אבידה ומציאה

10 אוֹמְרָה לְאֵל סַלְעִי לָמָה שְׁכַחְתָּנִי לָמָּה-קֹדֵר אֵלֵךְ בְּלַחַץ אוֹיֵב For every thing has its root above, and the root of the matter of a gift — that it is found in the world that one person gives a gift to his fellow — is drawn from the fact that also with Him, blessed be He, there is found a treasury of matnas chinam [undeserved gifts], that at times He is gracious and gives as an undeserved gift even though it is not due to [the recipient] according to mishpat [strict justice].

Oamiru li-Ail salee lumu shichachtunee lumu koadair ailaich bilachatz oyaiv. For Hashem, blessed be He, governs His world with tzedakah and mishpat, as it is written: "He loves tzedakah and mishpat" [Psalms 33:5]. And it is written: "Mishpat and tzedakah in Yaakov, You have performed" [Psalms 99:4]. And in truth, this is among His wondrous and deeply hidden ways that are impossible to understand or grasp. And as the piyut [liturgical poem] expresses wonderment about this, in the yotzer of the first day of Rosh Hashanah, as we say there: "And in the place of mishpat there is no tzedakah, and where there is no mishpat there is tzedakah — and You, through mishpat, perform tzedakah."

I say to G-d, my rock, “Why have You forgotten me, why must I walk in gloom, oppressed by my enemy?”

For in truth, it is a great wonder that is impossible to understand. For Hashem, blessed be He, created the world for the sake of man, who has free choice, in order that he should merit to receive the hidden good reward through mishpat — so as not to eat nahama d'kisufa [the bread of shame], as is brought. And therefore it is necessarily the case that He must govern the world with mishpat, for if not, then the matter reverts to what it was — that one would eat nahama d'kisufa — and if so, what was the purpose of the entire effort of Creation?

11 בְּרֶצַח בְּעַצְמוֹתַי חֵרְפוּנִי צוֹרְרָי בְּאָמְרָם אֵלַי כָּל-הַיּוֹם אַיֵּה אֱ-לֹהֶיךָ And this is in truth the matter of the angels' objection — they who prosecuted regarding the creation of man and said: "What is man that You should remember him?" [Psalms 8:5], etc. — "for he is destined to sin before You and to provoke You", etc. And Hashem, blessed be He, answered them: "Was it for naught that I am called Gracious and Merciful?", etc.

Biretzach bi-atzmoasiy chairifoonee tzoariruy bi-umrum ailliy kul ha-yoam a-yai Eloahechu. And at first glance this is puzzling — what kind of answer is this? Did the angels not know that Hashem, blessed be He, is Gracious and Merciful? Does He not bestow good and have compassion upon all the heavenly beings with free chesed? And as our Sages of blessed memory said — they [the angels] eat in the aspect of nahama d'kisufa, which is only through mercy, as an undeserved gift. And if so, what is this great uproar that they raised regarding the creation of man — that he is destined to sin? Is Hashem, blessed be He, not Gracious and Merciful?!

But their entire objection was the matter mentioned above. They raised a dilemma, as it were: they understood immediately that the creation of man was in order that he should receive his reward through mishpat and not eat nahama d'kisufa like them. And therefore they objected: if so, how can it endure, for he is destined to sin, etc.? And if You say that You will forgive him through Your mercy — then he will eat nahama d'kisufa with even greater shame than before! For before his creation he had not sinned, but now he has sinned and You have mercy on him and give to him as an undeserved gift — if so, his shame is even greater! And why should You create him?

But Hashem, blessed be He, paid them no heed and answered them: "Was it for naught that I am called Gracious and Merciful?", etc.! That is, He answered them: you do not understand or grasp My ways. For even though I wish to create man so that he should receive his reward through mishpat, nevertheless, certainly it is not for naught that I am called Gracious and Merciful. For certainly I will not abandon My ways of mercy and chesed from man, even though he was created [within the framework of] mishpat. For upon him specifically will My abundant mercy and graciousness be revealed. For upon the heavenly beings, who do not sin, the abundance of His mercy is not so evident through them. Only upon man specifically — who is destined to sin — through him specifically will the abundance of My mercy be revealed without end or limit. Only that certainly, it is impossible for you to grasp this — how He will govern with mishpat and tzedakah [simultaneously]. For this is "the wonders of the One perfect in knowledge" [Job 37:16], which are impossible to grasp, as mentioned above.

And this is the aspect of: "Originally it arose in [G-d's] thought to create the world with the attribute of din. He saw that the world could not endure — He arose and partnered the attribute of mercy with the attribute of din."

And at first glance this is difficult: is it not known that Hashem, blessed be He, is good and does good and is full of mercy, and the entire creation of the world was in order to reveal His mercy and His goodness, as explained in all the holy books of Kabbalah? And how is it possible that it should arise in the thought to create the world with the attribute of din?!

But in truth, even what arose in the thought — to create the world with the attribute of din — was also from the side of His mercy and chesed. For from the very abundance of His mercy, He wished to create man, who would receive his reward through mishpat and not eat nahama d'kisufa. Therefore, it is certainly fitting — from the side of His mercy, specifically — that the world should be created with the attribute of din and mishpat. For if not, there would be nahama d'kisufa. For in truth, all His judgments and laws, blessed be He, are drawn only from His chesed and goodness. For the attribute of din came into existence only in order that there be contractions and vessels to receive the chesed within them, as is known. And therefore in truth, the din itself is a great chesed. And as is brought regarding the verse: "Avraham begat Yitzchak" [Genesis 25:19], etc. And this is the aspect of: "With the mighty acts of salvation of His right hand" [Psalms 20:7].

And everything is for the sake of man, so that he should receive his good reward through mishpat, as mentioned above. But He saw that the world could not endure — therefore He partnered the attribute of mercy with the attribute of din, etc. And He created the world to be governed with mishpat and tzedakah, as mentioned above. And in truth, it is impossible to grasp this, as mentioned above.

And these two aspects — mishpat and tzedakah — are the aspects of Torah and prayer. That is, the aspect of Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem — which are impossible to grasp, except by one who merits to ascend from level to level until he is included in the Ain Sof [the Infinite], where there is Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem literally.

For it is brought in the Torah-teaching "Chosam b'soch chosam" [Likutay Moharan II:22]: that one must strengthen oneself with great azus d'kedushah [holy boldness] against the brazen-faced ones, whose entire self-exaltation comes only through brazenness, etc. And likewise one needs azus d'kedushah against the brazenness of the body, etc. And azus is the aspect of holy voices, etc. — the aspect of the voice of the shofar, etc.

And to come to azus is through joy, in the aspect of: "For the joy of Hashem is your strength" [Nehemiah 8:10]. And this joy is merited through the aspect of na'aseh v'nishma — which are the two crowns with which Yisrael were crowned at the time of the receiving of the Torah — which are the aspect of: "and eternal joy upon their heads" [Isaiah 35:10], etc. And na'aseh and nishma are the aspects of revealed and concealed, the aspects of Torah and prayer, the aspects of Toras Hashem and "his Torah" — the aspect of "In the beginning G-d created" — a statement and a half-statement, etc.

And one must ascend from level to level, etc. — until one is included at the beginning of Atzilus, which is the first point of Creation. And there, the concealed dimension — the aspect of prayer — is Toras Hashem literally, etc. And afterward, when one is included in the Ain Sof, there the na'aseh — the aspect of Torah — is Toras Hashem literally. And the nishma — the aspect of prayer — is t'filas Hashem literally. For also with Him, blessed be He, we find the aspects of Torah and prayer — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "From where [do we know] that the Holy One, blessed be He, dons tefillin?", etc. And likewise they said: "From where [do we know] that the Holy One, blessed be He, prays?", etc.

And certainly there is a distinction between our Torah and prayer and the Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem, etc. And before one ascends from level to level, there must be a descent before the ascent — for the descent is the purpose of the ascent, etc. See there, all of this, very well.

It emerges that with Him, blessed be He, there is Torah and prayer — and this is the aspect of mishpat and tzedakah mentioned above. For Torah is the aspect of mishpat — for the Torah is called mishpat — that is, the aspect of governance according to the mishpat of the Torah. But according to the mishpat of the Torah, it is difficult for the world to endure — for the Torah obligates the sinner with his punishment, G-d forbid. And even teshuvah would not be effective according to the mishpat of the Torah.

But Hashem, blessed be He, partnered mercy with din, and governs the world with tzedakah and chesed — which is the aspect of prayer, the aspect of t'filas Hashem. Which is that He prays: "May it be My will that My mercy overcome My anger" — as our Sages of blessed memory said. That is, Hashem, blessed be He, draws supernal mercies each time, even though Yisrael have sinned as they have sinned — in order that they should endure until they all return in His mercy.

For through His praying, blessed be He, and overcoming His anger and sweetening the din and mishpat with mercy and tzedakah — through this itself He weakens and nullifies the power of the evil inclination, whose entire power stems from dinim and gevuros [severities], and He strengthens the power of the good inclination, whose power comes from chasadim and mercy — as our Rebbe of blessed memory wrote many times, and especially in [Likutay Moharan I:72]; see there. And through this there will be fulfilled: "And I will cause that you shall walk in My statutes" [Ezekiel 36:27], etc.

