the Ratzon, which is the aspect of the holy elders, etc., is made dominant — see there. And from these heretics who rebel deliberately [l’hach’is], who are in the aspect of the forehead of the serpent, from them are drawn robberies and murders, which are called unavoidable circumstances [onsin]. For it is like a violent man and a murderer and a robber who comes by force and oppresses openly. And “the forehead of a brazen woman was his, without shame” — for he introduces the apikorsus openly, without shame and without desires — he only brazens his face and his forehead like a dog against the Creator of all worlds, the Great and Sovereign One, the Root and Source of all worlds, the Will of all wills, the Hidden One of all hidden ones. And therefore from such heretics are drawn the aspect of robberies and murders, which are the aspect of unavoidable circumstances, as above. And this is the aspect of the sale of Yosef to Egypt, and all the dispute that was between him and his brothers. For all types of dispute are drawn from the blemish of the Ratzon — through not connecting all the r’tzonos to the root of the Ratzon. For in truth, the essential dispute is the dispute of the Evil Inclination, which disputes against a person and wants to bring him down to the lowest depths, G–d forbid. And the essential Evil Inclination is the aspect of investigations and heresies, which is the aspect of: “Their heart was divided” (Hoshaia 10:2) — as Rabbainu of blessed memory wrote in the discourse “Vayasaiv Elokim” (siman 62) — see there. And from there are drawn all the disputes in the world, all of which come from the aspect of the dispute of the Evil Inclination, whose root is the heresies, the blemish of the Ratzon. For in truth, dispute is a blemish of the Ratzon. For the essential dispute is between the r’tzonos — that this one’s desire is thus and that one’s desire is the opposite — and because of this a dispute is made, G–d forbid. And all of this is because they do not connect all the r’tzonos to the root of the Ratzon, which is the aspect of ra’ava d’ra’avin, the aspect of Moshe. For the root of the dispute of the Sitra Achara — which are the sages of nature who deny the Ratzon, and this is the essential aspect of dispute, as above — their root is from the dispute within holiness, which is the dispute between the true tzadikim. And from there is drawn down the dispute of the Sitra Achara, which is the heresies of the sages of nature, as is explained elsewhere. And the essential dispute between the tzadikim and the upright is because they do not connect all the r’tzonos to the root of the Ratzon, which is ra’ava d’ra’avin, the aspect of Moshe, as above. For in truth, the tzadikim and the upright — each and every one, his intention is desirable, for the sake of Heaven. And even so, certainly their opinions differ from one another, for it is impossible for their opinions to be completely alike. For no two people are alike, and just as people are different in their appearances, so are they different in their opinions. And therefore there must of necessity be differences among them in their opinions and their ways and their practices. And from the day of the creation of the world, there have never yet been two tzadikim and truly upright people who were completely alike in all their movements — even though both of them walk in one path and draw sustenance from one rav. Even so, there are many distinctions in their opinions and their ways. [continued:] And the rule is that the essential dispute is because of the variation of the r’tzonos. And all of this is because they do not connect all the r’tzonos to the root of the Ratzon, which is the Ratzon of the R’tzonos. For in truth, one should know that all the r’tzonos of all people — even though there are great differences among them — nevertheless all are drawn from the Supernal Ratzon, in which there is no variation, which is the aspect of the Ratzon of the R’tzonos, ra’ava d’ra’avin. And one who knows and believes this in completeness, certainly will not hold onto a dispute. For he will judge his fellow favorably always. For he will say in his heart: even though I know in myself that my intention is for the sake of Heaven, to complete this mitzvah and these Heavenly desires in truth, and my fellow prevents me from this — even so, his intention is also for the sake of Heaven. For he has a different opinion, and it seems to him that this is not a mitzvah at all, or one needs to engage in another mitzvah that is greater than this according to his opinion. And even though I am very firm in my opinion and I have true proofs and demonstrations that one must hold more to