גניבה א

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And after Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, during which the holy books were multiplied and the Torah was completed, etc., as above — afterward one makes Sukkos: one goes out from the house to sit in the sukkah, and one fulfills the mitzvah of taking the four species in the hands. All in order that Israel should be incorporated together in love and in great, true peace, as was brought above — that this is the aspect of traveling to the tzadikim for Rosh HaShanah, the aspect of “upon love it depends,” etc. And this is the aspect of Sukkos, which is made after Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur — the aspect of sukkas shalom [the shelter of peace], the aspect of ahavas chesed [the love of kindness]. For then all the kindnesses are drawn, the aspect of love and peace. And therefore one goes out from the house and moves oneself to the sukkah — in order to rectify through this all the movings of all the journeys of the entire year, so that all the journeys should be in great holiness — that they should be a rectification for the blemish of emunas chachamim, until holy books are written through them, in the aspect of: “And Moshe wrote their goings-forth according to their journeys, by the word of Hashem,” etc., as above (in §19). And even one who does not travel on the roads — certainly he must of necessity move himself to go outside in his city for the sake of his dealings and his sustenance. And in all the movings and journeys, one must think and intend to rectify emunas chachamim, to multiply holy books in the Torah. For the root of the journey in holiness — that which Hashem, blessed be He, arranges that a person needs to go outside and travel from place to place, in his city or to another city, all the more so to distant places, each one according to his moving and his journey — all is for the sake of the completeness of the Torah, in the aspect mentioned above. For the root of everything is the holy Torah, as is known — for aside from this, everything is futility. And therefore one must believe that the essential intention of Hashem, blessed be He, in arranging that a person should travel, is only for the sake of the completeness of the Torah, as above. That is, the person needs to leave his house and go or travel to another place in order to meet with another person or with several people, to speak with them about the true and eternal purpose — to awaken one another to the truth of truths. For this is the entirety of the person. And every person needs to speak with his fellow about yir’as shamayim [fear of Heaven] every day and at every time. And therefore Hashem, blessed be He, arranges that a person should go and travel — all only for the sake of this. And only this is known: that all the things of this world must of necessity be clothed in whatever they are clothed in, and the shell precedes the fruit. Therefore for the most part the journeys and movings are clothed in matters of the mundane. But one who truly desires must set his heart to the root of the matter in holiness. For certainly every thing has a root in holiness. Therefore each person must set his heart to believe that the essential purpose of his journey and his moving is in order to meet with people — perhaps he can speak with them words of truth, or that they will receive from him, or that he will receive from them, or that they will receive and illuminate one another, in the aspect of “they receive from one another.” For in each one of Israel there is a good point, and one must receive illumination from him, to illuminate his own soul — so as not to sleep away his days in an eternal sleep, G–d forbid, etc. And this is the essential root of all the journeys in the world. And as is written in Parshas Kri’as Sh’ma: “And you shall speak of them, when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road” (Devarim 6:7). And our Sages of blessed memory expounded: “of them” — and not of idle words. For in all the circumstances that Hashem, blessed be He, arranges for a person — whether in his sitting in his house, or in his walking on the road, in his lying down and in his rising up — he needs only to speak words of Torah. And the essential words of Torah are to endeavor to instill in himself and in others the fulfillment of the Torah — that we should merit henceforth to guard and to do and to fulfill, etc. For this is the essential thing, as is known. And only for this sake are the journeys, as above. And this rectification is drawn through the mitzvah of the holy sukkah. For the sukkah is the aspect of the Clouds of Glory that went before Israel when they traveled in the wilderness. For all their traveling was by the word of Hashem — to draw the completeness of the Torah that they then received, until from their traveling itself was made the aspect of a sefer, the aspect of: “And Moshe wrote their goings-forth according to their journeys,” etc., as above. And in this aspect each person must travel, as above. And this is the aspect of the sukkah, the aspect of the Clouds of Glory, which are drawn from the aspect of: “For in a cloud I will appear upon the kapores” (Vayikra 16:2) — from the aspect of Kodesh Kodashim, the aspect of the saichel hakolail. For the essential journey must be only for this sake, as above. And this is the aspect of: “When you walk, it will guide you” (Mishlai 6:22) — that a person in his journey must sanctify his thought and connect it to the Torah, to intend in his journey that he is traveling for the