חכירות וקבלנות א

[Note: Yom Tov Halacha 4 is included within Hilchos Rosh Chodesh, Halacha 5, from section 33 onward.] 28

One who rents a cow and lends it to another and it was struck by circumstances beyond control — the borrower pays the owner. And the reason is explained in the Mishnah: How can this one do business with the cow of his fellow?

Based on the Torah teaching "Vay'hi mikaitz" [And it was at the end], which speaks about guarding the memory [sh'miras hazikaron], in the first volume of Likutay Moharan, siman 54 — see there the entire Torah teaching from beginning to end. And the general principle is that one must guard the memory very much. That is, l'adabka machshavta b'alma d'asai — to cleave one's thought to the World to Come, to always remember in one's thought the eternal world which is the World to Come, and not to fall into forgetfulness, which is the death of the heart — that he should not forget the World to Come all the days of his life. And the guarding of the memory is in a general and particular manner, etc. — see there what is explained on the verse: "Hashem, my G-d, You have become very great," etc. (Tehillim 104:1). And for the common people, all of this is accomplished automatically through sleep, tzitzis, t'filin, k'rias Sh'ma, prayer, and business dealings [masa umatan] — see there. And it is explained there that through all business dealings, the unification of the Tzaddik and K'neses Yisra'ail [the Congregation of Yisra'ail] is made, which is the aspect of: "He stretches out the heavens like a curtain" (Tehillim 104:2). For in all things there are holy sparks, and through the business dealings the sparks are joined together and elevated according to the portions of nefesh, ruach, and neshamah that each person has. And through this the unification of the Tzaddik and K'neses Yisra'ail is made — see there well. And to guard the memory, one must guard oneself from ra ayin [an evil eye], etc. And one also must guard oneself from the koach ham'dameh [the power of imagination], which is the aspect of Pharaoh, etc. — see there all this well. For the essential guarding of a person and his possessions, that they should be guarded from all damages, is through sh'miras hazikaron — which is to cleave one's thought to the World to Come. That is, to always remember Hashem, blessed be He, which is the essential aspect of the World to Come, when His Elokus [G-dliness] will be revealed to all who come into the world, as is explained in many verses and as is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above. For one must remember the World to Come in a general and a particular manner. In a general manner means: to remember each and every day, immediately upon awakening from sleep, the World to Come — that there is yet another world that is destined to come, which is the essential thing — and not to forget and deceive oneself, G-d forbid, that this world is the essential thing, G-d forbid. And afterward, one must draw this memory in a particular manner. That is, to look and understand, in all the thoughts, words, and deeds that Hashem, blessed be He, arranges for him each day, to understand from them His hints, blessed be He, to connect to His service, blessed be He. For Hashem, blessed be He, constricts Himself from the Infinite to the endless, and arranges for each and every person a thought, a word, and a deed each day, according to the time, the place, and the person. And He hints to him through them, hints to draw him close to His service, blessed be He, etc. — see there. And a person must enlarge his da'as and understand these hints, in the aspect of cleaving thought to the World to Come, when His Elokus that is clothed in every thing will be revealed. And therefore, through guarding this memory, one is guarded from all kinds of damages in the world. For the essential guarding is only from Hashem, blessed be He, as it is written: "If Hashem does not guard the city, in vain does the watchman stay awake" (Tehillim 127:1). And as it is written: "Hashem is your guardian," etc. (Tehillim 121:5) — as is already explained many times. And therefore, when one remembers Hashem, blessed be He, and draws His Elokus into every thing, through this the thing is guarded from all evil, as it is written: "Hashem shall guard you from all evil" (Tehillim 121:7). For in every place where Hashem, blessed be He, is found, there are all the blessings and all good, and one is guarded from all evil. And the essential drawing of His Elokus, blessed be He, into every thing is through the memory mentioned above — through remembering that Hashem, blessed be He, is in every thing. For in truth, Hashem, blessed be He, is in every place and in every thing. Only when one does not remember Him, G-d forbid, then He also conceals Himself and hides His face, in the aspect of: "And I will surely hide [hastair astir] My face" (Devarim 31:18). And then there is a hold and dominion for the k'lipos and the damagers of the world, G-d forbid, because His Elokus is hidden and concealed there. But immediately when one remembers Him, blessed be He — that is, when one believes and knows that His Elokus, blessed be He, is clothed there — then immediately His Elokus, blessed be He, is revealed. And when His Elokus, blessed be He, is revealed there, then all the blessings and all good are drawn, and one is guarded from all evil. In the aspect of: "In every place where I cause My Name to be mentioned, I will come to you and bless you" (Shemos 20:21). "I cause to be mentioned" [azkir] specifically — for immediately when one remembers His Name, blessed be He, that is clothed there, blessing is immediately drawn, in the aspect of "I will come to you and bless you." And when Hashem, blessed be He, blesses him, he is guarded from all damages, as it is written: "May Hashem bless you and guard you" — as our Sages of blessed memory expounded: "A person of flesh and blood gives a gift to his fellow and cannot guard it, etc. But the Holy One, blessed be He, blesses a person and guards him," etc. It emerges that the essential guarding is through the memory. And this is the aspect of zachor v'shamor b'dibur echad [remember and guard in a single utterance], as our Sages of blessed memory said. For zachor [remember] and shamor [guard] are one aspect, for the guarding is through the memory, as above. And the essential guarding of the memory is through the aspect of Yosef HaTzaddik, in the aspect of: "And Yosef shall place his hand upon your eyes" (Beraishis 46:4) — as is explained there well. For the completeness of the memory is when one merits the memory in a general and particular manner, in all the aspects and tikunim mentioned there in the awesome Torah teaching mentioned above, which are hinted in the verse: "Hashem, my G-d, You have become very great; splendor and majesty You have donned. He wraps Himself in light as a garment; He stretches out the heavens like a curtain" (Tehillim 104:1-2). And the completion of the tikun is the aspect of "He stretches out the heavens like a curtain" — which