אומנין א

✺ Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman ✺ 21 “All the craftsmen are paid guardians.”

Hilchos Yom Tov

For the matter of the craftsmen [umnin] who make and repair all the vessels is astonishing at first glance. For is it not that they cannot make any vessel except through Hashem, blessed be He, having first prepared for them the materials from which the vessels are made? For example, a woodworker cannot make a wooden vessel unless he has wood, which Hashem, blessed be He, created. And likewise a goldsmith needs gold, which Hashem, blessed be He, created. And only then does the craftsman do his work and bring forth a vessel for its purpose.

It is found there that the essential t’fillah is mercy and supplication, and mercy depends on Daas. When the Sitra Achara suckles from the compassion, the compassion becomes ruined and turns into cruelty, and the Daas is blemished. Then the craving for promiscuity strengthens, G-d forbid — for beneath the Mochin [brains / intellects] are three partitions spread as a barrier against this craving. Therefore, when the Daas is blemished, this craving strengthens, G-d forbid, and then the t’fillah is in the aspect of Din [Judgment]. For the three daily prayers correspond to three kinds of compassion — the three Mochin, as above. 1

And if so, it is difficult at first glance: why did Hashem do this to the earth, that it should need craftsmen, masters of labor? Is He not, blessed be He, all-powerful? And since in His wisdom He created the wood or the metal, He certainly could have created complete vessels, and there would have been no need for the repair and the making by the craftsmen, the masters of labor.

And then, when the t’fillah is in the aspect of Din, G-d forbid, the Sitra Achara suckles from it. Then a Baal Koach [a man of great power] is needed who can pray a prayer in the aspect of Din. And then, when the Sitra Achara wants to swallow this prayer of the Baal Koach — which is in the aspect of Din — this prayer stands in its throat, in the aspect of “In his neck dwells strength” (Iyov 41:14). And through this, it is forced to give forth vomitings, in the aspect of “the wealth he swallowed he shall vomit up” (Iyov 20:15) — it vomits and expels from itself all the holinesses and the Daas and the compassion and the prayers that it had swallowed, and even the essence of its own vitality it is forced to expel, in the aspect of “from his belly G-d shall drive it out” (Iyov 20:15), etc. 2

But this matter relates to what is written in the Midrash regarding the question of the heretics, who asked: Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, create man with an orlah [foreskin], so that we need to circumcise him? And why was man not created already circumcised? And they answered them: Everything that the Holy One, blessed be He, created needs repair. The wheat needs to be ground, the lupines, etc. Even man needs repair — that is, the repair of the milah [circumcision].

Like Pinchas, who prayed a prayer in the aspect of Din at the time of the act of Zimri — in the aspect of “And Pinchas stood and prayed [vay’falail]” (Tehillim 106:30). And “vay’falail” is the roshei taivos [acronym] of “V’hashlaich l’fnai faroh y’hi l’sanin” [“And cast before Pharaoh — it shall become a serpent”] (Sh’mos 7:9). For one casts the aspect of the matteh oz [the staff of power] — which is the prayer in the aspect of Din — before the Sitra Achara, so that it will swallow it — in order to extract through this all the holinesses, etc. For it is forced to vomit everything, as above. 3

And the matter is thus: Hashem, blessed be He, created the entire Creation only for the sake of man, the one who possesses free choice [b’chirah]. And therefore it was His will, blessed be He, that man should direct and sustain the entire world and its fullness. And as it is written: “And the earth He gave to the children of man” (Tehillim 115:16). And therefore He wanted that the entire world and its fullness should be directed through is’ar’rusa dil’sasa [arousal from below] specifically — that is, through the actions of the lower beings, people, specifically — that they specifically should direct and give life and sustain the entire world.

And through this, gairim [converts] are made, and His glory is magnified — the aspect of thunder, etc. And the glory is the root of the souls of Yisrael, and from there comes prophecy. And through prophecy, the imaginative faculty is rectified, and through this one merits complete emunah of holiness. And for this, one needs to draw close to the true tzadik — to merit through him complete emunah of holiness. And through emunah, there will be the renewal of the world in the future, and the renewal will be in the aspect of Eretz Yisrael — the aspect of Hashgachah [Divine Providence] and wonders. And then the new song of Hashgachah and wonders beyond the natural order will be awakened. And through this song, all the fragrances and fears grow — which are the nourishment of the soul — through which the nourishment of the body is weakened, etc. And through this, one is able to give rebuke, etc. (see there, all of this well). 4

However, at the beginning of Creation, when there was not yet any person, it was of necessity that He created the world through His wonders alone, without any arousal from below. But He created all things lacking. Until man should repair them — in order that all things should be completed through arousal from below, through the actions of people specifically. And then, through man completing and repairing the thing, it is considered as if he himself made the thing and created it. For such is the truth: that the essential creation needs to be through arousal from below — that is, through the good deeds of the tzadikim. And as our Sages of blessed memory said: “My world, My world! Who created you? Yaakov created you,” etc.

And this is the aspect of the Three R’galim [the three pilgrimage festivals]. For the Three R’galim are the aspect of the three daily prayers, which were established corresponding to the three Avos. This is the aspect of the three r’galim, as is known — for the three r’galim are “beneath the Mochin,” as brought elsewhere — and from there the three kinds of compassion flow, the aspect of the three prayers, as above. 5

And from there it chains down that also in the physical realm, all things are lacking and need repair through the actions of the lower beings, people, specifically. And because of this itself, all things are lacking from the beginning of Creation — because they were created without arousal from below, when the creation has no completeness. For the essential completeness of creation is through arousal from below specifically, as above.

And as the prayer, so the livelihood, as brought in the words of Rabainu of blessed memory elsewhere — that livelihood corresponds to prayer. For all sustenance flows through prayer. Namely, when one merits that the prayer is in Daas, in the aspect of mercy and supplication, then one has livelihood with ease — without tasks, exertions, and burdens, which are the aspect of Dinim — rather, with ease, which is the aspect of mercy and Daas. For easy livelihood corresponds to the completeness of Daas (as explained in siman 56 in the words of Rabainu of blessed memory). 6

And from this is drawn the craftsmanship of all the craftsmen, the masters of labor. For the craftsman specifically must make the vessel from the wood and the metals. For the essential repair and completeness of the vessels — which is the completeness of creation — is through the lower beings, people, specifically. For just as people need to repair and complete the world spiritually through their good deeds — for which everything was created — so too they need also in the physical realm that people specifically should complete and repair all things in the world. And therefore no thing has completeness from the beginning of creation — for the wheat needs to be ground, etc., and likewise the wood and the metals, etc., need craftsmen to make vessels from them. And all of this is because of the aspect mentioned above — that everything must be completed through people specifically, as above.

For the essential burden and heaviness of livelihood — that one must perform tasks and labors and exertions for the sake of livelihood, the aspect of “By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread” — is only due to the blemish of Daas, the aspect of “the people spread out and gathered” (BaMidbar 11:8) — “in foolishness” (b’shtusa), as written in the Holy Zohar. For when the Daas is not in completeness, then the prayer is in the aspect of Din, G-d forbid. Likewise, the livelihood is drawn to him in the aspect of Din — namely, the exertions and burdens of the 39 labors, the aspect of “by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread” — which is the aspect of Dinim. And all of this is due to the foolishness of the blemish of Daas, as above. For the blemish of Daas is the blemish of the Bris, as above. And through the blemish of the Bris, the livelihood comes with difficulty (as brought in siman 29). It emerges that all the exertion and heaviness of the 39 labors that one must perform during the weekdays is only due to the blemish of Daas, the blemish of prayer — in the aspect of Din. For Adam HaRishon blemished the Daas through eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, as is known. Through this, sustenance was drawn to the Sitra Achara, G-d forbid, the aspect of “and the serpent was cunning.” And through this, the exertions of the 39 labors were drawn, as is known. 7

And in truth, it is all one. For through making the vessel and completing the thing physically, through this the thing arrives at its completeness also spiritually. For it is known that everything was created only for His glory, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Everything that the Holy One, blessed be He, created,” etc. — that is, for the sake of Israel, that they should fulfill the Torah and serve Him, blessed be He, through all the things in the world. And as long as the thing is not repaired physically, one certainly cannot serve Hashem, blessed be He, with this thing. For example, wood or metal — as long as it is an unformed mass and no vessel has been made from it, it is not needed by man and he cannot serve Hashem, blessed be He, with it.

And therefore, on Shabbas, which is the completeness of Daas, as is known — the aspect of compassion — therefore the 39 labors have no dominion whatsoever. And then it is cessation and rest completely from all labors, because then the Daas is in completeness and everything is compassion and will and chesed. And then on Shabbas — then specifically — all livelihood is drawn without any action or labor, “for from it all six days are blessed,” as brought. 8