sake of love and peace, to meet with the children of Israel, to engage in words of Torah in truth. So that the Torah should go before him and guide him, the aspect of: “when you walk, it will guide you” — which is the aspect of the Aron with the Luchos HaEven that traveled before the children of Israel, the aspect of: “And it was, when the Aron traveled,” as above. And all of this is the aspect of the sukkah, which is the aspect of the Clouds of Glory of the journeying of Israel, the aspect of love and peace. For the essential love and peace with Israel is when one speaks and engages together in words of Torah and yir’as shamayim in truth. For conversely, G–d forbid: “There is no peace, says Hashem,” etc. And the essential peace is the Torah, as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Torah scholars increase peace in the world,” etc. And therefore the sukkah is in the aspect of Aharon HaKohen, in whose merit the Clouds of Glory went, as our Sages of blessed memory said, and as is explained in the holy Zohar. For Aharon engaged in this more than all — as our Sages of blessed memory said: “Be of the students of Aharon: loving peace and pursuing peace, loving the creatures and bringing them close to the Torah.” For this is the essential love and peace, as above. And all of this is the aspect of the sukkah, as above. And this is the aspect of: “Every citizen in Israel shall sit in sukkos” (Vayikra 23:42). And our Sages of blessed memory expounded from this that all of Israel go out in one sukkah. That is, for this is the essential mitzvah of the sukkah — to intend to be incorporated in love and great peace with all of Israel, until it is considered as if all of Israel are sitting in one sukkah. For the essential purpose of the sukkah is in order to rectify the journeys, that they should be in holiness — that one’s intention should be only in order to meet with one another and one another with one another, so that all of Israel should be incorporated in each other in love and great peace, and all should recognize the truth of truths and return to Hashem in truth, etc. And this is the aspect of: “And they were beaten at your feet; he shall carry your words” (Devarim 33:3). As our Sages of blessed memory expounded: these are the Torah scholars who beat themselves from city to city and from place to place to engage in words of Torah. That is, as above — for only for this sake does one need to beat his feet, to go and to travel, etc. And this is the aspect of taking the four species in the hands, as it is written: “And you shall take for yourselves,” etc. (Vayikra 23:40) — in order to illuminate the illumination of the hands that the hands of writing received from the hands of s’michah [ordination], as is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above. For the four species come to rectify all the blemishes that were blemished through the blemish of emunas chachamim. And now, through the holiness of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur — when they returned in teshuvah regarding the blemish of emunas chachamim and books were multiplied in the Torah, etc. — now one engages with the four species to rectify all the corruptions that were blemished through the blemish of emunas chachamim, through the ordination of leaders who are not fitting. For it is explained there that through this they cause the writing of Israel to be weakened, etc. And through this Israel is expelled, etc. — which is the aspect of the expulsion from Eretz Yisroel, etc. And through this the secret of the intercalation [sod ha’ibbur] is taken from us, etc. And through this one does not have complete counsel [aitzah sh’laimah], etc. And all of this must be rectified through the pure waters that are drawn on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, through the teshuvah regarding the blemish of emunas chachamim — through which the books of the holy Torah are multiplied, as is explained there. And this is the aspect of taking the four species on Sukkos — for then one engages in rectifying emunas chachamim and multiplying books, to complete the Torah. For during these days we engage each year in finishing and completing the Torah, at the end of the days of Sukkos on Simchas Torah. That is, that the Torah should be completed in great completeness, in the aspect mentioned above. For it is for this purpose that we begin and finish the Torah each and every year anew — in order to complete the Torah in the greatest completeness, that it should be incorporated more and more in the aspect of the Even Sh’siyah, etc. — until we merit that the palace should return to its place, and the Luchos HaEven should return to the place of the Even Sh’siyah, which would be the essential rectification of the world. And we, the children of Israel, engage in this each and every year. And therefore during these days of Sukkos, when we engage in this — in completing and finishing the Torah, and the essential completeness is through the multitude of holy books that we drew through the teshuvah of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, as above — therefore now on Sukkos we rectify all the corruptions mentioned above that were blemished through the blemish of emunas chachamim, which are: the writing of Israel, etc. And the four species allude to this. For the lulav is the aspect of the rectification of writing, the aspect of: “Write them upon the tablet of your heart” (Mishlai 3:3). The esrog, the p’ri aitz hadar [the beautiful fruit], is the aspect of drawing the holiness of Eretz Yisroel, which is the