And all of this is the aspect of Rosh Hashanah. For "this day is the beginning of Your works, a remembrance of the first day" — for on Rosh Hashanah, Adam HaRishon was created, and on it the world is judged. But the mishpat must be with tzedakah, as mentioned above. And this is the entire service of the great tzadikim throughout all their days — and especially on Rosh Hashanah, which is the beginning of Creation. For the essential service of the tzadikim is to sweeten judgments and draw mercy upon Yisrael — and through this itself they bring Yisrael back in teshuvah, as mentioned above. And the greater the tzadik, and the higher the level he attains, the more he merits to draw even more supernal mercies and chasadim. And as explained in the Holy Zohar, the distinction between Noach, Avraham, and Moshe, etc. But now, in the intensity of the prolonged bitterness of the exile — when Yisrael have descended greatly due to the length of the exile, in the aspect of: "she has descended wondrously" [Lamentations 1:9] — there is no help for them except through the tzadikim who merit Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem themselves — who arouse Him, blessed be He, to pray Himself on behalf of Yisrael and to draw new mercies and chasadim each time — the aspect of mercies and chasadim that never cease, in the aspect of: "The chasadim of Hashem have not ended, for His mercies are not exhausted" [Lamentations 3:22]. For they are included in the light of the Ain Sof, where mercy is without end. And the essential [work in this regard] takes place on Rosh Hashanah. For each Rosh Hashanah, there recurs what took place at the beginning of Creation, as explained in the writings of the Ari z"l. But certainly, each Rosh Hashanah, completely new things take place — only they are of the same type as what occurred at the beginning of Creation, but certainly it is a wondrous renewal. For this is known: that Hashem, blessed be He, never does the same thing twice. And the essential wondrous renewal that takes place on Rosh Hashanah, of the same type as the beginning of Creation, concerns the sweetening of the judgments. For each Rosh Hashanah, the tzadikim — the "mighty in strength, who fulfill His word, to hear the voice of His word" [Psalms 103:20], mentioned in the Holy Zohar — who are the aspect of the tzadikim who have merited the aspects of na'aseh v'nishma at the highest level, until they have merited the aspect of Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem, which is the essential aspect of na'aseh v'nishma in its completeness, in truth — these tzadikim draw, each Rosh Hashanah, new chasadim and mercies that have never existed before, to sweeten all the severity of the judgments that are aroused on Rosh Hashanah — which are drawn from the aspect of "originally it arose in the thought to create the world with the attribute of din" — which took place on Rosh Hashanah. For now, the essential drawing of chasadim to sweeten the din and sustain the world is only through the aforementioned tzadikim. For at the beginning of Creation, Hashem, blessed be He, Himself drew the attribute of mercy and partnered it with the attribute of din, etc., as mentioned above — for then there was no tzadik in the world. But now, everything depends on the arousal from below, through the great tzadikim, the mighty in strength mentioned above, who are the aspect of: "those who fulfill His word, to hear the voice of His word" — the aspect of na'aseh v'nishma mentioned above. And as our Sages of blessed memory applied this verse to the matter of na'aseh v'nishma. And this is the greatness of the wonder of Rosh Hashanah of the aforementioned tzadikim — that they draw each Rosh Hashanah very wondrous new chasadim, to nullify the prosecutions stemming from the blemishes of that year, until they sweeten every type of judgment in the world. And thereby they automatically nullify all the troubles and sufferings from Yisrael, and draw abundance and great good for the House of Yisrael. And the essential [point is] that through the abundance of new and wondrous chasadim that they draw on Rosh Hashanah, through this they weaken and nullify the power of the evil inclination and introduce wondrous thoughts of teshuvah and strengthening into Yisrael — to begin each time to return to Him, blessed be He, from wherever one is. For the more chasadim they draw and the more they sweeten the judgments, the more they weaken the power of the evil inclination and the Sitra Achra — whose entire power stems from dinim, as mentioned above. And this is what is explained in the aforementioned Torah-teaching — that through na'aseh v'nishma one merits joy, through which one merits azus d'kedushah to overcome the azus of the Sitra Achra — of the brazen-faced ones and of the body. For one depends on the other: for through na'aseh v'nishma mentioned above, all the dinim are sweetened. Through this, one strengthens the power of the good inclination over the evil inclination — which is the aspect of the strengthening of azus d'kedushah over the azus of the Sitra Achra, as mentioned above. For the essential drawing close to holiness is through azus d'kedushah, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Why was the Torah given to Yisrael? Because they are bold", etc. And as is explained there in the aforementioned Torah-teaching. But one must speak about this at great length, for one needs great strengthening every day and every time — which is the aspect of azus d'kedushah. For much, very much passes over each and every person every single day, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Every single day a person's inclination renews itself against him", etc. For the evil inclination — which is in truth old and completely worn out, as it is called "an old and foolish king" [Ecclesiastes 4:13] — wishes each time to renew itself and arouses a person to its foolishness and vanities as if they are new right now. And the wondrous counsels of the Torah — it wishes to make old, G-d forbid, as if they are old, G-d forbid. But in truth it is the opposite, and one must overcome with great azus against it, anew. And one must understand and believe in the truth — for the opposite is true: the desires and follies and confusions are old from long ago, for "there is nothing new under the sun" [Ecclesiastes 1:9]. But above the sun — which is the Torah — there, there are new things every day and every time. For the counsels of the Torah are exceedingly deep and they renew themselves each time. And one must strengthen oneself with strengthening and azus d'kedushah anew each time, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "This day you have become a nation" [Deuteronomy 27:9] — "every day they should be in your eyes as new", etc. But all of this is merited through the tzadikim who merited the aforementioned na'aseh v'nishma. And one depends on the other: the more one draws close to them, the more one merits azus d'kedushah; and the more one merits azus d'kedushah, the more one draws close to them, etc. Until one merits to come to the completeness of emunah [faith] that the Seven Shepherds draw, etc. And there is still need for great explanation to explain the aforementioned Torah-teaching. And some of this has already been explained elsewhere, but there is still much need to speak about this — regarding the matter of the descent that precedes the ascent, explained there, etc. — in a manner that each person can understand wondrous counsels and strengthening through the aforementioned Torah-teaching. And this is the aspect of: "For Your chesed is great upon me, and You have saved my soul from the lowest depths" [Psalms 86:13] — through the fact that You have brought me close to the true tzadikim and placed my portion among those who sit in their study halls, etc. "But, O G-d, the wanton have risen against me, and a company of violent men have sought my soul" [Psalms 86:14], etc. — that is, the brazen-faced ones of the generation have risen against me, etc., as mentioned above. "And You, Hashem, are a G-d compassionate and gracious", etc. — which is the aspect of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy that are drawn from t'filas Hashem, as it is written: "And Hashem passed before him and proclaimed: Hashem, Hashem, G-d compassionate and gracious" [Exodus 34:6], etc. And as our Sages of blessed memory expounded: "This teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, wrapped Himself like a sh'liach tzibur [prayer leader] and taught him the order of prayer: 'In the manner that I wrap Myself...'" That is, Hashem, blessed be He, as it were, revealed then to Moshe and taught him how He Himself, blessed be He, prays and says: "Hashem, Hashem, G-d compassionate and gracious", etc. And in the same way, every Jew should pray — to draw mercy and chasadim from the prayer of Hashem Himself, as mentioned above. And this is what is requested there: "Turn to me and be gracious to me; grant Your strength to Your servant" [Psalms 86:16] — that of all the requests needed, he requests: "Grant Your strength to Your servant" — that he should merit to receive azus d'kedushah from Hashem, blessed be He. And this is "grant Your strength" — specifically — which is drawn from Your Torah and Your prayer — from the aspect of "G-d compassionate and gracious," which is the aspect of t'filas Hashem, as mentioned above. That is, that he should merit azus d'kedushah that is drawn from Hashem, blessed be He, Himself — that is, azus that is drawn from Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem in truth. For "Hashem, mighty and valiant; Hashem, valiant in war" [Psalms 24:8] — and all His mighty awesomeness and the power of His war is to introduce azus d'kedushah into Yisrael, to nullify the dinim from which comes all the power of the evil inclination — which is the aspect of the azus of the Sitra Achra — and to strengthen the mercy and chasadim, which are the aspect of tzedakah, the aspect of t'filas Hashem, from which comes the essential azus d'kedushah. This is the aspect of: "G-d is awesome from Your sanctuaries; the G-d of Yisrael gives strength and power to the nation" [Psalms 68:36], etc. And this is: "My strength — to You I will sing, for G-d is my stronghold; the G-d of my chesed" [Psalms 59:18]. For the essential azus d'kedushah is drawn from the chasadim, as mentioned above. And through this one strengthens oneself to hope and look forward to salvation — to guard and to wait until the evil azus of those who strengthen and spread themselves each time with great azus of the Sitra Achra in many aspects — until it is almost difficult to stand against them, and many have fallen through this, may the Merciful One save us. But David HaMelech, peace be upon him, strengthened himself with azus d'kedushah and said: "His boldness — to You I will guard" [Psalms 59:10]. And as Rashi explains there: "his boldness" — that is, the boldness of the enemies, the opponents, who strengthen themselves with the azus of the Sitra Achra for so many days and years — but I will stand at my watch and I will guard and wait until Hashem has mercy and topples their boldness before me, in the aspect of: "His boldness — to You I will guard, for G-d is my stronghold; the G-d of my chesed shall go before me", etc., as mentioned above. And this is: "And I will sing of Your strength, and I will joyfully sing at morning of Your chesed, for You have been a stronghold for me" [Psalms 59:17], etc. That is, "at morning" — which is the Future to Come — I will sing and joyfully sing to You regarding the greatness of the chesed that You performed with me: to strengthen me and embolden me with such azus d'kedushah that I could stand against such azus of the Sitra Achra. For the azus d'kedushah that You bestowed upon me is drawn from very, very wondrous supernal chasadim that are drawn through t'filas Hashem, as mentioned above. (For the secret of these chasadim will only be revealed in the Future, for they are the aspect of the prayer of the supernal concealment, the aspect of t'filas Hashem, which is the aspect of the supernal concealment, as understood from the aforementioned Torah-teaching.) And all of this is drawn and rectified on Rosh Hashanah, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of: "Hashem reigns; He is clothed in majesty" [Psalms 93:1], etc. — which is said regarding Rosh Hashanah, as is brought — that then Hashem, blessed be He, reveals His sovereignty and dons the garments of His grandeur. And this is: "Hashem is clothed — He has girded Himself with strength" — the aspect of azus d'kedushah mentioned above that He bestows upon Yisrael, as mentioned above. And through this: "the world is established; it shall not be moved" — for the essential sustenance of the world is through this, since only through this does one receive and uphold the Torah — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Why was the Torah given to Yisrael? Because they are bold", as mentioned above. And the essential sustenance of the world is through the Torah, as it is written: "The earth and all its inhabitants dissolve — I established its pillars, Selah" [Psalms 75:4]. And this is: "Your throne is established from then" [Psalms 93:2], etc. — that is, the aspect of Rosh Hashanah, when Hashem, blessed be He, sits on His throne to judge with tzedakah. Then all the aforementioned rectifications are drawn through Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem — which are the aspect of "In the beginning, G-d created", etc. — for then the world was created, etc. Through which azus d'kedushah is drawn — the aspect of voices — which is the aspect of the voice of the shofar of Rosh Hashanah, and all the voices and cries that Yisrael cry out then, which are all the aspect of azus, as explained there. But there are, in contrast, the azus of the Sitra Achra — the aspect of the abundance of voices of the Sitra Achra. But the azus d'kedushah that is drawn from Hashem, blessed be He, Himself will overcome them. And this is: "The rivers have lifted, Hashem; the rivers have lifted their voice" [Psalms 93:3] — that is, the enemies and opponents who spread themselves against us like actual rivers, and lift their voice — which is the aspect of the azus of the Sitra Achra that spreads and strengthens exceedingly. But: "From the voices of many waters, the mighty breakers of the sea" — which are voices in the aspect of the azus of the Sitra Achra (and similar to Rashi's interpretation there; see there) — "mightier on high is Hashem" [Psalms 93:4]. For Hashem, blessed be He, is certainly mighty and strong over them and will subdue them and bring them low through the aforementioned azus d'kedushah. For "Your testimonies are very faithful" — "Your testimonies" — the aspect of the aforementioned adornments (adayim), which are the aspect of the two crowns of na'aseh v'nishma, the aspect of Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem — and as explained there regarding the verse: "The testimony of Hashem is faithful" [Psalms 19:8]; see there. These testimonies "are very faithful; for Your House, holiness is fitting" [Psalms 93:5] — which is the Beis HaMikdash, from which Torah goes forth and where is the essential place of prayer, as it is written: "For My House is a house of prayer" [Isaiah 56:7]. From there is drawn the azus d'kedushah, in the aspect of: "G-d is awesome from Your sanctuaries; the G-d of Yisrael gives strength", etc. And this is: "Hashem, for length of days". And as Rashi explains there: even though the days have been long [in exile], nevertheless, "Your testimonies are very faithful" — for through Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem, which are the aspect of "Your testimonies" as mentioned above, through this we will merit azus d'kedushah always, to vanquish everything, etc., as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the wondrous Midrash brought in the Kavanos [Kabbalistic intentions], and this is its wording: "'Blow the shofar at the new moon, in concealment, for the day of our festival' [Psalms 81:4]. We learned: Which festival is it on which the moon conceals herself? This is Rosh Hashanah. And why does the moon conceal herself? Because on this day the Holy One, blessed be He, sits on the Throne of Judgment and judges the world, and the Satan comes and prosecutes Yisrael and mentions their sins. And the Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: 'Bring witnesses!' And [the Satan] goes and brings the sun. And the Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: 'By two witnesses shall a matter be established' [Deuteronomy 19:15]. And he goes to bring the moon, and she conceals herself. And he seeks her and cannot find her. And then the Holy One, blessed be He, rises from the Throne of Judgment and sits on the Throne of Mercy", etc. — end quote. The sun and the moon are the aspects of Torah and prayer, the aspects of na'aseh and nishma, etc. For the sun is the aspect of Torah, which is called "sun," as Rashi explains regarding the verse "under the sun" in Koheles. And the moon is the aspect of the kingdom of David, as is known — the aspect of prayer, the aspect of: "And I am prayer" [Psalms 109:4]. And the essence of prayer — the aspect of nishma — is the aspect of strong longings and yearnings for Hashem, blessed be He, in deveikus and complete bitul to the light of the Ain Sof, until one comes to speech — that Hashem, blessed be He, has mercy on him and opens his mouth to express his conversation before Him, as understood from the aforementioned Torah-teaching, and likewise in many places in his [the Rebbe's] words, of blessed memory. And this is the aspect of: "The preparations of the heart belong to man, but from Hashem comes the answer of the tongue" [Proverbs 16:1] — that the essential preparation and arrangement of the heart is when one prepares and arranges his heart with strong yearnings and comes before Hashem, blessed be He, to express his conversation; and Hashem, in His mercy, gives an answer in his mouth, in the aspect of: "and from Hashem comes the answer of the tongue." And this is the essential aspect of nishma, which is the aspect of prayer — which is the aspect of bitul to the light of the Ain Sof, as explained there. And through this one merits to attain Toras Hashem, until it becomes "his Torah" — which is the aspect of making from the nishma — na'aseh; from the concealed — revealed; from prayer — Torah. And this is itself what our master, teacher, and rabbi, of blessed memory, wrote elsewhere, in [Likutay Moharan] II:25 — to make from the Torah, prayer. Although at first glance they seem to contradict each other — for here he wrote to make from prayer, Torah; and there he wrote to make from Torah, prayer — in truth, both intend the same thing. For what he wrote many times — to make from the Torah, prayer — his intention was: from the Torah that one has not yet merited to fulfill and grasp, to make from it a prayer — to pray to Hashem, blessed be He, that one should merit to fulfill it and grasp it. And this is itself what is written here — to make from Toras Hashem — the aspect of prayer, the aspect of nishma — to make from this "his Torah," the aspect of na'aseh, etc. For the Torah that one has not yet merited to fulfill properly and grasp — it is for him the aspect of Toras Hashem, the aspect of things concealed from him. And regarding this, one must nullify oneself and pray much to Hashem, blessed be He, until one fulfills it and grasps it — making from Toras Hashem, "his Torah." It emerges that one makes from the Torah — prayer; that is, from the aspect of Toras Hashem, which is the concealed and distant from him, one makes from this a prayer — praying to Hashem, blessed be He, that one should merit to come to this. And afterward, when one merits to achieve one's request and grasps the aspect of the concealed, the aspect of Toras Hashem — then from Toras Hashem, which is the aspect of prayer, it becomes "his Torah." It emerges that the two are one. And let us explain the matter a bit. For the intention of our master, our teacher, and our rabbi, of blessed memory, who cautioned very much to make from the Torah, prayer — his intention was: from the Torah that one has not yet merited to reach, whether in terms of fulfillment or in terms of comprehension — and the essential thing is fulfillment. For example, when one studies in the Torah that through the mitzvah of tzitzis one merits to be saved from licentiousness, as it is written: "And you shall not go astray after your hearts and after your eyes" [Numbers 15:39] — and through this one will be saved from inverted counsels that are not truth, etc. And through this one will merit emunah and prayer and Eretz Yisrael, etc. And [the person] knows of his own distance from this — he needs to pray much to Hashem, blessed be He, and to make from this Torah a prayer, to pray to Hashem, blessed be He, that he should merit to fulfill the mitzvah of tzitzis properly, in a manner that he will merit all of the above. It emerges that this entire Torah-teaching is for him the aspect of Toras Hashem, since he has not yet merited to fulfill it in the proper completeness that would bring him to all of the above — only that the tzadik who revealed this Torah-teaching merited this in its completeness, for with him it is "his Torah" (and it is even thousands and myriads of levels lower than his true level, below the aspect of his revealed dimension — only that he was compelled to lower himself for our sake to say it in this way, etc., as explained elsewhere). But for us, it is the aspect of Toras Hashem, the aspect of the concealed — since we have not yet merited to fulfill it properly, all the more so to grasp it. And regarding this, prayer is needed, as mentioned above. And one makes from the Torah — that is, from the aspect of Toras Hashem — prayer, until one merits to come to this, to fulfill and grasp this Torah-teaching, and then from Toras Hashem, which is the aspect of prayer, it becomes "his Torah." It emerges that the two are one. For what is written here — to make from prayer, Torah — that is, the aspect of "his Torah" — that from the concealed, which is the aspect of Toras Hashem, through abundant prayers, it becomes "his Torah." And this is itself what is found elsewhere — to make from the Torah, prayer — that is, from Toras Hashem, which the tzadikim have revealed but from which we are still distant, to make from this a prayer until we merit this, and it becomes "his Torah." And behold, in both [formulations] one and the same thing is intended, as mentioned above. (And see elsewhere regarding this, in Hilchos Sefer Torah; and here it is explained more clearly, with Hashem's help.) It emerges that the sun and the moon are the aspects of Torah and prayer. And even though the moon is smaller than the sun, and here it is explained that prayer — the aspect of the concealed — is higher? But according to the above, this is explained somewhat: for prayer receives from the Torah — for one prays to merit to fulfill the Torah. And through this one merits to come to this — to make Toras Hashem into "his Torah." And so on, from level to level, without end. It emerges that prayer is smaller than the Torah — that is, than the concealed — and higher than the Torah — that is, than the revealed. For through prayer one achieves everything, and one makes from the concealed — revealed. And then [prayer] is in the aspect of: "A woman of valor is the crown of her husband" [Proverbs 12:4], as brought in the holy writings. For through prayer one can ascend from the very lowest bottom level to the very highest supreme level, without end — until one merits Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem, as understood by one who examines the aforementioned Torah-teaching, and in other places. And these two aspects — which are the aspects of the sun and moon, the aspects of Torah and prayer, the aspects of na'aseh and nishma — they are the aspect of two witnesses. For they are the aspect of the two adornments (adayim) with which Yisrael were crowned at Chorev when they said na'aseh v'nishma, as mentioned above. For the adornments, which are the aforementioned crowns, are the aspect of witnesses — for they testify about a person's deeds, in the aspect of: "A person's soul testifies about him". For according to how much one fulfills and draws upon oneself the aspect of na'aseh v'nishma mentioned above, to that degree his soul is crowned above with the two adornments, which are the aforementioned crowns. And the reverse is also true, G-d forbid. And this is the aspect of what is written: "And now, remove your adornment from upon you, and I will know what to do with you" [Exodus 33:5] — that Hashem, blessed be He, did not wish to judge them until they would remove the adornments, which are the crowns. And then He would know what to do with them, according to what these very adornments themselves would testify about them — how and how much they had blemished them. And this is itself the aspect of the two witnesses who are believed in every matter. For wherever there is contradiction, this is the aspect of the blemish of emunah. Therefore, two witnesses are brought — which are the aspect of the two aforementioned adornments — through which emunah is built, in the aspect of "the testimony of Hashem is faithful" mentioned above. And therefore two witnesses are always believed — for two witnesses are in the aspect of na'aseh v'nishma. For it has already been explained that at every level there is the aspect of na'aseh v'nishma, and no two people are alike. Therefore, these two Jewish men who come to testify — certainly there is among them a lesser and a greater, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "We bring in the greater of them", etc. And the greater and lesser are the aspect of na'aseh and nishma, as mentioned above. And therefore they are believed — for through the aspect of na'aseh v'nishma, emunah is completed. And therefore the Torah is called "testimony" (edus), as it is written: "And you shall place in the Ark the Testimony" [Exodus 25:16], etc. And it is written: "the Tablets of the Testimony" — and so in many places. And also prayer is called testimony, as it is written: "A testimony for Yisrael, to give thanks to the Name of Hashem" [Psalms 122:4]. And as explained in the Torah-teaching "T'homos y'chasyumu" [Likutay Moharan I:9]; see there — that is, as mentioned above. And according to this, with His help, blessed be He, the words of the aforementioned Midrash will be explained. For Hashem, blessed be He, tells the Satan to bring witnesses. And [the Satan] wants to bring the sun and the moon — which are the aspects of Torah and prayer, the aspects of na'aseh and nishma, which are the aspect of the two aforementioned adornments, which are the essential witnesses — and he wants to bring them to demonstrate that Yisrael have blemished them. And he brings the sun — the aspect of Torah — and she is compelled to testify about the blemishes they have made through their deeds against the Torah. And Hashem, blessed be He, says to him: "By two witnesses [shall a matter be established]", etc. And [the Satan] goes to bring the moon — the aspect of the concealed, the aspect of prayer — and she conceals herself greatly, until he cannot find her. For the nishma — which is the aspect of prayer, the aspect of ratzon and bitul to the Ain Sof of a Jewish person — this [the Satan] is unable to prosecute against or find or grasp at all. For the longing and yearning of most of the children of Yisrael is very, very strong and mighty for Hashem, blessed be He — especially during these days of Elul and the Ten Days of Teshuvah; especially on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, when the hearts of all Yisrael are broken within them, and they gather in the synagogues and study halls and increase in prayers, and their longing and yearning is infinitely strong for Hashem, blessed be He. Until through their strong longing, they ascend to the Ain Sof, through the power of the true tzadikim who have grasped Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem. And therefore [the Satan] cannot find the moon — the aspect of prayer — at all, for she conceals herself greatly, for it is the aspect of the concealed, the aspect of nishma, which ascends to the Ain Sof. And this is itself the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said in the Midrash, and is brought in our words — that the crown of na'aseh, Yisrael have lost, and the crown of nishma remains with them, as explained regarding the verse: "And now, Yisrael, hear" [Deuteronomy 4:1], etc. That is, as mentioned above — for the crown of na'aseh we have lost through our sins, for we are unable to fulfill any mitzvah in its completeness. For even though we do fulfill the mitzvos even in exile, we are unable to fulfill any mitzvah in the proper completeness — for many mitzvos cannot be fulfilled at all in exile, such as korbanos [offerings], etc. And even the mitzvos we do fulfill are not in the proper completeness, and great effort is needed to fulfill any mitzvah properly. But the crown of nishma — which is the aspect of prayer, whose essence is the aspect of ratzon and bitul, etc., mentioned above — this cannot be taken from Yisrael in any way. For however it may be, nevertheless, our longing and yearning is very, very strong and mighty to return to Hashem, blessed be He, at all times. And as it is written: "Do not arouse and do not awaken the love until it desires" [Song of Songs 2:7] (and see elsewhere regarding this, in Hilchos Areiv, Halacha 3). And as it is written: "For love is as strong as death; jealousy is as harsh as the grave; its sparks are sparks of fire, a flame of Y-H. Many waters cannot extinguish the love, and rivers cannot wash it away" [Song of Songs 8:6-7], etc. For all of this is said regarding the sparks of the fiery blaze of the heart for Hashem, blessed be He, in the depth of the inner dimension of one's will — that even the smallest of the small, at the very lowest level, his heart burns for Hashem, blessed be He, without end. And therefore the crown of nishma Yisrael have not lost. And therefore through the aspect of nishma — the aspect of ratzon, the aspect of prayer, etc. — we complete all the mitzvos, as we say before every mitzvah: "May it be Your will... as if I have fulfilled it in all its details and fine points and intentions", etc. That is, as mentioned above — for the essential basis of our endurance is through the ratzon, which is the aspect of nishma, etc. — which ascends without end. For even at the very lowest level, one can yearn without end, since the true tzadikim have already revealed to us such understandings — that there is t'filas Hashem, which is the aspect of the secrets of secrets, the aspect of chesed and tzedakah that is very concealed and hidden. Therefore the Satan cannot find the moon at all. And then the Holy One, blessed be He, rises from the Throne of Din and sits on the Throne of Mercy — through the blowing of the shofar. For the entire aforementioned Midrash is expounded on the verse "Blow [the shofar]", etc. For the essential voice of the shofar — which is the aspect of azus d'kedushah — is drawn from the joy whose essence is drawn through the aspect of nishma — the aspect of prayer, the aspect of ratzon and bitul, etc., mentioned above — as explained there. And through this, wondrous new chasadim are drawn each Rosh Hashanah — chasadim that have never been revealed before — through which all the judgments are sweetened. For the tzedakah that is hidden within the mishpat is revealed — and this is the essential aspect of the rectification through the crown of nishma, etc., as mentioned above. And therefore, through this, the Holy One, blessed be He, rises from the Throne of Din, etc. The general principle is that every person at all times must have many ascents and descents throughout all the days of his life — for it is impossible to ascend from level to level except through the descent that precedes the ascent, for the descent is the purpose of the ascent, as is brought. And on account of these descents, many have stumbled and fallen greatly. For at that time one needs great strengthening — which is the aspect of azus d'kedushah in all its aspects, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the prolonged exile of the generality of Yisrael — for the generality of the exile is the aspect of the descent that precedes the ascent, in the aspect of what Hashem, blessed be He, said to Yaakov when he needed to descend to Egypt, to the exile: "I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will surely bring you up also" [Genesis 46:4]. And especially this last exile, about which it was said: "she has descended wondrously" [Lamentations 1:9], etc., as mentioned above. And all of this passes over each and every individual: for there are those who are never aroused at all to ascend from their descent, and there are those who are aroused somewhat — but from the abundance of descents that pass over them (for their benefit, in order that they should ascend from level to level), many have fallen through the descents, as is brought regarding this. Therefore, know that one needs much strengthening and great stubbornness without measure — which is all the aspect of azus d'kedushah that one receives through joy, which is drawn from the aspect of na'aseh v'nishma, etc. And the essential power that one can strengthen oneself even at the very depths of the descent — is through receiving power from the aspect of "mighty in strength, who fulfill His word, to hear the voice of His word" [Psalms 103:20] — who are the lofty tzadikim who merit the supernal na'aseh v'nishma mentioned above, which is the aspect of Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem, where the chesed and tzedakah extend without end, in the aspect of: "The chasadim of Hashem have not ended" [Lamentations 3:22], etc. And this chesed is drawn most powerfully on Rosh Hashanah, which is a great chesed, as explained elsewhere, and as mentioned above. For in truth, it is impossible to understand the chesed and tzedakah that are drawn from there — for it is the aspect of t'filas Hashem — that Hashem, blessed be He, Himself, as it were, needs to pray regarding this, to draw and reveal this wondrous hidden chesed that cannot be grasped. For t'filas Hashem is the aspect of the secrets of secrets within the secrets, without end. For it is the aspect of the supernal concealment mentioned above, which no one can grasp — how He, blessed be He, performs the mishpat with tzedakah, as mentioned above. And with this, every person can strengthen himself at all times. For the essential cause of one's falling is because one knows that according to the mishpat of the Torah, one has sinned and blemished greatly. And also, even though one has already strengthened oneself many, many times and relied upon His chesed, blessed be He — which is the aspect of the concealed, the aspect of prayer — but afterward one has also blemished in this, very, very much, until, G-d forbid, hope seems lost. But when one believes that there is t'filas Hashem — which our Sages of blessed memory revealed, as mentioned above — where the chesed and tzedakah extend without end, and it is the aspect of a very lofty concealment that is impossible to grasp, except for the great selected tzadikim who have merited this — through this, even he can strengthen himself through their power. For they draw azus d'kedushah upon him as well, as mentioned above. Only, the essential thing is that one should believe in their great power, and should be "bold as a leopard" [Avos 5:20] to draw upon oneself the azus d'kedushah that is drawn from them. For there, in the matter of azus, is the essential [difficulty of] not knowing where the beginning is (as explained elsewhere, [Likutay Moharan I:147]). For the more one draws close to them, the more azus d'kedushah is drawn upon him. And the more one draws azus d'kedushah upon oneself, the more one draws close to them. For all the words of this Torah-teaching — and likewise all the Torah-teachings — "their end is embedded in their beginning and their beginning in their end". And this will be explained elsewhere. And all of this is merited most powerfully on Rosh Hashanah. And therefore people travel and journey to come to the graves of tzadikim on the eve of Rosh Hashanah. For it is hidden from us, and we do not know who is the one who can draw this supernal wondrous chesed in the immensity of our descent — as it is written: "And see that Your people are very impoverished" [Exodus 33:13] — except the tzadikim who dwell in the dust, who revealed all of this and merited this — the aspect of Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem, as mentioned above. And as it is written: "My goodness is not beyond You; as for the holy ones who are in the earth, they are [the nobles]" [Psalms 16:2-3], etc. And the essential rectification is through the aspect of Mashi'ach, who will come b'hesach hada'as [when attention is diverted / unexpectedly]. And see there (in the Gemara, Sanhedrin 97) where [the text] brings this statement primarily regarding Mashi'ach — as Rabbi Zeira said there: "I beg of you, do not push him away" — for we have learned, etc. And see there what they said: "The son of David will not come until they despair of the redemption, as it says: 'And there ceased [hope for] the confined and the forsaken' [Deuteronomy 32:36] — as if, as it were, there is no supporter and no helper for Yisrael", etc. — for this is the [teaching] of Rabbi Zeira, etc., as mentioned above. And likewise, afterward, [the Sages] elaborated at length on this — that one should not look forward to any "end" [predicted date] in the world, that people wish to hint at through some verse, etc. As they said there: "It was taught: Rabbi Nasan says — this verse pierces and descends to the abyss: 'For the vision is yet for an appointed time; it speaks to the end and will not lie. If it tarries, wait for it, for it will surely come; it will not delay' [Habakkuk 2:3]. Not like our Sages who expounded [dates]... and not like Rabbi Shimon..." And Rabbi Yitzchak said: "May the spirit depart from those who calculate the ends", etc. And these statements are difficult to understand and seem at first glance to contradict each other — for how is it possible to despair of the redemption, G-d forbid? Does one not need to wait every day for him to come? And as they said there: "If it tarries, wait for it." But even though their words, of blessed memory, are deeper than the sea — especially regarding this matter about which they themselves said that it "pierces and descends to the abyss" — nevertheless, one must necessarily understand from their words some hints about how to conduct oneself in this, in a manner that we should merit to strengthen ourselves in our hope — to draw near and not distance, G-d forbid. And the essential thing is simplicity and temimus [wholehearted faith] — to believe that certainly "it will surely come; it will not delay." But it is forbidden to wait for any "end" [date], to say that it is fitting that [Mashi'ach] should come in this year. As many erred regarding this year, the year 5600 (ת"ר), when they said that in this year would be the "end" — and they caused much damage through this, for they brought about many denials of faith and desecrations of Hashem's Name, as is known. And likewise in previous years, they spoke of many "ends" — such as in the year 5557, and in the year 5560, and in the year 5581, etc. — and so on, many. And I heard that also regarding the year 5500, they said it was the "end." And all of them sinned greatly in this, as our Sages of blessed memory cursed them and said: "May the spirit depart from those who calculate the ends — for they would say: since the 'end' has arrived and [Mashi'ach] has not come...", etc. Rather, we must hope and wait for him always. And nevertheless, it will be in the aspect of hesach hada'as — for it is the keitz hap'la'os [the wondrous end], and it is impossible to understand any hint or allusion in the world as to when he will come. For "His heart does not reveal to His mouth", as our Sages of blessed memory said. But nevertheless, "it will surely come" — certainly, at its appointed time, suddenly, b'hesach hada'as, at a time when they will not have been thinking about that year or that day at all. For the "end" of the redemption is drawn from the aspect of the ways of Hashem — which are the aspects of mishpat and tzedakah that are impossible to understand at all. For the redemption will come only through tzedakah and chesed chinam alone, as it is written: "For My sake, for My sake, I will act" [Isaiah 48:11], etc. But nevertheless, it will also be in the aspect of mishpat. And this is the aspect of the aforementioned statement: "The son of David will not come until they despair of the redemption", etc. — that is, that they will understand that according to their deeds there is no hope, G-d forbid. And nevertheless, they will strengthen themselves through the power of the true tzadikim, to grab Torah and prayer and good deeds — whatever they can grab — and to hope for the chasadim of Hashem, that He will perform tzedakah within mishpat, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the dispute brought afterward: "Rabbi Eliezer says: If Yisrael do teshuvah they will be redeemed, and if not... Rabbi Yehoshua said...", etc. And "both these and these are the words of the living G-d." For certainly the essential redemption will come only through teshuvah and good deeds, as it is written: "And a redeemer shall come to Tzion, and to those who turn from transgression in Yaakov" [Isaiah 59:20], etc. But nevertheless, everything will be only through chesed and tzedakah — for the teshuvah of those who turn from transgression will not have sufficient power in itself to bring the redemption. Rather, Hashem, blessed be He, in His chesed and tzedakah, will bring the redemption near for His own sake, as mentioned above. But because it is impossible to draw the tzedakah and chesed except through the aspect of mishpat, therefore it is necessary to wait until they perform some teshuvah — through which He will be able, through His wonders, to clothe the tzedakah in mishpat. And even the small amount of teshuvah — everything is from Him, through