גניבה ב

And behold, the lighting of the candle at night — this is drawn from the aspect of what one needs to illuminate from the light of day to the darkness of night. And this is the main purpose of the lighting of the candles in the Bais HaMikdash every night, from which the light of the candle is drawn to the entire world, as stated above. For the main purpose of the light is the Torah, which is the totality of prophecy, the main purpose of Daas, which is the main purpose of the light of day, as it is written: “For there is an advantage to wisdom like the advantage of the light” (Koheles 2:13), etc. And when the night arrives, which is then the great darkness, the aspect of “evening and confusion and the mixed-up m’dameh” — then one needs to draw the light of day to also illuminate in the darkness of night, which is the aspect of the lighting of the candles at night. 54

(From the sub-section: Chovel b'Chaveiro v'Shmirat HaNefesh — One Who Injures His Fellow and the Guarding of Life)

This corresponds to the aspect of: "When you build a new house, you shall make a fence for your roof, and you shall not place blood in your house, for the fallen one may fall from it." And our Sages expounded: one must not raise a vicious dog in one's house, and one must not place a rickety ladder in one's house. A "vicious dog" — this is the aspect of the drop of Eisov and Yishmael, which it is forbidden to raise up into the mind, lest they corrupt the judgment. And conversely, with regard to what one must raise up — from the aspect of the "seal in the flesh" to the aspect of the holy seal, one must be very careful in raising them up. This is the aspect of the repair of the holy converts, and one needs to have pure utterances with which to restore and revive the fallen souls through the seven restorers of taste — so that they should not fall back again, God forbid, as explained there. And this is the aspect of not placing a rickety ladder in one's house.

For when raising fallen souls — who are the aspect of penitents and converts — all their ascent is through the aspect of a ladder. Just as it is in the physical, so is it in the spiritual: physically, when one needs to raise something from the ground to the roof, one raises it by means of a ladder. Similarly, when one needs to lift and raise something from a pit or deep ditch, one lowers a ladder there and raises it through it. And the deeper the pit from which something must be raised, the stronger and more sturdy the ladder must be. Because these fallen souls have fallen and descended very, very greatly, in the aspect of "she descended wondrously," the aspect of "I have come into the deep waters" etc. — especially now at the end of this bitter exile, and particularly since they still possess free choice and the adversary still presses upon them, enticing them with many desires of overwhelming force, and with many strange ideas and foolish counsel, and with many faint-heartedness from the multitude of scoffing from the mockers and opponents, etc., etc. — therefore one who engages in their repair and strives for their salvation must establish the aspect of a very sound and strong ladder, so that the fallen one not fall from it. Therefore "sulam" (ladder) has the same numerical value as "Sinai," as is brought — for all their ascent is through the Torah that was given at Sinai. For the Torah was given on Mount Sinai, which is the low and humble mountain, as the Sages said — to indicate that the tzaddik, who is the aspect of Sinai, is the aspect of humility. For he humbles and lowers himself to the ultimate degree of lowliness, and rolls himself through every kind of mud and mire for the sake of raising the fallen souls from the depths of the great abyss, and to strengthen them in every manner of strengthening, and to restore them with every kind of taste that restores the soul, until they remain in their place in holiness forever.

And this is the main purpose of the Chanukah candle, for the wicked kingdom of Yavan stood against Yisrael to make them forget the Torah, etc. For the wicked kingdom of Yavan — they are the wise men of Yavan, from whom all the heresies and heretical beliefs spread in the world, as is known, through the philosophies of Aristotle the Greek, may his name and memory be blotted out. (As explained in the above Torah; see there.) Because they stood against the tzadik and the Torah, which is the aspect of Daas — the main purpose of the light — which is the light of day, as written. Because in the darkness, when the person errs in himself and does not distinguish between silver and iron, etc. — which, for this reason, the darkness is called “evening,” the aspect of “mixing up” and confusing the m’dameh — then one needs to draw light to also illuminate in the darkness of night, through the illumination of the Torah of the daytime, which is the aspect of the entirety of prophecy through which the m’dameh is refined, and all this in order to merit perfect faith, etc. (as is explained there well). 55

And this is "when you build a new house" — that is, a house to dwell in. And the primary dwelling in a house in its holy root comes from the aspect of the holiness of the holy Yeshiva (study hall), as above, from which all the children of Israel in their dwelling places receive their holiness. And this is the aspect of the "new house" — the aspect of the holy Yeshiva, whose primary purpose is to renew genuine novel Torah insights that bring a person to good deeds and save him from all evil, etc. Therefore the Torah was precise in writing explicitly "new house" specifically — for the holy Yeshiva is called a "new house," because there they engage in renewing genuine novel Torah insights, as above, and in renewing the souls of Israel — drawing them out of the "oldness" of the forces of evil, from the aspect of "an old and foolish king," to illuminate upon them the new light that illuminates each day in His lovingkindness through the true tzaddikim who renew themselves each day with a wondrous renewal. Through them the Holy One, blessed be He, renews in His goodness each day continuously the act of creation. And the primary purpose is to reveal the holy emunah that every individual Jew must accept upon himself anew each day, as it is said in the Shema section: "which I command you today" — each day they should be in your eyes as new, as our Sages expounded — which is the aspect of "new each morning, great is Your faithfulness," as already explained in many places. And they engage in making genuine penitents — which is the aspect of "new," the aspect of "Restore us, O God, unto You, and we shall be restored; renew our days as of old."

And this is the main purpose of the Chanukah candle that one lights below ten t’fachim. For the ten t’fachim are the aspect of the Torah and the true tzadik, as explained in the above Torah. And the main purpose of the tikkun is that the tzadik draws the light of the Torah, which is the aspect of the light, to illuminate even below — below the ten t’fachim, where the Sh’chinah never descended. For even there, the tzadik can illuminate and draw the holiness of the Torah and faith. And this is the aspect of the Chanukah candle that is lit below ten t’fachim, to show that even there, in the lowest place, the light of the tzadik can reach and illuminate. 56

And because of all this, the homes of holy Jews are called a "new house" — because all their holiness comes from the aspect of the Yeshiva, which is the aspect of a "new house" in all the aforementioned aspects. And this is: "when you build a new house" — that is, for the purpose of making converts and penitents through their holy learning, all of which is accomplished through the clarification of emunah, until they make converts — until they raise from the aspect of the "seal in the flesh" to the aspect of the holy seal, the aspect of the head-tefillin that cover over the mind, etc. And this is "and you shall make a fence for your roof" — the aspect of the concentration of the mind, as explained there. For when raising to the aspect of the holy seal — the aspect of the mind, the aspect of tefillin — one must guard the aspect of the concentration of the mind. This is the aspect of "Shaddai" of the tefillin. For even in holiness one must concentrate the mind — the aspect of "in what is too wondrous for you, do not inquire" — and certainly one must concentrate the mind so that it should not go outside to the forces of evil, God forbid. And this is the aspect of the fence — which is a partition around the roof — the aspect of the partitions of the aforementioned mind. And this is "and you shall make a fence for your roof" — which is the aspect of the mind, the tefillin that cover the mind, which is the aspect of a roof that covers the house. For the entire house is the aspect of the tefillin-boxes, and one must make a partition for them in the aspect of a fence — the aspect of the aforementioned concentration of the mind, which is the aspect of "Shaddai" of the tefillin, as above. And this is "and you shall not place blood in your house, for the fallen one may fall from it" — for through the mind being whole with the aforementioned concentration, pure utterances are produced that revive all the fallen souls so that they shall not fall again, as explained there in the aforementioned Torah teaching. This is the aspect of "and you shall not place blood" etc. "for the fallen one may fall" — one must guard the souls that they should not fall. And this is the very same aspect as what the Sages derived from this — that one must not place a rickety ladder etc. — for all of it alludes to the souls that one must raise up, as above.