beauty and the splendor of the entire world, the aspect of: “Beautiful in its elevation, the joy of the whole earth” (Tehillim 48:3) — and there all the fruits are good, which is the praise of Eretz Yisroel. And the branch of a thick tree [anaf aitz avos] — this is the aspect of the sod ha’ibbur [the secret of intercalation], which is through the birthing of great souls, etc., as is explained there. And this is the aspect of the hadas [myrtle], which has a very good fragrance, which is the aspect of great souls, which are the aspect of a good fragrance, which is the life-force of the neshamah, as our Sages of blessed memory said, and as is brought in his words, of blessed memory, many times. And therefore the hadas is threefold [m’shulash], the aspect of the rectification of judgment [mishpat], which requires three. For the essential good fragrance is drawn through rectifying the foods from the putrid fumes — so that they should not corrupt the judgment. For through this it is impossible to birth great souls who are expert in the sod ha’ibbur, as is explained there. And therefore the hadas, which is the rectification for this, has a good fragrance — the opposite of the putrid fumes mentioned above — and it is threefold, the aspect of the rectification of judgment, which requires three, the aspect of: “Do not deviate from the word,” etc. — right and left — but only to conduct oneself according to the aspect of the truth of the judgment, which is the aspect of the amuda d’emtza’isa [the middle pillar], in which right and left are incorporated. And therefore true judgment, the aspect of judgments of upright practices, are the aspect of judgment by three — which is the aspect of the threefold hadas, as above. Also, the fragrance of the hadas alludes to what is explained there regarding the verse: “For it is your wisdom and your understanding in the eyes of the nations” (Devarim 4:6) — “in the eyes of the nations” specifically — that we show them only that the secret is with us, etc. — see there. And this is the aspect of fragrance — that we show them only that they should smell the fragrance from afar. For the essence of the wisdom we do not reveal to them — like one who smells a fragrance from afar, the aspect of: “For the fragrance of your oils is good; oil poured forth is your name,” etc. (Shir HaShirim 1:3). And the willows of the brook [arvai nachal] — this is the aspect of Netzach and Hod, the aspect of the feet [raglayim], as is brought. The aspect of complete counsels [aitzos sh’laimos]. For the counsels are the aspect of the feet, the aspect of: “And all the people who are at your feet, who follow your counsel,” etc. (Shoftim 4:10) — as is explained elsewhere. And therefore they are willows of the brook — that grow upon the water. For the essential completeness of the counsel is through the pure waters mentioned above, which are drawn from the flowing brook, etc. And this is the aspect of the wavings [ni’anu’im] — that one waves the four species to all six directions — to reveal and to make known His G–dliness in all four directions of the world and above and below. As we conclude after the completion of the taking: “In order that all the peoples of the earth may know that Hashem, He is G–d; there is nothing else” (Melachim I 8:60). And all of this we make known through the holy Torah that is completed then, as above — for through this is the essential knowledge of His G–dliness, blessed be He, in the world. That is, through the multitude of holy books of the true tzadikim, who innovate in the Torah in each generation and write many holy books — through which the Torah is completed, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of the wavings, which are the aspect of the movement of the quill [kulmos] in the air — through which the air is sanctified with the holiness of Eretz Yisroel, as is explained in the Torah teaching mentioned above. For the lulav is in the aspect of a quill that writes words of Torah, the aspect of: “Write them upon the tablet of your heart,” as above. And the three species that are alongside the lulav are the aspect of the three fingers that hold the quill, as is brought in the Tikkun’i Zohar. Through which the sea of Torah is split, as it is taught in the Tikkun’i Zohar and the Raaya Mehemna: “With your reed, which is the quill, the sea of Torah is split,” etc. And this is the aspect of circling the Sefer Torah with the four species. For the four species in the hands, with which one waves, are the aspect of the writing of holy books — which is the completeness of the Torah, as above. And this is the aspect of: “Originally the lulav was taken in the Mikdash for seven [days] and in the provinces for one day. When the Bais HaMikdash was destroyed, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai instituted that the lulav should be taken in the provinces for seven — as a remembrance of the Mikdash.” And the matter is seemingly puzzling. For behold, the essential fulfillment of the mitzvos in completeness is in Eretz Yisroel and in the Bais HaMikdash, as is explained in many places and throughout Sefer Devarim — for every time he warns them regarding the fulfillment of the Torah, he mentions Eretz Yisroel, etc. So what did Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai see to add to the mitzvah of taking the lulav after the destruction — that it should be taken even in the provinces for seven? And if he wanted to make a remembrance of the Mikdash, it would have been enough to institute that it be taken in Yerushalayim for seven even after the