חובל בחבירו ג

And then, when new honor comes to a person and within it is clothed a holy soul as above, one must see to give birth to the soul with ease, without the difficulty of birth pangs, etc. And afterward, when the soul is born, one must raise the soul. These two aspects — birth and raising — are accomplished through awe and love, which are the aspect of the two hands: the "mighty hand" and the "great hand." For the birth is accomplished through the aspect of the mighty hand, which is the aspect of awe, as it is written: "trembling seized them there, pangs like a woman in labor." And after the soul is born, one raises it through love, which is the aspect of the great hand, etc.

One who rents a field from his fellow, and it was consumed by locusts or was struck by blight: if it was a regional plague [makas m'dinah], one deducts from his rent. And if it was not a regional plague, one does not deduct, even though all of the landlord's [nosain's] fields were struck. But if it was a regional plague — where the law would be to deduct from his rent — if most of the renter's [chochair's] fields were struck, one does not deduct from his rent.

And sometimes the soul experiences fatigue, etc., and one must revive it through the aspect of "cold water upon a weary soul," etc. And cold water is made through giving honor to an elder who has forgotten his learning — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "Be careful with an elder who has forgotten his learning, to honor him," etc. — see all of this there carefully.

Fortunate are the ears that hear such things; fortunate are the eyes that see such things.

Section 2

The matter of why the damage is attributed to the renter [chochair] more than to the landlord [nosain]: for regarding the renter, when most of his fields were struck, one does not deduct for him even though it was a regional plague, and the damage is attributed to the renter. But this is not the case regarding the landlord, for one never attributes it to him — even if all the landlord's fields were struck, one still does not deduct for him if it was not a regional plague.

The matter is explained according to the teaching that begins "Ki Saitzai LaMilchamah," etc.: "Behind and before You have formed me [achor vaKedem tzartani]" (in Likutay Moharan Tinyana, siman 82). This is the aspect of kasaider [in order] and shelo kasaider [not in order]. Kedem [before/in front] is the aspect of kasaider, the aspect of the Aleph-Bais in order. And achor [behind/backward] is the aspect of Tashrak [the alphabet in reverse order], shelo kasaider. And this is the aspect of Adam and Chavah — kasaider and shelo kasaider. The Name Havayah in the milui of alephin has the gematriya of Mah [45], [which equals] Adam. And Chavah is the aspect of Malchus — "Mouth, and Torah SheBa'al Peh [the Oral Torah], we call her," etc. For the Malchus is called Dibur [speech], etc.

It emerges that this aspect of Malchus-Chavah, when she is connected to Adam, to the aspect of Mah — that is, to the Holy One, blessed be He — then she has completeness and vitality, etc. But one who separates the aspect of Chavah-Malchus for himself, who says "I shall reign" — in this he separates and divides her from the Holy One, blessed be He. Then she is not in completeness, for her essential vitality is Mah — that is, the intellect [saichel], etc. And then things go for him shelo kasaider, for he is within the aspect of shelo kasaider — that is, Malchus, etc. But when this aspect of Chavah is connected to Adam — that is, to the Holy One, blessed be He — then things go for him kasaider. For "in the place where the male is present, the female is not mentioned there." It emerges that the aspect of Chavah, shelo kasaider, is nullified through Adam, kasaider. And the aspect of kasaider is called Yud, for Malchus, which is called Dales, has nothing of her own, and the Holy One, blessed be He, draws to her the vitality of Chochmah, which is called Yud. And this is Yud-Vav-Dales, etc. And this is "Your palms [kapecha]" — Yud in gematriya equals Kaf [20], etc.

And when a person sees that things are going for him shelo kasaider, he should know that he has gadlus [grandiosity/arrogance] — that is, "I shall reign," etc. And he should do t'shuvah, etc. And the way of t'shuvah that Moshe made is this: that Moshe bound himself even with the lowest of the low, for there is the aspect of Elokus even in the lowest level, to fulfill "and His kingship rules over all" (Tehillim 103:19) — see there, all of this well.

And this is the aspect of the great prohibition of striking and injuring one man against his fellow — for one who injures his fellow blemishes the honor of his fellow and the soul of his fellow, which are in truth one, for the soul's root is in honor, as above. This wicked one who injures his fellow is as if he takes his soul — for he literally takes the soul from that very limb in which he wounds him, as our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the matter of sheves [loss of work]: "One who wounds there — on what account is he liable? On account of the taking of the soul [neshamah] within that limb." It follows that one who injures and strikes his fellow literally takes the soul of his fellow.

And the general principle is: when one binds his thought to the Holy One, blessed be He, to the Name Havayah, blessed be He, in the aspect of Mah, then one draws vitality from the Holy One, blessed be He, from the aspect of kasaider, to the aspect of Malchus, which is the aspect of shelo kasaider. And then, "in the place where the male is present, the female is not mentioned there." And then the aspect of shelo kasaider is nullified and everything becomes kasaider, and then everything goes for the person kasaider.

The primary blemish is what he blemishes most severely in the honor of his fellow — that he greatly shames him through the striking — for the shame is the primary blemish and the greatest transgression. As our Sages of blessed memory said (Bava Metzia 59): "One who whitens the face of his fellow in public has no share in the World to Come." And this is even if he shamed him with words alone — how much more so when he shames him through actual physical striking. It follows that he blemishes the honor of his fellow Israelite and also literally takes his soul with his own hands through the striking and wounding, which is the aspect of the departure of the soul from that limb, as above.