the aspect of Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem. Through which He will place in their hearts to cry out and pray always to Hashem, blessed be He, until His mercy is stirred — for "He will see that [their] power has gone" [Deuteronomy 32:36], etc. — and He will accept our small amount of teshuvah and prayer with favor, in a manner that through the wonders of His wonders, He will clothe the tzedakah in mishpat. And through this the redemption will come. And there will be fulfilled: "Tzion shall be redeemed through mishpat" [Isaiah 1:27] — through: "and those who return to her — through tzedakah." For those who return will not be worthy through their teshuvah alone to bring the redemption. But through their small teshuvah, they will arouse His tzedakah, blessed be He, who will clothe it in mishpat — until there is fulfilled: "Tzion shall be redeemed through mishpat, and those who return to her — through tzedakah" — speedily in our days, Amen. And this is: "Regarding this, let every devout one pray to You at a time of finding; surely, when the flood of many waters [comes], they shall not reach him" [Psalms 32:6]. For according to all the above, certainly the majority of a person's prayers must primarily be that he should be saved from all evil — from the aspect of the scorpion's bite, which is the aspect of the flood of many waters, that they should not reach him — that the aspect of the scorpion should not come and bite him suddenly, G-d forbid. For the "finding" that a person wants to find — that is, to earn a livelihood, whether luxuries and great wealth, or basic necessities — everything comes b'hesach hada'as, as mentioned above, and a person accomplishes nothing at all through the abundance of his thoughts and worries. And most of the time, he goes around thinking about how to find livelihood and wealth, etc. — and in the meanwhile, adventures and troubles come upon him each time, may the Merciful One save us, and mishaps upon mishaps of various kinds. Until most of the time, barely a short period passes without mishaps and troubles and tribulations and many adventures — as all this is known to anyone who pays attention to it. And each person imagines that only upon him does the cup of tribulations pass each time. But in truth, there is no one in existence who escapes this. And all of this is regarding the common tribulations and adventures. How much more so are there many who experience great troubles, may the Merciful One save us, which come completely suddenly, in the aspect of the literal bite of a scorpion, may the Merciful One save us. And a person is foolish and stupid, and goes around thinking about how to acquire money and envying his fellow, and so on. And suddenly there comes upon him what comes upon him, may the Merciful One save us. And as it is written: "And that which shall be after him — who will tell him?" [Ecclesiastes 10:14]. And so it is explained in the verses and in many places, and as brought above. (And see in the Sh'la"h what he enumerates there in rhyming form: "There is no moment without mishap; no day without..." etc.) Therefore the verse warns us: "Regarding this, let every devout one pray to You at a time of finding" — that is, at the time one wants to find and profit from something, which is the aspect of the aforementioned "finding" — one's primary prayer should be only regarding "the flood of many waters" — which is the aspect of the abundance of troubles that rage and come upon the world, may the Merciful One save us — which are the aspect of the scorpion's bite — "that they should not reach him", G-d forbid — suddenly, b'hesach hada'as, as mentioned above. And then one will automatically attain the aspect of the "finding" that comes b'hesach hada'as. For it is known — and we have already spoken about this above — that Hashem, blessed be He, is good and does good always, and wishes only to bestow good upon every creature. And from His side, nothing prevents Him from giving every person abundant bounty and exceptional wealth and every good. But because it is necessary that He also govern the world with mishpat, as mentioned above, from there are drawn all the ways of Hashem — that He impoverishes this one and enriches that one — as it is written: "For G-d is the judge; this one He lowers and this one He raises" [Psalms 75:8]. And it is written: "Hashem impoverishes and enriches; He lowers and also raises" [I Samuel 2:7], etc. And certainly it is impossible to understand these ways, as explained in all the books — that even Moshe requested to be informed of this, for these ways were hidden from him, which are the aspect of "a righteous person who has good; a righteous person who [has bad]... a wicked person who has good," etc. And likewise Yirmiyahu and David and Chabakuk, etc., marveled at this, as is brought. For they are the aspect of the ways of Hashem that are impossible to grasp — for they are the aspect of mishpat and tzedakah mentioned above. That is, Hashem, blessed be He, desires only to do good with tzedakah and chesed to everyone, but it is necessarily the case that He must clothe the tzedakah in mishpat, as mentioned above. And therefore the essential rectification for this is only prayer and supplications — which are the aspect of nishma, the aspect of tzedakah and chesed, as mentioned above. For through a person praying, there is an is'arusa d'l'sata [arousal from below], through which one can arouse the tzedakah and chesed in a wondrous way, that it should be clothed in the mishpat of the Torah — and nevertheless everything should be entirely chesed and tzedakah. And everything is through the power of the connection to the true tzadikim who merited the aspect of Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem literally, as mentioned above. And therefore one's essential prayer should be that one is saved from the flood of many waters — which is the aspect of the scorpion's bite — which is drawn from dinim, from the aspect of mishpat, which is what holds back and prevents the good finding from coming. But when one prays to be saved from it — through this one sweetens and nullifies the dinim, and then the aspect of the finding will come of its own accord. For His way is to do good always, as mentioned above. And see what is found in the Holy Zohar, and brought in our [works] in Likutay [Moharan] I:84: "There is no day that does not contain good; only many serpents and scorpions surround it, preventing one from entering into that good", etc.; see there. And in truth, when we pay careful attention to the matter of our standing and situation at the present moment in this world — which passes like the blink of an eye — we do not know at all what to call and name a "finding" and what to call and name a "scorpion's bite." For there are those who find great wealth, and in the end it turns into terrible evil for them, even in this world. And in any case, one must die, and either one is taken from the money, or the money is taken from him during his lifetime — as our master, our teacher, and our rabbi, of blessed memory, wrote (as printed in Sichos HaRa"n; see there). And as Koheles marveled about this and said: "There is a futility... wealth guarded for its owner to his detriment... and the wealth is lost through bad ventures" [Ecclesiastes 5:12-13], etc. And conversely, there are those who have poverty and hardship and suffering, may the Merciful One save us, and it is for their great good in the World to Come certainly, and sometimes — and more often than not — also in this world, their end is good, if they are upright people. For "the end of a matter is better than its beginning" [Ecclesiastes 7:8] — for the righteous: their beginning is suffering and their end is tranquility, etc. But prayer helps with everything. For certainly the essential prayer must be that one should be saved from the many serpents and scorpions that surround him every day, wanting to prevent him from the good that is stored in every day — which is true good in the physical and spiritual sense. That is, that one should be saved from evil thoughts and evil imaginings and confused notions — which are the essential aspect of the serpents and scorpions that bite him at every moment and want to destroy him completely, G-d forbid — were it not for Hashem, Who stands at his aid, as it is written: "The wicked one watches the righteous and seeks to kill him; Hashem will not abandon him to his hand, and will not condemn him when he is judged" [Psalms 37:32-33]. And as our Sages of blessed memory expounded this verse: "Every single day a person's inclination renews itself against him", etc. But whoever engages more in saving himself — and the essential means is through prayer and supplications, as mentioned above — he can draw more of His supernal tzedakah and chesed, and draw wondrous new chasadim every day and at every moment, in the aspect of: "The chasadim of Hashem have not ended... They are new every morning" [Lamentations 3:22-23], etc. And through this one will be saved from the aforementioned serpents and scorpions, and will merit the good that is stored in every day — which is the aspect of a truly good "finding." And all of this is the aspect of: "Regarding this, let every devout one pray... at a time of finding" — when one wants to find some finding, such as livelihood, etc. — and as our Sages of blessed memory expounded this verse: "'At a time of finding' — this refers to livelihood", etc. — the essential prayer should be only: "Surely, when the flood of many waters [comes], they shall not reach him" — as mentioned above. And this is: "You are a shelter for me" [Psalms 32:7], etc. For David HaMelech, peace be upon him, teaches us to rely only on Hashem, blessed be He. For our prayers alone do not have the power to save us every day and every moment from what we need to be saved from, physically and spiritually — since everything comes b'hesach hada'as, and the aspect of the scorpion, may the Merciful One save us, lies in ambush against us at every time and moment, as it is written: "He lurks in ambush like a lion in his den; he lies in ambush to snatch the poor" [Psalms 10:9], etc. And how is it possible for flesh and blood — especially the weak ones among Yisrael who have already stumbled very, very much in what they have stumbled — how is it possible for them to save their souls from all its bites, physical and spiritual, that come b'hesach hada'as, suddenly, may the Merciful One save us? Therefore he requests and says: "You are a shelter for me" — for only You are my shelter, to hide me from the counsel of evil-doers, etc., as mentioned above; and "from distress, You shall guard me", as mentioned above. And this is: "With songs of deliverance You surround me, Selah" [Psalms 32:7]. For certainly I need to thank and sing joyfully to Your great Name always, regarding the abundance of deliverances and wondrous rescues that You deliver and rescue me every day and every single moment. For "the one who experiences a miracle does not recognize his miracle", as our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the verse: "Who alone performs great wonders; and blessed is His glorious Name forever" [Psalms 72:18-19]. And as [the Sages] established for us in the Shulchan Aruch to say three times every day: "For Your miracles that are with us every day, and for Your wonders and Your kindnesses that are at all times — evening, morning, and afternoon. [You are] the Good One, for Your mercies have not ceased", etc. And this is: "With songs of deliverance You surround me, Selah" — as mentioned above. And therefore it was necessary that Yaakov receive the blessings from Yitzchak through stealth and concealment — from the prosecution of Esav. For it was already explained above, in section 28, that the aspects of tzedakah and mishpat mentioned above are the essential "way of Hashem" that the Patriarchs began to walk in. And the essential beginning was from Avraham, as it is written: "For I have known him, in order that he will command his children and his household after him, and they will keep the way of Hashem, to do tzedakah and mishpat" [Genesis 18:19], as mentioned above. But in their particulars, each of the Patriarchs has a unique aspect unto himself. For even though Avraham kept tzedakah and mishpat, nevertheless, his unique aspect was the aspect of tzedakah and chesed — for Avraham's attribute is chesed, as is known. And Yitzchak's unique aspect was the aspect of mishpat — the aspect of the gevuros of Yitzchak, as is known. And the essential generality of tzedakah and mishpat together is the aspect of Yaakov, as it is written: "Mishpat and tzedakah in Yaakov, You have performed" [Psalms 99:4]. And therefore, in truth, it is explained in the Midrash, and is brought above: "The Rabbis said: Avraham was not created except in the merit of Yaakov", etc. And therefore Yaakov, who merited to include mishpat and tzedakah in their completeness — therefore his bed was complete, without any disqualified offspring. But Avraham and Yitzchak, even though each of them kept the way of Hashem to include tzedakah and mishpat, as mentioned above — but since they were not yet included in their completeness — and therefore Avraham's essential attribute was chesed, the aspect of tzedakah; and Yitzchak's essential attribute was gevurah, the aspect of din and mishpat — therefore waste emerged from them: Yishmael from Avraham, and Esav from Yitzchak. For the generality of tzedakah and mishpat together — they are the essential aspect of the unification of the Name, from which is drawn the aspect of the holy union of husband and wife when they merit that the Shechinah dwells between them. For husband and wife are the aspects of Torah and prayer, as is known, and as brought elsewhere. And therefore the wife is subordinate to her husband, yet at times she is above him, in the aspect of: "A woman of valor is the crown of her husband" [Proverbs 12:4]. And as is brought at length in the writings of the Ari z"l, according to his holy approach. For prayer is smaller than the Torah and greater than the Torah — for it is the aspect of the "foundation of the house" (akeres habayis) that stands between Toras Hashem and "his Torah." For through prayer one merits to reveal the concealed and the nishma, and one makes from Toras Hashem — "his Torah." It emerges that prayer is smaller than the Torah — that is, than the aspect of Toras Hashem — and greater than the Torah — the aspect of "his Torah." And this is the aspect of: "The Shechinah sits between two tzadikim" — between tzadik elyon [the upper tzadik], which is the aspect of Toras Hashem, and tzadik tachton [the lower tzadik], which is the aspect of "his Torah." And the Shechinah is the aspect of prayer — understand this. And therefore, also below [in this world], there are those whose spouse is lower than him, and there are those whose [spouse] is greater than him, in the aspect of: "A woman of valor is the crown of her husband." And this is the aspect of: "A wife ascends with him but does not descend with him" — for one must increase in prayer until through his prayer he ascends each time from level to level, to grasp what is more hidden and concealed. And then his wife — who is the aspect of prayer, the aspect of: "a woman who fears Hashem, she shall be praised" [Proverbs 31:30] — ascends with him each time. For a person, through his free choice, can ascend to lofty heights, even though his soul descended to him from a low place. And then his wife ascends with him — for the essential ascent is through the aspect of "a woman who fears Hashem, she shall be praised" — that is, through the aspect of prayer, as explained above: that through prayer and ratzon, etc., one can ascend from the lowest level to the summit of the highest heights, as mentioned above. And therefore Avraham, whose essential attribute was chesed and tzedakah, and who labored to include it within mishpat, as mentioned above — but it was not yet included in completeness — therefore waste emerged from him, which is Yishmael. And likewise Yitzchak, whose attribute was din and mishpat, even though he included it within tzedakah and chesed — but not in completeness like Yaakov — therefore waste emerged from him, which is Esav, who was ruddy (admoni), drawn from the intensity of din. And therefore Yishmael is called by a name related to prayer, as it is written: "For Hashem has heard your affliction" [Genesis 16:11] — for the root of his nourishment comes from the aspect of the excess of tzedakah, which is the aspect of prayer that was not properly included in the aspect of mishpat. And Esav — from the language of "doing" (asiyah) — for the root of his nourishment comes from the excess strictness of mishpat and din, which is the aspect of Torah that was not properly included in the aspect of tzedakah. For the Torah is the aspect of na'aseh — the aspect of the practical fulfillment of mitzvos. But one must have the Torah, the aspect of na'aseh, the aspect of the practical fulfillment of mitzvos, included within the aspect of nishma — the aspect of prayer, which is the aspect of bitul and ratzon and deveikus to the Ain Sof, as mentioned above. And this is what Esav asked: "Father, how does one tithe straw and salt?" — with which he deceived his father. For he showed himself to be exceedingly punctilious in every mitzvah, to fulfill it with extra stringencies. For from there was his hold — from the blemish of excessive stringencies. And as is brought in our words elsewhere — that excessive stringencies are also a great blemish; see there. And all of this was because the mishpat, the aspect of Torah, was not included in its completeness within the aspect of prayer and tzedakah, as mentioned above. And to explain the matter a bit more, so that the discerning person will understand from this hints and counsel for walking in the way of Hashem — it is certainly impossible to walk in the path of tzedakah and chesed chinam alone, for then one would do nothing at all, G-d forbid. But also to walk in the path of mishpat alone is also a great blemish — for the world cannot endure on the basis of din alone, as mentioned above. And as is very common: that many, many have fallen and become distant from Hashem, blessed be He, through an excess of mishpat and din — more than was proper. They imposed stringencies upon themselves greatly, until they say in their hearts that their hope is lost, on account of their many sins, corruption, and immense and numerous blemishes, [as many] as the sand of the sea. And even though it is true that they have blemished and corrupted much — nevertheless, they must trust in the chasadim of Hashem and His tzedakah and in His mercy that never ceases. That still, still there is hope — each time, every day, at every moment, at every hour, throughout all the days of one's life — even if one is as one is. For "the chasadim of Hashem have not ended", etc. And we have already written elsewhere that the essential falling — on account of the excess of din and mishpat mentioned above — is only the enticement of the Evil One, who seeks a pretext in one's heart to exempt oneself from everything, G-d forbid — since one sees one's many corruptions. And we have already spoken about this at length. And Shlomo HaMelech, peace be upon him, cried out about this: "Do not be exceedingly righteous, and do not be exceedingly wicked" [Ecclesiastes 7:16-17]. And as our Sages of blessed memory said: "If you have sinned a little, do not add further wickedness." And even if one has already been exceedingly wicked, one must still fulfill this verse — not to add yet more wickedness, G-d forbid. And whatever one diminishes from wickedness — more and more — is certainly for one's eternal good. And also through this, one will ultimately be able to merit to return to Hashem, blessed be He, in completeness. For there is no despair in the world at all — as our Rebbe, of blessed memory, cried out about this in a great and very, very deep voice. For every movement and shift by which one separates oneself from evil toward good — even by a hairsbreadth — is never lost. For "the measure of good is greater than the measure of retribution". And if when a person blemishes or commits a transgression, G-d forbid, Hashem, blessed be He, watches and observes every single detail — as it is written: "Can a man hide in secret places and I not see him?" [Jeremiah 23:24]. And it is written: "From the place of His dwelling He gazes... He Who understands all their deeds" [Psalms 33:14-15]. How much more so regarding the measure of good — that certainly no good movement is ever lost! It emerges that the blemish of those who fall on account of excess mishpat and din, as mentioned above — this is drawn from the aspect of the klipah of Esav, as mentioned above. And conversely, one who wishes to rely only on His chesed and cast off the yoke entirely, G-d forbid — this is the aspect of the klipah of Yishmael, as mentioned above. And the essential completeness — Yaakov merited, who included mishpat and tzedakah together in great completeness, as mentioned above. Therefore his bed was complete, without any disqualified [offspring], as mentioned above. And because Yitzchak's essential attribute was the aspect of mishpat, the aspect of Torah, therefore it was especially difficult for him to find his spouse — who is the aspect of prayer, as mentioned above. And therefore his spouse was not born until after the Akeidah [the Binding], when the gevuros of Yitzchak were sweetened, as is known — as it is written: "And it came to pass after these things" [Genesis 22:20] — that is, after the Akeidah — "and it was told to Avraham" that the intended spouse of Yitzchak had been born, as Rashi explains there — that is, as mentioned above. And therefore it says specifically regarding Yitzchak: "And Yitzchak entreated Hashem" [Genesis 25:21], etc. — a term of entreaty not used regarding Avraham and Yaakov. For specifically Yitzchak needed to greatly increase and persist in prayer — which is the meaning of "va'ye'etar" [entreated], as Rashi explains there. For because his attribute was the aspect of mishpat, the aspect of Torah — the aspect of "the Torah was given from [the attribute of] Gevurah" — therefore he needed to compel himself with great effort toward prayer. And he was compelled to increase and persist in prayer in order to include the mishpat within tzedakah — from which he was distant, according to the root of his attribute, as mentioned above. And this is: "And Yitzchak entreated Hashem opposite his wife" — specifically. For specifically through his wife, Rivkah the righteous — who is the aspect of "a woman who fears Hashem, she shall be praised" — who was born after the Akeidah, after his din had already been sweetened somewhat — through her specifically, "Yitzchak entreated." For the essential prayer was through the aspect of Rivkah, who is the aspect of "a woman who fears Hashem", as mentioned above. And therefore the First Temple — which was in the merit of Avraham — and the Second Temple — which was in the merit of Yitzchak — were destroyed through the klippos of Esav and Yishmael, as is brought. But the Third and final Temple, which we hope will be in the merit of Yaakov, will endure forever. For the essential generality of tzedakah and mishpat — which are the aspects of Torah and prayer together — is in the Beis HaMikdash. For from there Torah goes forth, since the Luchos [Tablets] — the generality of the Torah — stand there in the Beis HaMikdash, in the Holy of Holies. And there is the place of prayer, as it is written: "For My House is a house of prayer" [Isaiah 56:7]. And the essential endurance of the Beis HaMikdash is when tzedakah and mishpat are included together, as it is written regarding Mashi'ach: "And he shall judge the poor with righteousness" [Isaiah 11:4]. And as explained above. And therefore the two Temples, which were in the merit of Avraham and Yitzchak — with whom tzedakah and mishpat were not included in their completeness — were therefore destroyed, as mentioned above. But the Third Temple, which will be in the merit of Yaakov — who merited to include tzedakah and mishpat in their completeness — will therefore endure forever. But nevertheless, it is brought in the holy books that the essential final redemption will come through the sweetening of the gevuros of Yitzchak to the aspect of Yis'chak [laughter/joy] — for this is the essential rectification: that Yaakov and Avraham will sweeten the gevuros of Yitzchak in their completeness. Through which the final redemption will come. And this is the aspect of: "And I will remember My covenant with Yaakov, and also My covenant with Yitzchak, and also My covenant with Avraham I will remember" [Leviticus 26:42] — which begins first with Yaakov, for the essential redemption will be through him. And He will also remember the merit of Yitzchak and also the merit of Avraham — until Avraham and Yaakov sweeten the gevuros of Yitzchak and include the tzedakah within the mishpat in completeness. Through which there will be the final redemption and the building of the Beis HaMikdash, as mentioned above. And this is why regarding Yaakov it says "And I will remember", etc., and regarding Avraham it also uses the language of remembrance: "and also My covenant with Avraham I will remember." But regarding Yitzchak, the language of remembrance is not written. For the essential remembrance — to have mercy upon Yisrael and redeem them from all the troubles and exiles mentioned earlier in the parshah — is only through Avraham and Yaakov, who will sweeten the gevuros of Yitzchak. Through which He will redeem them through His abundant mercy and chasadim. For always, the attribute of chesed and tzedakah is greater than the mishpat and din. And as it is written: "He loves tzedakah and mishpat; the chesed of Hashem fills the earth" [Psalms 33:5]. And it is written: "For I, Hashem, perform chesed, mishpat, and tzedakah in the earth" [Jeremiah 9:23]. It emerges that tzedakah and chesed are mentioned alongside the attribute of mishpat — for the measure of good is always greater. And this is the aspect of Avraham and Yaakov, who take hold of Yitzchak to sweeten his din and mishpat. And therefore through this the essential redemption will come — through sweetening the gevuros of Yitzchak, so that from Yitzchak is made Yis'chak [laughter], as is brought. And this is the aspect of the secret of the tekios [shofar blasts], as brought in the Holy Zohar and in the [Kabbalistic] writings — that Avraham and Yaakov take hold of Yitzchak to sweeten his din, as mentioned above. For the essential rectifications take place on Rosh Hashanah, when the essential aspect of the sprouting of the horn of Mashi'ach [occurs] — as we pray then extensively about this: "and the sprouting of the horn for David Your servant, and the preparation of the light for the son of Yishai, Your anointed one, speedily in our days", etc. And because Yitzchak needed more than [the others] to overcome himself through abundant prayers, in the aspect of "and Yitzchak entreated", etc., as mentioned above — therefore prayer is hinted at most specifically in the aspect of Yitzchak, as hinted in the Nishmas prayer. As we say: "Through the mouth of the upright You are exalted (tis'romam); through the lips of the righteous You are blessed (tisbarach)... [through the tongue of the pious You are sanctified (tiskadash)]... [among the holy ones You are praised (tis'halal)]" — whose initial letters spell Yitzchak Rivkah, as is brought. For there one needs most powerfully to overcome, to include Torah and prayer together — which are Yitzchak and Rivkah, as mentioned above. And therefore Yitzchak is hinted at in the initial letters of Yesharim, Tzadikim, Chasidim, Kedoshim — which are the aspect of the generality of the tzadikim and G-d-fearing ones who fulfill the Torah, after whom they are named as upright, righteous, etc. That is, the aspect of Torah — which is the aspect of Yitzchak. But Rivkah is hinted at in the initial letters of tis'Romam, tisBarach, tisKadash, tis'Halal — whose initial letters spell Rivkah. For these words — "exalted, blessed, sanctified, praised" — are the aspect of the generality of prayer, the aspect of Rivkah, the aspect of "a woman who fears Hashem, she shall be praised", as mentioned above. And this is why it is brought that Yitzchak and Rivkah together equal 515 in gematria, as found in the Yalkut HaReuveni, according to its approach — that is, because t'filah [prayer] equals 515, which is Yitzchak and Rivkah, as mentioned above. For there is the essential prayer — to sweeten the gevuros of Yitzchak, as mentioned above. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said: "A person should always be careful regarding the Minchah prayer", etc. And they warned especially that the Minchah prayer should not be delayed — as they said: "A person should not sit before the barber close to [the time for] Minchah", etc. — for specifically close to Minchah they warned about this most, as brought in the poskim. For the Minchah prayer corresponds to Yitzchak, who established the Minchah prayer — as our Sages of blessed memory said, as it is written: "And Yitzchak went out to meditate in the field" [Genesis 24:63] — as our Sages of blessed memory expounded. Therefore, at that time one must be especially careful to pray and not to delay it, lest one nullify it, G-d forbid. For there one needs to overcome exceedingly to pray — because it is the aspect of the gevuros of Yitzchak, the aspect of mishpat, whose essential sweetening is through prayer, the aspect of tzedakah, as mentioned above. And therefore precisely when Yitzchak went out to meditate in the field — precisely then Rivkah came to him through his prayer, as is written there in the parshah. For Rivkah is the aspect of prayer, etc., as mentioned above. And therefore, the more a person sees that the dinim — which are the aspect of the strengthening of the evil inclination — are overpowering him more, he specifically needs to overcome and increase and persist in prayer and entreaty more and more — in order to sweeten and nullify the severity of the dinim, etc., as mentioned above. And therefore the essential hisbodedus [secluded personal prayer] — which is the aspect of conversation between oneself and one's Maker — is spoken of specifically regarding Yitzchak, as it is written: "And Yitzchak went out to meditate [lasuach] in the field" [Genesis 24:63]. For the essential sichah [conversation/meditation] and hisbodedus is to sweeten the aspect of mishpat and din of Yitzchak, as mentioned above. And therefore Yitzchak wanted to bless Esav — according to the severity of his din and mishpat. But Rivkah the righteous — who is the aspect of prayer, as mentioned above — sweetened the din and instructed Yaakov to go with stealth and concealment to receive the blessings from Yitzchak specifically. For she knew that there was power in her prayer and in the prayer of Yaakov to include the tzedakah within the mishpat — to receive the blessings from Yitzchak specifically. But from the magnitude of the prosecution and provocation of Esav — who is the aspect of the scorpion that lies in ambush against Yisrael constantly, especially at a time when they want to receive the blessings, which are the aspect of a good finding, at which point [Esav] lies in ambush and prosecutes even more, as mentioned above — therefore it was necessary to go with stealth. And Hashem, blessed be He, arranged that Yitzchak send Esav to hunt game, etc. And in the meanwhile, Yaakov specifically received the blessings — as brought in the Holy Zohar and in the writings of the Ari z"l regarding this; see there. And this is what Yitzchak said to Yaakov: "How is it that you were so quick to find, my son?" [Genesis 27:20]. "So quick" — specifically. For Yitzchak saw and understood from afar that this was Yaakov — as is understood from the parshah, where he said: "Come near, please, and I will feel you" [Genesis 27:21], etc. Therefore he said to him: How is it that you were so quick to find such a good finding, to feed me and receive the blessings through this? That is, he said: I know that ultimately all the blessings will reach you, Yaakov. But I thought that first the blessings would need to be given to Esav — for he needs to rule first, as Yaakov himself said: "Let my lord please pass before his servant" [Genesis 33:14], as is brought. Therefore I wanted to bless him first. And therefore, how is it that "you were so quick" — "so quick" specifically — "to find, my son"? For in my understanding, the blessings — which are the aspect of good findings — are not yet yours. And he answered: "Because Hashem your G-d arranged it before me" [Genesis 27:20]. And it is found in the Midrash: Rabbi Yochanan and Reish Lakish [debated this]. One said: If for your sacrifice [at the Akeidah], the Holy One, blessed be He, provided for you — as it says, "And Avraham lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, a ram" [Genesis 22:13], etc. — for your food, how much more so! And the other said: If for your spouse He provided for you — as it is written: "Please cause to happen before me today" [Genesis 24:12]; and it is written: "And he saw, and behold, camels were coming" [Genesis 24:63] — for your food, how much more so! And this is wondrous at first glance, for on the surface it is a weak kal v'chomer [a fortiori argument] — for certainly, to save Yitzchak from the sentence of slaughter at the Akeidah, and also to provide him with his spouse, is a far greater rescue than to provide him with food for the moment! But according to the above, the Midrash is understood very well and comes like a perfect fit — and it will be sweet to your soul, with Hashem's help. For specifically the merit of the Akeidah and the finding of his spouse he mentioned at that moment, when he wanted to receive the blessings. For he said: Is it not so that for the sacrifice of the Akeidah — which is to sweeten your gevuros — Hashem provided you with the ram? And also, to provide you with your spouse Rivkah — who is the aspect of prayer that sweetens the aspect of mishpat and gevurah of Yitzchak — Hashem, blessed be He, helped in a wondrous way, even though it was very difficult to find your spouse due to the intensity of your gevuros, as mentioned above? Nevertheless, Hashem had compassion and provided her for you. And all of this was for my sake — so that Yisrael would emerge from me. And now, for your food — that I wish to feed you in order to receive the blessings, so that Yisrael can endure in the world and sustain themselves through the entire intensity and prolonged bitterness of their exile — how much more so will Hashem, blessed be He, provide for me! It emerges that this Midrash connects very beautifully — for specifically through the sweetening of the Akeidah, and through his spouse Rivkah, the aspect of prayer, as mentioned above — through this he received the blessings, as mentioned above. (And this is what is written in the Sefer HaAlef-Beis, letter 7: that the eating of the tzadikim is greater than sacrifices and than their unions, etc. And understand this well.) And therefore Yitzchak said then: "The voice is the voice of Yaakov" [Genesis 27:22], etc. For he understood then the immense power of Yaakov — that he had merited the aspect of na'aseh v'nishma in its completeness, to include mishpat and tzedakah together, which are the aspects of Torah and prayer. Through which one merits azus, the aspect of voices — the aspect of: "Behold, He gives His voice a voice of strength" [Psalms 68:34], as explained there. Therefore Yitzchak said then: Now I know — for "the voice is the voice of Yaakov" — very strong — through which he will overpower "the hands, the hands of Esav," as our Sages of blessed memory expounded. For I see and understand that his voice grows ever stronger, since he has merited to sweeten the mishpat with tzedakah — until he has found [what he needed] to feed me and receive the blessings. For this is drawn from the generality of Torah and prayer — through which one merits azus d'kedushah, the aspect of voices, the aspect of "the voice is the voice of Yaakov", as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of "the voice" — the voice — two voices: the aspect of the voice of Torah and the voice of prayer that are included together. Through which comes the essential strengthening of azus d'kedushah against the azus of the Sitra Achra — to overpower "the hands, the hands of Esav," who draws nourishment from the aspect of mishpat when it is not included in its completeness with the aspect of tzedakah. But through "the voice, the voice of Yaakov" — the aspect of two voices drawn from Torah and prayer included together — through this one overpowers "the hands, the hands of Esav" and nullifies them, as mentioned above. And therefore, in truth, Yaakov was in great fear when his mother told him to deceive his father in order to receive the blessings. And therefore he said to his mother: "Perhaps my father will feel me, and I will appear in his eyes as a deceiver" [Genesis 27:12], etc. For he was afraid of the severity of the gevuros of Yitzchak. And therefore he said: "Perhaps my father will feel me" — that is, that he will feel and scrutinize me with strict mishpat — my father Yitzchak, who is the aspect of din and mishpat. For because I will want to receive the blessings suddenly, his mishpat will be aroused against me, G-d forbid, to feel me and scrutinize me. And then, G-d forbid, "I will have brought upon myself a curse and not a blessing" [Genesis 27:12]. For such is the way of the prosecution of mishpat: as long as a person is calm and quiet and not seeking to find many good findings, the prosecution of mishpat is not so aroused against him. But as soon as one wants to grab greatness and great wealth and the like, the prosecution is aroused against him, G-d forbid, saying: "Let us examine his deeds, whether he is worthy of this." And then, G-d forbid, the wheel can turn against him to the opposite. And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said: "Scrutinizing [one's] prayer brings one's sins to mind" — that is, when one scrutinizes one's prayer improperly, saying: "It is fitting that the Holy One, blessed be He, should fulfill my request" — as Rashi explains there — then one's sins are brought to mind, [to examine] whether one is worthy of this. And this is the aspect of the general principle we wrote above — that one's essential prayer should be only regarding "the flood of many waters, that they shall not reach him" — to be saved from the one who lies in ambush and prosecutes, the aspect of "from distress, You shall guard me", etc. And then one can also ask for mercy regarding the necessities of one's livelihood, etc., as mentioned above. And this is what Yaakov feared: "Perhaps my father will feel me" — which is the aspect of mishpat and din that will feel and scrutinize me, because I have come to receive the blessings. And then "I will have brought upon myself a curse and not a blessing" — which is the aspect of the scorpion's bite that comes suddenly, which is the opposite of the finding, as mentioned above. And his mother answered him: "Upon me be your curse, my son; only go and take for me" [Genesis 27:13], etc. That is, Rivkah told him that she accepts upon herself to nullify this fear. For she specifically knows how to nullify this — for Rivkah is the aspect of prayer, the aspect of sweetening the din and mishpat of Yitzchak, as mentioned above. And therefore she specifically can nullify this fear. And as found in the Midrash, that she said to him: "Upon me — to go to Yitzchak and say to him: Yaakov is a tzadik; Esav is a rasha." That is, as mentioned above — that she said that through her prayer she could sweeten the gevuros of Yitzchak and reveal to him that Yisrael are tzadikim compared to the wicked Esav. For even if they are as they are, they are still tzadikim compared to the wickedness of the nations, who are the children of Esav. And this is revealed through Rivkah specifically — who is the aspect of prayer that sweetens the din and mishpat, as mentioned above — through which Yaakov can receive the blessings, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the trial of Avraham and Yitzchak at the time of the Akeidah. For the well-known question is asked about the greatness of the upheaval of the trial of the Akeidah — for according to the great righteousness of Avraham, it doesn't seem to be such a great trial. For it appears to us that even simple people would withstand this trial — that if Hashem, blessed be He, tells him explicitly to slaughter his only son, he would certainly fulfill His word and slaughter him. But the essential trial was that he did not question His ways, blessed be He — as is brought regarding this, and as understood from the words of our Sages of blessed memory, and brought in Rashi's commentary — from what [Avraham] said afterward: "Let me lay out my conversation before You: yesterday You said to me, 'For through Yitzchak shall your seed be called,' and then You said to me to bring him up as an offering", etc. It is understood from this and from other places that this was the essential trial. And as our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the verse: "And I and the youth will go until koh" [Genesis 22:5] — and as brought in Rashi: "I will see where is that which was said to me, 'So [koh] shall your seed be.'" But Avraham strengthened himself in emunah and did not question His ways, and said: Even though I do not understand His ways, certainly such is the measure — that it is impossible to understand the ways of Hashem. And I am obligated to do my part — to bring my only son to slaughter. And nevertheless I believe that Hashem, blessed be He, will fulfill all His words that He promised me. For His ways are impossible to understand at all — for He can do two opposites in one subject. And as I heard from him [the Rebbe], of blessed memory, much about this. And this is the aspect of what is written: "And Avraham called the name of that place 'Hashem Yir'eh' — as it will be said on this day: 'On the mountain, Hashem will be seen'" [Genesis 22:14]. For all the holy Patriarchs understood and saw from afar that the essential purpose and hope would only be at the very final end, when Mashi'ach comes — and as