And through this, the wicked kingdom of Yavan was broken. For they wanted to darken the light of the Torah and faith through their philosophies and heresies. But through the great power of the tzadikim, who are the aspect of the Chashmoaneye'im [Hasmoneans], who were Kohanay Elyon [priests of the Most High] — through their great power they prevailed and drew the light of Torah and faith even into the depths of the darkness. And they lit the candles of the M’norah again — which is the aspect of drawing the light and the Daas and the faith even in the lowest places. And through this was the essential victory, that through the Torah the subjugation of the nations is broken, as it is written: “In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth” (B’raishis 1:1) — in the opposite of their knowledge, which was evil. 57

(From the sub-section: Chovel b'Chaveiro — One Who Injures His Fellow)

And this is the reason the Chanukah candle is called “light” and not “candle” — for the main purpose of its lighting is by night, as explained. The main purpose is that the light should overcome the darkness, the aspect of “Your faith in the nights” (T’hillim 92:3). For the m’dameh is the aspect of “night,” as explained. In the aspect of the darkness of night, which is the aspect of “sleep” — for all the confusions and the perplexities that come through the m’dameh are all in the aspect of darkness, the aspect of “evening and confusion and the m’dameh mixed up,” the aspect of the power of the m’dameh as above. And then, at night, one needs to draw the great light — to also illuminate in the darkness of the night through the illumination of the Torah of the daytime — to refine the m’dameh in order to merit perfect faith. 58

This corresponds to the aspect of what the Sages said — that one who injures his fellow must make restitution specifically through a monetary payment, for in all of the Torah when someone is liable for both a monetary payment and lashes, the principle "kim lei bid'rabbah minei" applies — that is, the lashes take precedence. But regarding injury, one pays money.

For all acts of injury and striking arise from excessive dispute — the ugly and despicable quarreling where people fight and contend, "and a man struck his fellow with a stone" etc. As Rashi explains: no peace comes from the midst of strife, etc. And through dispute one greatly damages the holy emunah, as is brought in our master's words many times — that dispute is the aspect of serious damage to emunah. For the essence of emunah is drawn through the repair of the holy Yeshivos (study halls) that engage in Torah for its own sake — to learn and to teach, to keep and to do and to fulfill. (This is the opposite of the evil assemblies that the wanton members of our people who want what they want, God forbid, now make — as their evil views and evil deeds are well-known throughout all Israel; may God have mercy on the remnant.) As explained in the aforementioned Torah teaching. And the primary repair of the gathering of the holy Yeshiva is through peace, as it is said: "I rejoiced when they said to me: Let us go to the House of God" — which is the Temple, where the primary holy gathering of the Sanhedrin sits, who are the head and root of all the holy Yeshivos in Israel. As it is said there: "For there the thrones of judgment were set, the thrones of the house of Dovid." For the primary repair of the Yeshiva is the aspect of the repair of judgment, as above: "for there the thrones of judgment were set" etc. And there in that very psalm he prays for them that there be peace in their host, as it is said there: "Pray for the peace of Yerushalayim; may those who love you have peace; may there be peace in your walls" etc. "For the sake of my brothers and companions" — who are the aspect of the students of the holy Yeshiva — "I will speak peace within you," etc. For the primary repair of the Yeshiva is through peace, since one must be very careful about the love of companions, as is explained in the Mishnah in the forty-eight qualities through which Torah is acquired — and as the Arizal warned very, very strongly about this, as brought in the writings.

And this is also the main purpose of the reading of the M’gillah on Purim, which corresponds to all of this. For Purim is also in the weekdays — as above regarding Chanukah. And the Chanukah candle and the reading of the M’gillah on Purim are both the aspect of pirsumay nisa [publicizing the miracle]. The Chanukah candle is literally “light” — to illuminate the light of faith through the refining of the m’dameh as above. And the reading of the M’gillah — this is the aspect of the voice. For the main purpose of the M’gillah is reading it aloud specifically, to make it heard, in the aspect of “the voice of the melody” above. For it is known that all the miracles of Purim were accomplished through Mordechai and Esther, and the essential power of their deliverance was through prayer and fasting and t’shuvah. For they cried out to Hashem, and Esther said: “Go, gather all the Jews” (Esther 4:16), etc. And through this was their deliverance. 59

Therefore when there is, God forbid, any dispute in Israel, it is the aspect of damage to the Yeshiva, damage to emunah — and particularly when the dispute intensifies to the point of striking and injury. For through the striking — when one Jew strikes his fellow — he arouses, God forbid, the aspect of the extraordinary blows that come through damage to emunah, as explained there. For the repair of emunah is through the man of understanding who draws the spirituality of Divinity into the contractions, etc. Therefore one who has damaged emunah — because he damaged the repair of the man of understanding, which is the drawing of the spirituality of Divinity, etc. — extraordinary blows come upon him. For all blows are the aspect of separation and withdrawal of the spirituality of Divinity from within the contraction — for the blow is the aspect of the removal of the soul from that limb, as the Sages said: "On what account is one who injures liable? On account of the removal of the soul from that limb." That is, the removal and withdrawal of the soul, which is the spirituality of Divinity, from the physical limb which is the aspect of the contraction — and particularly when one Jew strikes his fellow and causes him injury, he arouses by his own hands the aspect of the aforementioned blows, for he removes and withdraws by his own hands the aspect of the spirituality of Divinity, which is the soul, from that limb. Through this he greatly damages the holy emunah whose building and repair come through this, as above. For it is known that everything depends on man who possesses free choice. Therefore when a person injures his fellow by his own hands — which is the aspect of the removal of the soul from that limb — he greatly damages the repair of emunah, as above. Therefore his repair is through money specifically — he must pay money according to the injury, as it is said: "an eye for an eye" etc., which the Sages expounded as monetary payment. For the root of money is drawn from the aspect of the drawing of the spirituality of Divinity into the contractions, as written there — for all money and livelihood in the world is all drawn from the tzaddikim who engage in this repair, to draw the spirituality of Divinity into the contractions. Therefore through the money he pays for the injury, he returns and repairs the damage he caused to emunah through the injury — for now he draws the aspect of the drawing of the spirituality of Divinity, etc., through the money he pays according to the Torah, whose root is drawn from the aspect of the drawing of the spirituality of Divinity, etc.

And this is the aspect of the prayer in the aspect of din of the Baal Koach described above. For Mordechai was the tzadik, the Baal Koach of that generation, who drew the prayer of din of the Baal Koach. For Haman the wicked — may his name be blotted out — who is the aspect of Amalek, wanted to swallow Yisrael, G-d forbid, in the aspect of “the wealth he swallowed he shall vomit,” etc. And through the prayer of Mordechai and Esther, who drew the prayer of the Baal Koach in the aspect of din, the Sitra Achara was compelled to vomit everything. And then the holy body was returned to its owners — as is hinted at in the M’gillah itself, for the entire downfall of Haman and the enemies came about through the prayer and the fasting and the crying out, which is the aspect of the prayer of the Baal Koach in the aspect of din, as above. 60

Therefore when Moshe saw two Hebrew men quarreling, and said to the wicked one: "Why do you strike your fellow?" — he answered: "Who appointed you as a man, a prince, and a judge over us?" etc. And through this the one who disputed greatly damaged the aspect of judgment, in what he said against Moshe with such brazenness: "Who appointed you as a man, a prince, and a judge?" For the strikes and quarrels are the aspect of damage to the Yeshiva, from which comes the primary repair of judgment, as above. Therefore then Moshe said: "Indeed, the matter has become known" — the matter of why Israel is in exile, as the Sages said and brought in Rashi there. For certainly through dispute — and particularly strikes and injuries, which are the primary damage to judgment, which is the aspect of damage to emunah — through this comes the primary prolonging of the exile, which comes from damage to emunah, as has already been said many times.

And therefore the main mitzvah of the M’gillah is specifically the reading aloud, to make it heard by all. This is the aspect of the voice of the melody above, which is the voice that waters the Garden, through which all things are rectified — from which come all the joys. And therefore on Purim there is great joy — the joy of the banquet and gladness — for all the joys come from this voice, which is drawn through the prayer of the Baal Koach, as above. And therefore the reading of the M’gillah comes to publicize the miracle — the miracle that was accomplished through the prayer as above, through which the voice of the melody was drawn, from which come all the joys and the rectification of all things, as above and as above. 61

Therefore one who injures is liable for five things: damage, pain, medical costs, lost work, and humiliation. All of these are for the sake of repair through the money he pays — for all the aforementioned aspects explained in that Torah teaching, all of which are aspects of the repair of emunah.

