שכירות פועלים א

This is based on what is explained above in Hilchos Umnin, Halacha 1: that all the crafts [m'lachos] and trades [umanus] are the aspect of tikun and birur [sifting/clarification], which the people below specifically need to complete and rectify the work of the Creator, etc., through sifting the good from the bad. As is explained there, that this is the aspect of milah [circumcision], as I heard from our Master, our Teacher and our Rebbe, may his light shine — see there.

For there are many types of contractions and variations in many aspects, and they are included in the categories of adam [person], makom [place], and z’man [time]. For there are many differences between one person and his fellow, as our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the blessing of Chacham HaRazim [the Sage of Secrets], etc. — and as one sees tangibly. And so too there are many differences between one place and another, and between the countries and the cities and the climates. And so too there are many differences in time, between one day and the next.

And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said: "Great is m'lachah [work], for the Holy One, blessed be He, warned about it — to do m'lachah." For m'lachah is a great thing and a very great tikun, for it sifts the good and completes the work of the Creator, blessed be His Name, which did not have completeness except now through him [the worker]. And this is the aspect of: "Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day is Shabbos," etc., "for six days Hashem made," etc. And the commentators asked: why did He need to write "six days you shall do m'lachah" — is not the essential mitzvah only to rest on Shabbos?! But in truth the Torah warns that a person should engage in m'lachah during the six days of action, for it is a tikun and completion of His work, blessed be He. And this is: "for six days Hashem made," etc. And therefore we too are warned to engage in m'lachah and craftsmanship during the six days of action, in order to complete and fill up ma'aseh Beraishis which Hashem made in the six days of Beraishis, which do not have complete wholeness except through the aspect of "six days you shall do m'lachah" — that is, through the crafts and trades of those below, as above.

And all of them must be incorporated together as one, in the aspect of the Even Sh’siyah — and this is the essential rectification. And this is the aspect of the service of the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur — when all the places were incorporated in the Even Sh’siyah, on Yom HaKippurim, which is the inclusiveness of all the days, through the Kohen Gadol, who is the inclusiveness of all of Israel, who was sent and chosen by them. (And see elsewhere, where something similar to this is brought with other introductions.)