But when one separates his thought from the Holy One, blessed be He, and does not draw vitality from the Holy One, blessed be He, from the aspect of Mah, from the aspect of kasaider, to the aspect of Malchus, the aspect of shelo kasaider — then, as it were, the aspect of Malchus-shelo-kasaider is separated from the Holy One, blessed be He, from the aspect of kasaider. And then it literally becomes, G-d forbid, the aspect of shelo kasaider, and then things go for the person shelo kasaider, for he is within the aspect of shelo kasaider, as above. And the essential blemish is through gadlus [grandiosity], which is idolatry — which is the aspect of "I shall reign," meaning that one separates the aspect of Malchus-shelo-kasaider from the Holy One, blessed be He, etc., as above.

These two blemishes are related to one another, for one depends upon the other, for the soul's root is in honor, as above. And when one blemishes the honor of his fellow even by shaming him with words alone, it is also considered as if he takes his soul — for the soul's root is in honor, as above, and when one blemishes and robs the honor of his fellow, it is as if he takes the soul that is clothed within the honor. And therefore one who whitens the face of his fellow is considered as if he literally sheds blood, as our Sages of blessed memory said (Bava Metzia 58b) — for the blood is the soul, for the blemish of honor is the blemish of the soul whose root and vitality is in the honor, as above. How much more so when one blemishes the honor of an Israelite through actual striking — it follows that he robs the honor and soul of his fellow that is clothed in the honor, literally with his own hands. And therefore his transgression is too great to bear, as our Sages of blessed memory said, that even by raising the hand one is called wicked.

And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said: "One who whitens the face of his fellow in public has no share in the World to Come" — for the primary aspect of the World to Come is the aspect of honor, in the aspect of "your righteousness shall go before you, the glory of Hashem shall gather you in," which is said regarding the souls of the righteous after their departure — that the righteous who merit it depart at the time of their death into the honor which is the garment and root of the soul, and through this they merit in the World to Come what they merit, for it is impossible to come to the life of the World to Come except through the soul's being included within the aspect of the glory of Hashem, to which the souls of the righteous are gathered in the aspect of "the glory of Hashem shall gather you in," as above.

And this is the essential service of man: to draw vitality from the Holy One, blessed be He, to the aspect of Malchus, which is the aspect of the governance of the world, so that the aspect of Malchus will be connected to the Holy One, blessed be He. And then everything returns kasaider, as explained above — and understand there well.

(For even though in the Torah above it is stated that it is not good when the soul departs through honor — the intent is that one must guard oneself when honor comes, lest the soul depart before its time, heaven forfend. But when the time of a person's visitation comes to die, it is certainly a great good and merit for the person when he merits that his soul depart into the honor, in the aspect of "the glory of Hashem shall gather you in," which is said of the departure of the souls of the righteous — fortunate are they.)

And therefore one who whitens the face of his fellow, etc., who blemishes the honor of his fellow Israelite — and when one blemishes the honor of Israel one blemishes the honor of Hashem blessed be He, for the Holy One blessed be He and Israel and Torah are all one, for Israel is His honor blessed be He, as cited elsewhere. And as it is written: "Upon Israel is His grandeur" — His greatness and grandeur and honor blessed be He is upon Israel. And therefore this one who whitens the face of his fellow, who has blemished the honor, is therefore punished measure for measure — if he does not appease his fellow, so too in the future he will not merit that his soul enter and be included within the honor, and thereby he has no share in the World to Come — for it is impossible to merit the World to Come except through the aspect of "the glory of Hashem shall gather you in," as is known. For this is the secret of the chaluka d'Rabbanan [garment of the Sages], which is the aspect of the honor within which the soul is clothed to behold the pleasantness of Hashem, etc.

And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said: "One who glorifies himself through the disgrace of his fellow has no share in the World to Come" — for this one who glorifies himself through the disgrace of his fellow, who wishes to take honor for himself through the disgrace of his fellow, thereby this and that are taken from him, for the honor flees from him and he does not merit that his soul be included within the supernal honor in which the souls of the righteous are included, in the aspect of "the glory of Hashem shall gather you in," as above. And thereby he has no share in the World to Come, as above.

Section 3

And this is why the Torah obligated one who injures his fellow in five matters — damages, pain, healing, loss of work, and shame — for this one who struck his fellow and blemished the honor of an Israelite for the sake of his own honor, wishing to take all honor for himself, this is the aspect of the fall of honor to the impudent ones of the generation, who are the idolaters and wicked who rule over the poor people for naught, as mentioned in the Torah above. For most quarrels and disputes — and particularly strikings and injuries — come through the impudent ones of the generation, who are either gentiles, or wicked wealthy men who lord over the poor for naught and degrade them with all manner of degradations. And when the poor man answers back with even a slight word, he strikes him on the cheek and wounds him because the poor man blemished his honor. Woe to his soul, woe to him that arrogance overcame him to such a degree — for not only did Hashem blessed be He grant him good and give him wealth, but he also wishes to dominate over the poor, who are the "broken vessels" that the Holy One blessed be He loves, etc. And it does not suffice him, all the honor that he has in his wealth, but he wishes to degrade all the rest of the common people — the upright ones — and particularly the truly poor, so that all shall be bent beneath him, as though all honor belongs to him alone.

The rule is: certainly anyone who comes to this great transgression of striking his fellow, heaven forfend, it is because of the great arrogance within him, that he wishes to take all honor for himself — for most quarrels and disputes are over honor, when it seems to him that his honor has been impinged upon, and because of this he comes to striking and injuring his fellow. For he is exceedingly impudent, and it is as though all honor is owed to him from Heaven, to the point that it seems to him that his fellow impinged on his honor, and because of this he struck him. It follows that the strikings and injuries come through the aspect of the blemish — the fall of honor to the impudent ones of the generation.

