חכירות וקבלנות א

Section 16 Therefore on Shabbos all labors are forbidden — for on Shabbos it is forbidden to arouse the bechina of the compelling force, since then is the essential strengthening of the drawing force — for then everything flows back and returns to its root and its rest, as stated. And therefore on Shabbos all labors are nullified — for then everything ascends to the supernal root of all things, of all creation in its entirety, which is the bechina of holiness, in the bechina of: "and you shall guard the Shabbos, for it is holy." But on Yom Tov — even though then too it is the bechina of the strengthening of the drawing force over the compelling force, for all the Yamim Tovim are a remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt, when Pharaoh and Egypt who had seized Israel in exile — which is the bechina of the compelling force — were subdued, and Hashem, blessed be He, took us out from there to bring us to the Land of Israel and to receive the Torah, so that we should arrive at our ultimate purpose and our root — all of which is the bechina of the drawing force. And therefore on Yom Tov too, all labors which are in the bechina of the compelling force are nullified, as stated. But on Yom Tov there is still some bechina of struggle between the compelling force and the drawing force — for Shabbos is fixed and established from the beginning of creation, when everything will return to its root, as stated. But Yom Tov is sanctified only through Israel, through their good deeds — which cause the drawing force to prevail over all the compelling force — and through this they merit to go out from the exile of the nations, who are in the bechina of the compelling force. And through this the Yamim Tovim were sanctified — for through every good deed of the Fathers of the world who strengthened through their good deeds the drawing force over the compelling force, through this we merited to go out from the Egyptian exile and to nullify their compelling force, and to return to drawing ourselves toward our root — to receive the Torah and to return to the Land of Israel. All of which is the bechina of the strengthening of the drawing force. And so in every generation, Israel must sanctify the Yamim Tovim — which is why one blesses on Yom Tov "Who sanctifies Israel and the seasons" — for Yom Tov: Israel are they who sanctify it, as our Sages of blessed memory said. For then on Yom Tov one still requires an arousal from below [is'arusa dilesata] to strengthen the drawing force over all the compelling force. And because there is still some bechina of struggle between the drawing force and the compelling force on Yom Tov — only that through the power of the sanctity of Yom Tov the drawing force is strengthened further over the compelling force, as stated — therefore on Yom Tov there are still some labors permitted, which are the labors of food preparation [meleches ochel nefesh] — as it is written: "However, that which is eaten by every person — that alone may be prepared for you." For on Yom Tov one must still engage in the labors of food preparation — which are those labors close to completing the food, to rectify it and to draw the taste into it — such as baking and cooking, which is the essential labor of food preparation permitted on Yom Tov. For all labors distant from eating are forbidden on Yom Tov — such as plowing and sowing, afiyah [baking], reaping, and grinding for the needs of that very day — these are forbidden on Yom Tov. [Translator's note: afiyah — baking — appears here in the Hebrew source in the middle of the list of forbidden labors, though the very next sentence explicitly permits baking on Yom Tov. This appears to be a scribal anomaly in the source text; it is rendered here as found.] Only baking and cooking and the like, which are very close to the completion of the food's rectification, are permitted on Yom Tov. For the closer the labor is to the completion of the food, the closer it is to the drawing force. For the essential eating — even though it is in the bechina of the compelling force, as stated — its essential purpose is for the sake of the drawing force, so that through it one gives thanks and praise to Hashem, blessed be He, and returns and is drawn toward one's root, as stated. And all the labors of the world performed for the sake of eating — which is the sustenance of the blood [the life-force of the body] — even though they are all in the bechina of the compelling force, as stated, their essential purpose is for the sake of the drawing force, as stated — so that the thing should be completed, so that the human being should eat and the world be sustained, and one should serve Hashem, blessed be He, and draw oneself and all that depends upon one toward one's root — which is the bechina of the drawing force. 4

A thief pays double [tashlumai kefel].

Based on the teaching "T'homos y'chas'yumu," etc. in siman 9 — see there what is explained on the verse "Make a tzohar [window] for the ark," etc.

Section 17 And this is what a person must intend in all his actions and his labor — that everything is for the sake of the ultimate purpose, which is to return and draw and be included in one's root. But it has already been explained that the Other Side fastens onto all labors since the sin of the first Adam, and great toil and great clarifications are required. And the more distant a labor is from the ultimate purpose, the greater the clarification needed there — for the Other Side fastens on more greatly there, since it is further from the ultimate purpose. And therefore the compelling force strengthens there more — since it is still far from the bechina of the drawing force. For the essential drawing force strengthens more as the thing approaches its ultimate purpose — such as when a person actually eats the food, for then the bechina of the drawing force is strengthened: which is the bechina of the goodness within the food, through which the person yearns and longs toward his root. And this is what our master, teacher, and Rabbainu, of blessed memory, wrote (in Likutay Tinyana §7) — that at the moment of eating one can merit an illumination of the will [he'aras haratzon], etc. — which is the bechina of the drawing force, as stated. And therefore the labors that are close to completing the food — such as baking and cooking — are closer to the drawing force. And therefore they are permitted on Yom Tov — for this clarification and rectification is still needed even on Yom Tov: namely, to rectify the food and draw the taste into it through baking and cooking. For the taste is drawn from the goodness of Hashem, as it is written: "Taste and see that Hashem is good" — as is known. And this one must still draw down on Yom Tov through our own effort — for it is stated that on Yom Tov one does not ascend to the ultimate root, which is the bechina of kodesh [absolute holiness] — rather it is in the bechina of mikra kodesh [a holy convocation], which calls toward the holiness, etc. (as explained in the kavanos [mystical intentions]). Thus it emerges that there is still some hold for the compelling force on Yom Tov — since one must still compel the supernal vitality, which is in the bechina of holiness, to descend below from its level. Even though it need not descend as much as on a weekday — since on Yom Tov too the worlds ascend to a great height — nonetheless, since they do not ascend to the ultimate supernal root as on Shabbos, which is the bechina of kodesh, only the bechina of holiness must descend somewhat below. Therefore there is still a slight hold for the compelling force — only that through the great sanctity of Yom Tov the drawing force prevails over the compelling force. But since it still has some hold and a measure of struggle is needed to prevail over it, there are still some labors on Yom Tov — which are the labors of food preparation, as stated. These are the labors very close to the food, which are for the sake of drawing the taste of the food through baking and cooking and the like. For the taste must still be drawn from above through the labors of food preparation — since the supernal vitality of all the worlds must still be drawn down somewhat, as stated. But these food-preparation labors are very close to the drawing force, as stated — and therefore there the drawing force prevails over the compelling force the more — as is explained in the Torah teaching cited above: that the closer something is to the drawing force, the more swiftly it is drawn there; see there. And therefore on Yom Tov one performs only the labors of food preparation — which are closer to the drawing force, where the drawing force prevails more — for such is [the nature of] Yom Tov: the drawing force prevails over the compelling force, as stated. Only since some further strengthening is still needed, as stated — therefore some labors are still needed on Yom Tov, which are the food-preparation labors, as stated. But on Shabbos it is complete rest and tranquility — for then it is a foretaste of the World to Come, when all things return to their supernal root and the compelling force is nullified before the drawing force as is fitting. And then all the artistry and rectifications that are made specifically through the existence of the compelling force — which through this the drawing force completes these rectifications — are concluded and fulfilled, as stated. Therefore on Shabbos all labors are nullified — for then everything ascends to its supernal root without our [effort]. And the compelling force has no dominion whatsoever — therefore there is no labor in it at all, since labor is in the bechina of the compelling force — for then all things return to their root in peaceful, tranquil rest, without any struggle whatsoever, as stated. 5

And the general principle: that through truthful speech [dibur emes] one will see the openings to exit from within the great darkness that surrounds him. For when a person stands to pray, then the darkness — which are the k'lipos — surround him with very many extraneous thoughts and musings, etc. And the rectification for this is emes [truth], etc. And then when he exits from the darkness through truthful speech, he can also make openings for another who is on the outside of holiness — that is, to draw him too close to Hashem, blessed be He. This is the aspect of "and the opening of the ark you shall place in its side" (Beraishis 6:16), etc. — see there all of this well.

This passage is the Mahadura Batra (Later Edition) addendum to the Laws of Yom Tov in Likutay Halachos Orach Chaim III, positioned in the source text between Yom Tov §5 and the Laws of Chol HaMo'ed. It consists of four sections numbered 14–17, continuing the sequential numbering of the earlier Yom Tov sections in the same Later Edition. 6

And this is the aspect of tashlumai kefel that the thief is obligated to pay. For theft is drawn from the aspect of the darkness mentioned above — which are the k'lipos that want to darken and surround the holiness. For the essential nature of theft is in darkness, as it is written: "he tunneled into houses in the darkness" (Iyov 24:16), etc. "And in the night he is like a thief" (Iyov 24:14). And therefore the rectification of theft is through light — that is, the light of truth, which is the essential light of all the lights. For through the light of truth, the intensity of the darkness is nullified, and then certainly all kinds of theft are nullified.

The entire passage works out a single conceptual framework — koach hamoshech versus koach hamachri'ach — first developed in the earlier Yom Tov halachos (drawing on Reb Nachman's Torah "Vayehi bayom hashemini kara Moshe"), and here applies it to explain three things: 7

And therefore the Torah commanded that the thief shall pay tashlumai kefel, in order to rectify what he damaged. For his damage is that he greatly intensified the darkness through the theft that is in darkness. Therefore afterwards, when the thief is found — which is the aspect of the light of truth illuminating and nullifying the darkness, and the theft being revealed — therefore he is compelled to pay kefel. For when the truth illuminates and nullifies the darkness, then the aspect of kefel is drawn to holiness. For not only does the person himself exit from within his dark gloom through the light of truth, but he also makes an opening for another, to bring him out from the darkness to the light of truth, to bring him back in t'shuvah — as is explained on the verse "and the opening of the ark you shall place in its side."

