גניבה ג

And he said that even when his days are fulfilled [i.e., after death], then after his departure, whoever comes to his grave and recites there these ten chapters of Psalms mentioned above, and gives a prootah [small coin] to charity—even if his iniquities and sins have grown and become exceedingly great, God forbid—then I will exert myself and strive to lengthen and widen [my efforts] to save him and to rectify him, etc. And I am very strong in all my words, but in this matter I am strongest of all: that these ten chapters are exceedingly beneficial, very very much so. And these are the ten chapters of Psalms: 16, 32, 41, 42, 59, 77, 90, 105, 137, 150— as they have already been printed several times. And one should say them in the order in which they are written in the Book of Psalms. And he said that this is the General Rectification (tikun ha-klali). For every transgression has its own specific rectification, but the rectification mentioned above is the general one. He also said at that time that the matter mentioned above—concerning these ten chapters of Psalms—should be revealed and made known in public to everyone. And he said: Although it is an easy thing to say ten chapters of Psalms, nevertheless, even this will be very difficult to fulfill. And so it has been fulfilled now, in our great sins, that because of the great increase of disputes and divisiveness, most of the multitude are very far from fulfilling this. And he—of blessed memory—informed of all this in advance. [Sichos Haran – The Words of Rabbi Nachman 141]

Choshen Mishpat — Hilchos Ma’abeid Mamon Chaveiro U’Masur Laws of One Who Causes Loss to Another’s Money, and the Informer — Halachos 1–4

Transliterator's note: The method used here is not the sophisticated conventional way, rather it is extremely simple and straightforward. There are basically only three rules to keep in mind.

These four halachos expound the extreme gravity of the masur (informer) — one who hands over a fellow Jew’s money or property to gentile authorities. Each halachah draws on a different teaching of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, to illuminate why our Sages treated the informer more severely than almost any other transgressor.

ch = kh

Halachah 1 (based on Likutay Moharan I:23, “Tzivisa Tzedek”): All forms of idolatry are embedded in money. The informer actualizes this blemish by physically handing holy money to the nations. Money is called yekum (standing/rising) because it is birthed through 140 (kuf-mem) cries; the informer blemishes this rising and therefore is cast down without the possibility of rising.

ALL vowels are soft (like: bed, sit, luck, including eh, also at the end of the word) unless they are doubled, like ai, ay, ee, ey, oo, oa, ue, uy

Halachah 2 (based on Likutay Moharan I:25, “B’savei d’vei asuna”): The supernal colors (gevanin ila’in) are vested in the money of Yisrael. Through tzedakah, these colors shine and reveal the greatness of the Creator, subduing the klipos at every level. The informer conceals these lights by handing Yisrael’s money to the nations, thereby exiting the circles of holiness entirely — like one who departs from Shabbos. He is therefore disqualified from writing sacred texts.

iy = eye

Halachah 3 (based on Likutay Moharan I:56, “U’vyom habikkurim”): The informer empowers the kingdom of wickedness against the kingdom of holiness, whose vitality comes through Torah study. Since the entire Torah exists to sustain the malchus, the informer’s blemish encompasses the entire Torah and he is disqualified from writing a sefer Torah.

Halachah 4 (based on Likutay Moharan II:5, “Tik’u — Emunah”): Holy faith grows from deep counsel, which is drawn by an “ish tevunos” (man of understanding) whose soul is polished through holy eating. The informer, by handing Yisrael’s sustenance to the nations, damages the wellspring from which faith grows, and is therefore judged as an actual heretic.

The Teekoon Haklali is composed of ten chapters from the Psalms, and before reciting them there is a short assertion whereby one binds oneself to Rabbi Nachman for their recital:

Based on Likutay Moharan I:23, “Tzivisa Tzedek”

Haraynee mekashehr es atzmee bi-ameeras hu-asara mizmuray tihilim ailoo lichul hatzadikim hu-ameeteem shebidoarainoo, oolichul hatzadikim hu-ameeteem shoachney ufur kidoasheem ashehr bu-uretz haimu, oobifrat li-rabainoo hakudoash tzadik yisoad oalum nachal noavaiya mikur chuchmu ra-bainoo Na Nach Nachmu Nachmun Me-Oomon zichoosoa yugain ulainoo vi-al kul yisru-el umain.

The masur [informer] — our Sages, of blessed memory, were exceedingly stringent regarding him; they cast him down and do not raise him up, and he is worse than an idolater.

Hereby I bind myself, through the recitation of these ten Psalms, to all the true tzaddikim in our generation, and to all the true tzaddikim who have passed on, the holy ones who rest in the dust, and in particular to our holy Rabbi, the foundation of the world, the flowing stream, the source of wisdom, our Rabbi Na Nach Nachma Nachman of Uman; may his merit protect us and all of Israel, Amen.

According to what Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, wrote in the teaching “Tzivisa Tzedek” [Likutay Moharan I:23]: all forms of idolatry are embedded in money. And when one falls into the lust for money, one falls into all the idolatries of all the seventy nations. And then the Shechinah cries out over him: “My degradation from my head, my degradation…” — the aspect of two times seventy cries, which are one hundred and forty cries, equal to the numerical value of mamon [money] together with its letters. And therefore a person’s livelihood is twice as difficult as childbirth — the aspect of two times seventy cries that one must cry out before one gives birth to and earns money; see there.

Psalm 16 · פרק טז

Now, the masur blemishes this in the most extreme way, in actual deed. For it is known that all transgressions, may the Merciful One save us, have a root in holiness, and through one’s sin one brings that holiness down to the Sitra Achra, God forbid — and this is the blemish of all transgressions, may the Merciful One save us. And everything accords with the sin: every desire that has its root in an exceedingly lofty holiness — correspondingly, below, the Sitra Achra takes greater hold there, for they pursue and take hold in the place where there is the most holiness, and therefore the intensity of the desire is greater there. And when one blemishes in this and is drawn after them, God forbid, then the blemish is exceedingly great, because one has brought a lofty holiness outward, God forbid.

1 מִכְתָּם לְדָוִד שָׁמְרֵנִי א-ל כִּי-חָסִיתִי בָךְ And this is also the aspect of the blemish of the lust for money, mentioned above. For money has its root in an exceedingly lofty holiness, as is understood explicitly from the words of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, in many places — for it is the aspect of the root of the souls of Yisrael. And there are all the holy sparks, and there are all the gevanin ila’in [supernal colors]. And because its holiness is exceedingly lofty, therefore below the Sitra Achra takes even greater hold there, and the intensity of the desire is even greater. And everyone pursues money all the days of their lives and wastes their days on this — all because its root in holiness is exceedingly lofty. And because of this, the blemish of the lust for money is exceedingly great, since one brings outward, God forbid, an exceedingly lofty and awesome holiness. And from this, God forbid, comes all idolatry, which is the aspect of the essential empowerment of the Sitra Achra — the aspect of a “foreign god,” the opposite of the holy faith that is vested in holy money, in the aspect of “and faithfulness greatly” [Psalms 89:9], as is brought there.