Therefore one must give the five matters above — for to raise the honor from the impudent ones is through charity, which is the aspect of the five [heh], etc., as above. And corresponding to this, the one who injures his fellow must give five matters — five types of monetary payment — corresponding to the heh of charity above, through which one raises and rectifies the honor from the blemish of the fall of honor to the impudent ones, as above.

And this is the aspect of working the field. For the field is the aspect of Malchus, in the aspect of "for he found her in the field" (Devarim 22:27), as is brought. And this is the aspect of: "A king is subject to the field" (Koheles 5:8). For the field is in the aspect of Malchus, which is Chavah, the aspect of shelo kasaider. And the essential work of the field is in order to draw vitality from the Holy One, blessed be He, which is the aspect of Shamayim [heaven], as it is written: "And You shall hear from heaven" (Melachim I 8:32) — to the aspect of Eretz [earth], through the rain, which is the aspect of the vitality and abundance that flows from heaven to earth, from Adam to Chavah. For heaven and earth are the aspect of Adam and Chavah, as is known.

And this is the great importance of rainfall, as is brought in the words of our Sages of blessed memory. As it is written: "If you walk in My statutes," etc.; "then I shall give your rains in their season," etc. (Vayikra 26:3-4). And conversely: "And you will turn aside and serve other gods," etc.; "and He will shut the heavens, and there will be no rain," etc. (Devarim 11:16-17). It emerges that the Torah made reward and punishment dependent on the rain. For in truth, the rain that descends from heaven to earth hints at the shefa [abundance] that flows from the aspect of Adam-Mah — that is, from the Holy One, blessed be He — to the aspect of Malchus, as above. And this is the essential tikun of all the Torah and mitzvos, as is known. And as is brought in the holy Zohar, that the essential rain comes when they return to being face-to-face [anpin b'anpin], as it is brought in the Zohar in the account of when they came to Rabi Shimon [bar Yochai] regarding rain — see there. For the essential rain is when the aspect of Adam-Mah-kasaider bestows upon the aspect of Chavah, etc. And then everything returns kasaider, and then it is the aspect of face-to-face, and then the abundance of rain descends from heaven to earth, which are the aspect of Adam and Chavah, as above. And therefore through the blemish of idolatry, through which there is the aspect of hester panim [concealment of the Face], then one separates the shefa from the Holy One, blessed be He, to the aspect of Malchus. For this is the aspect of: "A slanderer [nirgan] separates the Chief [Aluf]" (Mishlai 16:28) — Havayah in the milui of alephin. And then: "He will shut the heavens, and there will be no rain," as above. And the essential labor of the ground — that one needs many efforts and difficult labors to work the field — this is because of the sin of Adam HaRishon, through which the ground was cursed on his account. As it is written: "By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread," etc. (Beraishis 3:19). That is, one needs many labors to work in the field before one eats bread. For the essential sin of Adam HaRishon was in the aspect mentioned above, in the aspect of "a slanderer separates the Chief," etc., as above. For Adam HaRishon denied the essence [kafar ba'ikar], as our Sages of blessed memory said, and separated the vitality from the Holy One, blessed be He, to the aspect of Malchus. For Adam was named after the supernal Adam, and he had the power to draw the vitality mentioned above — the aspect of Mah — to the aspect of Malchus, etc., as above. And through his sin he blemished this and made a separation, as it were. And had he drawn the vitality — the aspect of Mah — to the aspect of Chavah-Malchus, everything would have been kasaider, as above. And through his sin, by separating the vitality, as it were, from the aspect of Malchus, through this everything reverted to shelo kasaider. And through this the ground was cursed, and all things were cursed, for everything was made in the aspect of shelo kasaider, because he separated the vitality from the aspect of kasaider, as above. And the essential damage was to the ground, as it is written: "Cursed is the ground," etc. (Beraishis 3:17). For the ground is the aspect of Malchus-shelo-kasaider, as above, where the essential blemish is, as above — through not drawing the vitality from the aspect of kasaider to the aspect of shelo kasaider, as above. And because of this, the field needs many efforts and labors, in the aspect of "by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread," as above. And through these labors, the ground is brought out from its curse. For through the labors of the field, the field is rectified, and rain descends upon it, which is the aspect of shefa and vitality from heaven to earth. And then everything returns kasaider, as above. And this is the aspect of the time when the grain is completed being called Aviv, as it is written: "Guard the month of the Aviv," etc. (Devarim 16:1). Aviv is the aspect of Aleph-Bais kasaider [in order], as is brought. For in Tishrai one sows — Tishrai is the aspect of Tashrak [reverse alphabet order], and then it is still before the tikun of the field, and then it is still in the aspect of shelo kasaider. And afterward, all the labors and tikunim that are done in the field, and rain descends upon it all the days of the rainy season — through this the aspect of shelo kasaider is rectified and receives vitality, that is, the shefa of rain from the aspect of kasaider. And then, at the time the grain is completed, everything is rectified and everything returns kasaider. And therefore then it is the aspect of Aviv — kasaider, as above. For there are several mitzvos practiced with the land from the time of plowing and sowing until the grain is finished and becomes bread, as is written in the Tur, Orach Chayim, siman 167. And through these mitzvos, the sin of Adam HaRishon is rectified — for the essential blemish was in the aspect of the