It emerges that the light of truth extracts from the Sitra Achara — which is the darkness — the aspect of kefel, as above. And this is the aspect of: "therefore in their land they shall inherit double" (Yeshayahu 61:7) — for Eretz Yisra'ail, and t'filah, and emunah, and nisim [miracles] are all one aspect and depend upon each other, as is explained in the teaching mentioned above. And it is impossible to merit all of them except through the light of truth, through which one exits from darkness to light, as above. Therefore when one merits coming to Eretz Yisra'ail, which is the aspect of t'filah, etc. — it is the aspect of mishneh yirashu [they shall inherit double] — the aspect of kefel, as above. For one merits illuminating for oneself and also for others — illuminating for them the path of truth to t'shuvah, as above.

And this is the aspect of lechem mishneh [double bread] on Shabbos. For the essential light of truth shines on Shabbos, for Shabbos is the aspect of truth, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Even an am ha'aretz [unlearned person] is afraid to lie on Shabbos." And as is brought in his [Rabbainu's] words of blessed memory. And therefore on Shabbos there is the essential nullification of the k'lipos and the darkness, in the aspect of "all the workers of iniquity shall be dispersed" (Tehillim 92:10), as is known. And therefore on erev Shabbos all the holinesses and the sparks [nitzotzos] that were refined throughout all the weekdays ascend. For during all the weekdays the essential refinement is through the light of truth that is drawn from the holiness of Shabbos to the weekdays. And the essential ascent of all the sparks and holinesses of all the weekdays is at the onset of Shabbos, because the essential light of truth shines on Shabbos, as above. And therefore then one merits lechem mishneh — the aspect of kefel, the aspect of mishneh yirashu. For not only do the holinesses of each person himself ascend from darkness to great light, but also others are raised then, that they should exit from darkness to light through the light of truth that shines on Shabbos, etc.

Section 14 — The metaphysics of creation: all six weekdays operate through the compelling force (divine vitality coerced into matter against its yearning to return to its source); Shabbos is the drawing force completing the cycle. Human free choice is the battleground between the two. 8

And therefore when the thief is found — which is the aspect of the nullification of the darkness from which theft comes, as above, for now the thief has already been found, which is drawn from the illumination of the light of truth that illuminated until the intensity of the darkness was nullified, through which the thief was found — therefore he is obligated to pay kefel. For when the truth illuminates and nullifies the darkness, the aspect of kefel is drawn, as above. For not only do they return and raise the holiness that the Sitra Achara wanted to steal through the intensity of the darkness, but they also extract from her other holinesses that had been theirs from before. For they illuminate for them too, and make openings for them, and bring them out from darkness to light, etc. Therefore the thief, when he is found — which is the aspect of the nullification of the darkness through the light of truth — must pay kefel, as above.

Section 15 — The inner intention of all labor: a person must conduct every weekday activity — eating, work, craft — with the awareness that it is the compelling force at work, and consciously dedicate the purpose to the drawing force. The example of lupines (a bitter vegetable requiring extended preparation) illustrates how human labor draws divine taste-vitality into raw creation. All labor ultimately aims at eating; eating aims at service of Hashem; service of Hashem draws everything back to its root. 9

And therefore Yosef HaTzaddik, who was stolen from his father, as it is written: "for I was indeed stolen from the land," etc. (Beraishis 40:15) — therefore afterwards he merited the aspect of kefel, the aspect of "in their land they shall inherit double" mentioned above. For his sons took two portions in the land, as it is written: "and I have given you one portion [sh'chem echad] over your brothers" (Beraishis 48:22), etc. And therefore the teaching mentioned above brought this verse regarding t'filah, which one merits through the nullification of the darkness through the light of truth — see there well. For through the light of truth that nullifies the darkness, the aspect of theft, through this the aspect of kefel is drawn, as above. And therefore it is written regarding him: "and he caused him to ride in the chariot of the mishneh [second-in-command]" (Beraishis 41:43) — the aspect of mishneh yirashu mentioned above, the aspect of kefel, as above.

The general principle is that the essential thing is truth. And even though the darkness — which is the k'lipah, which is falsehood [sheker] — intensifies as it intensifies, nevertheless anyone who wants to have compassion on himself, to think about his eternal purpose in truth and not deceive himself, but in every matter look at the truth — whether in the time of t'filah, that he should endeavor to speak the word in truth, and similarly in all his affairs, that he should look with the eye of truth — which is the straight path that he should choose for himself: whether to engage in folly and mockery, etc., or to engage in wholesomeness, in Torah and t'filah and good deeds, etc. — certainly the truth will illuminate for him to exit from his dark gloom.

And then, if he will be strong in this — to always draw himself to the truth in its truest sense — Hashem, blessed be He, Who is the essence of truth, will illuminate for him. Not only will he himself see the openings to exit from within his dark gloom, even if the darkness has intensified upon him very, very greatly from all sides, etc., as is well explained in the teaching mentioned above and in siman 112 on the verse "tzohar" mentioned above — see there — but he will also merit showing many openings to others, that they should exit from darkness to light, to draw close to Hashem, blessed be He. And all through the truth, etc.