A michtam of David. Protect me, O G-d, for I seek refuge in You.

And now, the masur blemishes in this in the most extreme way, in actual deed. For he hands over the money of Yisrael — which is holy money — into the hand of a gentile and an oppressor. For Yisrael as a whole are all holy, and the money of Yisrael is the aspect of holy money in which their holy souls are rooted, and there are all the holy sparks. And he takes this holy money and hands it over to the gentile, who represents idolatry as mentioned above. It turns out that he makes holy money into the aspect of actual idolatry. And this is far worse than the blemish of the lust for money, for there the blemish is through the desire alone — that one brings the holy shefa [flow/abundance] down to the desire where the Sitra Achra has its hold. But this one blemishes in actual deed, as mentioned above.

Michtam liduveed shumrainee ail key chusseessee buch. And therefore they cast him down and do not raise him up. For the aforementioned blemish, which is the aspect of the blemish of the lust for money, is the aspect of the blemish of the one hundred and forty cries, as mentioned above. And therefore money is called yekum [lit. “standing/substance”], as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “And the substance (yekum) that was at their feet” [Deuteronomy 11:6] — this is the money that stands a person on his feet. This is the aspect of kuf-mem (140) mentioned above, for it is impossible to give birth to money except through the aspect of the 140 cries, as mentioned above. And for this reason money is called yekum, a term of rising (tekumah), the aspect of kuf-mem, as mentioned above. And this is what Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, wrote there: that all downfalls come through the lust for money; see there — the opposite of the kuf-mem mentioned above. And for this reason one falls — because one blemished in the aspect of kam (rising), the aspect of the 140 cries, as mentioned above. But when one merits to pass in peace through these 140 cries, and emerges and ascends from there in peace, and merits to give birth to and earn holy money — through this one has a rising (tekumah), through the 140 cries that one raised and elevated to holiness. And for this reason money is called yekum — that which stands a person on his feet, in the aspect of kam, as mentioned above.

2 אָמַרְתְּ לַיי אֲדֹנָי אָתָּה טוֹבָתִי בַּל-עָלֶיךָ And this is the aspect of what is said regarding Avraham: “And the field arose (vayakam)… to Avraham as a possession” [Genesis 23:17]. And Rashi explains: it had a “rising” (tekumah), in that it went from their hands to his. For all the acquisitions of Avraham are in the aspect of kam — they have a rising through the 140 cries in holiness, as mentioned above. For even holy money is birthed and earned through the 140 cries — one must pass through and go and endure, in the aspect of “in sorrow you shall eat of it” [Genesis 3:17], and cry out these 140 cries, and ascend from there and give birth to and earn holy money. And then one has a rising through the aspect of the 140 cries, as mentioned above. But conversely, when one blemishes these 140 cries, then one has a fall, as mentioned above — for all downfalls come through the lust for money, through the blemish of the 140 cries, as mentioned above. And therefore the masur, who blemishes in this as mentioned above — therefore they cast him down and do not raise him up, for he falls and does not rise, in the aspect of: “Heavy upon her was her transgression, and she fell and shall not rise again” [cf. Amos 5:2; Lamentations 1:8–9] — for he blemished the 140 cries, as mentioned above. Therefore they cast him down and bring him low and do not raise him up, for he has no rising, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of what they said: “They cast him down into the pit,” etc. — for “the pit is the spleen,” etc., the aspect of the blemish of the lust for money, as is brought there in the words of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, for he blemished in this, as mentioned above.