is the aspect of the unification of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Shechinah [yichud Kudsha B'rich Hu uSh'chintaih], which is the aspect of the unification of the Tzaddik and K'neses Yisra'ail, which is made through business dealings, as is explained there — see there. For in every thing there are holy sparks that are completed through the business dealings, through which the Tzaddik and K'neses Yisra'ail are unified, etc. — see there. And each person must believe, at the time that he engages in business dealings, that there are many holy sparks in those things in which he does business. And his entire intention should be for the sake of the sifting of the sparks [bairur hanitzotzos] — which is the aspect of zikaron [memory], through which the Tzaddik and K'neses Yisra'ail are unified, as above. And then, when he guards the memory and remembers Hashem, blessed be He, at the time of business dealings — through which he merits to unify the Tzaddik and K'neses Yisra'ail through the business dealings — through this, all the abundances and blessings are drawn, and he is guarded from all damages, as above. And this is the aspect of Yosef HaTzaddik, about whom it is said: "And everything that he does, Hashem makes prosper" (Beraishis 39:3). For Yosef is the ruler — "he is the one who sells to all the people of the land" (Beraishis 42:6). For Yosef is the Tzaddik, and the essential unification is through him. For he is the aspect of sh'miras hazikaron, through which he draws all the abundances and the blessing and the guarding, as above. And this is the aspect of: "Ben poras Yosef, ben poras alai ayin" (Beraishis 49:22). "Poras" is an expression of "be fruitful and multiply" [p'ru ur'vu], as Rashi explained — the aspect of unification, through which all the things in the world are made fruitful and blessed and have abundance drawn to them, as above, and they are guarded from all evil, as above. It emerges that the essential guarding of the possessions of each person is according to his sh'miras hazikaron, which is the aspect of Yosef, the aspect of "ben poras Yosef" — through whom the unification of the Tzaddik and K'neses Yisra'ail is made, through which are all the blessings and the guarding, as above. And this is hinted in the Mishnah: "One who rents a cow and lends it to another and it was struck by circumstances beyond control — he pays the owner." As Rabi Yehudah said: "How can this one do business with the cow of his fellow?" "With his cow" [b'faraso] specifically — in the aspect of ben poras Yosef. For all the business dealings and the commerce and the guarding — everything is according to the aspect of poras Yosef, which each person merits according to his level, according to the aspect of sh'miras hazikaron that he merits. For through this the Tzaddik and K'neses Yisra'ail are unified through the business dealings, which is the aspect of "ben poras Yosef." And according to the unification that he causes through the completeness of his memory, accordingly he merits to profit and to earn in his commerce and business dealings, and to be guarded from all evil. And this is: "How can this one do business with the cow of his fellow?" — "with his cow" [b'faraso] specifically, the aspect of poras Yosef, through which is all the profit and the guarding, as above. And there is more to say on this matter, but it was forgotten because it was not written in its time. נְנַח נַחְמָא נַחְמָן מֵאומָן And this is the aspect of chachirus v'kablanus [tenant farming and contract work]. And this is the aspect of s'chirus po'alim [hiring of workers], in the aspect of: "Do not let the wages of a hired worker remain with you until morning" (Vayikra 19:13). And this is the aspect of Parashas Parah Adumah [the section of the Red Heifer], which is read after Purim before Pesach. For the general principle is that the essential thing is to guard this memory well, to always remember each day the World to Come, which is His unity, blessed be He. For then "Hashem will be One and His Name will be One" (Zecharyah 14:9). And all of this world and all its desires and cravings and opinions, etc. — everything will be nullified, and nothing will remain except Hashem, blessed be He, alone. And each one who will merit to be included in Him according to how much he guarded this memory in this world, and distanced himself from desires, and sufficed himself with the utmost constriction from all the matters of this world that are necessary according to the Torah. And behold, the essential forgetfulness, which is the aspect of sitra d'mosa [the side of death], the aspect of the death of the heart, as is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above — is drawn only from the sin of Adam HaRishon, through which death was decreed upon the world, as it is written: "For on the day you eat from it," etc. (Beraishis 2:17). For death is the aspect of forgetfulness, as above. For Adam HaRishon blemished the memory through the aspect of ra ayin [the evil eye], which is the Nachash HaKadmoni [the Primordial Serpent], which is the essential evil eye itself — for it was jealous of them because it saw them unclothed, etc., and its eye was evil toward them, as Rashi explained there on the matter. And through its evil eye it provoked them and drew upon them the aspect of evil eye, in the aspect of: "And the woman saw that the tree was good, etc., and that it was a craving for the eyes," etc. (Beraishis 3:6). This is the aspect of the blemish of the eyes, the aspect of evil eye, which blemishes the memory. And this is the aspect of: "And she took of its fruit," etc. (Beraishis 3:6). "And she took" [vatikach] — this is the aspect of the blemish of the hand [yad], which also blemishes the memory. For the guarding of the memory is through two aspects: through the aspect of the hand, which subdues the power of imagination [koach ham'dameh], and through the subduing of the evil eye — as is explained well in the Torah teaching mentioned above. And she blemished both of them: in the aspect of the eyes and in the aspect of the hand — the aspect of "and she saw" and "and she took," as above. And through this the memory of the World to Come was blemished. For Adam HaRishon denied the fundamental principle [kafar ba'ikar], as our Sages of blessed memory said. And when he denied Him, blessed be He, he certainly denied the World to Come, for it is all one, as above. And therefore death was decreed upon him, which is the aspect of forgetfulness, which is the death of the heart, as above. And through this was decreed upon him: "In sorrow shall you eat of it" (Beraishis 3:17); "By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread" (Beraishis 3:19) — which is the aspect of servitude and toil, that one must toil exceedingly in great servitude before one draws sustenance. For servitude is the aspect of forgetfulness, the aspect of sleep, which is one-sixtieth of death, which is the aspect of forgetfulness, as above. For sleep is the withdrawal of da'as, which is the aspect of memory. For our Sages of