And this is the aspect of: "And Hashem said to Avram: Go for yourself [lech l'cha] from your land and from your birthplace and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you. And I will make you into a great nation" (Beraishis 12:1–2), etc. For Avraham was the first to begin revealing the truth in the world. Therefore he merited all the aspects explained in the teaching mentioned above — which are Eretz Yisra'ail and t'filah and emunah and nisim, as is explained there — see there. And this is: "Go for yourself from your land," etc. — "to the land," etc. — this is Eretz Yisra'ail. "And I will make you into a great nation" — and our Sages of blessed memory expounded: this is that we say "the G-d of Avraham." "And I will bless you" — this is that we say "the G-d of Yitzchak," etc. That is, the aspect of t'filah and emunah, which Avraham merited through the truth of his wholesomeness. For he always went in wholesomeness in truth, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "walks in wholesomeness" — this is Avraham. And through this he merited that Hashem, blessed be He, commanded him to go to Eretz Yisra'ail, and to merit t'filah and emunah in such great completion that he would merit that "the G-d of Avraham" would be said in all the t'filos. For anyone who wants to believe in Hashem, blessed be He, and to pray to Him will say "the G-d of Avraham," etc. For the essential t'filah and emunah are drawn through him, through the greatness of his truth and wholesomeness, as above. And this is: "and I will bless those who bless you and those who curse you I will curse, and through you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Beraishis 12:3) — this is the aspect of nisim, that he would merit to perform great signs and wonders in the world, that whoever blesses shall be blessed and similarly the reverse, until everyone shall be blessed through him. And as they said in the Midrash, that all the barren and all the sick would come to Avraham, for he merited performing great miracles in the world. It emerges that in these verses are alluded to all the aspects explained in the teaching mentioned above — which are Eretz Yisra'ail and t'filah and emunah and nisim — which Avraham merited, etc. And this is: "and Avram went as Hashem had spoken to him, and Lot went with him" (Beraishis 12:4) — that is, the darkness is always bound after holiness. For Lot is the aspect of l'tusa [curse], as is found in the holy Zohar — the aspect of the darkness that is the aspect of falsehood, which is the essential pollution of the serpent, the aspect of "cursed are you." That is, the darkness, the aspect of Lot, always went after Avraham to darken for him, G-d forbid — as above, that every time a person stands to pray, etc. — which is the aspect of drawing oneself to Eretz Yisra'ail, etc. — for everything is one aspect, as above — then immediately "and Lot went with him," that the darkness is bound after him and wants to darken for him, G-d forbid. And this is all the toil and labor of the tzaddikim and the upright — to refine the truth from within the dark gloom of the falsehood that surrounds with numerous kinds of surroundings and mockery and craftiness without measure. And one who wants to have compassion on himself always draws himself to the truth in its truest sense. And this is: "and Avram traveled, going and traveling southward [ha'Negbah]" (Beraishis 12:9) — which is the south, which is the right [yamin], the aspect of truth, d'talya b'Atika, d'ihu kola y'mina [that depends on the Ancient One, who is entirely right]. That in every place he went and traveled, in the physical and the spiritual, he went and traveled and drew himself always to the right, which is the truth. For it is impossible to inform a person of the path of truth in every particular detail in every matter and at every time and occasion. Rather, the wise person who desires truth looks every time in every matter at the point of truth, and goes and travels and draws himself always to the right, which is the aspect of truth — in the aspect of "going and traveling southward," etc. And this is what Avraham said to Lot: "Let there be no strife between me and between you, and between my shepherds and your shepherds... Separate yourself now from me. If you go left, I will go right; and if you go right, I will go left" (Beraishis 13:8–9). And it is found in the Midrash that he said to him: "If you go left, I will go south; and if I go south, you go left." And the Midrash brought a parable of two people, etc. — until: "from every place I will cause that man to be on the left" — see there. And at first glance the Midrash is puzzling, for according to the plain sense of the verse, it seems that he gave the choice to Lot to go right or left, and he would turn to the other side — right or left — and this is the way of people when they want to calm a dispute, that one says: "Choose whichever side you want, so there will be no dispute." But according to the Midrash, that Avraham said he would always take the right for himself and would always cause Lot to be on the left — if so, certainly he [Lot] would not agree. But according to our words it can be explained, with the help of Hashem, that the plain sense of the verse and the words of the Midrash both rise in harmony. That is: Avraham, who is the aspect of truth, argued with Lot, who is the aspect of falsehood and darkness that wants to surround the truth with numerous kinds of surroundings without measure. And Avraham argued with him: "Separate yourself from me, for I do not want to go in your ways. Rather, in every place that you turn, I will turn to the other side. If you go left — that is, if you want to surround and confuse me in the aspect of the left, that is, with lusts and improper thoughts, etc., which are from the side of the left — then I will go right [v'aiminah], I will draw myself to the side of the right, which is the way of the Torah, the way of truth. For I draw myself only to the way of the Torah in truth, which is the aspect of the right." "And if you go right" — that is, if you will say that you go in the way of the right — for most of the time falsehood and darkness clothes itself in truth and says that it desires only the way of the Torah. And as our master, our teacher, and our rabbi [Rabbainu] of blessed memory wrote at the beginning of the sefer, that the yetzer hara clothes himself in mitzvos, etc. And similarly this is commonly found regarding a person's thoughts, that most of the time it confuses him by wanting to turn the truth around. And similarly regarding people who want to prevent him from the way of truth, who say bad is good and good is bad, and say they want to guide him on the path of truth, as if the truth — which is the aspect of the right — is with them. Regarding this Avraham argued: "And if you go right, then I will go left [v'asm'ilah]" — that is, if you want to go right — that is, what is called "right" according to you — then "I will go left," I will turn away from you and turn to the other side, to the left. For I do not desire your "right," for in truth your "right" is left and complete falsehood, since you truly desire with your enticements to divert me, G-d forbid, from the point of truth. Therefore I do not desire your right and I will turn to the left — that is, what according to your words is "left." And now the words of the Midrash mentioned above are beautifully vindicated, for it said: "from every place I will cause that man to be on the left." For certainly in truth Lot always remains on the left. For the essential aspect of the right is truth, which is kola y'mina [entirely right]. And one who deviates from the truth — even though he clothes himself in mitzvos and says that this is the truth, the aspect of the right — in truth it is all complete left. For the truth is one, and in every direction and corner where the truth is, that is the essential right. And as a parable: when someone is traveling on the road and there are two paths before him, one to the right going to the city of Tzfas and the other to the left going to the city of Tveriyah, and the like — when he needs to go to Tveriyah, then the path to the left is the true path for him, and it is for him the proper [right] path. And the path to the right that leads to Tzfas is "left" for him, since he does not need to go there. And this is simple. Similarly with all the paths and counsel in the ways of Hashem — when the Ba'al Davar and his people dress themselves in mitzvos, as if they want to guide him on the proper path, since the truth is not so, one must turn away from them, even though according to their opinion it is "to the left." For in truth, this "left" is the essential right, since the truth is so. And this is: "if you go right, then I will go left" — that I will turn to the left from your "right." And nevertheless, you will always remain on the left, as is explained in the Midrash mentioned above: "v'asm'ilah" — it does not say "v'esm'lah" here, but rather "v'asm'ilah" [causative form] — "from every place I will cause that man to be on the left." That is, as above: the aspect of Lot, which is the darkness of falsehood, always remains on the left, as above. And this is the aspect of: "Go for yourself [lech l'cha] from your land", etc. And the word "l'cha" [for yourself] is not understood at all, as Rashi struggled with this and explained: "l'cha" — for your benefit, etc. And according to the above it can be well understood, with Hashem's help. For it has already been explained above that Hashem, blessed be He, commanded him in this passage to draw himself to all the holinesses mentioned above — that is, to Eretz Yisra'ail and t'filah and emunah and nisim — all of which one merits only through truth, as above. And this is "lech l'cha" — "l'cha" specifically — that all your going and traveling should be "l'cha," to you and to yourself alone. That is, to the essential point of truth, which is your essence and your vitality. For the essential aspect of a person is the holy neshamah within him, which is the entire person, as it is written in the sefarim and brought in his [Rabbainu's] words of blessed memory in siman 22 — that what is called "I" [ani] by a person is only the essence of the neshamah. For a person's flesh is called "the flesh of a person," and the essential person is the neshamah. And the neshamah is a portion of G-d from Above, which is the essence of truth. And this is the aspect of the souls of Yisra'ail, which began from Avraham, about whom it is said: "entirely the seed of truth" (Yirmiyahu 2:21). And this is "lech l'cha" — that you should go "l'cha," to yourself. That is, to the essential truth of yours that is rooted in you. For only this is called "I" [ani] when a person speaks about himself, and similarly only this is called "you" [atah] or "l'cha" when speaking with him face-to-face. That is, in all your going, in the physical and the spiritual, go only "l'cha," to yourself, to the essential point of truth that is rooted in you. And do not look at any enticements and seductions of the falsehood that darkens the faces of people, until it is very difficult to withstand them for one who does not endeavor to have compassion on himself, to always search for the truth in its truest sense, so that he not deceive himself. And this is: "lech l'cha from your land and from your birthplace and from your father's house." For there are many kinds of darkness and falsehoods drawn from "your land" — that is, from the city and country where one was raised. For it is known that the k'lipah precedes the fruit, and in every land and every place, even though there is much good, there are many kinds of darknesses in every place that darken the truth — that is, the fact that in every land most pursue lusts, especially money and honor, etc., as if this path was given from Sinai, G-d forbid. And one must distance oneself from this and exit "from your land" mentioned above, and go "l'cha," to yourself, to the point of truth that is your essential self. For if you look at the truth, you will understand well that this is not the path to reach the eternal purpose in the World to Come. And similarly "from your birthplace" — that is, that he should exit from the evil and darkness that is in him from the side of birth, the aspect of "Behold, in iniquity was I formed" (Tehillim 51:7), etc. And as is explained on the verse "they and their father", etc. (in siman 10). And similarly "from your father's house" — which is his family. For there are many foolishnesses and falsehoods that cling to him from his family, who consider themselves great distinguished people, and as if all the honor belongs to them, and similar other foolishnesses and confusions. And from all of these, Hashem, blessed be He, commanded him to exit and go from them — "l'cha" specifically — that is, to yourself, which is the essential point of truth that is the entire person, as above. And then you will come to "the land that I will show you," which is Eretz Yisra'ail, and "I will make you into a great nation" — this is that they say "the G-d of Avraham," which is the completion of