Umart ladoanuy Adoanuy uttu toavussee bal ullechu. And this is the aspect of what is written: “The violence (chamas) arose as a rod of wickedness” [Ezekiel 7:11] — the violence, this is the aspect of the blemish of the lust for money, through which one comes to robbery. Through this, the aspect of kam (rising), the aspect of the 140 cries, is blemished, and it becomes a rod of wickedness, God forbid. But in the future, when the verse will be fulfilled: “On that day a person shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold” [Isaiah 2:20] — when the lust for money will be nullified, and the pangs of birth will pass and be exchanged, and the salvation will sprout and be born — then it will be said: “She has fallen; the maiden of Yisrael shall not fall again” [Amos 5:2, re-read positively] — for we will have already endured the pangs of birth and cried out the 140 cries until the salvation was born, and from that point on we shall have a rising, speedily in our days, Amen. Based on Likutay Moharan I:25, “B’savei d’vei asuna” The matter of the masur [informer], regarding whom our Sages, of blessed memory, were exceedingly stringent — more than all transgressions in the Torah — and his status is that of an absolute apostate. And he is even worse than an apostate, as is brought in the Shach there. And they cast him down and do not raise him up. And he is disqualified from writing a sefer Torah, tefillin, and mezuzos, etc. According to the teaching beginning “B’savei d’vei asuna” [Likutay Moharan I:25]: “Show us a vessel that is not worth damaging,” etc. “Since the Beis HaMikdash was destroyed, the shamir was nullified,” etc. For each person must extract himself from the medameh [imaginative faculty] and ascend to the seichel [intellect], etc. And know that at every level there are these illusions, and they are the klipos that precede the fruit, that surround the holiness, in the aspect of “The wicked walk round about” [Psalms 12:9], etc. And it is impossible to subdue the klipos and the illusions except through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator. And the revelation of the greatness of the Creator comes through tzedakah that one gives to a worthy poor person, etc. And the general principle that emerges from there is that in holy money the gevanin ila’in [supernal colors] are vested, for the supernal colors are the aspect of silver and gold, etc. And these colors that are vested in holy money shine only in the hand of Yisrael, for there is their place, and they are included one in another, and these colors radiate, in the aspect of “Yisrael, in whom I take glory” [Isaiah 49:3] — for the place of the colors is only with the person of Yisrael. And when the colors radiate, then the Holy One, blessed be He, is magnified and glorified through them, in the aspect of “Mine is the silver and Mine is the gold” [Haggai 2:8], and from them are made bigdei yesha [garments of salvation] — yesha meaning “gazing” (istaklelusa), etc. But as long as the silver and gold are in the hands of the nations, then the light of the colors is concealed and they do not shine, for that is not their place — for their place is only with the person of Yisrael, etc. And for this reason the nations crave the money of Yisrael, because there is the glory of the colors, etc. But immediately, as soon as the gentile receives money from Yisrael, the glory and the grace within the money is immediately concealed, etc. And through tzedakah, all of one’s money is rectified and the colors are revealed and shine, etc. And then the greatness of Hashem, blessed be He, is revealed, for the essential greatness and glory of Hashem, blessed be He, is the aspect of the revelation of the colors that are vested in money, as mentioned above. And through the revelation of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He, the klipos at that level are subdued, and through this one ascends from level to level, etc.; see all of this there well. And behold, in this teaching it is explained very clearly the severity of the prohibition and the great and awesome blemish of the masur who hands over, God forbid, the money of Yisrael — which is holy money in which the supernal colors are revealed and shine — into the hand of a gentile, God forbid. For the supernal colors that are vested in the money of Yisrael are the essential greatness of the Creator, blessed be He, as mentioned above, through which one shatters the klipos and ascends from level to level — which is the essential totality of holiness, the totality of the Torah: to shatter the Sitra Achra and the klipos and the illusions, and to ascend from level to level in order to cleave to Him, blessed be He. And all of this is accomplished through the revelation of the colors that are vested in the money of Yisrael, as mentioned above — which are the essential greatness of the Creator, blessed be He. And the masur, God forbid, blemishes all of this. And not only does he blemish this, but he does the complete opposite: he takes holy money, the money of Yisrael, in which the supernal colors are vested, as mentioned above, and hands it over to the opposite — to the gentile, where the colors do not shine; on the contrary, there the lights of the colors are concealed, for their place is only in the hand of Yisrael, as mentioned above. It turns out that he blemishes the totality of holiness, the totality of the Torah, as mentioned above. And this is what our Sages, of blessed memory, said regarding the masur: they cast him down and do not raise him up. For he certainly deserves this punishment, since he blemished in this — for through the blemish of the masur, who blemishes the aforementioned colors that are vested in the money of Yisrael, through which all ascents from level to level are essentially accomplished — through this it is impossible to ascend from level to level, for the essential ascent is through the revelation of the colors that shine specifically in the hand of Yisrael. And therefore the masur, who blemished in this — therefore they cast him down and do not raise him up, for he blemished precisely in this: because he concealed the lights of the colors by handing the money of Yisrael into the hand of the nations, through this one cannot ascend from level to level, as mentioned above. For in truth, each person of Yisrael must strive with all one’s might to reveal the lights of the colors that are vested in the money of Yisrael, for not everyone merits that supernal lights and supernal colors be revealed in one’s money — one needs great merit for this. And one merits this through tzedakah, through which all of one’s money is rectified, as mentioned above. And then, specifically, one can ascend from level to level, as mentioned above. And the masur — not only did he blemish and fail to strive to reveal the lights of the colors, but he also did the complete opposite: he handed the holy money of Yisrael into the hand of the nations and deliberately concealed the lights of the colors. Therefore his punishment reaches him — the opposite of ascent, namely descent. And therefore they cast him down and do not raise him up, as mentioned above. And therefore his status is that of an apostate, etc. For he departs from the holiness of Yisrael, since the essential holiness of Yisrael is in the aspect of “Yisrael, in whom I take glory” — this is the essential holiness of Yisrael: that Hashem, blessed be He, takes glory in them. And every person of Yisrael, even the smallest among them, has a portion in this glorification, for Hashem, blessed be He, takes glory even in the most insignificant, as is brought elsewhere. And the glorification of Hashem, blessed be He, is the aspect of the aforementioned colors that are vested in the silver and gold — in the money of Yisrael. And the masur, who blemished in this — it turns out that he blemished the aspect of the glorification, which is the essential holiness of Yisrael, as mentioned above. And therefore the masur departs from the community of all Yisrael, for each person has a portion in this glorification, but he blemished with a high hand in this glorification by handing the money of Yisrael, in which the supernal colors are vested — the aspect of the glorification, as mentioned above — into the hand of the nations, where the glory is concealed, as mentioned above. And therefore he departs through this from the community of Yisrael, from the community of the glorification. And therefore he is like an actual apostate, and worse than one — for he corrupted and blemished with contempt, deliberately, the essential glorification, which is the supernal colors whose light he concealed by handing the money of Yisrael into the hand of the gentile, as mentioned above. For it is found in the words of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, elsewhere, that