blessed memory said (Kidushin 49b): "Ten measures of sleep descended to the world; nine were taken by the slaves," etc. It emerges that servitude is the aspect of sleep, which is the aspect of forgetfulness, as above. And even though it is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above that sleep is one of the tikunim [rectifications] of the memory — for sleep is the aspect of memory in a general manner, for at the time of sleep the neshamah ascends to the World to Come, as is explained there, see there — in truth, everything is true. For certainly physical sleep and death are the essential forgetfulness, in the aspect of: "I have been forgotten like a dead person from the heart" (Tehillim 31:13). And likewise sleep is one-sixtieth of death, which is the withdrawal of da'as, which is the aspect of memory. But Hashem, blessed be He, had compassion on us and gave us His holy Torah, which is sama d'chayai [the elixir of life], to give us life as this day, for "they are our life and the length of our days". And the Torah is the healing and the tikun for the sin of Adam HaRishon, who drew death to the world. For through the Torah one merits life, as it is written: "For it is your life," etc., as above. And the essential life that one merits through the Torah is after death, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "In order that your days be lengthened" — in a world that is entirely long. And therefore the Tzaddikim in their death are called living, for then they merit to be included in the World to Come, where is the essential true, eternal life. For had Adam HaRishon not sinned, he would have merited in his body, in his living lifetime, to be included in the World to Come. For before the sin, the memory was not blemished, and he was prepared to be included in the World to Come while still in his pure body that he had before the sin. But through the sin, the contamination of the Serpent was drawn upon him, which is the aspect of sitra d'mosa, the aspect of forgetfulness. Therefore he is compelled to taste the taste of death before being included in the World to Come. For he must rectify what he ruined — for he drew upon himself the aspect of forgetfulness, the aspect of death. Therefore he necessarily must descend and be purified there, and then specifically he will merit his portion in the World to Come. And everything is according to how much one merited in this world to put to death his body and to cleave his thought to the World to Come and to accumulate mitzvos and good deeds. And therefore the Tzaddikim who fulfill the Torah in completeness and put their body to death in this world, and cleave their thought all their days to the World to Come, and think each and every day about the ultimate end — what they will do for the day of reckoning — and do not allow themselves to forget the World to Come on any day of all the days of their lives. As it is brought in the holy Zohar, that the Tzaddikim think each day, etc. — that they think each and every day that today they will need to return their deposit to its Master. And these Tzaddikim who put themselves to death during their lives over the Torah and the service — they are called alive always, in this world and in the World to Come. And the essential part of their life is in the World to Come. For specifically at the time of their death, afterward they are included in the World to Come, since they put their body to death in this world. For due to the sin of Adam HaRishon, it is impossible to be included in the World to Come in the utmost completeness during one's living lifetime while still in one's body — even the very greatest Tzaddik. But after his death, then specifically he is included in the World to Come in completeness — fortunate is he. And likewise at the time of sleep, which is one-sixtieth of death, the Tzaddik also merits that his soul should ascend to the World to Come. And everything is according to how much he sanctified himself during the day, as is explained in the Writings [Kisvay HaAri], that one must sanctify oneself very much during the day in order to merit that his neshamah should ascend above to the supernal holiness at the time of sleep. As it is written: "Who shall ascend the mountain of Hashem," etc. (Tehillim 24:3) — as is explained in the holy Zohar. And likewise every person: according to how much he sanctifies himself during the day, accordingly he merits to cleave his thought to the World to Come at the time of sleep. And likewise according to how much he sanctifies himself all the days of his life, accordingly he merits to be included in the World to Come after his death. It emerges that sleep and death are life for the Tzaddikim and for all of Yisra'ail who are always cleaving to the World to Come and fulfilling the Torah. But for the nations and for the completely wicked, sleep and death are actual death, the aspect of oblivion and forgetfulness, in the aspect of: "I have been forgotten like a dead person from the heart" (Tehillim 31:13). And therefore before sleep we recite K'rias Sh'ma that is on the bed, and we pray to Hashem, blessed be He, and we unify and deposit our neshamah and our ruach in His hand, blessed be He. As it is written: "In Your hand I deposit my spirit" (Tehillim 31:6), etc. All of this is in order that one should merit that his soul should ascend and be included in the World to Come, in the aspect of memory in a general manner, as above in the Torah teaching mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the closing of the eyes at the time of sleep. And we ask before sleep: "And illuminate my eyes, lest I sleep the death" (Tehillim 13:4). For the essential guarding of the memory, which is the aspect of the holy sleep of Yisra'ail, is the guarding of the eyes — that one guards oneself from the evil eye, as above. And this is the aspect of: "In Your hand I deposit my spirit" — which we say before sleep. For then at night we deposit our spirit in His hand, blessed be He. In the aspect of "hand" [yad] specifically — for the aspect of yad subdues the koach ham'dameh [power of imagination], which is the blemish of the memory, as is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above. For specifically at the time of sleep we need to endeavor even more to rectify this — that is, to subdue the evil eye, which is the aspect of forgetfulness, sitra d'mosa, and also to subdue the aspect of the power of imagination through the hand, in the aspect of "In Your hand I deposit my spirit," as above. And this is the aspect of: "And let not my thoughts terrify me, and evil dreams," etc. For all of this is the aspect of the confusion of the imagination that is not sifted and rectified properly. And we ask about all of this before sleep specifically, in order that we should merit that our sleep should be in holiness — a sleep of life — that we should merit at the time of sleep specifically the aspect of memory, which is to ascend and to cleave to the World to Come, as above. For we need to transform specifically death and sleep, which are the