t'filah and emunah, etc. — and "through you shall be blessed," etc. — which is the aspect of nisim, etc. For all of this one merits through the truth, as above. And all of this is impossible to clarify in writing. Rather, one who desires truth will understand. For it has already been explained in his [Rabbainu's] words of blessed memory that people are greater obstacles than the yetzer hara, as is explained in his holy conversations — see there. And it goes without saying that there are wicked obstacles, or frivolous people and scoffers, etc., who obstruct with their words from the truth. But even those who fear Hashem can sometimes confuse a person with their advice that is not good for him according to his path. And there are many aspects in this without measure. Therefore one who desires truth must be careful to always draw himself to the essential point of his own truth, according to what he needs in truth. This is "lech l'cha" — "l'cha" specifically — that is, to yourself, to the essential point of truth that pertains to you. And as is brought in the story of the Wise Man and the Simple Man [hechacham v'hasam], where the Simple Man said: "this is his affair and this is my affair." And as is brought from this regarding the verse "and you shall count for yourselves" (Vayikra 23:15) — "lachem" [for yourselves], to yourselves — see there in our words (in Hilchos S'firah included within Hilchos Pesach, Halacha 9). Therefore in truth one needs much t'filah and conversation [sichah], and to speak the word in truth, as above — until one always merits drawing oneself to the truth in its truest sense and meriting all of the above. נְנַח נַחְמָא נַחְמָן מֵאומָ&#x05DF And this is the aspect of: "Ya’akov was a wholesome man [ish tam]" (Beraishis 25:27), etc. — the aspect of truth, as it is written: "grant truth to Ya’akov" (Michah 7:20). Through this he was able to stand against the aspect of the great darkness of Aysav, "a man who knows hunting" (Beraishis 25:27) — the aspect of "for hunting was in his mouth" (Beraishis 25:28) — which is the essential darkness of the Sitra Achara, as is explained there on the verse "in its side you shall place" — the aspect of "for hunting was in his mouth," etc. And similarly against Lavan, about whom it says: "and you changed my wages ten times" (Beraishis 31:41) — who intensifies in his falsehoods and craftiness with numerous changes and variations without number, etc. For the essential darkness is falsehood, which darkens the eyes of created beings. And therefore our master, our teacher, and our rabbi [Rabbainu] of blessed memory wrote that the essential yetzer hara is falsehood, which is the evil, which is the impurity, etc. Therefore the essential counsel is truth — to see to speak truthful speech however one can, etc. — and the truth will illuminate the openings for him, etc., until he can pray, etc. — through which his livelihood [parnasah] and his mate [zivug] are provided for him, or for his children and those who depend on him. And all this is the matter of Ya’akov, who had great wars with Lavan and Aysav. For Ya’akov is the essence of truth — "grant truth to Ya’akov" — and the darkness of the falsehood and deceit of Lavan and Aysav surrounded him from every side. And Ya’akov, through the greatness of the truth of his wholesomeness, stood against them until he extracted from Aysav the b’chorah and the b’rachah — which is the abundance of livelihood — and from Lavan he extracted all his mates and great wealth and the twelve tribes of Y-H. All through the greatness of the truth — through which not only were they unable to darken upon him, G-d forbid, but the truth illuminated for him until he extracted from them all the good that had been captive with them from before. And the more they intensified to darken upon him, G-d forbid, he extracted from them the good that was captive within them more and more — through intensifying more to draw upon himself the light of truth. This is the aspect of tashlumai kefel that the thief pays when he is found, as above. And if, G-d forbid, he intensifies more and steals the ox and the lamb and slaughters it or sells it, he must pay and return much more — which are 4 and 5. For the more the falsehood intensifies, the more is extracted from it through the truth — more and more, as above. Until Ya’akov merited extracting from them the twelve tribes of Y-H, which are the aspect of twelve formulations of t’filah [nuschaos hat’filah]. And they correspond to twelve constellations [mazalos], twelve months [chadashim], twelve boundaries of Eretz Yisra’ail, twelve hours of the day and twelve hours of the night — all of whose existence and vitality are through the point of truth, which is the essential sustenance of the world, as it is written: "Beraishis bara Elokim eis" — the final letters spell emes, as is brought, for the seal of HaKadosh Baruch Hu is truth. And the truth must illuminate in every month and every day and every hour of the twelve hours of the day and the night. For even though the truth is one, from the perspective of the variation of the recipients there are many variations in the matter of truth. And the truth of this person is not similar to his fellow, and similarly no hour is similar to another. For this person needs to strengthen himself through truth in Torah and avodah, and this person needs to increase in tz’dakah to support, etc., and this person engages in another mitzvah, in g’milus chesed, and the like. And similarly in one person there are many distinctions between one day and the next, and between one hour and the next — that in this hour he prays, and in this hour he studies, and in this hour he engages in business, and in this hour he eats or speaks with people, and similar other variations without number. And the essential thing is that every single hour, in everything that passes over him and in everything he engages in, it should all be in the truth of its truest sense, according to that time and hour and according to the person. And all of this is impossible to explain, but one who desires truth will understand on his own. And the general principle is that there is no hour in the world in which one cannot illuminate for himself through truth, even if the darkness surrounds him as much as it surrounds — for "the truth of Hashem is forever" (Tehillim 117:2). And this is what Dovid HaMelech, peace be upon him, requested: "guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the G-d of my salvation; for You I have hoped all the day" (Tehillim 25:5). "All the day" specifically — for in all the hours of the day from its beginning to its end I hope to You that You guide me in Your truth and teach me, for certainly there is truth in all the hours of the day that will illuminate for me in every hour, to exit from the darkness to great light. For the thief comes in concealment and in hiding, with great craftiness and deceit. And his root is from the Ba’al Davar, who is the great thief that comes upon a person through theft and deceit, as it is written: "he lurks in the hiding place" (Tehillim 10:8), etc. And as is explained above in the previous halachos. And the root of the Ba’al Davar and the Sitra Achara is from the beginning of the tzimtzum [contraction] of the chalal hapanui [empty space], when Hashem, blessed be He, as it were, concealed and hid the light of His wisdom for the sake of free choice [b’chirah]. And the concealment and the hiding is the aspect of theft [g’naivah]. For in the truest truth, Hashem, blessed be He, is there — only He conceals and hides Himself, as it were, for the sake of the test and the free choice — in the aspect of "You are a G-d Who conceals Himself" (Yeshayahu 45:15), the aspect of "and I will surely hide [hasteir astir]" (D’varim 31:18). And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said — that the Caesar said: "Your G-d is a thief" — and his daughter responded that it was for the good, as the parable brought there explains. And from there is the root of the great thief mentioned above, and from there all thieves are drawn. And therefore the rectification is through truth — through knowing that in every place Hashem, blessed be He, is hidden, even in the chalal hapanui itself. And then there is no darkness and no shadow of death to hide there, for "even the darkness does not darken from before You" (Tehillim 139:12). And it is written: "though I sit in darkness, Hashem is a light for me" (Michah 7:8). And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the thief — that he made the eye below as if it does not see, and because of this the thief is more severe than the robber [gazlan]. And at first glance this is not understood, for certainly the robber also does not believe in His supervision, blessed be He. For if he believed that Hashem, blessed be He, watches over him, he certainly would not rob his fellow out of fear of Hashem, blessed be He. Rather, the essential distinction is that the thief comes with such deceit and craftiness that he deceives himself. And as our master, our teacher, and our rabbi [Rabbainu] of blessed memory said: that when one repeats a lie twice it becomes truth in his eyes, etc. And not only does he deceive himself, but he can also deceive others with his stolen craftiness. And not only that, but as it were, he can draw down such a concealment as if Hashem, blessed be He, agrees with him — in the aspect of: "ganava amachtarta Rachamana karya" [the thief at the tunnel calls upon G-d]. For Hashem, blessed be He, gave the earth to people and gave such power to free choice — whose essential mechanism is through falsehood, as above — that falsehood, which is the aspect of theft, has the power to conceal the truth even Above, as it were. Like Aysav, who wanted to deceive his father until he would draw upon himself the blessings from Above — until Ya’akov was compelled to go with him through great deception until he snatched the blessings from him. And even so, Aysav intensified and said: "bless me too, my father" (Beraishis 27:34) — until he blessed him: "and by your sword you shall live" (Beraishis 27:40) — through which the exile is so prolonged, as is known. And this is the aspect of "he made the eye below," etc. — "he made" literally, etc., as above. But the free choice is in the hand of the one opposite him as well — who is from the side of Ya’akov — who certainly has more power. When he wants to have compassion on himself and incline toward the truth, he can illuminate upon himself the light of truth, which is the light of Hashem, blessed be He, at every time and every hour, as above — until he extracts from them all the good that was captive within them, in the aspect of tashlumai kefel, and 4 For the ox and the lamb are the aspect of Ya’akov and Yosef. "And the lambs Ya’akov separated" (Beraishis 30:40) — the aspect of "a scattered lamb is Yisra’ail" (Yirmiyahu 50:17); and "I will give My flock, the flock of My pasture" (Yechezkel 34:31), etc. "Yosef, the firstborn of His ox — splendor is his" (D’varim 33:17) — the aspect of the true tzaddik who illuminates the truth in the congregation of Yisra’ail, who are called by the name of Ya’akov. And when the Ba’al Davar intensifies against the essential point that exists in every member of Yisra’ail — from the side of being from the seed of Yisra’ail — and even more, G-d forbid, when he wants to intensify and steal from him the point of the tzaddik, the aspect of Yosef, that is rooted in him, and wants to uproot it entirely — in the aspect of "and slaughtered it or sold it": for there are those whom he slaughters entirely, bringing him to cast off the yoke entirely, G-d forbid — this being the aspect of slaughter and killing entirely. And there are those whom he does not entice to cast off the yoke entirely, but rather entices that all his service should be for the sake of money — this being the aspect of "sold it," that he sells his holiness for money. But through the power of the tzaddikay emes [true tzaddikim], in the end they prevail against him until they extract from him the good in double-fold — in the aspect of 4 and 5. For the more he intensifies in his falsehoods and theft, the more holiness is extracted from him afterwards — more and more, as above — in the aspect of "the time that man ruled over man to his detriment" (Koheles 8:9), etc. 4 and 5 in the aspect of: "instead of the copper I will bring gold, and instead of the iron I will bring silver, and instead of the wood — copper, and instead of the stones — iron" (Yeshayahu 60:17), etc. And our Sages of blessed memory said: "instead of Rabbi Akiva and his companions," etc. — who are the ten martyrs [asarah harugay malchus], which occurred through the blemish that was blemished through the sale of Yosef, that they stole him, as it is written: "for I was indeed stolen" (Beraishis 40:15), etc. And as is brought, that this passage — "five cattle he shall pay in place of the ox" (Shemos 21:37), etc. — alludes to the sale of Yosef, etc. (and see from this further on). For this is the greatest theft and deceit of all — when the Ba’al Davar steals a person’s heart until he introduces machlokes [dispute] against the true tzaddik, and overturns the truth, etc. This is the aspect of the dispute of the tribes against Yosef, from which the essential prolongation of the exile derives, etc. For all the rectification is through drawing the light of Mashi’ach, which is the light of truth, as it is written: "send Your light and Your truth" (Tehillim 43:3), etc.; "G-d will send His kindness and His truth" (Tehillim 57:4). And this is the aspect of the Chanukah light — to illuminate the truth in the world, which is the essential light to push away the darkness that is on the face of the deep, which is the aspect of Yavan [Greece], as our Sages of blessed memory said. And this is the aspect of: "the lamp of Hashem searches all the chambers of the belly" (Mishlei 20:27). Through the truth, which is the lamp of Hashem, one can search in all the chambers of the belly, to exit from the darkness of the gloom that comes in all the chambers of the belly — which are the totality of the lusts and evil character traits, etc. For the truth illuminates in all the chambers of the belly to find counsel and encouragement to return from all of them to Hashem, blessed be He. For even when it appears to a person that he knows the truth, only that the lusts overpower him — this too is falsehood, for it appears to him that he lacks the strength to stand against them. But if he draws himself to the truth, he will certainly have the strength and counsel to escape from them. And as it is written in the introduction to the sefer Likutay Moharan, in the words of the song: "and all this is because of foolishness, that he does not know of his power," etc. But in the truest truth, he certainly does have the power, etc. For HaKadosh Baruch Hu does not send upon a person a test, etc., that he would not have the power to withstand. For HaKadosh Baruch Hu does not come with tyranny against His creatures, etc. And there is much more to speak about this, for it is impossible to explain the truth of the truth that a person needs every day and every hour according to his level, and especially regarding the matter of hischazkus [encouragement], etc. Also, the ox and the lamb allude to tzitzis and t’filin, as is brought in the story of the ox and the lamb — see there. That is, sometimes the thief — which is the yetzer hara, which is the Sitra Achara, which is the essential thief and deceiver, etc., as above — intensifies so much that he steals, G-d forbid, even the aspect of the ox and the lamb, and slaughters it or sells it — that he casts a blemish or nullifies entirely, even from one’s basic holiness, which is tzitzis and t’filin. But even he must strengthen himself and not despair, until he finds the thief and extracts from him in double-fold — in the aspect of tashlumai 4 and 5, etc., as above. For tzitzis and t’filin are the aspect of the light of truth. Tzitzis is the rectification of garments — to rectify the falsehood that clings most to garments, as is sensed experientially. Beged [garment] in at-bash equals sheker [falsehood], as is brought. T’filin are the light of the face — "seekers of Your face, Ya’akov" (Tehillim 24:6) — the aspect of "grant truth to Ya’akov" (Michah 7:20). And their essential time is by day. And at night, when the gates of Gan Eiden are sealed — kad lailya parish gadfaha [when the night spreads its wings], etc. — and the darkness intensifies, then it is not the time for tzitzis and t’filin. For there is a darkness, an aspect of falsehood, where the light of tzitzis and t’filin cannot reach. And then there is no rectification except through truthful speech — the aspect of t’filas arvis [the evening prayer] that Ya’akov specifically established. For he was the very essence of truth more than all the Avos. For Avraham and Yitzchak established shacharis and minchah, when they draw the light of tzitzis and t’filin. But when they reached the intensity of the darkness of the night at its greatest, they did not have it in their hands to draw the light of truth there. And therefore Aysav and Yishma’ail came out from them — "whose mouth speaks falsehood and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood" (Tehillim 144:8) — that the right hand, the aspect of truth that is theirs, is falsehood, etc. And they destroyed the Bais HaMikdash, the place of the Torah and the t’filah, etc. But Ya’akov, the very essence of truth, was so strong in truth that he illuminated the truth in the intensity of the darkness of the night, amidst the intensification of the darkness and the falsehood very greatly. And therefore specifically he established t’filas arvis — the aspect of "and he encountered the Place" (Beraishis 28:11), etc. — when he fled from Aysav the wicked and went to Lavan the Aramean, both of whom are the aspect of immense and dreadful darkness. And he saw that the darkness surrounded him from every side and from the sides of the sides. And then specifically he strengthened himself through engaging in Torah, having learned extensively in the study hall of Shem and Eiver. And he established then specifically t’filas arvis — the essential rectification of t’filah being truth — to show that through the intensity of his truth he could illuminate in the very depths of the darkness of the night. And therefore his bed was complete — in the aspect of "entirely the seed of truth" — the opposite of Yishma’ail and Aysav, who are the seed of falsehood. And this is the aspect of emes v’yatziv in the morning, and emes ve’emunah in the evening — which are said after the three passages of k’ri’as Sh’ma, which are the passages of t’filin and tzitzis, through which the truth shines. For even at night, in the intensity of the darkness, when there are no actual tzitzis and t’filin, nevertheless the truth of theirs shines through speech — through reciting these three passages before t’filah. And similarly they are recited before sleep, and one prays "us’hai mitasi sh’laimah" [and may my bed be complete], etc., as above. And therefore at night we say: "into Your hand I entrust my spirit; You have redeemed me, Hashem, G-d of truth" (Tehillim 31:6). For in the intensity of the darkness of the night, one must cling to the truth all the more, as above. And this is the aspect of the Chanukah light — the aspect of the lights of the M’norah, which are in the darkness of the night. And therefore the intensity of the miracle was through the lights of the M’norah specifically. And this is the very magnitude of the awesome holiness of Chanukah — that they draw the light of the flame of holiness that shines at night, through the light of truth, which is the essential light of all the lights — the aspect of "the lamp of Hashem is the soul of man" (Mishlei 20:27), etc. For the essential miracle is through the light of truth that nullifies the darkness and the falsehood, even if it surrounds as much as it surrounds. And this is the matter of Ya’akov taking twelve stones and placing them at his head, and testing through this whether his bed would be complete, as they said in the Midrash. For the stones allude to stumbling stones [avnay negef] upon which one stumbles through the darkness. And he tested with this specifically — that through the intensity of his truth, all the stumbling blocks would be nullified, and the stones would transform and unite into one stone, which is the aspect of truth. For the truth is entirely one, as is explained elsewhere. For then he established t’filas arvis — that they would be able to pray in truth in the intensity of the darkness, through which they see the openings, etc. And therefore at night when they arise at chatzos [midnight] to mourn over the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash — which was destroyed through Aysav and Yishma’ail — they pray then: "lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O everlasting openings" (Tehillim 24:7), etc. — that the openings of holiness should open, so that they may enter through them to Hashem, blessed be He, etc. נְנַח נַחְמָא נַחְמָן מֵאומָ&#x05DF And this is the aspect of the interpretation of dreams that Yosef interpreted — for we read these parashiyos [Vayeishev, Mikeitz] on Chanukah. For the dream comes during sleep, in the darkness of night, when falsehood intensifies. And therefore “there is no dream without idle matters” (B’rachos 55a). But Yosef knew how to reveal also the truth that exists there, and to clarify it from the falsehood. This is the aspect of the interpretation of Par’oh’s dream, which no one else knew how to interpret. For he saw that seven bad cows swallowed the seven good cows, and the healthy ones were as before — “and it was not known that they had come into their midst” (Beraishis 41:21). For falsehood is the aspect of “seven abominations in his heart” (Mishlei 26:25), and its grip is from the left, from the aspect of “the face of the ox from the left” (Yechezkel 1:10). And the essential grip is from the sitra d’nukva that is on the left, which is the aspect of parah [cow] — the aspect of “for like a stubborn heifer, Yisra’ail was stubborn” (Hoshaia 4:16). And Par’oh was greatly astonished how the seven bad cows prevailed so greatly over the seven good cows, which are the aspect of truth — the aspect of “she has hewn her pillars, seven” (Mishlei 9:1) — the aspect of the sustenance of the world that was created in the seven days of Beraishis. And no one knew how to interpret except Yosef, who received the essence of truth from Ya’akov, and he is the aspect of “the firstborn of His ox” (D’varim 33:17) — who knows how to include the left within the right, and to reveal the truth from the intensity of the falsehood covering it. Even though the truth was literally swallowed, nevertheless the truth endures forever, and the tzaddik, the aspect of Yosef, reveals it. Through this he interpreted Par’oh’s dream, through which he rose to greatness and saved all Yisra’ail and sustained them, etc. And they went out from the exile through him, for Yosef is the aspect of Mashi’ach ben Yosef, etc. And this is: “five cattle he shall pay in place of the ox, and four sheep in place of the lamb” (Shemos 21:37). Seh [lamb] is the aspect of wealth — “and the flocks of your sheep [v’asht’ros tzonecha]” (D’varim 7:13) — which is the root of the souls. For this reason Ya’akov labored to extract wealth from Lavan through the flocks, in order to sustain the souls from their root, etc. And the ox [shor] is the aspect of the service of the tzaddik — the aspect of “Yosef, the firstborn of His ox” — the aspect of “like an ox bearing its load in His service, blessed be He,” as our Sages of blessed memory said: “A person should always place himself like an ox to the yoke.” The aspect of “much produce through the strength of the ox” (Mishlei 14:4). And from there is the entire root of wealth together with the souls, for everything is rooted in and receives vitality from the service of the tzaddik, which is the root of everything. And therefore when Rachel gave birth to Yosef — the aspect of the tzaddik of the generation, the aspect of “the firstborn of His ox” — then Ya’akov said: “when shall I also do for my own house?” (Beraishis 30:30) — for now I must draw wealth for my house, for all the souls of the house of Ya’akov, because all their wealth is drawn from the aspect of Yosef the tzaddik — in the aspect of “and Yosef was the ruler, he was the provider” (Beraishis 42:6); the aspect of “and Yosef sustained his father and his brothers” (Beraishis 47:12). For from the tzaddik, the aspect of Yosef, comes all the wealth, which is the root of the souls. And so it was — that afterward he extracted extraordinary wealth through the flocks from the house of Lavan the Aramean. And the Sitra Achara, the aspect of the thief and the deceiver — when they want to intensify further in their theft and craftiness until they want to steal the aspect of wealth, which is the root of the souls of Yisra’ail, which is the aspect of seh as above; and sometimes they intensify even more, wanting to steal and blemish also the power of the tzaddik himself, who is the root of everything, which is the aspect of the shor, the aspect of Yosef HaTzaddik — and this in several aspects: either they distance from him, or they want to cast down, G-d forbid, the tzaddik himself, as has already occurred several times (may the Merciful One save us from now on), or they want to slaughter or sell the tzaddik — in the aspect of “because they sold a righteous man for silver” (Amos 2:6) — which is the aspect of the ten martyrs [asarah harugay malchus] and all the holy ones who were slaughtered and sold as slaves. But the more they intensify in their theft and craftiness unto the very root, G-d forbid, in slaughter and sale — in the aspect of “those who say: ‘demolish, demolish, to its very foundation’” (Tehillim 137:7); for “they said: let us cut them off from nationhood, and the name of Yisra’ail shall be remembered no more” (Tehillim 83:5), etc. — but “the truth of Hashem is forever” (Tehillim 117:2), for it will not avail them. For the greatest, most select tzaddikim stand against them always, revealing and illuminating the truth of the truth in the world with