our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the verse: "And also the nation that they will serve" [Genesis 15:14] — to include the subjugation of the kingdoms. And so in many places — they all saw this bitter final exile that is so long. But in the immensity of their great attainment and holy spirit, they were unable to arrive at the final end — which is the keitz hap'la'os [the wondrous end], which is very sealed and hidden from every eye. And as our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the verse: "And Yaakov called his sons" [Genesis 49:1], etc. — that he sought to reveal to them the end of the redemption, and the Shechinah departed from him. And this is the aspect of what is written about Avraham: "And he saw the place from afar" [Genesis 22:4] — that he saw the hope, which is the holiness of the place of the Beis HaMikdash, which is the house of our life and where all our hope resides. But he saw the place from afar — for it is impossible to ascertain the matter of when we will return to this holy place. But nevertheless, he saw it with a clear and bright vision — that certainly we will merit this holy place, in the very end — only it is from afar. And this is itself the aspect of: "And I and the youth will go until koh" — for the aspect of koh alludes to something that one sees from very far away. And as Rashi explains in Parshas Mattos: Moshe prophesied with koh, and all the [other] prophets prophesied with koh; Moshe additionally prophesied with "this is the matter" (zeh hadavar). For all the [other] prophets prophesied through a dim lens — they saw their prophecy from very far away. But Moshe also prophesied with "zeh" — the aspect of seeing the prophecy with a clear and bright vision. But even Moshe prophesied with koh — for there were many prophecies that even he was compelled to see from very far away. And this is the aspect of: "Koh said Hashem: At about midnight I shall go out" [Exodus 11:4], etc. For the secret of midnight — even Moshe could not fully grasp it, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Would Moshe not know when midnight was? Rather he said 'about midnight.' David knew — who said: 'At midnight I will arise to give thanks to You'" [Psalms 119:62], etc. That is, Moshe knew that the essential [matter] is the final redemption, which will be in the merit of David and those attached to him — the tzadikim and upright ones who arise at midnight to lament the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash. At that time, Hashem, blessed be He, and all the tzadikim in Gan Eden "listen to their voices," etc. And through this the redemption will come, in the aspect of: "Rejoice with her, all who mourn over her" [Isaiah 66:10]. And as our Sages of blessed memory said: "All who mourn over Yerushalayim...", etc. But [Moshe] could not ascertain the matter of when the end would be — for it is very sealed, as mentioned above. And therefore, also in the first redemption, he hinted in his words, saying: "About midnight I shall go out" — for in all his words and mission, he was looking toward the final end. And for this reason he initially refused the mission, etc. And therefore he hinted in his words and said: "About midnight I shall go out into the midst of Egypt", etc. — for all the exiles are called by the name "Egypt," etc., as our Sages of blessed memory said. And therefore he said "about [midnight]" — for the final end is very sealed. Only David, who is himself Mashi'ach, said: "At midnight I will arise", etc. And therefore Moshe said then: "Koh said Hashem" — for this prophecy, regarding the aspect of midnight which alludes to the final end, is very distant and impossible to fully grasp. Therefore he used the language of koh, as mentioned above. And this is itself the aspect of: "And I and the youth will go until koh" — said by Avraham. For he believed that even though he was bringing his son to slaughter, nevertheless certainly Hashem's words would be fulfilled as He promised him. But it is in the aspect of koh — very far and impossible to understand. Only from afar can one see, as mentioned above. And therefore, afterward, when Hashem, blessed be He, saved Yitzchak and brought up a ram in his place — then Avraham understood even more that it is impossible to understand His ways or to arrive at the end of His words, especially regarding the final end. For all the promises that He promised him — to give him seed and to give them the Land — everything was for the sake of the final end, when all the promises would be fulfilled in their completeness. But it is impossible to arrive at the end of the matter in any way. Only we are obligated every single day to fulfill the words of Hashem, blessed be He, and His mitzvos, and to believe that through this the end is drawn closer, and to wait every day for [Mashi'ach] to come. And nevertheless, if he does not come on that day, we will wait on the next day — until ultimately he will come, as they said: "If it tarries, wait for it, for it will surely come; it will not delay" [Habakkuk 2:3]. And this is: "And Avraham called the name of that place: 'Hashem Yir'eh [Hashem will see]'" — which has no apparent meaning at first glance, and Rashi was forced to strain in his explanation. But now it is explained simply: that he called the place of the Beis HaMikdash — which is the essential hope, as mentioned above — "Hashem Yir'eh." That is, only Hashem will see this place, to rest His Shechinah there — for only He, blessed be He, alone knows the end. But we are forbidden to think of any end whatsoever. And as our Sages of blessed memory said: only upon us is it incumbent, every single day, to do our part — to turn from evil and do good every single day. Through which the redemption is drawn closer. And as our Sages of blessed memory said regarding one who asked Eliyahu: "When will the master come?" He said: "Today! — Today, if you will hear His voice" [Psalms 95:7]. And if there have already been many tzadikim and upright people who served Him, blessed be He, every single day, and nevertheless [Mashi'ach] has still not come — it is because of the corruption of others, who delay his coming. But nevertheless, each person, according to his service, brings the redemption closer on that day. And ultimately, the sparks of redemption that the tzadikim and upright people have aroused every single day will be gathered together, and through this the redemption will come. And as our Rebbe, of blessed memory, wrote regarding the statement of Rabbah bar bar Chanah — "when he warmed himself beside it, it would turn over" — in [Likutay Moharan I:] Siman 2; see there. And this is: "As it will be said on that day: 'On the mountain, Hashem will be seen'" — and as Rashi explains, that this refers to every day of all the coming generations who read this verse, etc.; see there. That is, the aspect of "today, if you will hear His voice" mentioned above — that every day the redemption is drawn closer according to the service of each and every person who serves Hashem, blessed be He. And as we bless every day: "Who causes the horn of salvation to sprout." And this is: "As it will be said on that day" — that is, every single day of every person in every generation — "today, Hashem will be seen to His people in this place," as Rashi explains there. For every day the redemption sparkles forth and Hashem is seen in that place, as mentioned above. But nevertheless, to arrive at the end of the matter — when the complete redemption will be, at the final end — regarding this he said: "Hashem Yir'eh" — for only Hashem, blessed be He, Himself will see this, as mentioned above. But nevertheless: "as it will be said on that day" — that is, every single day — "on the mountain, Hashem will be seen", as mentioned above. And see what is explained in [Likutay Moharan I:] Siman 272 regarding this verse, "Today, if you will hear His voice" — that this is the essential counsel for serving Hashem, blessed be He: to think every single day that one has only this day alone, etc.; see there. And it pertains to the matter mentioned above — for everything is one. For it is forbidden to force the hour, and one must think only of that day, in the aspect of: "This is the day that Hashem has made" [Psalms 118:24], etc. And through this one will merit to serve Hashem, blessed be He. And likewise one will merit that from him there will not be such a delay of Mashi'ach. And according to the service of Yisrael who fulfill this and serve Hashem every day, so does the sprouting of the horn of salvation sparkle forth every day, as mentioned above — until ultimately all their service will be gathered together and the redemption will come in its completeness. And each person, according to his portion in the drawing close of Mashi'ach, so will he merit then to delight in Hashem and be satiated from His great goodness that He will bestow upon us then. And this is: "At midnight I will arise to give thanks to You for the judgments of Your righteousness [mishp'tai tzidkecha]" [Psalms 119:62] — the aspect of tzedakah and mishpat mentioned above — that through mishpat He performs tzedakah. This will be in its completeness when Mashi'ach comes — who will merit this, as mentioned above — through which there will be the complete redemption, as mentioned above. And this is merited through rising at midnight — through which the end of the redemption is drawn near, as our Sages of blessed memory said, and as mentioned above. And this is: "At midnight I will arise to give thanks to You for the judgments of Your righteousness" — that at midnight, when one rises — through which the redemption is drawn near, as our Sages of blessed memory said, and as mentioned above — then one must give thanks to Him, blessed be He, for the "judgments of His righteousness," blessed be He — that He, blessed be He, through mishpat performs tzedakah. For through this is the essential strengthening — to hope and wait for salvation and complete redemption, in general and in particular, at all times, as mentioned above. — Pertains to section 40 above, regarding the matter brought there that always the measure of good is greater, etc. — And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said: "'And I will make you into a great nation' [Genesis 12:2] — this is [the source for] what we say: 'the G-d of Avraham,' etc. One might think we should conclude [the blessing] with all [the Patriarchs]? The Torah teaches: 'And you shall be a blessing' — with you we conclude", etc. That is, as mentioned above: for the essential conclusion and completion of the blessing of the three Patriarchs — Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov — who are the aspects of tzedakah, mishpat, and the generality of tzedakah and mishpat together, as mentioned above — the essential conclusion of the blessing is only "Shield of Avraham." For Avraham is the aspect of tzedakah and chesed, in which is the essential conclusion and completion of the blessing — for the measure of good is always greater, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of Chanukah, which is the aspect of the dedication of the Beis HaMikdash. For the essential holiness of the Beis HaMikdash is that there is the place of the Torah and prayer. As it is written: "For from Tzion Torah shall go forth" [Isaiah 2:3] — for there stands the Aron with the Luchos in the Holy of Holies. And there is the place of prayer, as it is written: "For My House is a house of prayer" [Isaiah 56:7] — for through there all the prayers ascend, as it is written: "And they shall pray to You in the direction of their land and of the House that You built for Your Name" [I Kings 8:48], etc. And the essential [point] is that there is the resting place of His Shechinah, blessed be He. And there the Torah is the aspect of Toras Hashem literally — for there stand the Luchos that were given from His hand, blessed be He, to the hand of Moshe — which are "the work of G-d", as it is written: "And the Tablets are the work of G-d, written with the finger of G-d" [Exodus 32:16] — the aspect of Toras Hashem literally. And likewise, t'filas Hashem literally is there in the Beis HaMikdash, as it is written: "And I will gladden them in the house of My prayer" [Isaiah 56:7] — from which our Sages of blessed memory learned that Hashem, blessed be He, prays. For it does not say "their prayer" but rather "My prayer", etc., as explained in Berachos. For our entire endurance and vitality is only through Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem literally. And the essential [means] is through t'filas Hashem — which is the aspect of His praying Himself, blessed be He, through His simple mercy, to arouse His great and abundant mercy. (As explained in the Torah-teaching "Azi v'zimras Y-H", in [Likutay Moharan I:] Siman 105; see there.) And now that the Beis HaMikdash is destroyed on account of our sins, it would be impossible for us to endure — were it not for the great tzadikim who have the power to arouse the aspect of t'filas Hashem every day. From which new chasadim are drawn every day, in the aspect of "They are new every morning" [Lamentations 3:23], etc. Which are drawn through the immense chasadim they drew on Rosh Hashanah, which is the creation of the world, etc. — as explained above in section 3. These chasadim are drawn from Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur, to sweeten the judgments — until on Yom Kippur, Hashem, blessed be He, is appeased and forgives and pardons the sins of Yisrael, every year. And from there, new chasadim are drawn every single day — without which the world could not endure now, after the destruction. As Yirmiyahu cried out in his lamentation: "And I said: My strength is lost, and my hope from Hashem. This I bring back to my heart; therefore I have hope — the chasadim of Hashem have not ended" [Lamentations 3:18-22], etc. And all these chasadim are drawn through the aforementioned tzadikim who merit t'filas Hashem, as mentioned above. And therefore the First Temple, which was in the merit of Avraham, and the Second Temple, which was in the merit of Yitzchak, were destroyed through the klipah of Esav and Yishmael, as is brought. But the Third and final Temple, which we hope will be in the merit of Yaakov, will endure forever. For the essential generality of tzedakah and mishpat — which are the aspects of Torah and prayer together — is in the Beis HaMikdash. For from there Torah goes forth — for the Tablets, the generality of the Torah, stand there in the Beis HaMikdash in the Holy of Holies. And there is the place of prayer, as it is written: "For My House is a house of prayer" [Isaiah 56:7]. And the essential endurance of the Beis HaMikdash is when tzedakah and mishpat are included together, as it is written regarding the Mashi'ach: "And he shall judge the poor with righteousness" [Isaiah 11:4]. And as explained above regarding this. And therefore the two Temples, which were in the merit of Avraham and Yitzchak — with whom the aspects of tzedakah and mishpat were not yet included in completeness — therefore they were destroyed, as mentioned above. But the Third Temple, which will be in the merit of Yaakov, who merited to include tzedakah and mishpat in completeness — therefore it will endure forever. But nevertheless, it is brought in the holy books that the essential final redemption will come about through the sweetening of the gevuros of Yitzchak into the aspect of Yischak [laughter]. For this is the essential rectification — that Yaakov and Avraham will sweeten the gevuros of Yitzchak in completeness, through which the final redemption will come about. And this is the aspect of: "And I will remember My covenant with Yaakov, and also My covenant with Yitzchak, and also My covenant with Avraham I will remember" [Leviticus 26:42] — which begins first with Yaakov, for the essential redemption will be through him. And He will also remember the merit of Yitzchak and the merit of Avraham — until Avraham and Yaakov sweeten the gevuros of Yitzchak and include the tzedakah in the mishpat in completeness, through which the final redemption will come about and the building of the Beis HaMikdash, as mentioned above. And that is why, regarding Yaakov and Avraham, the term "remembrance" (zikarone) is written — "And I will remember" and "I will remember" — but regarding Yitzchak, no remembrance is written. For the essential remembrance — to have mercy on Yisrael and redeem them from all the troubles and exiles mentioned earlier in the parashah — is only through Avraham and Yaakov, who will sweeten the gevuros of Yitzchak, through which He will redeem them in His abundant mercy and chasadim. For the measure of chesed and tzedakah always exceeds the measure of mishpat and din. And as it is written: "He loves tzedakah and mishpat; the chesed of Hashem fills the earth" [Psalms 33:5]. And it is written: "For I am Hashem Who performs chesed, mishpat, and tzedakah on the earth" [Jeremiah 9:23]. It emerges that He mentioned tzedakah and chesed against the attribute of mishpat — for the measure of good is always greater. And this is the aspect of Avraham and Yaakov, who hold onto Yitzchak to sweeten his din and mishpat. And therefore through this the essential redemption will come about — through the sweetening of the gevuros of Yitzchak, transforming Yitzchak into Yischak, as is brought. And this is the aspect of the secret of the t'kios [shofar blasts], as brought in the Holy Zohar and in the [Kabbalistic] writings — that Avraham and Yaakov hold onto Yitzchak to sweeten his din, as mentioned above. For all the essential rectifications are accomplished on Rosh Hashanah — when the essential aspect of the sprouting of the horn of Mashi'ach takes place, as we pray then much about this, as it is written: "and the sprouting of the horn of David Your servant, and the setting up of the lamp for the son of Yishai Your anointed — speedily in our days", etc. And because Yitzchak needed to exert himself more with an abundance of prayers — the aspect of "And Yitzchak entreated", etc., as mentioned above — therefore the essence of prayer is hinted at most through the aspect of Yitzchak. As is hinted in the prayer of Nishmas, as we say: "In the mouth of the upright it shall be exalted, and on the lips of the righteous it shall be blessed... it shall be praised" — where the initial letters spell Yitzchak-Rivkah, as is brought. For there, one needs most to exert oneself to include Torah and prayer together — which are Yitzchak and Rivkah, as mentioned above. And therefore Yitzchak is hinted at in the initial letters Yesharim, Tzadikim, Chasidim, Kedoshim — who are the aspect of the generality of the tzadikim and G-d-fearing ones who fulfill the Torah — on account of which they are called by the names "upright" and "righteous," etc. — that is, the aspect of Torah, which is the aspect of Yitzchak. But Rivkah is hinted at in the initial letters Tisromam, Tisbarach, Tiskadash, Tishalal — which are the initial letters of Rivkah. For these words — "shall be exalted, shall be blessed," etc. — are the aspect of the generality of prayer — the aspect of Rivkah, the aspect of: "a woman who fears Hashem, she shall be praised", as mentioned above. And this is what is brought, that Yitzchak and Rivkah have the numerical value of 515 (takuf-tes-yud-hay), as found in the Yalkut HaReuveni, according to his approach. That is, t'filah has the numerical value of 515, which is Yitzchak and Rivkah, as mentioned above. For there is the essence of prayer — to sweeten the gevuros of Yitzchak, as mentioned above. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said: "A person should always be careful regarding the Minchah prayer", etc. And likewise they were especially strict that one should not delay the Minchah prayer, as they said: "A person should not sit before the barber close to [the time of] Minchah", etc. — that specifically close to Minchah they warned about this more, as brought in the poskim [halachic authorities]. For the Minchah prayer corresponds to Yitzchak, who established the Minchah prayer, as our Sages of blessed memory said — as it is written: "And Yitzchak went out to converse in the field" [Genesis 24:63], as our Sages of blessed memory expounded. Therefore, at that time one must be especially careful to pray and not delay it, lest one nullify it, G-d forbid. For there, one needs to exert oneself exceedingly to pray — because it is the aspect of the gevuros of Yitzchak, the aspect of mishpat, whose essential sweetening is through prayer — the aspect of tzedakah, as mentioned above. And therefore at that time — when Yitzchak went out to converse in the field — at that very moment Rivkah was brought to meet him through his prayer, as written there in the parashah. For Rivkah is the aspect of prayer, etc., as mentioned above. And therefore, the more a person sees that the dinim — which are the aspect of the strengthening of the yetzer — intensify against him, the more he specifically needs to exert himself to increase and persist in prayer and entreaty — more and more — in order to sweeten and nullify the severity of the dinim, etc., as mentioned above. And therefore the essential practice of hisbodedus — which is the aspect of conversation between oneself and one's Maker — is spoken of in connection with Yitzchak most, as it is written: "And Yitzchak went out to converse in the field". For the essential conversation and hisbodedus is to sweeten the aspect of the mishpat and din of Yitzchak, as mentioned above. And therefore Yitzchak wished to bless Esav, according to the severity of his din and mishpat. But Rivkah the righteous — who is the aspect of prayer, as mentioned above — sweetened the din and taught Yaakov to go with stealth and concealment to receive the blessings from Yitzchak specifically. For she knew that there was power in her prayer and in the prayer of Yaakov, [sufficient] to include the tzedakah within the mishpat, so that he could receive the blessings from Yitzchak specifically. But because of the great intensity of the prosecution and provocation of Esav — who is the aspect of the scorpion that lies in ambush against Yisrael always, especially at the time they wish to receive the blessings, which are the aspect of a good finding (at which time he lies in ambush and prosecutes more, as mentioned above) — therefore it was necessary to go with stealth. And Hashem, blessed be He, arranged that Yitzchak send Esav to hunt game, etc. And meanwhile, specifically Yaakov received the blessings, as brought in the Holy Zohar and the writings of the Ari z"l regarding this, etc.; see there. And this is what Yitzchak said to Yaakov: "How is it that you hastened to find [it], my son?" [Genesis 27:20] — "hastened" specifically. For Yitzchak saw and understood then from a distance that this was Yaakov, as is understood from the parashah, where he said: "Come close, please, that I may feel you" [Genesis 27:21], etc. Therefore he said to him: "How is it that you hastened to find such a good find — to feed me and receive the blessings through this?" That is, he said: "I know that ultimately all the blessings will reach you, Yaakov. But I thought that first the blessings needed to be given to Esav, for he must rule first." And as Yaakov himself said: "Let my lord please pass before his servant" [Genesis 33:14], as is brought. "Therefore I wished to bless him first. And therefore — how is it that you 'hastened'?" "Hastened" specifically — "to find, my son" — for in my view, the blessings, which are the aspect of good findings, are not yet yours. And he answered: "Because Hashem your G-d caused it to happen before me" [Genesis 27:20]. And it is found in the Midrash: Rabbi Yochanan and Reish Lakish [debated]. One said: "If for your offering He caused to appear for you the Holy One, blessed be He — as it says: 'And Avraham lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, a ram', etc. [Genesis 22:13] — for your food, how much more so!" And the other said: "If for your spouse He caused to appear for you — as it is written: 'Let it happen before me today' [Genesis 24:12]. And it is written: 'And he saw, and behold, camels were coming' [Genesis 24:63] — for your food, how much more so!" And this is astounding at first glance — for at face value, it is a flawed kal vachomer [a fortiori argument]. For certainly to save Yitzchak from the judgment of slaughter at the Akeidah, and likewise to arrange his spouse — these are greater salvations than to arrange his food for the moment. But according to all the above, the Midrash is understood very well and comes perfectly — and it will be sweet to your soul, with Hashem's help, blessed be He. For specifically the merit of the Akeidah and the finding of his spouse — he mentioned these at the moment he wished to receive the blessings. For he said: "Was it not for the sake of the offering of the Akeidah — which was to sweeten your gevuros — that Hashem caused the ram to appear? And likewise, to bring about your spouse Rivkah — who is the aspect of prayer that sweetens the aspect of mishpat and gevurah of Yitzchak — Hashem, blessed be He, helped in a wondrous way, even though it was very difficult to find your spouse, due to the intensity of your gevuros, as mentioned above. Nevertheless, Hashem had compassion and caused her to appear for you. And all of this was for my sake — so that Yisrael would emerge from me." "And now, for your food — that I wish to feed you in order to receive the blessings, so that Yisrael will be able to endure in the world and sustain themselves throughout the entire severity and prolonged bitterness of their exile — how much more so that Hashem, blessed be He, will cause [it] to appear before me!" It emerges that this Midrash is very beautifully connected — for specifically through the sweetening of the Akeidah and through his spouse Rivkah, the aspect of prayer as mentioned above, through this he received the blessings, as mentioned above. (And this is what is written in Sefer HaAlef-Beis, letter zayin: "The eating of the tzadikim is greater than offerings and than their marriage," etc. And understand this well.) And therefore Yitzchak said then: "The voice is the voice of Yaakov" [Genesis 27:22], etc. For he understood then the immense power of Yaakov, who merited the aspect of na'aseh v'nishma in completeness — to include mishpat and tzedakah together, which are the aspects of Torah and prayer. Through which one merits azus — the aspect of voices, the aspect of: "Behold, He gives His voice a voice of strength" [Psalms 68:34], as explained there. Therefore Yitzchak said then: "Now I know — for 'the voice is the voice of Yaakov' — very strong, through which he will overpower 'the hands, the hands of Esav'", as our Sages of blessed memory expounded. "For I see and understand that his voice grows ever stronger, since he has merited to sweeten the mishpat with tzedakah, to the point where he found [the means] to feed me and receive the blessings — which is drawn from the generality of Torah and prayer, through which one merits azus d'kedushah — the aspect of voices, the aspect of 'the voice is the voice of Yaakov'", as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of: "the voice — the voice" — two voices — the aspect of the voice of Torah and the voice of prayer that are included together, through which the essential strengthening of azus d'kedushah against the azus of the Sitra Achra prevails — to overpower "the hands, the hands of Esav", who draws sustenance from the aspect of mishpat when it is not included in completeness within the aspect of tzedakah. But through "the voice, the voice of Yaakov" — the aspect of the two voices drawn from Torah and prayer included together — through this one overpowers "the hands, the hands of Esav" and nullifies them, as mentioned above. And therefore indeed, Yaakov was in great fear when his mother told him to deceive his father to receive the blessings. And therefore he said to his mother: "Perhaps my father will feel me, and I will be in his eyes as a deceiver, and I will bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing" [Genesis 27:12]. For he was afraid of the severity of the gevuros of Yitzchak. And therefore he said: "Perhaps my father will feel me" — that is, that my father Yitzchak, who is the aspect of din and mishpat, will feel and scrutinize me with mishpat. For because I wish to receive the blessings, suddenly his mishpat will be aroused against me, G-d forbid, to feel me and scrutinize me. And then, G-d forbid, "I will bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing." For this is the way of the prosecution of mishpat: as long as a person is calm and at rest and is not seeking to find many good findings, then the prosecution of mishpat is not so strongly aroused against him. But as soon as one wishes to seize greatness and great wealth and the like, the prosecution is aroused against him, G-d forbid, saying: "Let us examine his deeds, whether he is worthy of this." And then, G-d forbid, the wheel can turn against him to the opposite. And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said: "Scrutinizing one's prayer calls to mind a person's sins" — that is, when one scrutinizes one's prayer improperly, saying: "It is fitting that the Holy One, blessed be He, should fulfill my request" — as Rashi explains there — then his sins are called to mind, [examining] whether he is worthy of this. And this is the aspect of the general principle of our words written above: that the majority of one's prayer should be only "that the flood of many waters should not reach him" — to be saved from the one who lies in ambush and prosecutes — the aspect of "from distress, You shall guard me", etc. And then one can also beseech mercy regarding one's essential livelihood, etc., as mentioned above. And this is what made Yaakov afraid: "Perhaps my father will feel me" — which is the aspect of mishpat and din that will feel and scrutinize me, because I have come to receive the blessings. And then "I will bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing" — which is the aspect of the scorpion's bite that comes suddenly, which is the opposite of the finding, as mentioned above. And his mother answered him: "Upon me is your curse, my son; only go and take for me" [Genesis 27:13], etc. That is, Rivkah said that she accepts upon herself to nullify this fear. For she specifically knows how to nullify this — for Rivkah is the aspect of prayer, the aspect of the sweetening of the din and mishpat of Yitzchak, as mentioned above. And therefore specifically she is able to nullify this fear. And as found in the Midrash, that she said to him: "Upon me — I will go in to Yitzchak and say to him: 'Yaakov is righteous, Esav is wicked.'" That is, as mentioned above — she said that through her prayer, she could sweeten the gevuros of Yitzchak and reveal to him that Yisrael are righteous compared to the wicked Esav. For even if they are as they are, they are still righteous compared to the wickedness of the nations, who are the children of Esav. And this is revealed through Rivkah specifically — who is the aspect of prayer that sweetens the din and mishpat, as mentioned above — through which Yaakov could receive the blessings, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the test of Avraham and Yitzchak at the time of the Akeidah. For as is known, the world's question regarding the great renown of the test of the Akeidah: given the great righteousness of Avraham, this does not seem like such a great test at first glance. For it seems to us that even simple people would stand up to this test — when Hashem, blessed be He, explicitly tells someone to slaughter his only son, certainly he would fulfill His word and slaughter him. But the essential test was that he did not question His ways, blessed be He — as is brought regarding this, and as understood from the words of our Sages of blessed memory, and is brought in Rashi's commentary, from what [Avraham] said afterward: "Let me set forth my words before You: yesterday You told me 'for in Yitzchak shall your seed be called,' and afterward You told me to offer him as a burnt-offering", etc. It is understood from this and other sources that this was the essential test. And as our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the verse "And I and the lad will go until here (koh)" [Genesis 22:5] — as brought in Rashi: "I will see where is the [fulfillment of] what He told me: 'Thus (koh) shall your seed be.'" But Avraham strengthened himself in emunah and did not question His ways. And he said: "Even though I do not understand His ways, certainly this is the way things are — it is impossible to understand the ways of Hashem. And I am obligated to do my part, to bring my only son to slaughter. And nevertheless I believe that Hashem, blessed be He, will fulfill all His words that He promised me — for His ways are impossible to understand at all, for He can perform two opposites in one subject." And as I heard from him [the Rebbe], of blessed memory, at length regarding this. And this is the aspect of what is written: "And Avraham called the name of that place 'Hashem Yireh' [Hashem will see]; as it is said to this day: 'On the mountain of Hashem, it shall be seen'" [Genesis 22:14]. For all the holy Patriarchs understood and saw from afar that the essential purpose and hope would come only at the very end, when Mashi'ach comes. And as our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the verse "and also the nation that they shall serve" [Genesis 15:14] — to include the subjugation of the kingdoms — and likewise in many places, that they all foresaw this bitter, last, lengthy exile. But despite the immensity of their attainment and holy spirit, they could not ascertain the final "end" — which is the keitz hap'la'os [the wondrous end], which is very sealed and hidden from every eye. And as our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the verse "And Yaakov called to his sons" [Genesis 49:1], etc. — that he wished to reveal to them the end of the redemption, and the Shechinah departed from him. And this is the aspect of what is written regarding Avraham: "And he saw the place from afar" [Genesis 22:4] — that he saw the hope, which is the holiness of the place of the Beis HaMikdash, which is the house of our lives and where all our hope lies. But "he saw the place from afar" — for it is impossible to ascertain when we will return to this holy place. But nevertheless, he saw it with clear and pure vision — that we will certainly merit this holy place, ultimately. Only it is from afar. (And as explained in our words at length regarding this — to draw out hints from this, each person for himself regarding his individual soul's redemption; see there, in Hilchos Shiluach HaKen, Halacha 5.) And this is itself the aspect of "And I and the lad will go until koh" — said regarding Avraham. For he believed that even though he was bringing his son to slaughter, nevertheless certainly His words, blessed be He, would be fulfilled — that He said "for in Yitzchak shall your seed be called". Only it is in the aspect of koh — which is very distant and impossible to understand. Only from afar can one see, as mentioned above. And therefore afterward, when Hashem, blessed be He, saved Yitzchak and offered a ram in his stead, then Avraham understood more deeply that it is impossible to understand His ways and to ascertain the end of His words — especially regarding the final "end." For all the promises He had made — to give him offspring and to bequeath them the Land — everything was for the sake of the final "end," when all the promises would be fulfilled in completeness. But it is impossible to ascertain the end of the matter in any way. Rather, we are obligated every day to fulfill the words of Hashem, blessed be He, and His mitzvos, and to believe that through this the "end" draws near — and to wait every day for him to come. And yet, if he does not come on that day, we wait for the next day — until ultimately he will come. As they said: "If it tarries, wait for it; for it will surely come; it will not delay." And this is: "And Avraham called the name of that place: Hashem Yireh" — which seems to have no meaning at first glance, as Rashi struggles with it in his commentary. But now it will be explained in its plain meaning: that he called the place of the Beis HaMikdash — which is the essential hope, as mentioned above — "Hashem Yireh." That is: only "Hashem will see" this place, to cause His Shechinah to rest upon it. For only He, blessed be He, alone knows the end. But we are forbidden to think of any "end" at all. And as our Sages of blessed memory said: rather, it is incumbent upon us every single day to do what is ours — to turn from evil and do good each and every day, through which the redemption draws near. And as our Sages of blessed memory said, that [someone] asked Eliyahu: "When will the Master come?" [Eliyahu] said to him: "Today!" — "Today, if you will hear His voice" [Psalms 95:7]. And if there have already been many tzadikim and upright people who served Him, blessed be He, every single day, and nevertheless he has not yet come — this is on account of the corruption of others who delay his coming. But nevertheless, each person according to his service brings the redemption closer on that day. And ultimately, the sparks of redemption that the tzadikim and upright have aroused every single day will be gathered together, and through this the redemption will come. And as our Rebbe, of blessed memory, wrote regarding the statement of Rabbah bar bar Chanah: "When it warmed up near it, it turned over" — in [Likutay Moharan] I:2; see there. And this is: "as it is said to this day: on the mountain of Hashem, it shall be seen" — and as Rashi explains, that it refers to every day of all the future generations that read this verse, etc.; see there. That is, the aspect of "Today, if you will hear His voice" mentioned above — that every day the redemption draws closer according to the service of each and every person who serves Hashem, blessed be He. And as we bless every day: "Who causes the horn of salvation to sprout." And this is: "as it is said to this day" — that is, on every single day, of every person in every generation — "today, Hashem will be seen" by His people in this place, as Rashi explains there. For every day the redemption sparkles and Hashem is seen in this place, as mentioned above. Only, to ascertain the end of the matter — when the complete redemption will come at the final "end" — regarding this he said: "Hashem Yireh" — for only Hashem, blessed be He, Himself will see this, as mentioned above. But nevertheless: "as it is said to this day" — that is, every single day — "on the mountain of Hashem, it shall be seen", as mentioned above. And see what is explained in [Likutay Moharan] I:272, regarding the verse "Today, if you will hear His voice" — that this is the essential counsel for serving Hashem, blessed be He: to think every single day that one has only this day alone, etc.; see there. And this pertains to the matter discussed above — for everything is one. For it is forbidden to force the moment. And one must think only about this day, in the aspect of "This is the day that Hashem has made" [Psalms 118:24], etc. And through this, one will merit to serve Hashem, blessed be He. And likewise, one will merit that on his account there should not be so much of a delay of Mashi'ach. And according to the service of Yisrael who fulfill this and serve Hashem every day, so does the sprouting of the horn of salvation sparkle every day, as mentioned above — until ultimately all their service is gathered together and the redemption comes in completeness. And each person, according to his share in the drawing near of Mashi'ach, will then merit to delight in Hashem and to be satiated from His great goodness that He will bestow upon us then. And this is: "At midnight I will rise to thank You for the mishp'tei tzidkecha [judgments of Your righteousness]" [Psalms 119:62] — the aspect of tzedakah and mishpat mentioned above: that through mishpat He performs tzedakah. This will be in its completeness when Mashi'ach comes, who will merit this, as mentioned above — through which the complete redemption will come about, as mentioned above. And this is merited through rising at chatzos [midnight], through which the end of the redemption comes, as mentioned above. And this is: "At midnight I will rise to thank You for the mishp'tei tzidkecha" — that at midnight, when one rises — through which the redemption is brought closer, as our Sages of blessed memory said, as mentioned above — then one needs to thank Him, blessed be He, for His mishp'tei tzidkaso [the judgments of His righteousness] — that He, blessed be He, through mishpat, performs tzedakah. Through which is the essential strengthening — to hope and wait for salvation and complete redemption, in the general and the particular, at all times, as mentioned above. And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said: "'And I will make you into a great nation' — this is what we say: 'G-d of Avraham'", etc. "Perhaps they should seal [the blessing] with all of them? The verse teaches: 'And you shall be a blessing' — with you they seal", etc. That is, as mentioned above — for the essential sealing and conclusion of the blessing of the three Patriarchs — Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, who are the aspects of tzedakah, mishpat, and the generality of tzedakah and mishpat together, as mentioned above — the essential sealing of the blessing is only "Shield of Avraham" (Magen Avraham). For Avraham is the aspect of tzedakah and chesed — with which the blessing is essentially sealed and concluded, for the measure of good always exceeds [the measure of retribution], as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of Chanukah, which is the aspect of the inauguration (chanukas) of the Beis HaMikdash. For the essential holiness of the Beis HaMikdash is because there is the place of the Torah and prayer — as it is written: "For from Tzion shall Torah go forth" [Isaiah 2:3], for there stands the Ark with the Tablets in the Holy of Holies. And there is the place of prayer, as it is written: "For My House is a house of prayer" — for through there all the prayers ascend, as it is written: "And they shall pray to You in