ground, which is the aspect of Malchus, as above, in the aspect of "cursed is the ground," etc. And therefore they are ten mitzvos [yud mitzvos], in order to draw the vitality from the aspect of kasaider, which is the aspect of Yud, to the aspect of Malchus, which is the aspect of the field — so that everything should return kasaider. And this is the aspect of: "The earth has yielded its produce; may G-d, our G-d, bless us" (Tehillim 67:7). For at the time the grain has ripened, the aspect of Aviv-kasaider, then the curse of the ground that was drawn from the aspect of shelo kasaider, as above, is nullified. And then blessing is drawn, in the aspect of "may G-d bless us," etc. And this is the aspect of the ten words in Birchas HaMotzi [the blessing over bread], corresponding to the ten mitzvos practiced with the grain from the time of plowing, etc., as above, as is explained there in the Tur and Shulchan Aruch. And similarly, it enumerates there several verses that speak of parnassah [sustenance] which contain ten words. For the essential tikun of the bread that comes from the ground is through the aspect of Yud mentioned above, which is the aspect of kasaider, as above. And this is why one must stress the Hai of "HaMotzi." For the Malchus is the aspect of Dales, as above. And when one draws to her vitality from the Yud, then a Hai is made from the Dales, as it is brought in the holy Zohar: "a Hai she was [a Dales]," etc. And this is the essential tikun of the grain and the bread that comes from the field, as above — through receiving vitality from the aspect of kasaider, which is the aspect of Yud. And then the bread and grain that comes from the field, which is the aspect of Malchus-shelo-kasaider, the aspect of Dales, the aspect of impoverished and poor, which was cursed through the sin of Adam HaRishon, etc., as above — now the vitality is drawn again from the aspect of Yud-kasaider, and then a Hai is made from the Dales. And this is the aspect of the Hai of HaMotzi. And then everything becomes kasaider, and wealth and shefa and great blessing are drawn, in the aspect of: "And I will pour out for you blessing without limit [ad b'li dai]" (Malachi 3:10). And this is the aspect of t'rumah [priestly tithe] and ma'asair [Levitical tithe] that are given to the Kohain, and the gifts to the poor that are all given from the grain — all for the sake of the tikun mentioned above, so that the vitality should be drawn from the aspect of kasaider, the aspect of Mah, the aspect of Yud, to the aspect of Malchus, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of t'rumah to the Kohain — t'rumah specifically, the aspect of Mah. For through the t'rumah to the Kohain, one elevates the grain to the aspect of Mah and receives from there vitality, as above. And therefore the t'rumah g'dolah [great t'rumah] has no fixed measure. For in the aspect of Mah there is no aspect of measure, because it is the aspect of Mah [What?]. But the Sages gave it a measure — the Sages specifically. For the Sages are the aspect of Torah SheBa'al Peh [the Oral Torah], the aspect of Malchus — "Mouth, and Torah SheBa'al Peh, we call her." And when the vitality is drawn from the aspect of Mah-kasaider to the aspect of Malchus-shelo-kasaider, a measure is made in her, in the aspect of "do not read Mah but rather Mai'ah [one hundred]," as is known and as is brought elsewhere. And therefore the Sages, who are the aspect of Torah SheBa'al Peh, the aspect of Malchus — they specifically gave a measure to the t'rumah, which is the aspect of Mah, as above. For in the aspect of Mah, measure is not relevant except through the aspect of the Sages, Torah SheBa'al Peh, as above. And the measure is two from a hundred [t'rai mimay'ah]. And it is brought that t'rai mimay'ah is the aspect of Tiferes and Malchus, which are the aspect of Adam and Chavah, as is known. They are the aspect of two from a hundred sockets [adanim] that are made and drawn from the aspect of Mah to a hundred, in the aspect of "do not read Mah but rather Mai'ah," as above. And this is the measure of t'rumah — t'rai mimay'ah — in order to unite and connect and elevate the aspects of shelo kasaider and kasaider, Adam and Chavah, etc., as above. For they are the aspect of t'rai mimay'ah, for through them the aspect of Mai'ah is made from the aspect of Mah, through the vitality being drawn from Adam to Chavah, from the aspect of Mah to the aspect of Malchus. And then Mah becomes Mai'ah, as is known. For Mah is the aspect of Yud, as above, and when the vitality is drawn to the aspect of Malchus, as above, then it also becomes the aspect of Yud — for Vav-Dales, which is the aspect of drawing the vitality to the aspect of Malchus, is also the aspect of the lower Yud, as is known, the aspect of Yud in gematriya Kaf, as brought in the teaching mentioned above, the aspect of "ten and ten the ladle" [asarah asarah hakaf], as is known. And Yud times Yud is a hundred [Mai'ah]. And therefore the t'rumah is given to the Kohain. For the Kohain is the aspect of Chesed, the aspect of Avraham, the aspect of Brachah [blessing] — which is the aspect of kasaider, which is the aspect of Chesed-Brachah. And afterward, ma'asair is given to the Laivi. The Laivi is the aspect of G'vuros [harsh judgments] and Dinim [judgments], the aspect of shelo kasaider. And one gives him ma'asair — the aspect of Yud — in order to draw the Yud mentioned above to the aspect of shelo kasaider, which is the aspect of the Laivi. And afterward, one returns and gives t'rumas ma'asair — a tithe from the tithe — to the Kohain. For when the aspect of shelo kasaider receives from the aspect of kasaider, which is the aspect of Yud, then everything returns and becomes kasaider, for "in the place where the male is present, the female is not mentioned there," as above. And this is the aspect of returning and giving t'rumas ma'asair to the Kohain — for one returns and connects everything to the Kohain, the aspect of kasaider, so that everything should be kasaider. For "in the place where the male is present," etc. That is, when the aspect of Malchus-shelo-kasaider — meaning the totality of the worlds — receives vitality from the Holy One, blessed be