the wicked are led round and round the holiness, in the aspect of “The wicked walk round about” [Psalms 12:9]. For Shabbos is the aspect of the inner point, and from it the circles draw sustenance — these being the aspect of the six days — as is brought in the Zohar. And the klipos lead the wicked round and round the point, and do not allow them to draw near to the interior, etc. And as long as they are still within the circles, there is still hope for them to draw near — even sinners of Yisrael, as long as one has not departed from the circles entirely, God forbid, etc. But one who has already departed entirely, God forbid, from the circles — such as apostates — then it is impossible for him to draw near at all, etc.; see there. And Shabbos, which is the inner point of the six weekdays that receive and draw sustenance from it, is the aspect of the lights of the colors. For Shabbos is the aspect of the three colors of the eye and the pupil, which are the aspect of the aforementioned colors — which are the aspect of eyes, as explained in the aforementioned teaching, the aspect of “covering of the eyes” [Genesis 20:16]; see there. For the essential supernal colors shine on Shabbos. And therefore on Shabbos we eat three meals — of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, which are included in them — and they are the lights of the colors, as is known. And therefore through Shabbos, through the three meals, all the six days are blessed, as is stated in the Zohar — for the essential blessing is through the lights of the colors when they shine, in the aspect of “your eyes are pools” [Song of Songs 7:5] in numerical value, as is explained there. And then, specifically, all one’s money and all the work of one’s hands are blessed, and this is drawn through Shabbos, when the essential radiance of the colors is, as mentioned above. For on Shabbos all the tzedakos that one performs during the weekdays ascend, as is explained in the words of Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, elsewhere, in the aspect of “the sun on Shabbos is tzedakah for the poor,” etc.; see there. And through the tzedakah that shines specifically on Shabbos, through this the colors that are vested in silver and gold shine, as mentioned above, and through this blessing is drawn to all the six weekdays, as mentioned above. For the six weekdays that all draw sustenance from Shabbos, as mentioned above, consist of three days before Shabbos and three days after Shabbos, and Shabbos is the point in the middle, as is brought. And in these three days the lights of the colors that are drawn from Shabbos, from the three meals, are vested, as mentioned above. For three days correspond to the three colors — gold, silver, and copper — which are the aspect of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov. This is the aspect of the three days before Shabbos and the three days after Shabbos, all of which receive the lights of the three colors from Shabbos, as mentioned above. And therefore on Shabbos there is cessation from labor and weekday activities, which one toils at during all six weekdays for the sake of livelihood. And on Shabbos there is rest — for the essential toil that one exerts for money and livelihood during the six weekdays is because the colors do not shine as much then, and therefore one must toil after money in the aspect of “the people went about and gathered — in folly” [Numbers 11:8]. For the colors are the aspect of the daas, as their root is there, as is brought elsewhere. And on Shabbos the daas shines and then the lights of the colors are revealed, and then there is complete rest, and one does not need to toil at all for livelihood and money, since the root of money — which is the supernal colors — is revealed on Shabbos. And therefore from Shabbos blessing is drawn to all the weekdays, for the colors that are vested in silver and gold are blessed through Shabbos, as mentioned above. But on Shabbos itself there is no engagement in money and commerce at all, for then the colors shine in themselves, and then they are not vested in money at all — rather, they shine in themselves, as mentioned above, and from there all the six days are blessed, etc., as mentioned above. And therefore on Shabbos all the worlds ascend from level to level in many ascents, from the beginning of Shabbos until the end, as is stated in the Pri Eitz Chaim. For then, on Shabbos, the colors shine — which are the aspect of the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He — through which all the ascents are accomplished, as mentioned above. And the essential service of Yisrael is to draw the holiness of Shabbos into the six weekdays — that is, to draw the lights of the colors that shine on Shabbos so that they also shine during the weekdays, when they are vested in silver and gold. And through this, blessing is drawn into all the work of our hands. This is the aspect of “Vihi No’am” [Psalms 90:17] that we say at the departure of Shabbos — to draw the holiness of Shabbos into the six weekdays, through which the work of our hands is blessed, in the aspect of “and the work of our hands, establish it for us.” And when one merits that the colors are revealed in the money during the weekdays — which is the essential blessing, as mentioned above — then the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He, is revealed, and one can ascend from level to level, as mentioned above. For then, when one merits that the colors are revealed in the money, one has no lust for money at all, for the revelation of the colors in the money is the opposite of the lust for money. And then blessing is sent in all the work of our hands, as mentioned above. It turns out that the essential holiness that each person receives from Shabbos is the aspect of the radiance of the aforementioned colors that are included in Shabbos, from which the six weekdays draw sustenance — so that the aforementioned colors also shine in them, as mentioned above. And there is one who blemishes in this and cannot reveal the colors, and cannot enter the aspect of the point, the aspect of Shabbos, to draw from there the radiance of the aforementioned colors. But he has still not departed from the circles entirely. But this masur, who handed the money of Yisrael — in which the supernal colors are vested — into the hand of the nations, and deliberately, with a high hand, concealed the lights of the colors: therefore, through this, he departs from the circles — which are the aspect of the six days that draw sustenance from Shabbos — entirely. For he has no portion in the holiness of Shabbos that is present in the weekdays, which is the aspect of the colors that are drawn from Shabbos and vested within the weekdays in silver and gold. For he blemished in this and handed the money of Yisrael, in which the supernal colors are vested, into the hand of the opposite — the nations. Therefore he departs from the circles entirely. Therefore he is like an actual apostate, for an apostate also departs from the circles entirely, as mentioned above. And therefore, in every context, an apostate, one who desecrates Shabbos, and a masur share the same status for many laws. For the essential holiness is Shabbos, as mentioned above, and one who desecrates Shabbos blemishes the totality of holiness, like an apostate, as mentioned above. And likewise the masur is equivalent to them and worse than them, for he blemishes the colors themselves — for in the money of Yisrael is the essential location of the colors, which are the essential aspect of the holiness of Shabbos, the holiness of Yisrael. For Yisrael, Shabbos, and the lights of the aforementioned colors are all one. And the nations are the opposite of all this, in the aspect of “Who separates between holy and profane, between light and darkness, between Yisrael and the nations, between the seventh day and the six days of work” [Havdalah blessing]. “Light” — this is the aspect of the lights of the colors, which are the essential light that shines, as is understood from the aforementioned teaching. And this is the essential holiness, the aspect of Shabbos, the aspect of Yisrael, in the aspect of “Yisrael, in whom I take glory,” as mentioned above. And the nations are separated from all this, for they are the aspect of darkness, the aspect of the actual six days of work in which there is no holiness of Shabbos, no lights of the colors at all — for the colors shine only with Yisrael, who draw the holiness of Shabbos also into the weekdays, as mentioned above. But the nations are the aspect of the actual six days of work in which there is no holiness of Shabbos, no lights of the colors at all, as mentioned above. And therefore the masur, who hands the money of Yisrael to the gentile, departs from the holiness of Shabbos entirely and departs