aspect of forgetfulness, into life, which is the aspect of memory, in the aspect of "the Tzaddikim in their death are called alive." For this is the essential tikun of the sin of Adam HaRishon — that through what he ruined, he should rectify, that he should transform the death and the forgetfulness into life and memory, as above. And everything is through the Torah and good deeds, which are sama d'chayai [the elixir of life], as above. נְנַח נַחְמָא נַחְמָן מֵאומָן And this is the aspect of chachirus v'kablanus [tenant farming and contract work] — that all the damages of the field fall upon the tenant farmer, as is explained in the Shulchan Aruch: "One who leases a field and it was blighted," etc. For the essential blessing in every thing, and particularly in the work of the field, is according to the sh'miras hazikaron [guarding of memory]. For through this one draws and reveals His Elokus there, through which blessing is drawn, in the aspect of: "In every place where I cause My Name to be mentioned, I will come to you and bless you" (Shemos 20:21). And conversely, all the damages of the field are according to the blemish of the memory, which is the blemish of the sin of Adam HaRishon, through which was decreed: "Cursed is the ground," etc.; "By the sweat of your brow," etc. (Beraishis 3:17-19). For through this are drawn all the damages and losses of the field, when one does not merit to subdue and nullify the contamination of the Serpent [zuhamas hanachash] from the field through sh'miras hazikaron, which is the essential tikun of the sin of Adam HaRishon, as above. And therefore the tenant farmer, who takes upon himself the work of the field and has fallen into the aspect of servitude — for he must do the work of his fellow like a slave — therefore he must guard himself even more from the blemish of the memory. For the more that the servitude and the doing is drawn out, the more forgetfulness is drawn there. For the essential forgetfulness is in a place that is more distant from spirituality, as Rabbainu of blessed memory wrote on the verse: "This book of the Torah shall not depart from your mouth" (Yehoshua 1:8) — that in a place where there is more materiality and physicality, there is more forgetfulness — see there. And particularly in the aspect of servitude, which is the aspect of sleep, the aspect of forgetfulness — for "ten measures of sleep descended to the world; nine were taken by the slaves." And therefore the ruin of the field is attributed to the tenant farmer, who is in the aspect of doing and servitude. For the essential ruin of the field is through the blemish of the memory, which takes hold more in the aspect of doing and servitude, as above. And this is the aspect of: "Do not let the wages of a hired worker remain with you until morning" (Vayikra 19:13). For this hired worker who hires himself to his fellow to do his work — he casts himself into the aspect of servitude, which is the aspect of forgetfulness, as above. And this is the aspect of the exile of Mitzrayim, in the aspect of: "We were slaves to Pharaoh in Mitzrayim" (Devarim 6:21). For Pharaoh is the aspect of the koach ham'dameh [power of imagination], the aspect of the blemish of the memory, the aspect of forgetfulness, as is explained there. And therefore he wanted to increase the aspect of servitude upon Yisra'ail, in order to cast forgetfulness upon them, so that they would not be able to cleave their thought to the World to Come. As it is written: "For they are idle; therefore they cry out saying: Let us go, let us sacrifice to our G-d. Let the work be heavier," etc., "and let them do it, and let them not regard," etc. (Shemos 5:8-9). It emerges that this one who hires himself to his fellow for the sake of his livelihood — he lowers himself into the aspect of servitude, which is the aspect of forgetfulness. But his intention is for the sake of his livelihood, for one must necessarily sift his sustenance through the thirty-nine m'lachos [categories of work]. For due to the sin of Adam HaRishon, the memory was blemished and fell into the aspect of forgetfulness. And through this he was cursed with: "In sorrow shall you eat of it"; "By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread" (Beraishis 3:17-19). For through the blemish of the memory, the shefa [abundance] and the blessing were blemished. For the essential blessing and abundance is from the aspect of zikaron, in the aspect of: "In every place where I cause My Name to be mentioned," etc., as above. And therefore it is called zikaron [memory], the aspect of zachor [remember], the aspect of Yosef HaTzaddik, who is the aspect of the nahar hayotzai mai'Eiden [the river that goes out of Eden], which is the channel of all the abundances, as is known. And therefore, in truth, each and every person — the more he cleaves his thought to the World to Come and guards the memory more — his sustenance comes more easily. For the essential shefa [abundance] is from the aspect of zikaron, which is the aspect of Yosef, as above. And this is: "Whoever accepts upon himself the yoke of Torah, they remove from him the yoke of the government and the yoke of worldly occupation" (Avos 3:5). For the yoke of Torah is the aspect of the zikaron mentioned above, for through the Torah one cleaves to the World to Come. Therefore his sustenance comes more easily, for they remove from him the yoke, etc. For all the shefa and sustenance is from the aspect of sh'miras hazikaron mentioned above. And this is what is brought in the holy Zohar: "The people went about and gathered" (Bamidbar 11:8) — b'shtusa [in foolishness]. For the essential toil of sustenance is because of foolishness and deficiency of da'as — because one does not enlarge his da'as to cleave his thought to the World to Come, which is the essential enlargement of da'as, as is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above. And through this his sustenance comes with great toil, in the aspect of "the people went about and gathered" — b'shtusa, as above. And all the money and sustenance that a person earns through the toil of his hands — this money is the aspect of the sifting of the sparks [bairur hanitzotzos], that he sifted from the Sitra Achra. And this is the aspect of the sifting of the memory, as is explained there in the Torah teaching mentioned above, on the verse: "He stretches out the heavens like a curtain" (Tehillim 104:2) — which is the aspect of the unification of the Tzaddik and K'neses Yisra'ail, which is made through business dealings. For through all the possessions that a person merits in holiness, through this the sparks ascend and are included in the stature of Adam [komas Adam], and the unification of the Tzaddik and K'neses Yisra'ail mentioned above is made — which is the aspect of the completion of the tikun of the completeness of the memory. And because the essential money and sustenance is through the sifting of the memory, therefore whoever is distant from this memory — that is, one who does not cleave his thought to the World to Come so much — then his