But when the craftsman takes the wood and the metal and makes from it a vessel — such as a spoon or a bowl — then it is needed by man, and then man can serve Hashem, blessed be He, with it. For he eats with the spoon and the bowl in honor of Shabbos, or he honors guests with them, and he also recites a blessing over the food that he eats in them, at the beginning and at the end. For certainly, Israel, a holy people, serve Hashem, blessed be He, with all things in the world. But it is impossible for them to perform their service with any thing unless it is first repaired and made into a vessel. And then they repair and complete the thing spiritually through serving Hashem, blessed be He, with it — which is the essential life-force and completeness of all things in the world. It emerges that through the craftsman repairing and making the vessel physically, through this the thing arrives at its completeness also spiritually. And the entire creation was created with wisdom, as it is written: “You made them all with wisdom” (Tehillim 104:24). For there is in every thing in the world a wondrous wisdom. But Hashem, blessed be He, created all things lacking, as above. And because of this He constricted [tzimtzeim] His wisdom and diminished and withheld from the wisdom needed for this thing. For since He wanted this thing to be lacking — and the completeness of every thing is through the wisdom that is in it — therefore He needed to constrict and diminish and withhold the wisdom from this thing, so that it should remain lacking, until man should complete the wisdom of this thing through the wisdom of his own mind, which is the aspect of the arousal from below through which everything needs to be completed, as above. And man’s wisdom — which is the aspect of the arousal from below through which everything is completed — this wisdom is drawn and chained down from the wisdom of the Torah. For the Torah preceded the world and was the instrument [k’li] through which the world was created, as our Sages of blessed memory said. And therefore the Torah is called “oman” [master craftsman], as it is written: “And I was with Him as an oman” (Mishlai 8:30). And from there it chains down to below, to all the lower beings, that they also have wisdom for all types of craftsmanship, through which they complete all things in the world. And this is the wisdom that Hashem, blessed be He, constricted and diminished and withheld from each and every thing, in order that man should complete it through his wisdom, through the wisdom that comes from the Torah. And all of this is because of the aspect of free choice — for everything must be completed through man who has free choice. And through this specifically all things arrive at their completeness — through the wisdom of man that comes from the Torah. And therefore, because there must be free choice, therefore Hashem, blessed be He, constricted and withheld the wisdom from each thing. So that if a person wants, he can add wisdom to this thing and complete it in order to serve Hashem, blessed be He, with it, and then he can serve Him, blessed be He, with this thing and complete and bring it to its completeness also spiritually, as above. And conversely, if he wants, G–d forbid, to incline to the other side, he will find room to err, G–d forbid — since the wisdom has not been revealed in completeness, as above. And this is: “which G–d created to make” [asher bara Elokim la’asos] (Beraishis 2:3). That Hashem, blessed be He, created all things in a manner that man should need to make and repair and finish them. For the wheat needs to be ground, the lupines need cooking, etc., as above. It emerges that the essential craftsmanship of all the craftsmen — its root is drawn from emunah. And likewise the guarding of all things in the world is also drawn from emunah. For shamor [guarding] is the attribute of malchus, which is emunah, as is known. For if all things had been created in their completeness, there would have been no need for either craftsmanship or guarding. For the need for craftsmanship and guarding comes only because all things in the world are lacking from the beginning of creation, as above. And why are they lacking? Because of the tzimtzum of the wisdom, as above. And why did He constrict the wisdom? Because of free choice. And free choice — all is one with emunah, as is known. For the main aspect of emunah is in the place of free choice, for there is no free choice except in the place where emunah is needed. And there, specifically, is where the essential rectification of emunah takes place. It emerges that the root of the craftsmanship and the guarding is from emunah. And since both come from one root, therefore the craftsmen are guardians, as mentioned above. And the more one blemishes the emunah, G–d forbid, through this is drawn more blemish to the creation itself — because of the constriction of the wisdom mentioned above — and through this is drawn more damage and loss to all things in the world, G–d protect us. And therefore, in truth, Torah scholars do not need guarding [talmidai chachamim ainam tz’richim n’tirusa]. For the Torah, which is emunah, guards them, as above. And this is the aspect of the difference between the shomer chinam [unpaid guardian] and the shomer sachar [paid guardian]: that the shomer chinam is exempt from everything, and the shomer sachar is liable for theft and loss, etc. For it is brought in the Torah teaching “Tzivisa Tzedek Aidosecha Ve’emunah M’od” (siman 23) that the essential emunah depends on money — that is, one must spend and scatter money for the sake of the mitzvah. For the attribute of tzedek [justice] — as long as it is not joined with emes [truth] — the dinim [judgments] that are in this attribute of tzedek are still harsh. But when it is joined with emes, then it becomes emunah — in the aspect of: “tzedek when it is joined with emes becomes emunah”. And the main joining of tzedek with emes is through money, as is explained there. For as long as the mitzvah does not cost money, it is still only tzedek. But when one scatters money for the sake of the mitzvah, then it becomes emunah, in the aspect of: “tzedek when joined with emes becomes emunah” — see there. [continued:] And therefore all things in the world, before man completes them through the aspect of emunah, are in the aspect of tzedek, where there is the grasp of the dinim, from which chains down the grasp of the Sitra Achara and the k’lipos, from which one must guard. But when man inclines the tzedek toward emes through the emunah — then the tzedek becomes emunah and there is no more grasp for the dinim and the k’lipos. And this is the aspect of guarding — which comes from emunah, as above. For specifically through emunah, tzedek is completed and sweetened and becomes emunah, and then there is no grasp of the dinim and k’lipos, and then one is guarded from all the damages. And therefore the shomer chinam is exempt from everything. For the shomer chinam guards for free, and this free guarding is the aspect of emunah, for emunah depends on money — and when one does something for free, this is the aspect of the completion of the emunah. And then the tzedek is completed and becomes emunah, and there is no grasp for the dinim and k’lipos. But the shomer sachar, since he receives wages, the emunah is not yet completed through him regarding this thing. For the essential emunah depends on money, and since he is receiving money for the guarding, he has not yet reached the aspect of emunah. And therefore he is liable for theft and loss, which come from the dinim and the k’lipos that have grasp in the tzedek before it becomes emunah. And the essential guarding — that is, to draw the guarding from the aspect of emunah — lies upon him, since he received wages of money or its equivalent, where the essential strengthening of the emunah takes place, as above. And therefore the craftsmen are paid guardians. For the craftsman, since he accepted upon himself the labor and the craftsmanship of this vessel, therefore the guarding certainly falls upon him, as if he had received the wages of guarding. For also the rectification of craftsmanship is only through emunah — for it is impossible to make any vessel without the wisdom of the Torah that is the aspect of the oman, as above. And the essential completeness through the Torah is only through emunah, as above. And money — from which the essential emunah is drawn — is included in this. For the ba’al habayis [the owner] gave him the materials of the vessel, which is the aspect of money. And through completing the vessel through his craftsmanship — which is the aspect of the completion of emunah, as above — through this is drawn the guarding from its root, from the aspect of emunah that depends on money, in the aspect of: “v’emunah m’od” — which is the aspect of: “tzedek when joined with emes becomes emunah,” as above. And this is the aspect of: “Ha’umnam ailem tzedek t’dabairu(n)” (Tehillim 58:2) — “Is it indeed [ha’umnam] silence? Tzedek shall you speak?” For when the thing is lacking, it is in the aspect of silence [ailem] — for one cannot yet give thanks to Him, blessed be He, and bless Him over the thing, since it is still lacking. And this is: “Ha’umnam ailem tzedek” — when the craftsmanship [umanus] is in the aspect of silence, in the aspect of tzedek that has not yet become emunah — then: “tzedek t’dabairu(n)” — that one must draw the speech to complete the aspect of tzedek, in order that it should become emunah, through which is the essential completeness of the craftsmanship, as above. And this is: “Maisharim tishp’tu b’nai adam” — “With uprightness shall you judge, children of man.” “Children of man” [b’nai adam] specifically — that is, the verse says that this matter depends on you, the children of man specifically, to join tzedek with emes. For yosher [uprightness] is the aspect of emes, as it is written: “And write uprightness, words of truth” (Koheles 12:10). That is, you, the children of man, are those upon whom it falls to bring all the things of the world to their completeness by joining tzedek with emes, so that it should become emunah — upon which depends the completeness of all creation. And this depends on the children of man who are in this world specifically, who have free choice, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of Rosh HaShanah. For on Rosh HaShanah, Adam HaRishon was created — he who must complete the entire creation that was created for his sake, as above, as it is written: “which G–d created to make” [asher bara Elokim la’asos]. That the entire creation that Hashem, blessed be He, created — He created everything “to make” — that man should need to make and repair and complete all things, for the wheat needs to be ground, etc., as above. And the essential completeness and repair of all the labors and the craftsmanship is through emunah, which is the completeness of all things. And this is what is needed on Rosh HaShanah — on which Adam HaRishon was created for this purpose, as above. Therefore the entire avodah [service] of Rosh HaShanah is to draw emunah into the world — through which is the essential revelation of His sovereignty, blessed be He, which is what we engage in on Rosh HaShanah. As we say many times: “And may You alone, Hashem, reign” [v’simloch Atah Hashem l’vadecha], etc., “reign over the entire world in its entirety,” etc. And we conclude all the blessings with “King over all the earth,” etc. For the essential purpose of Rosh HaShanah is to reveal His sovereignty, blessed be He, which is the aspect of emunah, as is known. For it is impossible to accept His sovereignty, blessed be He, except through emunah. And through this one completes the entire creation, whose essential completeness is through man, who was created on this day, as above. And therefore we say on Rosh HaShanah: “This is the day, the beginning of Your works” [zeh hayom t’chilas ma’asecha] — even though the majority of creation was created in the first five days, from the twenty-fifth of Elul until Rosh HaShanah, as our Sages of blessed memory said. However, since on Rosh HaShanah man was created — for whose sake everything was created, and he repairs and completes everything — therefore it is considered as if the entire creation was created on this day. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said: “In Tishrai the world was created” — because on it man was created, and he is the essential one (as is brought regarding this), for he completes everything, as above. And the essential emunah is impossible to receive except through the tzadikay hador [the righteous of the generation] who are the true guardians of the bris [covenant]. For emunah depends on the bris (as is explained in siman 31 mentioned above). Therefore one must travel to the true tzadikim on Rosh HaShanah — in order to merit through them complete emunah, which is the essential purpose of Rosh HaShanah, as above. For the tzaddik is the one who guards the bris [tzaddik hu ma’an d’natir bris]. And behold, it is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above that through tikun habris [repair of the covenant] one merits to make n’fashos [souls], etc. For one merits ahavah [love] and kisufin d’k’dushah [holy yearnings] that are very precious. Through this one makes n’fashos, which are the aspect of n’kudos [vowel points] for the letters of the Torah — through which is the essential combining and pairing of the letters of the Torah to perform some action. And see there, all of this explained well. And see what is printed nearby in the passage beginning “The combining and joining of the letters,” etc. — see there. And this is: “There is a hevel [breath/vanity] that is done on the earth” (Koheles 8:14), etc. And this is the aspect of the gilgulai han’fashos [reincarnations of souls], etc. And the general principle is that the yearnings and the longing for something holy are very precious, for through them the nefesh [soul] comes into being and is completed through speech, and goes out and rolls about. And sometimes the holy nefesh rolls and comes into the wicked person, and thoughts of teshuvah [repentance] fall upon him, and he can be brought back to good. And likewise the reverse, etc. And this is: “There is a hevel,” etc. Hevel is the breath of the mouth [hevel peh], from which the souls emerge. And through this, there are tzadikim, etc., and there are wicked people to whom it reaches like the deeds of the tzadikim — through a holy breath rolling into them, that is, a nefesh from good yearnings, etc. And this is the aspect of the shofar of Rosh HaShanah. For the breaths [havalim] of the shofar are the aspect of holy breaths, the aspect of holy souls — through which the wicked return in teshuvah, as above. And this is what is needed on Rosh HaShanah, which is the first day of the Ten Days of Teshuvah. And all of this we receive from the true tzadikim, to whom we travel and to whom we bind ourselves. For they are the aspect of “masters of the soul” [ba’alay nefesh], from whom are drawn all the souls and the holy breaths — through which one can bring all the wicked back in teshuvah. And this is the aspect of the shofar of a ram [ayil], which is the ram of Yitzchak who was bound upon the altar — in order that the merit of his binding should be remembered for us. That is, the essential merit of the Akeidah [binding] of Yitzchak is the aspect of ratzon [will] and holy yearnings [kisufin d’k’dushah]. For this was the essential greatness of the nisayon [test] of Avraham and Yitzchak — the essential merit was that they were willing to slaughter and to die for the sanctification of Hashem. And through being willing for this with a complete and true will, it was considered as if he had actually been slaughtered and offered upon the altar — even though in truth He did not send forth His hand against him and did not do anything to him. It emerges that the essential merit of the Akeidah is only ratzon and holy yearnings. And because Yitzchak merited such holy yearnings in truth, with such self-sacrifice — from there is drawn the holiness of the souls of Israel who came forth from him. For in each and every one of Israel there is a holy soul that is willing to sacrifice itself for the sanctification of Hashem always. It emerges that every one of Israel — his soul and his will are strong always for Hashem, blessed be He. For every one of Israel is prepared to die for the sanctification of Hashem, for in the innermost depths of his soul his will is very, very strong for Hashem, blessed be He. And this is because we are all children of Yitzchak our father, who was bound upon the altar and wanted to die for His sake, blessed be He. And the innermost depths of this breath and this will — this is what we draw into the shofar, which is the aspect of the shofar of the ram of Yitzchak. For then, at the time of the Akeidah, the ram was sanctified in his place, and then its horn was sanctified as a shofar — so that Israel, the seed of Yitzchak, should merit to draw the innermost depths of the holy breaths and souls that are rooted in them from Yitzchak. They draw them and bring them out through the holy shofar, which encompasses all the breaths and voices, as it is brought in the holy Zohar: “The place from which all voices go forth is called shofar.” And through bringing forth the innermost depths of the soul — which are the aspect of holy breaths — from within the shofar, through this everyone returns in teshuvah. For these holy breaths are the aspect of holy souls that have the power to go and roll about and bring the entire world back in teshuvah — and this is what is needed on Rosh HaShanah. And as is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above, the great power of the holy breaths to bring the wicked back in teshuvah, as above. And this is the aspect of: t’kiah, sh’varim, t’ruah, t’kiah. T’kiah is the aspect of the striking of a hand [t’kias kaf] — the aspect of binding oneself to the true tzadikim, from whom one receives the souls and the holy breaths, as above. For all the souls of Israel need to receive the power of the holy breaths from the tzadikim of the generation, as above. And this is the aspect of t’kiah, from the language of “striking the hand” [t’kias kaf], which means binding together. As it is written: “All