from the circles entirely. And therefore he is like an apostate, etc., as mentioned above. And therefore the essential blemish of the masur is in the eyes. For he is liable for having shown the money of his fellow to the gentile, as is brought in the Shulchan Aruch; see there. For the blemish of the aforementioned colors is the aspect of a blemish of the eyes, since the supernal colors are in the aspect of bigdei yesha [garments of salvation] — istaklelusa [gazing] — the aspect of “covering of the eyes”; see there. And this is the aspect of the masur being disqualified from writing holy things — that is, a sefer Torah, tefillin, and mezuzos. For the essential disqualification of those who are unfit to write a sefer Torah, tefillin, and mezuzos — our Sages, of blessed memory, derived it from the verse: “And you shall bind them… and you shall write them” [Deuteronomy 6:8–9] — whoever is included in the “binding” [i.e., the mitzvah of tefillin] is included in the “writing.” For tefillin are called pe’er [glory/splendor], the aspect of the totality of the colors. And therefore the entire Torah is compared to tefillin, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said — for the entire Torah is in the aspect of pe’er, since the essential purpose of the entire Torah is for the sake of glorification, in the aspect of “Yisrael, in whom I take glory” — for through the Torah and mitzvos that Yisrael perform, Hashem, blessed be He, takes glory in them. And for this purpose the entire Torah was given — so that He would take glory in us through our fulfilling all the mitzvos of the Torah. It turns out that the entire Torah is in the aspect of tefillin, which are called pe’er, the totality of the colors — for the entire Torah is the aspect of glorification, the aspect of “Yisrael, in whom I take glory” — for they are comprised of many colors, which are all the mitzvos of the Torah, and therefore Hashem, blessed be He, takes glory in them. And therefore, whoever is not included in the glorification is disqualified from writing the things of the Torah that are required to be written — that is, a sefer Torah, tefillin, and mezuzos. And the essential derivation is from tefillin, which are called pe’er, as our Sages, of blessed memory, derived: “And you shall bind them… and you shall write them” — whoever is included in the “binding,” that is, in the tefillin that are called pe’er, the totality of the colors — is included in the “writing.” For the essential nature of writing is black upon white, which is the aspect of black fire upon white fire, as is brought elsewhere — which is the aspect of “I am black and beautiful” [Song of Songs 1:5], etc. And when black and white are joined together, this is the aspect of the totality of the colors, that the colors are included one in another — which is the essential aspect of the pe’er, as explained in the aforementioned teaching. For black and white are the essential root of all the colors, as they are the aspect of gold and silver — for that which is black is red, etc. — and the essential totality of the colors, which is the essential pe’er, as mentioned above, is when black and white are included together. This is the aspect of writing — black upon white — and this is the aspect of “I am black and beautiful” — which is the aspect of writing, as mentioned above. And “beautiful” (navah) — for this is the essential beauty and grace and glory, as mentioned above. For the letters that are written — each letter has a unique color, as is known. And through the writing, many letters are joined together and form a word. And likewise all the words are adjacent to one another until the completion of the parashah, etc. And this is the aspect of the totality of the colors — that the colors, which are the letters, are included one in another. And all of this is through the holy Names that are within the writing, for the essential holiness is through the Names. And also all the letters of the Torah are all in the aspect of Names, for the Torah is the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He (Oraisa sh’ma d’Kudsha B’rich Hu). And the Name of Hashem is the aspect of the totality of the colors, the aspect of “Hashem is my light” [Psalms 27:1], as explained there in the aforementioned teaching. It turns out that writing is in the aspect of tefillin, the aspect of pe’er, the totality of the colors. And therefore, whoever has departed from the community of Yisrael and has no portion in the glorification — such as an apostate, one who desecrates Shabbos, and the like — is disqualified from writing the letters of the Torah that must be written, that is, a sefer Torah, tefillin, and mezuzos, which are the aspect of the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, the aspect of the totality of the colors, the aspect of pe’er, as mentioned above. And therefore the masur is also disqualified from writing, for the essential blemish of the masur is in the aspect of the aforementioned colors, as mentioned above — for the colors are vested in the silver and gold of holiness, that is, the money of Yisrael. And therefore the masur is disqualified from writing all holy things, as mentioned above. And all of this is derived from tefillin — “whoever is not included in the binding,” that is, in the tefillin that are called pe’er, the totality of the colors. And this is the aspect of the masur, who blemished the aspect of pe’er, the totality of the colors, by handing the money of Yisrael into the hand of the gentile, as mentioned above. Therefore he is not included in the “writing,” for writing is in the aspect of pe’er, the totality of the colors, as mentioned above. And therefore even if the masur wished to don tefillin, nevertheless he is disqualified from writing, and it is said of him as well “whoever is not included in the binding,” etc. — for he has already departed from the aspect of tefillin, the aspect of pe’er, the totality of the colors, because he handed over the money of Yisrael in which the lights of the colors are vested, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of tzitzis. For tzitzis are the aspect of eyes, as it is written: “And you shall see it” [Numbers 15:39]. For they are in the aspect of bigdei yesha — istaklelusa [gazing] — for all desire to gaze at them, the aspect of “covering of the eyes,” as is explained there. And this is the aspect of techeiles [the blue thread], for techeiles is the joining of black and white, the aspect of the totality of the colors. And therefore the mitzvah is “and you shall see it,” for all desire to gaze at them when the colors are included together, as mentioned above. And therefore tzitzis are a protection from harmful forces, for through tzitzis, which are the aspect of supernal colors, the aspect of bigdei yesha, the klipos and illusions — which are the harmful forces of the world — are subdued. And then one merits to ascend from level to level. And therefore the essential rectification of prayer is through tzitzis and tefillin; one must also give tzedakah before prayer. For during prayer one ascends from level to level, as is known — this is the essential rectification of prayer. And therefore one must first reveal the greatness of the Creator, blessed be He, through the revelation of the colors. And therefore one must give tzedakah beforehand, so that the colors in the silver and gold will shine. And then, when the colors shine, they become the aspect of bigdei yesha, a mantle of tzedakah, the aspect of “covering of the eyes” — and this is the aspect of tzitzis, as mentioned above. And then the lights of the colors themselves are revealed — and this is the aspect of tefillin, which are called pe’er, for tefillin are the lights of the colors themselves. And therefore all these aspects, which are the aspect of the radiance of the supernal colors — through them, specifically, one can pray the prayer in its proper form and elevate all the worlds from level to level, for the essential ascents are all through the revelation of the colors, as mentioned above. And this is what Rabbeinu, of blessed memory, wrote in the aforementioned teaching: that in the Beis HaMikdash there was the shattering of the medameh [imaginative faculty], which is the animal spirit, for there they offered the korbanos [sacrifices], etc.; see there. For in the Beis HaMikdash all the supernal colors were included — gold, silver, copper, techeiles, etc. — which are the totality of all the colors, all of which were included in the Beis HaMikdash. And through this, there, specifically, all the korbanos were offered, which are the aspect of the subjugation of the medameh and the klipos — for their essential subjugation is through the revelation of the aforementioned colors. And therefore the Beis HaMikdash is higher than all the lands, as it is written: “And