sustenance comes with more toil, as above. For the sustenance and the shefa is the aspect of the sifting of the sparks, which is the aspect of the sifting of the memory, as above. And therefore this day-laborer [s'chir yom] who hires himself to his fellow and has fallen into the aspect of servitude, the aspect of forgetfulness, for the sake of sustenance — even though he endangers his soul through the aspect of servitude, for he can fall into the aspect of forgetfulness, G-d forbid, which is the sitra d'mosa [side of death], as above — but afterward, when he merits to complete his labor and to receive his wages that he earned, through this he returns and completes his soul through the holy sparks that he sifted, which are the aspect of the tikun of the completeness of the memory, as above — the aspect of the unification of "He stretches out the heavens like a curtain," which is made through all the business dealings and commercial activities, as above. And this is the aspect of what Hashem, blessed be He, promised to Avraham Avinu: "And afterward they shall come out with great wealth" (Beraishis 15:14). That is, He promised him that even though they would be in exile in the aspect of servitude under Pharaoh — all of which is the aspect of forgetfulness — but afterward they would come out with great wealth. For this great wealth of holiness that they merited at the Exodus from Mitzrayim is the aspect of the sifting of the holy sparks from the k'lipos, which is the aspect of the tikun of the memory. And therefore through this the blemish of the servitude and the exile, which is the aspect of forgetfulness, was rectified, as above. נְנַח נַחְמָא נַחְמָן מֵאומָן And therefore the Torah warned to give the wages to the hired worker at his appointed time and in its proper time, and not to delay his wages, as it is written: "On his day you shall give him his wages," etc.; "for he is poor, and to it he lifts up his soul" (Devarim 24:15). For immediately when he completes his labor and goes out from the servitude, which is the aspect of forgetfulness, one must immediately give him his wages that he labored for, which is the aspect of the sifting of the sparks, the aspect of the tikun of his soul, which is the aspect of the tikun of the memory. For through this he immediately rectifies the blemish of forgetfulness that he descended into through the aspect of servitude, as above. And therefore the Torah warned very much to give his wages on his day specifically, not to delay from one day to the next. For the tikun of the memory — one must be very careful each and every day, to guard the memory each day specifically. That is, to remind oneself each and every day of the World to Come. For the essential forgetfulness is drawn through the abundance of time, as one sees through the senses — that through the length of time the thing is forgotten. As it is written in Koheles: "With the increase of days, everything is forgotten." For the essential aspect of forgetfulness takes hold from the aspect of the shinuyim [changes] that exist in the world each day and at every time. For Hashem, blessed be He, does wonders at every time, and in His goodness renews each day constantly the act of Creation. And each day the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening, and no day is like its fellow. For there are great changes each and every day, for each and every day holy sparks are being sifted and ascend that have not yet been sifted since the beginning of the world, as is understood from the Kavanos [Writings of the Arizal]. And also in physicality, one who understands a little can see through the senses that there are changes every day, and no day whatsoever is like its fellow — whether in the nature of the day itself, that on this day it is colder and on this day there are clouds and rain, and the like — many changes in the matter of the air and the wind and the rest of the occurrences of time, in which there are many changes each and every day. For Hashem, blessed be He, changes the times in His wisdom. And likewise in the events of a person, and his movements, and his thoughts, and his conduct — there are many changes in them each and every day, for one who looks upon them. And from the abundance of these changes that occur each day, the forgetfulness is drawn. For they preoccupy the person from remembering the World to Come. And one can also see through the senses a little, that each day and time, the world speaks about the changes — that today it is colder, and today it is hot, and today we need rain, and today there is too much rain, and the like. And in these times, sustenance is difficult. And in particular the changes that each person has in his own personal matters: this one is preoccupied with his wealth and his business dealings; this one is preoccupied with his poverty and his financial pressure; this one is busy raising his many sons and daughters, for he has the pain of raising children; this one is childless; this one tells of the events of wars that are heard now in the world; and the like — changes and details that are many without end, that preoccupy a person each day, until it seems to him each day as if this day does not count for him as time of his life, and that on this day it is hard for him to serve Hashem, blessed be He, in completeness, because of the change and the confusion of that day. But in truth, Hashem, blessed be He, constricts Himself from the Infinite to the endless, all the way to the central point of this physical world where a person stands in his place on that day and at that hour specifically. And He arranges for him a thought, a word, and a deed each and every day, according to the day, according to the place, and according to the person. And He hints to him through them specifically, hints to draw close to His service. And whoever merits to enlarge his da'as and to understand each and every day these hints — this is the aspect of sh'miras hazikaron, as above. Or even when he does not have this intellect to enlarge his da'as in them — when at the very least he believes with complete emunah that in all the changes and events of time, of person, and of place, in all of them His Elokus, blessed be He, is clothed. For He, blessed be He, constricts Himself in them specifically, as it were, in order to draw him close to His service, as above. Then a new recognition and a new knowledge is added to him each day, and new and wondrous yearnings and longings at every time toward Him, blessed be He, and toward His service. And this is the aspect of sh'miras hazikaron, as is explained there — that one must guard the memory each day upon awakening from sleep, and afterward, etc. — see there. But "G-d has made one corresponding to the other" (Koheles 7:14), and the k'lipah precedes the fruit. Therefore the ba'al davar [the Adversary] takes hold of these changes and preoccupies the person and brings him to forgetfulness through the changes. For his essential hold is in the changes, for from there is the hold of the heresies [k'firos], which is the