the nations, clap your hands” [kol ha’amim tik’u chaf] (Tehillim 47:2) — which Rashi explained as: “join together” — that is, they should intermingle and bind together to sound a blast to G–d, etc. Sh’varim — this is the aspect of a broken and crushed heart [laiv nishbar v’nidkeh] — the aspect of longing and powerful yearnings for Hashem, blessed be He, through which one’s heart is constantly broken because of the greatness of the yearnings and the longing with which one yearns with a powerful will for Hashem, blessed be He. And this is the aspect of t’ruah — an expression of love and longing for Hashem, blessed be He, as it is written: “He has not beheld iniquity in Yaakov, etc., and the t’ruas melech [the friendship/love of the King] is in him” (Bamidbar 23:21). And Rashi explained: an expression of affection and friendship — that is, the aspect of love and will, the aspect of love and longing for Hashem, blessed be He, in the aspect of: “For I am lovesick” [ki cholas ahavah ani] (Shir HaShirim 2:5), as is brought in the Torah teaching mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the final t’kiah — to go back and bind the entire world to the yearnings and the souls and the holy breaths, in order to bring them all back to good. In the aspect of: “And it shall be on that day, a great shofar shall be blown, and the lost shall come, etc., and the scattered,” etc. (Yeshayahu 27:13). For the first t’kiah is to bind ourselves to the true tzadikim, in order to receive from them the breaths and the holy souls, as above. And the final t’kiah is in order to bind to us also the entire world — that they should all receive these breaths and holy souls, so that they should all return to Hashem, blessed be He, through this, and accept the yoke of His sovereignty upon themselves — in the aspect of: “All the nations, clap your hands,” etc. And this is the aspect of Malchuyos, Zichronos, and Shofaros [Sovereignty, Remembrances, and Shofar Blasts] that we say in the prayer on Rosh HaShanah. For it is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above that one must express the holy yearnings with one’s mouth, so that the soul should come forth from potential to actual. And for this the order of the prayers was instituted — see there. And this is the aspect of Malchuyos, etc. — that we express the holy yearnings with our mouths. For Malchuyos is that we accept the yoke of His sovereignty upon ourselves, and we pray that His sovereignty should be revealed over the entire world — which is the essential holy yearnings: that one must constantly yearn and long to accept the yoke of His sovereignty upon oneself with love, and to express these yearnings with one’s mouth, as above. And then these breaths have the power to go and arouse the entire world to teshuvah — and this is the aspect of the blowing of the shofar, as above. And this is the aspect of Zichronos [Remembrances] — for then we pray that He should remember for us His covenant that He established with our fathers. And we mention all the verses that speak of this, as it is written: “And G–d heard their groaning, and G–d remembered His covenant with them,” etc. (Shemos 2:24). And it says: “And I will remember My covenant with Yaakov,” etc. (Vayikra 26:42). And we conclude: “And the Akeidah of Yitzchak for his seed, etc., may You remember. Blessed, etc., Who remembers the covenant.” That is, we now pray that He should draw upon us the merit of the guarding of the bris of our fathers, the tzadikim — in order that through this, the havalim [breaths] of the Sitra Achara, which are made from evil yearnings, should have no power to confuse the world, to cause sin, G–d forbid, through their evil vanities, in the aspect of: “There is a hevel,” etc., as above. For the merit of the tikun habris of our fathers will overpower and ascend before Him, blessed be He, until through this all the holy breaths of the holy yearnings of Israel will be sifted and elevated. And all the breaths of the Sitra Achara — of the evil yearnings — will be nullified before them as nothing and naught. And therefore the verses of Zichronos begin with the matter of Noach, as we say: “And also Noach, with love You remembered,” etc., as it is written: “And G–d remembered Noach, etc., and all that was with him in the teivah [ark]. And G–d caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided” (Beraishis 8:1). For Hashem, blessed be He, commanded Noach to enter the teivah, to be enclosed there from before the waters of the Mabul [Flood] — even though there was much deliverance and salvation before Him. But the matter is well explained according to the above: because the generation had corrupted their deeds greatly, and went after their desires and their evil yearnings, until the world was full of evil breaths [havalim ra’im] that are made from evil yearnings — until it was not possible for the world to endure. Therefore He brought upon them the waters of the Mabul. And then Noach had to enter the teivah and be enclosed there — so that he would not receive and absorb the evil breaths of the world, of the evil yearnings. For this was the essential aspect of the ruach ra’ah [evil spirit] that ruled over the world then — that is, an actual evil spirit made from evil yearnings. Because of this he had to be enclosed in the teivah, in order to hide himself from the evil breaths that are the evil spirit made from evil yearnings — through which was the essential destruction of the world at that time. And as is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above, that through evil yearnings, souls are made that are the aspect of vowel-points, and they give the letters an evil configuration, in the aspect of: “If he does not merit, it becomes a potion of death for him” [lo zachah na’asais lo sam maves] — G–d protect us. And through this they destroyed the world at that time. And Noach had to hide from them in the teivah so that the evil breaths should not have power over him, as above. And this is the matter of what is brought in the Zohar: that in a time of distress [b’idan ak’sa] one must hide. That is, as above — the essential root of all the troubles, G–d protect us, is drawn from evil souls that are made from evil yearnings, through which the letters of the Torah are given a configuration in the reverse direction, G–d forbid, as above. And therefore one must hide in a room, so as not to absorb from the evil breaths, which are the aspect of an evil spirit, G–d protect us. And as it is written: “Go, My people, enter your chambers and close your door behind you; hide for a brief moment until the fury passes” (Yeshayahu 26:20). For one must close oneself in one’s room until the fury and wrath passes — which is made from evil breaths, as above. And Hashem, blessed be He, in His mercy, then remembered Noach the tzaddik who was in the teivah — “and G–d caused a wind to pass over the earth.” And Rashi explained: a “wind of comfort” [ruach naicha], etc. That is, in His mercy He gave power so that the holy breaths of Noach and all who were with him in the teivah should overpower — and they are the aspect of a good spirit, a spirit of comfort. And through this, “the waters subsided” — and the waters of the Mabul were nullified, whose essential dominion was through the evil spirit of the evil yearnings, as above. And for this we pray — that also now He should have mercy upon us and remember all the holy breaths of Israel, of the good yearnings, and sift them from the breaths of the Sitra Achara, of the evil yearnings, so that they should have no power to rule over them, to confuse the world, G–d forbid. Especially since now we have something to rely upon, for we have already had great and awesome tzadikim who guarded the bris to the utmost. And we ask that He should remember for us their merit — and this is the matter of all the verses of Zichronos that we say afterward: that He should remember for us the covenant of our fathers. And we conclude with the Akeidah of Yitzchak, etc. For the Akeidah of Yitzchak is the essential aspect of good yearnings — that he sacrificed his soul with intense passion in truth, to do His will, blessed be He — from which is rooted the holy point in the heart of every one of Israel, to yearn and desire Hashem, blessed be He, with self-sacrifice, as above. And therefore we ask that He should remember all of this for us — so that the holy breaths should overpower through the power of the tzadikim who guarded the bris, and they should ascend before Him with favor, and they should have the power to bring the entire world back in teshuvah. And the evil breaths — which are the aspect of the waters of the Mabul — should have no power to rule over them, to confuse the world, G–d forbid. And this is the essential aspect of z’chirah [remembrance] — that we pray that He should remember for us the merit of our fathers and the Akeidah of Yitzchak, etc. That is, that the evil breaths should not confuse, G–d forbid. For certainly there is no forgetting before Him, blessed be He. But when, G–d forbid, the evil breaths overpower against the good breaths — this is the aspect of forgetting, which is the aspect of “clouds that cover over the eyes” [ananan dim’chas’yan al ainyin] — that is, the good is not recognizable, G–d forbid, because the evil covers over it, G–d forbid. But we come with the power of our fathers who guarded the bris to the utmost. And we remind Him, blessed be He, that even in the generation of the Mabul — when the entire generation was evil, and there was only Noach, a lone individual in the world, and there was not then the merit of holy tzadikim such as these — even so, Hashem, blessed be He, had mercy and remembered Noach, and caused the holy breaths to overpower the waters of the Mabul. And how much more so now, when Israel in general — the majority of them, virtually all of them — yearn very, very much for Hashem, blessed be He, with great yearnings and self-sacrifice. And we have already had holy tzadikim such as these, from the days of our fathers until now — through whose merit it is certainly fitting that all the evil breaths in the world should be nullified and become as nothing and naught, and the holy breaths of the good yearnings should overpower and strengthen, until they bring the entire world back in teshuvah. And this is the entire matter of Rosh HaShanah, which is the first of the Ten Days of Teshuvah, as above. And this is the aspect of Shofaros. For afterward we pray that the holy breaths should go forth and arouse also the entire world in teshuvah — and this is the aspect of the verses of Shofaros. For this is the essential aspect of the receiving of the Torah through the sound of the shofar. For Moshe Rabbainu, in the immensity of his power, drew the power of the holy breaths, which are the aspect of holy souls — through which the letters of the Torah were given a good configuration. And through this he merited to give the Torah then. For in truth, the Torah already existed even before that, for the Torah preceded the world. However, the letters of the Torah have no configuration and no effect except according to the vowel-points that are made through the yearnings, etc. — as is well explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above, see there. And therefore the Torah was not given until Moshe came. For then Israel was purified through the power of Moshe, until their holy yearnings overpowered and gave the letters of the Torah a good configuration. And therefore the Torah was given with the sound of the shofar, which is the aspect of the holy breaths, as above. And this is the aspect of: “And the sound of the shofar was very strong,” etc. (Shemos 19:16). “Very strong” specifically — that is, the sound of the shofar, which is the holy breaths, was going and getting very strong, in order to subdue and break all the breaths of the Sitra Achara, so that they should have no power to give the letters of the Torah a configuration in the reverse direction, G–d forbid, as above. And therefore after the verses of Shofaros we pray that He should gather all the scattered ones, as it is written: “And it shall be on that day, a great shofar shall be blown, and the lost shall come, and the scattered,” etc. (Yeshayahu 27:13). For this is the essential blessing of Shofaros — that the holy breaths of the shofar should overpower, and go and spread throughout the world, until they bring the entire world back in teshuvah, and all the scattered and the lost should be gathered, to bring them all back to holiness. And everything is through the power of the holy breaths, as above. And this is the aspect of what we ask for on Rosh HaShanah regarding life, as we say: “Remember us for life,” etc., “and write us in the Book of Life,” etc. And likewise many times. That is, we ask that we should merit to give the letters of the Torah a good configuration, through the souls that are made from good yearnings. And this is the aspect of: “If he merits, it becomes a potion of life for him” [zachah na’aseh lo sam chayim], as is explained there in the Torah teaching mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the three books that are opened on Rosh HaShanah: the completely righteous are written immediately for life; the wicked, etc.; and the intermediate ones are suspended until Yom HaKippurim — as our Sages of blessed memory said. That is, the tzadikim, who have good and holy yearnings, from which are made good souls and vowel-points, and the letters of the Torah are given a good configuration, in the aspect of: “If he merits, it becomes a potion of life for him” — therefore they are certainly written immediately for life. For they are automatically written for life, since they give the letters of the Torah a good configuration, in the aspect of a potion of life, as above. And likewise, in reverse: the wicked, who make evil souls and vowel-points from evil yearnings — therefore they are written immediately for death, since they give the letters of the Torah the reverse configuration, in the aspect of: “If he does not merit, it becomes a potion of death for him” [lo zachah na’aseh lo sam maves], as is explained there — see there well. The intermediate ones [bainonim] are suspended and standing until Yom Kippur. For the intermediate ones have both good and evil — sometimes holy souls are attached to them, which are good yearnings, and sometimes the reverse. Therefore they are suspended and standing until Yom Kippur — if they will return in teshuvah. That is, they must strive during all the Ten Days of Teshuvah to cause the good yearnings to overpower the evil yearnings. For this is the essential teshuvah: to cause the good to overpower the evil, until the holy souls overpower and give the letters a good configuration, in the aspect of a potion of life. And through this they too merit to be written and sealed in the Book of Life, as above. And therefore the final sealing [g’mar hachasimah] is on Yom HaKippurim. For then is the aspect of the receiving of the Torah. For on Yom HaKippurim the latter Tablets [Luchos Acharonos] were given, regarding which it was said “good” [tov]. For then the letters of the Torah were given a good configuration — and this is the essential aspect of receiving the Torah, as above. And therefore then is the forgiveness of sins. For the essential blemish of all the sins is that through the sins — which are done through evil desires and evil yearnings — one blemished the letters of the Torah and gave them the reverse configuration. But on Yom HaKippurim, which is the completion of the receiving of the Torah, then through teshuvah one merits to return and repair the blemish of the sins and give the letters of the Torah a good configuration. And therefore the intermediate ones are suspended and standing until Yom HaKippurim — for then they have the power to return and give the letters of the Torah a good configuration, as above. For the essential teshuvah is the aspect of good yearnings. For the essential teshuvah is the charatah [regret] — that one regrets the transgression, and “if only he had not done it” — and this is only will and good yearnings. And through this Hashem, blessed be He, forgives him. For the essential thing is the yearnings — through which one gives the letters of the Torah a good configuration, and through this everything is repaired. And this is the aspect of the sukkah that we make after Rosh HaShanah and Yom HaKippurim. For it is explained there in the Torah teaching mentioned above that one who is on the level of Avraham — that is, one who makes good souls through good yearnings — then all his eating is in the aspect of lechem hapanim [showbread], the aspect of “hot bread,” etc. And then all the stars and constellations and all the nations toil for the sake of his sustenance, in the aspect of: “Our bread they are; their shade has departed,” etc. [lachmainu hem, sar tzilam] — for the appearance of the sun is deeper than the shade, etc. See there, all of this explained well. And this is the aspect of the mitzvah of sukkah, which is the tzila kadisha [holy shade], the shade of emunah [tzila dim’haimnusa] — through which one subdues the aspect of the shade of the Sitra Achara, in the aspect of: “Our bread they are; their shade has departed.” And this one merits after Rosh HaShanah and Yom HaKippurim, when all our engagement was to draw into the world holy breaths — which are the aspect of holy souls that ascend from the breaths of the shofar and from all the voices and cries that Israel cry out on Rosh HaShanah, Yom HaKippurim, and the Ten Days of Teshuvah. Through this is the essential arousal of teshuvah during these days, as above. And therefore all the avodah of Yom HaKippurim is through the Kohen Gadol [High Priest], who is the aspect of the tzaddik of the generation, who is the aspect of the ultimate guarding of the bris in completeness. For the Kohen Gadol is commanded regarding the holiness of the bris more than all of Israel — for he is forbidden even to marry a widow (as is explained elsewhere). For the essential souls that are the aspect of good yearnings are drawn through the tzaddik who guards the bris, as is explained there. And this is the aspect of: “For the lips of the Kohen shall guard knowledge, and Torah they shall seek from his mouth” (Malachi 2:7). “If the teacher