you shall arise and go up” [Deuteronomy 17:8], etc. — for there are all the ascents of holiness, for all the ascents from level to level are through the Beis HaMikdash, where the totality of the colors is present — through which one subdues the klipos at every level, which are the aspect of the imaginative faculty, the animal spirit, as mentioned above — and through this one can ascend from level to level, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of “Three times a year shall all your males appear before the face of Hashem your God” [Deuteronomy 16:16], etc. — “and they shall not appear before My face empty-handed.” For the three pilgrimage festivals correspond to Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, who are the aspect of the totality of the colors — for the essential colors are three aspects, the three Patriarchs, as is known. And then one must ascend and see the face of Hashem, for then, during the three festivals, there is revealed, as it were, the aspect of the “face of Hashem” — which is the aspect of the radiance of the colors, which are the aspect of pe’er. This is the aspect of Yaakov, who is the aspect of the face, the aspect of the totality of the colors. And the essential revelation is in the Beis HaMikdash, where the radiance of all the colors is. But “they shall not appear before the face of Hashem empty-handed” — for one must bring from one’s money — korbanos, each person according to the gift of his hand, according to the blessing of Hashem, etc. And through these korbanos that each person brings from his money and the labor of his hands, through this all of one’s money is rectified — as through tzedakah, for tzedakah is also the aspect of a korban, as is brought. And then the colors that are in the silver and gold shine. And through this, each person merits, according to his level, to ascend and see the face of Hashem — for the supernal colors shine through the korbanos that each person brings from his money, through which all of one’s money is rectified and the colors that are vested there shine, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of “and they shall not appear before My face empty-handed,” which is said regarding the pilgrimage festivals, when one ascends to the Beis HaMikdash to see the face of Hashem, as mentioned above. Blessed is Hashem forever, Amen and Amen. (This pertains to the above.) And therefore one writes only upon the skin of an animal and a beast — in order to subdue the imaginative faculty, which is the animal spirit. This is the aspect of the korbanos, as mentioned above. For through writing the letters of the Torah, which are the aspect of the supernal colors that are included together, as mentioned above — through this the medameh is subdued. This is the aspect of the korbanos that were specifically in the Beis HaMikdash, where all the supernal colors were included, as mentioned above. Based on Likutay Moharan I:56, “U’vyom habikkurim” — the concealment within concealment The matter of the masur, regarding whom our Sages, of blessed memory, were very stringent, and equated his status to an apostate to the entire Torah, and it is permitted to put him to death by hand — this is explained somewhat in our words, and there is yet more to say before God. It is explained well according to the Torah “U’vyom habikkurim” — the concealment within concealment, in the first volume [Likutay Moharan I:56]. It is explained there that there is an aspect of malchus dikdusha [kingship of holiness] present with each and every person of Yisrael. And each person must see to draw vitality and length of days into the aspect of the malchus that pertains to him. And this is accomplished through engagement in Torah, for through engagement in Torah through speech, one thereby calls upon the Life of all life, drawing vitality from Him in measured fashion into the aspect of the malchus, etc. And through this one can rebuke each person, even those far from him, and reveal the concealment within concealment, etc. And corresponding to malchus dikdusha is the kingdom of wickedness, which is the kingdom of Haman-Amalek, which craves to amass wealth. For malchus dikdusha engages in wisdom and knowledge, to draw Torah, etc. But the kingdom of wickedness wants only to amass wealth — for all the holy sparks are within the money, where all the supernal colors are included, since all the supernal colors are included in gold, silver, and copper, which are money. And therefore the kingdom of wickedness craves to amass wealth, in order to swallow, God forbid, the holy sparks that are vested there. But there is power in malchus dikdusha to extract what it has swallowed from its mouth, in the aspect of “The wealth he swallowed he shall vomit up” [Job 20:15] — for malchus dikdusha extracts from it all the holy sparks that it swallowed through the money, and makes from this lofty Torah, the aspect of “a woman of valor,” etc.; see there. And through this the matter of the severity of the prohibition of the masur is well explained — who hands the money of Yisrael into the hand of the nations, into the hand of the officers and rulers of the nations, who are the aspect of the kingdom of wickedness. For he greatly blemishes the totality of malchus dikdusha, for he empowers against it the exact opposite — the kingdom of wickedness, whose entire desire is to overpower, God forbid, the money of Yisrael, where all the holy sparks and all the supernal colors are, as mentioned above. And this masur goes and deliberately hands the holy money of the person of Yisrael into the hand of the nations. It turns out that he deliberately gives strength to the kingdom of wickedness, whose essential power comes through this. And especially when the kingdom of wickedness swallows the money of Yisrael, God forbid, through a person of Yisrael himself — that is, through the masur, who has departed from the religion of Yisrael and himself handed over the money of Yisrael — in this he gives even more strength to the Sitra Achra, which is the kingdom of wickedness, because it receives the holiness vested within the money through a person of Yisrael himself. Through this, the Sitra Achra is empowered even more, as is known — that their essential power comes through Yisrael, when, God forbid, they give them power through their sins, God forbid. And therefore the sin of the masur is exceedingly severe, for he blemishes the totality of malchus dikdusha, since he deliberately empowers against it the kingdom of wickedness through the money of Yisrael that he hands over to them — for all their power and sustenance comes through the money of Yisrael, where all the holy sparks and all the supernal colors are, as mentioned above. And therefore they equated his status to an apostate to the entire Torah, for he blemishes the entire Torah. For the entire Torah exists for the sake of the sustenance and vitality of the malchus — for the entire creation and the entire Torah exist only in order to reveal His kingship, blessed be He: to know and to make known that there is a great and sovereign Lord, a King Who rules and directs, blessed be His Name forever. And as is explained in the aforementioned Torah teaching: that through the Torah one calls upon the Life of all life and draws vitality into the aspect of malchus dikdusha, as mentioned above. It turns out that the essential totality of the Torah is to give life to the aspect of the malchus. And therefore this masur, who greatly blemishes the totality of malchus dikdusha — which is the totality of the Torah, as mentioned above — since he empowers the opposite, the kingdom of wickedness, as mentioned above: therefore he is certainly an apostate to the entire Torah, for he blemishes the entire Torah through his excessive blemishing of malchus dikdusha, as mentioned above — which is the totality of the entire Torah. And therefore the masur is disqualified from writing a sefer Torah. For the essential purpose of writing a sefer Torah is to give life to the aspect of the malchus, whose vitality comes through the daas that one draws — through which one reveals the concealment within concealment and brings the wicked back in teshuvah [repentance], which is the essential vitality of the malchus. And this daas is drawn through engagement in Torah, through which one calls and draws the vitality from the Life of all life, etc., as is explained well in the aforementioned Torah teaching. And this is the aspect of writing a sefer Torah — for this is why one must write a sefer Torah: in order to read from it, in order to thereby call upon the Life of all life and draw vitality from Him in measured fashion into each letter, each word, each parashah, etc. And as is explained well in the aforementioned Torah teaching: the vitality is drawn from the Life of all life through the reading, through