aspect of the yaitzer hara, as is known. And therefore a person must be very careful each day specifically to guard the memory well, as above. And therefore before K'rias Sh'ma, which is the aspect of zikaron — for we remember Hashem, blessed be He, and unify Him each day — and therefore all the five remembrances [chamesh z'chiros], which are the aspect of sh'miras hazikaron mentioned above, as is explained in another place (in Hilchos Talmud Torah), are all included in K'rias Sh'ma and its blessings, as is brought. And therefore before K'rias Sh'ma we bless the blessing of Yotzair Or [Who forms light], which is one of the blessings of K'rias Sh'ma. And at first glance it is difficult: what connection does the blessing of Yotzair Or have to K'rias Sh'ma? But in truth, everything is one. For each and every day that Hashem, blessed be He, renews the act of Creation and changes the times, we must then guard the memory well — to remember and to know and to believe that all the changes are drawn from Him, blessed be He, for the benefit of the person, to draw him close to His service, blessed be He. For He, blessed be He, "does great things beyond comprehension, and wonders beyond number" (Iyov 9:10) — all for the sake of drawing a person close to His service, to bring him to the eternal purpose, to the life of the World to Come, to eternal and true life. And about this we bless the blessing of: "Who forms light and creates darkness, makes peace and creates everything," etc.; "Who illuminates the earth," etc.; "and in His goodness renews," etc.; "How manifold are Your works, Hashem," etc. And then we unify Him and say K'rias Sh'ma: "Hear, O Yisra'ail, Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One" — to know and to make known that all the changes of each and every day, everything is from Him, blessed be He. For all the varied actions of each day are drawn from the Simple One [Echad HaPashut]. And this is the essential aspect of the zikaron — to know and to believe that Hashem, blessed be He, constricts His Elokus in all the changes of every kind of thought, word, and deed that are in the world, on each day, in each person, and in each place, as above. And see on this matter in the Eitz Chayim, at its beginning, in Haichal Adam Kadmon, Sha'ar 1, Anaf 5 — what is brought there: "And moreover, each and every hour the worlds change, and no hour is like the next. And one who looks into the matter of the movement of the constellations and stars," etc. — see there, where it is elaborated on this. And it brings there the teaching of the Tikunim: "The garments that He wears in the morning He does not wear in the evening, and the garment that He wears on this day He does not wear on the next day." And through this you will understand how the state and standing of the worlds — which are the garments of the Ain Sof — change at every time and every moment, etc. — see there. And all these things are included in what Rabbainu of blessed memory wrote there in the Torah teaching mentioned above, in the matter of the zikaron — that Hashem, blessed be He, constricts Himself from the Infinite to the endless, and arranges for every person a thought, a word, and a deed according to the day, according to the place, and according to the person. And everything is in order to hint to him hints to draw him close to His service, etc. And in this are included all the changes mentioned above of all the worlds and the s'firos, etc., that change each day, time, and moment. For everything is according to the deeds of those below. And according to their deeds, so does Hashem, blessed be He, constrict Himself and hint to them various hints to draw them close to His service. For all the worlds and the s'firos, etc., are included in every person, for the person is comprised of everything, and everything is for the sake of the person — that is, for the sake of his returning to Hashem, blessed be He, and drawing close to His service. And Hashem, blessed be He, is full of mercy, and He turns about from situation to situation with His strategies, and constricts Himself in many different constrictions at every time, and hints to every person at every time and in every place various hints to draw close to His service, according to his deeds now. For certainly yesterday, when the person was at a different level — higher than now, or lower than now — he needed different hints. And now, according to his level now — whether he improved his deeds, or, G-d forbid, the opposite, that he ruined and blemished through some desire or transgression, may the Merciful One save us — therefore he needs now different hints to draw close to His service, according to his deeds now, in the place where he is at this time. And the general principle is that there is no excuse whatsoever to say that now, at this time and in this place, it is impossible for me to remember Hashem. For on the contrary — there specifically, in that place and at that time specifically, certainly there are hints that are designated for you specifically, according to your level now specifically, according to whether it is for praise or for the opposite. And you, in this place of yours at that time specifically, can now specifically remember Hashem, blessed be He, and return to Him, blessed be He. For Hashem, blessed be He, constricts Himself from the Infinite to the endless, from the beginning of the point of Creation, etc., and hints hints to every person each day and in every place, according to the person, according to the time, and according to the place specifically, etc., as above. And understand well these things for practice and for conduct and for good counsel, and it will be very sweet to you with the help of Hashem. For this is known in our words many times: that there is no despair in the world at all! For Hashem, blessed be He, is full of mercy, and He always desires the repentance of all the wicked, and "He thinks thoughts so that none shall be cast away from Him" (Shmuel II 14:14). And therefore every person, according to his deeds now — what he did, and descended, and went astray to the place where he descended and went astray — Hashem, blessed be He, constricts Himself and hints to him hints according to what is fitting for him now, in his place and his time. And one who does not have the intellect to delve deeply into this with his da'as, he must at the very least believe in this with complete emunah. And then he will be able to remember Hashem in every place and at every time and on all the levels in the world, whether above or below, G-d forbid. For Hashem, blessed be He, constricts Himself each day, in every place, and hints hints, etc., as above. נְנַח נַחְמָא נַחְמָן מֵאומָן It emerges that one must guard the memory each day specifically. And this is the aspect of: "On his day you shall give him his wages, and the sun shall not set upon him" (Devarim 24:15). For the wages of his labor are the aspect of the tikun of the memory that he sifted through his work, for the sake of which he endangered his soul in the aspect of servitude