And this is also the aspect of visiting the graves of the tzadikim, which is a great tikkun for the soul beyond measure. For the main purpose of the tikkun is through the tzadikim, the Ba’alay Koach, who pray the prayer in the aspect of din described above, through which all the above is drawn — until one merits the voice of the melody above, which is the voice of the worthy rebuker. And the main purpose of the tzadik’s power is the power of his prayer, in the aspect of the prayer of din described above — which is the aspect of the ten t’hillim chapters that are said there [at the grave], which are the aspect of the ten kinds of melody (as explained in siman 141) — which are the aspect of the voice of the melody above that will be aroused in the future, through which the main purpose is to rebuke Yisrael, in the aspect of “my spikenard gave forth its fragrance.” Through which the main purpose of the tikkun is done at the time of their death precisely, for then they precisely rebuked as above. 62

"Damage" — this is the aspect of the repair for the damage he caused in the aspect of the drawing of the spirituality of Divinity into the contractions, which is the beginning of the repair of emunah, as understood there. For damage is paid for the limb he diminished from him, as it is said: "an eye for an eye" etc. And it has already been explained that the damage of injury — that he diminished or reduced the power of some limb from him — is the aspect of having caused the withdrawal of the life-spirit from that portion of the body. That is, he separated the spirituality of Divinity, which is the life-spirit, from that limb which is the aspect of the contraction, as above. This is the opposite of the repair of drawing the spirituality of Divinity, etc. And for this he pays damage.

And therefore, there upon their graves, every single one can rectify himself, even the worst damage. For there is the main purpose of the power of the prayer in the aspect of din above, through which the main purpose of the voice of rebuke above is drawn — which is the voice of the melody above — through which he rebukes Yisrael in the aspect of “my spikenard gave forth its fragrance” — through which the main purpose of the tikkun is accomplished, and everything is rectified through this, as stated above. 63

"Pain" — this is the aspect of the repair for the repair of the aspect of the crying out of voices — that one must cry out from the depths to delve into the deep waters, the counsel from which emunah grows, as said there. And for this he must pay pain — for pain is the aspect of voices and cries from the heart, from the greatness of his pain and distress and anguish, the aspect of "from the narrow place I called to God," the aspect of "they cried out to God from their distress" etc. And for this he must pay pain.

And therefore, the death [of the tzadik] contaminates with a severe impurity. But the great tzadik — he dies upon the sanctification of Hashem’s Name, for all the days of his life he gives over his soul every single day for the sanctification of the Name, and in particular at the time of his death, when he is certainly dying for the sanctification of the Name. And the main purpose of death for the sanctification of the Name is in the aspect of the prayer in the aspect of din of the Baal Koach, which is the aspect of the ten harugay malchus [ten martyrs], for all the refinements from the k’lipos until now and until the end — it is upon their hands. (And as is explained in Hilchos Ov’day Kochavim on the matter of “he shall be killed and he shall not transgress”; see there.) In particular the death of the tzadikim who died in Chutz LaAretz, where all the power is in the aspect of the prayer in the aspect of din as above, for their bodies are handed over to be buried in Chutz LaAretz, where the Sitra Achara rests, and it is likened to the Sitra Achara which is the swallower of this holy body — but this holy body is a Baal Koach, great and mighty, standing against the Sitra Achara in its neck, until by force of this, it is compelled to vomit many from nearby and from afar, etc. — until the tzadik shall accomplish what he began, for then he does not cease from engaging in the tikkun of the prayer above until he shall accomplish, as his will — in the aspect of “I went out from the city, I shall spread out my palms” — as when he goes out from the city to the grave, then he shall spread his palms in the prayer above, until he shall accomplish what he desires. And therefore there upon his grave, every single one can rectify himself, even the worst damage in the bairurim [refinements] — for there the main purpose of the power is the aspect of the prayer above, through which the main purpose of the voice of rebuke above is drawn — which is the voice of the melody above, through which he rebukes Yisrael in the aspect of “my spikenard gave forth its fragrance” — through which the main purpose of the tikkun is accomplished, and everything is rectified through this, as above and as above. 64

"Medical costs" — this is the aspect of the repair of the counsel from which emunah grows, from which comes the primary healing, as said there. For all healings are in the aspect of the repair of counsels, as understood in the mystical intentions of "Who causes salvations to sprout, Who creates healings" — which are the aspects of Netzach and Hod, as brought in the writings. And Netzach and Hod are the aspect of the "legs," the aspect of counsels, as is known.

"Lost work" — this is the aspect of the repair of pride, as explained there, which is the repair of the damage of sexual immorality, as said there in the aspect of: "Therefore I have called her 'Rahav, they sit idle'" (Yeshayahu 30). And this is the aspect of: "It is better to sit in the corner of a roof than with a contentious woman" (Mishlei 21) — that is, the repair of the desire for immorality.

"Humiliation" — this is the aspect of the primary completeness of the final repair, which is the final repair of the damage of sexual immorality — which is the damage of the nocturnal emission that comes from all the aforementioned aspects, and primarily from the damage of judgment, as said there: "there is humiliation only in the place of nakedness." For all these damages and corruptions are interlinked, and all are the aspect of damage to emunah. And the primary cause flows from the multiplicity of dispute and quarreling, from which come all the injuries and strikes — which are the opposite of peace — and through which they greatly damage the repair of the holy Yeshivos that multiply peace in the world, as the Sages said: "Torah scholars increase peace in the world." For the primary repair of the Yeshiva is through peace, through which students multiply. For through peace one can draw the whole world to His service, may He be blessed — even the nations of the world, as said in the Torah "Retzitza" (§27). For the repair of emunah depends on peace, as said above.

Blessed is Hashem forever, Amain and Amain. 65 And similarly the repair of drawing the spirituality of Divinity into the contractions is the aspect of peace — for the primary meaning of peace is the joining of two opposites, as said elsewhere. This is the aspect of the joining of the drawing of the spirituality of Divinity with the contraction — which are two opposites very far from each other. And God placed wisdom in the hearts of the true tzaddikim to join them together, which is the primary peace. And similarly the repair of counsel is the aspect of peace — for when one does not know how to give counsel to one's soul, this is the aspect of divided counsel, where one's heart is split and one cannot decide. And when the Holy One, blessed be He, helps one to give counsel to one's soul, this is the aspect of peace, where the divided counsel in one's heart is united and one arrives at a single true counsel, and peace is made within oneself — the aspect of counsel of peace. And similarly the repair of converts — which is the repair of pride, from which come the world's destructors, who are the false leaders — this is certainly the repair of peace. For all dispute arises from evil pride, as each person desires honor because of his arrogance and envies his fellow, etc. — from which come all disputes, from which come all corruptions, and through which the Second Temple was destroyed through baseless hatred, as the Sages said, and through which comes all the prolonging of the exile; may God have mercy.

Tikun HaKlali

Therefore the primary repair is peace. And similarly the repair of the desire for immorality is the aspect of peace — the aspect of a "covenant of peace." For the damage of the covenant is the aspect of conflict — the aspect of "if he did not merit, it stands against him" — for this evil desire opposes him and removes him from his reason, God forbid. For in holiness, for the sake of the world's sustenance, this is the primary unity and peace, as is known — and through this children are born and Israel the holy people multiplies in the world, which is the primary peace, as it is said: "and may you see children's children, peace," as the Sages said. But on the contrary, God forbid — when one turns from holiness toward physical desire — and certainly through evil thoughts, God forbid — one greatly damages unity and peace, as is known.