the parashiyos, the sedarim, the words, and the letters of the Torah, all of which are vessels through which to receive the vitality in a gradual and measured way, as is explained there; see there. And therefore the king, who has the aspect of the malchus to a greater degree, was therefore required to have two sifrei Torah written, as it is written: “And he shall write for himself a copy of this Torah, and it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life” [Deuteronomy 17:18–19]. The verse “and he shall read in it all the days of his life” alludes to the calling of vitality into the malchus, as is explained well in the aforementioned Torah teaching. And likewise each person of Yisrael is commanded to write a sefer Torah for himself — this is also for the purpose of giving life to the aspect of the malchus that pertains to each and every person of Yisrael, for each and every person of Yisrael has an aspect of malchus, as explained there in the aforementioned Torah teaching. And each person must give life to the aspect of his malchus through the daas that he draws, to reveal the concealment within concealment, the aspect of “And I will surely hide (hasteir astir) My face” [Deuteronomy 31:18], etc. This one merits through calling upon the Life of all life through engagement in Torah — which is the aspect of the reading of the Torah, the aspect of the mitzvah of writing a sefer Torah in order to read from it, in order to thereby call upon the Life of all life, etc., as mentioned above. And as it says there in the parashah itself that speaks of the concealment within concealment, as it is written there: “And I will surely hide My face on that day, because of all the evil that it did,” etc. — which is the aspect of concealment within concealment, through the multiplicity of sins, may the Merciful One save us, etc., as is explained in the aforementioned Torah teaching. And it concludes there with the verse: “And now, write for yourselves this song” [Deuteronomy 31:19], etc. — from which verse our Sages, of blessed memory, derived that it is a positive commandment for each person of Yisrael to write a sefer Torah for himself. It turns out that the writing of a sefer Torah is for the purpose of revealing the concealment within concealment — to rectify the aspect of “And I will surely hide,” as mentioned above. For through the sefer Torah one merits to call upon the Life of all life, etc., through which the daas is drawn, through which one reveals the concealment within concealment and gives life to the malchus, etc., as mentioned above. And therefore this masur, who blemished the totality of the malchus, the totality of the Torah — by empowering, God forbid, the kingdom of wickedness — is therefore disqualified from writing a sefer Torah. For there is no power in his writing to draw the vitality from the Life of all life into the letters of the Torah — all of which is for the purpose of giving life to the malchus, as mentioned above — since he has attached himself to the kingdom of wickedness, which he empowered against malchus dikdusha, as mentioned above. For at the time of writing a sefer Torah, the scribe must pronounce each word explicitly, as is explained in the Shulchan Aruch — in order to thereby call upon the Life of all life, in order to draw from Him vitality in a gradual and measured fashion into each letter, each word, and each parashah, etc. And as is explained well in the aforementioned Torah teaching: the vitality is drawn from the Life of all life through the calling, through the parashiyos, the sedarim, the words, and the letters of the Torah, all of which are vessels through which to receive the vitality in a gradual and measured way, as is explained there; see there. And therefore the scribe must pronounce each word specifically with his mouth, for when one calls upon the Life of all life to draw vitality from Him, one must call with the mouth, in the aspect of “For they are life to those who express them — with the mouth” [Proverbs 4:22] — specifically with the mouth, as is explained there. And all of this is for the purpose of giving life to the malchus, which is the essential rectification of all the worlds from beginning to end — to reveal His kingship, blessed be He, as mentioned above. And therefore the masur, who greatly blemished malchus dikdusha, as mentioned above — therefore he certainly has no power to call the vitality through his writing into the letters of the Torah. Therefore he is disqualified from writing a sefer Torah, like an apostate to the entire Torah, for he blemished the entire Torah through the blemish of the malchus, as mentioned above. And therefore he is liable to death. For he has no vitality at all, since he blemished malchus dikdusha, where all vitality from the Life of all life resides. For all vitality from the Life of all life must be drawn into the aspect of the malchus through engagement in Torah, and through this all the worlds and all creatures are given life — for none of them have any vitality except through the aspect of the malchus, through which all vitality and all hashpa’os [emanations] flow to all the worlds and all creatures, as is known. And therefore this masur, who blemished in this — for he blemished the totality of the vitality that flows to the malchus by empowering against it the exact opposite and antagonist, the kingdom of wickedness, which empowers itself through the amassing of wealth, against malchus dikdusha — as explained in the aforementioned Torah teaching: the kingdom of wickedness is the exact opposite of the vitality of the malchus. For the vitality of the malchus comes through engagement in Torah, etc., and the kingdom of wickedness empowers itself in the exact opposite — to corrupt, God forbid, the vitality of malchus dikdusha that it receives through Torah study, to corrupt it, God forbid, through the holiness it swallows through the money it amasses, etc. And therefore this masur, who through his schemes gives power to this — by handing the holy money of Yisrael into the hand of the nations — he therefore blemishes the vitality of malchus dikdusha, which is the vitality of everything. Therefore he has no vitality at all, and he is liable to death — for he blemished in the extreme the totality of the vitality, which is malchus dikdusha, as mentioned above. For the essential vitality of everything is through malchus dikdusha, which receives vitality through the Torah study of Yisrael, through which vitality flows to all, as mentioned above. And as it is written: “In the light of the king’s face — life” [Proverbs 16:15] — that is, through the aspect of malchus dikdusha, life flows to all beings in the world, as mentioned above. Based on Likutay Moharan II:5, “Tik’u — Emunah” The matter of the masur, whose status is that of a heretic and a denier, and it is permitted to kill him by hand — as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: “The heretics and the informers, etc. — they cast them down and do not raise them up.” According to the Torah teaching “Tik’u — Emunah” in the second volume [Likutay Moharan II:5]: it is explained there that the ascent of emunah [faith] comes through digging for the waters from which faith grows, which are the aspect of eitzos [counsels], the aspect of “Deep waters are counsel” [Proverbs 20:5], etc. And for this, one needs an ish tevunos [man of understanding] — which is achieved through polishing one’s soul, etc. And this is accomplished through drawing spiritual Godliness into constrictions (tzimtzumim), through which one draws livelihood, etc. And through the livelihood and holy eating, one polishes one’s soul, in the aspect of “The righteous eats to the satisfaction of his soul” [Proverbs 13:25], which is the aspect of “and He will satisfy with radiance your soul” [Isaiah 58:11]. And then he is an ish tevunos, etc. And through this he is able to dig and draw out the deep waters of counsel, from which faith grows, in the aspect of “Deep waters are counsel in the heart of a man, and a man of understanding will draw it out” [Proverbs 20:5], etc.; see there. It turns out that the essential ascent of emunah is through the livelihood and eating of Yisrael, as mentioned above. For Yisrael as a whole are all called tzaddikim, as they said: “And your people are all righteous; they shall inherit the land forever” [Isaiah 60:21]. And their eating is in the aspect of “The righteous eats to the satisfaction of his soul,” for the eating of Yisrael is sanctified through many mitzvos that pertain to eating, and as it is written: “and Your Torah is within my innards” [Psalms 40:9]. And through this aspect — the aspect of “The righteous eats to the satisfaction of his soul” — one polishes the soul, as mentioned above, and through this one digs for the waters, which are the counsels from