He, from the aspect of Mah, they return and become connected to Him, blessed be He, in the aspect of face-to-face, and then everything becomes kasaider, as above. And this is the aspect of t'rumas ma'asair to the Kohain. For first one elevates everything to the aspect of Kohain through the t'rumah, and everything is included in the aspect of kasaider, in the aspect of Kohain. And afterward, one draws the vitality in the aspect of Yud mentioned above also downward, to the aspect of the worlds, to the aspect of shelo kasaider — which is the aspect of ma'asair to the Laivi. And afterward, one returns and connects to the Kohain, to the aspect of kasaider, through t'rumas ma'asair — one from a hundred — so that the aspect of shelo kasaider should always be connected to the aspect of kasaider, so that everything should be made kasaider, for "in the place where the male is present," etc., as above. And this is the aspect of the gifts to the poor — leket [gleanings], shikchah [forgotten sheaves], and pai'ah [corner of the field] — that are given from the field. For the essential shefa that is bestowed from the aspect of kasaider, the aspect of Yud, to the aspect of Malchus, etc., is through tz'dakah [charity], as is brought, in the aspect of: "Tzedek [righteousness] shall go before him" (Tehillim 85:14) — the aspect of Panim [face], the aspect of Kedem [before/in front], which is the aspect of kasaider. That is, through tz'dakah one elevates the Malchus to the aspect of kasaider, the aspect of Panim, and Tzedek becomes Tz'dakah, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of what our Sages of blessed memory said: that the grain is not established for tithes until it "sees the face of the house." For one must sift and elevate the grain from the aspect of the field, which is the aspect of Malchus-shelo-kasaider, to the aspect of the house [bayis], which is the dwelling of Adam, the aspect of kasaider. And this is the aspect of the Bais [the letter] of "Beraishis," which is the beginning of the Torah, which is the aspect of Adam-Mah, the aspect of Chochmah, in the aspect of: "This is the Torah: Adam" (Bamidbar 19:14). And therefore when the grain "sees the face of the house" — "the face of the house" specifically, the aspect of Panim, the aspect of Kedem mentioned above, which is the aspect of Panim — that is, when the grain enters from the field to the house, meaning from the moment the tikun of the grain begins, ascending from the aspect of shelo kasaider to the aspect of kasaider — then it is established for t'rumah and tithes, in order to complete the tikun and to draw the vitality from the aspect of kasaider to the aspect of shelo kasaider, etc., as above. It emerges that the essential work of the field is in order to sift it and rectify it, to draw to it vitality from the aspect of kasaider, to the aspect of the field, which is the aspect of shelo kasaider. And therefore all the tikunim of the field — that is, the labor of the ground — is for the most part done through a m'kabail [contract worker] or chochair [renter]. For the landlord [nosain] and the m'kabail or chochair are the aspect of Adam and Chavah, which are the aspect of one who gives and one who receives, as is known. And when the landlord and the m'kabail or chochair conduct themselves properly — that the landlord gives the m'kabail's share in completeness, and the m'kabail does not take for himself anything more than what is coming to him — through this the tikun and yichud mentioned above is accomplished, that the shefa is drawn from Adam to Chavah, which are the aspect of one who gives and one who receives, as above. And through this the labor of the ground and the tikun of the field is accomplished in completeness, for the essential tikun of the field is through this, as above. For when the landlord does not give the m'kabail his share in completeness, in this he blemishes below and, as it were, also above — the vitality is not bestowed in completeness from the aspect of the one who gives to the aspect of the one who receives, from Adam to Chavah. And similarly, when the m'kabail takes for himself more than is proper — this is the aspect of what is written in the teaching mentioned above: the blemish of one who takes the aspect of Malchus for himself, who says "I shall reign." Through this, things go for him shelo kasaider. And this is the aspect of the m'kabail who takes for himself from the field more than is proper — it emerges that he takes the aspect of Malchus for himself. And in truth, one must bind and connect it to the aspect of Adam, to the aspect of kasaider, as above. And similarly below, one must hand over and connect everything to the one it belongs to — to the aspect of the landlord, who is the aspect of Adam, as above — and not to take for himself except what is coming to him, no more, in order not to blemish the aspect of Malchus by taking for himself more than is proper, which is the aspect of "I shall reign." For through this it literally becomes shelo kasaider, as above — that then things go for him shelo kasaider. But when the landlord and the m'kabail conduct themselves properly, etc., as above — then the tikun and yichud mentioned above between the aspects of Adam and Chavah, etc., is accomplished, as above. And through this is the essential tikun of the field, which is Malchus-shelo-kasaider, which must be worked and rectified and have vitality drawn to it from the aspect of kasaider, etc., as above. And this is the aspect of the distinction between the landlord and the renter: that regarding the landlord, the damage is not attributed to him even if most of his fields were struck (only when there is a regional plague). But regarding the renter, the damage is attributed when most of his fields were struck — for then, even though there is a regional plague such that the law would require deducting from his rent, nevertheless one does not deduct for him, etc., as above. For the landlord is in the aspect of kasaider, and the renter is in the aspect of shelo kasaider, as above. And all the damages that come to the field, G-d forbid, are all from the aspect of shelo kasaider, as above. And therefore the damage is always attributed