Therefore in truth all corruptions are interlinked. And therefore repair is very difficult. And through this comes the prolonging of the exile — in general, and in particular the bitter exile of the soul of each individual. For because one has damaged one's covenant — particularly in one's youth, for almost no one is free of the sin of youth, and it is very common that many have corrupted themselves very, very greatly, as they know in their own souls, and many whose great corruption is known publicly — through this they are far from peace, and through this falsehood strengthens itself, from which comes all dispute through the world's destructors, and from which come all the confusions of emunah, God forbid, etc. Therefore one who wishes to show compassion to himself must draw himself toward peace with all his strength — so that at minimum he himself should not be among the disputers and quarrel-stirrers, etc. And he must cry out from the depths from the innermost depth of his heart, that God have compassion upon him and show him complete counsel, etc. And then he can be repaired even if he is as he is. And the primary peace depends on money — that one should not pursue money, and at minimum should be very careful not to touch his fellow's money, and should not envy his fellow. For the majority of disputes and quarrels arise over money and livelihood. For money and livelihood has its root drawn from the aspect of the drawing of the spirituality of Divinity into the contractions — which is the primary peace — and from this comes holy livelihood and money, which is the aspect of peace, as it is said: "He has set peace as your border; He satisfies you with the finest wheat." Therefore the forces of evil set up strife — for "this corresponds to that" — to make dispute. Therefore the repair of one who injures his fellow — which is the most extreme degree of dispute, through which he damaged all the aforementioned aspects that are the repairs of emunah, which is the aspect of peace — is through paying money to the one injured for all five things mentioned, through which he will draw peace, which is the primary repair of emunah. Through this all the above will be repaired. And therefore in truth the Sages said: even though he pays him, he is not forgiven until he appeases him, as explained in the Mishnah. For the primary completion of the repair is the appeasement — he must appease him until the injured person is appeased and there is love and peace between them. This is the primary repair, as above. May the Holy One, blessed be He, bestow true peace upon all His people Israel, and may everything be repaired swiftly in our days, Amen.