and forgetfulness, which is the aspect of death — in order to sift this reward of labor, which is the completeness of his soul, the aspect of tikun of the memory, in the aspect of: "and to it he lifts up his soul" (Devarim 24:15). And therefore one must give him this reward immediately, on his day specifically. For one must guard the memory each day specifically, and not postpone from one day to another, G-d forbid. For this is the essential completeness of the memory — to remind oneself each day specifically of the World to Come. For each day has in it special hints to draw close to His service, which are clothed in the change of thought, word, and deed of that day specifically, as above. And therefore one must remember the Exodus from Mitzrayim in K'rias Sh'ma each day specifically. For the Exodus from Mitzrayim, that Hashem, blessed be He, redeemed him from the hand of Pharaoh and his servants, who are the aspect of the koach ham'dameh [the power of imagination] — this is the aspect of sh'miras hazikaron, as above. And therefore one must remember this each day specifically, for sh'miras hazikaron must be each day specifically, as above. And this is the aspect of Parah Adumah [the Red Heifer]. For the Parah atones for the sin of the [Golden] Calf, which was idolatry — that they denied Hashem, blessed be He, and the Torah, and they made idolatry. And all of this is the aspect of the blemish of the memory, as it is written: "They made a calf at Choreiv," etc.; "and they exchanged their glory," etc.; "they forgot G-d their savior," etc. (Tehillim 106:19-21). For the Torah is the aspect of zikaron, and they denied the Torah and Hashem, blessed be He. And all of this was because of the desires of this world — that they did not want to cleave their thought to the World to Come, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Yisra'ail did not worship idolatry except in order to permit for themselves immorality in public." It emerges that they blemished the zikaron. And therefore they drew upon themselves anew the sitra d'mosa [side of death], which is the aspect of forgetfulness, which is the death of the heart, as above. As it is written: "I said, you are gods," etc.; "but you shall die like a man," etc. (Tehillim 82:6-7). As our Sages of blessed memory said, that at the time of the giving of the Torah, their contamination ceased, and they merited freedom from the Angel of Death, as is brought (as they expounded in Eiruvin 54a on the verse "engraved [charus] upon the tablets" — do not read charus but rather chairus [freedom], etc.). And therefore the Torah commanded to bring the Parah Adumah, to sweeten the blemish of forgetfulness. For judgment is only sweetened at its root. And the Parah is the aspect of forgetfulness. For the essential forgetfulness is from the aspect of the koach ham'dameh, which is the animalistic power [koach hab'hamiyus], as is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above. And the essential animality and forgetfulness is in the aspect of the cow [parah] more than anything. For she is the essential animality, for the king of the domestic animals is the ox [shor], and all the animals are included in him. And the essential hold of forgetfulness is in the aspect of animality, as above. And the forgetfulness is from the sitra d'nukva [the feminine side], as is known. For the male [d'chura] is called by this name zachur [remembered/male], because from there is the aspect of zikaron [memory]. And therefore also among animals, forgetfulness takes hold more in the aspect of the feminine of the ox, which is the head and king of the animals — which is the cow [parah]. And therefore the sar [minister/angel] of forgetfulness is called Purah, on account of parah [cow], as is brought. And this is [the meaning of] when he rebukes Yisra'ail for forgetting Hashem, blessed be He, and turning away from Him, it is written: "For like a stubborn cow, Yisra'ail has been stubborn" (Hoshaia 4:16). And therefore Pharaoh, who is the aspect of the koach ham'dameh, the idle power, as is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above, and wanted to overpower Yisra'ail to draw them into exile and servitude under his hand, which is the aspect of forgetfulness — to cause them to forget, G-d forbid, the memory of the World to Come, to which they were accustomed to cleave their thought according to what they received from their fathers Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya'akov, who began to draw this zikaron into the world, for they made known and revealed His Elokus in the world (as is explained elsewhere). Therefore Pharaoh saw in his dream cows specifically — seven good cows and seven bad cows, and the bad cows consumed the good ones, "and it was not known that they had come into their midst" (Beraishis 41:21). All of this indicates that the evil overpowered the good, G-d forbid, until the good was forgotten, G-d forbid, in the aspect of: "And all the plenty shall be forgotten," etc. (Beraishis 41:30). And therefore his dream was of cows specifically, for there is the essential hold of Pharaoh, who is the aspect of koach ham'dameh, the aspect of forgetfulness, which is the aspect of parah [cow], as above. But the tikun was through Yosef. For through Yosef interpreting the dream for Pharaoh and becoming king and gathering all the food of the seven good years, through this he broke and nullified the famine and caused the good to overpower the evil. And through his holiness he subdued the contamination of Mitzrayim. And through this, Yisra'ail merited to go out from there. For the essential Exodus from Mitzrayim was through the power of Yosef HaTzaddik, as it is written: "And Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him" (Shemos 13:19) — as it is brought in the holy Zohar. For Yosef, who is the aspect of sh'miras hazikaron, subdues the aspect of Pharaoh, who is the aspect of forgetfulness, and sifts the memory from the forgetfulness. And therefore he knows how to interpret the dream of the cows and to subdue and nullify the forgetfulness that takes hold in them, which are the seven years of famine. For he causes the plenty to overpower the famine and draws all the abundances and blessings through sh'miras hazikaron, from where all the blessings come, as above. And this is the aspect of Parah Adumah. For through burning the Parah Adumah, which is the strength of harsh judgment [tokef hadin] where the essential hold of forgetfulness is, as above — through this one subdues and sweetens the aspect of forgetfulness, which is the sitra d'mosa, at its root. And therefore the ashes of the Parah specifically purify from the impurity of the dead, which is the aspect of forgetfulness that was drawn from the sin of Adam HaRishon and from the sin of the [Golden] Calf. And the Parah purifies from this, for the judgment is sweetened at its root, as above. And then the seven bad cows are nullified, which are the aspect of evil, the aspect of forgetfulness. And therefore the Parah — all her procedures are in sevens, as our Sages of