this path and to this mitzvah — even so, even if the truth is according to my opinion, who knows from what root my fellow is drawn? Perhaps according to the root of his soul he needs to conduct himself in a different way. For in truth, all the opinions and r’tzonos are drawn from the Supernal Ratzon — only it is impossible to understand this. And if each person would say this in his heart, certainly the dispute would be nullified. For the essential dispute is because they do not connect all the r’tzonos to the Supernal Ratzon — where all is one, and where all is peace, for everything is included in one. And therefore the essential peace is through the Tzaddik of the generation, the greatest in stature, who is in the aspect of Moshe, whose soul is from the aspect of ra’ava d’ra’avin, the Ratzon of the R’tzonos. For he knows the ratzon of each and every one, from where it is drawn. And therefore he is: “a man in whom there is spirit” (Bamidbar 27:18) — who knows how to walk toward the spirit of each and every one. For he knows the spirit and the ratzon of each and every one, and he knows how to connect and unify the spirit and the ratzon of each and every one to the root of the Ratzon. And there he unifies and connects all of them in one Supernal Ratzon. And then great and wondrous love and peace are drawn among them — since all of them, in their opinions and their r’tzonos, are connected and unified in the root of the Ratzon. And in each and every generation there is found such a Tzaddik who knows how to walk toward the spirit and the ratzon of each and every one — through whom peace would be made in the world. And through this, everyone would return to Hashem, blessed be He, for everything depends on peace, as is explained elsewhere. For through the peace, one can draw the entire world to His service. For through the peace, which is the aspect of ratzon and love and unity, through this they are incorporated in the one Supernal Ratzon, and all the forces of the Evil Inclination are nullified — whose sustenance is from the aspect of the variation of r’tzonos, from which it draws sustenance and introduces heresies and dispute. For the Evil Inclination is called “dispute.” And the nullification of the Evil Inclination is through the peace. And therefore peace is very great, as our Sages of blessed memory expounded extensively in many places. But when the Evil One sees that such a Tzaddik is found, who is in the aspect of ra’ava d’ra’avin, who can make peace among all — then he stirs up a great dispute against this great Tzaddik himself, until everyone disputes against him more than against anyone else in the world. For in truth, everyone is distant from him. For each person is distant from his fellow because of the variation of the r’tzonos between him and his fellow — because he does not believe that both r’tzonos are included in one at their root. But the variation and the distance between a person and his fellow is very small, for in most of their ways they are alike in their desires and their traits — there is only some distance and variation between them. But from this great Tzaddik, everyone is completely distant. For he is exalted and uplifted above all the variation of the r’tzonos of all people in the world. For he is completely distant from the entire world, and he has no desire for this world at all. He is only always incorporated in the Supernal Ratzon, in the aspect of ra’ava d’ra’avin. And one who believes in him and draws close to him — then each and every one can find himself within this Tzaddik. For he is the root of the souls of Israel and is comprised of all of them. For he is in the aspect of the Ratzon of the R’tzonos — that is, the Supernal Ratzon that is clothed in all the r’tzonos and the souls of all people in the world. But when the Evil One introduces heresies and dispute into the hearts of people, to divide their hearts from him, then the dispute against him is greater than all other types of dispute — because he is distant and exalted from all the r’tzonos of all who come into the world, who all have variations among them, while he has no variation of desire for this world at all. And therefore everyone disputes against him and cannot bear him. And this is the aspect of the dispute of the Sh’vatim [tribes] against Yosef HaTzaddik. For Yosef HaTzaddik is the aspect of this Tzaddik mentioned above, the aspect of ra’ava d’ra’avin, the aspect of Moshe. For Yosef, Moshe, and Dovid are all one aspect — for all three departed on Shabbos at Minchah, at ra’ava d’ra’avin. And all the holy Sh’vatim, even though they were all great and awesome tzadikim — even so, they all needed to