the direction of their land and the House that You have built for Your Name" [I Kings 8:48], etc. And the essential thing is that there is the resting-place of His Shechinah, blessed be He. And there the Torah is the aspect of Toras Hashem literally — for there stand the Tablets that were given from His hand, blessed be He, to the hand of Moshe — which are the handiwork of G-d, as it is written: "And the Tablets are the handiwork of G-d... written with the finger of G-d" [Exodus 32:16] — the aspect of Toras Hashem literally. And likewise t'filas Hashem literally is there in the Beis HaMikdash, as it is written: "And I will gladden them in the house of My prayer" [Isaiah 56:7] — from which our Sages of blessed memory learned that Hashem, blessed be He, prays. For it does not say "their prayer," but "My prayer," etc. — as explained in Berachos. For all our endurance and vitality is only through Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem literally — and the essential thing is through t'filas Hashem, which is the aspect of His praying, blessed be He, Himself, in His simple mercy, to arouse His great and abundant mercy. (As explained in the Torah-teaching "Azi v'zimras Y-H" in [Likutay Moharan] I:105 regarding this matter; see there.) And now, when the Beis HaMikdash is destroyed through our sins, it would have been impossible for us to endure were it not for the great tzadikim who have the power to arouse the aspect of t'filas Hashem every day — from which new chasadim are drawn every day, in the aspect of "They are new every morning", etc. — which are drawn through the intensity of the chasadim drawn on Rosh Hashanah, which is the creation of the world, etc. — as explained above in section 3. These chasadim are drawn from Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur, to sweeten the dinim — until on Yom Kippur, Hashem, blessed be He, is appeased and forgives and pardons the sins of Yisrael every year. And from there the chasadim are drawn anew every single day — without which there would be no sustenance for the world now, after the Churban. As Yirmiyahu cried out in his lamentation and said: "My victory and my hope from Hashem have perished. This I return to my heart — therefore I will hope: the chasadim of Hashem have not ended" [Lamentations 3:18,21-22], etc. And all these chasadim are drawn through the aforementioned tzadikim who merit t'filas Hashem, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the intensity of the miracle of Chanukah. For the wicked kingdom wished to make them forget Your Torah, etc. — and to destroy the Beis HaMikdash before its time. For they wished to uproot the holiness of Yisrael entirely, G-d forbid — through which the world would have reverted to chaos and void, for the world cannot endure without the Torah. For the Sitra Achra — the aspect of the wicked kingdom — saw and understood that this Second Temple would not endure and was destined to be destroyed. For even then, during its construction, their hand was strong over Yisrael. Therefore they wished to destroy it immediately, in order to intensify the darkness greatly — to darken, G-d forbid, the eyes of Yisrael, so that they would despair completely of the complete redemption. For the essential creation of the world was only for the sake of Yisrael, for the sake of the Torah, and for the sake of the Beis HaMikdash, as it is written: "In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth" [Genesis 1:1]. And our Sages of blessed memory said: "For the sake of 'reishis' — which is Yisrael, and the Torah, and the Beis HaMikdash — which are called 'reishis'", etc. But: "And the earth was tohu and vohu, and darkness upon the face of the deep" [Genesis 1:2] — which are the aspects of the four kingdoms, as our Sages of blessed memory expounded. And it is explained in their words, of blessed memory, that the wicked kingdom of Greece is the aspect of "darkness," and the kingdom of Edom — which is the present exile — is the aspect of "the deep" (t'hom). It emerges that the wicked kingdom of Greece that ruled then is the aspect of "darkness upon the face of the deep" — the darkness that covers the face of the deep, which is this exile that is compared to a deep. And when one falls into a deep in broad daylight, it is already very bitter and difficult to ascend; how much more so when the darkness intensifies over the face of the deep! And this was the intent of the wicked kingdom of Greece then — which is the aspect of the darkness upon the face of the deep — who wished to intensify the darkness greatly, to join the exiles together, that the Temple should be destroyed immediately, so that the darkness would overpower the face of the deep, so that Yisrael would not be able to ascend and emerge, G-d forbid. And Hashem, blessed be He, in His abundant mercy, placed in the hearts of the true tzadikim — Matisyahu and his sons — to fight the wars of Hashem. And their essential power was through azus d'kedushah, which they drew from the aspect of t'filas Hashem literally. As is brought, that Yehudah the son of Matisyahu was called Yehudah Makabi — Mi Kamocha Ba'eilim Hashem — for he would cry out in battle: "Who is like You among the mighty, Hashem?" [Exodus 15:11]. For the essential praise of "Who is like You" etc. is that Hashem, blessed be He, causes the chasadim to overpower the gevuros, to help Yisrael — which is the essential greatness of His might. And as is juxtaposed there: "Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, performing wonders" — "awesome in praises" is the aspect of His prayer, blessed be He. For He, blessed be He, is "awesome of prayers" (nora s'hilos) — for His prayers are awesome indeed, through which He performs wonders to save Yisrael. And therefore, when they were victorious, they merited that there was such a great miracle specifically through the lights of the Menorah — regarding which they established for us to kindle the Chanukah lamp. To indicate that Hashem is still with us and illuminates for us with a great light amidst the intense darkness of the wicked kingdom, in the aspect of: "Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; though I have fallen, I have risen; though I sit in darkness, Hashem is a light for me" [Micah 7:8]. And through this, Hashem, blessed be He, uprooted their evil scheme, and it was turned for us into good from one extreme to the other. For not only did they not intensify the darkness upon the face of the deep, G-d forbid, as mentioned above — but moreover it was reversed, and the aforementioned tzadikim established for us a great and wondrous rectification for all generations, drawing down for us a new mitzvah, holy and awesome like this, for all generations. Until even we now, in the intensity of the prolonged exile — which is the aspect of a literal deep — merit to kindle the Chanukah lamp, which is the aspect of a very wondrous and awesome light that illuminates for us amidst the dark blackness of the deep. Through which we have hope not to despair of mercy — for He, blessed be He, still illuminates for us in His mercy, in the aspect of "Though I sit in darkness, Hashem is a light for me", as mentioned above. For the light of the Chanukah lamp is drawn from a very lofty place, as brought in the Kavanos — that is, from the aspect of Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem literally. And the essential wonder of the greatness of the Chanukah lamp is that it is drawn from such a lofty place — from the aspect of Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem — to the extent that it has the power to illuminate far, far below, amidst the dark blackness of the literal deep. For the loftier the light, the more it can illuminate to lower and lower levels, as explained elsewhere. For the Second Temple was in the merit of Yitzchak, as is brought — who is the aspect of the intensity of the gevuros. And therefore the redemption was not complete, as our Sages of blessed memory said — for five things were lacking, and they were subjugated under the kings of the nations. But nevertheless, it was a great and awesome good for us, and were it not for the Second Temple, it would have been impossible for us to endure in this long exile — from the intensity of the darkness upon the face of the deep, whose sustenance comes from the aspect of the gevuros of Yitzchak, from the aspect of "and his eyes dimmed from seeing" [Genesis 27:1], which need to be sweetened with the great chasadim drawn from t'filas Hashem, as mentioned above. And therefore, Hashem, blessed be He, arranged in His mercy that precisely then — in the days of the Second Temple, which corresponds to Yitzchak, when the darkness wished to intensify, etc. — which is the aspect of the wicked kingdom of Greece that ruled then — precisely then, the holy days of Chanukah were established for us, during which we kindle the holy Chanukah lamp, which is the aspect of a great light established for us to illuminate for all generations, even amidst this exile that is the aspect of a deep, as mentioned above. And therefore they are eight days of Chanukah, corresponding to the aspects of Torah and prayer, each of which comprises four — four, which are the aspects of Y-i-tz-ch-a-k and R-i-v-k-a-h. For the four letters of Yitzchak are the aspects of: Yesharim, Tzadikim, Chasidim, Kedoshim — which are the generality of the Torah. And Rivkah is the aspect of Tisromam, etc. through Tishalal — which are the aspects of the four parts of prayer. For prayer comprises four — that is, four parts of prayer corresponding to the four worlds: Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah, Asiyah. For the korbanos [correspond to] Asiyah; P'sukei d'Zimrah to Yetzirah, etc. — as explained in the Kavanos. And likewise, the Torah comprises four, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "How was the order of the Mishnah", etc. — it emerges: four times in the hand of each one, as brought in the Torah-teaching "Maysh'ra", etc. (Likutay Moharan I:30). It emerges that Torah and prayer are eight aspects — which are the aspects of the four letters of Yitzchak and Rivkah, as mentioned above. And corresponding to this are the eight days of Chanukah, during which a great light shines whose essence is drawn from Torah and prayer — that is, from Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem — through which all the dinim in the world are sweetened in every generation, every year. From there was the intensity of the miracle of Chanukah. And the illumination of this miracle is drawn upon us every single year, through which we endure in this long exile. And therefore [Chanukah] is called "Chanukah" — the aspect of the inauguration of the Temple. For through the intensity of these miracles, we believe that Hashem, blessed be He, is still with us and illuminates for us in the intensity of the darkness of our exile. And through this, we do not despair of mercy — through which we will merit the complete redemption. For through this, the aspect of the inauguration of the Temple is drawn every year, as we say the psalm "A song of the inauguration of the Temple" [Psalms 30] every day. For every day, the horn of salvation sprouts, until ultimately all the salvations that have been aroused and have sprouted through the prayer of Yisrael are gathered together — and through this the complete redemption will come, in the aspect of "When it warmed up near it, it turned over", etc. — as explained above. And all of this each person must understand — drawing hints for himself: that specifically in the intensity of the darkness of his exile, which is the aspect of a literal deep, both physically and spiritually — the aspect of "deep calls unto deep" [Psalms 42:8], as Rashi explains: "one trouble calls to its companion", may the Merciful One save us — even there Hashem, blessed be He, illuminates through His chesed, through the tzadikim who draw the aspect of t'filas Hashem, from which the chasadim never cease, as mentioned above. But each person must strengthen himself to believe in this, and to endeavor in every way possible to cry out and pray to Hashem. And the essential thing is that one should arouse t'filas Hashem itself — that one should ask Hashem, blessed be He, to pray Himself on one's behalf, as mentioned above. For the more there is some arousal from below — that a Jewish person prays from below — the more, as it were, the power of His prayer, blessed be He, is aroused, as is known. For this is the essential generality of all the intentions (kavanos) of the Torah and the mitzvos and all the intentions of the prayer — that the essential intention is that through is'arusa d'l'sata there should be an arousal above, as is known. That is: when we study Torah or fulfill any mitzvah, through this we arouse Him, blessed be He, to fulfill that Torah and mitzvah. And likewise when we pray before Him, blessed be He, then He, blessed be He, Himself prays. For every person from Yisrael is literally a part of G-d, and according to his portion and his root in His G-dliness, blessed be He, so does he have the power to arouse from above. But certainly there are many distinctions — for His G-dliness, blessed be He, fills all the worlds, from the summit of all levels to the end of all levels, to the very lowest level, and even within the "ten crowns of impurity", etc. — as brought in his [the Rebbe's] words, of blessed memory, many times (and especially in the Torah-teaching "Mi ha'ish hechafetz chaim" [Likutay Moharan I:33]). Only, the lower the level, the more His G-dliness is in greater constrictions and clothed in more garments, etc. And therefore there are many distinctions and levels between one person and another, and within a person himself, who must ascend from level to level — as explained in this Torah-teaching "Chosam b'soch chosam" that we are engaged in. For at the level of each person according to his standing, there are the aspects of revealed and concealed, the aspects of na'aseh and nishma, which are the aspects of Toras Hashem and "his Torah," which are the aspects of Torah and prayer, etc. — as explained there. That is, there are those who are at such a low level that through their Torah and prayer they can only arouse the G-dly vitality that is clothed in many garments and great constrictions that sustains some level of the world of Asiyah. And so from level to level. And therefore the essential hope is through the great tzadikim who merit Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem literally — who illuminate within us. That even at the very lowest depths, from there we can cling with a strong ratzon to t'filas Hashem literally. For the ratzon is always free — as explained above regarding this: that through the great power of the tzadikim, we can exert ourselves with a strong ratzon, which is the aspect of nishma, the aspect of prayer, etc. — to draw upon ourselves mercy and chasadim from t'filas Hashem literally, from which new chasadim are drawn every day that never cease. And this is the aspect of the generality of the kavanos of the daily prayer. For it is explained in the Kavanos of the Ari z"l that the general intention is to rectify the four worlds — Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah, Asiyah — through deed and speech. For initially one must rectify them through deed: through attending to bodily needs and washing one's hands — thereby expelling the waste and purifying the world of Asiyah. Through tzitzis, one rectifies the world of Yetzirah. Through the tefillin of the hand, one rectifies the world of Beriah. Through the tefillin of the head, the world of Atzilus. And all this is through deed. And afterward through speech: through the morning blessings and the korbanos section, etc., one rectifies the world of Asiyah through speech. Through P'sukei d'Zimrah, the world of Yetzirah. Through Krias Shema and its blessings, the world of Beriah. Through the Shemoneh Esreh, the world of Atzilus. That is, deed and speech are the aspects of na'aseh and nishma. For na'aseh is the aspect of deed — the aspect of Torah. And speech is the aspect of nishma, the aspect of prayer — which is specifically through speech. And one must ascend from level to level until Atzilus — and there one must be included in the Ain Sof, until the prayer becomes the aspect of t'filas Hashem literally. And this is the aspect of what we request before the prayer: "Hashem, open my lips" [Psalms 51:17], etc. That is: "I do not know what to say at all, nor how to draw the chasadim to nullify the din. Only — 'Hashem, open my lips' — and He Himself, as it were, should speak through me all the words of the prayer, in the aspect of: 'The spirit of Hashem has spoken through me' [II Samuel 23:2]." That is: "May I be included in You until my prayer becomes the aspect of t'filas Hashem literally." And this is: "and my mouth shall declare Your praise" — the aspect of: "He is your praise and He is your G-d" [Deuteronomy 10:21]. For this is the essential completeness of prayer — that the prayer should be included in His unity, blessed be He — as explained elsewhere. That is, the aspect of t'filas Hashem, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the greatness of praying with the congregation, when one's prayer is not rejected, in the aspect of: "Behold, G-d is mighty; He does not reject" [Job 36:5]. For "wherever there are ten, the Shechinah rests." And the essential rectification is through the chazan and shliach tzibur [prayer leader] when he is fitting and proper. For the shliach tzibur must be the most select of the congregation, who can gather all the good points that exist in each member of the congregation and include them with Him, blessed be He — until he arouses t'filas Hashem literally. And this is the aspect of the repetition of the prayer with the congregation, when Kedushah is said. For through the repetition of the prayer, the shliach tzibur gathers all the prayers of the congregation and includes them together, and ascends with them and is included in t'filas Hashem — where the ultimate Kedushah, supernal above all sanctities, resides. And this is the aspect of the three sanctities — "Kadosh, kadosh, kadosh" — the aspect of the Kedushah of Torah, the aspect of na'aseh; the aspect of the Kedushah of prayer, the aspect of nishma; and the third "Kadosh" is the aspect of the generality of their Kedushah together. For the essential thing is to include the Kedushah of nishma within the Kedushah of na'aseh, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of: "the whole earth is full of His glory" — "glory" is the aspect of "the King of glory", the aspect of mishpat, the aspect of "a king through mishpat establishes the land" [Proverbs 29:4]. For the essential glory of the King is that He performs mishpat. That is, all of this is still the aspect of mishpat, which is the aspect of Torah, etc., as mentioned above. For even within the aspect of Toras Hashem, all the aforementioned aspects are included, as mentioned above. And then the ofanim and the chayos hakodesh, with a great tumult, rise up toward the serafim and say: "Blessed is the glory of Hashem from His place" — which is the aspect of "Where is the place of His glory?" — as we say in the Kedushah of Keser on Shabbos. That is, they say that it is not the essential praise and glory of Hashem, blessed be He, that His glory — the aspect of mishpat — fills the entire world. For through this alone the world would not endure, as mentioned above. Rather, in truth, no one knows at all where the place of His glory is — for the ways of His mishpat are impossible to grasp, since the mishpat is included within tzedakah, which is drawn from t'filas Hashem, as mentioned above — and this is impossible to grasp at all. Therefore the essential praise of His, blessed be He, is: "Blessed is the glory of Hashem from His place" — for there are very great mercies that are beyond estimation — the aspect of "from His place, He shall turn in mercy", etc. And therefore the angels say this with great tumult — for they tremble greatly in awe of Him, because they understand from afar the immensity of the wonders of His chasadim without end, which are the essential greatness of the Creator, blessed be He, as mentioned above — which they cannot grasp at all, only the great tzadikim who were in this world, etc., as mentioned above. And one who cannot pray with the congregation — his essential remedy is to bind himself to the tzadikim of the generation mentioned above, who have merited t'filas Hashem literally, for the entire essential rectification of prayer is through them. For even the shliach tzibur does not have the power for all the above — even if he is a truly upright and fitting person — except through the power of the tzadikim, to whom he must bind himself strongly, so that he can raise all the prayers of the congregation to the aspect of t'filas Hashem, as mentioned above. And after the repetition of the prayer, then we say the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy: "And Hashem passed before his face and proclaimed: Hashem, Hashem" [Exodus 34:6] — which is the essential aspect of t'filas Hashem mentioned above, which one merits to arouse through the prayer of all Yisrael, as mentioned above. And then we fall on our faces. And it is explained in the Kavanos that one casts oneself with the intention [of falling] from heaven to earth, in order to raise up sparks from the depths of the klippos for the sake of the unification. That is, the aspect of: the descent is the purpose of the ascent, as explained in the aforementioned Torah-teaching and brought above. For it is impossible to be included there except through a prior descent that is the purpose of the ascent — that when one stands firm in the test at the very depth of the descent, strengthening oneself even there and believing that His mercies never cease, as mentioned above — then one merits the ultimate ascent, through the power of the tzadikim, to be included in the aspect of t'filas Hashem literally. Where everything is transformed into good — for there all sins are forgiven and transformed into merits, in the aspect of: "On that day, the sin of Yisrael shall be sought, and it is not there" [Jeremiah 50:20], etc. — as explained there in the aforementioned Torah-teaching. And after the prayer, we say Ashrei and U'va l'Tzion, etc. — at which point one returns from Atzilus to Beriah. And afterward, through T'filah l'David and the Song of the Day, one returns from Beriah to Yetzirah. And afterward, through Ein K'Elokeinu and the ketores section, one returns from Yetzirah to Asiyah. And all of this is in order to draw the bounty of good from world to world, until this physical world — as all this is explained in the Kavanos. That is, for this is the essential rectification — to draw the chasadim from the ultimate height, from the aspect of t'filas Hashem literally, until all the mishpatim and dinim below are sweetened, until the bounty of good is drawn as a blessing to this physical world. And this is the essential generality of including nishma within na'aseh — that is, that the aspect of the chasadim from t'filas Hashem should illuminate all the way down to the very lowest level of the world of Asiyah, until all are drawn close to Hashem, blessed be He, as mentioned above. And every goodness should be drawn upon us, physically and spiritually, as mentioned above. For the more the din is sweetened, the more the power of the yetzer hara is nullified, and one merits to return to Hashem, blessed be He, and every good is drawn to Yisrael. Amen. And therefore the First Temple, which was in the merit of Avraham, and the Second Temple, which was in the merit of Yitzchak — were destroyed through the klipah of Esav and Yishmael, as is brought. But the Third and final Temple, for which we hope, which will be in the merit of Yaakov, will endure forever. For the essential generality of tzedakah and mishpat — which are the aspects of Torah and prayer together — is in the Beis HaMikdash. For from there Torah goes forth, for the Tablets — which are the generality of the Torah — stand there in the Beis HaMikdash, in the Holy of Holies. And there is the place of prayer, as it is written: "For My House is a house of prayer" [Isaiah 56:7]. And the essential endurance of the Beis HaMikdash is when tzedakah and mishpat are included together — as it is written regarding the Mashi'ach: "And he shall judge the poor with righteousness" [Isaiah 11:4] — and as explained above regarding this. And therefore the two Temples that were in the merit of Avraham and Yitzchak — with whom the aspects of tzedakah and mishpat were not yet included in completeness — therefore they were destroyed, as mentioned above. But the Third Temple, which will be in the merit of Yaakov, who merited to include tzedakah and mishpat in completeness — therefore it will endure forever. But nevertheless, it is brought in the holy books that the essential final redemption will be through the sweetening of the gevuros of Yitzchak, [transforming] them to the aspect of Yis'chak [laughter]. For this is the essential rectification: that Yaakov and Avraham will sweeten the gevuros of Yitzchak in completeness, and through this the final redemption will come. And this is the aspect of: "And I will remember My covenant with Yaakov, and also My covenant with Yitzchak, and also My covenant with Avraham I will remember" [Leviticus 26:42], etc. — which begins first with Yaakov, for the essential redemption will be through him. And He will also remember the merit of Yitzchak and also the merit of Avraham — until Avraham and Yaakov sweeten the gevuros of Yitzchak and include the tzedakah within the mishpat in completeness — and through this will come the final redemption and the building of the Beis HaMikdash, as mentioned above. And this is why it is written regarding Yaakov: "And I will remember", etc. — and likewise regarding Avraham it also says remembrance: "and also My covenant with Avraham I will remember." But regarding Yitzchak, remembrance is not written. For the essential "remembrance" — to have mercy upon Yisrael and to redeem them from all the troubles and exiles mentioned earlier in the parshah — is only through Avraham and Yaakov, who will sweeten the gevuros of Yitzchak. Through which He will redeem them in His abundant mercy and chasadim — for always the attribute of chesed and tzedakah is greater than the mishpat and din. And as it is written: "He loves tzedakah and mishpat; the chesed of Hashem fills the earth" [Psalms 33:5]. And it is written: "For I am Hashem, Who performs chesed, mishpat, and tzedakah in the earth" [Jeremiah 9:23]. It emerges that He mentioned tzedakah and chesed against the attribute of mishpat — for the measure of good is always greater. And this is the aspect of Avraham and Yaakov, who hold onto Yitzchak to sweeten his din and mishpat. And therefore through this will come the essential redemption — through their sweetening the gevuros of Yitzchak, and Yitzchak being transformed into Yis'chak [laughter], as is brought. And this is the aspect of the secret of the t'kios [shofar blasts], brought in the Holy Zohar and in the [Kabbalistic] writings — that Avraham and Yaakov hold onto Yitzchak to sweeten his din, as mentioned above. For the essential rectifications all take place on Rosh Hashanah — for then is the essential aspect of the sprouting of the horn of Mashi'ach, as we pray much about this then, as it is written: "and the sprouting of a horn for David Your servant, and the arranging of a lamp for the son of Yishai, Your anointed one — speedily in our days", etc. And because Yitzchak needed more than anyone to exert himself with much prayer — the aspect of "and Yitzchak entreated", etc., as mentioned above — therefore the essential prayer is hinted at most particularly in the aspect of Yitzchak, as hinted in Nishmas. As we say: "In the mouth of the upright (Y'sharim) it shall be exalted; and by the lips of the righteous (Tzadikim) it shall be blessed..." etc., until "it shall be praised (tis'halal)." The initial letters [of these words] are Yitzchak-Rivkah, as is brought — for there one needs to exert most powerfully to include Torah and prayer together, which are Yitzchak and Rivkah, as mentioned above. And therefore Yitzchak is hinted at in the initial letters: Y'sharim (upright), Tzadikim (righteous), Chasidim (devout), K'doshim (holy) — which are the aspect of the generality of the tzadikim and the G-d-fearing who fulfill the Torah, on account of which they are called by the names "upright" and "righteous," etc. — that is, the aspect of Torah, which is the aspect of Yitzchak. But Rivkah is hinted at in the initial letters: tis'Romam (exalted), tis'Barach (blessed), tis'Kadash (sanctified), tis'Halal (praised) — which are the initial letters of Rivkah. For these words — "exalted, blessed," etc. — are the aspect of the generality of prayer, the aspect of Rivkah, the aspect of "a woman who fears Hashem, she shall be praised", as mentioned above. And this is what is brought: that Yitzchak and Rivkah have the gematria of 515 — as it is found in the Yalkut HaReuveni, according to its approach. That is, because t'filah [prayer] has the gematria of 515, which is Yitzchak and Rivkah, as mentioned above. For there is the essential prayer — to sweeten the gevuros of Yitzchak, as mentioned above. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said: "A person should always be careful about the Minchah prayer", etc. And likewise they warned especially not to delay the Minchah prayer, as they said: "A person should not sit down before the barber close to Minchah [time]", etc. — for specifically close to Minchah [time] they warned about this the most, as is brought in the poskim [halachic authorities]. For the Minchah prayer corresponds to Yitzchak, who established the Minchah prayer — as our Sages of blessed memory said, as it is written: "And Yitzchak went out to converse in the field" [Genesis 24:63], as our Sages of blessed memory expounded. Therefore, at that time, one needs to be especially careful to pray and not to delay it, so as not to forfeit it, G-d forbid. For there one needs to exert oneself more and more in prayer — because it is the aspect of the gevuros of Yitzchak, the aspect of mishpat, whose essential sweetening is through prayer, the aspect of tzedakah, as mentioned above. And therefore precisely then — when Yitzchak went out to converse in the field — precisely then Rivkah came to him through his prayer, as is written there in the parshah. For Rivkah is the aspect of prayer, etc., as mentioned above. And therefore, the more a person sees that the dinim — which are the aspect of the strengthening of the yetzer [evil inclination] — are overpowering him more and more, he specifically needs to exert himself to increase and persist in prayer and entreaty, more and more — in order to sweeten and nullify the severity of the dinim, etc., as mentioned above. And therefore the essential hisbodedus [secluded conversation] — which is the aspect of conversation between oneself and one's Maker — is expressed most particularly in connection with Yitzchak, as it is written: "And Yitzchak went out to converse in the field" [Genesis 24:63]. For the essential conversation and hisbodedus is for the purpose of sweetening the aspect of mishpat and din of Yitzchak, as mentioned above. And therefore Yitzchak wanted to bless Esav, according to the severity of his din and mishpat. But Rivkah the righteous — who is the aspect of prayer, as mentioned above — sweetened the din and instructed Yaakov to go with stealth and concealment to receive the blessings from Yitzchak, specifically. For she knew that there was power in her prayer and in the prayer of Yaakov — [the power] to include the tzedakah within the mishpat, so that [Yaakov] would receive the blessings from Yitzchak, specifically. But because of the magnitude of the prosecution and provocation of Esav — who is the aspect of the scorpion that lies in ambush against Yisrael always, especially at the time when they wish to receive the blessings, which are the aspect of a good "finding" (and at that time [Esav] lies in ambush and prosecutes the most, as mentioned above) — therefore it was necessary to proceed with stealth. And Hashem, blessed be He, arranged that Yitzchak should send Esav to hunt game, etc. And in the meanwhile, specifically, Yaakov received the blessings — as is brought in the Holy Zohar and in the writings of the Ari z"l regarding this, etc.; see there. And this is what Yitzchak said to Yaakov: "How is it that you hastened to find [it], my son?" [Genesis 27:20] — "hastened" specifically. For Yitzchak saw and understood from afar that this was Yaakov, as is understood from the parshah, where he said: "Come close, please, and let me feel you" [Genesis 27:21], etc. Therefore he said to him: How is it that you hastened to find such a good finding — to feed me and receive the blessings through it? That is, he was saying: I know that in the end, ultimately, all the blessings will come to you, Yaakov. But I thought that first the blessings needed to be given to Esav, for he needs to rule first — and as Yaakov himself said: "Let my lord pass on ahead of his servant" [Genesis 33:14], as is brought. Therefore I wanted to bless him first. And therefore: "How is it that you hastened?" — "hastened" specifically; "to find, my son" — for in my estimation, the blessings, which are the aspect of good findings, are not yet yours. And he answered: "For Hashem your G-d made it happen before me" [Genesis 27:20]. And it is found in the Midrash: "Rabbi Yochanan and Reish Lakish [disagreed]. One said: If for your offering the Holy One, blessed be He, provided for you — as it says: 'And Avraham lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, a ram' [Genesis 22:13], etc. — then for your food, how much more so! And the other said: If for your spouse He provided for you — as it is written: 'Let it happen before me today' [Genesis 24:12]. And it is written: 'And he saw, and behold, camels were coming' [Genesis 24:63]. Then for your food, how much more so!" And this is wondrous at first glance, for at a superficial level it seems a refutable kal vachomer [a fortiori argument] — for certainly to save Yitzchak from the judgment of the slaughter of the Akeidah, and likewise to provide him with his spouse, is a greater salvation than providing him with food for the moment. But according to all the above, the Midrash will be well understood, and it will come as a proper argument and will be very pleasing to your soul, with Hashem's help. For specifically the merit of the Akeidah and the finding of his spouse he mentioned at the time when [Yaakov] wanted to receive the blessings. For he was saying: Was it not for the sake of the offering of the Akeidah — which was to sweeten your gevuros — that Hashem made the ram happen? And likewise, to provide your spouse Rivkah — who is the aspect of prayer, which sweetens the aspect of mishpat and gevurah of Yitzchak — Hashem, blessed be He, helped in a wondrous way, even though it was very difficult to find your spouse due to the immensity of your gevuros, as mentioned above? Nevertheless, Hashem had mercy and provided her for you. And everything was for my sake — so that Yisrael would emerge from me. And now, for your food — that I wish to feed you in order to receive the blessings, so that Yisrael will be able to endure in the world and to sustain themselves throughout all the severity and prolongation of the bitterness of their exile — how much more so will Hashem, blessed be He, provide for me! It emerges that this Midrash is very beautifully connected. For specifically through the sweetening of the Akeidah and through his spouse Rivkah — the aspect of prayer, as mentioned above — through this he received the blessings, as mentioned above. (And this is what is written in Sefer HaAlef-Beis, Letter Zayin: that the eating of the tzadikim is greater than offerings and than their marital unions, etc. Understand well.) And therefore Yitzchak said then: "The voice is the voice of Yaakov" [Genesis 27:22], etc. For he understood then the immense power of Yaakov, who merited the aspect of na'aseh v'nishma in completeness — to include mishpat and tzedakah together — which are the aspects of Torah and prayer. Through which one merits azus, the aspect of voices, the aspect of: "Behold, He gives His voice — a voice of strength" [Psalms 68:34] — as explained there. Therefore Yitzchak said then: Now I know that "the voice is the voice of Yaakov" — very strong — through which he will overpower "the hands, the hands of Esav" — as our Sages of blessed memory expounded. For I see and understand that his voice goes forth and is very strong, since he merited to sweeten the mishpat within tzedakah, to the point that he found [food] to feed me and receive the blessings — and this is drawn from the generality of Torah and prayer. Through which one merits azus d'kedushah, the aspect of voices — the aspect of "the voice is the voice of Yaakov." And this is the aspect of: "The voice" — "voice" — two voices. The aspect of the voice of Torah and the voice of prayer that are included together. Through which comes the essential strengthening of azus d'kedushah against the azus of the Sitra Achra — to overpower "the hands, the hands of Esav" — who draws nourishment from the aspect of mishpat when it is not included in completeness within the aspect of tzedakah. But through "the voice, the voice of Yaakov" — the aspect of two voices drawn from Torah and prayer that are included together — through this one overpowers "the hands, the hands of Esav" and nullifies them, as mentioned above. And therefore, in truth, Yaakov was in great fear when his mother told him to deceive his father in order to receive the blessings. And therefore he said to his mother: "Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall be in his eyes as a deceiver" [Genesis 27:12], etc. For he was afraid of the severity of the gevuros of Yitzchak. And therefore he said: "Perhaps my father will feel me" — that is, that my father Yitzchak, who is the aspect of din and mishpat, will feel and scrutinize me with mishpat. For because I wish to receive the blessings, suddenly his mishpat will be aroused against me, G-d forbid, to feel me and scrutinize me — and then, G-d forbid, "I shall bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing." For such is the way of the prosecution of mishpat: that as long as a person is calm and quiet and does not seek to find many good findings, the prosecution of mishpat is not so greatly aroused against him. But as soon as one wants to grab greatness and great wealth and the like — the prosecution is aroused against him, G-d forbid — saying: Let us examine his deeds [to see] if he is worthy of this. And then, G-d forbid, the wheel can turn against him in the opposite direction. And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said: "Intense focus in prayer [iyun tefilah] causes one's sins to be recalled" — that is, when one examines one's prayer improperly, saying: It is fitting that the Holy One, blessed be He, should fulfill my request — and as Rashi explains there — then one's sins are recalled [to check] if one is worthy. And this is the aspect of the general theme of our words written above: that one's essential prayers should be primarily regarding "the flood of many waters — that they should not reach him" — to be saved from the one who lies in ambush and prosecutes, the aspect of "from distress, You shall guard me", etc. — and then one can also request mercy regarding one's essential livelihood needs, etc., as mentioned above. And this is what frightened Yaakov: "Perhaps my father will feel me" — which is the aspect of mishpat and din that will feel and scrutinize him, because he has come to receive the blessings — and then "I shall bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing" — which is the aspect of the scorpion's bite that comes suddenly, which is the opposite of the "finding," as mentioned above. And his mother answered him: "Your curse shall be upon me, my son; only go and take for me" [Genesis 27:13], etc. That is, Rivkah told him that she accepts upon herself to nullify this fear. For she specifically knows how to nullify this — for Rivkah is the aspect of prayer, the aspect of the sweetening of din and mishpat of Yitzchak, as mentioned above. And therefore she specifically can nullify this fear. And as it is found in the Midrash, that she said to him: "It is for me to enter to Yitzchak and tell him: Yaakov is righteous, Esav is wicked." That is, as mentioned above — that she said that through her prayer she could sweeten the gevuros of Yitzchak and reveal to him that Yisrael are righteous compared to the wicked Esav. For even if they are as they are, they are still righteous compared to the wickedness of the nations, who are the children of Esav. And this is revealed through Rivkah specifically — who is the aspect of prayer that sweetens the din and mishpat, as mentioned above — through which Yaakov could receive the blessings, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the trial of Avraham and Yitzchak at the time of the Akeidah. For the questions of the world are well known regarding the great commotion about the trial of the Akeidah: for given the great righteousness of Avraham, this does not seem like such a great trial at first glance, for it seems to us that even simple people would withstand this trial — that when Hashem, blessed be He, explicitly tells someone to slaughter his only son, he would certainly fulfill His words and slaughter him. But the essential trial was that he did not question His ways, blessed be He — as is brought regarding this, and as is understood from the words of our Sages of blessed memory. And it is brought in the commentary of Rashi, from what [Avraham] said afterward: "Let me express my words before You: Yesterday You said to me, 'For in Yitzchak shall your seed be called,' and afterward You told me to bring him up as a burnt-offering", etc. It is understood from this and from other places that this was the essential trial. And as our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the verse: "And I and the lad will go until here [ko]" [Genesis 22:5] — and it is brought in Rashi's commentary: "I will see where is the fulfillment of what He said