And this is: “And Moshe wrote their goings-forth according to their journeys, by the word of Hashem; and these are their journeys according to their goings-forth” (Bamidbar 33:2). For “their goings-forth” [motza’aihem] is the aspect of the exile and the upheaval, the aspect of going forth into exile [y’tziah bagolah] — which is drawn through the blemish of emunas chachamim, which is the aspect of the blemish of idolatry, regarding which it is said: “Go out, you shall say to it” — as Rabbainu, of blessed memory, wrote. But when one merits to return, as above, and then the upheaval is a rectification — this is the aspect of a “journey” [n’si’ah], the aspect of: “Arise, go on a journey before the people” (Devarim 10:11) — the aspect of “Vay’hi bin’so’a ha’Aron” — the aspect of “the journeys of the Children of Israel,” regarding which Rashi explained that even the place of rest is called a “journey,” etc. For the journey with the holiness of the Aron — this is the aspect of rest. For through this one rectifies the upheaval, and it is incorporated in the essential rest and inheritance, which is Kodesh Kodashim. And this is: “their goings-forth according to their journeys” — and afterward he wrote the reverse: “their journeys according to their goings-forth.” For so is the matter: that at first the upheaval is in the aspect of “their goings-forth,” in the aspect of going forth into exile. But one must see to return, etc. — until the going-forth into exile becomes incorporated in the aspect of “their journeys,” the aspect of “Vay’hi bin’so’a ha’Aron” — so that it becomes incorporated in the aspect of Kodesh Kodashim, as above. And then there is drawn from there, from the aspect of Kodesh Kodashim, rectification and sweetening from the aspect of the saichel hakolail. Through which all the contractions and dinim are sweetened and rectified — and this is the essential rectification of the upheavals that were in the aspect of “their goings-forth,” in the aspect of going-forth into exile. And this is: “and these are their journeys according to their goings-forth” — that “their journeys,” the aspect of the journeys of the Children of Israel, the aspect of “Vay’hi bin’so’a ha’Aron” — are the rectification and the sweetening for the aspect of “their goings-forth” into exile. For through Moshe writing “their goings-forth according to their journeys,” Torah was made from them, and they were incorporated in their root, in the aspect of Kodesh Kodashim. And through this there is drawn from there — from the aspect of “their journeys,” from the aspect of “Vay’hi bin’so’a ha’Aron” — rectification and sweetening. For “their journeys,” which were through the aspect of “Vay’hi bin’so’a ha’Aron,” rectified all “their goings-forth” — all their going-forth and their upheaval into exile. For all the straits and dinim were nullified, and everything was elevated to Hashem, blessed be He — in the aspect of: “and there remained he too for our G–d,” as above. And this is: “My unformed mass, Your eyes beheld,” etc. (Tehillim 139:16) — and there it reckons all the three aspects of variations mentioned above, in person, place, and time, as it is written there: “If I ascend to Heaven, You are there; and if I make my bed in the grave, behold, You are there. If I take up the wings of the dawn, if I dwell at the far end of the sea — even there Your hand shall lead me,” etc. (Tehillim 139:8–10). All of this is the aspects of the totality of the variation of places — regarding all of which he gives thanks to Hashem, blessed be He, that all of them are included in Him, blessed be He. And He, in His mercy, strengthens him and holds him with His right hand so that he will not fall and will not turn from Him, blessed be He, through the multitude of variations. For he knows and believes that all the variations, which are aspects of contractions, all are included in Him, blessed be He — the aspect of: “If I ascend to Heaven, You are there,” etc. — to: “even there Your hand shall lead me and Your right hand shall hold me.” For His right hand, blessed be He, the aspect of the kindnesses of Hashem, holds him, so that the dinim that come from the variations and contractions will not overpower him. For when one believes that all are included in Him, blessed be He, everything is sweetened, etc., as above. And it says: “But darkness shall cover me, and the night shall be light about me. Even the darkness does not darken before You, and the night shines as the day,” etc. (Tehillim 139:11–12). This is the aspect of the variation of times — and their essential variation is the difference between day and night. And regarding this he says that all is one before Him, blessed be He — for “the night shines as the day” before Him, blessed be He. And afterward he speaks of the variation within the person himself, and between one person and his fellow, as it is written: “I will thank You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made,” etc. “My unformed mass, Your eyes beheld” (Tehillim 139:14,16) — which is the totality of all human beings, who were all included in Adam HaRishon, as our Sages of blessed memory expounded upon this verse. That is, all the variations among the unformed masses of human beings — “Your eyes beheld” all of them, for all of them are included in You together. And this is: “And upon Your book all of them shall be written” (Tehillim 139:16) — “upon Your book” specifically. For the essential rectification is through the multitude of books that are multiplied in the holy Torah, through which they are incorporated in the aspect of the Luchos, in the aspect of Kodesh Kodashim. And this is: “Days were formed, and not one among them” (Tehillim 139:16) — this is Yom HaKippurim, which is included from all the days. For then the Kohen Gadol enters the Bais Kodesh Kodashim, and then all the variations are incorporated together in the aspect of the saichel hakolail. Through which everything is sweetened — all types of dinim in the world — from which is the atonement and the forgiveness for all the sins and the iniquities of the world, as above. And this is: “Write this as a memorial in a book” (Shemos 17:14) — which is said regarding the obliteration of Amalek. For Amalek is the contamination of the serpent, the aspect of denials — whose essential power intensifies on the road, in the aspect of: “who encountered you on the road,” etc. (Devarim 25:18). And therefore when Moshe merited to prevail against him and to instill teshuvah in Israel — until they subdued him, as our Sages of blessed memory said: they were dwelling in a fast — then afterward it was transformed from one extreme to the other. For through this specifically they merited to add a book in the Torah — the aspect of: “Write this as a memorial in a book,” etc. For specifically through the aspect of the battle with Amalek that was on the road, a book was added to the Torah. For through this they returned in teshuvah — through which books are multiplied in the Torah, as above. And this is: “And place it in the ears of Yehoshua,” etc. (Shemos 17:14) — that he should remember this and transmit it to the generations. For so it is in every generation: that to the degree that the aspect of Amalek intensifies against the holy emunah — and the essential thing is against emunas chachamim — to conceal and hide the truth of truths, Hashem, blessed be He, in His mercy, and the true tzadikim fight against him and instill thoughts of teshuvah in Israel. Until there are found in every generation truly upright people who draw close to the true tzadikim with self-sacrifice, and they return in teshuvah for the blemish of emunas chachamim. And through this, many books are added each time in the Torah — in the aspect of: “And the book that my adversary has written” (Iyov 31:35) — as is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above. Through which the Torah is incorporated in the aspect of the Even Sh’siyah. Through which everything is sweetened — in the aspect of: “Behold, my sign — Sha–dai shall answer me,” etc. (Iyov 31:35) — as is explained there — see there.

And this is: "Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day is Shabbos" — for from this is made the aspect of Shabbos. For Shabbos is a cessation [sh'visah] when there is no birur, for Shabbos is the aspect of kulo tov [entirely good]. And the Shabbos is made through the six days specifically, in the aspect of (Avodah Zarah 3a): "One who toiled on Erev Shabbos will eat on Shabbos," in the aspect of: "Today to do them, and tomorrow to receive their reward" — which is the day that is entirely Shabbos. For through the doing of m'lachah during the six days, through this one sifts and gathers the good from the bad, and then Shabbos is made, which is the aspect of kulo tov. For the birur — the aspect of kulo tov — has already been accomplished through the good being sifted from the bad during the six days. For at first good and bad were intermingled, and through the birur of the six days of action, the aspect of kulo tov is made, which is the aspect of Shabbos, as above.

And therefore one who walks in the wilderness counts six days and makes Shabbos on the seventh day. For the Shabbos always comes after the six days of action, for through the birur of the six days of action the aspect of Shabbos is made, as above.

§2

It emerges that m'lachah is the aspect of birur hatov [sifting out the good], and therefore it is in the aspect of nigunim [melodies]. For the nigun [melody] is the aspect of birur hatov, in the aspect of "and he played with his hand, and it was good for you" (Shmuel I 16:16), as above. And this is the aspect of: "The labor of your palms, when you eat — happy are you, and it is good for you" (Tehillim 128:2). "And it is good for you" specifically — for it is the aspect of birur hatov, as above.

And this is the aspect of: "He was the father of all who grasp the harp and the organ; and Tzilah also gave birth to Tuval-Kayin, the sharpener of every smith of copper and iron" (Beraishis 4:21-22). For they are of one aspect, and therefore they are placed adjacent to each other. For every craftsman-smith is in the aspect of nigunim, in the aspect of one who plays the kinor [harp], in the aspect of "and he played with his hand, and it was good for you," as above, and as is explained well in the teaching "VaYhi MiKaitz" — see there (siman 54). And this is why craftsmen customarily sing while engaged in their work, for the m'lachah is in the aspect of nigunim, as above.