This corresponds to the aspect of Chanukah, which is the aspect of the dedication (chanukas) of the house — that is, the dedication of the Temple, which is the aspect of the holiness of the study halls where they engage in the revelation of novel Torah insights that bring to good deeds and the fulfillment of Torah. And this is the aspect of the lighting of the Chanukah candle, which is the aspect of "a commandment is a lamp and Torah is light" — of the holy Yeshivos that illuminate the land and those who dwell upon it. For the primary light is drawn from them, for the holy Torah is the light of all lights, and from it comes the drawing of "the oil of Your holy anointing — holy oil poured to kindle lamps and to illuminate candles." For the primary evil kingdom of Greece that arose against Israel then — all their jealousy was against the Temple. And primarily against the fact that Torah goes forth from there, for in the days of the Second Temple the holy Yeshivos were greatly established. For then there were the Men of the Great Assembly who received all of the Torah entirely from the prophets, etc. And many holy elders gathered together and established for themselves a holy Yeshiva, and clarified for us all the laws of the Torah — for from their mouths we live, for we would not know any law today. And as is known: "this corresponds to that God made" — therefore the adversary then provoked and established in the world the evil and bitter study houses of Greek wisdom, which gathered together in those very days and established for themselves houses of assembly for their evil wisdoms — most of which oppose the knowledge of our holy Torah, particularly in the matter of the fulfillment of the holy commandments in all their details, as all this is known to one somewhat familiar with them. Therefore they then provoked and wanted to destroy the Temple and nullify the Torah, God forbid — that they should not circumcise their sons, etc. But God's right hand is exalted and His hand is always on top, as Rashi explains. And He wrought wondrous and awesome miracles for us — all by the power of the holy Yeshivos, which are the Men of the Great Assembly and the holy priests who engage in revealing the Torah in the world, as it is said: "Let them teach Your statutes to Yaakov" etc. And similarly now, the primary drawing of the miracle of Chanukah each year, and the primary holiness of the holy lighting of the Chanukah candle — all of it comes through those who engage in Torah in truth, who are in the category of the students of the holy Yeshivos. For even ten who sit and engage in Torah are a holy Yeshiva and the Shechinah dwells among them — and even five, and even three, and even two, and even one, as explained in the Mishnah of Avos. And the primary ones are those who engage for the sake of truth — to learn and to teach, to keep and to do and to fulfill — who draw the knowledge of the holy Torah from a true Rebbe from whom comes the primary light, as above. This is the aspect of the holiness of the Chanukah candle, as above. For the light of the Chanukah candle is the aspect of the depth of the counsels that are revealed from within the depth of darkness, in the aspect of "He reveals deep things from the darkness," the aspect of the light of counsel, as said there on the Sages' statement: "In the beginning darkness, and then light," etc., see there. For it has already been explained above and elsewhere that all the repairs described in the aforementioned Torah teaching are all interlinked, and the Torah is "interwoven at its beginning with its end and its end with its beginning" — and likewise with its middle, etc. For the forces of evil and the husks lie in ambush for a person always — and primarily for the holy emunah. And when one merits to overpower, through the strength of the tzaddik, to cry out from the depths and to draw upon oneself deep counsels and to grow the emunah, etc. — then they provoke afterward through the damage of converts, from which pride flows, from which the world's destructors strengthen themselves — the false leaders, etc. — through which they introduce the desire for immorality into the world. And for this the power of the "shields of the earth" is needed — those who raise from the aspect of the "seal in the flesh" to the aspect of the holy seal, the aspect of tefillin. For the mind is like a burning lamp fueled by the fats of the body, etc. And it is explained there that this repair is completed on Yom Kippur, the aspect of "and on the day of Yom Kippur they are sealed" etc. And all the repairs are drawn through the Rebbe with his students — which is the aspect of the holy Yeshiva — who raise the emunah and nullify pride and repair the repair of the holy seal, in the aspect of "seal the Torah in my students" etc. And all of this is the aspect of the Chanukah candle — for the miracle was through the oil that was sealed with the seal of the High Priest, etc. For the primary service of the High Priest is on Yom Kippur, when they engage in atoning for the sins of Israel — whose primary element is the damage of the covenant, as is known — as they cry out at the entry of Yom Kippur: "Light is sown for the tzaddik" etc., for the sake of this repair, as is known. And through the High Priest engaging in his service to repair this, he repairs the holy seal that is repaired on Yom Kippur, as above. Therefore the miracle of Chanukah was through the oil sealed with the seal of the High Priest specifically — for he specifically engages in the repair of the holy seal on Yom Kippur. For the oil of the holy lighting is the aspect of the holy light of the intellect that illuminates through the bodily fats — through guarding them so that they should not go outside, God forbid, through damage to the covenant, so that there should not be, God forbid, the aspect of "the seal in his flesh." Rather, they are raised to the mind so that the mind illuminates and burns through them, in the aspect of "the candle of God is the soul of man" — so that they are made into the holy seal, the aspect of tefillin. It is said then at the time of laying tefillin: "and pour the good oil upon the seven branches of the Menorah to bestow," etc. It follows that the oil of the lighting is the aspect of the repair of the aforementioned holy seal — the aspect of tefillin. Therefore our master, of blessed memory, wrote that according to the degree of "forgive please" that is achieved on Yom Kippur, so one merits the holiness of Chanukah — for it is all one, as above. For on Yom Kippur the holy seal is repaired through the High Priest, which is the aspect of the Chanukah candle drawn through the oil sealed with the seal of the High Priest, for it is all one, as above. (And therefore in truth the Torah teaching "For He who has compassion on them will lead them" — where it is explained that according to the "forgive please" of Yom Kippur, so one merits Chanukah — that Torah teaching was said in the same year as the Torah teaching "Sound the emunah" mentioned above on Rosh Hashanah, where all the above is explained, and that the repair of the seal is completed on Yom Kippur. And then immediately afterward at the Chanukah following it, the Torah teaching "For He who has compassion on them" was said, where it is explained that according to the "forgive please," etc. — for they are related and connected to each other. And understand this well, for there is much to say about this. And see in Chayei Moharan what is written — that each year he received all the holy times with a wondrous renewal, etc.) And all of this is accomplished and repaired only through the aforementioned holy Yeshiva, who engage in all the aforementioned repairs to illuminate them upon themselves and upon the entire world. This corresponds to the Sages' statement that there was only enough oil to burn for one day, and a miracle occurred and it burned for eight days. For in truth the root of the lighting and illumination of the holy light is drawn from the man of understanding who engages in drawing the spirituality of Divinity into the contractions, etc. — through which livelihood is drawn and one's soul is polished, etc. For the primary light of all lights is the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said: "God is my light" etc., and it is written: "For You illuminate my candle" etc. But it is known that the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself is above all lights — one cannot even apply the term "light" to Him. Only when the tzaddikim draw His Divinity, may He be blessed, into the contractions — that is the primary root of the light of all lights. Just as at the beginning of creation, He Himself drew it through the contractions He first made — so that it would be possible to receive, as is known — this is the aspect of "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth, and the earth was formless and void and dark" etc., all of which is the aspect of contractions that existed before the revelation of light, and then: "And God said, Let there be light, and there was light" etc. Except that at the beginning of creation everything was through the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself. Now everything — every renewal of the act of creation at every moment — is through the tzaddikim who engage in this, to draw the spirituality of Divinity into the contractions. Through this comes the primary drawing of light, as above. And this is the aspect of the "Botzina d'Kardinus" mentioned in the holy Zohar, as it is said there: "At the beginning of the will of the King, the Botzina d'Kardinus" — which the commentators there explain as referring to the beginning of the contraction, through which the light was revealed. Therefore it is called "Botzina d'Kardinus." For through there being a contraction and through drawing the spirituality of Divinity into it — through this comes the entire revelation of light, as above. But at the beginning of the drawing of the spirituality of His Divinity into the contractions, it is only a flash, the aspect of "a striking" etc. — this is the aspect of how physically too, the primary generation of fire was through the first man striking two stones against each other, through which a spark of fire came forth. Its root is from the spark of light revealed through the drawing of the spirituality of Divinity into the contractions, as above. Therefore this fine light cannot yet be drawn into the world — therefore the repair is through the abundance of livelihood that is drawn through the drawing of the spirituality of Divinity into the contractions, as said there, through which one's soul is polished, etc. And this is the aspect of the oil needed for the light — through which the light illuminates abundantly enough to illuminate the whole world. For oil is the aspect of the abundance of livelihood, the aspect of "the jar of flour shall not run out and the cruse of oil shall not fail" (Melachim I 17), etc., and it is written: "to make the face shine with oil, and bread to sustain man's heart." And this is the aspect of the dove coming to him at evening time with a freshly plucked olive leaf in its mouth — and the Sages and Midrashim say that the olive leaf she brought in her mouth alludes to the secret of the oil of Chanukah that saves from the waters of the flood, without which the world could not be sustained, as brought in the Yalkut Reuveni, see there. It follows that oil is the aspect of the abundance of livelihood through which the tzaddik polishes his soul. Therefore the light itself — which comes through the drawing of the spirituality of Divinity into the contractions, which is the root of all lights, as above — cannot burn and illuminate by itself because of its fineness, except through the oils drawn to it, which are the aspect of the abundance of livelihood, etc., as above. Through this one polishes one's soul in the aspect of "to make the face shine" — the aspect of "the wisdom of a man illuminates his face." Through this one becomes the aspect of the man of understanding, through which one can delve and draw up the deep waters — the deep counsels through which emunah grows, as said there. For the primary completeness of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge is when counsels