such authentic wisdom that not only is their craftiness and falsehood revealed until the thief is found, but they also extract from them kefel, as above. And if they intensify more, even more is extracted from them — in the aspect of 4 and 5: “four sheep in place of the lamb.” For the wealth, the root of the totality of the souls, is comprised of 4 — the aspect of 4 camps [d’galim], which are the 4 camps of the Sh’chinah, the 4 legs of the Throne, the aspect of the 4 letters of the Name, which is the aspect of t’amim, n’kudos, tagin, osiyos — the aspect of the vitality of the 4 worlds: Atzilus, B’ri’ah, Y’tzirah, Asiyah — the aspect of the 4 elements, etc., as is brought. And therefore in the future, when the nations will be compelled to return the wealth to Yisra’ail, it says: “instead of the copper I will bring gold, and instead of the iron — silver, and instead of the wood — copper, and instead of the stones — iron” (Yeshayahu 60:17). It emerges that four things are reckoned there — gold, silver, copper, and iron — which are the totality of the colors, all included in 4, as is known (the aspect of Chesed, G’vurah, Tiferes, and Malchus). These are all the aspects of the 4 mentioned above. For they will all be compelled to return — in the aspect of “four sheep in place of the lamb” — which is the aspect of the wealth of holiness, the root of the souls of Yisra’ail. And if they intensified even more, until the blemish of the theft touched the point of the tzaddik himself — who is the ultimate supernal root of Yisra’ail, which is the aspect of stealing the ox, the aspect of Yosef, in slaughter and sale — then they will be compelled to extract from their midst even more, in the aspect of “five cattle in place of the ox.” For the tzaddik is the aspect of the fifth foundation [y’sod hachamishi], for he is the aspect of the tip of the yud (the aspect of Atik Ha’Elyon, the root of the da’as, which is the aspect of Dai, etc.). And this is alluded to in the words of our Sages of blessed memory who said: “Woe to them! etc. — for instead of the copper I will bring gold, etc. — instead of Rabbi Akiva and his companions,” etc. That is, these four aspects — gold, silver, etc. — will not suffice for them, until they will need to extract the very essence of their vitality from their belly and their midst. For the heh encompasses everything, for the world was created with a heh — the aspect of the heh of Avraham, the aspect of “here is seed for you” (Beraishis 47:23). That is, wherever there is found among them any further vitality, any spark and soul of holiness — all will need to be returned, in the aspect of “five cattle in place of the ox,” which is the tzaddik who is “like an ox bearing its load,” etc., from whom everything derives, etc., as above. And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said: “An ox, since he nullified it from its work, must pay 5. A lamb, since he did not nullify it from its work, pays 4.” For the essential work of the creation [m’leches ma’asei Beraishis] — that is, all the sustenance of the entire world that Hashem, blessed be He, created, which is called “work” [m’lachah], as it is written: “and G-d completed on the seventh day His work that He had done” (Beraishis 2:2) — is through the tzaddik, who is the aspect of the seventh day, the aspect of “ant Shabbas d’chul’hu yoma” [you are the Shabbos of all the days]. For all the work of creation was created and is sustained through the tzaddik, who is the aspect of Shabbos. And the thief-deceiver mentioned above wanted to nullify him from his work; therefore he must pay more — the aspect of five, corresponding to the heh mentioned above, which is the aspect of the heh of “hashishi” [the sixth (day)], the aspect of the five books of the Torah [chamishah chumshay Torah] from which the tzaddik is comprised, who is the sustenance of all the worlds. And this is the aspect of what they said there: “A lamb, since he carried it on his shoulder, pays only 4. An ox, which walks on its own feet, pays 5.” For the seh, which is the aspect of wealth, must be carried on one’s shoulder. For wealth, even when they steal it and it is in their possession, they still require many labors to bear upon their shoulders the yoke of the toils and labors of the trades and businesses that come with wealth. But the theft of the aspect of the ox — which is the aspect of the holiness of the tzaddik — as long as he is in their possession, they need not labor or carry him at all. On the contrary, all the abundance and vitality comes to them effortlessly through him — in the aspect of “and Hashem blessed you on account of my feet” (Beraishis 30:30). And as it is written: “and Hashem blessed the house of the Egyptian on account of Yosef” (Beraishis 39:5). And therefore afterwards, when he must return, he must return more — the aspect of “five cattle in place of the ox” — for in truth all their property and possessions and the very essence of their vitality and all that they have will not suffice to pay these aspects of “five cattle in place of the ox,” as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Woe to them! Instead of Rabbi Akiva and his companions,” etc. For Rabbi Akiva and his companions atone for the sale of Yosef, as our Sages of blessed memory said. And then the sin returns upon them — for what did it benefit them that they came with such wicked deceit, as if they were zealous over the sale of Yosef, and said: “It is written in your Torah: ‘one who steals a man,’” etc. — and what concern was it of theirs? Rather, in truth they only wanted to take revenge on Yisra’ail and to spill the blood of such awesome tzaddikim for nothing, for they had done nothing to them. And in truth, Yisra’ail received their due through this, for certainly they already had complete atonement and forgiveness through the killing of such holy ones, together with the many thousands and tens of thousands of holy ones killed by their hand. But woe to the killers who killed for nothing, for the sin returns upon them — in the aspect of “place iniquity upon their iniquity” (Tehillim 69:28). And then they will be required to pay everything, and it will never suffice for them. As above. And this is: “All turnings that you turn should only be by way of the right” — which is the truth, which is kola y’mina [entirely right] — as is explained above in §6 [i.e. §5] on the verse “if you go left I will go right, and if you go right I will go left,” and then this is called “right,” as they said in the Midrash: “from every place I cause that man to be on the left,” etc., as above. And therefore this teaching of our Sages of blessed memory — “all turnings” — is mentioned in connection with the Chanukah light. And the poskim [halachic authorities] differed in its interpretation. But the general principle is that one should always turn to the truth of its truest sense however one can. And this is impossible to explain — rather, for each person according to what he perceives in his heart, according to the person, according to the hour, and according to the place, as above. And this is the aspect of “and speaks truth in his heart” (Tehillim 15:2). And according to Rashi’s explanation there: the truth that is in his heart he speaks with his mouth. That is, the essential thing is that according to what he perceives in his heart as truth at that hour, he should speak with his mouth. For the Jewish heart burns and yearns always for Hashem, blessed be He, and in his heart he understands the truth always — and he must speak with his mouth according to the truth that is in his heart. And then certainly Hashem, blessed be He, will illuminate for him to find the openings to exit from there, etc., as above. For the Greeks [Y’vanim] defiled all the oils, which are the lights, the aspect of truth. That is, they wanted to defile and ruin, G-d forbid, even the truth itself — for they say the opposite, that such is the truth according to their opinion. And the miracle was through the oil of the Kohein Gadol, etc. — which is the truth of its truest sense of the tzaddik, who is the aspect of the even tov [precious stone] that illuminates the truth in the heart of each and every one, etc., until he sees the openings. For there are very many openings there — the aspect of “they open for him.” And there are many distinctions between each person, as is explained there — that the descent of this one is the ascent of that one. It emerges that one cannot derive proof from one person to another, etc. Therefore the essential thing is to always set one’s heart, every hour, to the point of truth of its truest sense, according to what he perceives in his heart, and to see and to bring out the truth with his mouth. Therefore, in truth, one must increase greatly in sichah [conversation/prayer] before Him, blessed be He — the aspect of “before Hashem he pours out his conversation” (Tehillim 102:1); “with my heart I converse and my spirit searches” (Tehillim 77:7) — and to accustom oneself to make from the Toros [Torah teachings] t’filos [prayers], to speak the truth of the counsels found in all the Torah teachings with his mouth, and to search and seek there yet deeper counsels that are not explained there explicitly. And therefore the miracle was through the oil, which is the aspect of the light of truth of the Kohein Gadol. For the Kohein Gadol bears upon his heart twelve stones, which are engravings of a holy signet of the names of the sons of Yisra’ail — which are all just the truth of Ya’akov, who merited that all the twelve stones be included within him in one stone, which is the essence of truth — the aspect of the even tov, etc., as above. And therefore t’filas arvis that Ya’akov established is r’shus [optional]. For we have already written that specifically Ya’akov established t’filas arvis, since he is the very essence of truth that can illuminate even within the intensity of the darkness of the night, etc., as above. And therefore t’filas arvis is r’shus — for the essence of truth is impossible to fix as an obligation. For the essential rectification of t’filah is through truth, as above; but in the intensity of the darkness it is impossible to explain and articulate the truth. Rather, each person must turn to the truth according to what he is — in the aspect of “and speaks truth in his heart,” as above — which is the aspect of r’shus: that the truth is not fixed, but everything is according to the matter and the hour, according to what he perceives in his heart, as above. And therefore at that time, when there was a dispute in the bais midrash between Rabban Gamliel and Rabbi Y’hoshua regarding t’filas arvis — when a certain student asked, who was Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai — until the halachah was decided that t’filas arvis is r’shus — then many benches of students were added in the bais midrash, as is explained there in B’rachos. For through the aspect of t’filas arvis being r’shus, which Ya’akov established — who is the essence of truth that shines in the intensity of the darkness for each person according to what he is at that hour — through this, all can draw close to Hashem, blessed be He, and to the Torah. For there is no darkness that can darken for them, for he illuminates for them through the very depth of his truth, until he draws them all close to Hashem, blessed be He. And therefore then many, many students were added, as above. And this is what Ya’akov answered Aysav: “let my lord please pass before his servant, and I will journey at my slow pace, according to the pace of the work that is before me and according to the pace of the children” (Beraishis 33:14), etc. For it is impossible to force the hour, etc. (And this requires further explanation.) And this is: “Why is it that you ask my name?” (Beraishis 32:30) — for our names change according to the mission for which we are sent to this world. And everything is for the sake of free choice — that Ya’akov, the aspect of truth, must stand with his truth against all the trials and confusions that can come through the angel, from whom is the root of the yetzer hara, for he was the minister [sar] of Aysav, etc. And therefore it is impossible to know his name clearly. But however he is called and sent, one must turn and draw close to Hashem, blessed be He, through the truth, and stand against all the errors, etc., that come through the angel — in the aspect of “and he wrestled with the angel and prevailed over him” (Hoshaia 12:5); “for you have striven with the divine and with men, and you have prevailed” (Beraishis 32:29). And this is the aspect of “be careful of him, do not exchange with him [al tamer bo]” (Shemos 23:21). And our Sages of blessed memory expounded this as a language of exchange [t’murah]. For there one must guard oneself very, very greatly not to exchange, G-d forbid, falsehood for truth. For the errors are without number — for from there is the grip of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the aspect of “the revolving flaming sword” (Beraishis 3:24) — which revolves into many colors and variations. But through the essence of the truth of the true tzaddik, the