resembles an angel of Hashem Tz’vakos,” etc. For the teacher is called a Kohen, who is in the aspect of the holiness of the bris more than all of Israel, as it is written: “For they guarded Your word, and Your covenant they preserved” (Devarim 33:9). And the Kohen Gadol is more sanctified than all of them, and he is in the aspect of the teacher and the tzaddik of the generation, who is at the ultimate level of guarding the bris. And therefore all the avodah of Yom HaKippurim is valid only through him. For on Yom HaKippurim is the final sealing for life. And then one must complete the tikun that is made through good yearnings — which are the souls and holy breaths through which the letters of the Torah are given a good configuration, in the aspect of a potion of life. And this is the aspect of the Book of Life, in which we are written and sealed on Rosh HaShanah and Yom HaKippurim for life — which is accomplished through giving the letters of the Torah a configuration for life, through the breaths and souls made from the good yearnings of Israel that are aroused during these days, as above. Therefore on Yom HaKippurim the essential tikun is through the Kohen Gadol, who is in the aspect of the holiness of the bris. For the essential souls come forth through the tzaddik who is in the aspect of guarding the bris, as above. And this is what we say at the beginning of Yom HaKippurim: “Light is sown for the tzaddik” [or zarua latzaddik], etc. — which is the aspect of tikun habris, as is brought. For then one must draw the aspect of tikun habris from the true tzaddik — through which is the essential tikun that is completed on Yom HaKippurim through good souls, as above. And after Rosh HaShanah and Yom HaKippurim, when we merited the aspect of the level of Avraham, who was a “master of the soul” [ba’al nefesh], etc. — that is, to make good souls through good yearnings — therefore then we make the holy sukkah, which is the tzila kadisha [holy shade]. For the essential mitzvah of the sukkah is the eating within it, and all the other needs of a person. For then one merits that the eating and the sustenance should be in the aspect of lechem hapanim, as above — which one merits through the aspect of Avraham, through good yearnings, as above. In the aspect of: “hot bread” — “our bread they are; their shade has departed,” etc., as above. And this is the aspect of the sukkah, which is the holy shade, which subdues and nullifies the shade of the nations, in the aspect of: “Our bread they are; their shade has departed,” as above. For the sukkah is in the aspect of Avraham, the man of chesed, who merited the K’hunah, as it is written: “You are a Kohen forever” (Tehillim 110:4). For he is the aspect of Aharon HaKohen, the man of chesed, through whose merit were the Clouds of Glory [ananay hakavod] — which are the aspect of the sukkah, which is love and chesed. The aspect of longing and holy yearnings that we had during these awesome days — through which we merit this holy shade of the sukkah, which subdues the shade of the nations. And then the eating is in holiness, in the aspect of lechem hapanim, and then all the nations toil for the sake of our sustenance, etc. And for this reason we offer on Sukkos seventy bulls, corresponding to the seventy nations. For now we have a great peace with them, in the aspect of Sukkas Shalom [sukkah of peace]. For they all toil for the sake of our sustenance. For the holy breaths and souls overpowered so greatly, and drew such a great arousal of teshuvah into the world, that even to the nations some of this arousal reached — until it became known to them, in the place where they are, that the essential ones are Israel, and that the essential purpose of the nations is to toil for the sustenance of Israel. And therefore we offer sacrifices for their sake, for we need them so that they should toil for the sake of our sustenance. And this is the aspect of: “And strangers shall stand and tend your sheep, and foreigners shall be your farmers and your vineyard-workers. And you shall be called priests of Hashem” (Yeshayahu 61:5–6). “Priests of Hashem” specifically — the aspect of a Kohen, a man of chesed. Which is the aspect of Avraham, who was a master of the soul, which is made from chesed and love and longing. And this is the aspect of the sukkah — through which the nations toil for the sake of our sustenance, in the aspect of: “And strangers shall stand and tend your sheep,” etc., as above. And then we bring the sustenance from outside to inside, in the aspect of: “We have a well in the field; bring it into the city,” etc. [is lan beira b’dabra, ayaila leih l’masa] — see there at the end of the Torah teaching, well explained. And this is the aspect of the sukkah, through which the nations toil for the sake of our sustenance, as above. And then we bring the sustenance from outside to inside — all of which is the aspect of the sukkah. For the sukkah is in the aspect of an intermediate between outside and inside — that is, between a house and a field. For a house is completely enclosed by walls and roofed well. And in the field and outside there are no walls at all. And the sukkah is an intermediate between them. For this is the essential mitzvah of the sukkah: to leave one’s permanent dwelling and to sit in a temporary dwelling, which consists of the walls of the sukkah that are not roofed well, and the air from outside is drawn into it. It emerges that the sukkah is an intermediate between a house and outside. For this is the essential aspect of the sukkah: to bring the eating and the sustenance from outside to inside, into the house. And this is the aspect of: “And the Festival of Ingathering, at the going out of the year, when you gather in your works from the field” (Shemos 23:16). “When you gather in from the field” specifically — that is, when one needs to gather and bring in the sustenance and the eating from the field into the house, that is, from outside to inside — then one needs to make a sukkah, which is an intermediate between outside and inside. Through this mitzvah one brings in, also in the spiritual realm, all the abundance and the eating and the sustenance from outside to inside — that is, from the nations and the wicked to Israel, in the aspect of: “bring it into the city” — which is accomplished through the holy ropes, the aspect of: “uncoil the ropes for me,” etc. (as is explained there in the Torah teaching mentioned above). Which are the aspect of: “With human cords I will draw them, with bonds of love” (Hoshaia 11:4) — which are the aspect of the sukkah, which is the aspect of bonds of love and chesed between Israel and their Father in Heaven. For then is the essential joining and love — for the sukkah is the aspect of love and chesed, the aspect of the embrace of the right hand, as is known and as is brought in Rabbainu’s words of blessed memory in another place. And the essential mitzvah of the sukkah is the s’chach [the roof-covering] — that is, not to cover the walls with a complete roof like a house, but rather to make a covering and s’chach that is made for shade, in which there are gaps and openings of air. That is, through this we show what we accomplished on Rosh HaShanah and Yom HaKippurim — to cause the holy breaths to overpower so greatly that they arouse the entire world in teshuvah, in the aspect of: “There is a hevel,” etc. Now we need specifically to go out from the house that is well covered, to the sukkah that has many gaps in the s’chach — in order to absorb through there from the holy airs and breaths of the good yearnings that were drawn through the shofar blasts and through the multitude of prayers and cries during these awesome days. For during all the year, the essential dwelling of a person should be specifically in his house — in order to hide and conceal himself from the vanities [havalim] of this world that spread through the air, the majority of which are the vanity of the works of delusion, of the pursuit of this world. But now, during these awesome days, the holy breaths of Israel have overpowered so greatly that we need specifically to go out from there to the sukkah — which is made for shade and is not well covered, but has many gaps in the s’chach. For we now need specifically to absorb from the holy breaths and airs that are drawn through the s’chach. For through there, only holy breaths of the shofar blasts and the prayers of Israel are drawn — which are overpowering during these days, as above. For the sukkah is the aspect of: ima dim’sach’cha al b’nin [the Mother who shelters over Her children] — that is, the Sh’chinah shelters and protects us from the vanities of this world, which are evil breaths and evil yearnings, so that they should have no power over us at all. Rather, only holy breaths of the shofar blasts and prayers of Israel should be drawn upon us through the openings of the s’chach, as above. And this is the four species [arba’ah minim] that we take on Sukkos. Through them we repair the aspect of the four who entered the Pardais [Orchard] — which is brought in the Torah teaching mentioned above. See there, that these four aspects are found in every generation — those who want to approach holiness and draw close to the tzadikim of the generation — in whom there are four aspects; see there. And they are called “those who entered the Pardais,” in which grow types of trees [ilanot]. Therefore, through these four species, which are types of trees that are grasped in His Holy Name, blessed be He — through this one raises and repairs these four aspects. For these four who entered the Pardais are: Rabbi Akiva, who entered in peace and departed in peace; Ben Azai and Ben Zoma — one peeked and was stricken, one peeked and died; and Acher, who chopped the plantings. And this is the aspect of the four species, which correspond to the four groups in Israel, as is brought: the esrog has both taste and fragrance, corresponding to those who have both Torah and mitzvos, who have complete perfection — which is the aspect of Rabbi Akiva, who merited completeness and entered in peace, etc. And the lulav and the hadasim — one has taste but not fragrance, and one has fragrance but not taste — this is the aspect of Ben Azai and Ben Zoma, who were not at the ultimate completeness, even though they were great tzadikim; therefore one peeked and was stricken, and one peeked and died. And Acher, who chopped the plantings — this is the aspect of the sinners of Israel, the aspect of the arvay nachal [willows of the brook], which have neither fragrance nor taste. And we join all these four species together with the esrog, and through this they are all included and bound together — in order to bring them all back to holiness. Through the overpowering of the holy breaths, which are holy souls — through which good vowel-points are drawn to the letters, and the letters are given a good configuration, etc. All of this is the aspect of the tikun of the four who entered the Pardais. For the essential blemish of those who did not depart in peace was because they did not give the letters a proper good configuration through holy souls (see there well in the Torah teaching mentioned above, for it is impossible to repeat every time his holy words, of blessed memory). And therefore now, after Rosh HaShanah and Yom HaKippurim, when the holy breaths and souls overpower — which are the aspect of holy vowel-points to give the letters of the Torah a good configuration — through this all the four aspects mentioned above are repaired, which are the aspect of the four who entered the Pardais. And this is the aspect of the four species that we take now on Sukkos, as above. And this is the aspect of the na’anu’im [wavings/shakings] that we wave with the four species to all four directions of the world, and upward and downward. For the essential wavings are in the air — that is, through the holy wavings in all these directions, we draw upon ourselves the holy breaths and airs, which are the holy souls, in order to give the letters of the Torah a good configuration — in order to repair all the groups in Israel, which are the aspect of the four who entered the Pardais, which are the aspect of the four species, as above. For we wave the air with the four species, and drive out all the evil airs and breaths, and draw only holy breaths and airs, which are holy souls and vowel-points that are made on Rosh HaShanah and Yom HaKippurim from the prayers and the shofar blasts, as above. And therefore the custom according to the Arizal is to perform the wavings in the sukkah. For there, in the sukkah, the holy air rules through the openings of the s’chach, and there we draw upon ourselves this holy air through the wavings, as above. And we wave during “Hodu LaHashem” [Give thanks to Hashem], at the beginning and at the end. For the essential tikun is through the aspect of chesed — which is the aspect of the chesed that is revealed at the opening of the milah [puma d’amah], which is the aspect of love and longing and good yearnings. And this is the aspect of the great abundance of chasadim that are drawn during these days, as is brought in the kavanos [mystical intentions] of the Arizal — that is, chesed and love and longing and good yearnings for Hashem, blessed be He. Through which are all the tikunim that are accomplished during these days — for they are the aspect of good souls and vowel-points that give the letters of the Torah a good configuration, to perform good actions in the world. And through this everything is repaired and completed, as above. And all of this we need during these days, before Sh’mini Atzeres, which is Simchas Torah — when we conclude and begin the Torah. That is, because now are the days when we need to complete the Torah that we have been reading throughout the entire year, and to return to the beginning. Therefore we engage in all the tikunim mentioned above — through which we give the letters of the Torah a good configuration, in the aspect of the potion of life [sam hachayim] — so that all the Torah that we engaged in throughout the entire year should be configured and combined for good. And likewise, we should merit to begin the Torah anew, to read it through good vowel-points, so that the Torah should from now on be configured and combined always only for good and for life and for peace. Through which the entire world will be repaired. For the entire world and its fullness is directed and sustained through the Torah, and according to the configuration with which we configure and combine the letters of the Torah through the yearnings — so is the world directed, for good or, G–d forbid, the reverse. Therefore Hashem, blessed be He, had mercy upon us in His great mercy, and granted us — through His holy sages who arranged for us to conclude and begin the Torah on the day of the completion of the tikun of Rosh HaShanah and Yom HaKippurim, which is Sh’mini Atzeres and Simchas Torah — so that through the holy breaths of Rosh HaShanah and Yom HaKippurim, which are holy souls from which are made holy vowel-points, the entire Torah should be configured and combined for good. Both all that we read throughout the entire year, which we are now concluding, and that which we are going to read in the entire coming year, which we are now beginning — everything should be configured and combined for good and for life, through the holy breaths of these awesome days, during which Israel overpowers with abundant holy breaths, etc., as above. And therefore it is called Sh’mini Atzeres — a language of gathering and collecting [k’nisah va’asifah]. For then we gather and collect all the letters of the Torah to configure them for good, through the good souls and vowel-points that were made on Rosh HaShanah and Yom HaKippurim, as above. For before good vowel-points are drawn, the letters have no connection or joining. Only through good vowel-points — through this they pair and join and are gathered to perform good actions. Therefore it is called Atzeres, a language of gathering and collecting. For the four species are the aspect of the four letters of the Name [Hashem] — which are the aspect of ta’amim, n’kudos, tagin, osiyos [cantillation notes, vowel-points, crowns, letters] — through which one draws good vowel-points to the letters, through the holy breaths, as above. For the essential tikun is drawn from the root of the letters and the vowel-points, which are the four letters of the Name — where is the root of all the ta’amim, n’kudos, tagin, and osiyos. And through the holy four species, which are grasped there, we draw upon ourselves the tikun from there during these days, through the power of the holy breaths, from which are made holy vowel-points to give the letters of the Torah a good configuration, as above. For when the letters pair and join together through good yearnings, from which are made good vowel-points for the letters, as above — then all the four aspects of ta’amim, n’kudos, tagin, and osiyos are included together. And this is the aspect of the four species — through which is the completeness of the tikun of all the worlds, as is known, and as above. And behold, all our words here are built upon the Torah teaching “Is lan beira b’dabra” [“We have a well in the field”] in siman 31. And it is explained there at the end that this Torah teaching was said on the verse: “Vayaseiv Elokim” [“And G–d led the people around”] — “hasibah is nothing but a feast [s’udah],” etc. See there. However, we did not merit to receive from him the complete explanation of the verse according to this Torah teaching. And what appears to my humble understanding regarding this is: “Vayaseiv Elokim” is the aspect of a feast, as above — that is, the aspect of the eating and the sustenance that one must bring from outside to inside, as above. And this is accomplished through: “the way of the wilderness, the Yam Suf” [derech hamidbar Yam Suf] — “and armed” [vachamushim], etc. “The wilderness” [hamidbar] — this is the aspect of emunah, which depends on speech [dibbur]. For one must speak the holy emunah with a full mouth, as Rabbainu of blessed memory wrote: “The emunah depends on the mouth of a person,” etc. And this is the aspect of “Yam Suf” [the Sea of Reeds/End]. For emunah, the aspect of speech, the aspect of malchus, is the aspect of a sea [yam] into which all the