which faith grows, as mentioned above. And therefore the sin of the masur is exceedingly severe, and his status is that of an actual heretic and denier. For he greatly blemishes the holy emunah, since he hands the money of Yisrael into the hand of a gentile. For the money of Yisrael in general is holy money, since it is the livelihood of Yisrael, through which one merits faith, as mentioned above. And he hands this money to the gentile, who is the opposite of this. For the nations in general are in the aspect of “and the belly of the wicked shall lack” [Proverbs 13:25] — which is the opposite of the aspect of “The righteous eats to the satisfaction of his soul.” And therefore, certainly through the money and livelihood and eating of the nations, it is impossible to draw the aforementioned counsels from which faith grows, since they do not polish their souls through their eating. On the contrary, they are the opposite of this, for they are in the aspect of “and the belly of the wicked shall lack” — through which they are far from the aspect of an ish tevunos. And therefore it is said of them: “For they are a nation devoid of counsel, and there is no understanding in them” [Deuteronomy 32:28]. For they are in the aspect of “a ruler lacking understanding” [Proverbs 28:16] — “lacking understanding” specifically. For this is drawn from the aspect of “and the belly of the wicked shall lack,” which is said of them, as mentioned above. For just as through the aspect of “The righteous eats to the satisfaction of his soul,” one polishes one’s soul, in the aspect of “and the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding” [Job 32:8] — through which one becomes an ish tevunos, as is explained there — so too conversely, through the money and eating of the nations, who are in the aspect of “and the belly of the wicked shall lack,” this produces the aspect of “lacking understanding.” And just as the ish tevunos draws out the deep counsels, which are the aspect of “deep waters are counsel,” etc., from which faith grows — so too conversely, the nations, who are in the aspect of “a ruler lacking understanding” — through this they blemish and corrupt the outlet of the deep waters, which are the counsels, and therefore they blemish faith. And therefore in truth they are far from true faith, for they are deniers and heretics and believe in false faiths. And therefore the masur greatly blemishes the holy emunah, since he hands the money of Yisrael — which is the livelihood of Yisrael, through which one comes to faith — into the hand of the nations, through which faith is blemished. For through the livelihood of the nations, the outlet of the aforementioned waters — which are the counsels from which faith grows — is stopped up, God forbid. For they are in the aspect of “broken cisterns that cannot hold water” [Jeremiah 2:13] — which is said regarding their evil faith. And therefore the status of the masur is that of an actual heretic and denier, for he greatly blemishes faith like an actual heretic — for he corrupts, God forbid, the root of faith, that is, the outlet of the waters from which faith grows, which must be dug through the livelihood of Yisrael. And he blemishes and corrupts there by handing the money and livelihood of Yisrael into the hand of the nations, who are the opposite of this, as mentioned above. For regarding them it is said: “Under three things the earth trembles… under a slave when he becomes king, and a villain when he is sated with bread; under a hated woman when she is married, and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress” [Proverbs 30:21–23]. For the holy emunah is called “a God-fearing woman,” “a woman of valor,” as is known. And therefore all the praise of the eishes chayil concerns the matter of livelihood — that she provides for her household with honor, as it is written: “She gives food to her household” [Proverbs 31:15], etc., and “the bread of idleness she does not eat” [Proverbs 31:27], etc. For the eishes chayil, the aspect of emunah, constantly strives that there be livelihood for the children of Yisrael who cleave to her, so that they can each time engage more in digging for the aforementioned deep waters, from which her growth comes — so that faith will grow and ascend ever more, as mentioned above. But one who hands over, God forbid, the livelihood of Yisrael into the hand of the nations — over this the earth trembles, the earth being the aspect of the holy emunah that is called “earth” (eretz), for “earth/dust is the vessel of all” (afar ma’ana d’chulhu), as is explained there in the aforementioned Torah teaching. This is the aspect of “under three things the earth trembles,” etc. — “under a hated woman when she is married” — which is the aspect of the false faiths, which are hated and loathsome, and one gives them power, God forbid, as mentioned above. And this is: “and a villain when he is sated with bread” — for the one depends on the other. For through “a villain being sated with bread” — that is, through giving the livelihood to the villain, which is the nations — through this one gives power, God forbid, to the false faiths, as mentioned above. And from this comes the essential prolonging of the exile and the empowerment of their dominion — because, due to our many sins, the flow of wealth and livelihood has been drawn to them, and the upright children of Yisrael are poor and destitute. As it is stated in the holy Zohar: that in the exile, Yisrael are sustained from the dregs, and the majority of the essential abundance is with them. Therefore it is very difficult to dig for the aforementioned waters, and therefore the Sitra Achra grows stronger — the false faiths that take hold there. And therefore their kingdom and dominion grow stronger. And this is the aspect of “under a slave when he becomes king” and “a maidservant when she displaces her mistress” — all of which is drawn through “a villain being sated with bread,” as mentioned above. And therefore the masur is like an actual heretic and denier, as mentioned above. And therefore they cast him down and do not raise him up. For the essential vitality comes from the holy emunah, for it is the aspect of life, illuminated faces, the aspect of “in the light of the king’s face — life” [Proverbs 16:15] (as is explained in the Torah teaching “Tzivisa Tzedek” in Likutay Moharan I:23). And therefore there are transgressions for which one is liable to kareis and death. For the essential growth of faith is through counsels, as mentioned above, which are the aspect of the 613 counsels of the Torah (taryag atin d’Oraisa), which are the totality of the mitzvos of the Torah. And this is the aspect of “All Your commandments are faith” [Psalms 119:86] — that through the totality of the mitzvos, which are the aspect of holy counsels, one merits faith, as mentioned above. And when one blemishes some positive or negative commandment, then one blemishes faith according to the blemish of the mitzvah that one transgressed. But there are distinctions. For there are mitzvos such that when one transgresses them, even though the blemish is very great, nevertheless the essential wellspring from which faith grows is not yet stopped up. But there are severe mitzvos such that when one transgresses them, God forbid, one stops up the wellspring from which faith grows. Moreover, “when this one falls, this one rises” — for one gives yet more power to the false faiths, whose power comes specifically when these holy wellsprings and wells from which faith grows are stopped up. And therefore they constantly strive for this — to stop up these wells from which faith grows, in the aspect of “and all the wells that they had dug in the days of Avraham, the Plishtim stopped up” [Genesis 26:15], etc. And one who transgresses such a transgression, God forbid, is liable to kareis and death — for he is cut off from the source of his vitality, which is emunah, as mentioned above, by having caused, God forbid, the stopping of the aforementioned waters from which it grows, as mentioned above. And therefore the beis din is commanded to remove him from the world, as it is written: “And you shall eradicate the evil from your midst” [Deuteronomy 13:6] — for he could corrupt further, God forbid, giving even more power to the heresies and false faiths, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the masur and the heretic, who must be killed even in the present time. For he is worse than all of them, since he blemishes to the greatest extreme the source of the waters from which faith grows — since he hands the money and livelihood of Yisrael into the hand of the nations, from which comes the essential growth of the holy emunah, as mentioned above. According to the Torah teaching "Tik'u — Emunah": in Hilchos Nezikin, Halachah 5. Na Nach Nachma Nachman MayUman