are produced from it, until emunah grows through them. And from there is the root of the light of the holy Chanukah candle — which is the aspect of the lighting of the lamps of the Menorah and all the lamps of the commandments. And the great tzaddikim who engage in this do not rest and are not quiet, in the aspect of "the man shall not rest unless he has completed the matter today" (Rus 3). For they engage in this always, at every moment, continuously drawing anew the spirituality of Divinity into the contractions through their wondrous novel Torah insights that they renew at every moment, polishing their souls and drawing lights in wondrous ways, until deep counsels are produced from them that grow the holy emunah. And afterward they attend to drawing the repair each time more completely — so that the adversaries should not corrupt, God forbid — to expel and nullify the pride that comes through them, and to nullify the power of the false leaders, etc. And to give power to the shields of the earth so they can raise the fats from the aspect of "the seal in the flesh" to the aspect of the holy seal, as above — and all the other repairs explained there. For for every repair of all the aforementioned corruptions, one must begin from the primary beginning of repair, which is the drawing of spirituality, etc. For the great tzaddik engages each time in drawing the spirituality of Divinity, etc., in such intellectual insights, in such repairs — so that emunah should be repaired completely and should not be corrupted through all the aforementioned damages. For all the oils in every person — through which the intellect illuminates, as above — their root comes from the holy anointing oil of the tzaddik who draws the spirituality of Divinity, etc. From this is the root of the light and the oils, as above. And this is the aspect of the aforementioned statement that the oil that was sealed contained only enough for one day, and a miracle occurred and it burned for eight days. For the Greeks — who are the forces of evil and the husks that lie in ambush to corrupt through all the aforementioned corruptions — first strengthen themselves to corrupt the emunah, God forbid, through their evil wisdoms, which are the aspect of the wisdom of wicked Greece. And when they are overpowered through the crying out of the heart from the depths, etc., they still strengthen themselves through pride and immorality, etc. And the power of the shields of the earth is needed — to raise the oils from the seal to the holy seal. This is the aspect of the Greeks defiling all the oils — meaning all the aspects of the knowledge — that they wanted, God forbid, to defile and corrupt everything through all the aforementioned corruptions. And the miracle occurred through the small amount of oil found through the repair of the holy seal, as above — the aspect of it having been sealed with the seal of the High Priest, as above — which is the oil and the knowledge raised from "the seal in the flesh" to the aspect of the holy seal, as above. But there was only enough oil for one day — for the forces of evil are always in ambush, both against Israel in general and against each individual in particular. And even when some who are upright overpower themselves and break their desires, and raise from the seal to the holy seal — from which the holy oil, the holy knowledge, comes into being to illuminate the world — nonetheless they still strengthen themselves and provoke the rest of the world and bring them to the damage of the covenant, which is the damage of knowledge. And sometimes they provoke greatly even against those who are upright who have already begun to break their desires and to raise from the seal, etc., as above — until they cause even them to stumble, God forbid. And this is the aspect of the oil that was sealed, etc. — there was only enough for one day, meaning a short time. For one cannot be certain about this small amount of oil and knowledge except for one day — for who knows what a day brings, what will happen on the next day? For each day a person's evil inclination renews itself against him, as the Sages said on the verse "the wicked one watches for the tzaddik" etc. And this is the aspect of: "What shall I do with you, Ephraim? What shall I do with you, Yehudah? For your lovingkindness is like a morning cloud" etc. (Hoshea 6). But through the power of the great true tzaddikim — who are the aspect of the members of the Great Assembly, the masters of the true holy Yeshivos — who are greater and more precious than the High Priest, as the Sages said: "it is more precious than pearls — more than the High Priest who enters the Holy of Holies" — through their merit and their power a miracle occurred and the oil burned for eight days. For these tzaddikim always engage in drawing and pouring the holy anointing oil from its root, through drawing the spirituality of Divinity, etc. And they are like a flowing spring and a never-ceasing river. For they never cease from pouring the holy anointing oil from its root, until they complete all the aforementioned repairs completely. This is the aspect of the miracle that occurred — the oil burned for eight days. Eight days is the aspect of the eight attributes from Keser to Hod, as is known. For Keser is the beginning of the first holy contraction into which the spirituality of Divinity is drawn. And then one's soul is polished and one becomes a man of understanding — which is the aspects of Chochma and Binah. And from there knowledge is drawn, until holy counsels are produced — which are the aspects of Netzach and Hod, which are the aspect of "legs," the aspect of counsels, as explained elsewhere. That is, the true tzaddikim engage in the aforementioned repairs and never cease, until the light illuminates and deep counsels that cannot be refuted in any way are produced — counsels that stand against the forces of evil to nullify and repair all the aforementioned corruptions, until they complete what they began. For they draw the light of Mashiach, the aspect of "I have prepared a lamp for My anointed" — for this they pray on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: "and the preparation of a lamp for the son of Yishai Your anointed" — about whom it is said: "for in Your holy name You swore to him that his lamp would never be extinguished forever." This is the aspect of the western lamp where the Shechinah dwells — from which one began and with which one ended. For it constantly draws the holy oil and from it come all the lightings of all the holy lights always. For the light of their holy Torah cannot be extinguished in any way — in the aspect of "a transgression extinguishes a commandment, but no transgression extinguishes Torah." That is, Torah studied for its own sake, to keep and to do and to fulfill, etc. For Torah study that comes from the lips outward certainly cannot illuminate the world, and would that it not corrupt — in the aspect of "if he did not merit, it becomes for him a potion of death." As we find many great scholars who afterward greatly corrupted themselves, as the Sages said regarding Do'eg, Achitofel, and Acher — whose Torah was from the lips outward. But the Torah of a true tzaddik who engages in drawing the spirituality of Divinity, etc., until deep counsels are revealed, etc. — this holy light cannot be extinguished, the aspect of "the counsel of God stands forever" etc. And from there was the miracle of Chanukah — through the tzaddikim of the Men of the Great Assembly who wrought wonders through their wondrous novel Torah insights, so that the small amount of oil burned for eight days. And so now in every generation and every year, the primary illumination of the true light — which is the aspect of the light of the Chanukah candle — comes through the tzaddikim who engage in the aforementioned repairs to draw at every moment the aspect of the drawing of spirituality, etc., from which is the root of the light, etc. And they engage with such completeness that it should never be interrupted — in the aspect of "the cruse of oil shall not fail" — until deep counsels that cannot be refuted are drawn each time, etc., as above. This corresponds to what is written about Chizkiyahu (Yeshayahu 10): "and a yoke-breaker because of oil." For Chizkiyahu is the aspect of Mashiach, as the Sages said: "The Holy One, blessed be He, wished to make Chizkiyahu Mashiach" etc. And this is "a yoke-breaker" — meaning the yoke of the forces of evil, which is the yoke of Sancherev, as Rashi explains there — for in his generation the forces of evil clothed themselves in Sancherev, and so in every generation. And the verse says that the Holy One, blessed be He, will break and destroy the yoke because of the aforementioned holy anointing oil. For Chizkiyahu established many Torah Yeshivos, as the Sages said: "They checked from Dan to Beer-Sheva" etc. — and about them it is said: "on that day every man shall raise a young bull and two sheep" etc. "Every place where there are a thousand vines worth a thousand pieces of silver — it shall be for briers and thorns" etc. (Yeshayahu 7) — for they will abandon everything and go to engage in Torah. (This is the opposite of the evil views of those who multiply exhortations to engage in extensive labor and commerce. But what the Sages warned about was labor — but not for Torah scholars, as explained in the Code of Law and many holy books. And as said: "Rabbi Nehorai says: I set aside all the occupations in the world and teach my son only Torah." There is much to say about this but this is not the place.) Therefore through the Torah-engagement of Chizkiyahu — who is the aspect of Mashiach who continuously draws the aspect of the aforementioned oil that illuminates the entire world — the yoke of the forces of evil that lie in ambush to corrupt, God forbid, will be broken and destroyed. And this is: "the fragrance of your good oils — oil poured forth is your name." The oils of the true Torah are so good — even when it appears that the oil has been poured out from the vessel, the aspect of "oil poured forth" — nonetheless your name will grow forever. For the small amount of oil that remains illuminates the entire world by the power of the tzaddikim who continually draw the oils, the holy knowledge, anew at every time, as above. And this is "therefore maidens love you" — this is the aspect of converts and penitents, as Rashi explains there. For through the oil of the aforementioned tzaddikim whose fragrance is never interrupted, converts and penitents are added at every time, as above. "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together" — this is the aspect of praise of the excellence of the holy Yeshivos who engage in Torah, who are truly called brothers and companions, as it is said: "For the sake of my brothers and companions, I will speak peace." And this is "like the good oil upon the head" — the aspect of the aforementioned holy anointing oil. And this is "descending upon the beard, the beard of Aharon, that descends upon the opening of his garments" — contemplating the entire chain of the drawing of the holy oil, which is the holy knowledge, from its very beginning until it is drawn into holy counsels. And this is "like the good oil upon the head" — this is the aspect of its beginning, drawn through the drawing of the spirituality of Divinity, etc. And afterward "descending upon the beard" — this is the aspect of the man of understanding, the aspect of "from the elders I gain understanding." For "zaken" (elder) means one who has acquired wisdom. And this is "the beard of Aharon" — for its primary root is drawn through Aharon the Priest, the head — who is the aspect of the heads of the Yeshivos, who are the aspect of priests, as it is said: "let them teach Your statutes to Yaakov" etc. And this is "that descends upon the opening of his garments" — that is, it descends and is drawn into the "middos" (attributes) which are the aspect of the good counsels. For all the good counsels are in the aspect of the attributes from Chesed through Hod, where all the counsels reside, which are received from the man of understanding who draws the aforementioned oil. Through these counsels emunah grows — the aspect of Malchus — through it receiving counsels