be connected to him. And this is the aspect of the connection of all the r’tzonos to the root of the Ratzon, which is the aspect of the holy elder, which is the aspect of Yosef HaTzaddik, as it is written: “For he was the son of his old age” [ben z’kunim] (Beraishis 37:3) — “son of old age” specifically — whose root is in the aspect of the holy elder, which is the aspect of the maitzach haratzon, the aspect of ra’ava d’ra’avin, as above. And this is the aspect of what Yosef told them his dream: “And behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose,” etc. — “and behold, your sheaves surrounded and bowed down to my sheaf” (Beraishis 37:7). For all the Sh’vatim, who are the totality of Israel, bind knots and unify unifications — which is the aspect of the connection of the r’tzonos together. But all the knots and unifications need to come to the Tzaddik of the generation, who is the aspect of Yosef — who is the aspect of ra’ava d’ra’avin, who connects all the knots and the unifications to the Supernal Ratzon, in the aspect of: “and behold, your sheaves surrounded and bowed down to my sheaf.” And therefore the dream was regarding the labor of the field. For the rectification of the labor of the field is through the illumination of the Ratzon, through which all the thirty-nine labors are nullified, for the world is sustained by His kindness, etc., as is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above. (And see regarding this above in Hilchos Araiv, Halacha 3, where this matter is explained well.) And therefore he revealed to them that the rectification of the labor of the field, to nullify the impurity of the serpent through which the ground was cursed — “by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread,” etc. — and to nullify all of this, depends on the illumination of the Ratzon, as is explained above in Hilchos Araiv — see there. And all of this depends on Yosef, who is the aspect of the Ratzon of the R’tzonos, as above. And this is the aspect of the second dream: “And behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me” (Beraishis 37:9). The sun and the moon and the eleven stars bowing down to Yosef HaTzaddik, who is the aspect of ra’ava d’ra’avin, as above — this is the aspect of the nullification of nature. For the entire wisdom of nature is according to the arrangement of the constellations, according to the movements of the celestial spheres of the sun and the moon and the stars. And as Rabbainu of blessed memory wrote there in the Torah teaching mentioned above, on the verse: “They placed their signs as signs” (Tehillim 74:4) — who say that everything is through the signs of heaven, G–d forbid, which is the nature. But in truth, everything is through His will alone, blessed be He, and nature itself is conducted only by His will alone, blessed be He. And “He does as He pleases with the host of heaven and earth.” For the sun and the moon and the stars, from which nature is drawn, all are conducted only by the Supernal Ratzon, from which is the root of Yosef, as above — the aspect of: “and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” For nature is conducted only by the Supernal Ratzon, which is the aspect of ra’ava d’ra’avin, from which is the root of the soul of Yosef HaTzaddik, as above. And all the guardians cannot guard properly except through emunas haratzon. For: “If Hashem does not guard the city, the watchman watches in vain” (Tehillim 127:1). For the essential guarding from the damaging forces of the world is through the revelation of the Ratzon, as above. And therefore the Avos [forefathers] of the world were guardians and shepherds of sheep. For they needed to reveal the emunah in the world, which is the revelation of the Ratzon — to believe that everything is only by His will, blessed be He, and there is no nature at all. Therefore they were guardians — for they drew the guarding from its root, which is the holy emunah, which is the aspect of “guard” [shamor]. For at the time of their guarding, they connected their ratzon to the Supernal Ratzon, from which is the guarding, as above. And through this they drew and revealed emunas haratzon in the world. And therefore the episode of Dovid HaMelech with the lion and the bear — which are the evil beasts, the aspect of the sages of nature, as is explained well in the Torah teaching mentioned above — was during the tending of the sheep, as it is written: “Your servant was a shepherd,” etc. — “and the lion came, and the bear, and carried one from the flock,” etc. (Shmuel I 17:34). For it is all one. For during the tending of his sheep and his guarding of them — when he was engaged in drawing the