streams flow, as is known. And this is the aspect of “suf” [end] — for it is the aspect of the end and the completeness of all the attributes and of the entire creation, as is brought there in the Torah teaching mentioned above, in the aspect of: “Chavakuk came and stood them all upon emunah,” etc. “And armed” [vachamushim], etc. — and Rashi explained: “with weapons” [m’zuyanim]. This is the aspect of tikun habris, which is the essential weapon — in the aspect of: “Gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one” (Tehillim 45:4), etc. That is, through tikun habris, through which one merits emunah, the aspect of Shabbos — through this one merits to bring the sustenance inside, to Israel. And this is the aspect of: “Vayaseiv Elokim es ha’am,” as above. Also, “hamidbar Yam Suf” hints at the good souls that are made from good yearnings, whose essential emergence into actuality is through speech [dibbur], as is explained there. And this is also the aspect of “Yam Suf” — for they are the aspect of the end [sof] and the completeness of all things. For they give the letters of the Torah a good configuration, through which all things are completed and finished for good. And in truth it is all one. For the tikun of emunah and the tikun of these good vowel-points that are made from the souls and good yearnings — it is all one. For the more a person has emunah, he certainly yearns and longs all the more with good yearnings. For he knows that there is no purpose in the world except to do His will, blessed be He — only that he has many obstacles and hindrances to this. Therefore he certainly yearns and desires and longs at every moment: “When will I merit to reach this, to be truly as He wills, blessed be He?” And for this reason, emunah is the completeness of all things. And the entire Torah and all the blessings and all the abundance — nothing is completed except through emunah, as is explained there at the beginning of the Torah teaching mentioned above. For through emunah, which is drawn through the power of the tzaddik, through tikun habris — through this, many souls are made through good yearnings, which are the aspect of good vowel-points that give the letters of the Torah a good configuration, that they should make and accomplish good actions in the world, as above. And this is the essential tikun and completeness of the Torah and of all things in the world that are directed and sustained through it. It emerges that the tikun of good yearnings and the tikun of emunah — it is all one. For they complete and repair everything through giving the letters of the Torah a good configuration, as above. And with this, the Torah teaching mentioned above is well connected and joined — see there. And this is why “And they traveled from Sukkos” [vayis’u miSukkos] (Shemos 13:20) is placed right after the verse “Vayaseiv Elokim.” For “vayis’u miSukkos” hints at the mitzvah of the holy sukkah, which Israel merited immediately upon their departure from Egypt — when He surrounded and encompassed them with Clouds of Glory, which are the aspect of the sukkah, etc. As it is written there immediately in the parashah: “And Hashem went before them by day in a pillar of cloud,” etc. (Shemos 13:21). And all of this is placed next to “Vayaseiv Elokim,” which is the aspect of eating and sustenance — bringing the sustenance from outside to inside. For this one merits through the mitzvah of sukkah — through which one brings the sustenance from outside to inside, as above. And this is the aspect of the law of the socheir [renter/hirer] — as is written there, that he is liable for theft and loss and exempt from unavoidable circumstances. For the essential guarding from the damaging forces of the world [mazikay alma] is through the true tzaddik, who is the aspect of the “master of the soul” [ba’al nefesh], from whom are drawn all the holy yearnings, which are the aspect of good breaths and souls that give the letters of the Torah a good configuration. And this is the aspect of the Shir Shel P’ga’im [the Song Against Harmful Spirits] that is said there (Tehillim 91): “A thousand shall fall at your side, etc.; it shall not approach you. No evil shall befall you, etc. Upon the lion and the viper you shall tread; you shall trample the young lion and the serpent. For he desires Me, and I will deliver him” [ki vi chashak va’afal’taihu]. “For he desires Me” specifically. For the psalm explains through what one is saved from all the harmful forces and merits to tread upon all the k’lipos and the damaging forces of the world, in the aspect of: “upon the lion and the viper you shall tread.” All this one merits because of: “For he desires Me [ki vi chashak],” etc. For through the greatness of the desire and the holy yearnings with which he desires Him, blessed be He — through this: “I will deliver him.” For all the damaging forces of the world — their essential nourishment is from evil yearnings and evil breaths, which are evil souls. And they themselves are the damaging forces, G–d protect us. For they cause damage in the physical and the spiritual realms, in the aspect of: “There is a hevel that is done.” For these breaths are the aspect of souls that go and arouse toward evil, G–d forbid — from which come all the damages, G–d protect us. And therefore the essential subduing and nullifying of them is through the tzadikim and the k’shairim [upright people] who have good yearnings, which are good souls that arouse the world toward good — and they subdue and nullify all the damaging forces of the world, in the aspect of: “Upon the lion and the viper you shall tread,” etc., “for he desires Me, and I will deliver him,” as above. And therefore the tzaddik is called a tzofeh [watchman] and a shomer [guardian], as it is written: “I have appointed you as a watchman” [tzofeh n’satticha] (Yechezkel 3:17). And Rashi explained: a guardian [shomer]. For the essential guarding is through him — because through him one merits the holy yearnings, through which is the essential guarding, as above. And if everyone would merit this in completeness — the aspect of the tzaddik, which is the aspect of bris ila’ah [the upper covenant], the aspect of guarding the bris in completeness — they certainly would not need any guarding in the physical realm. For all the damaging forces of the world would be nullified through the good yearnings and good souls that are drawn through the tzaddik, as above. However, the essential reason that guarding is also needed in the physical realm — this is drawn from the aspect of the thirty-nine melachos [categories of labor] that are drawn from the aspect of bris tata’ah [the lower covenant], which is the aspect of na’ar [a youth/servant], the aspect of an eved [servant]. From which come all the labors and the toils of the affairs of this world — which are all included in the thirty-nine melachos. And from there is drawn the need for guarding also in the physical realm. For the essential thirty-nine melachos are drawn from the sin of Adam HaRishon, who ate from the Aitz HaDa’as Tov vaRa [the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil]. For then it was decreed: “By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread,” etc. (Beraishis 3:19) — which are the thirty-nine melachos, as is known. And the essential blemish of the Aitz HaDa’as Tov vaRa was the aspect of the blemish of those who entered the Pardais and did not depart in peace like Rabbi Akiva, as is understood in the Tikunim [Tikunay Zohar]. And the essential blemish of those ones was because they did not give the letters of the Torah a good configuration through good yearnings, and they did not include the aspect of the lamdan [the scholar] and the tzaddik together. Rather, they made a separation between the aspect of lamdan and the aspect of tzaddik — and this is the aspect of “chopping the plantings” [m’katzeitz ban’ti’os], as is well understood in the Torah teaching mentioned above — see there well. And this is the aspect of the blemish of the scholars who dispute the tzadikim, who say that the essential thing is only the study itself, and there is no need to draw close to tzadikim to repair one’s deeds at all. And in the end, neither this nor that remained in their hands. For afterward they cast even the study of Torah behind their backs — as is common, due to our many sins, with many people who in the days of their youth engaged in Torah somewhat, and afterward cast off the yoke of Torah entirely, and also corrupted their deeds more than the unlearned people. And all this is because they did not pay attention to repairing their deeds at all, and did not endeavor to draw close to true tzadikim. And they said that the essential thing is the study. And in the end, neither this nor that was maintained in their hands. For in truth, the essential tikun of the study of Torah is through the aspect of the tzaddik. And one who separates the aspect of lamdan from the aspect of tzaddik — he is the aspect of Acher who chopped the plantings. For the purpose of Torah is teshuvah and good deeds, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “One should not read and study and then kick against his father and his teacher,” etc. For the aspect of the lamdan is in the aspect of bris tata’ah, the aspect of a servant — which is beneath bris ila’ah, which is the aspect of a free man [ben chorin], the aspect of Avraham. And when the lamdan is subordinate to the tzaddik, then he merits to give the letters of the Torah a good configuration, through the power of the tzaddik who is the teacher who resembles an angel of Hashem Tz’vakos — before whom the letters of the Torah seek to be configured, etc., as is explained there. But when he is not subordinate to him — all the more so when he, G–d forbid, disputes him — then: “he did not merit, and it became a potion of death for him.” For he gives the letters of the Torah the reverse configuration, G–d forbid. The general principle is that the essential tikun of all the worlds is through the true tzadikim, who are at the ultimate level of guarding the bris in truth and in completeness. For he specifically merits to give the letters of the Torah a good configuration, that they should make and accomplish good actions in the world, to repair everything. And even one who does not merit this, to reach the aspect of the tzaddik in completeness — even so, if he humbles himself at least beneath the tzaddik as a servant beneath his master, then all his Torah and his study and all his deeds receive tikun through the tzaddik, who gives everything a good configuration. And then it is said of him also: “He merited, and it became a potion of life for him” — through the power of the tzaddik. But conversely, if he does not humble himself, G–d forbid, beneath the tzaddik — all the more so when he disputes him, G–d forbid — then it is said of him: “He did not merit,” etc. For he separates the aspect of lamdan from the aspect of tzaddik — and this is the aspect of “chopping the plantings,” from which is the essential side of death. For this is the aspect of the blemish of the Aitz HaDa’as Tov vaRa, as above — when it was decreed: “For on the day you eat of it,” etc., as above. נְנַח נַחְמָא נַחְמָן מֵאומָן For the essential completeness of every person is specifically when he merits both aspects of the bris that are mentioned in the Torah teaching above — which are the aspect of bris ila'ah [the upper covenant] and bris tata'ah [the lower covenant], which are the aspects of lamdan [scholar] and tzaddik — the aspect of "an angel of Hashem Tz'vakos." And one who merits these two aspects — fortunate is he! However, because the majority of the world does not merit the aspect of bris ila'ah, which is the aspect of guarding the bris at the ultimate level of completeness — therefore the essential tikun is through drawing close to the true tzaddik who has merited this in completeness, as above. For the majority of the world — even the upright ones — are only in the aspect of bris tata'ah, which is the aspect of the lamdan, the aspect of guarding the laws of what is forbidden and permitted. And this is the aspect of the six weekdays, which are the aspect of a servant — the aspect of: "Six days you shall labor" (Shemos 20:9) — for during them the mundane activities [uvdin d'chol] rule, which are the thirty-nine melachos. And one must sift them from the blemish of the Aitz HaDa'as Tov vaRa, through the aspect of the six orders of the Mishnah — which are the aspect of kosher and invalid, pure and impure, etc., which correspond to the six days of action, where the essential sifting takes place, as is known. But the essential completeness and tikun of the sifting is through Shabbos, which is the aspect of the true tzaddik, who is the aspect of bris ila'ah, who gives everything a good configuration, as above. And all the commerce and the business dealings and the labors — all of them are in the aspect of the six weekdays, which are in the aspect of the six orders of the Mishnah, which is the aspect of the lamdan, where sifting is needed through the thirty-nine melachos — when one merits to do them in holiness, in the aspect of the thirty-nine labors of the Mishkan [Tabernacle]. For one who merits the guarding of the bris in completeness — who is the aspect of the true tzaddik — he does not need any toil or labor at all. For his work is done through others, like the chasidim harishonim [the early pious ones] and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, whose work was blessed because their Torah was their craft [umanusam]. "Their craft" specifically — that is, the craftsmanship of all the labors, which is what is needed to complete all things that are lacking repair, to complete them through craftsmanship, as above — this was accomplished by them automatically through their engagement in Torah, which they engaged in with holiness day and night. For they always merited to give the letters of the Torah a good configuration — through which everything was repaired automatically, as before the sin of Adam HaRishon, when we did not need to complete all things through the thirty-nine melachos. Rather, everything was completed through prayer alone, as is understood from the words of our Sages of blessed memory. But one who does not merit the aspect of the tzaddik in completeness — even though he is an upright man — he is in the aspect of bris tata'ah. And then he needs some engagement in commerce or labor, in order to sift the matter from the blemish of the hold of the Aitz HaDa'as Tov vaRa. But he must conduct his business in holiness and purity, according to the Torah — in order to merit to sift it. And the essential thing is that he must bind himself to the true tzaddik, who is the aspect of Shabbos, from whom comes the essential ultimate completeness of the sifting. And each person — according to his closeness to the tzaddik, so does he remove from himself the yoke of the labors. For he merits to complete the sifting through the power of the tzaddik, as above. But in any case, even if he is compelled to engage in some business and labor, the essential tikun is through the tzaddik who is the aspect of Shabbos — that he should intend in his thought that he does the business in order to be able to support the tzaddik, and in order to be able to receive Shabbos with honor. And then his business is in holiness, and he merits to sift and repair through his business great tikunim. And this is the aspect of the guarding of the shomrim [guardians]. For there, physical guarding is also needed. For in the aspect of the six weekdays, where one needs the engagement of the thirty-nine melachos to sift through them, as above — there, physical guarding is needed, to guard from the damaging forces of the world that draw nourishment from the blemish of the Aitz HaDa'as. For in a place where one needs to do some business and labor, there physical guarding is also needed. But even when one guards physically, the essential power of the guarding is drawn through the tzaddik, who is the aspect of Shabbos — from whom come the holy yearnings, from which is the essential guarding, as above. And there are two types of guarding: guarding from theft and loss, and guarding from unavoidable circumstances [onsin]. And they are drawn from the aspect of the guarding of bris ila'ah and the guarding of bris tata'ah. For theft and loss come through a blemish of the da'as [awareness/knowledge]. For the thief comes in the nighttime, at a time when the da'as withdraws. And likewise, loss comes through hesach hada'as [a lapse of awareness]. And therefore their tikun is through the aspect of the guarding of bris tata'ah, which is the aspect of the lamdan in the Torah, which is the da'as — through which one completes the da'as, and one is saved and guarded from theft and loss (and even this one needs to receive from the power of the tzaddik, for a lamdan without a tzaddik is nothing, as above). But to guard from unavoidable circumstances [onsin] is impossible except through the aspect of the guarding of bris ila'ah, which is the aspect of guarding the bris in completeness. For he subdues and nullifies the sitra d'mosa [the side of death], the aspect of: "and it died or was broken." And he is also able to stand against all the robbers and murderers who come openly to take by force. For he is a mighty one who conquers his inclination — who kills and subdues through his might all the damaging forces and robbers that want to damage and corrupt, G-d forbid, in the aspect of: "Upon the lion and the viper you shall tread." And as it is written regarding David: "Also the lion and the bear did your servant smite," etc. (Shmuel I 17:36). And this is the aspect of the different laws between the four guardians — that whoever has more benefit from the object is more liable in the responsibility of the guarding. For a shomer chinam [unpaid guardian] is exempt from all; a sho'ail [borrower] is liable for all, even for unavoidable circumstances; and the shomer sachar [paid guardian] and the socheir [renter] are liable for theft and loss and exempt from unavoidable circumstances. For each person — according to the benefit he has from some thing, so is he obligated to sift the benefit, which is the aspect of yearnings [kisufin]. For to every thing of benefit, a person yearns and desires. But