more to the m'kabail — that is, to the renter — than to the landlord. For the essential damage comes from the aspect of shelo kasaider, as above. And this is the aspect of the matter of Bil'am, that Hashem turned the curse into a blessing, as it is written: "And Hashem your G-d turned for you the curse into a blessing, for Hashem your G-d loves you" (Devarim 23:6). For Bil'am intended to curse Yisra'ail, G-d forbid, on account of the sin of the [Golden] Calf, as it is written: "And he set his face toward the wilderness" (Bamidbar 24:1), as Rashi explained. For through idolatry, one separates the vitality that is drawn from the aspect of kasaider, from the aspect of Mah. And then things go shelo kasaider, and then the curse, G-d forbid, could take hold. For the essential hold of the curse, which is dinim [judgments], is through the aspect of shelo kasaider. And this is the aspect of the curse with which they were cursed from the sin of Adam HaRishon, as above. And everything depends on the Dibur [speech], which is the aspect of Malchus-shelo-kasaider. For all of the aspect of shelo kasaider comes about through being separated from the aspect of kasaider through the sin of idolatry, the aspect of "a slanderer separates the Chief," as above. Then one can turn the Dibur into a curse, G-d forbid. But Hashem, blessed be He, had compassion on Yisra'ail and turned the curse into a blessing, as it is written: "And Hashem turned," etc. — "turned" specifically [vayahafoch]. For in His compassion He had mercy on Yisra'ail and drew vitality from the aspect of Mah-kasaider to the aspect of shelo kasaider. And through this, everything was turned kasaider, in the aspect of face-to-face. And this is "vayahafoch" specifically — that the aspect of shelo kasaider, from where the chain of the hold of the curse, G-d forbid, extends, was turned to the aspect of Panim, to the aspect of blessing, as above. And all of this was through Moshe. For it is brought there in the teaching mentioned above, that Moshe was able to bind himself with the lowest of the low, for there is the aspect of Elokus even in the lowest level, etc. It emerges that through Moshe Rabbainu, peace be upon him, all of Yisra'ail are always close to Hashem, blessed be He. And even when they sin, G-d forbid, He does not conceal His face from them, for Moshe binds them to Hashem, blessed be He, always. For he finds Elokus even in the most insignificant of the insignificant, and through this he binds him to Hashem, blessed be He. And all of this Moshe opened — a paved road — in the last forty days of the receiving of the Torah, as is brought there. For through the holy Torah that Moshe drew to Yisra'ail, through this Yisra'ail are connected forever to Him, blessed be He. For even the sinners of Yisra'ail are full of mitzvos like a pomegranate. And "the Torah of Hashem is perfect, restoring the soul" — from the paths of death to the paths of life. For the Torah makes the simple one wise. And even one who has fallen to wherever he has fallen and is very far from Hashem, blessed be He, through his evil deeds — nevertheless he can draw close to Hashem, blessed be He, easily through studying the holy Torah. For the holy Torah descends even to one who is in the depths of the k'lipos, in the lowest depths, G-d forbid. And it arouses him and draws him close to Hashem, blessed be He, in the aspect of: "Destruction and death said: With our ears we have heard its report" (Iyov 28:22). That is, even one who is in the lowest level, G-d forbid, in the dwelling of the k'lipos, which are the aspect of destruction and death — they too hear the report of the Torah, which gives the simple ones cunning. For the Torah proclaims constantly: "How long, O simple ones, will you love simplicity?" etc. (Mishlai 1:22). And the general principle is that the holy Torah descends even into the deepest abyss to arouse even the lowest of the low to Hashem, blessed be He. And through engaging in Torah, one can draw close to Hashem, blessed be He, even from the lowest depths, G-d forbid. As our Sages of blessed memory said: "The words of Torah do not receive impurity." And therefore even the zavim [those with bodily emissions] and the m'tzora'im [those with skin afflictions], etc., engage in Torah, etc. This is a hint that even those who are in the sitra dim'sa'avusa [the side of impurity] — they too must engage in Torah. For the Torah will draw even them close to Hashem, blessed be He. As it is written: "And I will hide My face," etc.; "and now, write for yourselves this song... for it shall not be forgotten from the mouth of its seed" (Devarim 31:18-21). That is, even when Yisra'ail sin, G-d forbid, and through this they would be distanced from Hashem, blessed be He, in the aspect of hester panim, G-d forbid — but the Torah will draw them close, even when they are rebuked and distant, G-d forbid, on account of their deeds. Nevertheless the Torah will descend with them to the place where they are, and from the place where they are, it will draw them close to Hashem, blessed be He, and return them in t'shuvah, in the aspect of: "And this song shall speak up... for it shall not be forgotten," etc. And this is what is written: "When you walk, it shall lead you; when you lie down, it shall watch over you" (Mishlai 6:22). And our Sages of blessed memory expounded: "When you lie down — in the grave." That is, even when you are lying in the sitra d'mosa [the side of death], G-d forbid, even then the Torah will watch over you and draw you close to Hashem, blessed be He, as above. And as all of this is explained well in the teaching "Ani Hashem Hu Sh'mi," etc. (siman 11) — that through the words of Torah, one can ascend from a lowly and base level to a very exalted level. For the words of Torah illuminate for him, for they are the aspect of "a bird that stands up to its ankles in water," in the aspect of "and she uncovered his feet," etc., "and its head reaches," etc. — see there. It emerges that from the day we merited, through Hashem's compassion, to receive the Torah through Moshe Rabbainu, peace be upon him — from that day there is no distance for Yisra'ail from the Holy One, blessed be He, ever. For they