from the true tzaddik who is the aspect of "the tzaddik is the foundation of the world." And this is "like the dew of Chermon that descends upon the mountains of Tzion" — this is the aspect of the abundance of holy livelihood, named "dew," the aspect of the manna which is livelihood that fell through the dew, as it is said: "when the dew descended upon the camp, the manna descended upon it." And this is "like the dew of Chermon" etc. — the aspect of good abundant livelihood that descends upon the mountains of Tzion, where the root of all bounty resides, as is known. For through livelihood one polishes one's soul — which is the very same aspect as the aforementioned oil. And this is "for there God commanded the blessing — life forever." That is, that the true life — which is the fulfillment of the Torah — should be drawn forever. That is, this dew and oil will never be interrupted forever, because of the great holiness of the true holy Yeshivos of the true tzaddikim — about whom it is said: "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together." This corresponds to what the Sages said: "The commandment of the Chanukah candle — a man and his household. The mehadrin — a candle for each member. And the mehadrin min hamehadrin" etc. — "adding and going." For it has already been explained that the Chanukah candle is the light of the true Torah that illuminates the world through the Torah study of the holy Yeshivos of Israel. Therefore there are three levels within it — which correspond to the three levels in the commandment of the Chanukah candle. They are as follows: The primary Chanukah candle is for a man and his household — for it has been explained above that the primary holiness of all Jewish homes comes from the aspect of the holiness of the holy Yeshiva — the Rebbe who learns with students, etc. — and from there the light of Torah and the commandments illuminates, which is the aspect of the Chanukah candle, as above. Therefore the primary Chanukah candle is in the aspect of "a man and his household" — the head of the household must kindle and illuminate the aforementioned light of the Chanukah candle. For the head of the household — the homeowner — is in his home the aspect of the head of the holy Yeshiva, and from there he receives his vitality and holiness. The primary light of the Torah, which is the Chanukah candle, flows from him. Therefore the primary Chanukah candle is "a man and his household," as above. The mehadrin — a candle for each member — for the mehadrin are more scrupulous and careful that every member of the household also kindles a Chanukah candle. For every member of the household is in the aspect of the students of the Rebbe who is the head of the Yeshiva. And the mehadrin labor in Torah so intensely that even those who were in the aspect of students merit also to learn and to teach — drawing the Torah of their Rebbe and giving it to drink to others, illuminating the light of the Rebbe's Torah and his holy counsels to their companions. This is the aspect of the Chanukah candle lighting — the light of Torah — of each and every member of the household, who are in the aspect of students. They too need to illuminate the Rebbe's Torah in the world, which is the aspect of the Chanukah candle lighting, as above. The mehadrin min hamehadrin — adding and going: for they are not satisfied with what they illuminate and teach of the Rebbe's Torah itself to others. They also add and proceed each day to renew from themselves genuine novel Torah insights that bring to action. They delve and reveal deep counsels that are not explicitly stated in the Rebbe's Torah words — through which they strengthen their companions and arouse them to the service of the Holy One, blessed be He. All of this is the aspect of "adding and going" — the aspect of the addition of the light of Torah, the aspect of novel Torah insights that they renew themselves from within the Torah words they received from their true Rebbe. And this is the mehadrin min hamehadrin — adding and going each day, as above. This corresponds to the aspect of the Hallel of Chanukah — this is the aspect of the pure utterances that come into being through the repair of the mind, through the shields of the earth who strengthen themselves and break the evil thoughts and raise the oils from the aspect of "the seal in the flesh" to the aspect of the holy seal, etc. This is the aspect of the Chanukah candle, as above. And from there are drawn the pure utterances of God — utterances refined sevenfold — to revive and restore the fallen souls, to sustain them through the seven restorers of taste, in the aspect of "refined seven times," drawn from the seven heads of the two shins of the head-tefillin — the holy seal of the mind, as above — drawn from the seven shepherds, from whom Moshe our teacher, the faithful shepherd, is comprised, etc., as said there. All of this we draw through the lighting of the holy oil of the Chanukah candle, as above. For the mind of the tefillin is in the aspect of this good oil, in the aspect of: "and let good oil not be lacking from your head — these are tefillin," as our Sages expounded. This is the aspect of what we customarily say at the time of laying tefillin: "and pour the good oil upon the seven branches of the Menorah to bestow," etc. And from all of this the aforementioned pure utterances come into being, as explained there. And this is the aspect of the Hallel of Chanukah. For Hallel is entirely the aspect of pure utterances that greatly restore and revive the soul — particularly the bitter soul over whom passes what passes in one's sins. And when the true tzaddik revives and restores one's soul through the seven restorers of taste — the aforementioned pure utterances — he revives and restores one's soul so much that he arouses and awakens one so that one's soul rejoices so greatly that one's mouth is opened to sing and chant and exult and praise and laud the Holy One, blessed be He, for all the wondrous kindnesses He did with him — to save and rescue him from between the teeth of the forces of evil, etc. All of this is the aspect of the Hallel that is said on the days on which the Holy One, blessed be He, wrought miracles for us in His mercy. For the primary miracles and wonders and salvations and battles He wrought for us then — and also now, as the holiness of the illumination of the miracle in those days at this time flows upon us — all of it is that in His mercy He saved us then and now from the forces of evil and the husks, which are the evil kingdom in the physical and spiritual. In His great compassion He saved us from them — so that we should not be lost among them entirely, God forbid — that they should not cause us to forget His Torah and should not make us transgress the statutes of His will, etc. And for this we recite Hallel wholeheartedly, as all the words of the holy Hallel are full of this — as it is said: "He raises the poor from the dust, He lifts the destitute from the dunghill" etc. "God protects the simple; I was brought low and He saved me." "Return, my soul, to your rest, for God has dealt bountifully with you, for You have delivered my soul from death" etc. "What shall I render unto God?" etc. "From the narrow place I called to God; He answered me with the breadth of God." "God is for me, I will not fear" etc. "God is for me among my helpers" etc. "All nations surrounded me; in the name of God I will cut them off. They surrounded me, they also surrounded me; in the name of God I will cut them off" etc. "They surrounded me like bees" etc. "In the name of God" etc. And similarly much more — for all these holy words are the aspect of pure utterances drawn from Moshe our teacher and from all the tzaddikim who are in the aspect of Moshe, who revive and restore the soul through them, until one's mouth is opened to speak with one's own tongue the aforementioned pure utterances — to revive and restore one's own soul. For speech has great power. For the tzaddikim arouse them with the aspect of "shake yourself from the dust, arise" etc. "Awaken, speak in song." And as said in his holy verses: "Raise your voice, sweetly with songs and thanksgiving" etc. "Lift your eyes on high" etc. Also, Hallel is the aspect of joy. As it is said: "This is the day God has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." This is the aspect of the joy that is drawn to strengthen the power of the angel, to repair the angels so that the oils should not be damaged, God forbid — through the nocturnal emission that comes, God forbid, through the damage of eating. For this joy is needed, as said there. And this is the aspect of Hallel, which is the aspect of joy, as above. And this is the aspect of the festive meals made on Chanukah — even though the Code of Law writes that the multiplied meals of Chanukah are optional meals, etc. — the Rama concludes that some say there is a slight commandment in them. And the Rama concludes, and this is the primary ruling: the custom is to say songs and praises at the meals that are multiplied, and then they are commanded meals. And so is the truth. For certainly when one multiplies on Chanukah with meals of drunkenness and frivolity, etc., they are certainly worse than optional meals. But most upright and God-fearing Jews customarily tell at these meals of the strength of the miracle He wrought for us then, and how the illumination of these miracles and salvations flows upon us each year — as is explained now in all the holy books, and particularly in the writings of the Arizal — that at each and every holy time, the illumination of that miracle which occurred in those days flows upon us. For example, on Pesach the Exodus from Egypt, etc., and on Chanukah the miracle of Chanukah, etc. And through this we rejoice with the joy of a commandment at these meals, and they are certainly commanded meals — in the aspect of "there is nothing better for man than to eat and drink and rejoice on holidays," as the Sages said. For the primary repair of eating — which is the repair of the covenant, as above — is through joy, as above. Also, Hallel is the aspect of the repair of judgment, which is the primary completion of the repair that must be drawn, as above. For the repair of judgment is to know and believe that God is righteous and His judgments are upright, etc. — all of which is drawn from the Rebbe with students, who are the aspect of the holy Yeshiva, engaging in holy learning to draw holy emunah and the ways of true simplicity into the world, etc., as above. Through this one merits the repair of judgment — to attain the aspect of "the tzaddik and good is his lot," etc. Through this the aspect of the repair of judgment is drawn into the heart of every individual — so that one should not question, God forbid, His attributes, etc. (As above in Section 15, etc.) And this is the aspect of Hallel — the aspect of "in God I praise His word; in God I praise His word" — the aspect of "lovingkindness and justice I shall sing to You, O God, I will make music; I will contemplate the blameless way" etc. — all of which is the aspect of the repair of judgment. This corresponds to the Sages' ruling that the commandment of the Chanukah candle is "from when the sun sets" — meaning from the time the stars appear, as stated in the Code of Law — "until the foot ceases from the marketplace." For it is explained there in the aforementioned Torah teaching on the Sages' statement "in the world's creation, first darkness and then light" — that the absence of counsel is the aspect of the darkness of night, and the revelation of counsel is the aspect of the light of day, the aspect of "He reveals deep things from the darkness," etc., see there. For this is the primary excellence and completeness of the true counsels of the tzaddik — that he reveals and illuminates within the heart of a person extraordinarily deep counsels from within the powerful darkness that overcomes and spreads over a person each time, darkening everything, God forbid. And this is the aspect of why the commandment of the Chanukah candle is "from when the sun sets" etc. For the primary revelation of the light of the good counsel is in the day, as above. For the totality of the good counsels is the aspect of the 613 commandments, called