blessed memory said — in order to subdue and nullify the seven bad cows and to cause the seven good cows to prevail. These are the aspect of Yosef HaTzaddik, the aspect of zikaron, the aspect of "ben poras Yosef" (Beraishis 49:22), the aspect of: "I am Keil Shakai; be fruitful and multiply" (Beraishis 35:11). For this is the aspect of zikaron, through which the Tzaddik and K'neses Yisra'ail are unified, in the aspect of "He stretches out the heavens like a curtain," as above. And therefore Yosef, when he parted from his father, was engaged in the section of eglah arufah [the decapitated calf], as it is written: "And he saw the wagons [agalos]" (Beraishis 45:27). For the murderer drew sitra d'mosa [the side of death] to the world, the aspect of forgetfulness. Therefore one must bring an eglah arufah and sever it from the back of the neck [oref], which has the same letters as Pharaoh [Par'oh] — to subdue the oref [back of the neck], which is the opposite of da'as, which is the aspect of forgetfulness, which is the blemish and opposite of da'as. And therefore one decapitates a calf [eglah] specifically. That is, according to what was explained above: for the essential forgetfulness takes hold in the aspect of animality, and in the aspect of the ox [shor] most of all, since he is the head of the domestic animals. And the calf [eglah], which has not yet been trained at all in any labor — there the animalistic power is still in greater and greater force. For it is known that through all the labors that people work with animals for their needs, through this they subdue the animalistic power. And therefore the animals become accustomed to people and can be taught the service of man — all of which is the aspect of subduing the animality somewhat. But the calf that has not yet been trained at all — there the animality is even more intense. And this is what rebuked Yisra'ail, with a calf not yet trained. And therefore the Eirev Rav [Mixed Multitude] made a calf specifically, in order to increase the animality and the forgetfulness even more. And therefore one must decapitate a calf specifically, in order to subdue and break the force of forgetfulness, which is the sitra d'mosa, that was drawn through this murderer who killed this corpse that was found. And therefore Yosef, when he parted from his father, left him with the section of eglah arufah. And afterward he merited greatness through the dream of the seven cows, which is the secret of Parah Adumah, as above. This is the aspect of: "Let the mother come and clean up after her son" — for the Parah atones for the sin of the [Golden] Calf. For through all the mitzvos of the Parah Adumah, the forgetfulness is subdued and nullified, as above. And the death is nullified — which is the aspect of the decapitation of the calf. For all of this is the aspect of: The subduing and nullification of Pharaoh, who wanted to increase forgetfulness upon Yisra'ail, G-d forbid, as above — which is the entirety of the exile of Mitzrayim and the generality of all the exiles. For the essential exile is the exile of the soul. That is, what they seek to overpower through the exile to distance Yisra'ail, G-d forbid, from the World to Come — this is the essential exile and the great suffering that is greater than all sufferings, as is explained in the words of Rabbainu of blessed memory in another place — that this is the essential suffering of Yisra'ail. And the tikun is through Yosef, through whom the zikaron is drawn, as above. And therefore we read Parashas Parah after Purim before Pesach. For the entire matter of Purim and Pesach is to subdue Amalek and Pharaoh, who are the aspect of the blemish of the memory. For Pharaoh is the aspect of the koach ham'dameh, which blemishes the memory. And Amalek is worse, for he is the aspect of the evil eye itself [ra ayin b'atzmo], which is the essential blemish of the memory, as is explained elsewhere (in Hilchos Talmud Torah — see there). And therefore "Hashem wages war against Amalek from generation to generation" (Shemos 17:16). For he is not completely subdued except in the generation of Mashi'ach, who will come speedily in our days, for the evil eye cannot be subdued and nullified except through the kingdom of Mashi'ach, as is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above. And therefore one must remember the deed of Amalek and not forget, for the essential subduing of Haman-Amalek is through the zikaron, as above. And this is the aspect of: "And these days are remembered and done," etc. (Esther 9:28) — as above. And therefore Haman cast a pur [lot], which is the aspect of forgetfulness, as is brought. And he sought to destroy, etc. — to increase the sitra d'mosa, G-d forbid. For he is the essential contamination of the Serpent [zuhamas hanachash], in the aspect of "Is [Haman] from the tree?" — as our Sages of blessed memory said (Chulin 139b). And Hashem, blessed be He, annulled his scheme and returned his recompense upon his head. And it was overturned from one extreme to the other. For not only did his scheme not succeed to cause the forgetting of the Torah and the World to Come, G-d forbid, but on the contrary — Yisra'ail merited then to increase the zikaron of holiness more and more, in the aspect of: "They upheld and they accepted" (Esther 9:27) — that they accepted then the Torah anew, which is the aspect of zikaron of holiness. "And these days are remembered" forever, as it is written: "And their memory shall not cease" (Esther 9:28). And our Sages of blessed memory expounded that the days of Purim will never be nullified, for the zikaron of holiness was increased then more and more, as above. And therefore after Purim we read Parashas Parah, which purifies from the impurity of the dead, which is the aspect of forgetfulness. For through this one can make the Korban Pesach and be redeemed from Pharaoh and Mitzrayim, who are also the aspect of the blemish of the memory, as above. For the wicked Haman wanted to overpower at the time of sleep, at the end of the exile, which is the aspect of sleep. And he thought that at the time of sleep, the withdrawal of da'as, then he would have the power to increase the forgetfulness, G-d forbid. And because sleep is one-sixtieth of death, as above. But he did not know that Yisra'ail are holy — on the contrary, at the time of sleep they are cleaving to the World to Come. For they sanctify themselves at the time of sleep as well, for they recite K'rias Sh'ma beforehand and deposit their spirit in His hand, blessed be He. And therefore specifically then, at the time of sleep, at the end of the exile, there was the illumination of Mordechai, which is a very, very great illumination that shines at the time of sleep specifically. And through this great illumination specifically they subdued him. For Yisra'ail cleave at the time of sleep specifically to the World to Come, as is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above. Halacha 4 in Hilchos Umnin, Halacha 4, Os 22. And Halacha 5 in Hilchos Pikadon, Halacha 5. נְנַח נַחְמָא נַחְמָן מֵאומָן