are always close to Hashem, blessed be He, through the Torah, which descends and ascends with them, as above. And this is the essential purpose of the giving of the Torah to Yisra'ail. For even before the giving of the Torah, the great Tzaddikim served Hashem, blessed be He, at a very exalted level — such as the Avos, etc. And "that which was is that which will be" — and certainly even now there are great Tzaddikim at an exalted level in every generation, the aspect of b'nai aliyah [those who ascend], who even if the Torah had not been given would also have been able to draw close to Hashem, blessed be He, and serve Him in truth. And the essential, greatest quality of the giving of the Torah is that through the Torah, even the lowest of the low can draw close to Hashem, blessed be He, from wherever he is, as above. And all of Yisra'ail merit to draw close to Him through the holy Torah. And although certainly for those who are great in level, the giving of the holy Torah is also a great merit, in the aspect of: "Let the wise man hear and increase his learning" (Mishlai 1:5) — nevertheless, the essential compassion and kindness of Hashem, blessed be He, in giving the holy Torah, is in the aspect mentioned above: that the Torah is a paved road through which even the lowest of the low can draw close from wherever he is to Hashem, blessed be He. And therefore through the giving of the holy Torah, the curse, G-d forbid, has no power to take hold upon Yisra'ail, even though they sinned with idolatry and separated the vitality from Adam to Chavah, to the aspect of Malchus, which is the aspect of shelo kasaider — from where the chain of the hold of the curse, G-d forbid, extends, as above. Nevertheless, the Torah connects them always to Hashem, blessed be He, as above. For this is the aspect of the paved road that Moshe made, as above. And since Hashem, blessed be He, is with them always through the holy Torah, which is His unity, blessed be He — therefore the curse never has the power to take hold upon them, G-d forbid. For the Torah is the aspect of Chochmah, for "the Torah came forth from the supernal Chochmah" — that is, the aspect of Mah, as above. For the Torah is the aspect of Adam, in the aspect of: "This is the Torah: Adam" — the aspect of Adam-Mah. And through the holy Torah, the vitality is always bestowed from the aspect of Mah-kasaider to the aspect of shelo kasaider, even when they sin before Him, as above. And therefore the curse has no power to take hold upon them, G-d forbid, in any way, as above. And this is what Bil'am said, after he set his face toward the wilderness: "Mah tovu ohalecha Ya'akov" [How goodly are your tents, O Ya'akov] (Bamidbar 24:5) — Mah specifically. For he blessed them from the very substance of the curses he wanted to curse them, as our Sages of blessed memory said. That is, he said that the aspect of Mah, from where all the good and blessing come — the aspect of kasaider — always bestows upon them through "your tents, O Ya'akov." That is, through the tents [ohalim] in which they engage in Torah. For through this they are always connected to Him, blessed be He, in the aspect of Mah, which is the aspect of the Torah. And through this they are always in the aspect of kasaider, for the aspect of shelo kasaider is turned to the aspect of kasaider, even when they are at the lowest level, through the holy Torah, which is the aspect of Mah, as above — through which the curse is turned into a blessing, "turned" specifically [nihafaich], as above. And this is what he said there: "As streams that are spread out, as gardens by the river" (Bamidbar 24:6) — as our Sages of blessed memory expounded: "Just as streams elevate a person from impurity to purity, so do the words of Torah elevate a person," etc. That is, as above: the Torah draws a person close even from the depths of impurity, G-d forbid, and purifies him and draws him close to Hashem, blessed be He, as above. And this is "as gardens by the river" — for through the Torah they are always close to Him, blessed be He, as above, and are never disconnected from Him, blessed be He, ever. Like a garden that is beside a river, whose water irrigates it constantly and is never cut off from it — so too they are connected to Him, blessed be He, always, through the Torah. And always the vitality is drawn to them from the aspect of Mah-Adam, which is the aspect of the Torah, as above. And this is the aspect of what Rashi explained on the verse: "And Bil'am rose in the morning" (Bamidbar 22:21). And Rashi explained: "Wicked one! Avraham already preceded you," as it is said: "And Avraham rose early in the morning" (Beraishis 22:3). For Avraham rose early in the morning to bind [la'akod] his son Yitzchak. And the Akaidah [Binding] is the aspect of the sweetening of judgments. For Avraham is the aspect of Mah, as is brought, the aspect of Chesed-kasaider, as above. And Yitzchak is the aspect of G'vuros, the aspect of shelo kasaider. And Avraham, through the Akaidah, bound and tied the aspect of Yitzchak, the aspect of shelo kasaider, to the aspect of Avraham, the aspect of Mah-kasaider. And through this, shelo kasaider was included in the aspect of kasaider, for Yitzchak was included in Avraham through the Akaidah. And this Akaidah stands for Yisra'ail always, to atone for them every time they become distant from Hashem, blessed be He, G-d forbid, through their sins, G-d forbid. For through the aspect of the Akaidah, the aspect of shelo kasaider, the aspect of Yitzchak, is sweetened and included in kasaider. And through this, no judgment rests upon Yisra'ail, G-d forbid, as above — through the vitality always being drawn from the aspect of kasaider-Mah, the aspect of Avraham, to the aspect of Yitzchak, etc., as above. And therefore through this, the curse is nullified and turned into a blessing, as above. And this is what Rashi explained: "Wicked one! Avraham already preceded you," as it is said "And Avraham rose early," etc. For through the Akaidah, shelo kasaider is sweetened and included in the aspect of kasaider, in the aspect of Mah. And through this, all the blessings are drawn to Yisra'ail forever and ever. Baruch Hashem l'olam, Amain v'Amain.