revelation of the Ratzon in the world, as above — then the lion and the bear came, etc. And just as the lion and the bear came physically, so too they came upon him from their root — which are the evil beasts, which are the heresies of the sages of nature. And Dovid HaMelech, peace be upon him, was mighty and a man of valor, and he stood against them physically and spiritually, and he subdued and struck the evil beasts, which are the heresies, and nullified them spiritually at their root. And physically he prevailed and struck and killed the lion and the bear, through nullifying the power of their strength to harm. And this is the aspect of what Yaakov Avinu sent Yosef HaTzaddik to his brothers at the time they were shepherding, as it is written: “Are not your brothers shepherding in Sh’chem? Come, and I will send you to them” (Beraishis 37:13). That is, as above — for since your brothers are shepherding in Sh’chem, and their entire labor is to draw the revelation of the Ratzon in the world — therefore “come, and I will send you to them.” For it is impossible for them to draw the revelation of the Ratzon except through Yosef HaTzaddik, who is the aspect of ra’ava d’ra’avin — where all the r’tzonos are connected. And through this is the essential revelation of the Ratzon, as above. And the Sh’vatim, who blemished Yosef — who is the aspect of the revelation of the Ratzon, as above — therefore it is written: “And we will say: An evil beast devoured him,” etc. (Beraishis 37:20). And likewise Yaakov said: “An evil beast devoured him; torn, torn is Yosef” (Beraishis 37:33). This is the aspect of the evil beasts that maul and tear, which are the aspect of the sages of nature who blemish the Ratzon, which is the aspect of Yosef, as is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above. And behold, the Evil One incited them then and wanted to induce them to kill Yosef entirely. For the Evil One wants to blemish and deny the root of the Ratzon entirely, G–d forbid. But Hashem, blessed be He, had compassion upon them and upon the world at large, and arranged in His mercy that they did not kill him entirely, but only sold him for money to Egypt. That is, as above — for they blemished only in the aspect of theft and loss. For they stole him and sold him, as it is written: “For I was stolen, stolen from the land of the Hebrews,” etc. (Beraishis 40:15). That is, the blemish of the Ratzon, the aspect of Yosef, was only in the aspect of theft — which is the aspect of the blemish drawn through the evil beasts, who are the sages of nature for their own pleasure, who introduce error into the heart of a person through theft and distraction. And this is the aspect of: “and the lion and the bear came, and carried one from the flock” — that he carried one from the flock, who denied the Ratzon, as is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above. But it was in the manner of theft, like one who carries a sheep from the physical flock by theft. But they did not kill Yosef entirely — which is the aspect of murderers and robbers, who are in the aspect of the forehead of the serpent, the aspect of unavoidable circumstances. And therefore the paid guardian is liable for theft and loss and is exempt from unavoidable circumstances, and the borrower is liable even for unavoidable circumstances. For the money and the possessions of every person are drawn from the root of the Supernal Ratzon, in the aspect of: “You open Your hand and satisfy every living thing with ratzon” (Tehillim 145:16). And as is explained and understood in the Torah teaching mentioned above — that through the revelation of the Ratzon one merits the abundance of sustenance without any labor at all. It emerges that all money and sustenance are drawn through the revelation of the Ratzon. And therefore the Ratzon is clothed in the money and the possessions, the aspect of: “and satisfy every living thing with ratzon,” as above. And this is what is written: “Naftali is satisfied with ratzon and full of the blessing of Hashem” (Devarim 33:23). For the wealth and the sustenance are the aspect of the illumination of the Ratzon. And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said: “After the master of possessions, drag the beam” [basar marai nichsay tzivay mashuch]. For everyone is drawn after the ratzon of the wealthy person, because money at its root is drawn from the illumination of the Ratzon. And this owner of the house, whose money and vessels are his — with him is the aspect of the root of the Ratzon that is clothed in the money. For he can do with it as he desires and wishes, as his heart desires. And therefore it is incumbent upon