destruction, as a remembrance of the Mikdash. And why did he institute the addition after the destruction that it should be taken in every place for seven? But in truth, according to what we have written — that the essential mitzvah of taking the lulav and its species is to make known to people His mighty deeds and the glory of the splendor of His kingship, which is the aspect of the beauty of the esrog. That is, to draw and to illuminate the illumination of the completeness of the Torah in the world, as above — and this matter was essentially rectified only in the Bais HaMikdash, in the place of the Even Sh’siyah, which is the Bais Kodesh Kodashim, where the Aron stands with the Luchos HaEven, etc., as above. And from there His G–dliness, blessed be He, was made known, through the completeness of the books of the Torah that are incorporated there — through which His G–dliness, blessed be He, is made known and publicized to all who come into the world, as it is written: “Great is Hashem and much praised, in the city of our G–d, His holy mountain,” etc. (Tehillim 48:2). And therefore originally the lulav was taken in the Mikdash for seven and in the provinces for one day. For the essential rectification accomplished through taking the lulav is accomplished on the first day of Sukkos, when the supernal kindness that includes all the kindnesses shines — as is brought, the aspect of: “By day Hashem commands His kindness,” etc. (Tehillim 42:9). And therefore one day of taking the lulav in the provinces sufficed. For on that day they illuminate and make known through taking the lulav and its species that Hashem is G–d — through the rectifications mentioned above that were accomplished on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, etc., as above. And it suffices for the entire year. But in the Mikdash it was taken for seven. For from the Bais HaMikdash they needed to make known to all who come into the world, to all the very, very distant ones. For the essential making-known to all who come into the world is from the Bais HaMikdash, from the Bais Kodesh Kodashim, as above, and as it is written: “They shall call the nations to the mountain,” etc. And therefore the taking of the lulav in the Mikdash required seven — in order to draw and illuminate the holy da’as in every aspect of seven — in all seven climates and in all seven lands and in everything that was created in the seven days of Creation. And all is drawn from the completeness of the books of the Torah that are completed during these days — which are seven books, with the passage of “And it was, when the Aron traveled,” the aspect of: “She has hewn her seven pillars” (Mishlai 9:1). Through which His G–dliness, blessed be He, is made known and publicized above and below — in all seven heavens above and in all seven lands below, and in all seven chambers of Gehinnom, and in all types of fallings in the world, G–d forbid, that are included in seven, the aspect of: “For seven times the tzaddik falls and rises” (Mishlai 24:16). To revive everything through the seven who restore the sense of taste [shiv’ah m’shivai ta’am], which are drawn from the holy books, as above — which are the completeness of the Torah that is included in the seven books of the Torah, as above. And because the entire essential making-known to the distant ones was only from the Bais HaMikdash, therefore the lulav was taken in the Mikdash for seven — for this requires seven days, to make known to the very distant ones, in every aspect of seven mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the seventy bulls of the festival [shiv’im parai hechag], which correspond to the seventy nations — in order to make known also to them His G–dliness and His sovereignty, blessed be He. And all of this was from the place of the Bais HaMikdash, where these seventy bulls were offered. And therefore seven days were needed, in order to diminish and contract the saichel each day further, so that the more distant ones could receive it. And this is the aspect of the diminishing of the bulls of the festival — for on the first day they offer thirteen bulls, corresponding to the fourteen rules by which the Torah is expounded, from which all the holy books of the Torah are composed. And then is the essential making-known to all who come into the world. But on the second day they diminish and offer only twelve — in order to make known to the more distant ones, for it is impossible to make known to them except through further diminishment and contraction of the da’as. And so on the third day, they need to make known to the even more distant ones, so they diminish the offerings further still. And so each and every day afterward — for the more one makes known to the more distant ones, the more one must diminish and reduce the da’as, so that the more distant ones can receive it. And therefore the lulav was taken in the Mikdash for seven — for to make known the holy da’as to all the very distant ones in all seven lands and seven climates, seven days are needed, as above. And when the Bais HaMikdash was destroyed — and the glory was taken from the house of our life, and the Bais Kodesh Kodashim was destroyed, and the Aron was hidden from there, and the da’as was darkened until it seemed that, G–d forbid, there is no more hope, and it is impossible to illuminate the true da’as in the world any longer, since the Bais HaMikdash was destroyed because of our sins, and from there was the essential drawing of the da’as, as above — but in our servitude our G–d did not forsake us, and He sends us true