to me: 'So [ko] shall your seed be.'" But Avraham strengthened himself in emunah and did not question His ways. And he said: Even though I cannot understand His ways, certainly such is the way — that it is impossible to understand the ways of Hashem. And I am obligated to do my part, to lead my only son to slaughter. And nevertheless I believe that Hashem, blessed be He, will fulfill all His words with which He promised me — for His ways are impossible to understand at all, for He is able to perform two opposites in one subject. And as I heard from him [the Rebbe], of blessed memory, regarding this, at length. And this is the aspect of what is written: "And Avraham called the name of that place 'Hashem will see' — as it is said today: 'On the mountain, Hashem will be seen'" [Genesis 22:14]. For all the holy Patriarchs understood and saw from afar that the essential purpose and hope would be only at the very end, when Mashi'ach comes. And as our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the verse: "And also the nation whom they shall serve" [Genesis 15:14] — to include the subjugation of the kingdoms. And so in many places — that they all foresaw this final bitter, prolonged exile. But in the immensity of the greatness of their perception and holy spirit, they could not ascertain the final "end" — for it is the keitz hap'la'os [the wondrous end], which is very sealed and hidden from the eye of all. And as our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the verse: "And Yaakov called to his sons" [Genesis 49:1], etc. — that he wished to reveal to them the "end" of the redemption, and the Shechinah departed from him. And this is the aspect of what is written regarding Avraham: "And he saw the place from afar" [Genesis 22:4] — that he saw the hope, which is the holiness of the place of the Beis HaMikdash, which is the house of our life, and there is all our hope. But he saw the place from afar — for it is impossible to ascertain when we will return to this holy place. But nevertheless, he saw it with a clear and beautiful vision — that we will certainly merit this holy place, ultimately — only it is from afar. (And as explained in our words at length regarding this, to draw out hints from this for each person for the matter of the redemption of his own individual soul; see there, in Hilchos Shiluach HaKein, Halacha 5.) And this is itself the aspect of: "And I and the lad will go until ko" — said regarding Avraham. For he believed that even though he was leading his son to slaughter, nevertheless, His words, blessed be He, would certainly be fulfilled — that He said: "For in Yitzchak shall your seed be called". But it is in the aspect of ko — which is very distant and impossible to understand; one can only see from afar, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of: "So [ko] says Hashem: At about midnight, I will go out" [Exodus 11:4], etc. For the secret of midnight — even Moshe could not fully grasp it, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Is it possible that Moshe did not know exactly when midnight was, and said 'about midnight'? David knew, for he said: 'At midnight I rise to give thanks to You'" [Psalms 119:62], etc. That is, because Moshe knew that the essential thing is the final redemption, which will be in the merit of David and those connected to him — who are the tzadikim and upright people who rise at midnight to lament over the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash. At that time Hashem, blessed be He, and all the tzadikim in Gan Eden "listen to their voices", etc. And through this the redemption will come, in the aspect of: "Rejoice with her, all who mourn over her" [Isaiah 66:10]. And as our Sages of blessed memory said: "All who mourn over Yerushalayim...", etc. But [Moshe] could not ascertain when the end would be, for it is very sealed, as mentioned above. And therefore, even regarding the first redemption, he hinted in his words, saying: "About midnight, I will go out" — for in all his words and mission, he was gazing toward the final "end." For this reason he initially refused the mission, etc. And therefore he hinted in his words and said: "About midnight, I will go out in the midst of Egypt", etc. — for all the exiles are referred to by the name "Egypt," etc., as our Sages of blessed memory said. And therefore he said "about [midnight]" — for the final "end" is very sealed. Only David, who is himself Mashi'ach, said: "At midnight I rise", etc. And therefore Moshe said then: "Ko [so] says Hashem" — for this prophecy of the aspect of midnight, which alludes to the final end, is very distant and impossible to ascertain. Therefore he spoke in the language of ko, as mentioned above. And this is itself the aspect of: "And I and the lad will go until ko" — said regarding Avraham. For he believed that even though he was leading his son to slaughter, nevertheless certainly His words, blessed be He, would be fulfilled. But it is in the aspect of ko — which is very distant, as mentioned above. And therefore, afterward — when Hashem, blessed be He, saved Yitzchak and brought up the ram in his place — then Avraham understood further that it is impossible to understand His ways and to ascertain the ultimate end of His words. Especially regarding the final "end" — for all the promises He promised him, to give him seed and to bequeath them the Land, were all for the sake of the final "end," when all the promises would be fulfilled in completeness — but it is impossible to ascertain the ultimate end of the matter in any way. Rather, we are obligated every day to fulfill the words of Hashem, blessed be He, and His mitzvos, and to believe that through this the "end" is brought closer. And to wait every day for him to come — and nevertheless, if he does not come on that day, we shall wait on another day — until ultimately he will come. As [the Sages] said: "If it tarries, wait for it, for it will surely come; it will not delay" [Habakkuk 2:3]. And this is: "And Avraham called the name of that place: 'Hashem will see'" — which has no [clear] explanation at first glance, and Rashi labored in his explanation. But now it will be explained simply: that he called the place of the Beis HaMikdash, which is the essential hope, as mentioned above — "Hashem will see." That is, only Hashem will "see" this place — to rest His Shechinah in it. For only He, blessed be He, alone knows the end. But we are forbidden to think about any "end" whatsoever. And as our Sages of blessed memory said — it is only incumbent upon us, every single day, to do our part: to turn from evil and to do good every single day. And through this the redemption draws near. And as our Sages of blessed memory recounted — that he asked Eliyahu: "When will the master come?" He answered: "Today." "Today — if you will listen to His voice" [Psalms 95:7]. And even though there have already been many tzadikim and upright people who served Him, blessed be He, every single day, and nevertheless [Mashi'ach] still has not come — this is because of the corruption of others who delay his coming. But nevertheless, each person, according to his own service, brings the redemption closer on that day. And ultimately, the glimmerings of the redemption that the tzadikim and upright have aroused every single day will be gathered together, and through this the redemption will come. And as our Rebbe, of blessed memory, wrote, regarding the statement of Rabbah bar bar Chanah: "When it was warm next to it, it turned over" — in [Likutay Moharan I] Lesson 2; see there. And this is: "As it is said today: On the mountain, Hashem will be seen" — and as Rashi explains, that it refers to every day of all the future generations who read this verse, etc.; see there. That is, the aspect of: "Today — if you will listen to His voice" — mentioned above — that every day the redemption draws nearer, according to the service of each individual who serves Hashem, blessed be He. And as we bless every day: "Who causes the horn of salvation to sprout." And this is: "As it is said today" — that is, on every single day of every person in every generation — "today, Hashem will be seen" — by His people at this place, as Rashi explains there. For every day the redemption glimmers, and Hashem is seen at this place, as mentioned above. But nevertheless, to ascertain the ultimate end — when the complete redemption will be, at the final "end" — regarding this he said: "Hashem will see" — for only Hashem, blessed be He, Himself, will see this, as mentioned above. But nevertheless: "as it is said today: On the mountain, Hashem will be seen", as mentioned above. And see what is explained in [Likutay Halachos] Lesson 272 regarding this verse: "Today — if you will listen to His voice" — that this is the essential counsel for serving Hashem, blessed be He: to think every single day that one has only this day alone, etc.; see there. And it is connected to the matter mentioned above, for everything is one. For it is forbidden to force the hour — and one must think only of that day, in the aspect of: "This is the day that Hashem has made" [Psalms 118:24], etc. And through this, one will merit the service of Hashem, blessed be He. And likewise one will merit that from him there will not be great delay of Mashi'ach. And according to the service of Yisrael who fulfill this and serve Hashem every day — so does the sprouting of the horn of salvation glimmer every day, as mentioned above — until ultimately all their service will be gathered together, and the redemption will come in completeness. And each person, according to his portion in bringing Mashi'ach closer, will merit then to delight in Hashem and be sated from His great goodness that He will bestow upon us then. And this is: "At midnight I rise to give thanks to You, for Your righteous judgments" [Psalms 119:62] — the aspect of tzedakah and mishpat mentioned above — that through mishpat He performs tzedakah. And this will be in completeness when Mashi'ach comes, who will merit this, as mentioned above — and through which will be the complete redemption, as mentioned above. And this is merited through the rising at midnight — through which the end of the redemption will come, as mentioned above. And this is: "At midnight I rise to give thanks to You, for Your righteous judgments" — that at midnight, when they rise — and through this draw near the redemption, as our Sages of blessed memory said, and as mentioned above — then one must give thanks to Him, blessed be He, for His "righteous judgments" [mishp'tai tzidkecha] — for the fact that He, blessed be He, through mishpat, performs tzedakah. Through which comes the essential strengthening to hope and wait for salvation and complete redemption — in its generality and in its particulars — at all times, as mentioned above. (This paragraph belongs above, to section 40, regarding the matter brought there that the measure of good is always greater, etc.) And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said: "'And I will make you into a great nation' [Genesis 12:2] — this is [the source for] saying 'G-d of Avraham' [in the Amidah]..." etc. "Could it be that we conclude [the blessing] with all of them? The verse teaches: 'And you shall be a blessing' — with you they conclude", etc. That is, as mentioned above. For the essential conclusion and completion of the blessing of the three Patriarchs — Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov — who are the aspects of tzedakah, mishpat, and the generality of tzedakah and mishpat together, as mentioned above — the essential conclusion of the blessing is only "Shield of Avraham." For Avraham is the aspect of tzedakah and chesed, in which is the essential conclusion and completion of the blessing — for the measure of good is always greater, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of Chanukah, which is the aspect of the inauguration (chanukas) of the Beis HaMikdash. For the essential holiness of the Beis HaMikdash is that it is the place of Torah and prayer — as it is written: "For from Tzion Torah shall go forth" [Isaiah 2:3] — for there the Ark stands with the Tablets in the Holy of Holies. And there is the place of prayer, as it is written: "For My House is a house of prayer" [Isaiah 56:7] — for through there all prayers ascend, as it is written: "And they shall pray to You by way of their land, and the House that I have built for Your Name" [I Kings 8:48], etc. And the essential thing is that there is the resting place of His Shechinah, blessed be He. And there the Torah is the aspect of Toras Hashem literally — for there stand the Tablets that were given from His hand, blessed be He, to the hand of Moshe — which are "the work of G-d", as it is written: "And the Tablets are the work of G-d; written with the finger of G-d" [Exodus 32:16] — the aspect of Toras Hashem literally. And likewise t'filas Hashem literally is there in the Beis HaMikdash, as it is written: "And I will gladden them in the house of My prayer" [Isaiah 56:7] — from which our Sages of blessed memory learned that Hashem, blessed be He, prays. For it does not say "their prayer," but rather "My prayer", etc. — as explained in Brachos. For all our endurance and vitality is only through Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem literally. And the essential thing is through t'filas Hashem — which is the aspect of His praying Himself, as it were, in His simple mercy, to arouse His abundant and great mercies (as explained in the Torah-teaching "Azi v'zimras Yah", Likutay Moharan I:105; see there). And now, when the Beis HaMikdash is destroyed through our sins, it would have been impossible for us to endure were it not for the great tzadikim who have the power to arouse the aspect of t'filas Hashem every day. From which new chasadim are drawn every day, in the aspect of: "They are new every morning" [Lamentations 3:23], etc. — which are drawn through the immensity of the chasadim that [the tzadikim] drew on Rosh Hashanah, which is the creation of the world, etc. — as explained above in section 3. For these chasadim were drawn from Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur, to sweeten the judgments — until on Yom Kippur, Hashem, blessed be He, is appeased and forgives and pardons the sins of Yisrael each year. And from there, new chasadim are drawn every single day — without which the world could not endure now, after the destruction. As Yirmiyahu cried out in his lamentation: "My strength and my hope have perished from Hashem. This I shall reply to my heart; therefore I shall have hope: The chasadim of Hashem have not ended" [Lamentations 3:18, 21-22], etc. And all these chasadim are drawn through the aforementioned tzadikim who merit t'filas Hashem, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the power of the miracle of Chanukah. For the wicked kingdom sought to make them forget Your Torah, etc. — and to destroy the Beis HaMikdash before its time. For they wished to uproot the holiness of Yisrael entirely, G-d forbid — through which the world would have reverted to emptiness and void, for the world cannot endure without the Torah. For the Sitra Achra — the aspect of the wicked kingdom — saw and understood that this Second Temple would not endure and would ultimately be destroyed, for even then, during its existence, their hand was strong over Yisrael. Therefore they wished to destroy it immediately, in order to greatly intensify the darkness — to darken, G-d forbid, the eyes of Yisrael, so that they would despair entirely of the complete redemption. For the essential creation of the world was only for the sake of Yisrael, for the sake of the Torah, and for the sake of the Beis HaMikdash — as it is written: "In the beginning, G-d created the heavens and the earth" [Genesis 1:1]. And our Sages of blessed memory said: "For the sake of 'beginning' — which are Yisrael, the Torah, and the Beis HaMikdash, which are called 'beginning'", etc. But: "And the earth was void and formless, and darkness upon the face of the deep" [Genesis 1:2] — which are the aspect of the four kingdoms, as our Sages of blessed memory expounded. And it is explained in their words that the wicked kingdom of Greece is the aspect of "darkness," and the kingdom of Edom — which is the current exile — is the aspect of "the deep." It emerges that the wicked kingdom of Greece, which ruled then, is the aspect of "and darkness upon the face of the deep" — which is the darkness that covers the face of the deep, which is this exile that is compared to the deep. And when one falls into the deep even in the light of day, it is already very bitter and difficult to ascend — how much more so when the darkness intensifies upon the face of the deep! And this was the intention of the wicked kingdom of Greece at that time — who are the aspect of the darkness upon the face of the deep — that they wished to greatly intensify the darkness, to juxtapose the exiles together, so that the Temple would be destroyed immediately, in order that the darkness would overpower the face of the deep, so that Yisrael would be unable to ascend and emerge, G-d forbid. But Hashem, blessed be He, in His abundant mercy, placed in the hearts of the true tzadikim — Mattisyahu and his sons — to wage the wars of Hashem. And their essential power was through azus d'kedushah that they drew from the aspect of t'filas Hashem literally. As is brought: that Yehudah the son of Mattisyahu was called Yehudah "Maccabi" — an acronym for "Mi Chamocha Ba'eilim Hashem" [Who is like You among the mighty, Hashem] — which he would cry out in battle. For the essential praise of "Who is like You," etc., is that Hashem, blessed be He, empowers the chasadim over the gevuros to help Yisrael — and this is the essential might of His might. And as is juxtaposed to this: "Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, performing wonders" [Exodus 15:11]. "Awesome in praises" — this is the aspect of His prayer, blessed be He. For He, blessed be He, is awesome in prayers — for His prayers are awesome — through which He performs wonders to save Yisrael. And therefore, when they were victorious, there was such a great miracle specifically through the lights of the Menorah — upon which they established for us to kindle the Chanukah lamp. To demonstrate that Hashem is still with us and shines upon us a great light within the intensity of the darkness of the wicked kingdom, in the aspect of: "Do not rejoice over me, my enemy, for though I have fallen, I have risen; though I sit in darkness, Hashem is a light for me" [Micah 7:8]. And through this, Hashem, blessed be He, uprooted their evil design and it was transformed for us to good, from one extreme to another. For not only did they not intensify the darkness upon the face of the deep, G-d forbid, as mentioned above — but moreover, it was transformed, so that the aforementioned tzadikim established for us a great and wondrous rectification for all generations: they drew upon us a new, holy, and awesome mitzvah such as this, for all generations. Until even we, now, in the intensity of the prolongation of this exile — which is the aspect of the literal deep — merit to kindle the Chanukah lamp, which is the aspect of a wondrous and very awesome light that shines for us within the darkness of the abyss of the deep. Through which we have hope not to despair of mercy — for He, blessed be He, still shines upon us in His mercy, in the aspect of: "Though I sit in darkness, Hashem is a light for me", as mentioned above. For the light of the Chanukah lamp is drawn from a very lofty place, as brought in the Kavanos — that is, from the aspect of Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem literally. And the essential wonder of the greatness of the Chanukah lamp is that it is drawn from such a lofty place — from the aspect of Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem — that it has the power to illuminate below, below, within the darkness of the abyss of the literal deep. For the higher the light, the more it can illuminate below; as explained elsewhere. For the Second Temple was in the merit of Yitzchak, as is brought — which is the aspect of the intensity of the gevuros. And therefore the redemption was not complete, as our Sages of blessed memory said — for five things were missing, and [Yisrael] were subjugated under the kings of the nations. But nevertheless, it was for us a great and awesome benefit — and without the Second Temple, it would have been impossible for us to endure in this long exile, due to the intensity of the darkness upon the face of the deep — whose nourishment comes from the aspect of the gevuros of Yitzchak, from the aspect of: "And his eyes grew dim from seeing" [Genesis 27:1] — which must be sweetened through the great chasadim drawn from t'filas Hashem, as mentioned above. And therefore Hashem, blessed be He, in His mercy, arranged that precisely then — in the days of the Second Temple, which corresponds to Yitzchak, when the darkness sought to overpower, etc. — which is the aspect of the wicked kingdom of Greece that ruled then — precisely then the holy days of Chanukah were established for us, during which we kindle the holy Chanukah lamp — which is the aspect of a great light established for us to illuminate for all generations, even within this exile, which is the aspect of the deep, as mentioned above. And therefore there are eight days of Chanukah, corresponding to the aspects of Torah and prayer — each of which is comprised of four. The four [aspects] are the aspect of the [four letters of] Yitzchak and Rivkah. For the four letters of Yitzchak are the aspect of the upright, righteous, devout, and holy ones — which are the generality of the Torah. And Rivkah is the aspect of "exalted, blessed, sanctified, praised" — which are the aspect of the four parts of prayer. For prayer is comprised of four — namely, the four parts of prayer corresponding to the four worlds: Atzilus, B'riyah, Yetzirah, Asiyah. For korbanos, etc. — corresponding to Asiyah. And P'sukei d'Zimra corresponding to Yetzirah, etc. — as explained in the Kavanos. And likewise the Torah is comprised of four, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "How did [Moshe] arrange the Mishnah?" etc. It emerges that [the teaching was reviewed] four times by each person — and as brought in the Torah-teaching "Meishra", etc. (Likutay Moharan I:30). It emerges that Torah and prayer are eight aspects — which are the aspect of the four letters of Yitzchak and Rivkah, as mentioned above. And corresponding to this are the eight days of Chanukah, during which a great light shines — whose essence is drawn from Torah and prayer, that is, from Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem. Through which all the judgments in the world are sweetened, in every generation, every year. From there came the intensity of the miracle of Chanukah. And the illumination of this miracle is drawn upon us every year — through which we endure in this long exile. And therefore it is called Chanukah — the aspect of the "inauguration of the House" (chanukas habayis). For through the intensity of these miracles, we believe that Hashem, blessed be He, is still with us and shines upon us in the intensity of the darkness of our exile. And through this we do not despair of mercy — and through this we will merit the complete redemption. For through this, the aspect of the inauguration of the House is drawn each year — as we say the psalm "A psalm, a song for the inauguration of the House" every day. For every day, the sprouting of the horn of salvation sprouts — until ultimately all the salvations that were aroused and sprouted through the prayers of Yisrael will be gathered together, and through this the complete redemption will come — in the aspect of: "When it was warm next to it, it turned over", etc. — as explained above. And every person must understand from all this hints for himself — that specifically in the intensity of the darkness of his exile, which is the aspect of the literal deep, physically and spiritually — the aspect of "deep calls to deep" [Psalms 42:8] — as Rashi explains: "one trouble calls to its fellow", may the Merciful One save us — even there, Hashem, blessed be He, shines in His chesed through the tzadikim who draw the aspect of t'filas Hashem, from which the chasadim never cease, as mentioned above. But every person must strengthen himself to believe in this, and to strive with everything he can to cry out and pray to Hashem. And the essential thing is that one should arouse t'filas Hashem within himself — that he should ask from Hashem, blessed be He, that He should pray Himself on his behalf, as mentioned above. For the more there is some aspect of is'arusa d'l'sata — that a Jewish person prays from below — the more is aroused, as it were, the power of His prayer, blessed be He, as is known. For this is the essential generality of all the intentions of the Torah and mitzvos and all the intentions of prayer — that the essential intention is that through arousal from below, there should be arousal above, as is known. That is, when we learn Torah or fulfill some mitzvah, through this we arouse Him, blessed be He, to fulfill that Torah and mitzvah. And likewise, when we pray before Him, blessed be He, then He, blessed be He, Himself prays. For each Jew is literally a portion of the Divine, and according to one's portion and root in His Divinity, blessed be He, so does one have the power to arouse from above. But certainly there are many distinctions — for His Divinity, blessed be He, fills the entire world, from the summit of all levels to the end of all levels, to the very lowest level, and even within the ten crowns of impurity, etc. — as is brought in his [the Rebbe's] words, of blessed memory, many times (especially in the Torah-teaching "Mi HaIsh HeChafeitz Chaim" [Likutay Moharan I:27]). Only, the lower the level, the more His Divinity is in greater contractions and clothed in more garments, etc. And therefore the essential hope is through the great tzadikim who merit Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem literally — who illuminate within us so that even at the very depths of the lowest level, from there we can attach ourselves with strong ratzon to t'filas Hashem literally. For the ratzon is always free — as explained above — that through the great power of the tzadikim, we can exert ourselves with strong ratzon — which is the aspect of nishma, the aspect of prayer, etc. — to draw upon ourselves mercy and chasadim from t'filas Hashem literally, from which new chasadim are drawn every day that never cease. And this is the aspect of the generality of the intentions of prayer each day. For it is explained in the Kavanos of the Ari z"l that the generality of the intentions is to rectify the four worlds — Atzilus, B'riyah, Yetzirah, Asiyah — through action and through speech. For first one must rectify them through action: through relieving oneself and washing hands, through which one expels the waste and purifies the world of Asiyah. Through tzitzis, one rectifies the world of Yetzirah. Through the hand-tefillin, one rectifies the world of B'riyah. Through the head-tefillin, the world of Atzilus. All of this through action. And afterward, through speech: through the morning blessings and korbanos, etc., one rectifies the world of Asiyah through speech. Through P'sukei d'Zimra, the world of Yetzirah. Through Krias Shma and its blessings, the world of B'riyah. And through the Shmoneh Esrei prayer, the world of Atzilus. That is, action and speech are the aspects of na'aseh and nishma. For na'aseh is the aspect of action, the aspect of Torah. And speech is the aspect of nishma, the aspect of prayer, which is specifically through speech. And one must ascend from level to level until Atzilus — and there one must be included in the Ain Sof, until the prayer is the aspect of t'filas Hashem literally. And this is the aspect of what we request before the Shmoneh Esrei: "Hashem, open my lips" [Psalms 51:17], etc. That is: I do not know what to speak at all, nor how to draw the chasadim to nullify the din. Rather: "Hashem, open my lips" — and He Himself, as it were, should speak within me all the words of the prayer, in the aspect of: "The spirit of Hashem spoke in me" [II Samuel 23:2]. That is, that I should be included in You, until my prayer becomes the aspect of t'filas Hashem literally. And this is: "and my mouth shall declare Your praise" — the aspect of: "He is your praise and He is your G-d" [Deuteronomy 10:21] — which is the essential completeness of prayer: that the prayer should be included in His unity, blessed be He, as explained elsewhere — that is, the aspect of t'filas Hashem, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the greatness of prayer with a congregation (b'tzibur) — when the prayer is not rejected, in the aspect of: "Behold, G-d is mighty; He does not reject" [Job 36:5]. For "wherever ten [gather], the Shechinah rests." And the essential rectification is through the chazan and shliach tzibur [prayer leader], when he is worthy as is fitting. For the shliach tzibur must be the finest of the congregation — who can gather all the good points that exist in each member of the congregation and include them with Him, blessed be He — until he arouses t'filas Hashem literally. And this is the aspect of the repetition of the prayer by the congregation (chazaras hat'filah), when they say Kedushah. For through the repetition of the prayer, the shliach tzibur gathers all the prayers of the congregation and includes them together, ascending with them and being included in t'filas Hashem — where the ultimate supreme holiness is above all holinesses. And this is the aspect of the three holinesses: "Holy, holy, holy" — the aspect of the holiness of Torah (na'aseh), the aspect of the holiness of prayer (nishma), and the third "holy" is the aspect of the generality of their holiness together. For the essential thing is to include the holiness of nishma within the holiness of na'aseh, as mentioned above. And one who cannot pray with the congregation — his essential remedy is to connect himself to the tzadikim of the generation mentioned above, who merited t'filas Hashem literally. For the entire essential rectification of prayer is through them. For even the shliach tzibur has no power for all of the above — even if he is truly a worthy and upright person — except through the power of the tzadikim, to whom he must be connected most powerfully, in order that he should be able to raise all the prayers of the congregation to the aspect of t'filas Hashem, as mentioned above. And after the repetition of the prayer, they say the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy: "And Hashem passed before his face and proclaimed: Hashem, Hashem" [Exodus 34:6] — which is the essential aspect of t'filas Hashem, as mentioned above, which one merits to arouse through the prayer of all Yisrael, as mentioned above. And then they fall on their faces — and it is explained in the Kavanos that one casts oneself intentionally from heaven to earth, in order to raise up sparks from the depths of the klippos for the sake of the unification. That is, the aspect of: the descent is the purpose of the ascent — explained in the aforementioned Torah-teaching and brought above. For it is impossible to be included there except through a descent beforehand — which is the purpose of the ascent. For when one withstands the trial at the very depths of the descent — to strengthen oneself even there and to believe that His mercy does not cease, as mentioned above — then one merits the ultimate ascent through the power of the tzadikim, to be included in the aspect of t'filas Hashem literally. Where everything is transformed to good — for there all sins are forgiven and transformed into merits, in the aspect of: "On that day, the sin of Yisrael shall be sought, and it is not there" [Jeremiah 50:20], etc. — as explained there in the aforementioned Torah-teaching. And after the prayer, one says Ashrei and U'va L'Tzion, etc. — when one descends back from Atzilus to B'riyah. And afterward, through T'filah L'David and the Song of the Day, one descends from B'riyah to Yetzirah. And afterward, through Ein Kailokeinu and the Ketores [incense passage], one descends from Yetzirah to Asiyah. And all of this is in order to draw the abundance of good from world to world, down to this physical world — as all of this is explained in the Kavanos. That is, this is the essential rectification: to draw the chasadim from the ultimate height — from the aspect of t'filas Hashem literally — until all the judgments and dinim below are sweetened, until the abundance of good is drawn down to this physical world as a blessing. And this is the essential generality of [including] the nishma within the na'aseh — that is, that the aspect of the chasadim from t'filas Hashem should illuminate down below to the very lowest level of the world of Asiyah — until all are brought close to Hashem, blessed be He, as mentioned above. And all good should be drawn upon us, physically and spiritually, as mentioned above. For the more the din is sweetened, the more the power of the evil inclination is nullified, and one merits to return to Hashem, blessed be He, and all good is drawn to Yisrael. Amen. And therefore, at the beginning of the prayer, we begin with the passage of the Akeidah. For the essential generality of the prayer is to sweeten the gevurah of Yitzchak — and this was accomplished through the Akeidah. For therefore all four parts of the Torah and all four parts of the prayer are hinted at in Yitzchak and Rivkah, in the aspect of: "In the mouth of the upright, it shall be exalted", etc. — as mentioned above — because there is the essential wonder of the workings of prayer, as mentioned above. And the essential sweetening of the gevurah of Yitzchak was through the Akeidah — therefore we begin the order of prayer each day with the passage of the Akeidah, as mentioned above. For it has already been explained that all the renewal of chasadim that [the tzadikim] draw each day through the power of the tzadikim, is from Rosh Hashanah, etc., as mentioned above. And on Rosh Hashanah, the essential drawing of new chasadim to sweeten the dinim is through the Akeidah. And therefore on Rosh Hashanah, on the first and second days — which are like one long day — we read in them about the birth of Yitzchak — the aspect of Pachad Yitzchak [the Fear of Yitzchak] — and its sweetening through the Akeidah. And we say on both days: "And the binding of Yitzchak — for his seed today, in mercy, may You remember." And we blow the shofar to recall the Akeidah of Yitzchak — for through this is the essential sweetening of the dinim: by drawing new chasadim through arousing t'filas Hashem, as mentioned above. And then, on Rosh Hashanah, the aspect of receiving the blessings is drawn — that Yaakov receives with wisdom from Yitzchak — by sending Esav away intentionally, etc. — as is understood from the Kavanos and the Holy Zohar, that this takes place on Rosh Hashanah, as mentioned above. And its entire essence is drawn through the Akeidah, as mentioned above. And this is why we bless every day: "Who bestows good chasadim upon His people Yisrael" — for every day new chasadim are drawn, in the aspect of: "They are new every morning", etc. — through which all our endurance [is sustained], etc., as mentioned above. And now, how beautiful and pleasant is what our Sages of blessed memory arranged for us, through their holy spirit, to pray afterward: "May it be Your will that You save me... from brazen-faced ones and from brazenness of face" — for through the aforementioned chasadim, whose essence is drawn from the aspect of t'filas Hashem, as mentioned above — through this, the aspect of azus d'kedushah is drawn, through which the azus of the Sitra Achra of the brazen-faced ones is subdued and falls. And therefore precisely then, we pray all of this — to subdue and nullify the azus of the Sitra Achra of the brazen-faced ones, through the aforementioned chasadim, as mentioned above. And therefore, after the erection of the Mishkan, the first commandment given immediately was regarding the kindling of the lights of the Menorah — as it is written at the beginning of Parashas V'Atah T'tzaveh: "And they shall take for you pure olive oil" [Exodus 27:20], etc. — which is placed immediately after Parashas Terumah, which speaks of the making of the Mishkan. And likewise, in Parashas the inauguration of the Altar, when the princes brought their offerings, Parashas B'ha'aloscha is placed immediately afterward: "When you kindle the lamps" [Numbers 8:2]. For the essential purpose of the making of the Mishkan was to rectify the sin of the Golden Calf — which is the blemish of emunah — when Yisrael lost the aforementioned crowns of na'aseh v'nishma, which will not return to us in completeness until the coming of the Redeemer, as our Sages of blessed memory said. But nevertheless, Moshe Rabbeinu began to rectify immediately and to restore to us the illumination of their holiness at each opportunity — and this was through the erection of the Mishkan, which is the rectification of the aforementioned sin. For the Mishkan is the aspect of the holiness of the Beis HaMikdash, where the aspects of the two aforementioned crowns — which are the aspects of Torah and prayer, the aspects of na'aseh v'nishma — illuminate, as mentioned above. And therefore [Moshe] began immediately with the kindling of the lights of the Menorah. For this is the essential aspect of the mitzvah of kindling the lights of the Menorah each day. For it is known that the light of day is the aspect of chesed, and the darkness of night is the aspect of gevuros and dinim. And each day, they were engaged in drawing chasadim through the order of the prayer — in Shacharis and Minchah — as mentioned above — and through all the engagement in Torah and mitzvos fulfilled each day. And when evening approached — "when night spreads its wings over the world" — then He commanded us in His mercy, blessed be He, to kindle the lights of the Menorah through the holy anointing oil. For the light of the lights of the holy Menorah is drawn from the light of Torah and prayer — which is the aspect of the generality of the service of the Mishkan and Beis HaMikdash that they engaged in during the day — in the aspect of: "For a mitzvah is a lamp, and Torah is light" [Proverbs 6:23]. That is, the light of the lamps of the Menorah is drawn from the aspect of the light of the Torah, which burns and illuminates through prayer — which is the aspect of ratzon and deveikus, which is the aspect of the pure oil of the Menorah. For oil is the aspect of ratzon, as it is written: "May he be favored by his brothers, and dip his foot in oil" [Deuteronomy 33:24]. And as understood from the Torah-teaching "I saw a menorah of gold with a bowl upon its top" [Likutay Moharan I:15], which explains that this is the prayer — which is the aspect of the spring of good oil; see there. And now that the Beis HaMikdash is destroyed through our sins — and the Greeks at that time wished to overpower and intensify the darkness upon the face of the deep entirely — Hashem, blessed be He, had mercy upon us, and the true tzadikim drew for us the light of the holy Chanukah lamp — which is the aspect of the kindling of the lights of the Menorah. We draw the aforementioned light — which is the aspect of the light of Torah and prayer — through the mitzvah of the Chanukah lamp, which each person kindles in his home, as mentioned above. And therefore we read Parashas the inauguration of the Altar and Parashas B'ha'aloscha during Chanukah, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of Chanukah. And it is found in the Kavanos that [Chanukah] has the letters Chanah-26 — the aspect of: "And Chanah prayed upon Hashem" [I Samuel 1:10]. For "And Chanah prayed upon Hashem" — this is the aspect of t'filas Hashem literally, which is the aspect of "upon Hashem" — as understood in the writings of the Ari [z"l]. For this is the secret of the two Names in the Thirteen Attributes — which are "Hashem, Hashem" — explained in the Holy Zohar: "the first is complete; the second is complete and more" (and as brought in our words elsewhere regarding this; see there). That is, Hashem, blessed be He, as it were, prayed Himself with the first Name — which is the aspect of simple mercy — to draw mercy from the second Name, which is "complete and more" — which is the aspect of great mercy, abundant mercy. And this second Name is the aspect of "upon Hashem" — and there Chanah reached with her prayer, the aspect of: "And Chanah prayed upon Hashem." And this is the aspect of t'filas Hashem, as mentioned above. And from there the Chanukah lamp is kindled. And therefore Chanukah is hinted at as Chanah-26 — which alludes to all of this, as mentioned above. For through the prayer of Chanah mentioned above — the aspect of t'filas Hashem — Shmuel was born, who anointed David — who is the aspect of Mashi'ach, through whom the entire rectification will come. For he will grasp in completeness the aspect of Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem literally — which is the aspect of mishpat and tzedakah, etc. — as mentioned above. From there comes all the light of the holy Menorah, which is the light of the Chanukah lamp — in the aspect of: "I have arranged a lamp for My anointed one" [Psalms 132:17] — which is the aspect of the true light that illuminates for us now within the depths of the deep, as mentioned above. And as is written in Parashas B'rayshis, brought above (in section 51) — which speaks there of the four kingdoms, which are the aspect of "void and formless, and darkness upon the face of the deep", as mentioned above. But: "And the spirit of G-d" — "this is the spirit of Mashi'ach" — "hovered over the face of the waters" [Genesis 1:2] — through which comes the essential rectification and hope. And through this: "And G-d said: Let there be light. And there was light" [Genesis 1:3]. For all the holy lights — which are the aspect of the light of the Menorah, which is the aspect of the light of the Chanukah lamp — are drawn from there, as mentioned above. And therefore David was ruddy (admoni) with beautiful eyes [I Samuel 16:12]. This is the aspect of azus d'kedushah, for he waged the wars of Hashem. For the essential holy kingship is through azus d'kedushah, in the aspect of: "Hashem, in Your strength the king rejoices" [Psalms 21:2] (and as explained elsewhere regarding this) — which is drawn from the aspect of t'filas Hashem, as mentioned above. And therefore Yitzchak erred regarding Esav, who came out ruddy — for he thought that the intensity of the surging of the blood within him was the aspect of azus d'kedushah. Because [Esav] was "a hunter in his mouth" — that he deceived his father [asking]: "How does one tithe straw?" — as if he were a tzadik. Therefore Yitzchak thought that even the redness in him — which indicated he was a shedder of blood — was the aspect of azus d'kedushah, that he wished to overpower those who transgress the law. For it has already been explained in the aforementioned Torah-teaching that one must pray to Hashem, blessed be He, that he should merit to distinguish between azus d'kedushah — through which Yerushalayim is built — and the azus of the Sitra Achra — which is the aspect of "a brazen-faced one to Gehinnom." And this is the aspect of: "May it be Your will that You build Your city speedily in our days" — which is mentioned in the middle of the Mishnah: "Be bold as a leopard", etc.; see there. And therefore even great tzadikim can err in this — as Yitzchak erred regarding Esav, as mentioned above. And conversely, it occurred to Shmuel the prophet to err regarding David, who was ruddy — that perhaps he was the aspect of azus of the Sitra Achra. As it is found in Midrash Parashas Toldos, chapter 63: "And when Shmuel saw David, ruddy, etc. — he was afraid and said: This one too is a shedder of blood like Esav. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: 'With beautiful eyes.' Esav kills of his own volition, but this one..." — end of quote; see there. That is, as mentioned above — for it is difficult to distinguish between azus of the Sitra Achra, which is from the side of Esav, and azus d'kedushah, which is the aspect of the kingship of David-Mashi'ach — which is drawn from Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the secret of the Kavanos of Chanukah. For it is explained in the Kavanos that the secret of the holy light of Chanukah is drawn from the holy Name Nachal, which is the initial letters of: "Nafsheinu Chik'sah LaShem" [Our soul has waited for Hashem] [Psalms 33:20]. And this Name has the gematria of dam adam [blood of man], which is the aspect of the Name Mah (45), etc.; see there. That is, through the kindling of the light of the Chanukah lamp — which is drawn from the light of Mashi'ach, which is the aspect of t'filas Hashem — through this, the aspect of dam adam [the blood of man] is rectified and purified. For from there comes all azus — for the essential azus comes through the surging of the blood within a person, and there is the essential trial. For there one needs the essential purification and clarification: to purify and rectify the dam adam so that the azus drawn through it should be the aspect of azus d'kedushah — the aspect of "ruddy" said regarding David — not the opposite, G-d forbid, which is the azus of the Sitra Achra — the aspect of "ruddy" said regarding Esav, as mentioned above. And all of this is merited through the aspect of the aforementioned Name Nachal, whose gematria equals dam adam, as mentioned above (which is also precisely the gematria of Chanukah, exactly). That is, for this Name emerges from the verse: "Our soul has waited for Hashem", as mentioned above — that is, the aspect of ratzon and deveikus and bitul, the aspect of prayer mentioned above. For we have no support except to Hashem alone; our eyes are lifted — the aspect of "Our soul has waited for Hashem" — that He Himself should pray on our behalf. For our help and our shield is He alone, Who knows how to pray Himself and to draw wondrous chasadim upon us. And this is: "For in Him our heart rejoices" [Psalms 33:21] — for through prayer — the aspect of t'filas Hashem — joy is drawn, as mentioned above. And from there — from the aspect of "Our soul has waited for Hashem" — the aspect of t'filas Hashem — emerges the aforementioned Name Nachal, from which the Chanukah lamp is kindled, as mentioned above. And from there the dam adam is rectified and purified — so that it should be in the aspect of azus d'kedushah, as mentioned above. And therefore we read the haftarah on Rosh Hashanah from the passage of Chanah mentioned above — and we conclude with her prayer, until: "And He shall give strength to His king, and raise the horn of His anointed one" [I Samuel 2:10]. For then, on Rosh Hashanah, Chanah was remembered — for all of this is the aspect of Rosh Hashanah, as mentioned above. For then is the essential sprouting of the horn of Mashi'ach — the aspect of: "and the arranging of a lamp for the son of Yishai, Your anointed one" — the aspect of: "There I shall cause a horn to sprout for David; I have arranged a lamp for My anointed one" [Psalms 132:17]. And from there is the kindling of all the holy lamps — which is the aspect of the Chanukah lamp, as mentioned above. And therefore we conclude with the verse: "And He shall give strength to His king, and raise the horn of His anointed one" — for the essential raising of the horn of Mashi'ach, which is the strengthening of holy kingship, is through azus d'kedushah, as mentioned above. And the essential wonder of the greatness of the Chanukah lamp — that it draws the supreme and very awesome light, drawn from t'filas Hashem, down very far below — to below ten handbreadths. For this is the essential awesome wonder of this miracle: that through the power of t'filas Hashem, such new chasadim are drawn that they illuminate very far below — within literal darkness and deep — to illuminate all the souls of Yisrael who have fallen there, so that they should not despair of mercy, etc. And this is the aspect of: the descent is the purpose of the ascent, as mentioned above. And this is what Adonaynu Moraynu v'Rabbaynu, of blessed memory, wrote in the Torah-teaching "Ki M'rachamam" (Likutay Moharan II:7): that according to the degree of the "Forgive, please" that is accomplished on Yom Kippur, so does one merit the holiness of Chanukah; see there. For the essential forgiveness of sins accomplished on Yom Kippur through the request of "Forgive, please" is drawn from the aspect of na'aseh v'nishma mentioned above — the aspect of Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem — from which comes all forgiveness of sins, in the aspect of: "On that day, the sin of Yisrael shall be sought, and it is not there", as mentioned above. And from there comes all the holiness of Chanukah — which is the aspect of the inauguration of the Beis HaMikdash, where the essential generality of Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem resides, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the Hallel of Chanukah — the aspect of: "He is your praise and He is your G-d" [Deuteronomy 10:21] — the aspect of the completeness of prayer mentioned above, from which the essential miracle of Chanukah is drawn. And this is: "And they established these eight days of Chanukah — to give thanks and to praise Your great Name" — which mentions only the Hallel of Chanukah. For the entire kindling of the light of the Chanukah lamp and the entire intensity of the miracle — everything is from the aspect of prayer, the aspect of: "A woman who fears Hashem, she shall be praised" — the aspect of: "and among the holy ones, she shall be praised." For Hallel is the generality of all the prayers and thanksgivings and praises — as Rashi explains on the verse: "All Your wonders" — "This is Hallel, which contains [references] to the past, to the future, to the days of Mashi'ach", etc. And this is what is written in the aforementioned Kavanos regarding dam adam — which is the aspect of the Name Mah (45). And from the Alef of the Name Mah emerges the Name Ehyeh in its squared form, which has the gematria of dam [blood], etc.; see there. And this is itself the aspect of: "Do not read 'mah' but rather 'mei'ah' [one hundred]" — which our Sages of blessed memory said, from which they learned to bless one hundred brachos every day — which are the aspect of the generality of prayer. That is, when one inserts the Alef into Mah, it becomes mei'ah — the aspect of one hundred brachos. And then the blood — which is drawn from the aspect of the Alef, as mentioned above — is purified and included within Mah, in the aspect of dam adam mentioned above. That is, the aspect of azus drawn from dam adam should be azus d'kedushah — and this is drawn essentially from prayer, which is the aspect of: "Do not read 'mah' but 'mei'ah'" — that is, Mah and Alef, the aspect of Ehyeh in its squared form, which equals dam, etc. For dam adam is purified through the aspect of one hundred brachos — so that it should be in the aspect of azus d'kedushah, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the tzedakah of Chanukah — for all Yisrael customarily give much tzedakah then. For all the holiness of Chanukah is drawn through the aspect of mishpat and tzedakah — which is the aspect of na'aseh v'nishma, etc. — Torah and prayer, etc. And the essential thing is the nishma, the aspect of prayer, the aspect of tzedakah — through which the mishpat is sweetened so that it becomes great tzedakah and chesed, as mentioned above. Therefore, one gives much tzedakah then — in order to arouse through this the aspect of His tzedakah, blessed be He, the aspect of t'filas Hashem — in order to sweeten all manner of judgments, and that He should conduct Himself with us with tzedakah, as mentioned above. And this is the great greatness of tzedakah. For the poor person is in the aspect of din and mishpat — for poverty is drawn from the severity of din. And the essential sweetening of the din is specifically through is'arusa d'l'sata — that is, when a person — who has free choice in this world — is aroused and has mercy on the poor. Through which comes the essential sweetening of the din — for then, specifically, His tzedakah, blessed be He, is aroused to judge with great tzedakah and chesed. And therefore: "He who is gracious to the poor lends to Hashem" [Proverbs 19:17]. For, as it were, it is difficult for Hashem, blessed be He, Himself to nullify the din on His own — for the essential sweetening is through the person who has free choice (and see regarding this elsewhere). And this is the aspect of what Yaakov sent word to say to Esav: "With Lavan I have sojourned and I have delayed until now" [Genesis 32:5]. For Yaakov saw that the essential strengthening of Esav — who is the aspect of the wicked kingdom — is through the azus of the Sitra Achra, from which comes the essential power of the wicked kingdom — which is the aspect of "kingship without a crown" — as explained in the aforementioned Torah-teaching. And as it is written that Esav was ruddy, etc. Therefore Yaakov sent him [word] that he had already merited Torah and prayer — which are the aspects of na'aseh v'nishma — through which one merits azus d'kedushah, through which the azus of the Sitra Achra — which is the aspect of the kingdom of Esav — is subdued, as mentioned above. And this is: "With Lavan I have sojourned." And our Sages of blessed memory expounded: "and the 613 mitzvos I have kept" — this is the aspect of Torah. "And I have delayed until now" — this is the aspect of prayer. That is, he said to him: Even though I have kept all the 613 mitzvos and merited the Torah, nevertheless I do not content myself with this. And I wait and look forward and yearn with strong longings always — to ascend from level to level, to make from the nishma a na'aseh, through much prayer, as mentioned above. And this is: "and I have delayed until now" — that I delay and tarry with strong longings until I have merited the aspect of atah [now], which is the aspect of prayer, the aspect of nishma, the aspect of: "And now, Yisrael — what [mah] does Hashem your G-d ask of you, if not to fear?" [Deuteronomy 10:12] — which is the aspect of prayer, the aspect of: "a woman who fears Hashem, she shall be praised" — as explained there. And this is the aspect of: "Do not read 'mah' but 'mei'ah' — one hundred brachos" — which are the aspect of the generality of prayer, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of: "And now, Yisrael, hear the statutes" [Deuteronomy 4:1] — which is also the aspect of nishma — as it is found in the Midrash regarding this, in the parable brought there (and brought in our words elsewhere; Likutay Moharan I:120; see there). For the yirah [fear/awe], the aspect of prayer, is the aspect of atah [now] — the aspect of: "Today — if you will listen to His voice", brought above. For this is the essential, perfect service — the essential length of days and true life — which one merits through yirah, in the aspect of: "The fear of Hashem adds days" [Proverbs 10:27]. For the essential thing is that one should not think of anything except that hour and moment of that day — and one should not think from day to day, nor from hour to hour — as brought above regarding this. For "you do not know what a day will bring forth", etc. And this is the aspect of: "And now, Yisrael, what [mah] does Hashem your G-d ask of you, if not to fear" — "and now" specifically. And this is the aspect of: "and I have delayed until now [atah]", as mentioned above. It emerges that [Yaakov] hinted to [Esav] that he had merited Torah and prayer — from which azus d'kedushah is drawn — and therefore he could certainly overcome Esav, who is the azus of the Sitra Achra, as mentioned above. And this is: "And I have acquired an ox and a donkey" [Genesis 32:6] — the aspect of Mashi'ach ben Yosef and Mashi'ach ben David, as brought in the Midrash. For this aspect, in its completeness, Yisrael will merit through the true tzadikim — who are the aspect of Mashi'ach — who bring Torah and prayer into Yisrael. Through which one merits azus d'kedushah, as mentioned above. For the essential thing is the aspect of atah [now] — the aspect of: "Today — if you will listen to His voice" — that each person should look to connect that time and moment in which he stands to Hashem, blessed be He — to raise the time to the aspect of above time. And this one merits only through Torah and prayer — and essentially through prayer, which is the aspect of good longings and yearnings and aspirations to Hashem, blessed be He. For this is needed by everyone, at every level — both great tzadikim who need to ascend from level to level, and how much more so those who are very low, who lie where they lie, may the Merciful One save us. They need to revive themselves through the power of the true tzadikim, only through this aspect — the aspect of: "And now, Yisrael, mah", etc.; "And now, Yisrael, hear", etc. — to grab, each time, some moment — when they flee from evil and snatch some good point — and so forth, each time. For a person such as this — if he wished to think much about what has passed and to worry about what will be — he could lose his mind and literally go insane, G-d forbid. And all his vitality and endurance is only the aspect of atah [now] mentioned above — the aspect of: "Today — if you will listen to His voice", as mentioned above. And this is what is written there in the Midrash: "'And sheep' — these are Yisrael. 'And servant and maidservant' — 'Behold, as the eyes of servants to the hand of [their master],' etc. 'Be gracious to us, Hashem, be gracious to us, for we are greatly sated with contempt'" — end of the Midrash's language. That is, the aspect of prayer and supplications, as mentioned above. And this is: "'And sheep' — these are Yisrael" — as it is written: "And you, My sheep, the sheep of My pasture — you are adam [man]" [Ezekiel 34:31]. For one must make oneself as an animal, the aspect of: "Adam and animal You save, Hashem" [Psalms 36:7] — as mentioned above regarding the verse: "Your tzedakah"; see there. For it is impossible to understand the ways of His tzedakah, etc. And this is the aspect of: "Have you not from now called to Me: My father, You are" [Jeremiah 3:4], etc. — that is, as mentioned above. And all of this must be connected to what is explained (in Likutay Moharan II:61) regarding the verse: "I have this day begotten you" [Psalms 2:7]; see there — that Mashi'ach will merit the aspect of above time, etc. And every person must draw upon himself this aspect, through the power of the true tzadikim who draw the light of Mashi'ach in every generation, upon every person and in every time — upon whoever wishes to draw close to Hashem, blessed be He. The essential thing is through this aspect: that one should think every day, at every time, and at every moment — that one has nothing except that moment — and as if one were born now. For in truth, for one who has intelligence, time is nothing — for the past is gone, the future has not yet come, and the present is like the blink of an eye — as is brought regarding this, even among the philosophers. And the wise person can understand that there is no time at all, except one moment at every occasion. And that moment too is nothing compared to the understanding that is above this — for in truth, there is no time at all — as explained well in the aforementioned Torah-teaching. And the essential concealment with which Hashem, blessed be He, concealed the true understanding from the world — through which time came into being — is only for the sake of free choice, as explained elsewhere in our words. But even with our understanding — where it seems that time exists — one can also understand that all of time is only literally one moment: the brief instant in which one stands now — for the past is gone, etc. And the essential thing is to connect that moment to Hashem, blessed be He — to the aspect of above time. And whoever pays attention to this will be able, always — at every time and moment — to begin to connect himself and to cling to Hashem, blessed be He. And this is the aspect of the mitzvah of cleaving to Him, blessed be He — which is a positive commandment in the Torah, as it is written: "Hashem your G-d you shall fear; Him you shall serve; and to Him you shall cleave" [Deuteronomy 10:20]. And it is written: "After Hashem your G-d shall you walk, and Him shall you fear, and to His voice shall you listen, and Him shall you serve, and to Him shall you cleave" [Deuteronomy 13:5]. For according to all the above, every person, from wherever he is — even from the literal lowest depths — can cleave himself to Hashem, blessed be He, at any moment he wishes. And this is the aspect of: "See now that I, I am He" [Deuteronomy 32:39] — "see now" specifically — for through the aspect of "now" (atah) mentioned above, you will be able to see that "I, I am He." And it is readily apparent to the understanding person that this matter is impossible to explain verbally — how much more so in writing. Rather, each person, according to what he grasps in his heart, can take from this true hints to cling to Hashem, blessed be He, at all times, from wherever he is. And regarding this it is said: "I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you, My eye upon you" [Psalms 32:8]. And all of this is the aspect of the statement of our Sages of blessed memory mentioned above regarding the three things that come b'hesach hada'as — Mashi'ach, a "finding," and a scorpion. It emerges that everything depends on the moment. And this is the aspect of: "Go, my people, enter your chambers, and close your door behind you" [Isaiah 26:20] — that one must enter some room and close the door behind oneself and engage in hisbodedus between oneself and one's Maker. "Hide yourself for a brief moment, until the fury passes" — for the essential thing is to hide oneself for a brief moment and to leap in that moment over what one needs to leap over — to sweeten the fierce anger, from which comes the aspect of the scorpion's bite, G-d forbid — and to merit finding true good, which is the aspect of a "finding." And this is the aspect of: "For His anger is but a moment; life is in His will" [Psalms 30:6]. For through the aspect of good ratzon and yearnings, one merits true life — to nullify the fierce anger in that moment. And all of this is merited through the power of the true tzadikim, who are the aspect of Mashi'ach, as mentioned above. And this is what precedes [in that psalm]: "Sing to Hashem, His devout ones" [Psalms 30:5], etc. — "For His anger is but a moment", etc. — for the essential rectification is through His devout ones, who are the true tzadikim, as mentioned above. And this is what follows: "And I said in my tranquility: I shall never be moved. Hashem, in Your will You established my mountain in strength" [Psalms 30:7-8], etc. That is, all the above — that a person does not know at all what will happen to him each day, for everything comes b'hesach hada'as, as mentioned above. And one must only lift one's eyes heavenward, as mentioned above. And all of this is well explained in these verses that follow after: "For His anger is but a moment; life is in His will. In the evening, weeping may lodge, but in the morning — joy" [Psalms 30:6]. "And I said in my tranquility: I shall never be moved" — for in this, the world greatly errs: when some measure of tranquility begins for them, they think it will last forever. But a person does not know at all what a day will bring forth. For "Hashem, in Your will You established my mountain in strength" — You gave me some tranquility, etc. — but immediately, "when You hid Your face, I was terrified." Therefore there is no counsel or stratagem except: "To You, Hashem, I call", etc. — for there is no refuge from whatever may befall a person, except to lift one's eyes heavenward and to pray before trouble comes, as our Sages of blessed memory said. And then: "You have turned my mourning into dancing", etc. — "and You have girded me with joy" — for the essential joy is through prayer, as mentioned above. And all of this is said in "A psalm, a song for the inauguration of the House" [Psalms 30:1] — for all of this is included in the above. And this is: "When you kindle the lamps — toward the face of the Menorah shall the seven lamps give light" [Numbers 8:2]. The seven lamps are the aspect of the Seven Shepherds, who bring and illuminate the holy emunah within Yisrael. But it is impossible to draw close to them except through azus d'kedushah — which one receives through the two crowns, which are the aspects of na'aseh v'nishma, etc. And it has already been explained above that it is difficult to understand where the beginning is, etc. And in truth, everything is accomplished through the true tzadikim — and essentially through the tzadik who is the aspect of Moshe-Mashi'ach, who is comprised of all the rectifications explained in the aforementioned Torah-teaching. For Moshe is one of the Seven Shepherds and is comprised of all of them, as is explained there. And he himself draws the two aforementioned crowns, which are the aspects of na'aseh v'nishma — as it is found in the [Kabbalistic] writings that Moshe returned and merited the aforementioned crowns, as is brought regarding this in the intention of "Yismach Moshe", etc. And he illuminates upon us the light of the aforementioned crowns — and through this we merit joy, the aspect of azus d'kedushah. And through this we merit to draw close to him — who is the generality of the Seven Shepherds — through which he illuminates and draws upon us complete emunah. And the aspect of chosam hayadin [seal of the hands] is rectified — through which one merits chosam haraglin [seal of the feet], etc. — which is also rectified only through him. For only he makes peace between Yisrael and their Father in heaven — for he argues with Hashem, blessed be He: "Why, Hashem, should Your anger burn against Your people?" [Exodus 32:11], etc. It emerges that all the rectifications, from beginning to end — everything is through him. And he is the aspect of the "face of the Menorah" — and all the seven lamps illuminate through him. And this is: "toward the face of the Menorah" — which is the aspect of Moshe, who is comprised of all the aforementioned rectifications — "the seven lamps shall give light." For it is impossible to receive their light except through him, as mentioned above. And this is why the kindling of the lamps is written in the language of "b'ha'aloscha" [when you raise up], etc. — for through the lamps of the Menorah, all the fallen souls are raised up — in the aspect of: the descent is the purpose of the ascent, as mentioned above. For every soul of Yisrael is the aspect of a lamp, as it is written: "The lamp of Hashem is the soul of man" [Proverbs 20:27]. And all of them ascend from their descent and illuminate through the power of the rectification of the Menorah mentioned above. And this is: "And this is the workmanship of the Menorah — hammered gold; from its base to its flower, it is hammered work" [Numbers 8:4]. "Hammered" (mikshah) — Rashi explains that the entire Menorah was made from one ingot, from beginning to end. That is, all the rectifications of the Menorah are all dependent on one another, and all of them are made from one ingot — to indicate that all of them are accomplished through the tzadik — the aspect of Moshe himself — from whom come all the aforementioned rectifications, from beginning to end. And this is: "from its base to its flower, it is hammered work" — that the aforementioned tzadik draws all the aforementioned rectifications, to the point that he instills the aspect of stubbornness and azus d'kedushah even in the very lowest level — in the aspect of yarchin v'raglin [thighs and feet] — in the aspect of "from its base to its flower, it is hammered work." And this is the aspect of "to its flower" — the aspect of the flowering and shining and glimmering of His G-dliness, blessed be He, that illuminates even in the aspect of the feet and thigh. For through the great intensity of azus d'kedushah that he instills in every individual of Yisrael through all the aforementioned rectifications — through this, the light of the shining of His G-dliness, blessed be He, flowers and glimmers even in the aspect of the thigh and feet — in the aspect of: "from its base to its flower, it is hammered work." And this is: "According to the vision that Hashem showed Moshe, so he made the Menorah" [Numbers 8:4]. And our Sages of blessed memory expounded that Moshe had difficulty with the making of the Menorah — until Hashem, blessed be He, showed him a Menorah of fire, etc. For in truth, everything is from Him, blessed be He — for all the aforementioned rectifications are accomplished through Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem Himself, as it were — and this is the aspect of the Menorah that He showed him from above. And likewise Moshe made the Menorah — for he was included in Him, blessed be He, and also merited the aspect of Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem — through which all the supernal chasadim are drawn and all the aforementioned rectifications — which are comprised in the Menorah — are accomplished. And therefore Moshe found the making of the Menorah very difficult — because he saw that everything is made from one ingot and everything is dependent on one another, and one does not know where the beginning is. Therefore it was very difficult in his eyes — how to instill and illuminate these rectifications in Yisrael. Until Hashem, blessed be He, showed him that everything is from Him, blessed be He. The essential thing is only the true ratzon — for whoever truly desires with strong longings to draw close to Hashem, blessed be He, will merit all of this, as mentioned above. And this is what is written at the end of the vision of the Menorah of Zechariah: "Not by might and not by power, but by My spirit" [Zechariah 4:6] — the aspect of ratzon. For the essential thing depends on good and strong ratzon, for days and years, to Hashem, blessed be He — truly and sincerely. Through this one will merit all of the above, as mentioned above. According to all the above, the immense greatness of the holiness of the Chanukah lamp is explained — which is the aspect of the kindling of the lights of the Menorah. For their holy light is drawn from the aspect of the light of Mashi'ach — the aspect of: "I have arranged a lamp for My anointed one" [Psalms 132:17]. For he will merit the aspect of mishpat and tzedakah in completeness — through which comes the essential endurance of the world. By the fact that He, blessed be He, Himself sweetens the mishpat with tzedakah, in wondrous ways, every day, at every time, and at every hour, etc. — as mentioned above. And this is what is written in the Midrash HaNe'elam, Parashas Noach — brought in the Yalkut HaReuveni, Parashas B'ha'aloscha. And this is its language: "'And behold, an olive branch, freshly plucked, in its mouth' [Genesis 8:11] — were it not that the Holy One, blessed be He, aroused the spirit of the Kohanim who would kindle lamps with olive oil, then the remnant of Yehudah would have perished from the world." It emerges that our essential endurance is through the lamps of olive oil of the Menorah — which is the aspect of the Chanukah lamp. That is, as mentioned above. And therefore the First Temple — which was in the merit of Avraham — and the Second Temple — which was in the merit of Yitzchak — were destroyed through the klippos of Esav and Yishmael, as is brought. But the Third and final Temple — which we hope will be in the merit of Yaakov — will endure forever. For the essential generality of tzedakah and mishpat — which are the aspects of Torah and prayer together — is in the Beis HaMikdash. For from there the Torah goes forth, for the Luchos [Tablets] — the generality of the Torah — stand there in the Beis HaMikdash, in the Holy of Holies. And there is the place of prayer, as it is written: "For My House is a house of prayer" [Isaiah 56:7]. And the essential endurance of the Beis HaMikdash is when tzedakah and mishpat are included together, as it is written regarding the Mashi'ach: "And he shall judge the poor with righteousness" [Isaiah 11:4]. And as explained above regarding this. And therefore the two Temples that were in the merit of Avraham and Yitzchak — with whom the aspects of tzedakah and mishpat were not included in their completeness — therefore they were destroyed, as mentioned above. But the Third Temple, which will be in the merit of Yaakov — who merited to include tzedakah and mishpat in their completeness — therefore it will endure forever. But nevertheless, it is brought in the holy books that the essential final redemption will come about through the sweetening of the gevuros of Yitzchak to become the aspect of Yis'chak [laughter/rejoicing]. For this is the essential rectification — that Yaakov and Avraham will sweeten the gevuros of Yitzchak in their completeness, and through this the final redemption will come. And this is the aspect of: "And I will remember My covenant with Yaakov, and also My covenant with Yitzchak, and also My covenant with Avraham I will remember" [Leviticus 26:42] — which begins first with Yaakov, for the essential redemption will come through him. And He will remember also the merit of Yitzchak, and also the merit of Avraham — until Avraham and Yaakov sweeten the gevuros of Yitzchak and include the tzedakah in the mishpat in their completeness. Through this the final redemption will come, and the building of the Beis HaMikdash, as mentioned above. And this is why regarding Yaakov it is written: "And I will remember" — and likewise regarding Avraham it is also written with a term of remembrance: "And also My covenant with Avraham I will remember" — but regarding Yitzchak, no term of remembrance is written. For the essential remembrance — to have mercy on Yisrael and redeem them from all the troubles and exiles mentioned previously in the parashah — is only through Avraham and Yaakov, who will sweeten the gevuros of Yitzchak, and through this He will redeem them through His abundant mercy and chasadim. For always the attribute of chesed and tzedakah is greater than the mishpat and din. And as it is written: "He loves tzedakah and mishpat; the chesed of Hashem fills the earth" [Psalms 33:5]. And it is written: "For I am Hashem, Who performs chesed, mishpat, and tzedakah in the earth" [Jeremiah 9:23]. It emerges that tzedakah and chesed are mentioned against the attribute of mishpat — for "the measure of good is always greater." And this is the aspect of Avraham and Yaakov grasping Yitzchak to sweeten his din and mishpat. And therefore through this the essential redemption will come — through the sweetening of the gevuros of Yitzchak, until from "Yitzchak" there is made "Yis'chak" [will laugh], as is brought. And this is the aspect of the secret of the tekios [shofar blasts], as brought in the Holy Zohar and in the Writings — that Avraham and Yaakov grasp Yitzchak to sweeten his din, as mentioned above. For the essential rectifications are all accomplished on Rosh Hashanah — where there is the essential aspect of the sprouting of the horn of Mashi'ach, as we pray much about this then, as it is written: "And the sprouting of a horn for David Your servant, and the preparation of a lamp for the son of Yishai, Your anointed — speedily in our days", etc. And because Yitzchak needed more than others to exert himself through abundant prayer — in the aspect of "and Yitzchak entreated", etc., as mentioned above — therefore the essential theme of prayer is hinted at most in connection with the aspect of Yitzchak. As is hinted in Nishmas [the Shabbos prayer]: "In the mouth of the upright You shall be exalted; and by the lips of the righteous You shall be blessed... [and by the tongue of the devout You shall be sanctified; and in the midst of the holy ones] You shall be praised" — the initial letters of which spell Yitzchak Rivkah, as is brought. For there one must exert oneself more to include Torah and prayer together — which are Yitzchak and Rivkah, as mentioned above. And therefore Yitzchak is hinted at in the initial letters: Y'sharim, Tz'adikim, Ch'asidim, K'doshim (Upright, Righteous, Devout, Holy) — which are the aspect of the generality of the tzadikim and the G-d-fearing ones who fulfill the Torah, on whose account they are called by the names Upright, Righteous, etc. — that is, the aspect of Torah, which is the aspect of Yitzchak. But Rivkah is hinted at in the initial letters: tis'Romam, tis'Barech, tis'Kadash, tis'Halal (shall be exalted, blessed, sanctified, praised) — which are initial letters of Rivkah. For these words — "shall be exalted, blessed," etc. — are the aspect of the generality of prayer, the aspect of Rivkah, the aspect of "a woman who fears Hashem, she shall be praised", as mentioned above. And this is what is brought: that Yitzchak and Rivkah have the gematria of 515, as found in the Yalkut Reuveni, according to its approach. That is, t'filah (prayer) has the gematria of 515 — which is Yitzchak and Rivkah, as mentioned above. For there is the essential place of prayer — to sweeten the gevuros of Yitzchak, as mentioned above. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory said: "A person should always be careful regarding the Minchah prayer", etc. And likewise they cautioned especially not to delay the Minchah prayer — as they said: "A person should not sit down before the barber close to the time of Minchah", etc. — that specifically close to the time of Minchah they cautioned about this more, as brought in the poskim [halachic authorities]. For the Minchah prayer corresponds to Yitzchak, who established the Minchah prayer, as our Sages of blessed memory said — as it is written: "And Yitzchak went out to converse in the field" [Genesis 24:63] — as our Sages of blessed memory expounded. Therefore at that time one must be especially careful to pray, and not to delay it so as to nullify it, G-d forbid. For there one needs to exert oneself exceedingly to pray — because it is the aspect of the gevuros of Yitzchak, the aspect of mishpat, whose essential sweetening is through prayer, the aspect of tzedakah, as mentioned above. And therefore at that time — when Yitzchak went out to converse in the field — it was specifically then that Rivkah came to him through his prayer, as written there in the parashah. For Rivkah is the aspect of prayer, etc., as mentioned above. And therefore the more a person sees that the dinim — which are the aspect of the strengthening of the evil inclination — are intensifying against him, that is precisely when he must exert himself to increase and persist in prayer and entreaty more and more — in order to sweeten and nullify the intensity of the dinim, etc., as mentioned above. And therefore the essential hisbodedus [secluded personal prayer] — which is the aspect of conversation between oneself and one's Maker — is spoken of specifically in connection with Yitzchak, as it is written: "And Yitzchak went out to converse (lasu'ach) in the field" [Genesis 24:63]. For the essential conversation and hisbodedus is to sweeten the aspect of mishpat and din of Yitzchak, as mentioned above. And therefore Yitzchak wished to bless Esav, according to the intensity of his din and mishpat. But Rivkah the righteous — who is the aspect of prayer, as mentioned above — sweetened the din and taught Yaakov to go with stealth and concealment to receive the blessings from Yitzchak specifically. For she knew that there was power in her prayer and in the prayer of Yaakov to include the tzedakah within the mishpat — that he would receive the blessings from Yitzchak specifically. But from the greatness of the prosecution and the provocation of Esav — who is the aspect of the scorpion that lies in ambush against Yisrael always, especially at the time they wish to receive the blessings, which are the aspect of a good finding, when [the scorpion] lies in ambush and prosecutes all the more, as mentioned above — therefore it was necessary to go with stealth. And Hashem, blessed be He, caused it that Yitzchak sent Esav to hunt game, etc. And in the meanwhile, specifically Yaakov received the blessings, as brought in the Holy Zohar and in the writings of the Ari z"l regarding this, etc.; see there. And this is what Yitzchak said to Yaakov: "How is it that you were so quick to find, my son?" [Genesis 27:20]. "You were quick" specifically — for Yitzchak saw and understood from afar that this was Yaakov, as is understood from the parashah, where he said: "Come close, please, and let me feel you" [Genesis 27:21], etc. Therefore he said to him: how is it that you have hastened to find such a good finding — to feed me and to receive the blessings through this? That is, he said: I know that in the end all the blessings will reach you, Yaakov. But I thought that first the blessings must be given to Esav, for he must rule first. And as Yaakov himself said: "Let my lord please pass before his servant" [Genesis 33:14], as is brought. Therefore I wished to bless him first — and therefore: "how is it that you were so quick?" "You were quick" specifically; "to find, my son" — for in my mind, the blessings, which are the aspect of good findings, are not yet yours. And he answered: "Because Hashem your G-d caused it to happen before me" [Genesis 27:20]. And it is found in the Midrash: Rabbi Yochanan and Reish Lakish [debated this]. One said: "If for your offering He caused the [ram] to be found for you by the Holy One, blessed be He — as it says: 'And Avraham lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, a ram' [Genesis 22:13], etc. — then for your food, how much more so!" And the other said: "If for your marriage He caused it [your spouse] to be found for you — as it is written: 'Cause it to happen before me today' [Genesis 24:12]; and it is written: 'And he saw, and behold, camels were coming' [Genesis 24:63] — then for your food, how much more so!" And this is wondrous at first glance, for at first blush it seems to be a flawed kal v'chomer [a fortiori argument]. For certainly — to save Yitzchak from the judgment of the slaughter of the Akeidah, and likewise to arrange his marriage — is a greater deliverance than to arrange his food for the moment. But according to all the above, the Midrash will be well understood, and the argument will come in proper form, and will be very pleasing to your soul, with the help of Hashem, blessed be He. For specifically the merit of the Akeidah and the finding of his marriage were what [Yaakov] mentioned at that time when he wished to receive the blessings. For he said: is it not true that for the sake of the offering of the Akeidah — which was to sweeten your gevuros — Hashem caused the ram to be found? And likewise, for finding your marriage-partner Rivkah — who is the aspect of prayer that sweetens the aspect of mishpat and gevurah of Yitzchak — Hashem, blessed be He, helped in a wondrous way, even though it was very difficult to find your marriage-partner because of the intensity of your gevuros, as mentioned above? Nevertheless, Hashem had mercy and caused her to be found for you. And all of this was for my sake — so that Yisrael would come forth from me. And now, regarding your food — that I wish to feed you in order to receive the blessings, in order that Yisrael should be able to endure in the world and sustain themselves through all the intensity and length of the bitterness of their exile — how much more so that Hashem, blessed be He, will cause it to happen before me! It emerges that this Midrash connects very beautifully. For specifically through the sweetening of the Akeidah, and through his spouse Rivkah — the aspect of prayer, as mentioned above — through this he received the blessings, as mentioned above. (And this is what is written in the Sefer HaAlef-Beis, Letter 7: that the eating of the tzadikim is greater than offerings and than their marriages, etc. Understand this well.) And therefore Yitzchak said then: "The voice is the voice of Yaakov" [Genesis 27:22], etc. For he understood then the immense power of Yaakov — who merited the aspect of na'aseh v'nishma in its completeness, to include mishpat and tzedakah together, which are the aspects of Torah and prayer — through which one merits azus, the aspect of voices, the aspect of: "Behold, He gives His voice, a voice of strength" [Psalms 68:34], as explained there. Therefore Yitzchak said then: now I