aspect of Ya’akov, the aspect of the even tov [precious stone], one can stand against them all, and see the openings wherever he is, and draw close to Hashem, blessed be He. For one must cling to the truth so greatly — to speak the word in such great truth that he sees the openings and prays in completeness as fitting — until he places all his power into the words of t’filah and renews his strength and vitality there, as is explained at the beginning of the Torah teaching mentioned above. (And as is explained elsewhere in Sichos HaRa”N, siman 66: that when one prays with kavanah [intention] in truth, all the powers are automatically drawn and bound into the t’filah, etc.) For all the power of the act of creation, which is the vitality — everything is drawn only through t’filah, as is explained there. And the essential thing is that at every time and hour, in everything that passes over him, he should cling only to the truth and pray and pour out his heart before Hashem, blessed be He, in words of truth of their truest sense, as explained above. For the power of the act of creation is the aspect of twenty-eight times [itos] — fourteen for good and fourteen for the opposite — in which all of a person’s times are included, everything that passes over him. Regarding this, Dovid prayed: “in Your hand are my times” (Tehillim 31:16), etc. And as it is written: “and the times that passed over him” (Divray HaYamim I 29:30). And the essential rectification — to be saved from all evil in the physical and in the spiritual, and to transform all the bad times, G-d forbid, to good — is only through truth, which is the rectification of t’filah, to transform all the times to the aspect of eis ratzon [a time of favor] — the aspect of “may this hour be an hour of mercy and a time of favor”; the aspect of “and as for me, my t’filah is to You, Hashem, at a time of favor” (Tehillim 69:14). And the essential thing is that at every time, according to what he is, he should look at the truth and not deceive himself. For in truth there is no time or moment when one cannot exit the darkness through the truth, etc. And this is the aspect of the dream of Par’oh that Yosef interpreted — the seven good cows and the seven bad, the seven good sheaves and the seven bad — all of which total twenty-eight: fourteen good and fourteen bad — the aspect of the twenty-eight times mentioned above, in which are all the many variations. And the essential evil and good within them is the falsehood and the truth, the darkness and the light, etc. And therefore he saw all this through cows and sheaves. For through t’filah one merits his mate — which is the aspect of paros [cows], which are living creatures, the aspect of “ben poras Yosef” (Beraishis 49:22). And the sheaves are grain — the aspect of livelihood [parnasah], which is received through t’filah. And Par’oh saw seven very good cows drawn from the fitting t’filah, which is the aspect of “seven times a day I praised You” (Tehillim 119:164). But against this he saw seven cows rising after them, “poor and very bad of form, the likes of which I have not seen” (Beraishis 41:19), etc. — “and the bad cows swallowed” them, etc., “and it was not known that they had come into their midst”. For the falsehood intensifies and darkens so greatly that one cannot see the truth at all, as if it never existed in the world. For the blemish of the marital unions, G-d forbid, intensifies so greatly — as if there is no true holiness, G-d forbid, in the matter of unions, when in truth all the holinesses and all the supernal unifications [yichudim] depend on this, as is known, especially in the Zohar HaKadosh and the writings of the Ari z”l. And similarly he saw seven sheaves, full and good — the aspect of livelihood and plenty, that some earn great wealth and money — and then, “behold, seven other sheaves sprouted after them, thin and scorched” (Beraishis 41:23), etc., “and they swallowed,” etc. That is, all that one earns and grows wealthy is swallowed within the evil, until it was not known that they had come into their midst — as if he had never profited. And this is in several aspects: either a loss comes to him in the meantime, and he also spends a great deal until the profit is not recognized at all; or even if he continues to grow wealthy, his lust for money is so great that now it is worse for him than at the beginning, etc. And also — “it is riches kept by their owner to his detriment” (Koheles 5:12) — which is not wealth at all; on the contrary: “the more possessions, the more worry,” and “all his days are vexation and pain” (Koheles 2:23), and he loses his world through this, etc. And the rectification is through Yosef, who is the true tzaddik who illuminates the truth in each member of Yisra’ail at every time and hour. For Ya’akov is the essence of truth as above, and he illuminates the truth in all twelve formulations of t’filah, which are the aspect of the twelve tribes of Y-H, which are his sons. Through this they merit their mates in holiness and their livelihood in holiness. But the essential drawing of the point of truth that the aspect of Ya’akov draws to the twelve tribes, etc., is through Yosef HaTzaddik. For “he is the son of his old age” (Beraishis 37:3) — zakein [elder] of holiness: this is the aspect of truth, which is the light of the face — the aspect of zakein, the aspect of “and you shall honor the face of the elder” (Vayikra 19:32) — for truth depends on Atika [the Ancient One]. And therefore he transmitted to him especially all the blessings, as it is written: “through you shall Yisra’ail bless” (Beraishis 48:20), etc. And as it is written: “from the hand of the Mighty One of Ya’akov” (Beraishis 49:24), etc., until “the blessings of your father surpassed the blessings of my progenitors — they shall be upon the head of Yosef” (Beraishis 49:26), etc. And all the blessings are the aspect of truth, as is explained elsewhere on the verse “whoever blesses himself in the land” (Yeshayahu 65:16), etc. And therefore the rectification of Par’oh’s dream is through Yosef HaTzaddik, who illuminates the truth in each one, so that the seven years of plenty prevail over the seven years of famine — that the good prevails over the evil through the truth. And this is: “and he armed [v’chimesh] the land of Mitzrayim” (Beraishis 41:34) — the aspect of weapons [k’lay zayin], as it is written: “and armed [vachamushim] the children of Yisra’ail went up” (Shemos 13:18). For the essential weapon is t’filah, etc. And this is the aspect of taking from the dust of the earth and placing it within it. “Dust” is the aspect of t’filah, as is explained there in the Torah teaching mentioned above. And this is: “behold, from the river they arose” (Beraishis 41:2) — that is, from the water, which is the aspect of t’filah, the aspect of “pour out your heart like water” (Eichah 2:19), etc. And therefore when Yosef was born, Rachel said: “G-d has gathered in my disgrace” (Beraishis 30:23) — the aspect of the nullification of all the disgraces, which are the aspect of all types of darkness, through Yosef, who is the aspect of “entirely the seed of truth.” And not only this, but “may Hashem add [yosef] to me another son” (Beraishis 30:24) — this is the aspect of “and the opening of the ark you shall place in its side” — that he should merit making an opening also for others, to bring them out from the darkness, which is considered as if he gave birth to them, etc. And this is the aspect of the Chanukah light — mosif v’holech [adding and increasing]. The aspect of Yosef — that one must add light each and every day, through the greatest tzaddikay emes — in the aspect of “and the path of the righteous is like the radiant light, going and shining until the fullness of the day” (Mishlei 4:18). This is the aspect of the light of Mashi’ach — the aspect of “I have arranged a lamp for My anointed one” (Tehillim 132:17) — about which He swore in His holy Name that his lamp shall never be extinguished — for kushta ka’ay [truth endures] and “the lip of truth shall be established forever” (Mishlei 12:19). And this is the aspect of what Ya’akov blessed Yosef: “the blessings of your father surpassed the blessings of my progenitors, unto the desire of the everlasting hills” (Beraishis 49:26). And Rashi explained that his blessings were without boundary or limit, as it is written: “and you shall spread to the west and to the east” (Beraishis 28:14), etc. That is, the greatness of the truth of Ya’akov illuminates from end to end without any boundary — for in every place, even in the profane [chol], even in the very impure air, his truth illuminates to exit from there, etc., as above. And this blessing he transmitted to Yosef — for the essential drawing of truth to all Yisra’ail is through him, as above. נְנַח נַחְמָא נַחְמָן מֵאומָ&#x05DF And this is the reason we read the korbanos [offerings] of the twelve n’si’im [princes] on Chanukah. For they are the totality of the twelve sh’vatim [tribes] — the aspect of twelve formulations of t’filah [nuschaos hat’filah], whose rectification is through truth, which is the aspect of the Chanukah light. For the korbanos are the aspect of t’filah, as is explained elsewhere. And this is: “and their camels were carrying spices and balm and lotus” (Beraishis 37:25), etc. And Rashi explained: “To make known the reward of the righteous — for they carried pleasant fragrances.” For Yosef is the aspect of Mashi’ach, who is comprised of all the t’filos, which are the aspect of a pleasant fragrance — the aspect of morach v’da’in [he smells and judges], etc. And therefore Ya’akov went out to chutz la’aretz [outside the land] and found there specifically his mate in great holiness. For Ya’akov was so strong in the truth that even in chutz la’aretz — in the aspect of the intensity of the darkness — the truth illuminated for him, in the aspect of “and the sun shone for him” (Beraishis 32:32) — which is the aspect of truth — “for him” specifically. Through this he found his mate in chutz la’aretz, and great wealth and livelihood, until he established the twelve tribes of Y-H, which are the aspect of the formulations of t’filah. For all this is merited through the essence of truth that illuminates in the intensity of the darkness, etc. And this is: “and he made for him a coat of many colors [k’sones pasim]” (Beraishis 37:3). And our Sages of blessed memory expounded: pas yam [edge of the sea]. For Ya’akov illuminated through Yosef the truth to all the twelve tribes, which are the aspect of the twelve formulations of t’filah — which is the aspect of the splitting of the Yam Suf [Sea of Reeds] into twelve parts, as is explained there. And this is what Rashi explained on the verse: “and it was when Rachel gave birth to Yosef, that Ya’akov said: ‘send me away’” (Beraishis 30:25), etc. — “for the adversary of Aysav was born,” as it is written: “and the house of Ya’akov shall be fire” (Ovadyah 1:18), etc. — “fire without a flame does not prevail,” etc. And this is the aspect of the light and the flame of the holy lamp — the aspect of the lights of the M’norah and the Chanukah light, which are the aspect of the light of truth. The essential blazing of the truth to illuminate in the world is through the aspect of Yosef. For Ya’akov is the very essence and root of the fire of truthful speech, which is the aspect of the words of Hashem, which are the aspect of “behold, is not My word like fire?” (Yirmiyahu 23:29). And Yosef is the aspect of the flame — to set ablaze the truth in the world, etc. — the aspect of “when you kindle the lamps” (Bamidbar 8:2) — “that the flame rises of its own.” And this is through “opposite the face of the M’norah” — the aspect of the essence of truth, which is the aspect of the light of the face — “the seven lamps shall give light” — which are the aspect of all the groups [kitos] within Yisra’ail, among whom there are many variations. All of them need to direct their intention toward the face of the M’norah, etc. — which is the aspect of Ya’akov, the essence of truth, etc. And this is: “send one of you and let him take your brother” (Beraishis 42:16), etc. — “and let your words be tested whether truth is with you”. For as long as the twelve tribes are not gathered together, the truth is not clarified, etc. (And similarly this matter is alluded to wondrously — it is brought in the Yalkut HaReuveni on this verse; see there.) And therefore now, all the prolongation of the exile in our many sins is through the concealment of the essence of the truth, as it is written: “and truth was cast to the ground” (Daniel 8:12). And the truth has become “flocks, flocks” [separate groups], and each one says that the truth is with him. And in truth, each member of Yisra’ail has some point of truth, for they are all from the seed of Ya’akov, who is the essence of truth, and all of Yisra’ail are called “entirely the seed of truth.” But nevertheless, due to the lusts of this world and its distractions — especially the lust of sexual relations, which is the blemish of the unions, and the lust for money, which is the blemish of livelihood — through this the falsehood, which is the