he needs to sift the yearnings and the desire of all the benefits in every thing — to sift them from the yearnings and vanities of this lowly world, to sift them and raise them to their root in holy yearnings. That is, he should not desire and yearn for any thing of benefit except for the sake of Hashem, blessed be He. And one who merits this in completeness is certainly guarded from every evil thing, in the aspect of: "Upon the lion and the viper you shall tread; for he desires Me," as above. And therefore the sho'ail, for whom all the benefit is his, is liable for all — even for unavoidable circumstances. For from unavoidable circumstances it is impossible to guard through any guarding or effort, for who can guard from death and breakage, etc.? And regarding this it is said: "If Hashem does not guard the city, the watchman watches in vain" (Tehillim 127:1). For from unavoidable circumstances it is impossible to guard except through Hashem, blessed be He, Himself — Who guards His people Israel through the merit and power of the true tzaddik, who has no yearnings and benefit from this world, but rather raises all the yearnings and benefits to Hashem, blessed be He, as above. And he can guard even from unavoidable circumstances. And therefore the sho'ail, for whom all the benefit is his, is liable even for unavoidable circumstances — for he is obligated to draw the guarding from the true tzaddik who raises all the benefits and yearnings to Hashem, blessed be He, from where comes the essential guarding even from unavoidable circumstances. For upon the sho'ail falls the obligation of this responsibility of guarding, since all the benefit is his, as above. But the shomer sachar and the socheir are not liable except for theft and loss, and are exempt from unavoidable circumstances. For they do not have all the benefit for themselves, and the guarding that is drawn from the sifting of the benefits and the yearnings does not fall upon them. Rather, their obligation of guarding is in the aspect of the sifting of bris tata'ah, which is the aspect of the six days of action — which is the aspect of the sifting that is done through all the business dealings and the labors, which is the sifting done through the aspect of the study of the Torah. Through which one can only guard from theft and loss, which come through a lapse of awareness — but not from unavoidable circumstances, as above. For all the commerce and business dealings and labors are only in the aspect of this sifting, where human effort and guarding are effective. And therefore one whose Torah is not his craft [ain toraso umanuso] must engage in some activity such as commerce or labor, as our Sages of blessed memory said on the verse: "And He will bless you in all that you do" (Devarim 15:18). For through the activity and the business one sifts the sifting that is done through the da'as that is drawn from the aspect of bris tata'ah, which is the aspect of the lamdan, the aspect of Metat[ron], etc., as above. But the effort alone certainly does not help at all. And as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Neither poverty comes from a trade nor wealth," etc. And as it is written: "For not from the east or from the west, etc., for G-d is the Judge; He lowers this one and raises that one" (Tehillim 75:7-8). And it is written: "And the wealth and the honor are from before You" (Divrai HaYamim I 29:12). For the essential completeness of all the blessings and all the abundance is only through the completeness of emunah that is drawn through the tzaddik, who is in the aspect of bris ila'ah, in whom the aspect of bris tata'ah, the aspect of Metat[ron], is included, as above. And therefore the shomer sachar, who obligates himself to guard for the wages he receives, does not take upon himself anything other than the guarding that is drawn from the aspect of the sifting done through human effort in some business and labor — which is the aspect of the sifting of the six days of action, the aspect of the six orders of the Mishnah, etc. Through which one can only guard from theft and loss, which come through a lapse of awareness, as above. And therefore the uman [craftsman] has the law of a shomer sachar. For even though the craftsman does not receive any wages for the guarding, nevertheless, since he took upon himself the craftsmanship and the labor of this thing, to make it and repair it — therefore the sifting mentioned above falls upon him, which is done through the aspect of the lamdan, the aspect of bris tata'ah, from which comes the aspect of the sifting of all the business dealings and labors, from which is drawn the guarding from theft and loss. And therefore his law is like a shomer sachar, who is liable for theft and loss, as above. And likewise the socheir, who rented the thing for his labor — even though he pays wages for the labor he does with this thing, nevertheless, since he does labor with this thing and repairs something through it — therefore the obligation of guarding of the shomer sachar falls upon him, which is the responsibility for theft and loss. For since he does labor with this thing, he needs to sift it in the aspect of the sifting done through all the business dealings and labors, which is the sifting done through the da'as drawn from the study of the Torah — through which one is guarded from theft and loss that come through a lapse of awareness, as above. But from unavoidable circumstances all of them are exempt, since they do not have all the benefit for themselves. The obligation of the responsibility that is drawn from the sifting of the benefits and the yearnings — which is the responsibility for unavoidable circumstances — does not fall upon them, as above. And therefore neither the socheir, nor the shomer sachar, nor the craftsman are liable for it — only the sho'ail, for whom all the benefit is his, as above. But the shomer chinam is exempt from all. For since he has no commerce or business with the owner, and does not receive any wages from him — therefore no sifting falls upon him at all. He is only obligated to guard, but all types of responsibility that depend on some sifting do not fall upon him at all. Therefore he is exempt from all, even from the responsibility of theft and loss. For the essential obligation of the responsibility of guarding upon the guardians is according to the sifting that falls upon them, as above. The general principle that emerges for practice is that a person must guard himself very, very much from evil yearnings, and accustom his thought always to yearn and desire only good yearnings — that he should constantly long and desire and yearn to draw close to Hashem, blessed be He, and to His Torah and His service. And even when thoughts and fantasies of desires and yearnings for the vanities of the world come upon him, he should accustom himself to seize his thought, to divert it from these yearnings, and to draw it toward good yearnings, which are the essential good in truth, forever and for all eternity. For the thought is in a person's hand, to direct it to wherever he wishes. And even more, he needs to guard the dibbur [speech], for there is the essential emergence of the soul from potential to actual, for good or, G-d forbid, the reverse. Therefore he must guard himself very, very much never to speak any evil speech, G-d forbid. That at the very least he should not express from his mouth the desires and the yearnings for the vanities of this world that come upon his heart. Rather, he should reverse the matter and express with his mouth good yearnings. For through speech of good yearnings, good souls emerge from potential to actual, and give the letters of the Torah a good configuration, to perform good actions and to draw all the blessings and abundance into the world. And these good souls go throughout the world and arouse the entire world toward Hashem, blessed be He, and toward His Torah. And the reverse is the reverse, G-d forbid, as above. And this is what Dovid HaMelech, peace be upon him, said: "You have tested my heart, You have visited me at night, You have refined me — You shall not find; my thoughts shall not pass through my mouth" [bachanta libi, pakad'ta lailah, tz'raftani bal timtza, zamosi bal ya'avor pi] (Tehillim 17:3). That is, Dovid HaMelech, peace be upon him, confesses on behalf of all of Israel and says: In truth, I know that I did not stand the test when You tested me, etc. — for "You refined me and did not find." And therefore from then on I guard myself: when thoughts and designs of desires and yearnings for this world come upon me, at the very least I will not express them from my mouth, G-d forbid. And this is: "My thoughts shall not pass through my mouth" [zamosi bal ya'avor pi] — that is, when evil thoughts and designs come upon me, I guard myself greatly: "they shall not pass through my mouth" — that they should not pass and come forth from my mouth, G-d forbid, so as not to bring the evil souls from potential to actual, G-d forbid, as above. Rather, I accustom myself to speak always holy words of good yearnings, to call always to You, that You should return me to You in truth. Through this, good souls emerge, which give the letters of the Torah a good configuration — through which all the actions and deeds are completed for good. For the letters of the Torah are active forces, and according to how one configures them through the yearnings that one expresses with the mouth, so do they act in the world, as is well explained there in the Torah teaching mentioned above. And this is: "For the actions of man, by the word of Your lips" [lif'ulos adam bidvar s'fasecha] (Tehillim 17:4). That all the "actions of man" — that is, all the actions and deeds that a person needs to do and accomplish in this world — I am now guarding that they should be "by the word of Your lips," which are holy words. That is, I will speak only holy words that are "the word of Your lips" — so that through this, all the "actions of man" should be completed for good. For the actions of man are made according to how one configures the letters of the Torah through his words, as above. And through this: "I have guarded the paths of the violent one" [shamarti orchos paritz] (Tehillim 17:4). For speech has great power, and through guarding myself from speaking words of desires and evil yearnings, and instead accustoming my tongue to speak always words of good yearnings, as above — through this, "I have guarded the paths of the violent one" — I merited to be guarded and saved from "the paths of the violent one," which are evil ways, G-d protect us. Rather: "Support my footsteps in Your paths, etc., that my feet should not stumble" (Tehillim 17:5) — for through the good words, "support my footsteps in Your paths, that my feet should not stumble" — for they support and sustain me to walk in Your paths, and my feet should not stumble from them. Even though they wanted to push me from them, as they wanted, G-d protect us — but Hashem, blessed be He, helped me through the power of the good words, to "support my footsteps in Your paths, that my feet should not stumble," as above. And this is what he concludes: "I have called upon You, for You will answer me, O G-d" [ani k'rasicha ki sa'anaini Kel] (Tehillim 17:6). For I stood at my watch and called upon You always, that You should grant me to walk in Your ways. And You answered me always, and through this I merited that You support my footsteps in Your paths, etc. For all of this is the matter of hisbodedus [secluded prayer] and the conversation between a person and his Maker, in which one must accustom himself greatly. That is, he should accustom himself to always yearn and desire good yearnings: "When will I merit to depart from evil and to do what is good in Your eyes, blessed be He, always?" etc. And to express the yearnings with his mouth every day — and through this he will merit to be saved from "the paths of the violent one." Rather, Hashem, blessed be He, will support his footsteps in His paths, etc., as above. נְנַח נַחְמָא נַחְמָן מֵאומָן And this is the laws of chachirus v'kablanus [leasing and contracting] — that we attribute the damage of the field more to the lessee [chocheir] than to the owner of the field, as is explained in the Shulchan Aruch, siman 322, paragraph 1, and this is its language: "If it was blighted — if this happened to most of the fields of that city, he deducts from his lease, all according to the loss that befell him. And if the plague did not spread to most of the fields, he does not deduct from his lease, even though all the fields of the landowner were blighted. If all the fields of the renter or the lessee were blighted, even though the plague spread to most of the fields, he does not deduct from his lease, for this loss depends only on the renter." End quote from the Shulchan Aruch. It emerges that generally we attribute the damage of the field to the renter and the lessee, unless there is a makas m'dinah [a regional plague] — that is, that this happened to most of the fields of that city, as above. But without this, we always attribute the damage to the lessee, and he does not deduct from his lease. Even though all the fields of the landowner were blighted, we do not attribute the damage to the landowner. And conversely, if all the fields of the lessee were blighted, we attribute the damage to him, even though the plague spread to most of the fields, and he does not deduct from his lease, as above. For it is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above, on "Is lan beira b'dabra ayaila leih l'masa" — that one must bring the sustenance from outside to inside. And this one merits through the holy yearnings that one merits through the aspect of Shabbos, emunah, and tikun habris. And this is the aspect of: "Aisai parai ush'da l'hu, va'amar leih: ifshl'u li chavlai" [He brought wool and threw it to them and said: twist me ropes], etc. — see there well. And all the toils and troubles that one must exert greatly with the crops in the fields before bringing them into the house — all of this is drawn from there, because one must bring the abundance and the sustenance from outside to inside, for which great effort is certainly needed. And this is the aspect of needing to sift and bring the crops, which is the sustenance, from the field, which is outside, to bring it inside, into the house. For through the sin of Adam HaRishon, who blemished the bris and the emunah, as our Sages of blessed memory said — through this the earth was cursed for his sake: "In sorrow shall you eat of it, etc. By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread," etc. (Beraishis 3:17-19) — from which are drawn all the toils and troubles for livelihood. And the essential toils are most needed in the work of the field, in order to bring the field out of its curse, to sift the crops from outside to inside, from field to house. For because of the sin, G-d forbid, the abundance was drawn to the outside. Therefore great effort is needed before bringing it inside. And all of this is drawn from the blemish of the bris and emunah, through which the breaths and yearnings are blemished, as is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above. And this is the aspect of: "By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread" — "by the sweat of your brow" [b'zai'as apecha] specifically. For the af [nose], which is the chotem [nostrils] — from there the breaths emerge, which are the souls. And as it is written: "All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life" (Beraishis 7:22). And therefore the verse calls the toils and troubles by the expression "the sweat of your brow" — where the breaths and souls emerge. For the essential toils and troubles are drawn from there, because of the blemish of the breaths and souls that were blemished through evil yearnings of the sin of Adam HaRishon and of all the people of the world, whose essential blemishes are through evil yearnings, G-d forbid — from which are made evil breaths and souls, which are the blemish of the af and the chotem, where is the essential vitality of the souls and the breaths, and from there come all the toils of livelihood, as above. And this is: "All the toil of man is for his mouth" [kol amal ha'adam l'fihu] (Koheles 6:7). For the essential emergence of the souls from potential to actual is through the mouth, as above. And according to how much each person blemishes these souls by expressing from his mouth yearnings that are not good, G-d forbid — so much more must he toil and labor for his livelihood, for it is more difficult for him to bring the sustenance from outside to inside. For this is impossible except through breaths made from good yearnings, as above. And this is: "All the toil of man is for his mouth" specifically — that is, through the blemish of the breaths and souls that emerge through the mouth, through this his livelihood requires great effort, for it is difficult for him to bring the abundance and sustenance from outside to inside, as above. And therefore in truth, the essential blessing and sustenance is through the aspect of the tzaddik and Shabbos, which are the aspect of tikun habris and emunah. Through which one merits holy yearnings, etc. — through which his eating and sustenance are in the aspect of lechem hapanim, and then everyone toils for his livelihood. For he merits to bring the sustenance from outside to inside, through the good yearnings and souls that he merits through the aspect of bris and Shabbos, as is well explained there in the Torah teaching mentioned above — see there. And this is why the tzadikim had the custom to go out to the field to receive Shabbos, as it is written: "Come, my beloved, let us go out to the field" [l'chah dodi naitzai hasadeh] (Shir HaShirim 7:12). For the essential blessing is from Shabbos, which is emunah and tikun habris, as it is written: "An everlasting covenant between Me," etc. (Shemos 31:16). And therefore Shabbos is the source of blessing, from which all six days are blessed [d'minah mis'bar'chin kol shita yomin]. For Shabbos is the seventh, which completes all the blessings — which are the aspect of six blessings corresponding to the six days of action. But there is no completeness to the blessings except through Shabbos emunah, as is explained there — see there. And therefore, when Shabbos enters [kad ayil Shab'sa], one must bring the abundance and the sustenance from outside to inside, so that the eating should be in the aspect of lechem hapanim, whose mitzvos are specifically on Shabbos — when they arrange the lechem hapanim, twelve challos, to complete the eleven blessings of "the one who appeases the poor man" [hamfayeis he'ani], to complete them through Shabbos emunah. And then they become twelve aspects — twelve challos of lechem hapanim. And therefore at the entrance of Shabbos one goes out to the field, in order to bring the abundance from outside to inside, from field to house — so that the eating should be in the aspect of lechem hapanim, as above. For in the field, that is where the hold of the chitzonim [the external forces] is — because there all the breaths of the yearnings of this lowly world rule. And the essential holiness of the Jewish person is inside, within the house, in the aspect of: "All the honor of the king's daughter is within" [kol k'vudah bas melech p'nimah] (Tehillim 45:14). And as it is written: "Go, My people, enter your chambers" (Yeshayahu 26:20) — because there one is surrounded by walls, and the evil airs of the evil yearnings of the people of the world do not rule there. And therefore Eisav was "a man of the field" [ish sadeh], and Yaakov was "a wholesome man, dwelling in tents" [ish tam yosheiv ohalim]. For Eisav was drawn after evil yearnings and breaths that are found outside, in the field. And Yaakov fled from them into the tents of Torah and prayer. And this is what is explained in the writings of the Arizal, in the kavanos of Shabbos, regarding the field — that there is the hold of the Sitra Achra, in the aspect of: "for he found her in the field" (Devarim 22:27) — in the aspect of: "and it was when they were in the field" (Beraishis 4:8). For in the field, outside, there is the hold of the external forces, which are the aspect of evil breaths that are drawn through the blemish of the bris and the blemish of emunah. And this is the essential toil and work of a person: to merit the holiness of Shabbos, to bring the abundance and the holy sparks from outside to inside, from field to house. And each person, according to how much he merits the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos and tikun habris, from which come holy breaths and souls — so much more does he remove from himself the yoke of the work of the field in the physical realm. For he merits that his eating should be in the aspect of lechem hapanim, for he brings the abundance inside through the holiness of Shabbos, etc. And then everyone toils for his livelihood, and he himself does not need to do physical labors of the field. And the reverse is the reverse, G-d forbid. And therefore this lessee, who took upon himself the work of the field — we attribute the damage to him, because he is in the aspect of "a man of the field" who took upon himself to go outside, to work the field, where evil breaths and yearnings that are not good hold sway — from which come all the damages of the field, as above. Therefore we generally attribute the damage to him. For the landowner is, relative to the lessee, in the aspect of one who is on the inside. For he removed from himself the work of the field and sits in the house inside. And this lessee must toil on his behalf, for his sustenance, to go outside to work the field. Therefore we attribute the damage to him — whose hold is on the outside, through the evil breaths that spread on the outside, as above. Unless it is a makas m'dinah — then he deducts from his lease. For a makas m'dinah is drawn from the aspect of: "There is a vanity that is done on the earth — that there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous" (Koheles 8:14). That is, the breaths go and roll from this one to that one, and confusion is made in the world — so that sometimes evil breaths reach righteous people, etc. And from there is drawn the aspect of makas m'dinah, G-d forbid — that the upright and the righteous are caught up in the sin of the wicked, through their evil breaths and yearnings. And therefore then we do not attribute the damage to the lessee who is on the outside where yearnings that are not good spread. For since it is a makas m'dinah, we do not know on whose account this evil has come. And also there is no proof from the fact that the landowner is inside and the lessee is outside. For when there is a makas m'dinah there are many reversals in the world also in the physical realm — for "there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked," etc. And therefore it is possible that the damage is from the landowner even though he sits inside. But as long as we can attribute the damage to the lessee, we attribute it to him more than to the landowner. And therefore, if all the fields of the lessee were blighted, we attribute the damage to him even though it is a makas m'dinah — since we see that all his fields were blighted, we say it is because of his own fault [mishum l'sasa didaih]. But if all the fields of the landowner were blighted, we do not attribute the damage to him. For most damages of the field are attributed to the lessee, who took upon himself the work of the field, who is on the outside — where the vanities of this world are found, from which come all the damages, because they prevent bringing the abundance from outside to inside, as above. And this is the aspect of what is written in the Shulchan Aruch, siman 325: "One who receives a field from his fellow for a small number of years — that is, fewer than seven years — may not sow it with flax, and has no right to the beam of a sycamore tree." And the reason: the S'ma explained that flax greatly weakens the land, and in fewer than seven years the land does not return to its strength, etc. And likewise with the beam of a sycamore — in fewer than seven years it does not return to the way it was, etc. — see there. For flax greatly weakens the land, because flax was the offering of Kayin, who brought from the refuse. And our Sages of blessed memory said: "It was flax seed." And Kayin is the essential blemish of the holy breaths — and this is the aspect of: "And it was when they were in the field, and Kayin rose up against Hevel his brother and killed him" (Beraishis 4:8). For Kayin is kina m'sa'avusa [impure jealousy], the aspect of the contamination of the yearnings and desires of this world — which overpowers against the aspect of Hevel, which is the holy breaths. And this is the aspect of the killing of Hevel by Kayin. And all of this was "when they were in the field," the aspect of: "and it was when they were in the field," etc. For there is the overpowering of the external forces that draw nourishment from evil yearnings that overpower the holy breaths. And therefore at the entrance of Shabbos one engages in the tikun of this — the sin of Kayin who killed Hevel — as is explained in the kavanos. For on Shabbos the holy breaths and souls ascend, as above — and this is the aspect of tosefes Shabbos [the addition of Shabbos], the aspect of the neshamah y'sairah [the additional soul] that one receives on Shabbos. Which is drawn from the good breaths and yearnings that are sifted on Shabbos, which are the aspect of good souls — and from them is drawn the aspect of the additional soul on Shabbos. As is understood there in the Torah teaching mentioned above on the saying of our Sages of blessed memory: "When Shabbos [departs] — woe, the soul is lost" — that the essential additional soul on Shabbos is received through good yearnings — see there. And therefore then is the tikun of the killing of Hevel by Kayin, who blemished this. And therefore, because the blemish of Kayin was through flax seed, therefore flax greatly weakens the land, and it does not return to its strength until seven years. For one must toil for seven years to sift the emunah in completeness — through which the blessings are completed, as above — in order to repair the land, to bring it out of its curses with which it was cursed through the sin of Kayin all the more so, as it is written in the verse there. For the essential completeness of emunah is drawn in the aspect of seven years. For emunah is the seventh, the aspect of Shabbos, which completes all the six blessings, as above — and this is the aspect of the sh'mitah year, which is the seventh year, which is a Shabbos to Hashem. And therefore Yaakov Avinu said: "I will serve you seven years for Rachel," etc. (Beraishis 29:18). For Rachel is "a woman who fears Hashem" — the aspect of emunah, the aspect of tikun habris. Because of the great blemishes that were then in the world, Yaakov could not merit to sift the emunah in completeness except in seven years, which are the aspect of sh'mitah, the aspect of Shabbos. And as is brought in the holy Zohar, that the seven years are in the aspect of sh'mitah — see there. And therefore, because in flax the blemish of evil yearnings holds sway all the more — for it was the offering of Kayin who killed Hevel in the field — therefore it greatly weakens the land, and it does not return to its strength except in seven years specifically. For one must toil all the seven years in order to sift the emunah in completeness through seven years specifically, as above. And this is also the aspect of the beam of the sycamore, which does not return to the way it was until seven years. For sycamores are a type of cedar, and a cedar — its stump regenerates [giz'o machalif]. And therefore the tzaddik is compared to a cedar, as we say in Kabalas Shabbos: "Like a cedar in Lebanon he shall grow" (Tehillim 92:13). And the essential aspect of "its stump regenerates" is through the completeness of emunah. For emunah is the aspect of the power of growth and the power of sprouting, as is explained elsewhere. For regarding the wicked who deny, it is said: "They shall be like the grass of the rooftops, which withers before it is pulled out," etc. (Tehillim 129:6). But regarding the righteous who believe, it is said: "The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree; like a cedar in Lebanon he shall grow," etc. (Tehillim 92:13). But the essential aspect of "its stump regenerates" is through seven years, in which is the essential sifting of emunah in completeness. And therefore the cedar — which is the choicest tree, to which the tzadikim are compared, whose stump regenerates — does not return to the way it was until seven years, in which is the sifting of emunah in completeness, through which is the essential growth of the stump, that it should regenerate and return to the way it was, as above. And therefore, one who receives a field for fewer than seven years may not sow it with flax, and has no right to the beam of a sycamore — which are cedars. For in a place where greater sifting and tikun are needed, one needs seven years, in which is the sifting of emunah in completeness, as above. נְנַח נַחְמָא נַחְמָן מֵאומָן And therefore Yitzchak wanted to bless Eisav by means of his going out to the field and bringing him delicacies to eat, as it is written: "And go out to the field and hunt me game, etc., and bring it to me, that I may eat, so that my soul may bless you" (Beraishis 27:3-4). For Eisav deceived his father until he thought he was not wicked. And therefore Yitzchak wanted to send Eisav to the field specifically, to bring him food from there, in order that he should bring the abundance and the eating from outside to inside, and through this he would be worthy of receiving the blessings. For in truth, one who is an upright man and believes in the tzadikim and supports them — then sometimes it is a great merit when he goes out to the field to engage in work and business. For his entire intention is not to be "a man of the field," G-d forbid. Rather he goes out only temporarily for the sake of livelihood, in order to bring the abundance and the sustenance from outside to inside — by giving the tzaddik to eat. And then he is certainly worthy of blessing. For it is impossible to bring the sustenance from outside to inside except through the aspect of bris and Shabbos, which is emunah. And emunah is the source of the blessings that completes all blessings, etc., as is explained there. And therefore Yitzchak thought that Eisav was in this aspect. And therefore he said to him, "Go out to the field" — that he should go out only temporarily. "And hunt me game" — that his entire intention should be only for his father, the tzaddik, in order to give the tzaddik to eat. For the eating of the tzaddik is in the aspect of lechem hapanim. And whoever goes out to the field and engages in business and brings the tzaddik to eat and sustains him — certainly fortunate is he, and he is certainly worthy of all the blessings. For specifically through this he brings the abundance from outside to inside, since he sustains and feeds the tzaddik, whose eating is in the aspect of lechem hapanim, through which the abundance is brought inside, as is explained there. And this is what Yitzchak said to Eisav: "Take, I pray, your weapons [kaylecha], your hung-sword [tal'y'cha], and your bow [v'kasht'cha]" (Beraishis 27:3). This is a hint to tikun habris and emunah, through which one brings the abundance from outside to inside. "Your weapons" [kaylecha] — this is the aspect of emunah. For emunah is the aspect of a k'li [vessel] that receives all the blessings and all the abundances and all the lights and perceptions of Elokus. For it is impossible to receive any perception and any blessing and abundance, whether physical or spiritual, except through emunah, which is the aspect of malchus, which is the last midah, which is the aspect of a vessel included of everything, through which all abundances and blessings are drawn. As is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above — that emunah completes all the blessings, for all of them are drawn through it, for it is the aspect of a vessel that holds blessing [k'li machazik brachah]. In the aspect of: "The Holy One, blessed be He, found no vessel that holds blessing except peace" — and peace is the aspect of emunah, as is explained elsewhere, in the Torah teaching "Vayaseiv" in siman 62 — in the aspect of Shabbos shalom. And this is: "Take your weapons" [sa na kaylecha]. And our Sages of blessed memory expounded: "Check your knife and slaughter properly, so that you do not feed me a n'vailah [improperly slaughtered animal]." For sh'chitah [slaughter] is for the purpose of raising the souls from the level of animal to the level of human, as is known. For there are many souls reincarnated in animals and beasts, as is known — and they need to be raised and sifted through the mitzvah of sh'chitah. And all the reincarnation of souls is drawn from the aspect of "there is a vanity that is done on the earth," explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above — that through evil yearnings, evil souls are made and they undergo reincarnation, etc., until they can cause others to sin, G-d forbid. And when they do not do t'shuvah, they are compelled to be reincarnated in animals and beasts according to the blemish of the yearnings and souls, and they need to be sifted and repaired through the sh'chitah. And because Yitzchak thought that Eisav could bring the abundance from outside to inside, from field to house — which is impossible except through tikun habris and emunah, through which he is a ba'al nefesh [a master of the soul] who makes and repairs good souls, through which one brings the abundance from outside to inside, as is explained there — therefore he mentioned to him all these aspects. And this is: "Take your weapons" [sa na kaylecha] — "Check your knife," etc. — which is the tikun of sh'chitah, which is the tikun of the souls, as above. And this is: "Check your knife and slaughter properly." For the knife with which one slaughters to raise the soul must be complete with great perfection, without any blemish whatsoever, G-d forbid. For the perfection of the slaughter-knife is impossible except through emunah, which is the completeness of all things, as above. It emerges that "take your weapons" hints at the completeness of emunah, which is the essential vessel that holds blessing, which is itself the completeness of the slaughter-knife, through which one raises the souls, as above. And this is: "your hung-sword and your bow" [tal'y'cha v'kasht'cha]. This is the aspect of tikun habris, which includes two aspects — bris ila'ah and bris tata'ah, that is, tikun habris kodesh and the lamdan in issur v'heter. And both of them are called in the language of weapons — sword and bow. For sh'miras habris is called a keshes [bow], in the aspect of the rainbow of the covenant [keshes habris]. And it is also called in the language of a sword, etc., as it is written: "Gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one" (Tehillim 45:4) — for there is the essential battle, to be a mighty one who conquers his inclination. And likewise the lamdan in Torah is also called in the language of holding swords and weapons, to fight the battle of Torah, as it is written: "All of them holding swords, trained in war" (Shir HaShirim 3:8) — the war of Torah. And therefore he said in the language of "your hung-sword" [tal'y'cha] — this hints at the aspect of the lamdan, who must sift all the laws of the Torah, to resolve and clarify all the doubts and difficulties [s'faikos v'iba'yos]. And this is "tal'y'cha" — which is the aspect of the doubts and difficulties that are hanging [t'luyim] in doubt. And this is the essential exertion of study: to clarify all the matters that are hanging in doubt, in order to clarify all the laws of issur v'heter, etc., thoroughly. And "your bow" [v'kasht'cha] — this is the aspect of tikun habris, which is called a keshes. That is, Yitzchak hinted to him all the tikunim needed in order to bring the abundance from outside to inside, from field to house — which are tikun habris in both aspects, which are the aspects of tzaddik and lamdan, and tikun ha'emunah, which is the completeness of all the blessings. Through all of this one makes and repairs good souls, through which one merits to bring the abundance and the sustenance from outside to inside, as above. And this is the aspect of: "And go out to the field and hunt me game and