Section 4

And one may suggest an allusion — for the five matters that the one who injures gives correspond to the five aspects mentioned in the Torah above, all of which are aspects of the rectification of the soul and the honor, which is the root of the soul. For it is explained there that the soul's root is in honor — and this is one aspect. And one must rectify the honor, to raise it from the impudent ones — and this is attained through charity — and this is a second aspect. And when the honor returns to holiness, to those of understanding mind, one must see to give birth to the soul and raise it through the two hands mentioned above — the mighty hand and the great hand — and this is a third and fourth aspect: the rectification of the two hands through which one gives birth to the soul and raises the soul. And sometimes the soul experiences fatigue and one must revive it through cold water, which is attained through the honor one gives to the elder who forgot his learning — and this is a fifth aspect. And corresponding to this, the one who injured, who blemished the soul and the honor as above, must give five matters, which correspond to the five of charity, through which one raises the honor from the impudent ones as above. And this is the general level. And also on the particular level, the five matters of the one who injures allude to the five aspects above:

Damages [nezek] is the aspect of the restoration and rectification of the soul — as it is written in the Torah portion of one who injures: "And you shall give soul for soul, eye for eye," etc., and our Sages of blessed memory expounded: money — for the money of damages that he pays is on account of the blemish of the departure of the soul that he took from his fellow through the taking of the limb in which he wounded him. It follows that the money of damages is the aspect of rectification and repayment for the blemish of the taking of the soul, as above.

Pain [tza'ar] that the one who injured pays — this is the aspect of charity, for the payment of pain is the aspect of charity. As our Sages of blessed memory said regarding one who injures, that he is liable for the pain even in a place of damages — for even though he gives him the value of his hand, this does not exempt him from the pain, to say that since he has purchased his hand he may cut it however he wishes. Rather, we say he must devise means to cut it with a drug so that he does not suffer so much, etc. It follows that the payment of pain that the Torah commanded is from the aspect of charity — for Hashem blessed be He has compassion upon creatures, and therefore the Torah decreed that even though he has purchased his hand through payment of damages, nonetheless he is obligated to ease his pain, that is, to devise means to cut it through a drug so that he does not suffer. And this is the aspect of charity, for charity too is from the compassion of Hashem blessed be He, who had mercy upon the poor — for even though they are obligated by His just and upright judgment to endure poverty, nonetheless His mercies are great upon them, and He decreed and commanded us to provide for them generously and to have great mercy upon them. And when one gives charity to a poor person, he eases his pain, in the aspect of "fortunate is he who considers the poor" (Tehillim 41) — for one must consider and devise means for the poor and needy who are in great pain and suffering, to procure their livelihood and ease their pain, for poverty is the aspect of pain and suffering, as it is written (ibid. 69): "and I am poor and in pain." And this is the aspect of pain that the Torah obligated to pay to the one who was injured, even in a place of damages — for even though he purchased his hand, nonetheless he is obligated to ease his pain, as above.

Healing [ripuy] and loss of work [sheves] are the aspect of the mighty hand and the great hand, through which one gives birth to the soul and raises the soul — for healing is the aspect of the birth of the soul, for the striking and wounding is the aspect of the departure of the soul, as above. For in the place of the blow, there is the departure of the soul from that place of wounding. And when one heals the wound so that it shall live, this is the aspect of the birth of the soul — one wishes to return and give birth to a new vitality in that place from which the portion of the soul departed. And therefore healing is called by the name chiyus [vitality], as it is written: "and You shall sustain me and revive me." And as it is common in the language of our Sages of blessed memory: the healing of a wound is called "the wound has lived" — for the healing of a wound is the aspect of new vitality, which is the aspect of a new soul, the aspect of a living soul. It follows that healing is in the aspect of the birth of the soul, and therefore all healings come through the aspect of the mighty hand, from which comes the birth of the soul as above, as it is written: "I have struck and I will heal." And our Sages of blessed memory said that with the same hand with which the Holy One blessed be He strikes, He heals — as it is written: "struck and healed," etc. That is, healing comes through the hand with which the Holy One blessed be He strikes, which is the aspect of the mighty hand, from which comes the grasp of all judgments and punishments, heaven forfend, as is known. And therefore all healings come through bitter drugs and suffering, because the healing comes through the aspect of the mighty hand, from which come all the afflictions and blows, heaven forfend. And therefore the healing that comes from there must also come through suffering and bitter drugs, for there is the grasp of the judgments, as is known. And this is the aspect of the birth pangs — that the woman in labor must give birth through severe suffering which are the birth pangs. And this is because the birth draws from the aspect of the mighty hand, through which is the birth of the soul in the aspect of "trembling seized them there, pangs like a woman in labor," as above. And therefore it is necessary that the birth be through suffering — for this draws from the aspect of the mighty hand, as above. And therefore the woman in labor has the same law as one who is ill regarding the desecration of Shabbos and Yom Kippur, as is explained in the legal authorities — for healing is in the aspect of the birth of the soul, as above.

Loss of work [sheves] is the aspect of the raising of the soul — for the sheves is that he must pay him for his being prevented from his work all the days of his illness until he is fully healed. This is the aspect of the raising of the soul — for the soul and vitality that is drawn to the ill wounded person through the healing, which is the aspect of the birth of the soul as above, must tarry until it grows, and then he will return to his former strength as before. And because of this absence he gives him sheves. It follows that the sheves he pays for his being prevented from work until he is fully healed is the aspect of raising the soul. For at the beginning of the sprouting of the healing, this is the aspect of the birth of the soul and vitality in the place of the blow, as above. And afterward all the days of his illness until the completion of the healing, this is the aspect of the raising of the soul — that he cannot rise from his illness and return fully to his former state until the soul has fully grown as it should. And because of this absence he gives him sheves. It follows that sheves is in the aspect of the raising of the soul.