him to connect the ratzon that is in the money to the root of the Supernal Ratzon — by subjugating all the money to Hashem, blessed be He, to conduct himself with the money only according to His will, blessed be He, to do with it tzedakah and mitzvos. And through this the money is guarded from all damages. For the essential guarding is through the illumination of the Ratzon, which is drawn through tzedakah, by connecting the money to His will, blessed be He, as above. For just as one connects himself — his body and his soul and his money — to His will, blessed be He, so too the Supernal Ratzon is drawn upon him, and through this he is guarded from all evil. And therefore all the craftsmen are paid guardians [shomrai sachar]. For all craftsmanship is drawn from the aspect of the thirty-nine labors, which correspond to the thirty-nine labors of the Mishkan [Tabernacle]. And when one merits the illumination of the Ratzon through tzedakah — through which the revelation of the root of the Ratzon is rectified — then all the labors are nullified entirely, for the world is sustained by His kindness, etc. But as long as one does not merit the revelation of the Ratzon in completeness, and the forehead of the serpent is not subdued at its root — rather one only connects all the r’tzonos to the root of the Ratzon — then the labors are not yet completely nullified. Rather, through the connection of the Ratzon to the root of the Ratzon, through this one merits to do the labors in holiness, in the aspect of the labor of the Mishkan (and this matter is explained and understood well above in Hilchos Araiv). And therefore the craftsmen are paid guardians. For the rectification of the craftsmen is in the aspect of the connection of the Ratzon to its root — through which they are guarded from theft and loss alone, not from unavoidable circumstances. For from unavoidable circumstances one is not saved except through the rectification of the root of the Ratzon itself — through which the craftsmanship and the labors are nullified entirely. But the craftsmen who are engaged in their craft and their labor — this is the aspect of the rectification of the labors through the connection of the r’tzonos to their root, and they have not yet merited the rectification of the root of the Ratzon itself to remove from it the blemish of the heresy of the forehead of the serpent. For then the craftsmanship and the labors would be nullified entirely, as above. And therefore the responsibility for unavoidable circumstances is not upon them — for unavoidable circumstances are not nullified except through the subjugation of the forehead of the serpent, through which the root of the Ratzon is revealed. And they are liable only for the responsibility of theft and loss. And this is what is said regarding Aisav, who is the aspect of Amalek, the aspect of the root of the wisdom of nature (Ovadyah 1:5): “If thieves came to you,” etc. — “How are you made silent,” etc. — “How are the things of Aisav searched out, his hidden things laid bare!” For in the future, the forehead of the serpent will be subdued and the forehead of the Ratzon will be revealed. And then the heresies of the sages of nature, who are the aspect of Aisav, will be nullified entirely. And this is: “If thieves came to you,” etc. — that is, they will no longer come with the sages of nature through theft. For now they sometimes come through theft and deceptions, as above — and one must conduct oneself against them also through theft, to incline the da’as to emunas haratzon, to steal the souls that were ensnared by them in the net of their error, to incline them to the truth. For now it is impossible to go out against them with an upraised hand, because the forehead of the serpent has not yet been subdued at its root entirely. But in the future, when the forehead of the serpent will be completely subdued and the root of the Ratzon will be revealed — then it will be fulfilled: “How are the things of Aisav searched out, his hidden things laid bare!” For all the hidden things of his wickedness and his heresy will be revealed. For they will be able to subdue him openly, with an upraised hand — for emunas haratzon will be revealed to the eyes of all. And then it will be fulfilled: “And saviors shall ascend upon Mount Tzion, to judge the mount of Aisav; and the kingship shall be Hashem’s” (Ovadyah 1:21). For everyone will accept the yoke of His kingship, blessed be He, in love. For it will be revealed to all who come into the world that everything is according to His will, blessed be He, alone — for Hashem is G–d, there is nothing else besides Him. Blessed be Hashem forever. Amain v’amain.