bring it to me, that I may eat" — that he should go to the field, to the outside, in order to bring sustenance and eating to the tzaddik, as above. And then he would certainly have been worthy of receiving the blessings, all of which are completed and drawn through emunah, which depends on tikun habris, as above. But in truth, Eisav was far from this in the extreme. For Eisav was truly "a man of the field" — he was only on the outside and did not want to enter inside, into holiness, at all. And therefore it is written: "And Eisav went to the field to hunt game" (Beraishis 27:5) — "to bring even from robbery," as our Sages of blessed memory said. And this is that Yitzchak said to him: "And go out to the field," etc. And regarding Eisav it is written: "And Eisav went to the field." For Yitzchak said to him "go out" [tzai] to the field — as though his entire dwelling and permanent place was inside, and he should only go out to the field temporarily. And therefore he used the expression of "going out" [y'tzi'ah]. But regarding Eisav it is written: "And Eisav went [vayailech] to the field" — an expression of "going" [halichah]. For in truth it was not considered by him as "going out" at all, but rather as "going" — for there in the field was his essential place. And therefore the verse used regarding him the expression of "going" and not "going out" — for it was not considered by him as "going out," since that was his place, for he was truly an outsider [chitzoni mamash]. And therefore in truth he did not receive the blessings, for he did not desire blessing and it was far from him. Only Yaakov received the blessings, for he was "a wholesome man, dwelling in tents" [ish tam yosheiv ohalim]. "A wholesome man" [ish tam] specifically — for he merited complete emunah, which is the aspect of ish tam, the aspect of wholeness and completeness [t'mimus ush'laimus]. For the essential completeness of all things and all blessings is emunah, as above. And therefore it is said regarding Yaakov at the time he received the blessings: "See, the fragrance of my son is as the fragrance of a field which Hashem has blessed" (Beraishis 27:27). "Like the fragrance of a field" specifically — which is the aspect of a field of holiness, the aspect of the field of Gan Aiden, which is the aspect of chakal tapuchin kadishin [the field of holy apples], which is the aspect of the holiness of Shabbos, when one raises from field to house. All of this is the opposite of the field of Eisav, who was "a man of the field." For Yaakov merited sh'miras habris and emunah, the aspect of Shabbos, through which he merited to receive the blessings. For he merited to bring the abundance from outside to inside. Therefore, immediately following "like the fragrance of a field which Hashem has blessed" is placed: "And may G-d give you of the dew of heaven," etc. (Beraishis 27:28) — which are the blessings he received through the tikun of the field specifically. For when one merits to repair the aspect of the field, to raise from field to house — which is the aspect of kabalas Shabbos, the aspect of "come, my beloved, let us go out to the field" — then through this specifically one merits to receive all the blessings that are drawn from Shabbos emunah, which is the source of blessing, as above. And as is brought in the kavanos of Shabbos, that there is a field of the Sitra Achra and there is a field of holiness, etc. — see there. Based on the Torah teaching "Is lan beira" mentioned above, the matter of Korach will be explained. For it is explained there that one needs, for the service of the Creator, blessed be He, to be both a tzaddik and a lamdan. For "an am ha'aretz cannot be a chasid," etc. And conversely, a lamdan without being a chasid and a tzaddik is certainly nothing. For "if he did not merit, it becomes for him a potion of death" [lo zachah na'asis lo sam maves] — for he configures the letters of the Torah in reverse, etc., as is well explained there. And this is the aspect of the four who entered the Pardais, etc. — see there, it is explained there that one who is only a lamdan alone and is not a chasid and a tzaddik at all, he is in the aspect of Acher, who chopped the plantings, etc. — see there. And this is the aspect of the blemish of Korach, which is the aspect of the dispute [machlokes] of the misnagdim [opponents] against the true tzadikim and chasidim — whose entire strength is because of their study, that they studied Torah. Some of them study Gemara with the commentary of Tosafos, and some also study Kabalah and the Writings [k'savim]. But their deeds are not proper, and some of them are completely corrupted, may the Merciful One save us. And some do not know of their corruption so much, but at the very least they are lax in the service of Hashem, and they do not pray with kavanah and exertion. And they pursue the vanity of money and honor and self-aggrandizement and the like. And they provoke the upright and G-d-fearing people, the wholesome of the way, who walk in the Torah of Hashem in truth, who engage in prayer and good deeds with strength and with the intention of their heart for the sake of Heaven. And they stand at every turn and dispute them with many kinds of persecutions and mockery without limit. And this is the aspect of the congregation of Korach. For Korach was a great scholar and lamdan, and his essential blemish was that he wanted to separate the lamdan from the tzaddik, as though the essential virtue is the aspect of lamdan alone. And this is what they said: "For the entire congregation, all of them are holy," etc. (Bamidbar 16:3). And our Sages of blessed memory expounded: "All of them heard at Sinai 'I am Hashem your G-d,'" etc. That is, they said: since all of them heard "I am" [Anochi] and all the Ten Commandments, which are the general principle of the Torah — then Moshe and Aharon have no special virtue or elevation, as it is written there: "Why do you exalt yourselves over the congregation of Hashem?" (Bamidbar 16:3). And this is the aspect of the aforementioned blemish — that they relied on study alone and denied the essential truth. For the essential virtue and the true elevation of each person of Yisra'ail over his fellow is only through good deeds. For "the exposition is not the essential thing, but rather the deed" [lo hamidrash hu ha'ikar ela hama'aseh]. And as our Sages of blessed memory said: "A person should not study and read and kick against his teacher and his father and one who is greater than him," etc. For if they had believed in the truth that the essential thing is the fulfillment of the Torah, they would not have said "Why do you exalt yourselves," etc. For it would have been fitting for them to understand the truth — that the holiness of Moshe and Aharon is exceedingly, exceedingly exalted, while they themselves were still immersed in the desires of this world, as our Sages of blessed memory said on the verse: "The fire-pans of these sinners," etc. (Bamidbar 17:3). "They sinned against their own souls," etc. But they wanted to separate the aspect of lamdan from tzaddik, as though the essential thing is the lamdan, etc. And this is: "And Korach took" (Bamidbar 16:1). And Onkelos translates: "And Korach separated" [v'isplig Korach] — for he separated the lamdan from the tzaddik, as above. And therefore Moshe said to him: "Take for yourselves fire-pans," etc. (Bamidbar 16:6) — that they should offer k'tores [incense]. And as Rashi explained: "Here is incense for you, which is the most beloved of all," etc. That is, Moshe said to them: I will show you who is beloved before Hashem, blessed be He. For according to Korach's view, the essential thing is the study and the wisdom of the Torah, even if one does not fulfill it at all — and furthermore, even if one disputes the true tzaddik, who is Moshe, who gave the Torah and fulfills the Torah with wondrous holiness. Therefore he said to him: here is k'tores for you, which is the most beloved of all. And let all of you enter to offer incense, and we shall see whose word will stand. For Korach was a lamdan and a great scholar also in the wisdoms of Kabalah, and he certainly knew the secret and the kavanah of the k'tores. And therefore he relied on his great wisdom to dispute Moshe and Aharon and to seek the position of Kohein Gadol, since he also knew the kavanah of the offerings and the k'tores. Therefore Moshe said to him: now we shall see the truth — "Take for yourselves fire-pans," etc., "and you and Aharon, each man his fire-pan," etc., "and place fire in them and put incense upon them," etc., "And the man whom Hashem shall choose, he is the holy one" (Bamidbar 16:7). And Korach relied on his wisdom and agreed to this, for he thought his k'tores would be accepted since he was such a great scholar and lamdan and knew the law and kavanos of the k'tores so well. But Moshe warned them and told them that a potion of death is placed within it — that through it Nadav and Avihu were burned — to tell them that it was fitting for them to learn a kal vachomer [an a fortiori argument] from Nadav and Avihu, who were very great tzadikim. Yet nevertheless, since they offered incense not at its proper time, they were burned. For Nadav and Avihu are the aspect of Ben Azai and Ben Zoma — one gazed and was stricken, and one gazed and died — for even though they were great tzadikim, they erred slightly when they entered the Pardais and gazed more than was proper, and were punished. And this is the aspect of the blemish of Nadav and Avihu, for they are one aspect, as is brought. And therefore Moshe hinted to them that they should beware lest they be punished through the k'tores specifically. For even Nadav and Avihu, who were great tzadikim, did not emerge in peace — because they blemished in the aspect of the four who entered the Pardais, as above. All the more so and certainly them! But they did not listen and relied on their wisdom, and they committed the blemish of Acher, who ruined everything and chopped the plantings. For this is the aspect of the blemish of Korach and his congregation, who separated the aspect of lamdan from tzaddik and relied on the wisdom of their study. And this is the aspect of chopping the plantings, the aspect of "and Korach separated" [v'isplig Korach], as above. And therefore their punishment was that they were burned by the fire of the k'tores itself — and this is the aspect of "if he did not merit, it becomes for him a potion of death," by configuring the letters of the Torah in reverse. For the Torah is the aspect of fire, as it is written: "Are not My words like fire?" (Yirmiyahu 23:29). And when one blemishes it and configures the letters in reverse, a conflagration of actual fire intensifies, may the Merciful One save us. For from the fire they emerged and the fire shall consume them. For k'tores is exceedingly, exceedingly exalted, as is explained in the holy Zohar and in the words of our Sages of blessed memory at great length — for there is no offering as beloved before the Holy One, blessed be He, as k'tores. But the essential tikun of the k'tores is when it is offered properly, according to its law, by the Kohein. And then the k'tores atones. For the k'tores raises all the holy sparks that are in the depths of the k'lipos, as is known. And through this is the essential tikun of prayer — that one is able to join together and raise all the sinners of Yisra'ail and to bring them back in t'shuvah, and that their prayer should be included and ascend within the prayer of Yisra'ail, as an acceptable offering above, above, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Every prayer that does not include the prayers of the sinners of Yisra'ail," etc. And the proof is from the k'tores, which had chel'b'nah [galbanum] among its ingredients, etc. For prayer is the aspect of fragrance [raiach], as is explained elsewhere. And it ascends above through the fragrance of the k'tores. And this is the aspect of: "Let my prayer be set before You as incense" [tikon t'filasi k'tores l'fanecha] (Tehillim 141:2). But one who blemishes the k'tores — for he is a stranger [zar] and wishes to offer k'tores — this is the aspect of: "Incense of abomination it is to Me" [k'tores to'aivah hi li] (Yeshayahu 1:13). And therefore the fire of the Torah itself, which is clothed in the k'tores, burned them and took vengeance upon them. For they did not merit — it became for them a potion of death, as above. And see well in the Torah teaching mentioned above — it is understood there that the tikun of the lamdan who studies Torah is through prayer, through endeavoring to have good yearnings, etc., and expressing them from his mouth in prayer and supplication, etc. Through which he configures the letters of the Torah that he studies for good, etc. And prayer is the aspect of k'tores, as above. And they wanted to offer k'tores through the aspect of the lamdan alone, as above. Therefore they were burned through the k'tores, as above. And this is the aspect of the swallowing of Korach within the earth. For it is explained there in the Torah teaching mentioned above that the letters are the aspect of the body and the n'kudos are the aspect of the soul. And the n'kudos are made through good yearnings, etc. — through which one configures the letters for good. And Korach blemished this, as above. And therefore Korach was swallowed within the earth alive. For earth and heaven are the aspect of body and soul, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "He shall call to the heavens above" (Tehillim 50:4) — this is the neshamah. "And to the earth" — this is the body. Which is the aspect of letters and n'kudos, which is the aspect of the lamdan and the true chasid, as is understood, all of this, in the Torah teaching mentioned above. And all the work of a person in this world is to nullify the body before the soul, so that the body should do the will of the holy soul. For all its vitality is only from the holy soul. And likewise the letters are included within the n'kudos, etc., as is explained there. And likewise the lamdan must nullify himself before the chasid, who is the true tzaddik, as above. And then the earth is included within heaven, which are the aspect of body and soul. But Korach, who wanted to empower, G-d forbid, the aspect of the lamdan over the tzaddik, as above — therefore his punishment was measure for measure: the earth overpowered him and opened its mouth and swallowed him alive, to show that he blemished this. For he gave power to the earth, which is the aspect of the body, to overpower him and swallow him alive — through having configured the letters of the Torah for evil, by saying that the essential thing is study without righteousness and chasidus, as above. And this is: "And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed," etc. (Bamidbar 16:32). For he gave a mouth to the earth, to his detriment, to swallow him — through having configured the letters of the words of the Torah for evil, according to the desires of his body. Through which the combinations of the letters were drawn to evil and empowered the aspect of the body, which is the aspect of the earth, until there was literally a mouth for the earth to swallow him. For from the mouth come forth the words of speech, and he drew the words of the Torah to the aspect of the body, the aspect of the earth. Therefore he was punished with that which he blemished. And this is what they said in Midrash Rabah, parashas Korach: Rabi Yehudah ben Bava says: "The congregation of Korach is destined to ascend. It is written: 'And they were lost from among the congregation' (Bamidbar 16:33). Regarding Dovid it says: 'I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant,' etc. (Tehillim 119:176). Just as the lost one mentioned regarding Dovid is destined to be sought, so too here, a lost one that is destined to be sought," etc. That is, the essential tikun of Korach and his congregation is through this itself — through the aspect of Dovid HaMelech, who composed the Book of T'hilim, and through all who join themselves to him and walk in his ways and engage in the Book of T'hilim and in supplications and requests in great abundance, and in conversations and hisbodedus [solitary prayer] in great abundance between themselves and their Maker, and they cry out at every turn: "I have gone astray like a lost sheep," etc. For whoever has compassion on his soul will understand for himself how much he needs to cry out "I have gone astray like a lost sheep." If Dovid HaMelech, who was such a tzaddik, cried out "I have gone astray like a lost sheep" — all the more so and certainly, thousands upon thousands and myriads upon myriads of a fortiori arguments — how very much we need to cry out such cries as these and as these! Perhaps, perhaps we will be able to find ourselves, etc. And whoever walks in this path repairs the blemish of Korach, who blemished this. For they disputed the good yearnings mentioned above, which is the aspect of the path of prayer and hisbodedus. And this is the essential completeness of the true tzaddik. Therefore, through the aspect of "I have gone astray like a lost sheep" — that is, through the aspect of Dovid and those who join themselves to him, who engage in this, to seek from Hashem, blessed be He, that He should seek them and return their lost possession, etc. — they will certainly merit to be sought, as they said in the Midrash that the lost one mentioned regarding Dovid is destined to be sought. Through this, also the aspect of the congregation of Korach, about whom it is said: "And they were lost from among the congregation" — for very, very many people are lost from both worlds through holding onto the dispute against the upright ones mentioned above. For in every place where there is machlokes, there are there sparks of Korach, Dasan, and Aviram, as is brought. But nevertheless, in the end of ends they are destined to be sought — through the service of those upright ones specifically, who engage in T'hilim and hisbodedus, etc., and cry out at every turn: "I have gone astray like a lost sheep," etc. Through this they certainly are destined to be sought, and also all the disputants and the distant ones will ascend. For they will return to us, and we will not return to them — for the truth of Hashem is everlasting. נְנַח נַחְמָא נַחְמָן מֵאומָן