darkness, surrounds the truth very, very greatly. And through this comes the prolongation of the exile, in our many sins. For it is impossible for the truth to be in completeness except when all Yisra’ail are gathered together to the aspect of Yosef, who is the aspect of the true tzaddik, as above. And therefore now, the essential rectification and hope is through those who draw close to the point of truth, etc. And this is what Rashi explained on the verse: “and Ya’akov settled” (Beraishis 37:1). And this is from the Midrash: “The charcoal-maker was astonished: where will all this flax enter? A clever man answered him: one spark comes out from your bellows that burns it all up. So too Ya’akov saw all the chieftains written above and was astonished, saying: who can conquer them all? What is written below? ‘These are the generations of Ya’akov — Yosef,’ as it is written: ‘and the house of Ya’akov shall be fire and the house of Yosef a flame and the house of Aysav straw’ — a spark goes out from Yosef that consumes and burns them all.” That is, the chieftains of Aysav are all the aspect of falsehood, from which comes all their sovereignty and self-aggrandizement, as it is written: “redeem me and save me” (Tehillim 144:7), etc., “from the hand of the sons of the stranger, whose mouth speaks falsehood and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood” (Tehillim 144:8,11). And in our many sins, through the machlokes [dispute] and sinas chinam [baseless hatred] that come through the intensification of the falsehood of the nations and the Sitra Achara that has become mixed into Yisra’ail — through this comes the prolongation of the exile, as above. For the falsehood, the aspect of the kingdom of Aysav, rules over Yisra’ail, the aspect of truth. And this is through the aspect of the chieftains of Aysav, the great ones [rav’r’vay] of Aysav — the aspect of “I have much [rav]” (Beraishis 33:9) — the aspect of the “rav” of the k’lipah, who has intensified and multiplied greatly, in our many sins. And as is explained in the Torah teaching “Ra’isi M’noras Zahav” in siman 8. And therefore in truth it is written: “Hashem will come in judgment with the elders of His people and its officers” (Yeshayahu 3:14), etc. — “what is it to you that you crush My people and grind the faces of the poor?” (Yeshayahu 3:15). And similarly in Yechezkel and Z’charyah: “woe, shepherds of worthlessness!” (Z’charyah 11:17), etc. And therefore Ya’akov, the aspect of the essence of truth, was astonished: how is it possible to illuminate the truth in the world? For the chieftains of Aysav, the great ones of Aysav mentioned above, are very, very numerous, and they seize for themselves all the dominion through their many and immense falsehoods, until it is very difficult to stand upon the truth. The clever man answered: through one single spark, etc. For there is the aspect of Yosef, who can set ablaze the light of truth in the world that burns all their falsehoods. For kushta ka’ay [truth endures]. For through one spark of the true Torah of the true tzaddik that sparks and illuminates in the heart of the Jewish person who inclines his mind and heart to the truth of its truest sense — it burns and consumes all the falsehoods and deceptions, etc., of the aspect of the chieftains of Aysav, the great ones of Aysav. For “the lip of truth shall be established forever” (Mishlei 12:19), etc. And therefore the parable was brought of the flax-merchant who entered with much flax — an allusion to the aspect of Kayin, who brought from the refuse, which is flax, as our Sages of blessed memory said. This is the aspect of “the end of all flesh” (Beraishis 6:13), etc., from which is the grip of the false leaders who dispute with the tzaddik, who is the point of truth. This is the aspect of the dispute of Korach, Dasan, and Aviram against Moshe Rabbainu, from which derives all machlokes in the world, as is brought — that it all extends from the first machlokes in the world, which is the dispute of Kayin against Hevel, etc. And as is brought about this extensively in the writings of the Ari z”l in the Sefer HaGilgulim; see there. Therefore the parable was brought of flax — the aspect of the dispute of Kayin, etc., as above — from which derives all the machlokes that intensifies through the aspect of the chieftains of Aysav, etc., as above, until Ya’akov was astonished: how is it possible? etc. But the clever man answered him: through one single spark, etc., as above. And all of this is the aspect of Par’oh’s dream mentioned above. For the general theme of the dream is that the evil, which is the falsehood, the aspect of darkness — the aspect of the seven bad cows and seven bad sheaves — prevailed so greatly over the good, until “and they swallowed”, etc., “and they came into their midst and it was not known that they had come into their midst”, etc. And all of this alludes to the prolongation of the exile — that the chieftains of Aysav themselves, who are the nations, and also the false leaders, intensify so greatly until the good and the truth are almost swallowed — “and it was not known that they had come into their midst.” And as it is found in the Tikunim, Tikun 20, on this verse, and this is its language: “Woe to Yisra’ail when [the truth] is swallowed by the Erev Rav [mixed multitude] — about whom it is said: ‘and it was not known that they had come into their midst, and their appearance was bad as before,’” etc., until “their officers became heads” — “they are the Erev Rav, about whom it is said: ‘your officers are rebellious and companions of thieves, every one loves bribery’” (Yeshayahu 1:23), etc. It emerges that it calls the false officers and leaders by the name of “thieves” [ganavim] — for they are the essential thieves who steal the mind of the common people, until it is impossible to withstand them — in the aspect of “and it was not known that they had come into their midst.” And Ya’akov Avinu, when he saw through his holy inspiration [ruach kodsho] what would be in these latter days, was astonished, as above. But the clever man answered him: for despite everything, one single spark, etc. — that is, through Yosef HaTzaddik, who knows how to interpret and rectify the aspect of Par’oh’s dream. Through him everything will be rectified, and in the end the truth will be revealed, as above. And this is: “and Y’hudah approached him and said” (Beraishis 44:18), etc. The approaching and drawing close of Y’hudah to Yosef HaTzaddik — this is the aspect of how each member of Yisra’ail brings himself close, each one with his t’filah, to the tzaddik of the generation, who is the aspect of Yosef. For Y’hudah is the aspect of the totality of Yisra’ail, who are called Y’hudim [Jews] after the name of Y’hudah, and all their vitality is t’filah, as above. And each one must bring himself close with his t’filah, which is his vitality, to the tzaddik. And t’filah is also the aspect of Y’hudah — the aspect of “this time I will thank [odeh] Hashem” (Beraishis 29:35). That is, Y’hudah — which is the aspect of the holiness and vitality of the Jewish person, which is t’filah — approaches and draws close to the tzaddik, the aspect of Yosef, in the aspect of “and Y’hudah approached him.” For one must bring all the t’filos to the tzaddik, as is explained there in the Torah teaching mentioned above. And the tzaddik rectifies and elevates all the t’filos — each one to its place and to its tribe and to its gate, etc. And the essential rectification is through the truth, which is the light of Hashem, blessed be He — through which one sees the openings [p’sachim] that are within the impurity, to exit from there, etc. And all this power they receive from the tzaddik, who is the aspect of the even tov [precious stone], the essence of truth, who illuminates the truth in all Yisra’ail — so that the truth of theirs is in the aspect of a window opposite him (and as is explained about this elsewhere). And this is: “and Y’hudah approached him” — the aspect of the drawing close and binding of the t’filah to the true tzaddik mentioned above. “And he said to him: please, my lord, let your servant speak a word in my lord’s ears” (Beraishis 44:18). And Rashi explained: “let my words enter your ears.” That is: receive the words of my t’filah, and rectify and elevate it properly. “And let not your anger burn against your servant” — if my t’filah is not as it should be, nevertheless, let not your anger burn against me on this account. Rather, illuminate within me through the power of your truth, to teach me how to rectify my t’filah and to pray properly. For the power of your authentic truth has the power to illuminate in the intensity and greatness and abundance of my darkness, to show me all the openings that exist within the Sitra Achara, and to exit from there. And this is: “for you are like Par’oh [ki chamocha k’Far’oh]” (Beraishis 44:18). Par’oh is the aspect of the Sitra Achara, which is called Par’oh on account of the abundance of openings — that it exposes and reveals [mafri’a] to all who come to defile themselves, the Merciful One save us, in the aspect of “one who comes to defile himself — they open for him” (Yoma 38b). For the Sitra Achara and the k’lipos open and reveal to him openings that were closed before. And the essential arena is in the thoughts of a person, and every person can understand this. For a person was created only for the sake of trial and free choice, and the essential choice and trial is in thought — that a person must think only of Torah, avodah, and fear of Heaven. But immediately when he wants to think of this, thoughts of the Sitra Achara stand against him, wanting to draw him there, G-d forbid. For the essential yetzer hara and yetzer tov are the thoughts in the heart, as is explained in the Torah teaching “LaShemesh Sam Ohel Bahem” (siman 49). And one who is a worthy person turns his back and does not look at the evil thoughts of the Sitra Achara at all. And then all the openings that exist there are closed, since he does not want to enter them to defile himself, G-d forbid. But as soon as he begins to be drawn after them and comes to defile himself, G-d forbid — then immediately they open for him, the openings that exist there. And one who does not have compassion on himself to hurry to escape from there — then he falls and enters from opening to opening, and from opening to opening, until he goes astray and becomes very distant from the good path, each one according to the degree to which he was drawn after them, G-d forbid. For even afterwards, when he begins to be drawn after them, G-d forbid, he still has free choice to hurry and escape for his life. And this entire matter is all in the thoughts of a person, as every person can understand within himself: that when he begins to go astray in his thoughts, G-d forbid, he goes from thought to thought and from notion to notion, until in a brief moment he is lying in a place that is very, very far from holiness, the Merciful One save us. And all this is the aspect of the openings in the Sitra Achara that were revealed and opened for him through being drawn after them. And the essential intensification of theirs is during the time of t’filah, as above. And as everyone sees within himself — that all the confusions and evil thoughts come most during the time of t’filah (and as is explained in the Torah teaching “Meishra” in siman 30). And the essential counsel to exit from them is through truthful speech that illuminates for him through the power of the tzaddik, to see the openings that exist there — through which he went astray there — so that he should now merit seeing them through the light of truth, to exit from there. And this is: “for you are like Par’oh” — that is, the Jewish person with his t’filah pleads with the tzaddik that he should accept his t’filah and endeavor in its rectification, and that his anger should not burn against him if he went astray in his evil thoughts as he went astray. For the tzaddik has the power, through the greatness of his truth, to illuminate within him to see all the openings that exist there, and to exit from them. And this is: “for you are like Par’oh” — that is, just as there is an intensification and abundance of openings in the Sitra Achara, which is the aspect of Par’oh — a language of revelation, the aspect of “and Moshe saw the people, that they were exposed [paru’a], for Aharon had exposed them [f’ra’oh]” (Shemos 32:25) — just so, you have the power through truth to illuminate within me to see the openings to exit from there. For the two kafin [letters kaf] of “chamocha k’Far’oh” indicate an exact comparison (as Rashi explained elsewhere on the verse “and the people shall be like the priest” (Hoshaia 4:4), etc.) — that is, they are exactly equal: just as the intensification of Par’oh — which is the evil openings that were revealed and opened for one who was drawn after them — exactly so does the power of truth, which is the power of the true tzaddik, have the power to illuminate to exit from there through these very same openings, as is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above. נְנַח נַחְמָא נַחְמָן מֵאומָ&#x05DF