tzadikim in each and every generation who make wondrous rectifications in each generation, to draw the illumination of the holy da’as even in the intensity of the exile and the destruction. And therefore also at the time of the destruction, He sent us the holy Tanna, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai, who was among the receivers of the Torah. For the entire Torah that Moshe Rabbainu gave us was transmitted in his generation through him — as it enumerates there in Mishnah Avos the receivers, until Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai, who received from Hillel and Shammai. And therefore Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai saw the intensity of the destruction and the darkness — that it is impossible to illuminate the da’as through the service of the Bais HaMikdash, since it was destroyed because of our sins. Therefore he saw and set his heart to rectify the matter. And therefore he instituted that it should be taken in the provinces for seven, etc. For Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai, through the greatness of his attainment and his knowledge, knew that even now the mercies of Hashem, blessed be He, never end, and even now He, blessed be He, is with us, as it is written: “And even also this — when they are in the land of their enemies, I have not rejected them,” etc. (Vayikra 26:44). And he understood that the exile, even though it is a great trouble, nevertheless it is all for the good — so that through the exile and the upheaval we should set our hearts to rectify the blemish of emunah, whose essential root is emunas chachamim, as above. For then the exile and upheaval are transformed for good, as above — for holy books are multiplied through this, which is the completeness of the Torah, through which His G–dliness, blessed be He, is made known to all who come into the world. And as it is written: “Though I have removed them far off among the nations, and though I have scattered them among the lands, yet I have been for them a small sanctuary” (Yechezkel 11:16). For the holiness of the Bais HaMikdash, the aspect of Kodesh Kodashim, the aspect of the saichel hakolail, is drawn specifically through the upheavals, the aspect of: “Though I have removed them far off among the nations,” etc., as above. And therefore Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai instituted that after the destruction and the exile, the lulav should be taken in the provinces for seven, as a remembrance of the Mikdash. For now one must draw the illumination of the holy da’as to the very distant ones in each and every province. And this is accomplished through the exile and the upheaval specifically — which is transformed for the good through the power of the true tzadikim, the aspect of Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai, who was in the aspect of Moshe, who was then the true Tzaddik who made wondrous rectifications through his Torah that he spread among Israel, until he instituted that the lulav should be taken in the provinces for all seven. For in every province one must draw and illuminate the da’as to the distant ones, through the multitude of holy books — which is the aspect of taking the lulav, as above. For the exile and the upheaval are transformed for the good, as above, in the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said: “Israel was exiled only so that converts should be added to them.” And as it is written: “And there will remain also he, for our G–d” — as is brought above — and understand well. And this is the aspect of Simchas Bais HaSho’aivah — the aspect of: “And you shall draw water with joy from the wellsprings of salvation” (Yeshayahu 12:3). Which is drawn from the aspect of the pure waters mentioned above, through which the holy books are multiplied, etc. — through which the simchah increases, the aspect of: “The light of the tzadikim shall rejoice” (Mishlai 13:9) — the aspect of “Chadi Rabbi Shimon,” as is explained there in the Torah teaching mentioned above — see there well. And therefore on Sh’mini Atzeres and Simchas Torah — which is the completion of the rectification of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, as is explained in the kavanos — that is, then the aspect of the rectification of the Malchus is completed and perfected, which is the aspect of emunah, as is known, and as above — therefore then we finish the Torah and begin the Torah anew. And each one of Israel goes up to the Torah, and likewise each one takes a Sefer Torah in his hand and circles the bimah with joy. All to demonstrate that this is the aspect of the wondrous rectification that we have drawn from Rosh HaShanah until now — and all of it is the aspect of the rectification of emunas chachamim, through which holy books are multiplied in the Torah, through which the Torah is completed in great completeness, as above. And therefore now everyone rejoices with the Torah, and each one takes a Sefer Torah in his hand — to demonstrate that each one of Israel has a share in the completeness of the Sefer Torah, according to his share in the rectification of Rosh HaShanah, etc. — when then everyone returned in teshuvah, etc., as above — through which the Torah was completed, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of the intensity of the simchah then, the aspect of Simchas Torah. For then they are incorporated together in great love — through which the simchah increases, the aspect of: “The light of the tzadikim shall rejoice” — as above.

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