the 613 counsels of Torah. And all the commandments of the Torah — which are the holy counsels, as it is said: "Mine are counsel and sound wisdom" — Moshe was commanded by day, as it is said: "on the day He commanded" — the Sages said: "this teaches that He spoke with him only by day." Also, most commandments are fulfilled only by day — such as tzitzis, tefillin, etc. For the primary light of day is the aspect of the light of the Torah and the commandments, which are the aspect of true holy counsels to merit to recognize the Creator through them — through the holy emunah drawn through them, as above. When night comes and "at night the wings spread out over the world" and the light of day is withdrawn and the darkness of night begins to darken — this is the aspect of the withdrawal of the light of the counsels from which comes this darkness, as above. Then Jews need to strengthen themselves by the power of the tzaddikim to illuminate the light of the counsels even within the darkness of night — meaning to draw from the light of day into the night. This is the aspect of the lighting of a candle at night. For the power of fire from which candles are kindled is drawn from the light of day — that is, from the light of the sun, from which the moon receives and from which the element of fire receives its power. For the element of fire is below the sphere of the moon, as is known, and receives its power from there — and all is drawn from the heat of the sun. For even the moon receives from the sun. It follows that the power of the lights of fire from which candles are kindled is drawn from the lights — which are the lights of the sun and moon — all of whose light is drawn from the light of the Torah and the commandments, which are His light, may He be blessed, the aspect of "for God is a sun and shield." And all of this is the aforementioned aspect — how the tzaddikim draw even at night from the light of the counsels of the day, until even at night they illuminate a little of the light of the counsels. From this comes the lighting of the candle at night. For the tzaddikim draw His light, may He be blessed, even in the midst of the powerful darkness of night — in the aspect of "even the darkness is not dark to You; and the night illuminates like the day." And this is the aspect of the greatness of the power of Yaakov our patriarch — who is the choicest of the patriarchs — who specifically repaired the evening prayer, as it is said: "and he encountered the place and lodged there for the sun had set." For Yaakov drew from the light of day into the midst of the powerful darkness of night — so that we can seek deep counsels in the midst of the powerful darkness of night. And this aspect occurs each day and in every person and in every generation. For this is the aspect of the world's creation — that each and every day darkness precedes light, as it is said: "and there was evening and there was morning" — "first darkness and then light." This flows from the aspect of the darkness of counsel that precedes the light of the revelation of the true good counsel, as above. And this occurs each day — for each and every day of all the days of a person's life, one needs deep counsels to be saved each day from what one needs to be saved from, so as not to lose the vitality of the day, God forbid. For each day a person's evil inclination renews itself against him, etc., as the Sages said. Therefore one needs extraordinarily deep counsels each day to be saved from it — all for the sake of growing and revealing the holy emunah, as above. For emunah renews itself each morning, in the aspect of "new each morning, great is Your faithfulness." In general: when the darkness of night comes, this is the aspect of the withdrawal of the light of the counsels — which is the light of the day that has passed and departed. Then one must return and begin to delve for counsels from within this darkness, which precedes the coming day's light. All of this is by the power of the true tzaddikim who established for us the evening prayer. And similarly it is a Torah commandment to recite the Shema at night, to unify His name, may He be blessed. And most upright people are careful to engage in Torah study at night more diligently, as the Sages said. And through all of this one delves for counsels at night from within the depth of darkness. Therefore specifically in the evening prayer one requests in the blessing of "hashkivenu" (grant us to lie down): "and direct us with good counsel from before You" — for specifically then one begins to delve the new deep counsels that are needed for the coming day that will come upon us for good. And all of this is the aspect of the lighting of the Chanukah candle "from when the sun sets" — for then the light of day, which is the aspect of the light of the counsels, withdraws. And then one must kindle the Chanukah candle, which is the aspect of drawing the holiness of the lighting of the seven branches of the Menorah in the Temple — in order to draw from the light of day into the midst of the powerful darkness of night, so that one can delve at night the deep counsels, in order to grow the holy emunah. And this is "until the foot ceases from the marketplace" — "foot" is the aspect of counsels, as it is said: "and all the people who are at your foot" — those who follow your counsel, as brought in our words many times. That is, one must kindle and illuminate at the beginning of the darkness of night the light of the Chanukah candle — the aspect of the light of the true deep counsels — until the evil counsels, the worthless counsels of the masses who chase after money and the vanities of this world with great exertion yet carry nothing away from their toil for the world to come through their evil counsels — are finished and nullified. And this is "until the foot ceases from the marketplace" — that the foot, the aspect of counsels, should cease from the marketplace, which is the public domain, the domain of the forces of evil — that the evil counsels from the world should be finished and nullified through the light of the lighting of the holy Chanukah candle, which is the aspect of drawing good deep counsels into the midst of the powerful darkness of night, as above. And this is the same aspect as "from the time the stars appear" — this is the aspect of "those who justify the many are like the stars" — who are the true tzaddikim and the upright who join them, who draw the aforementioned deep counsels and through this justify the many and draw them to the Holy One, blessed be He. And all of this is understood in the writings of the Arizal in his holy way — but there it is in the way of secret, and it is impossible for a simple person to understand practical counsels for divine service from there. But according to our way, anyone who truly desires can understand wondrous allusions and arousal to draw near to the Holy One, blessed be He, anew each day — from wherever one is, from everything that passes over one at every time. For it is explained there that the secret of the Chanukah candle is through the illumination drawn from the intellect of the day to the kingdom, etc., see there and you will understand. And even though this occurs each day — nonetheless, to merit to kindle the lamp of a commandment in truth, which is the aspect of the Chanukah candle, we did not merit until the great miracle in the days of Matisyahu, etc. For specifically then — when the Greek sages strengthened themselves so much that they wanted to cause the Torah to be entirely forgotten, God forbid, which is the primary darkness, the aspect of "and darkness upon the face of the deep — this is the kingdom of Greece" — specifically then did the Holy One, blessed be He, have compassion on us and stand by us in our time of distress. And He turned the darkness into great light — for specifically then was revealed to us this holy commandment to kindle the Chanukah candle: to draw the holy anointing oil, to kindle candles, to illuminate deep counsels within the midst of the powerful darkness — in general and in particular, in the person and in the time — in order to grow the holy emunah, so that the Torah should not be forgotten from Israel. And so in every generation the true tzaddikim come and illuminate for us deep counsels within the powerful darkness, until the light of day illuminates upon us each time — the aspect of "He reveals deep things from the darkness," as above. For through the lighting of the Chanukah candles at their time in these miracle-days, we draw this light for the entire year — to always merit to delve deep counsels from within the depth of darkness, to grow the holy emunah with all the aforementioned repairs. And so it is with all the commandments — through the sounding of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah we draw the aspect of the repair of the shofar for the entire year. And similarly through eating matzah on Pesach, etc. And so with all the commandments. And all of this cannot be merited except through much Torah study in the holy Yeshiva, as above — for one needs many deep counsels each day and at every time, and primarily in the time of darkness. For sometimes a person's counsel becomes dark even by day, and then according to his aspect it is the aspect of darkness — for the day has become dark for him. But specifically then one must search and seek and delve the deep counsels through the crying out of the heart from the depths, as said there, see there well. And because the more a person delves to return to holiness, the adversary provokes against him more. For "the greater one is than his fellow" etc. — as is explained in our words at length. Therefore one must learn very, very much the ways of the aforementioned counsels — which is the aforementioned aspect of the learning of the holy Yeshiva, from which comes all the light of the counsels — to merit to fulfill the Torah and the commandments, which is the primary thing. For "it is not the study that is primary, but the deed," as above. Also, the lighting of the Chanukah candle "from when the sun sets" — this alludes to the fact that the primary drawing of the light of the Torah, which is the light of the counsels, is greater specifically after the passing of the true tzaddik, who is the true Rebbe. For then, after his passing, it is the aspect of "the setting of the sun," as the Sages said on the verse "the sun rises and the sun sets" — "before the sun of Eli set, the sun of Shmuel rose" etc. It follows that the passing of the tzaddik is the aspect of the setting of the sun. And specifically then one must greatly strengthen oneself to engage and to study well the novel Torah insights of his holy Torah — which are all awesome counsels and wondrous arousal to draw near to Him, may He be blessed, and to walk by his hands and feet, to draw near to the companions, to the remnant whom God calls — which is the aspect of the holy Yeshiva. In order to delve and reveal the deep counsels from within the great darkness that each individual needs at every time according to his aspect. For it is explained in the Midrash Tanchuma (Parashas Beha'aloscha) that the tzaddikim are called "masters of collections" (ba'alei asufos). For the primary labor in Torah is after the tzaddik has been gathered to his rest. For in his lifetime one could ask him any question and all one's doubts — but now, from whom shall one ask? And one must labor by oneself to understand the depths of his holy Torah of one's Rebbe. And this is the aspect of the lighting of the Chanukah candle — the drawing of the light of the Torah, etc. — being "from when the sun sets," meaning after the passing of the tzaddik. For then the students and those attached to them must strengthen themselves even more in the study and careful examination of his holy Torah — which is the aspect of the study of the holy Yeshiva — in order to delve from it the deep counsels for each person as is appropriate to him at every time, in order to grow the holy emunah with all the aforementioned repairs. So that all the peoples of the earth shall know that God is the Lord, there is none else. Amen and Amen. ננננמ — Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman — ננננמ End of Hilchos Nezikin — Halacha 5, Sections 25–45