know that "the voice is the voice of Yaakov" — very strong — through which he will overcome "the hands, the hands of Esav", as our Sages of blessed memory expounded. For I see and understand that his voice is growing ever stronger — since he merited to sweeten the mishpat with tzedakah until he found [the means] to feed me and receive the blessings. And this is drawn from the generality of Torah and prayer — through which one merits azus d'kedushah, the aspect of voices, the aspect of "the voice is the voice of Yaakov", as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of "the voice is the voice" — two voices — the aspect of the voice of Torah and the voice of prayer that are included together. Through which is the essential strengthening of azus d'kedushah against the azus of the Sitra Achra, to overcome "the hands, the hands of Esav" — who draws nourishment from the aspect of mishpat when it is not included in its completeness within the aspect of tzedakah. But through "the voice is the voice of Yaakov" — the aspect of two voices drawn from Torah and prayer included together — through this he overcomes "the hands, the hands of Esav", and nullifies them, as mentioned above. And therefore in truth Yaakov was in great fear when his mother told him to deceive his father in order to receive the blessings. And therefore he said to his mother: "Perhaps my father will feel me, and I will be in his eyes as a deceiver" [Genesis 27:12], etc. For he was afraid of the intensity of the gevuros of Yitzchak. And therefore he said: "Perhaps my father will feel me" — that is, that my father Yitzchak — who is the aspect of din and mishpat — will feel me and scrutinize me with mishpat. For because I wish to receive the blessings, his mishpat will suddenly be aroused against me, G-d forbid, to feel me and examine me closely. And then, G-d forbid — "I will bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing" [Genesis 27:12]. For such is the way of the prosecution of mishpat: as long as a person is at rest and quiet and is not seeking to find many good findings, the prosecution of mishpat is not so greatly aroused against him. But as soon as one wishes to grab greatness and great wealth and the like, the prosecution is aroused against him, G-d forbid — to say: "Let us examine his deeds, whether he is worthy of this." And then, G-d forbid, the wheel can turn against him in the opposite direction. And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said: that "scrutiny of one's prayer causes a person's sins to be recalled" — that is, when one scrutinizes one's prayer inappropriately, saying [to oneself]: "It is fitting that the Holy One, blessed be He, should fulfill my request" — as Rashi explains there — then his sins are recalled, to see whether he is worthy of this. And this is the aspect of the general principle we wrote above: that one's essential prayer should be primarily that "the flood of many waters should not reach him" — to be saved from the one who lies in ambush and prosecutes, in the aspect of "from distress, You shall guard me", etc. And then one can also request mercy regarding one's necessary livelihood, etc., as mentioned above. And this is why Yaakov was afraid: "Perhaps my father will feel me" — that is, the aspect of mishpat and din will feel me and scrutinize me, because I have come to receive the blessings. And then "I will bring upon myself a curse and not a blessing" — which is the aspect of the scorpion's bite that comes suddenly, which is the opposite of the finding, as mentioned above. And his mother answered him: "Upon me be your curse, my son; only go and take for me" [Genesis 27:13], etc. That is, Rivkah told him that she takes upon herself to nullify this fear. For specifically she knows how to nullify this — for Rivkah is the aspect of prayer, the aspect of the sweetening of din and mishpat of Yitzchak, as mentioned above. And therefore specifically she is able to nullify this fear. And as found in the Midrash, that she said to him: "It is upon me to go in to Yitzchak and tell him: 'Yaakov is righteous; Esav is wicked.'" That is, as mentioned above — she said that through her prayer she could sweeten the gevuros of Yitzchak and reveal to him that Yisrael are righteous compared to Esav the wicked. For even if they are as they are, they are still righteous compared to the wickedness of the nations, who are the children of Esav. And this is revealed through Rivkah specifically, who is the aspect of prayer that sweetens the din and mishpat, as mentioned above — through which Yaakov is enabled to receive the blessings, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the trial of Avraham and Yitzchak at the time of the Akeidah. For the world's well-known question is known: regarding the greatness of the commotion about the trial of the Akeidah — for according to the greatness of Avraham's righteousness, it doesn't seem to be such a great trial at first glance. For it seems to us that even simple people would pass this test — that when Hashem, blessed be He, tells him explicitly to slaughter his only son, he will certainly fulfill His word and slaughter him. But the essential trial was that he did not question His attributes, blessed be He — as is brought regarding this, and as understood from the words of our Sages of blessed memory and brought in Rashi's commentary. From what [Avraham] said afterward: "Let me set forth my conversation before You: yesterday You said to me, 'For through Yitzchak shall your seed be called' [Genesis 21:12]; and then You said to me to offer him as a burnt-offering", etc. It is understood from this and from other places that this was the essential trial — and as our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the verse: "And I and the lad will go until 'koh' (there)" [Genesis 22:5] — and brought in Rashi's commentary: "I will see where is that which He told me: 'Koh (so) shall your seed be.'" But Avraham strengthened himself in emunah and did not question His attributes. And he said: even though I cannot understand His ways, certainly this is the way it must be — that it is impossible to understand the ways of Hashem. And I am obligated to do my part — to take my only son to be slaughtered. And nevertheless, I believe that Hashem, blessed be He, will fulfill all His words that He promised me. For His ways are impossible to understand at all — for He can do two opposites in one subject. And as I heard from him [the Rebbe], of blessed memory, much regarding this. And this is the aspect of what is written: "And Avraham called the name of that place 'Hashem Yireh' — as it is said today: 'On the mountain of Hashem, He shall be seen'" [Genesis 22:14]. For all the holy Patriarchs understood and saw from afar that the essential purpose and hope would be only at the very end, when Mashi'ach comes. And as our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the verse: "And also the nation which they shall serve" [Genesis 15:14] — to include the subjugation of the kingdoms. And so in several places — they all saw this bitter final exile, so very long. But in the immensity of the greatness of their perception and their holy spirit, they could not ascertain the final end — which is the keitz hap'la'os, which is very sealed and hidden from every eye. And as our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the verse: "And Yaakov called to his sons" [Genesis 49:1], etc. — that he wished to reveal to them the end of the redemption, and the Shechinah departed from him. And this is the aspect of what is written regarding Avraham: "And he saw the place from afar" [Genesis 22:4] — that he saw the hope, which is the holiness of the place of the Beis HaMikdash, which is our House of Life, and there is all our hope. But he "saw the place from afar" — for it is impossible to ascertain when we will return to this holy place. But nevertheless, he saw it with a clear and fine vision — that certainly we will merit this holy place, in the end of all ends. Only, it is from afar. (And as explained in our words at length regarding this — to draw hints from this for each person regarding the redemption of his own individual soul; see there, in Hilchos Shilu'ach HaKen, Halacha 5.) And this is itself the aspect of: "And I and the lad will go until koh" — said regarding Avraham. For the aspect of koh hints at something one sees from very far away. And as Rashi explains in Parashas Mattos: Moshe prophesied with koh, and all the prophets prophesied with koh. Moshe had an additional quality — that he also prophesied with "zeh hadavar" [this is the thing]. For all the [other] prophets prophesied through a non-luminous lens — they saw their prophecy from very far away. But Moshe prophesied also with "zeh hadavar" — the aspect of seeing the prophecy with a clear and fine vision. But even Moshe prophesied with koh — for there were many prophecies that even he was compelled to see from very far away. And this is the aspect of: "Koh said Hashem: 'About midnight I am going out'" [Exodus 11:4], etc. For the secret of midnight — even Moshe could not fully fathom it, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Would you say Moshe didn't know when midnight was, [that] he said 'about midnight'? David knew — who said: 'At midnight I arise to thank You' [Psalms 119:62]", etc. That is, Moshe knew that the essential thing is the final redemption, which will come through the merit of David and those who join with him — who are the tzadikim and upright ones who arise at midnight to lament the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash. For then Hashem, blessed be He, and all the tzadikim in Gan Eden "listen to their voices", etc. And through this the redemption will come, in the aspect of: "Rejoice with her... all who mourn over her" [Isaiah 66:10]. And as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Whoever mourns for Yerushalayim", etc. But [Moshe] could not fathom when the end would be — for it is very sealed, as mentioned above. And therefore, even regarding the first redemption, he hinted in his words, saying "about midnight I am going out" — for in all his words and mission, he gazed toward the final end. For that reason he initially refused the mission, etc. And therefore he hinted in his words and said: "About midnight I am going out in the midst of Egypt", etc. — for all the exiles are referred to by the name "Egypt," etc., as our Sages of blessed memory said. And therefore he said "about" (ka'chatzos) — for the final end is very sealed. Only David, who is himself Mashi'ach, said: "At midnight I arise", etc. And therefore Moshe said then: "Koh said Hashem" — for this prophecy regarding the aspect of midnight — which hints at the final end — is very far away, and it is impossible to fathom it. Therefore he said it in the language of koh, as mentioned above. And this is itself the aspect of: "And I and the lad will go until koh" — said regarding Avraham. For he believed that even though he was taking his son to be slaughtered, nevertheless, certainly the words of Hashem, blessed be He, who promised him "for through Yitzchak shall your seed be called" — would be fulfilled. But it is in the aspect of koh — very far away, and impossible to understand. One can only see from afar, as mentioned above. And therefore afterward, when Hashem, blessed be He, saved Yitzchak and offered a ram in his place, Avraham understood even more that it is impossible to understand His ways and to fathom the end of His words — especially regarding the final end. For all the promises He promised him — to give him offspring and to bequeath to them the Land — were all for the sake of the final end, which is when they will be fulfilled in their completeness. But it is impossible to fathom the end of the matter in any way. Only, we are obligated every day to fulfill the words of Hashem, blessed be He, and His mitzvos, and to believe that through this the end will draw near, and to wait every day for him to come. And nevertheless, if he does not come on that day, we will wait on another day — until in the end of all ends he will come. As they said: "If it tarries, wait for it — for it will surely come; it will not delay" [Habakkuk 2:3]. And this is: "And Avraham called the name of that place 'Hashem Yireh'" — which seemingly has no [clear] explanation, and Rashi was forced to strain in his commentary. But now it will be explained simply: that he called the place of the Beis HaMikdash — which is the essential hope, as mentioned above — "Hashem Yireh" ("Hashem will see"). That is: only Hashem will see this place, to cause His Shechinah to rest in it. For only He, blessed be He, alone knows the end. But we are forbidden to think about any end at all. And as our Sages of blessed memory said: only upon us is it incumbent, each and every day, to do our part — to turn from evil and to do good every single day — through which the redemption draws near. And as our Sages of blessed memory said: that [one] asked Eliyahu: "When will the Master come?" He said: "Today! — Today, if you will listen to His voice" [Psalms 95:7]. And even though there were already many tzadikim and upright ones who served Him, blessed be He, every single day, and yet [Mashi'ach] still has not come — this is because of the corruption of others who delay his coming. But nevertheless, each person, according to his service, draws the redemption closer on that day. And in the end of all ends, the sparks of redemption that the tzadikim and upright ones aroused each day will be gathered together — and through this the redemption will come. And as our Rebbe, of blessed memory, wrote regarding the saying of Rabbah bar bar Chanah: "When it was heated near it, it turned over" — in [Likutay Moharan I:] Siman 2; see there. And this is: "as it is said today: 'On the mountain of Hashem, He shall be seen'" — and as Rashi explains that it refers to every day of all future generations who read this verse, etc.; see there. That is, the aspect of "Today, if you will listen to His voice" mentioned above — that every day the redemption draws closer according to the service of each and every person who serves Hashem, blessed be He. And as we bless every day: "Who causes the horn of salvation to sprout." And this is: "as it is said today" — that is, on each and every day, of every person in every generation — today: "Hashem shall be seen" to His people in that place, as Rashi explains there. For every day the redemption sparkles, and Hashem is seen in that place, as mentioned above. But nevertheless — to fathom the end of the matter, when the complete redemption will come at the final end — regarding this he said: "Hashem Yireh" — for only Hashem, blessed be He, Himself will see this, as mentioned above. But nevertheless: "as it is said today" — that is, on each and every day, "on the mountain of Hashem, He shall be seen", as mentioned above. And see what is explained in [Likutay Moharan I:] Siman 272 regarding the verse: "Today, if you will listen to His voice" — that this is the essential counsel for serving Hashem, blessed be He: to think every single day that one has only this day alone, etc.; see there. And this relates to the above matter — for it is all one. For it is forbidden to force the hour. And one must think only about that day, in the aspect of: "This is the day that Hashem has made" [Psalms 118:24], etc. And through this one will merit to serve Hashem, blessed be He. And likewise one will merit that from one's side there will not be so great a delay of Mashi'ach. And according to the service of Yisrael who fulfill this and serve Hashem every day — to that extent the sprouting of the horn of salvation sparkles every day, as mentioned above. Until in the end of all ends, all their service will be gathered together, and the redemption will come in its completeness. And each person, according to his portion in the drawing-near of Mashi'ach, will merit then to delight in Hashem and to be sated from the great goodness that He will bestow upon us then. And this is: "At midnight I arise to thank You for Your righteous judgments" [Psalms 119:62] — the aspects of tzedakah and mishpat mentioned above: that through mishpat He performs tzedakah. And this will be in its completeness when Mashi'ach comes, who will merit this, as mentioned above — through which the complete redemption will come, as mentioned above. And this is merited through arising at midnight — through which the end of the redemption will come, as mentioned above. And this is: "At midnight I arise to thank You for Your righteous judgments" — that at midnight, when one arises — through which one draws the redemption closer, as our Sages of blessed memory said, as mentioned above — then one must thank Him, blessed be He, for His mishp'tei tzidkecha — for what He, blessed be He, performs tzedakah through mishpat. Through which is the essential strengthening to hope and wait for a complete salvation and redemption, in the general and the particular sense, at all times, as mentioned above. [This relates to Section 40 above, regarding what is brought there that the measure of good is always greater, etc.] And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said: "'And I will make of you a great nation' [Genesis 12:2] — this is what we say: 'G-d of Avraham,' etc. 'One might think they would conclude with all of them? Scripture says: "And you shall be a blessing" — with you they conclude'", etc. That is, as mentioned above. For the essential conclusion and completion of the blessing of the three Patriarchs — Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov — who are the aspects of tzedakah, mishpat, and the generality of tzedakah and mishpat together, as mentioned above — the essential conclusion of the blessing is only "Shield of Avraham." For Avraham is the aspect of tzedakah and chesed, in whom is the essential conclusion and completion of the blessing. For "the measure of good is always greater", as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of Chanukah — which is the aspect of the dedication (chanukas) of the Beis HaMikdash. For the essential holiness of the Beis HaMikdash is that there is the place of Torah and prayer, as it is written: "For from Tzion the Torah shall go forth" [Isaiah 2:3] — for there stands the Ark with the Tablets in the Holy of Holies. And there is the place of prayer, as it is written: "For My House is a house of prayer" — for by way of there all the prayers ascend, as it is written: "And they shall pray to You by way of their Land, and the House that I have built for Your Name" [I Kings 8:48], etc. And the essential thing is that there is the resting place of His Shechinah, blessed be He. And there, the Torah is the aspect of Toras Hashem literally — for there stand the Tablets that were given from His hand, blessed be He, to the hand of Moshe, which are "the work of G-d" — as it is written: "And the Tablets were the work of G-d; they were written with the finger of G-d" [Exodus 32:16] — the aspect of Toras Hashem literally. And likewise, t'filas Hashem literally is there in the Beis HaMikdash, as it is written: "And I will gladden them in My house of prayer" [Isaiah 56:7] — from which our Sages of blessed memory derived that Hashem, blessed be He, prays. For it does not say "their prayer," but rather "My prayer", etc. — as explained in Berachos. For all of our endurance and vitality is only through Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem literally. And the essential thing is through t'filas Hashem — which is the aspect of His praying, blessed be He, Himself, in His simple mercy, to arouse His great and abundant mercies. (As explained in the Torah-teaching "Ozi v'Zimras Kah", Likutay Moharan I:105, regarding this matter; see there.) And now that the Beis HaMikdash is destroyed, through our sins — it would not have been possible for us to endure were it not for the great tzadikim who have the power to arouse the aspect of t'filas Hashem every day. From there new chasadim are drawn every day, in the aspect of: "They are new every morning", etc. — which are drawn through the immensity of the chasadim that [the tzadikim] drew on Rosh Hashanah, which is the creation of the world, etc. — as explained above in section 3. For these chasadim are drawn from Rosh Hashanah until Yom Kippur, to sweeten the dinim, until on Yom Kippur Hashem, blessed be He, is appeased and forgives the sins of Yisrael every year. And from there new chasadim are drawn every single day — without which the world would have no endurance now, after the destruction. As Yirmiyahu cried out in his lamentation: "And I said: my strength has perished, and my hope from Hashem. This I shall return to my heart; therefore I will hope: the chasadim of Hashem have not ended" [Lamentations 3:18, 21-22], etc. And all these chasadim are drawn through the aforementioned tzadikim, who merit t'filas Hashem, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the intensity of the miracle of Chanukah. For the wicked kingdom sought to "cause Your Torah to be forgotten", etc., and to destroy the Beis HaMikdash before its time. For they wished to uproot the holiness of Yisrael entirely, G-d forbid — through which the world would have reverted to formlessness and void (tohu va'vohu). For the world cannot endure without the Torah. For the Sitra Achra, the aspect of the wicked kingdom, saw and understood that this Second Temple would not endure and would ultimately be destroyed — for even then, during its building, their hand was mighty over Yisrael. Therefore they wished to destroy it immediately, in order to greatly intensify the darkness — to darken, G-d forbid, the eyes of Yisrael so that they would despair entirely of the complete redemption. For the essential purpose of creating the world was only for the sake of Yisrael, for the sake of the Torah, and for the sake of the Beis HaMikdash, as it is written: "In the beginning, G-d created the heavens and the earth" [Genesis 1:1]. And our Sages of blessed memory said: "For the sake of 'reishis' — which are Yisrael, the Torah, and the Beis HaMikdash, which are called 'reishis' [beginning]", etc. But: "And the earth was formless and void, and darkness upon the face of the deep" — which are the aspect of the four kingdoms, as our Sages of blessed memory expounded. And it is explained in their words, of blessed memory, that the wicked kingdom of Greece (Yavan) is the aspect of "darkness", and the kingdom of Edom — which is the present exile — is the aspect of "the deep." It emerges that the wicked kingdom of Greece, which ruled then, is the aspect of "darkness upon the face of the deep" — the darkness that covers the face of the deep, which is this exile, which is compared to a deep abyss. And when one falls into a deep abyss in broad daylight, it is also very bitter and difficult to ascend. How much more so when the darkness intensifies upon the face of the deep! And this was the intention of the wicked kingdom of Greece — who are the aspect of "darkness upon the face of the deep" — who wished to greatly intensify the darkness, to join the exiles together, so the Temple would be destroyed immediately, so that the darkness would intensify upon the face of the deep, so that Yisrael would be unable to ascend and emerge, G-d forbid. And Hashem, blessed be He, in His abundant mercy, placed it in the hearts of the true tzadikim — Mattisyahu and his sons — to fight the wars of Hashem. And their essential power was through azus d'kedushah, which they drew from the aspect of t'filas Hashem literally. As is brought: that Yehudah, the son of Mattisyahu, was called Yehudah M'K'B'I — for he would cry out in battle: "Mi Kamocha Ba'eilim Hashem!" [Who is like You among the mighty, Hashem!] [Exodus 15:11]. For the essential praise of "Who is like You," etc., is that Hashem, blessed be He, strengthens the chasadim over the gevuros to help Yisrael. And this is the essential might of His might. And as is juxtaposed to this: "Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, doing wonders" [Exodus 15:11]. "Awesome in praises" — this is the aspect of His prayer, blessed be He. For He, blessed be He, is "awesome in prayers" (nora s'hilos / nora t'filos) — for His prayers are exceedingly awesome, through which He performs wonders to save Yisrael. And therefore, when they prevailed, they merited that there was such a great miracle specifically with the lights of the Menorah — regarding which they established for us the lighting of Chanukah candles. To demonstrate that Hashem is still with us, and illuminates for us a great light within the intensity of the darkness of the wicked kingdom, in the aspect of: "Do not rejoice over me, my enemy, for though I have fallen, I have risen; though I sit in darkness, Hashem is a light for me" [Micah 7:8]. And through this, Hashem, blessed be He, uprooted their evil design, and it was turned around for us for good — from one extreme to the other. For not only did they fail to intensify the darkness upon the face of the deep, G-d forbid, as mentioned above — but on the contrary, the aforementioned tzadikim established for us a great and wondrous rectification for all generations. They drew for us a new mitzvah, holy and awesome, for all generations — until even we now, in the intensity of the length of this exile, which is the aspect of an actual deep abyss, merit to kindle the Chanukah candle. Which is the aspect of a very wondrous and awesome light that illuminates for us within the blackness of the darkness of the abyss. Through which we have hope not to despair of mercy — for He, blessed be He, still illuminates for us in His mercy, in the aspect of: "Though I sit in darkness, Hashem is a light for me", as mentioned above. For the light of the Chanukah candle is drawn from a very lofty place, as brought in the Kavanos [meditative intentions]. That is, from the aspect of Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem literally. And the essential wonder of the greatness of the Chanukah candle is that it is drawn from such a lofty place — from the aspect of Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem — such that it has the power to illuminate far, far below, within the blackness of the darkness of the actual abyss. For the higher the light, the more it can illuminate far, far below, as explained elsewhere. For the Second Temple was in the merit of Yitzchak, as is brought — who is the aspect of the intensity of the gevuros. And therefore it was not a complete redemption, as our Sages of blessed memory said — for five things were missing, and [Yisrael] were subjugated under the kings of the nations. But nevertheless, it was a great and awesome good for us. And were it not for the Second Temple, it would not have been possible for us to endure in this long exile — because of the immensity of the darkness upon the face of the deep, whose nourishment comes from the aspect of the gevuros of Yitzchak, from the aspect of: "And his eyes were dimmed from seeing" [Genesis 27:1] — which need to be sweetened with great chasadim drawn from t'filas Hashem, as mentioned above. And therefore Hashem, blessed be He, in His abundant mercy, brought about that specifically then — in the days of the Second Temple, which corresponds to Yitzchak, when the darkness wished to intensify, etc. — which is the aspect of the wicked kingdom of Greece that ruled then — that specifically then there were established for us the holy days of Chanukah, during which we kindle the holy Chanukah candle. Which is the aspect of a great light, established for us to illuminate for all generations — even within this exile, which is the aspect of the deep, as mentioned above. And therefore there are eight days of Chanukah — corresponding to the aspects of Torah and prayer, each of which includes four. Four — which are the aspects of Yitzchak and Rivkah. For the four letters of Yitzchak are the aspect of: Y'sharim, Tz'adikim, Ch'asidim, K'doshim — which are the generality of the Torah. And Rivkah — the aspect of: "shall be exalted," etc., until "shall be praised" — which are the aspect of the four parts of prayer. For prayer includes four — that is, the four parts of prayer corresponding to the four worlds: Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah, Asiyah. For Korbanos, etc. — corresponding to Asiyah. And Pesukei D'Zimrah — corresponding to Yetzirah, etc. — as explained in the Kavanos. And likewise the Torah includes four, as our Sages of blessed memory said: "How was the Mishnah arranged? [Moshe learned from the Almighty, taught Aharon, taught his sons, taught the Elders, taught the people — thus] four times in the hand of each one", etc. — as brought in the Torah-teaching "Meishra", etc. (Likutay Moharan I:30). It emerges that Torah and prayer are eight aspects — which are the aspect of the four letters of Yitzchak and Rivkah, as mentioned above. And corresponding to this are the eight days of Chanukah, during which a great light shines. Its essence is drawn from Torah and prayer — that is, from Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem. Through which all the judgments in the world are sweetened in every generation, every year. From there was the intensity of the miracle of Chanukah. And the illumination of this miracle is drawn upon us every single year — through which we endure in this long exile. And therefore it is called Chanukah — the aspect of the dedication of the House (chanukas habayis). For through the intensity of these miracles, we believe that Hashem, blessed be He, is still with us and illuminates for us in the intensity of the darkness of our exile. And through this, we do not despair of mercy — through which we will merit the complete redemption. For through this the aspect of the dedication of the House is drawn every year, as we say the psalm "A song for the dedication of the House" every day. For every day the sprouting of the horn of salvation sprouts — until, in the end of all ends, all the salvations that were aroused and sprouted through the prayer of Yisrael will be gathered together. And through this the complete redemption will come, in the aspect of: "When it was heated near it, it turned over", etc. — as explained above. And each person must understand from all this hints for himself — that specifically in the intensity of the darkness of one's personal exile, which is the aspect of an actual deep abyss, physically and spiritually, in the aspect of: "Deep calls unto deep" [Psalms 42:8] — as Rashi explains: "One trouble calls to its fellow", may the Merciful One save us — even there Hashem, blessed be He, illuminates through His chesed, through the tzadikim who draw the aspect of t'filas Hashem, from where the chasadim that never cease, as mentioned above. But each person must strengthen himself to believe in this, and to endeavor with all his might to cry out and pray to Hashem. And the essential thing: that one should arouse t'filas Hashem within himself — that one should request of Hashem, blessed be He, that He Himself should pray on one's behalf, as mentioned above. For the more there is some aspect of is'arusa d'l'sata — that the Jewish person prays from below — the more is aroused, as it were, the power of His prayer, blessed be He, as is known. For this is the essential generality of all the kavanos of the Torah and mitzvos and all the kavanos of prayer — that the essential kavanah is that through the is'arusa d'l'sata, there should be an arousal above, as is known. That is: when we study Torah or fulfill some mitzvah — through this we arouse Him, blessed be He, to fulfill that Torah and mitzvah. And likewise, when we pray before Him, blessed be He — then He, blessed be He, Himself prays. For every Jew is literally a part of G-d — and according to one's portion and root in His G-dliness, blessed be He, so one has the power to arouse from Above. But certainly there are many distinctions — for His G-dliness, blessed be He, fills all the worlds, from the summit of all levels to the end of all levels, to the very lowest level, and even among the "ten crowns of impurity", etc. — as brought in his [the Rebbe's] words, of blessed memory, many times (and especially in the Torah-teaching "Mi Ha'ish HeChafeitz Chaim" [Likutay Moharan I:33]). Only, the lower the level, the more His G-dliness is in greater contractions and clothed in more garments, etc. And therefore there are many distinctions and levels between one person and another, and within the person himself who must ascend from level to level — as explained in this Torah-teaching, "Chosam B'soch Chosam," which we are engaged in. For with each person, according to his level, there is the aspect of revealed and concealed, the aspect of na'aseh and nishma, which are the aspects of Toras Hashem and "his Torah," which are the aspects of Torah and prayer, etc. — as explained there. That is, there is one who is very low, who can arouse through his Torah and prayer only the G-dly vitality that is clothed in many garments and great contractions, that enlivens some level of the World of Asiyah. And so on from level to level. And therefore the essential hope is through the great tzadikim who merit Toras Hashem and t'filas Hashem literally — who illuminate within us. That even at the very lowest depths of the lowest level, from there we can cleave ourselves with a strong ratzon to t'filas Hashem literally. For the ratzon is always free — as explained above — that through the great power of the tzadikim, we can overcome with a strong ratzon, which is the aspect of nishma, the aspect of prayer, etc. — to draw upon oneself mercy and chasadim from t'filas Hashem literally. From which new chasadim are drawn every day that never cease. And this is the aspect of the generality of the kavanos of the daily prayer. For it is explained in the Kavanos of the Ari z"l that the generality of the kavanos is to rectify the four worlds — Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah, Asiyah — through action (uvda) and through speech (milula). For at first one must rectify them through action: through relieving oneself and washing one's hands — through which the waste is expelled and the World of Asiyah is purified. Through tzitzis, one rectifies the World of Yetzirah. Through the hand-tefillin, one rectifies the World of Beriah. Through the head-tefillin, the World of Atzilus. And all of this is through action. And afterward, through speech: through the morning blessings and Korbanos, etc., one rectifies through speech the World of Asiyah. Through Pesukei D'Zimrah, the World of Yetzirah. Through Krias Shema and its blessings, the World of Beriah. And through the Shemoneh Esrei, the World of Atzilus. That is — action and speech are the aspects of na'aseh and nishma. For na'aseh is the aspect of action, the aspect of Torah. And speech is the aspect of nishma, the aspect of prayer — which is specifically in speech. And one must ascend from level to level until Atzilus, and there one must be included in the Ain Sof — until the prayer becomes the aspect of t'filas Hashem literally. And this is the aspect of what we request before the Shemoneh Esrei: "Hashem, open my lips" [Psalms 51:17], etc. That is: I do not know what to speak at all, or how to draw the chasadim to nullify the din. Only: "Hashem, open my lips" — and He Himself, as it were, will speak through me all the words of the prayer, in the aspect of: "The spirit of Hashem spoke through me" [II Samuel 23:2]. That is: may I be so included in You that my prayer becomes the aspect of t'filas Hashem literally. And this is: "and my mouth shall declare Your praise" — the aspect of: "He is your praise and He is your G-d" [Deuteronomy 10:21]. This is the essential completeness of prayer — that the prayer should be included in His unity, blessed be He, as explained elsewhere. That is, the aspect of t'filas Hashem, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of the greatness of praying with a tzibur [congregation] — for then one's prayer is not rejected, in the aspect of: "Behold, G-d is mighty; He does not reject" [Job 36:5]. For "in every [group of] ten, the Shechinah rests." And the essential rectification is through the chazan [prayer leader] and sh'liach tzibur, when he is fit as is proper. For the sh'liach tzibur must be the most select of the congregation — one who can gather all the good points within each member of the congregation and include them all in Him, blessed be He — until he arouses t'filas Hashem literally. And this is the aspect of the repetition of the Shemoneh Esrei by the congregation — when Kedushah is recited. For through the repetition of the prayer, the sh'liach tzibur gathers all the prayers of the congregation, includes them together, ascends with them, and is included in t'filas Hashem. Where there is the ultimate supernal kedushah above all kedushos. And this is the aspect of the three kedushos: "Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh" — the aspect of the kedushah of Torah, the aspect of na'aseh; and the aspect of the kedushah of prayer, the aspect of nishma; and the third Kadosh is the aspect of their generality together. For the essential thing is to include the kedushah of nishma within the kedushah of na'aseh, as mentioned above. And this is the aspect of: "The whole earth is full of His glory" [Isaiah 6:3]. "Glory" — this is the aspect of "King of glory", the aspect of mishpat, the aspect of: "A king through mishpat establishes the land" [Proverbs 29:4]. For the essential glory of the King is that He performs mishpat. That is, all of this is still the aspect of mishpat, the aspect of Torah, etc. — for even within Toras Hashem, all the aforementioned aspects are included, as mentioned above. And then the ofanim and chayos hakodesh, with a great tumult, rise up toward the seraphim and say: "Blessed is the glory of Hashem from His place" [Ezekiel 3:12]. This is the aspect of: "Where is the place of His glory?" — as we say in the Kedushah of Keser on Shabbos [and Yom Tov]. That is: they say that the essential praise and glory of Hashem, blessed be He, is not that His glory — the aspect of mishpat — fills the entire world. For through this alone the world would not endure, as mentioned above. Rather, in truth, no one knows at all "where is the place of His glory" — for the ways of His mishpat are impossible to grasp, since the mishpat is included within tzedakah, which is drawn from t'filas Hashem, as mentioned above — which is impossible to grasp at all. Therefore the essential praise of Him, blessed be He: "Blessed is the glory of Hashem from His place" — where there are very great mercies, beyond estimation — the aspect of: "From His place, He shall turn in mercy", etc. And therefore the angels say this with a great tumult — for they tremble greatly from the awe of His greatness, blessed be He — because they understand from afar the immensity of the wonders of His chasadim, without end, which are the essential greatness of the Creator, as mentioned above — which they cannot grasp in any way, except for the great tzadikim who were in this world, etc., as mentioned above. And one who is unable to pray with the congregation — his essential remedy is to connect himself to the tzadikim of the generation mentioned above, who have merited t'filas Hashem literally. For the entire rectification of prayer depends on them. For even the sh'liach tzibur does not have the power for all the above — even if he is a truly upright and fit person — except through the power of the tzadikim, to whom one must connect oneself even more. In order that [the sh'liach tzibur] should be able to elevate all the prayers of the congregation to the aspect of t'filas Hashem, as mentioned above. And after the repetition of the Shemoneh Esrei, then the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy are recited: "And Hashem passed before his face and proclaimed: Hashem, Hashem" [Exodus 34:6] — which is the essential aspect of t'filas Hashem mentioned above, which one merits to arouse through the prayer of all Yisrael, as mentioned above. And then they fall on their faces. And it is explained in the Kavanos that one casts oneself with the intention of [falling] from heaven to earth, in order to raise up sparks from the depths of the klippos for the sake of the unification. That is, the aspect of the descent that is the purpose of the ascent, as explained in the aforementioned Torah-teaching and brought above. For it is impossible to be included there except through a prior descent — which is the purpose of the ascent. That when one withstands the trial at the very depths of the descent, to strengthen oneself even there and to believe that His mercy never ceases, as mentioned above — then one merits the ultimate ascent, through the power of the tzadikim, to be included in the aspect of t'filas Hashem literally. Where everything is transformed to good — for there all sins are forgiven and transformed into merits, in the aspect of: "On that day, the sin of Yisrael shall be sought, and it is not there" [Jeremiah 50:20], etc. — as explained there in the aforementioned Torah-teaching. And after the prayer, Ashrei and U'va L'Tzion are recited, etc. — for then one returns from Atzilus to Beriah. And afterward, through T'filah L'David and the Song of the Day, one returns from Beriah to Yetzirah. And afterward, through Ein K'Elokeinu and Ketores, one returns from Yetzirah to Asiyah. And all of this is in order to draw the bounty of good from world to world, until this physical world — as all of this is explained in the Kavanos. That is: this is the essential rectification — to draw the chasadim from the ultimate heights, from the aspect of t'filas Hashem literally — until all the judgments and dinim below are sweetened, until the bounty of good is drawn for blessing to this physical world. And this is the essential generality of the inclusion of nishma within na'aseh. That is: that the aspect of the chasadim from t'filas Hashem should illuminate all the way down to the very lowest level of the World of Asiyah — until all are drawn close to Hashem, blessed be He, as mentioned above. And there shall be drawn upon us every good, physically and spiritually, as mentioned above. For the more the din is sweetened, the more the power of the evil inclination is nullified, and one merits to return to Hashem, blessed be He. And every good is drawn to Yisrael. Amen.